 Florida Politics image An oddity of politics is any contested campaign with little controversy seems to fall off the radar.
The Citrus County School Board District 5 race is one of those. This is no reflection on the candidates, Joe Faherty and incumbent Linda Powers. Both are sincere and know their stuff.  Forget goblins and ghosts, here’s a real Halloween scare:
“Inverness Councilman Labriola Guy.” Yet, it can happen very easily and the possibility is not as crazy as once thought.  My little town is expecting visitors this weekend for the Inverness Country Jam, which makes its debut to replace the annual Cooter Festival.
Liberty Park will be closed to the non-paying public for the three-day event, but the state trail is open, so I expect plenty of hustle and bustle from folks who are perhaps visiting Inverness for the first time.  Nothing like a good government story. So here’s one:
I received an email a few weeks back from Bill Cate. He reminded me that I had met him and his wife, Ann Bourke, several years ago when I wrote a Chronicle story about their Homosassa butterfly garden being decimated by the mosquito control fog truck.  When I first met Capt. Tom Davis, he spent 30 minutes telling the history of the Crystal River Airport and his repeated run-ins with Gerry Mulligan, then editor of the Chronicle.
He took one look at me, another in a long line of green reporters, and remarked that I’d probably be just the same.  It wouldn’t be an election year without me explaining to a confused Citrus County electorate why we vote for people to kill mosquitoes.
Most folks might think, rather logically, that the county does that. Maybe where you came from, but not in Citrus and a dozen other Florida communities.  Let’s start Monday with a little optimism.
Sunday was a beautiful day, bright and sunny. I and 24 others spent that gorgeous afternoon at the home of Commissioner Holly Davis, continuing the strategic planning process that is Davis’ top priority in office.  It’s the end of another week and I’m a little cranky.
Had my first “sick day” at Just Wright Citrus on Thursday, causing me to miss the Business Appreciation Month (BAM) tour of Citrus County businesses and the chance to be on a bus all day with politicians and community leaders — my people.  Politics invaded the Inverness City Council chambers Tuesday night and it wasn't pretty.
First, Labriola Guy, aka Library Guy, displayed his ignorance for all to see by suggesting that the city should not approve affordable housing apartments because they attract Democrats.  When it comes to the government, I can be as cynical as anyone.
So when I sit in the back of the room at Tuesday’s county commission meeting, as I’ve done twice a month now for many years, and see a glimmer of hope, it gets my immediate attention. This Steve Howard administrator thing is going to work just fine. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 35 years. Archives
March 2023
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