Letter: Reform and renew St. Augustine gov't
Publication Date: 02/26/08
Editor: A letter on Feb. 15, "City fails Lincolnville residents again," is an accurate appraisal of St. Augustine city government. It is truly an "overpaid, unimaginative" group of officials; a "hassle-you city government unfit to lead in the 21st century."
The writer was referring to the blight, as well as the illegal dumping of waste in the minority neighborhoods of St. Augustine.
I am a resident of West Augustine and a street artist experiencing the persecution by our illustrious mayor and commissioners. I bought a little house on West King Street, in 2003. As an artist, I was attracted to this historically beautiful city. I first lived here in 1996 and 1997 and had sketched portraits on St. George Street. I enjoyed meeting people from all over the world, drawing them and their adorable children.
Everyone I have ever met, local or otherwise, thinks that the outdoor artists are a delightful aspect of the St. Augustine scene. In fact, the public is shocked that we are not embraced by city officials as a tourist attraction.
After the city government banned the artists from St. George Street, we were allowed to set up in the Plaza, if we paid weekly permit fees. When one artist challenged the city officials with constitutional law protecting artists via free speech, all the permit fees were refunded to us.
Now there is a new ordinance banning artists from the Plaza, and that same outspoken artist has been thrown in jail twice for defying the ban.
To require the St. Augustine police to hassle the street artists is an outrageous waste of taxpayers' money, which is wasted badly enough already.
It's time to clean house at City Hall.
Kate Merrick
St. Augustine
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