Finegan gets the ball rolling

Three things I’ve learned from covering the County Commission in December:
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• One day does not make a trend.
• The meeting between Thanksgiving and Christmas is often an anomaly, and not an indicator of things to come.
• There’s always a chance I’ll be wrong about the first two.

That’s where I sit after seeing the County Commission led by its new Chair, Diana Finegan, on Tuesday afternoon.

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Great start for Diana. The conversations were on task, to the point, and didn’t wander into gray areas.

Other than Commissioner Rebecca Bays admonishing Commissioner Janet Barek for blaming past boards for the condition of the Animal Shelter, everyone got along just swell.

So, yeah, about these December board meetings. It’s the first full meeting for the new chairman, so we get a good idea how it’ll work on a regular basis. It’s also the holidays, so most everyone is in a giving spirit.

I’ve seen commissioners pull the Snoopy's Christmas vs. Red Baron act — 51 weeks of fierce debate, but it’s “Merry Christmas, my friend!” for that December meeting.

(Useless dinner party chatter…The Royal Guardsmen are from Ocala, and they performed in Inverness eons ago. I haven’t a clue why I know that.)

I’m looking for any signs of positive movement on the County Commission. Something that suggests each is keyed into his/her constituency and also sees the broader picture. 

Keep in mind, I’ve been out of touch since Oct. 24. I didn’t even read the County Commission agenda backup. I avoided nearly all Chronicle stories. 

I hadn’t attended a County Commission meeting in nearly two months. I went in there Tuesday, took my favorite seat, fired up the laptop, and took notes. Just like always. But not really.

Diana was the one I wanted to see the most. The Chairman runs the meeting and so much more. The Chair sets the tone for her colleagues and the public. A Chairman can be conciliatory or defiant. 

The Chair’s job is to lead discussion that results in vote or direction. Herd the cats, the kind of thing. Be definitive with a position, but not in a bullying manner. Ensure that everyone has their say. 

I witnessed that from Chair Finegan on Tuesday.

Example: Barek opposed an $800,000 Animal Shelter grant because it comes with conditions. She also said the grant amount is a drop in the bucket for the overall cost, and then she blamed past commissioners for, well, everything involving the shelter.

While Bays gave her grief for essentially taking the conversation backward, Finegan offered a positive spin.

“It’s a blessing and a gift,” she said. “It will go a long way to get something crucial for that shelter.”

Then the library discussion. Something about a display policy. The Library Guy Gang considers Chair Finegan as one of their heroes. Surely, she would see the logic of a Charlie Kirk memorial in the libraries, right?

Nope. Finegan, instead, took an entirely different approach. Instead of using library displays to push national issues, let’s promote the library and community instead. I found myself nodding silently in agreement to much of what she said.

Never know what happens when a commissioner takes the chair reins for the first time. My personal view? Chair Finegan exuded maturity, charm, leadership, and a sense of community. 

We are desperate for direction from the County Commission as a whole. I glimpsed it Tuesday, and I haven’t felt that for a very long time.

We can hope, right?

It’s Thursday. Make it the best one ever, friends.

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