 Welcome to December — the fun season.
Inverness is all decked out with a big Christmas tree on the Old Courthouse lawn and another big tree in Liberty Park. Crystal River lights its tree Friday night. Here’s some random thoughts to kick off 2023’s final month:  We’re going to have a little fun with Tod Cloud’s parking skills today, but first a few words about the Canvassing Board and Commissioner Diana Finegan.
The Canvassing Board certifies local election results. It’s kind of a big deal. It has three members: the Supervisor of Elections, a County Court Judge, and a County Commissioner.  The most important portion of any type of writing is the start.
In the news biz, we call it the lede. And, yes, we spell it that way on purpose. I’ve had some really fun ones over the years. The School Board was discussing school dress code, and how some cheerleader uniforms exposed the wearer’s midriffs. Board members didn’t like that. This was my lede:  Time for Holly Davis to take the middle seat.
The Citrus County commissioner is in line to become the newest chairman during Tuesday’s organizational meeting. Only once in my 35 Citrus County years has the commission vice chairman not ascended to chairman, and I recall that board as somewhat cantankerous.  And that’s why Commissioner Diana Finegan’s border resolution should fail.
The photo. I’m referring to the photo. It’s our Commissioner Finegan happily smiling with her good friend Jeff Atwater, the former Florida chief financial officer turned consultant whose clients want a car wash/storage unit in Lecanto.  An old friend stopped by the other day.
It’s been at least 15 years since I last saw Father Tom Morgan. I only remember the time frame because he visited me at my former cabin and blessed it as a writer’s home. Father Tom holds a special place in my heart and the hearts of thousands of Citrus Countians who recall him from his eight years at St. Scholastica Parish in Lecanto.  Gerald Ford got me into politics.
It was during my late high school years when President Richard Nixon’s shenanigans played out daily in the greatest live television ever, the Watergate hearings. As a high school junior, I found it all fascinating. Mom and Dad were proud blue-collar Democrats, and I recall both, especially Mom, yelling at the TV screen every time Nixon’s face appeared on ABC News.  It’s a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, blue sky and fluffy clouds reflecting off the lake, comfortable in a T-shirt and shorts four days before Thanksgiving because it’s Florida and we don’t apologize for it.
I’m staring at a computer screen. Again.  Like the beard? Thank that guy on my left.
Don’t like the beard? Blame that guy on my left. That would be Dr. Christoper Schmidt, the Ocala surgeon who removed a benign lump from my neck on Oct. 19 and did a fantastic job.  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” — Philippians 2:3-4
“This board is turning into more of a head-in-the-sand bunch than any I can recall.” — Just Wright Citrus, Oct. 31, 2023. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years. 
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December 2023
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