Just my opinion, but this works

Happy Friday! We’re going to do some bragging today from World Headquarters III, so consider yourself warned.

This month marks four years since a little blog hit the online circuit in Citrus County, and life as we knew it hasn’t been quite the same.

Just Wright Citrus didn’t take the county by storm, but it introduced a manner of political discourse that hadn’t been tried around these parts. We don’t just bark at one another here; we attempt actual cordial debate.

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And my mission remains: Tell folks things they should know, and wouldn’t know if I didn’t tell them.

Mine was a lone voice when the blog kicked off in September 2021. Today, several others in Citrus County either have blogs or podcasts, regularly opining on the local matters at hand.

I hope this isn’t offensive to anyone, but I don’t read other publications. Well, one exception: Sound Off. I look for patterns in the comments. It’s like reading the County Commission email.

As for the other stuff, I’m sure it’s all fine, but it doesn’t address my mission at all. See, I’m not so interested in the opinions of other writers. But I’m extremely interested in the opinions of citizens.

I’ve said it many times, and I’ll say it again: The Just Wright Citrus influence doesn’t come from the blogger; it comes from the blogger’s readers. It’s those conversations, those opinions, that the politicians pay attention to.

We’ve been hearing a lot the last few weeks about opinions, free speech, and the like. Boy, count me in the free speech crowd. ESPECIALLY if the speech is directed at the government.

Our County Commission takes it on the chin nearly every day from citizens. That’s today’s environment, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

I know it’s frustrating for commissioners, especially when citizens are naive to the inner workings of government.

This board is pretty good about letting citizens have their say, no matter how off-the-wall it may be. It isn't easy being a constant target.

I had a recent Cattle Dog chat with a community leader who believes JWC is missing its calling. Rather than nitpicking the County Commission, the blog should be more supportive of efforts to move the county forward.

I agreed with this person to some extent, but noted that someone needs a peek under the hood every so often. That’s what we do here. Politicians always want to control the narrative. They won’t appreciate certain conversations nearly as much as citizens.

This community converses much more than it did four years ago. The needle has moved in so many areas — Library Guy awareness, Sheriff Dave Vincent, Old Schoolhouse Community Center, just to name a few — a direct result of citizens speaking their piece. 

And now we’re in the early stages of the biggest conversation yet — whether to purposely tax ourselves for the greater good.

This is an extremely opinionated county, has been for decades. I’m proud of my fellow Citrus Countians for not holding back on matters of significance.

And I’m proud of whatever role my little blog plays in that.

Have a great weekend, friends.

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