Miller Can Change Balance Of Power At Sun 'N Lake

Most people have watched as controversy churns in Sun 'n Lake of Sebring concerning the way the improvement district elects board members. This paper has weighed in on the matter as well. In a few days there will be an opportunity to change that, and we hope those who can cast a ballot in the board of supervisors election support Dick Miller for Seat 1.

Miller has been an outspoken critic of the unfair way Sun 'n Lake votes for its board of supervisors. As it stands, large landowners, who hold lots as investments, can elect a bloc of supervisors to counter anything the two popularly elected supervisors push for. So the board is stacked with developer advocates, not necessarily advocates for people living in Sun 'n Lakes. It's a bad system that needs fixed.

Miller's qualifications are unquestionable. He spent his career in planning, community development and in all facets of making communities work. He's seen the inequity of how Sun 'n Lakes operates, and has done a lot to change it. All that's needed now is to change the balance of power on the board with his election to the board.

As it stands, if you are a major property holder in Sun 'n Lakes, you have more votes than the people living there. Too many residents have given up trying to make their community better because they don't feel they get a fair shake from the developer/supervisors who say they know what's best for Sun 'n Lake's future.

This system of government was instituted when Sun 'n Lake was little more than a bunch of lots and a sign. It made sense that developers do what was necessary to get people living there. They have done that.

It's true that many empty and unsold lots exist in Sun 'n Lakes, but thousands of people call it home now. It's time for the handover of power to take place. The only way that will happen is if the developer and big landowner-elected supervisors lose their majority position on the board.

Sun 'n Lake's board should be made up of advocates for everyone living in the improvement district. The board should be there first and foremost for the betterment of the people who call it home. If that means promoting development, great. If it means going a different direction from what developers want, that's fine too. What's needed is a true democracy. Sun 'n Lake residents don't have that now.

We encourage a vote for Dick Miller in the Jan. 23 election.