Dear Editor:

Re: District 5 Commission Seat. Don’t be held hostage by your political party -- don’t just blindly go to the polls and vote party lines. You need to study the candidates as to what experience they have and what they can offer the position.

Where would we be if we all voted party line and our candidates have no experience at all? Where would we be if that candidate is going to make the office he’s running for a second or third job? District 5 is one of the largest in the state -- very widespread and diversified. We really need a commissioner who will be there for us 100 percentwhen the need arises, not someone we will have to go looking for at another job site and not someone running for office just to see if he can win. We need a full-time commissioner in this job.

We have incumbent Jim Coletta, who gave years of public service long before he ran for office eight years ago. We have seen our district prosper and grow under his stewardship. Commissioner Coletta works for everyone in the district: Democrats, Republicans, Independents, voters and non-voters. He is here for us 100 percent during good times and bad.

District 5 needs Jim Coletta during these uncertain times. He is a man of experience we can trust. Vote for the future of our district, vote for Jim Coletta.

Bill Monetta,  Golden Gate Estates

"County Commissioner Dist. 5: Jim Coletta. There is no better definition of a true servant of the people than Jim Coletta, and his open-door attitude to everyone is a great asset to us all."

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Editor, Daily News:

Will you be choosing a candidate on party affiliation or will you be choosing a candidate on experience and qualifications?

I first met Collier County Commissioner Jim Coletta on Collier Boulevard and Pine Ridge Road eight years ago. He was out on the street with his family waving at the passing cars; he was running for the District 5 commission seat.

I asked hubby to turn around; I wanted to know what this guy stood for before I would consider voting for him. Coletta answered some strong questions, then said he had his background biography written and he would drop it off at my home. He did just that.

I read through this very thick volume, listing many years of community service. With each page I became more impressed. He had been working for the betterment of the community as a whole, not just District 5, and he had been working for everyone, not just a segment of the population.

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What was an easy choice in the Republican primary is an easy choice again. Jim Coletta has been an outstanding public servant for the past eight years as the commissioner for Golden Gate Estates, Immokalee and Everglades City. He merits re-election.

As we said in August, he is a friend to business and the underprivileged alike. He champions economic diversification and work-force housing. He beats the drum for better roads and gets results. He leads the fight for better drainage as well as sensible flood maps that save constituents money on their homeowners insurance. He lobbies for impact-fee deferrals for social agencies that ease the costs of services for taxpayers. He has helped guide land-use planning at and around Ave Maria.

He is consistent.

Read all recommendations online on Naples Daily News's web site.

COUNTY COMMISSIONS

Collier District 5, GOP nomination

It’s an easy choice in the Republican primary for the only Collier board seat up for voter review this year. Jim Coletta has been an outstanding public servant for the past eight years for the sprawling district that includes Golden Gate Estates, Immokalee and Everglades City. He is a friend to business and the underprivileged. He beats the drum for better roads, and gets results. He leads the fight for better drainage as well as sensible flood insurance maps that save constituents money.

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Photo: Naples Daily News

Editor, Daily News:

Thank you all who are candidates for elected positions; you understand the need.

Thank you all who have or will vote; you keep democracy alive.

Please also remind your friends and neighbors to vote; this is an important local election and will likely be the only chance you have to voice concerns about some of Collier County’s leaders for some time to come.

There are some difficult choices to be made, others are easy. I made mine and am sharing them with you: Jim Coletta, Collier County commissioner, District 5; Kathy Smith, public defender; Joe Paterno, School Board, District 4; Kevin Rambosk, sheriff; and Kathy Curatolo, School Board, District 2.

It doesn’t matter whether you agree with me, but it does matter that you vote.

Bob Murray, East Naples

Jim Coletta is the real deal. Located in one of Collier's fastest growing districts Jim has lead the way in making sure growth is properly done and there is balance to growth. There is much more to do. Roads are and will be a continuing need as this district grows. Providing concurrent water, sewer and roads facilities will be an ongoing requirement for this district. Safety and Emergency medical service will be a continuing need. Keeping taxes low and rooting out bureaucratic waste will be a continuing need. As we go through this rough economic patch due to over expansion and inappropriate lending practices now is the time to vote for Jim. He has a proven record of accomplishment. He has shown he can work with the other Commissioners and prevail for his constituents. Now is the time to reelect Jim...he has and will continue to lead the way in District 5. Let's overwhelmingly vote for Jim in the August primary and November election.

John Barlow, Member of Collier County Productivity Committee and Affordable Housing Advocate

Read also: NDN:  Barlow has a plan to make the best of down housing market

Anne Goodnight, David Lawrence Center, former Collier County Commissioner
"I’ve been a Collier County resident for 53 years and I was a County Commissioner myself in the eighties and early nineties. I’m supporting Jim Coletta, and I ask you to support him, as well. Jim has been the best commissioner Collier County has seen in many years"

Dick Rice, Executive Director, Immokalee Chamber of Commerce
"I’m extremely proud to endorse Jim Coletta for re-election. He’s done an outstanding job, not only for Immokalee, but for all of Eastern Collier County. He’s always there leading the way. Jim’s open to any suggestion and he’ll answer any question. He is just the kind of person we need to represent us."

Doug Rankin, Vice-Chair, Republican Executive Committee
"I support Jim Coletta, because he has worked to improve Golden Gate Estates and Collier County for over twenty years. These last eight years, he has been doing great things as a commissioner. He helps everybody regardless of their income or potential. We should reelect him."

Fred Thomas, Community Activist, former Executive Director, Collier County Housing Authority
"If we want to continue our positive growth in Immokalee, we need Jim Coletta back in office for another term. He’s a good family man and a supporter of programs for the less fortunate. Jim has done an outstanding job representing us. If all the commissioners followed his lead, we could make the county one we could really be proud of"

John Norman, Aid for State Representative David Riviera
"I have known Jim Coletta for many, many years and I’ve watched his career on the County Commission for the last eight. I have seen great progress in Immokalee, in the Golden Gate, the Estates, and in the County overall under his leadership. This man has been a devoted civic leader in Collier County and we need to keep him in office. "

John Lawson, Executive Director, One By One Leadership Foundation
"I’m endorsing Jim Coletta for County Commissioner. I’ve worked with him in the Leadership Collier group and in Rotary. He has a great heart and is always out there helping someone less fortunate.The first time I met him, he was volunteering to help some people with mental disabilities. He is the right person for the job and he’s a person you should know. I hope you will support him, too."

Karen Acquard, Community Civic Leader
"I have known Jim Coletta for over 14 years. Before he was ever County Commissioner, he took on FEMA and Mosquito Control. He’s why we don't have high insurance and we don't have mosquitoes. He’s also the reason we’re not in gridlock on Immokalee Road. He has done great things for us and we need to keep him in office"

Lauren Liefer, Executive Director, Physicians Led Access Network (PLAN)
"No one cares more about the residents of Collier County than Commissioner Coletta….He helped PLAN bring health care to low income, uninsured adults. He’s always there for the small guy as well as the big guy"

Linda Hartman, President, Homeowner Association of Golden Gate Estates
"I have been active in the Golden Gate estates for over 24 years. There is no one that I know who has done more for Collier County and District 5 than our commissioner, Jim Coletta. Please vote for him."

Mario Diaz-Balart, US Congressman District 25
"I will never forget walking with Jim in Immokalee after Hurricane Wilma. Residents told me how Jim knocked on doors the night the hurricane hit, asking people to evacuate so no one would get hurt. That's the kind of commitment, passion, and integrity Jim has. That's why I support Jim Coletta for County Commissioner."

Paul Midney, RN,Collier Health, Member of Collier County Planning Commission
"I am a registered nurse here at the Collier Health Center and I’ve known Jim Coletta for over twenty years. I can tell you so many good things Jim has done for health care, for roads, for community development, and for people who just have problems. He works to make sure our government is there to help." "

Robert Grassi, Member of Rotary Club, Supervisor at Immokalee Disposal
""I work and live in Immokalee and I consider Jim Coletta a good friend. He has been really supportive of the Lake Trafford Restoration, fought for mosquito control, and helped start the CRA in Immokalee. I encourage you to vote for him." "

Editorial: Coletta in Collier, Janes, Judah, Mann in Lee

Republican nomination

It’s an easy choice in the Republican primary for the only Collier board seat up for voter review this year. Jim Coletta has been an outstanding public servant for the past eight years as the commissioner from District 5, which includes Golden Gate Estates, Immokalee and Everglades City. He is a friend to business and the underprivileged and everyone in between. He champions economic diversification and work-force housing for Immokalee and the rest of the county. He beats the drum for better roads, and gets results. He leads the fight for better drainage as well as sensible flood maps that save constituents money on their homeowners insurance. He lobbies for impact-fee deferrals for social agencies that ease the costs of services for taxpayers. He has helped guide land-use planning at and around Ave Maria.

And there is more work to do.

(...)

Dear Editor:

Almost decade ago, prior to moving to Naples, I had a telephone conversation
with Jim Coletta. He was then the President of the Golden Gate Estates Area
Civic Association. We had never met or talked before, but he graciously
spent 45 minutes answering my questions about Naples and Collier County. A
few months after our phone conversation, he was elected Commissioner for
District 5.

From the day he first took office to the present day he has worked
tirelessly and effectively on behalf of Estates residents. Working closely
with state and federal agencies, Jim Coletta was the driving force in
identifying and implementing the security measures Collier County needed in
the post 9/11 world. His leadership shaped the County's response to West
Nile Virus and brought mosquito control services to all the Estates. Without
his tireless efforts, Golden Gate Boulevard and Immokalee Road would still
be backed up for miles daily.

As Commissioner, Jim Coletta has worked ceaselessly for the good of
residents of District 5 and has consistently exemplified the highest
standards of ethical conduct.

Commissioner Jim Coletta will get my vote on August 26th because he is a
living example of a true public servant.

Dr. Sparks Lunney, Golden Gate Estates

Russel Tuff writes today

"The Republican ticket for Collier Commission District 5 is an easy choice. Incumbent Jim Coletta’s dedication, sincerity, and incorruptibility speak for themselves. In addition, he has represented his constituents well. He and I have had our differences, but he’s a politician who can set opinions aside and still move forward. He knows the issues and the challenges of his district better than anyone, and has made good progress on a board that doesn’t always see a need to invest in Eastern Collier County."

Read the complete article on this month's primary elections