pinion Letter to the Editor: Follow the Money

I have been doing my own investigation about the candidates running for Manatee School Board and this is what I've found about Rob Moates, which is very disturbing.

Imagine my alarm when I found on the Supervisor of Election’s website, in Rob Moates’ September 28 Campaign Treasurer’s Report that Schroeder Manatee Ranch related corporations, located at 14400 Covenant Way, on September 25th gave Moates’ campaign $10,000 and that all of Moates’ contributions for this reporting period except one came from these corporations. That’s not all. Moates’ Treasurer’s report shows that SMR related corporation on July 17th already had given Moates’s campaign $2,000.

Where did the SMR money go? For television ads! $9,000 went to “Brighthouse Media Strategies” for “campaign ads” the day Moates’s campaign got the SMR money according to the Treasurer’s report.

So each time an ad appears on the tube promoting Moates or trying to tear down the “Watchdog”, voters should ask themselves: What is SMR getting? What is Moates giving?

Dave “Watchdog” Miner is a treasure. He is an honorable man of great character. Pity our community if we allow SMR or any other special interest to deter us from having on our school board someone who is truly on the side of the public. More than ever, we need Dave now.

I feel the public should be aware of the kind of shenanigans that are going on behind the scenes. We all would like to know why the developers want to control the School Board and the County Commission.

Judi Hood
Bradenton