This is what leadership looks like. Leadership is a man in green uniform standing at the microphone, fumbling over the simplest of questions, and instead finding it easier to simply lash out. Leadership is throwing even your most ardent supporters under the bus to make a point. And that point is: I’m right, you’re wrong. End of discussion. If it’s County Commission Tuesday that’s where to find me. Every other week I’m in my seat in the last row of the Courthouse chambers for another day of local government. It’s what I do. There’s just no way to ease into this. We’re going to talk about the government today. Specifically, the capital improvements program, referred to as the CIP and pronounced See-Eye-Pea. Disclaimer: I’m a big fan of Vickie Smith. We’re not close, but I’ve known her for quite a few years. She always presents herself to me as bright, funny, and engaging. Someone with an attention to detail. Vickie is a Citrus High School teacher, and for 10 years headed up the teachers’ union. Had a professional beef with a certain local media this week. The details I’ll keep to myself, but it caused me to think about the differences between a newspaper story and Just Wright Citrus blogs, particularly in the area of sourcing information. It’s a significant difference, and one I take extremely seriously. Then there’s the School Board race. It’s not the lowest rung on the political ladder, but close. Seems odd, right? That’s reality. The League of Women of Voters of Citrus County had the School Board District 2 candidates at their meeting Thursday. You can see the turnout from today’s photo. Today’s subject: People who believe rules don’t apply to them. You know these people. The ones always pushing the envelope constantly seeing what they can get away with. I appreciate that to an extent. I jokingly used to tell friends that the “authorized personnel only” signs on office doors in the Lecanto Government Building were just suggestions. Now the doors all have key-code locks on them. Dang. At some point, I gotta wonder. Is he trying to lose? We’re referring, of course, to Sheriff Mike Prendergast, whose relations with the community continue to deteriorate with a series of baffling moves. I can’t recall a single politician taking such a dive in community support. And it’s not like people are on his case because they’re upset about crime or law enforcement presence. Starting the week with three separate topics as we begin our delightful six-month 90-degree season… — Talking with a friend over the weekend about the county’s growth. He’s in the pro-development crowd, and of the belief that so long as the county is approving quality development, that’s better than what we have now. I’ve heard that from a few corners during the last year. The idea that somehow, we can stop poor quality development and approve only high-quality development. My Frank DiGiovanni story: One day several years ago, way before the current Inverness Government Center came about, I saw Frank standing on the corner of Tompkins and Seminole, just sort of staring blankly into space. “If you’re waiting for the Crown Hotel bus, it’s not coming,” I said. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years. Archives
May 2024
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