To the editor:

On May 22, the Charter Advisory Review Committee will be holding a public hearing in Cape Coral. Most people don’t have a clue about the mission of the Charter Advisory Review Committee. Basically, the committee’s mission is to review the Home Rule Charter of Lee County every four years and propose any amendments or revisions, which may be advisable for placement on the general election ballot.

This year the main issue is whether to run the county government with the current at-large districting plan or adopt a single-member districting plan (SMD). Three approaches are on the table for SMD:

1) Four SMD Commissioners and three at-large Commissioners,

2) Five SMD Commissioners and two at-large Commissioners, and

3) Five SMD Commissioners.

The at-large seats would be elected countywide. The combination method would involve hiring more commissioners with hefty salaries, which is a no-brainer in the current economic environment.

The at-large district is an antiquated idea whose time has passed. Collier County has already switched to single-member districts. One problem with an at-large districting system is that the dominate party in the dominate district is able to sway the elections and therefore discriminate in the spending of county funds. The disparity of facilities throughout Lee County demonstrates how the money is not being spent in an equable fashion.

One of the advantages of the single-member districting plan is each commissioner can get to know his district thoroughly and concentrate on the issues of his constituents; whereas, in the at-large districting plan, commissioners must keep abreast of a large, complex area.

Money becomes a bigger factor than integrity for a candidate who is running for office in an at-large system. For example, one direct mailing to registered voters can cost $30,000. If the candidate only had to mail out to one district, the cost per mailing would go down drastically.

An argument against the single-member districting plan is that each commissioner might be parochial and not concerned with the county as a whole. The counter-argument is that the selection of good broad-minded, inclusive commissioners would ensure that the commissioners not only represent their own constituents but also oversee the needs of all of Lee County.

Although this isn’t exactly a Boston tea party moment, it comes close since there is not a fair representation of the people in government. There have been court cases in many places claiming that the at-large methods violate the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting strength of minority citizens. For this reason, the current county commissioners should do the right thing and select the Five Single-Member District Plan.

Sandra McClinton

Cape Coral