Letters to the editor

Mob-like behavior must stop

The mob is back and Mayor Ken Bradley is loving it. The mayor of Winter Park is supposed to control decorum, or in the case of Mayor Bradley, the lack of decorum. At Monday's meeting, Mayor Bradley allowed a man in the front row to heckle Commissioner Beth Dillaha without rebuke. He also allowed individuals speaking at the podium to identify a Winter Park resident and hold her up for ridicule, but the mayor was quick to interrupt and rebuke another individual speaking at the podium as she was calling for decorum in defense of the same resident who was being threatened with taunts of "wring her neck" and "shut up." The taunts came from none other than the mayor's political ally, the so-called Friends of Fleet Peeples Park Inc. and its mob following, which continues to use fear and intimidation as a tactic as they attempt to stifle free speech in a public hearing.

Mayor Bradley uses the same tactics as he interrupts fellow commissioners when they have the floor, laughs and ridicules their suggestions and motions, and his behind-the-scenes manipulation of resident boards. Make no mistake, Mayor Bradley loves mob politics. Seems a little at odds with his other job as the CEO of Florida Hospital, a place of healing and caring.

—Bonnie J. Jackson

Vice Chairman, Winter Park Parks and Recreation Commission

Use common sense on dog debate

At the Winter Park Commission hearing of the dog issue, proper order and decorum were absent. I suddenly realized why James Madison momentarily went federalist for a Constitution, seeking a "higher court" to umpire the bully "majority factions" manipulating his Virginia Legislature! Monday night's (July 26) display was a local-yokel twist on this scary sort of unruly pressure group that prevents reasonable discussion on behalf of the public at large.

Though I hold slim hope that we occupy one, in sane worlds, faux "dog rights" would not trump deed restrictions that say Mead Gardens must be maintained as a botanical garden (virtually no such garden permits pets) or the conservation element of the city's comprehensive plan, which mandates protection of conservation and wildlife areas and restrictions on activities that impede the ecological function of these. (Policies 5-1.6.1; 5-1.6.5; 5-1.9.2; and 5-1.9.4)

To get the science, (versus partisan invective) I asked four local biologists about dogs in natural areas. They said, yes, dog presence (leashed or off leash) cripples the ability of wildlife to carry out its activities crucial to survive, and that this is especially true of small parks such as Mead or Kraft Azalea Gardens, where there are so few retreat options for these shy animals when flushed or frightened.

The existing dog park long has been untenable for people; is the same fate sealed for Mead? My recent walks and bird surveys at Mead have been spoiled by canines. Horrified, I witnessed one off-leash black Labrador chase a federally endangered wood stork.

Harassment of our native animals is not "harmless". The Eden-like array of creatures that depend on Mead to forage, hunt, glean, nest, rest, roost, preen, breed, bask, estivate, brumate and stopover before and after migrating across the Gulf of Mexico etc. on an ongoing basis. Functioning natural communities (and wildlife) are compatible with the goals of a "botanical garden" — and with passive use by humans — but they are not compatible with dogs.

Mead is highlighted in the Comprehensive Plan as one of three primary conservation areas in Winter Park to protect. Kraft Azalea supports an ancient wading bird rookery.

Given Fleet Peeples Park, dogs are hardly slighted. Is the city really obliged to turn our few remaining green jewels over to them? What about residents who seek quiet nature study and cherish the biodiversity possible at a place such as Mead or Kraft? What about a local jurisdiction's onus to do its part to safeguard our biological heritage for future generations? I hope Winter Park commissioners will ponder how unfair it is to let one constituency spoil our most special parks for those who aren't dog walkers — and how in violation of the Comprehensive Plan policies this canine free-for-all is. Officials are supposed to uphold this guiding document for the good of all.

For the truly viable natural habitats in Winter Park's parks, common sense — and science — should prevail.

—Rebecca Eagan

Winter Park