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• Election '08: Get complete coverage of the Marco Island City Council election

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Marco voters finally had their say on the sewer project and it appears they want it to continue.

This newspaper spent the better part of 2007 on coverage leading up to this election. We watched as candidate after candidate stepped forward, until we had a slate of four candidates in favor of continuing this project, and four who wanted it stopped.

We listened as the cries became louder and the contempt more unpalatable. Facts seemed hard to come by as every number presented from one side was challenged with an equally provocative number from the opposition. But the one point that even rose above the coughs from hydrogen sulfide gas was the fact that voters had never had their say. Well, now they have.

Voters gave a thumbs up to all four pro-sewer candidates, even surprising me a little. Odds were that we would have found ourselves with a mixed bag. So in true American fashion, now is the time for us to unite. The fighting and division must stop. But it’s up to the losers as much as the winners to help the healing begin.

I think we forget sometimes that we can love and respect those who hold a different view than our own. We do it all of the time with our families. And that’s what this community really is — an extended family. It’s time we extend that unconditional love to our friends and neighbors.

I met some dedicated people on both sides of this issue. Yes, there was a handful of nasty, negative people — on both sides — who fueled the flames. In the end, we all wanted what was best for our island and for our families. You can’t hate anyone for that.

My wish for 2008 is that the citizens of Marco Island work with this new council and, while we may disagree from time to time, we do it with respect and dignity. Let us prove that a few nasty, negative individuals won’t set the tone for our debate. Let’s pledge to disagree with grace.

If we don’t, then we will be the destroyers of Paradise.

* * *

Marco staffers Leslie Williams, Vonna Keomanyvong, Quentin Roux and Roger LaLonde along with Naple’s Daily News writer Liam Dillon and photographer Michelle Le spent election day canvassing the island.

Williams and Dillon provided exit polls throughout the day on marconews.com. Roux, LaLonde, and Le posted galleries leading up to and including the victory celebrations. Keomanyvong shot video and posted continuous updates to marconews.com. I want to thank them, and you, for making The Eagle your source for election coverage.

Thanks to your efforts, marconews.com surged with an over 50 percent increase in traffic.

I also want to thank all my coworkers, out in front and behind the scenes, who took time away from their families so that we could extend our deadline until 10 p.m. It gave us the opportunity to deliver the election results in print the next morning. It was exhilarating and gratifying to deliver the news directly to reader’s computers within minutes and to their doorstep within hours.