As the saying goes, I was born at night but not last night. Tuesday’s blog, which promised a week’s worth of political writing, you the loyal Just Wright Citrus reader responded by enthusiastically ignoring the post. We’re going to spend some time this week talking about politics and I’ll try not to make that as dull as it sounds. So, ahem. First off, where I’m coming from: Elections are sacred to to me. They are a holiday that takes place every two years. I vote on Election Day. Not the day before and certainly not two weeks prior. I wear a tie on Election Day. Out for a drive earlier this week I stopped by the Stage Pond Cemetery on Stage Coach Trail for some peace and reflection. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that my deep interest in Citrus County extends to cemeteries. The county’s history is buried along with names of the county’s pioneers and others who put their stake in Citrus County at some point decades ago and called it home. When my friend Pat Deutschman was on the Citrus County School Board, we talked plenty about kids. “Kids” was her term. Whether little ones or high school seniors, Pat never wanted to forget that kids were the school district’s precious cargo. One more word about the turnpike and then we’ll exit (ha!) for now. The county commission’s consensus Tuesday was an interesting one that essentially says, “State, when it comes to the turnpike extension, keep Citrus County out of your mouth.” This may come as a surprise to some but there’s more on Tuesday’s county commission agenda than just the turnpike extension. Let’s break it down: — Well, this was bound to happen. Everyone rejoiced when the county commission nixed the mandatory garbage collection idea, but the landfill’s financial problems didn’t just disappear. With a large crowd expected Tuesday morning for the county commission turnpike extension talk, and a county commission afternoon meeting to follow, seems like a good time to go over the public speaking rules. It’s actually pretty simple. You get 3 minutes at the microphone, or the coveted 5 minutes if speaking on behalf of an organization and the county has a letter on file stating so. At the risk of alienating the few people who still like me, there’s something I must blurt out: I’maDemocrat. I know, I KNOW the whole world is Republican now and it’s not wise, on a website supported by advertising sponsors, to start a Friday with that little nugget. Today’s blog is brought to you by the community of Beverly Hills, which can’t get no lovin’. Last week’s commission email is randomly from Commissioner Ruthie Davis Schlabach, whose district includes Beverly Hills. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years. Archives
January 2025
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