Our County Commissioners: How Are They Doing?
It has been about two years since we last asked our bloggers about the performance of our County Commission. With three of the five positions up for Election in 2008, we thought it might be good to get a reading on your current opinion of the job being done by our County Commissioners.
The Commissioners have recently taken heat from all sides for some decisions. One group of constituents says we're not voting for you if you don’t enact higher impact fees. Another says we're not supporting you if you do. One group says raise my water bill and you're out. Another group says if you don’t equalize the water consumption rates, you’re gone. And the list of conflicting viewpoints goes on and on.
A couple of questions to get you started: (1) what would you tell the Commissioners concerning how they are doing and (2) what do those running for County Commissioner in 2008 (including those running who aren’t incumbent Commissioners) need to do to get your vote? Give us your comments.
Also, click on the link below and participate in our "Straw Poll" to give us some additional feedback on the performance of the Commission:
http://www.insitefulsurveys.com/Survey.asp?SI=157441712828
posted by Blog Master @ 6:28 PM
58 Comments:
Voice of Reason says . . . .
I'm starting to think that PWF is the Blogmaster. Every time I write a nice answer to PWF, ten minutes later the blog topic changes. When the blog topic changes, nobody reads the old blogs so my comments get disregarded. The Voice of Reason gets turned-into the Mute of Reason.
VoR
I just came on and have read your response in the other section. Now I have to go away and think about an answer to the blogmasters questions on the County Commission. I may have enough to fill up this whole column!!!
County Commissioners receive an annual salary of $73,899, plus State pension plan. That amounts to $369,495 a year for the 5 Commissioners. As citizens, we are getting screwed! Does anyone think we are getting our money’s worth from any individual on the County Commission? I sure don’t. The larger our population gets the more money they make. Approve all the development and bring more people here and make a higher commission salary.
Want my vote? Volunteer to work for nothing, commit to only one term and stick it to the developers.
Beats the heck out of the Commission days of past. One of the biggest problems I think they have is some really poor studies by consultants and work by county employees brought to the Commissioners to be used to make decisions on. What's that old computer sayin, garbage in and garbage out===or something like that.
Mike Amsden replaces Andy Kessellring and then it's a pretty good group of Commiss.
It's the issue's that have the commissioners stymied. They can't make a right decission regardless of what they door how they vote. They also don't have Janet Tutt to count on for leadership with the issues. The General isn't much help to them either!
All three commissioners up for re-election are vulnerable for now. If the election was held tomorrow , all three would loose big time.
Yo, all three Commissioners are not running for Commissioner. Kesselring will not be running again. A new person in that spot. Kesselring will lose big time to Kurt Kelly in state rep. race. He's just too liberal to beat Kelly.
I have four words to improve the County Commission: bring back Randy Harris.
If you like Randy, you'll love Ray Strickland who is running against Charlie Stone. He's on our side!
Ray Strickland's a good choice for the Republicans. But what will happen when Diana Butler comes in and beats Mike Amsden, then the Dems will have two seats secured,
Sizemore could beat McClain and look out we have a Democratic controlled County Commission. The odds are ripe for this to happen!
11:21 anon.
Try and do an honest, objective study of some of the issues facing this current county commission. This commission that has everybody in such a stir.
I will give you (2) topics to look at. Sanitation and water utilities. You will find the problems have a root. Its 2 words, RANDY HARRIS.
Take the blinders off and be honest.
I wouldn't mind seeing this happen. Frankly, I'm getting kind of tired of the sniping by the Democrats. Let them have a chance of righting all the county wrongs and give some of us a chance to snipe at them for awhile.
It realy won't make any difference if its Butler, Sizemore, etc., none of those Dem names brings anymore to the game then what we've got--except hold on to your wallets and get ready to pay more in taxes.
I'll just sit back and wait until I get my TRIM notice in 2008 and then make up my mind.
8:30 AM---Be sure you throw in Darlene. Then you really will have a bunch of losers who are likely to lose again. The democrats need some young and new candidates if they want to make progress. Give us someone with vim and vigor, not these over 60 old farts who are political retreads. Come on democrats give us better to pick from. New faces, new ideas. You might get a few republicans to turn tail on their party.
A good group of Commissioners, doing there best under several circumstances not of their own making or under their control.
My favorites are McClain and Fitos.
There was a grass fire on Maricamp Rd. today. I suppose Harris is responsible for that too. You folks are ridiculous--blame Harris for everything.
What? Did you say there was grass still left on Maricamp? I thought it had all been paved over by now.
Anon 10:15pm Sept. 12; Janet Tutt and leadership should not be used in the same sentence. She just couldn't handle it. She moved on when she could and is better off because of it.
Anon 11:21pm Sept. 12
Bring back Harris, thank you thank you to everyone that voted Fitos into office; she's smart and not full of herself like Randy. Randy stayed too long and the smart voters showed him the door. Glad he's gone, we're better off now!
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I checked the spot for "needs improvement" on the blog poll about how are the Commissioners doing. Why? Because when all is said and done, more is said than done by the Commissioners.
AMEN TO THAT.
There is a contingent that is pressing Sue Mosley, current school board member to run. I think she can do as good or better than our current commissioners.
To switcheroo - There is a new guy on the DEC from New York that shows promise. High energy, high enthusiasm, high passion and money in his pocket. Too soon to tell if he'll commit to running for anything.
Sue would get my vote for County Commissioner.
10:23 AM--
Not sure a Yankee from New York is going to fly in the local political climate. It’s difficult to get a 'Yankee' from Kentucky accepted into politics even after they have lived here for years. Outsiders are not very welcome.
Sue Mosley would have a difficult time beating Mike Amsden. If Jimmy Walton were the only other one running, she could probably win that one. She should wait for another time.
Sue needs to work on her reputation. "family values" platform she won twice is in the dumpster since her election.
I'm with you Anon. 6:36 - Amsden would clean her clock. Her "I'm a grandmother" platform won't get it this time around.
Amsdens values aren't much better and he is a typical arrogant my way or the highway "King of the Hill" City Councilman!Mike did nothing but, stir up trouble during his 25 years on Council! I think Jimmy Walton might just surprise people.
And neither Amsden or Walton can beat the Democrat Diana Butler. Sue Mosley is the only one who can. Want another Democrat on the County Commission, then vote for one of the two good ol boys.
Go JW!
All you people who like to criticize Sue Mosley’s personal life, I have a Chinese proverb for you:
{True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.}
ask her steady's ex wife.
MacClain: B+
Fitos: B
Peyton: B-
Stone: C
Kesselring: C
I like the days of more arguing on the BCC and a little less sucking up to one another. Taxpayers aren’t paying for a 1960’s love in.
I'd bet you there is going to be some really good stuff on that puritan Amsden family come out during the campaign!!
Voice of Reason says . . . .
I saw that one of the Commissions was bent out of shape about the run-around that the BCC got from the Water District over tapping the Ocklawaha River. I guess that he was expecting different from a bunch of out-of-shape, seat-warming bureaucrats on the State dole. It takes three water management district employees 1 hour just to walk out and get the mail. I saw one water management walking into a government building. He was a young guy who was somewhat out of shape but physically able none-the-less. I was walking in front of him and held the door for him, he was so lazy that his Pavlov-Dog impulse drove him to push the automatic door opener anyway. I was so upset that I told him that was a pretty sorry move . . . wasting taxpayer's electricity on an automatic door opener when there was already a door opened-up for him. I told him that I thought it was pretty sorry that his agency was going around telling people to conserve water while employees like him wasted electricity.
I'm just waiting for the day when even the sorriest countries like Bangladesh and Belize pass us up.
VoR
Candidates personal lives are always criticized. Rightfully so. It has to do with moral character.
does a shotgun wedding count against an elected official? I mean does that dent his/her moral character? just curious
didnt know there was any shotguns. he got her preg and married her and is very happy. so what's the porblem. sues problem is everybody has seen her in less than flattering condition at public places.
diana butler needs to save her money. anyone who runs against her can win. Ooopps, she did beat fitos, didn't she.
Boy, it's ok to talk about other people but, don't talk about "my kid"! Mother hen,s feathers got ruffeld on that one!
Diana Butler is very well liked on the 200 coridor! As is Jimmy Walton and Sue Mosley all three have campaigned out there Mike Amsden has his work cut out for him.
It looks like at least 3 commissioners look at the blog. How else would there have been 3 votes for them doing an outstanding job!!!
A very small sample, but I'm surprised the reactions to the performance of the Commissioners wasn't more negative. I guess there is good in every situation.
Anon. 11:03 am - I think you are confused; being married and raising children is the moral thing to do. Having affairs outside a marriage is morally wrong. Claiming to be a good Catholic while committing adultery is another story. If that applies to any elected official, then in my eyes, they can not be trusted.
What happened at the City/County workshop today to talk about consolidating some of the services?
All the time seems to have been devoted to a discussion about the City establishing its own ambulance service instead of using EMSA. Some discussion about combining parks and some of the utilities operations. That's according to an article in the Star Banner.
Voice of Reason says . .
The problem that I see with the County Commission is a lack of experience and imagination.
As to experience, none of the commissioners have experience bringing a county (or their own lives) out of the dark ages. When new developments look the same as the developments that arose in the 80's, it means that the thinking of the commissioners is about 25 years behind the times. They are still living in the days of whacking down trees and farmland to put up cookie-cutter houses. Those days went out with William the Orange.
As to imagination, they have none. If they would only get away from a Chamber "Meet and Greet" long enough to get outside of Marion County they would observe counties doing very imaginative things. But, that is probably too much to ask a bunch of seatwarmers who know more about the Gators offensive line than they do successful communities.
Look around Marion County sometime, see how everything looks exactly the same: cheap, slapped together construction, no architectural control or theme, no restrictions on putting the butt of a building on the street (I.e. Peppertree Medical Village on Baseline near Fort King Street).
People in Marion seem to vote more on issues unrelated to the open office. For instance, Randy Harris runs on an anti-abortion platform for County Commission. His achievement as a Commissioner was getting the STATE to pass a "Choose Life" license plate. I am pro-life and even I can admit that Harris' tag achievement did nothing for the County - but he got voes for it I'm sure.
VoR
Mayor Ewer's new incentive package for E1. The city will wreck one $400,000 fire truck per year for the next 5 years.
RE: anonymous 11:27 Sept. 17
Parks and Recreation, under the County, will be combined, probably within a year. The City residents should love the savings.
Elimination of duplicate services and administration should prove to be a good model for other services such as Fire and Utilities, maybe eventually police and sheriff.
Former Police Chief (now deceased) Lee McGehee and former Sheriff Don Moreland signed an agreement presented to city and county many years ago agreeing to consolidation of law enforcement. Then the politics got involved and McGehee backed down, and the issue died. There is no reason why cosolidation of the PD and SO shouldn't work and save adminsitrative costs, but we are a long way from it working. The last time I loooked, it takes all of the taxes from the city to pay for fire and police services in the city. Let the discussioon begin. --pwf
To VOR: You left out all of the strip malls that were built and now empty...nasty. And now we have a big dirt pile downtown (duped again)that has cost Ocala how much?
Gun Nutt says...
Earlier someone asked what we, the bloggers, thought about shotgun weddings. Well, weddings can be good or bad. Depends on who's getting married, the quality of the liquor served, and a lot of other factors. On the other hand, shotguns are always good in my book.
There used to be an advertising slogan that said "everything is better with cheese" well I say "everything is better with a shotgun"
I wonder why the Banner, the blog, and even PWF are sooooo quiet about the city election?
The Banner covered the day after the close of the qualifing period. Could it be that they are backing the incumbents? In case anyone wants to know absentee ballots have already arrived. Voting has begun.
The only race in the City is for Mayor. Most people aren't getting too excited about that one.
Voice of Reason says . . . .
I wonder about how the County Commission could allow the company Petsmart to operate in Marion without requiring the company to disclose whether the name is Pets Mart or Pet Smart?
VoR
...The only race in the City is for Mayor. "Most people aren't getting too excited about that one."
That is politico speak for.. don't give the other guy (Clark) any name recognition. The Banner is doing it and so is this Blog...
The Blog master has said that he would start a thread. When? after the election???
Go David Clark!!!
Here are the final results of the Straw Poll (53 participants):
--What is your opinion of the job being done by the five Marion County Commissioners?
6% Outstanding
13% Very Good
30% Good
34% Needs Improvement
17% Poor
(Moved From Main Page)
Give a little credit to the Commissioners for deciding to fix the utilities rates. Even over the protests of those poor, fixed income folks at Spruce Creek. They did the right thing and by a majority vote.
Kudos!!!
If I am not mistaking they had to or otherwise face a very large find from SJWMD. Amazing what they will do when they have the proverbial gun to thier heads.
Regarding NO NEWS from the Banner, they just wait, without really serving the public, to get the candidates to advertise, all boils down to the dollar!
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