To my friends, neighbors and supporters in Lee County, I want to take this opportunity to apologize for a personal issue that has made it’s way into the local media; specifically, the issue of outstanding property taxes.

It’s unfortunate that a personal financial situation has become fodder for the media, but being an elected official I understand that sometimes personal issues become public. People from all walks of life are faced with similar financial challenges – more than 58,000 in Lee County, including staff members at one area paper.

It is important to know that, like others facing financial hardships, my family didn’t just decide one day not to pay what we owed. But this year, due to economic forces affecting my husband’s business, things transpired that resulted in my family having to make some very difficult decisions.

Some of the companies my husband did and does business with have gone bankrupt, owing tens of thousands of dollars. In addition, the companies still operating have shifted from paying on a 15-day cycle to now paying on a 60- or 90-day cycle. The result: business is way down and we don’t have the same, steady cash-flow that we once did.

It was clear that we had to review our financial situation to see what options were available. One choice was to simply lay off employees to reduce costs. While that sounds like an easy solution, after additional research we discovered several alternatives that would allow us to keep our employees employed.

We made the decision to delay paying the taxes in question so we could use those funds elsewhere. We made this decision because we knew a financial institution would purchase this tax certificate, which will pay the county all that is owed and which we now have to repay, at 8-1/4 percent interest.

It’s important for the community to know that each taxing agency – including the school district – will be paid all the revenue due. All of the taxes in question have been paid and my family is now repaying that amount, with interest.

As a public official, I understand that we should set and example and be held to a higher standard. However, sometimes things occur that are beyond our control – just because I’m an elected official doesn’t mean I’m immune to what’s affecting tens of thousands of others in our community. We’re all doing the best we can with what we have in this slow economy.

My family and I are hurt and saddened that we’ve been singled out. But if someone is to be the poster child for what many of my fellow Lee County citizens are experiencing, I’d rather it be me than someone working two jobs who is struggling to make ends meet or someone who was just laid off from their job.

I also want to apologize to my colleagues on the School Board and those dedicated and hard-working folks who make up Lee County Public Schools if this has caused them any embarrassment. This is a personal issue and in no way will affect my ability to execute the duties of the office to which I am elected.

Jeanne S. Dozier, School Board member, District 2