 Here’s what I can tell you about County Administrator Steve Howard:
Very little. I can’t figure that guy out at all. I’ve written about every Citrus County administrator except the first one. Gotten to know some better than others. They all had particular strengths, challenges and quirks.  Well, look who’s back.
Paul Grogan, whose NPA candidacy in 2022 blocked non-Republicans from voting in the real County Commission District 2 race, is doing the same thing in 2024 for District 5. Grogan filed his paperwork Tuesday, the day after District 3 attracted a candidate from a political party no one heard of. Essentially doing the same thing — blocking non-Republicans from voting in the real decision, which is the Republican primary.  A few weeks back I wrote about the county sending a survey out to a host of organizations as part of a “branding” process.
The county is paying a consultant a paltry sum — $8,000 — to come up with a communications strategy plan. This survey plays a role, though I’m a little unclear what that role is.  Happy Monday! Let’s jump into the week.
The Crystal River City Council votes tonight on replacing the late Councilman Pat Fitzpatrick. There are four applicants, including the recently married former manager, Ken Frink. Whoever the council picks will serve until at least a March election.  Mike note: This was my planned Sunday column for the Chronicle but the editor rejected it as self-serving. He may have a point.
It’s anniversary time of sorts. Two years ago this month my 34-plus year career at the Chronicle ended in a retirement that wasn’t planned but coincided with Gerry Mulligan’s retirement as publisher.  Texting Wednesday with a resident of Inverness Villages 4 to see how things are in her community when she mentioned that her husband and I attended the same Michigan high school.
“Say what?” I responded. “Stevenson?” Yup. She gave me her husband’s name and I didn’t recognize it even though he graduated in 1973, only three years ahead of me, which means we shared the same hallway space.  It’s always easy to see when politics show up. The first thing to exit the room is logic.
Such was the case Tuesday, when three county commissioners mysteriously decided to ignore five years of business success at the Inverness Airport in favor of who knows what.  And then there’s the Arrowhead pot farm.
Monday’s weekly email batch came randomly from Commissioner Holly Davis. It included a rather extensive and detailed email from the president of the Arrowhead Association laying out a case, point by point, of someone operating a marijuana grow farm that is supposedly licensed by the state but the circumstances are murky.  Here’s a topic in the news we haven’t discussed: Meadowcrest gates.
The community of Meadowcrest, you may have read, is considering placing gates on their private roads to keep outsiders from their neighborhoods. Plus, and this is probably a bigger issue, residents there are tired of people using Meadowcrest Boulevard as a cut-through between County Road 486 and State Road 44.  There was a time in my Chronicle career that the powers decided I should have some authority.
As managing editor for news, I helped direct reporters in writing local stories. While I appreciated the oversight of news coverage, the job just wasn’t for me. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 37 years. 
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