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commissioners personally? If so, how many commissioners would promptly settle for a pittance and suffer the humiliation of going back to school? What do you think? Frank Brenner Sarasota Editor's Note: The amendment of the state constitution to provide for Government in the Sunshine was an effort to ensure transparency in the conduct of the people's business. So-called "backroom deals" are only one aspect of the institutional secrecy that Government in the Sunshine was meant to abolish. case as the one being litigated. (Two commis- sioners attended a meeting but allegedly did not speak). In fact, the city commissioners do the taxpayers a disservice in the long run by permitting this Sunshine lawsuit cottage industry to thrive unchallenged. I regret that all five commissioners did not attend the program on city planning. Had they done so, they would have benefited from the wisdom dispensed (as did Assistant City Manager Marlon Brown, who attended). They would have shown solidarity with their fellow commissioner as well. Last speculation: Had they attended, would Citizens for Sunshine have sued all five LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Sarasota News Leader wel- comes letters to the editor from its readers. Letters should be no more than 300 words in length, and include the name, street address and telephone num- ber of the writer. Letters should be emailed to Letters@SarasotaNewsLeader.com, with "Letter to the Editor" in the subject line. Let- ters actually printed will be selected based on space available, subject matter and other fac- tors. We reserve the right to edit any letters submitted for length, grammar, spelling, etc. All letters submitted become the property of The Sarasota News Leader. Don't have your own subscription to The Sarasota News Leader? Subscribe for FREE and receive a weekly notification when the latest issue is available online. FREE SUBSCRIPTION OPINION Sarasota News Leader March 28, 2014 Page 92