Leadership void just hit a sinkhole

First up: I didn’t see it.

Don’t blame it on Bunny, but she’s my alibi.

See, it stormed Tuesday. And I left an open window in Bunny’s room, and I know she’s terrified of thunder, and I couldn’t get that image out of my mind.

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So, thinking I had a few minutes before the Betz Farm talk, I went home to check on the dog. Bunny was fine.

I started watching the meeting online. That’s when I heard what, by now, no doubt many others have heard: a confrontation off camera, angry voices, the board chairman calling for deputies. (Here's the video link. Starts around the 4:00 mark.)

Bunny went back in the crate, and I raced to the Courthouse.

Chamber CEO Josh Wooten was in the hallway speaking with a deputy. People were coming and going. Inside the board chambers, commissioners fiercely debated the Betz Farm deal, which ended with a 3-2 vote that put it back on the table.

Before the vote, Commissioner Rebecca Bays and Chair Diana Finegan exchanged accusations and innuendoes about who’s influencing who.

Wooten, meanwhile, could be charged. Like I said, I wasn’t there and I haven’t seen a video surface that has more than just voices off camera.

From what I gathered, he had finished speaking about Betz Farm and was returning to his seat when he exchanged words with someone in the audience, and it quickly escalated to a confrontation. All the while, Finegan urged deputies to arrest Wooten, while the other commissioners just sat there.

The sheriff’s office interviewed witnesses and will review video angles before deciding whether it merits a talk with the State Attorney’s Office.

I’m so disgusted. Where to start.

You know…I’m not going to rehash the whole thing. Maybe later. For old timers, this one was bad. Worse ever? Well, that’s like comparing hurricanes. But it was bad.

Spoke to a friend later Tuesday who watched it all unfold online. “There are no leaders up there,” she said. “Not a single one!”

My friend is correct. We are rudderless. And not just on the County Commission.

My gosh, how did we get to this point? The personalities of politicians, chamber CEO, bloggers, lawyers, and ordinary Jane and John Doe are all converging like never before.

And no one to sort it out. There’s no beacon on the hill in Citrus County, no place we can point and say, “Whew! At least we have THAT!”

The ugliness that occurred Tuesday with Wooten, Finegan, and the other commissioners is inexcusable. Since Finegan, oddly, didn’t call for a recess while the commotion was occurring, it’s all public record. 

Anyone can view it. The chamber CEO and County Commission chair trading insults. Yeah, that’s what we want the world to see.

That’s why I am so damn angry. At some point, we need to tell the Josh Wootens and Diana Finegans that their petty political differences are meaningless to the rest of us. Play your stupid war games in someone else’s sandbox. This county has real challenges to overcome.

And they both owe a public apology. Wooten, for disrupting the meeting. Finegan, for engaging in open battle with Wooten while citizens and her colleagues watched.

Broader, though, I don’t know where this goes. Wooten told me his phone was blowing up with supporters, and I have no doubt about that. Still, what happened Tuesday is not a good look for the Chamber of Commerce. It would be wise for Wooten to humble himself in a hurry.

As for the County Commission, that’s just a hot mess. While I had high hopes for Finegan as chairman, and she started out that way, those hopes are in deep jeopardy now. Like Wooten, it would be wise for Finegan to humble herself in a hurry, or she’s toast with her colleagues.

Tuesday was a total bummer. Even before this happened, the board majority inexplicably told Sheriff Dave Vincent they no longer believed he could handle running the county jail. This comes a month after they were on board with it.

I don’t know what’s up with these county commissioners right now. But what’s clear from Tuesday is this: Neither do they.

I’m planning a pleasant Wednesday. Have a great one, friends.

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