Stilwell

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Lee County Commissioner Brian Bigelow said he will support an investigation of embattled County Manager Don Stilwell.

But only if Stilwell refuses to retire and Bigelow’s fellow commissioners won’t fire him.

It’s no surprise that Bigelow, who made an attempt to fire Stilwell in May and is the county manager’s biggest critic, is ready to send him packing.

The first option, he said, would be for Stilwell to read the writing on the wall and retire. Stilwell has been in the spotlight after it was revealed that he invested in property owned by his son-in-law, Samir Cabrera, who was recently indicted on federal fraud charges.

“It’d save us all a situation that can only grow and grow,” he said. “Because of the dynamics on the board, I can’t make that appeal to him.”

His own already-strained relationship with the county manager means he can’t advise him to retire, Bigelow said, but he said he hopes another commissioner will. To this point, four of the five commissioners — Bigelow, Bob Janes, Ray Judah and Frank Mann — have uniformly supported a third-party investigation.

“There’s enough out there already that’s inexcusable,” Bigelow said. “Why would he want to make it worse for himself and for everybody else?”

If Stilwell won’t retire, and the county manager says he won’t, Bigelow wants to fire him. He said a special meeting scheduled for July 22 is the right time.

“I would think it could be done Tuesday with a motion, with no discussion about exit incentives,” he said. “Quick, clear and unambiguous.”

An investigation could only distract and destabilize the board and the county when it already faces huge land use decisions in southeast Lee along with big budget issues, Bigelow said.

Bigelow said it seems obvious to him that the land deal Stilwell invested in with Cabrera was related to county business.

Stilwell, who turns 70 later this month, invested in a Cabrera deal inside the city of Fort Myers, according to records and cancelled checks he’s since released. When that deal went sour, Cabrera moved investors into a deal he called Daniels View, property through which the county decided in 2001 to build a road.

Other investors signed agreements allowing their money to be moved. The agreement bearing Stilwell’s name was not signed.

Cabrera was indicted about a month ago and accused of fraud based on his flipping land nearby on Fiddlesticks Boulevard. Stilwell had $100,000 invested in one of those two properties.

Commissioners were discussing the road in June when Bigelow asked Stilwell about his involvement. Stilwell said he was not “involved” in the land, later clarifying to say he was only a passive investor with a family member.

“It’s as if he was using county government as a casino,” Bigelow said. “There’s money on the table he hopes to gain, and he’s in a position to control how the cards are laid down. He knows better, yet he did it.”

In response, Stilwell repeated his call for a third-party investigation, saying he knows he’ll be cleared.

“I look forward to the investigation or the review or whatever,” he said. “It’s long overdue. Let’s get the facts out there.”

Stilwell said the only fair way to handle the situation is to have someone impartial have a look.

“I can protest all day long,” he said.

Even a casual observer should be able to see there was never a conflict of interest, he said.

“I’ve always been truthful with the board and I look forward to the outcome of an investigation,” he said. “Everyone puts a spin on this thing and it’s just not right.”