Janet Barek is not feeling the love

The County Commission could use some Dennis Damato wisdom right now.

Damato, a three-term commissioner who died in 2022, had a well-earned reputation for common sense and leadership. He was the least political politician I’ve ever known.

Dennis wasn’t interested in rhetoric or wasted words. His colleagues listened when Dennis spoke.

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When then-Commissioner Scott Adams was raising all sorts of Cain, it was Dennis’ wisdom that put all that into perspective.

He said something that changed the entire trajectory of how I see a commissioner’s role. He talked about constituencies.

The people who elected Adams expected that behavior from him. That’s why they voted for Scott. It wouldn’t make sense for Adams to get elected on that basis and then turn around and be a part of the County Commission in-crowd.

“It’s not my job to tell another commissioner how to represent his constituency,” Dennis told me at the time.

Four commissioners today would be wise to embrace that approach with Commissioner Janet Barek.

We’re seven months into the new term, and Commissioner Barek is everything we expected her to be. Uninformed. Cantankerous. Argumentative. Demanding.

I sit in the back of the room and can see the frustration from board Chair Rebecca Bays to her right and Commissioner Jeff Kinnard to her left.

Numerous people noted to me a recent exchange between Bays and Barek. I forget the details, but at one point in the discussion, Barek asked the chair if she could say something.

“If you must,” Bays replied, or something to that effect.

Many readers saw Bays’ response as inappropriate and rude. I see where they’re coming from.

Let me explain.

Five-member boards form cliques, a sort of us vs. the world kind of thing. Even when all five don’t agree philosophically, they generally are supportive of one another. That’s my experience.

There are occasional outliers. The square-peg, round-hole types who don’t fit in. I recall a School Board member from years ago who received the cold treatment from colleagues because she was frequently critical of the superintendent. 

County Commissioners don’t shun Janet Barek, but they’re not giving her the respect they want for themselves. I've witnessed commissioners interrupting her, talking over her, and interrupting her as she speaks. I rarely witness that behavior with other commissioners.

Now. Don’t get me wrong. Janet deserves criticism. She is not on the same page as her colleagues. The other four seem poised on vision; Janet is very much reactionary. Quite often, I haven’t a clue what she’s talking about.

But here’s the deal: Other commissioners don’t get to decide Janet’s behavior. Her constituency should be very pleased with her performance in office.

And who is that constituency? Sound Off callers. Yup. Janet Barek is Commissioner Sound Off. Just a lot of griping, innuendo, misstated facts, and opinion grounded in deep-seated pessimism. Sound Off is Citrus County’s crank call.

Janet is carved out of that mold. It’s gotta be frustrating to Jeff Kinnard or Rebecca Bays, two commissioners in the traditional political sense, attempting to reason with someone whose mind isn’t even in the same conversation. Sometimes, they try the pre-school approach (“This is an apple, and this is an orange…”). More often, patience wears thin.

Commissioners who see themselves smarter and wiser than Janet may rethink that position. There’s a very real concern among citizens these days that county commissioners are ignoring them. I realize that’s simplistic, but you know who never gets that criticism? Yup. Commissioner Barek.

The same election that returned Kinnard and Holly Davis to office last year also elevated Janet Barek over Ruthie Schlabach. It wasn’t a landslide, but all you need is one more vote than the other person.

Barek is the choice of frustrated voters. Her colleagues may not appreciate that, but their approach to Janet doesn’t help.

Janet Barek is a Citrus County commissioner elected to office by voters, just like her colleagues. When commissioners are disrespectful to Janet, they’re disrespectful to the voters who chose her. 

She may be on the wrong end of a gazillion 4-1 votes. That’s politics. Nothing wrong there.

Janet is following the wishes of her constituency. As she should.

Have a great Thursday, friends.

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