 As Cattle Dog chats go, this one gets a gold star.
In our social media world, where keyboard cowards think nothing of insulting others under the guise of free speech, it’s refreshing when someone wants to have an actual conversation. That’s why I encourage Cattle Dog chats so much. Have an issue with the blog? Let’s meet and chat, face to face, in public.  It was one of those, “I can’t tell you who I am” phone calls.
News tip time! The man on the phone said he had information I should know about the county government. He told me the president of the firefighters’ union, improperly fired a year ago, had been reinstated by an arbitration hearing officer. Am I interested?  Happy Wednesday! Here’s a story.
I had an appointment on Monday with Gerber Collision & Glass in Inverness for repairs following my deer mishap two weeks ago. Insurance covers the cost of a rental from Enterprise which, as the commercial says, would pick me up from Gerber.  Hi, it’s Tuesday, so let’s discuss garbage.
Homeowners were not happy to receive a love letter from the county saying the annual solid waste assessment is jumping from $27 to $35 — a 29% increase. That, despite no explanation from the county why it needs this money or what it plans to do with it.  Happy Monday! Let's tackle my favorite issue of the 2026 County Commission political season:
Hyperscale data centers. In a time when we are on high alert about intrusions to our way of life, data centers have taken center stage. I see the issue as part of a much larger picture, the final straw in a community that has had it up to here with outsiders making a buck off our collective backs.  Happy Thursday! Here’s a fun topic:
The Making of a Blog. Today, I invite readers into the vast Just Wright Citrus publishing machinery to walk through the steps of a blog, from concept through it arriving on your online doorstep each weekday morning.  It’s Wednesday, so let’s talk about Josh Wooten:
— Josh has been my friend for over 30 years. — He leads a strong Chamber of Commerce of 1,200 members. I cannot imagine a better business advocacy organization. My business would never have gotten off the ground without Josh and the Chamber.  Happy Tuesday! Let’s go full government geek today.
This is not related to the County Administrator’s performance or his pay. It’s not about employee evaluations or whether he’s a good guy. Nope, just this question: How do we know if the Steve Howard/County Commission relationship is thriving? What’s our gauge for success?  And it’s a new week. Yay!
Bunny Road Trips help get the creative juices going. One such idea from a recent drive made the playbook. It has to do with the voter mandate. After every election, no matter who wins, we always talk about what it all means. You know, what’s the voter mandate with such-and-such result?  Good morning, friends. Let’s chat.
I wrote this blog late Thursday. I had a difficult time finding the right words to convey what took place in the previous 48 hours. I’ll get to that, but first let me just share what's on my heart, OK? This ugliness, this social media circus has left our community in shambles. We once had friendly debate. Now it’s clownish cartoons, ridiculing the appearance of women candidates, and constant gotcha. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 39 years. 
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