Dear Citizens of Charlotte County,
There comes a moment in the life of every community when truth can no longer be deferred. When half-truths, evasions and betrayals — once buried under the polite chess of politics — claw their way into daylight and demand judgment. I write to you now because we have reached such a moment in Charlotte County: the moment when leadership must answer to the people it serves, when the fragile trust between elected officials and electorate must be mended or severed.
For months, whispers hardened into headlines, and headlines into incontrovertible evidence that Richard Deutsch, a man who promised open governance and collaborative stewardship, chose instead a path of concealment and misrepresentation. He lied to his fellow commissioners. He willfully abandoned the norms of collegial governance. He was stripped of critical assignments by a board that could no longer, in conscience, entrust him with the duties he swore to uphold. Those aren’t partisan soundbites — they are facts that demand scrutiny and a civil, unwavering response.
What makes this betrayal so corrosive is not only the content of the falsehoods but the manner in which they were offered. A public servant who misleads colleagues corrodes the very mechanisms that allow our county to function. Committees are not ornaments of convenience; they are instruments of oversight and expertise. To be removed from them is not a petty reprimand — it is a clear, institutional refusal to accept misbehavior. It is the board saying, in effect: “We cannot trust you to carry out these responsibilities.” That is extraordinary, and it should alarm every voter, regardless of party or prior sympathy.
Yet perhaps the gravest damage is the slow, insidious alienation that followed. Leadership does not blossom in isolation. It is cultivated in conversation, in the exchange of perspectives, in the hard work of negotiating differences and finding common ground. Commissioner Deutsch’s choices have not only cost him assignments; they have cost him relationships — the essential social capital that allows the county government to navigate crises, to fund schools, to fix roads, to protect the most vulnerable among us. You cannot govern effectively from the margins, and when a commissioner isolates himself from the board, the entire county pays the price.
We must be clear about the consequences. We are not here to savor the downfall of any single individual. Public life invites scrutiny and accountability; it should not be a stadium for schadenfreude. But we are here to insist that behavior has ramifications. To permit dishonesty to pass without consequence is to accept erosion of civic norms. It says that officeholders may lie, sow distrust, and expect to continue as if nothing has happened. That is a corruption of the social contract between public servants and the public.
Let me be candid: Charlotte County is at a crossroads. Charlotte County deserves commissioners who are rigorous in the facts they present, transparent in their dealings, and humble in their recognition of public trust. Our priorities — from economic stability to environmental stewardship, from public safety to the integrity of local elections — hinge on a board that operates transparently, respectfully, and collaboratively. Anything less breeds dysfunction.
I do not intend, therefore, to indulge the fiction that this is merely a temporary lapse. The pattern of behavior — lying to colleagues, being stripped of duties, alienating fellow commissioners — is a pattern that matters. Patterns reveal character. They reveal whether a person will place ego above service, whether they will choose personal theatrics over the tedious, patient labor of governance. That is not an abstract judgment; it is a practical one with immediate consequences for every resident’s daily life.
To those who are tempted to dismiss this as “politics as usual,” I say: the stakes are too high. We cannot let cynicism be our political ethic. Our responsibility as voters is to demand better. We must insist that our leaders be measured by their fidelity to truth, their willingness to collaborate, and their capacity to repair the damage they cause. We must hold them to account not because we enjoy punishment but because we cherish the institutions that allow our county to flourish.
So what will I — and others who share this conviction — do in response? First, we will continue to bring the facts into the light. Transparency is not a slogan; it is a habit. We will ensure that citizens have full access to the record, to the minutes, and to the decisions that led to the board’s actions. We will document, calmly and comprehensively, the steps that produced the board’s loss of confidence — not to humiliate, but to inform.
Second, we will pursue a program of healing and repair. Mistakes, when acknowledged, can be the seeds of renewal. If any public servant wishes to rebuild trust, there is a path: full, unambiguous apology; a demonstration of concrete corrective steps; and sustained collaboration with colleagues and constituents. If those steps happen, we will judge them on their substance, not their spectacle. But absence of meaningful repair is not a neutral act — it is a renewal of past injuries.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, we will ask the voters to decide. Democracy is not a passive system; it is a participatory one. Elections are where the public weighs character and competence and casts a verdict. This upcoming election offers Charlotte County the chance to speak clearly. It is not merely about one man’s future; it is about the future direction of our governance. Do we want leaders who prioritize transparency, humility and cooperation? Or will we tolerate conduct that undermines those very values?
To my fellow commissioners who endured the consequences of this breach, I offer solidarity. To the staff who were saddled with the fallout, I offer gratitude for their persistence in keeping the county functioning. To the citizens who have watched this drama with dismay and fatigue, I say: your voice matters more now than ever. Come to the meetings, read the records, ask the questions. We cannot repair what we will not examine.
Some will call this letter theatrical. Fine. Let it be theatrical if it wakes us from complacency. But do not mistake drama for vacuity. Behind every impassioned plea for accountability lies a simple moral and civic truth: leadership without honesty is an empty shell. A commission that cannot trust itself cannot be trusted to steward our schools, roads, emergency services and budgets.
I will stand, openly and firmly, for the values we need: truth, accountability, and the steady work of rebuilding trust. I will not nurture revenge — that is small and petty. I will fight for consequence and for the restoration of the institutional norms that make Charlotte County functional. I will ask voters to judge based on record, and I will respect their decision. That is democracy. That is duty.
In closing, let me be as simple and direct as possible: Charlotte County deserves better. You deserve commissioners who respect truth, who collaborate in good faith, who place the public interest above personal spectacle. If that means a political consequence for someone who chose otherwise, then so be it. The people will decide. And when they do, let them do so with eyes wide open, guided by the facts and by their best judgment.
With resolve and respect,
CONCERNED “GRASSY POINT” ADVOCATE
