Jack Van Sickle - PROUD of his accomplishments?

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Jack Van Sickle - PROUD of his accomplishments?

Richard Earl, Major, USMC (Ret.), Lake Wales

In his letter to the New Chief Editor on 22 March 2011, Mayor Jack Van Sickle stated that he is proud of his accomplishments over his past 4 years in office.  Let’s examine these so called ‘successes’ Jack Van Sickle has ‘done’ for the City of Lake Wales.

If you attended any of the Commissioner meetings, you would have witnessed firsthand just how “…a person’s actions speak louder than words…”. 

Mr Van Sickle is very hostile and dismissive towards anyone who shares a different point of view than his.   

You’d hear him state that he wants to ‘filter’ the audience’s questions and comments to only those who are in favor of his point of view.  Van Sickle has been seen with arms crossed and ignoring those who speak in opposition and then moving quickly to vote on issues without allowing time to consider other points of view.

Over the past 4 years that Jack Van Sickle has served on the Commission, what exactly has he REALLY done for the City? 

Well, Van Sickle wasted over $200,000 dollars on a project that surveyed a parking lot of which nothing could ever be built there.

Van Sickle has done NOTHING to address the failing infrastructure that includes the City’s sewer system that constantly fails and overflows into the streets and resident’s homes.

Van Sickle has done little to address the worsening economic situation that the City of Lake Wales has been facing for many years.

To exacerbate the economic problems Lake Wales faces, Van Sickle ADDED over $15 Million dollars in additional debt to the City of Lake Wales such that now the City is in debt in the amount of over $35 Million Dollars and growing.

In terms of ‘…the water interconnects to improve water pressure …’ Jack Van Sickle, a supporter of Developer Larry Maxwell and a Resident of Lake Ashton, worked this issue since the Developer failed to properly resolve this issue prior to building the Lake Ashton Community.  And who do you think primarily benefited; the Residents of Lake Ashton and Jack Van Sickle personally. 

Van Sickle has introduce Amendments 9 through 14 which basically eliminates the Commissioner System Lake Wales currently has into a formal Mayoral structure, thereby giving one person total control over governance of the City of Lake Wales. This is NOT in the best interest of the City or what the City of Lake Wales needs.

Jack Van Sickle, a supporter of John Paul Rogers a known Grand Dragon in the United Klans of America which was the most violent and largest Klan organization of its time.  Van Sickle has equated John Paul Rogers’s affiliation with the Klan to that of someone having had several speeding tickets in ones past. 

Finally, and notwithstanding, Van Sickle is a co-conspirator of an illegally run Bingo Operation at Lake Ashton that is currently under criminal investigation.

So please, follow Jack Van Sickle suggestion and vote for those who will make decisions based on what is best for all in Lake Wales.  Isn’t it time to oust the Good Ol Boy method of governance and replace it with people who have the credentials worthy of leading the City?

Vote for Betty Wojcik for Commissioner and Mike Carter for Mayor.  Vote YES to Amendments 1 through 8 and vote NO on Amendments 9 through 14.  EVERY vote counts!