Five peas in a Citrus County pod

Citrus County commissioners may have a difficult time believing this, but I spend a lot of time defending them.

Just about everywhere I go, someone wants to blame the current five for all that is wrong with our county.
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Take a look at the Chronicle Soundoff. It’s not one or two commissioners in particular, it’s the general feeling of replacing the entire bunch.

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To which, I say: Hold on there a sec. Let’s talk about it.

There are two approaches here. One, is it fair for current commissioners to catch the wrath of their predecessor’s lack of foresight? And two, is it right to lump them all together despite knowing it’s five diverse individuals?

I’ll take the second first.

It’s long been considered in poor taste for a commissioner to publicly bash the others following divided votes. This isn’t Congress.

With only five, getting along is important. Notice I didn’t say GOING along. No one wants commissioners to vote anything other than their conscience. But getting along in a congenial way is healthy for the process and the public.

That’s why respect for one another is so significant. Political differences exist as they should. But each commissioner is in office because voters put him or her there, and all five are equals. None is better or worse than another.

That said, a few commissioners in recent weeks have noted that they’re all being dissected under the same microscope, and that’s not necessarily fair.

I get it. The three commissioners up for re-election — Holly Davis, Jeff Kinnard, and Ruthie Davis Schlabach — are totally separate in the way they do things. The biggest thing they have in common is all three are on the ballot, though it’s crazy to suggest they’re a team.

Here’s what I mean by team. Campaigns of like-minded incumbents tend to run concurrently. That’s what happened in 2008, when Commissioners Vicki Phillips (loyal JWC reader!) and Joyce Valentino, who were seen as two peas in a pod, ran for re-election. Both lost by the same margin, and it wasn't close.

That’s not the case this year. None of the three incumbents are politically connected to one another. Davis and Schlabach were freshmen together, but that’s where their political similarities end. Not that they disagree all the time, it’s just that they’re not seen as, well, two peas in a pod.

So, is it fair to lump all five commissioners together when discussing the state of the county? No, it’s not. But all five own the board’s vote, even if it doesn’t go their personal way.

As to the first point, is it fair to blame these five for our current conditions? Of course not.

Actually, I’m not blaming anyone. Who saw this coming? Who saw this growth? Who predicted the tourism crush?

Let’s please be real. I don’t recall citizens coming to the County Commission prior to the Suncoast Parkway opening in 2022 to demand priorities. I don’t remember seeing newspaper editorials urging commissioners to get on the stick. There was no blue-ribbon committee to prepare Citrus County for the unknowns.

What I do see is a lot of complaining in the rear-view mirror. Shoulda done this, shoulda done that. Get rid of all of ‘em. Those are the views of a frustrated, but misinformed, public.

To recap:

Is it fair to blame/credit current commissioners for the county’s growth readiness or lack thereof? Only so far as what’s happened the last two years. And there's plenty to look at on both sides of that coin.

Is it right to lump them all together? Yes and no. The five combine to create a single entity that makes policy. No commissioner has authority to do anything on his or her own. 

When I write that the County Commission did or didn't do something, all five own that decision regardless of individual opinions.

Yet, they are separate votes. If Kinnard and Davis, for example, don’t agree on a particular vote, voters should know that. (And yes, I will be analyzing those differences in the coming months once I figure out how exactly to do that.)

This County Commission election is one of the biggest we’ve had in decades. Re-electing three commissioners, none re-elected, or a combination of new and re-elected creates all sorts of exciting possibilities.

Please, folks, pay attention. Ask questions. Don’t make assumptions. Let's have open, polite conversation. A lot is riding on 2024, and it starts with us.

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