Voices: Letters to the Editor Sept. 7

The Gabber Newspaper‘s September 7 Letters to the Editor.

Pasadena Golf & Yacht Club

Want to see ugliness in Gulfport? Come to Pasadena Yacht and Country Club. Drive through the main gate, go straight until you come to Kipps Colony Drive, and look to your right. You can’t miss the poles extending at least 100 feet into the sky and lacking anything green. There used to be beautiful trees and grasses; now only brown dirt remains. All for what? Putting greens for golfers? I don’t know.

While you’re in the area check out the large hole behind the gate at 59th Street entrance. It’s been there for months! No one seems to know why it’s there and when it will be filled. Maybe someone reading this can tell me before someone or an animal gets hurt. —Michelle Unterberger, Gulfport

Gulfport Pride

If there was ever a time not to be a proud gay man and live in Gulfport, it was last night [Aug. 15]. There were two things that occurred last night that made my stomach sick:

1. Bullying at its finest from Councilmember Paul Ray and childish behavior, like a little boy who just got his toy stolen.  The way he was yelling and cutting Councilmember April Thanos off was so very unprofessional.  Why would a City leader behave in such a way?  Is that how you want to represent the citizens of this wonderful city? I surely hope not.  I truly hope he watches the video back and learns from it.  And if he is not man enough to apologize to Councilmember Thanos, he at least owes the citizens of this city an apology.
2.  Councilmember Paul Ray voting on that resolution was NOT ethical.  OK, the City Attorney said he could vote because he is not profiting from it – but really, he could still have recused himself and the resolution would have still passed 2- 1 (that would have been the right thing to do).  By him insisting on voting on that resolution made me question his integrity, and question if there was something else to all this then anyone is letting on.

There is enough ugliness and unethical happening with politics these days, but really do we as a community have to be a part of that.  To the Mayor and all City Councilmembers: We can, and should, do better than that! —David Andrews, Gulfport/Boston

The Gabber Newspaper? We Go There

In 1968, our founder, George Brann, started The Gabber Newspaper, then called the Gulfport Gabber, to hold Gulfport City Council accountable. Read more of our city council coverage, and learn about our policies on reporting, fact-checking, and funding.

WinWay Tree

It was with interest that I read the comments in the Aug. 24 The Gabber Newspaper regarding Gulfport’s historical tree. I would like to respond to the comments by DR and SG.

First as to “what’s the big deal,” I would recommend that everyone read the article in the Aug. 27 Tampa Bay Times titled “Heat Takes an Uneven Toll.”

The lack of a tree canopy elevates the air temperature. Trees remove tons of air pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions. While planting trees is good, oak trees do take a long time to grow. Our current trees need to be saved and protected, not cut down.

This leads to the second point regarding the historical tree. SG stated that she thought that the tree is dying. This historical tree is not dying. The tree is in excellent health and its shape and canopy allow for good airflow in all conditions. While change is part of Gulfport, I find that WinWay Homes is “deconstructing Gulfport one home and one tree at a time.”

Developers usually have a one-sided vision of change, and the biggest motivator is money for their bottom line. Protecting the unique way of life in Gulfport should be paramount for all of us. Dave Falwell’s letter to the editor in a previous edition of The Gabber Newspaper — on how the fine print in his contract allowed WinWay Homes to have a supposed private buyer turn around at the last second and sell the property to WW Homes — gave great insight into the devious methods used to buy his property. Dave never would  have sold his property to WinWay Homes.

Change will occur, but does our town and do our trees need to be sacrificed in the process? —Susan Duval, Gulfport

Hurricane Idalia

I wanted to give the City of Gulfport a big thank you for their preparation and cleanup efforts for Hurricane Idalia. As I’m writing, we are less than 24 hours after the storm has passed and the cleanup efforts are well underway. The speediness and efficiency of the crew is impressive! I’m so glad we’ll still be able to host our neighbors for GeckoFest this year.

Gabber Appreciation

I applaud your efforts. I’ve been living here in Gulfport for 35 years now and I appreciate your efforts. I will read with interest your new direction. Best of luck.  —Ann Allen, Gulfport

Nice presentation on upcoming fall events in The Gabber Newspaper this week! —June Johns, Gulfport