 Happy Friday!
A memory: My mom worked in the Sterling Heights, Michigan, City Clerk’s office. She loved that job. Mom so much enjoyed serving citizens and knowing she was contributing in some part to the city’s overall welfare. Later in life, when I became a city hall reporter, I’d visit with the secretaries and office staff on occasion. I often thought of Mom during those visits, and I knew how valuable these jobs were for folks.  Here’s a fun government geek Thursday question:
Do county commissioners need individual offices? We’ll come back to it. Of all the government planning processes over the years, the one I see fail time and again in Citrus County is determining office space needs.  Meanwhile, back at the library.
I’ll get into parental responsibility in a minute, but first I must say I’m fascinated by the adult conversation regarding kids in the library. Grownups talk like kids are sneaking around outside, waiting for opportunities to dart into the library for a haul of dirty books.  Happy Tuesday!
We’re going to talk about the county jail, but first a little personnel news. The county’s tourism director, Auvis Cole, is on paid administrative leave after a co-worker made allegations regarding issues in his leadership. The alleged behavior is neither illegal nor immoral, so I’m told.  Three times. If I’m counting correctly, this has happened three times.
I pulled a blog. The one originally posted Sunday night for today is no more. And that’s why our photo is yours truly with the North Pole’s power couple back in December. The blog topic will reappear in some fashion soon. Not today.  Happy Friday! A look on the ol’ calendar tells me Thursday was my 38th anniversary of moving to Citrus County from Meeechigan.
With that in mind, here are 38 random thoughts: 1. Just Wright Citrus had a monster two weeks. We’ve picked up nearly 400 new Facebook followers this month — 200 last Friday alone. We’re sitting at about 7,650 followers right now, plus thousands of others who don’t follow the page but regularly read it. That’s on you, dear friends.  Here’s the thing: I can’t get past the lagoon.
I’m referring to Tuscany Ranch, the mega development planned just north of Forest Ridge Boulevard in Beverly Hills that is the epicenter of the public’s angst on growth. It’s huge, all right. I’ve seen different numbers, so I don’t want to get specific, but about 4,900 homes, apartments and townhomes. Commercial frontage along C.R. 491. The developer will provide right of way to widen the highway and give the county enough money to build a fire station.  It’s Wednesday, so let’s talk about the opening school bell.
If we could line up all my old high school teachers, they would be shocked today that I am (A) still alive, (B) semi-successful, and (C) able to think for myself. That’s especially true for teachers in my first-period classes. I wasn’t exactly a bright-eyed and bushy-tail student. Classes at Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Michigan, started at 7:30 a.m., which meant I was in my seat by 7:29.56.  All right! Now we’re talking.
Monday’s reaction to the “One for All” sales tax blog was everything I dreamed of, and more. JWC readers covered a host of questions, concerns, observations, and some enthusiasm for the process that will lead to a 2026 referendum to raise the sales tax from 6% to 7%.  OK, Citrus County. Your turn.
Two things I heard loud and clear from readers during last week’s barge canal escapade:
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AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years. 
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