Tomorrow Morning is our 31st Coffee with a Commissioner Event!

Tomorrow morning we will hold our 31st Coffee with a Commissioner event in District 1.  The public is welcome and encouraged to attend!

Tomorrow morning we will hold our 31st Coffee with a Commissioner event at 6:30 AM at the McDonalds Restaurant in District 1 at 5 S. Blue Angel Parkway, Pensacola Fl 32506 .

These  meetings allow for constituents to interact, ask questions, and provide feedback to me and staff in an informal, non-structured setting where all topics related to the county are open for discussion.

It is also a good opportunity for staff and I to provide updates on specific projects that are underway in the county--including budget issues, and other matters of importance.

With staff present at every coffee event we organize--we have been able to solve many minor issues for citizens on the spot.  Maybe we can help you, too.

We begin promptly at 6:30AM and we typically go an hour.

Also, I video the meetings so that those who cannot attend can watch the video of the meeting on facebook live.

I look forward to seeing you all there tomorrow morning

A Guest in our Neighborhood's Retention Pond...

Bell Ridge Forest in Beulah had an alligator in the retention pond on Sunday.  FWC will be coming out to remove and relocate him...

I got a text message early yesterday morning from a concerned resident of our subdivision Bell Ridge Forest in Beulah.  I get a lot of questions and comments from residents and citizens as a County Commissioner--but this one was a first!

One text message, partially in jest, said

"We have an un-welcomed guest in the holding pond.....alligator.  Any idea who I can call within the county to get it removed?"

"Another resident sent this  "Have you seen the 6-foot alligator at our duck pond?  What should we do about it?  Go look at it."

Obviously these are a native species in our area--but this time of year and in this location it seemed kind of odd.  15 years living in this subdivision and I have never spotted an alligator in our pond.  Several residents, myself included, went out to look at this alligator and take pictures.

I emailed Chips Kirchenfeld and Janice Gilley at the county about the issue.  I heard back very quickly and the information was given to the residents.  FWC hires trappers that will come in and remove/relocate nuisance alligators--they are the entity that needed to be contacted

I anticipate at some point later this morning or today the trappers will come to the neighborhood to remove the alligator--estimated by one resident who took close-up photos to be between 5-6 feet long.

Hopefully they'll take him someplace where he can live out the remainder of his days--safely away from people in neighborhoods.

We are Going to #OpenOurBeach

With Thursday's vote to move forward with funding $228,000.00 for construction from the County's TDT funds (Tourist Development Tax)--we are finally moving forward with the construction phase of the project that will eventually enable us to---- finally----- #OpenOurBeach at access #4 in Perdido Key!

After 7 long years and lots of gnashing of teeth, obstructions, delays, and threats--we're finally doing what we said we would do for the citizens.

It was great to have a unanimous vote to do this--even in the face of feckless, specious arguments from two persons at the meeting who gave disingenuous, opaque reasoning for holding off on doing this.

The time for holding off is officially over.  The time for action is now.

Next up--completion of a report from UWF's Haas Center illustrating the nexus between this project and tourism--which will allow for the use of these hotel tax dollars to construct this access.

After this, an affirmative vote of the Tourism Development Council (TDC) will be required for expenditure of TDT monies in support of this project.  I preferred to eliminate all uncertainty and to fund the entire project utilizing LOST funds that we have generated from the recent sale of nearly 100 acres of OLF 8 to Navy Federal Credit Union.

But the board did not support this and instead we will go the TDT funds route and see how far $228,000.00 gets us toward completion of this access.

Once completed--this access point will accommodate 34 parking spaces and provide a "Mobi-Mat" walkway from the parking lot down to the dunes which will allow access to the water by emergency vehicles if/when necessary.  These Mobi-Mats also allow access to the beach for/by citizens with disabilities that find themselves confined to a wheelchair.

And last but not least--the opening of this access point and development of this site will insure that the sensitive areas of the dunes system on the property are properly fenced off with signage added describing the protected wildlife in these areas and advising visitors to "keep-out" of these areas.

Right now, no such signage or fencing exists--- and folks currently trample all over the dunes unobstructed, leaving rubbish, disturbed dune vegetation, and disturbed habitat in their wake.

For 7 long years this pristine, 330 foot of Gulf access has been kept from the citizens that bought it--behind a locked gate and "no trespassing" signs.

But with Thursday's vote--that all changed.

And once open--this parcel and the adjacent 200' of beach owned by the Crab Trap restaurant will combine to give area citizens a brand new 500+ foot beach area to utilize free of charge.

This is a fantastic win for all citizens, what a profound turn of events this is.

We are now going to #OpenOurBeach!

Another Layer of Scrutiny Is Needed

Is there another layer of additional scrutiny that we can apply to folks who construct infrastructure to insure the county and residents don't have big bills to pay and problems years after such infrastructure is constructed?  The answer is YES. 

One of the things I mentioned in last Thursday's Committee of the Whole Meeting was that we need more scrutiny applied to the projects that are built and that we allow to be permitted.

I was pleased that one of my counterparts agreed that this is necessary.  It is necessary.

We need to enforce our codes and be fair to builders---and we are---but we have to make sure all ordinances are followed and things permitted are built as designed.

Otherwise, we will continue to have unintended consequences that homeowners and the county will have to address.

From stormwater ponds not built according to the way they were designed and permitted, (look at the issues in Beulah last week) to lift stations that fail costing residents hundreds of thousands of dollars, to platted subdivisions that are not graded according to plan and cause flooding on surrounding properties--we are racing from crisis to crisis fixing these issues that are symptomatic of a larger problem:  insufficient oversight and scrutiny of the projects that are permitted once they are built.

I recently had lunch with a contractor locally who has a well-regarded, established company doing construction and maintenance throughout the southeast.  He has about 60 employees and his company is wildly successful.  "Jeff, we build a retaining wall and we follow the rules.  We get the permit, we build it as it is designed--but nobody comes to verify that we built it according to the specifications of the engineer of record.  It just gets signed off, and nobody comes to look at it.  They would not even know what to look for if they did come out" he stated flatly.  "The county should make the engineer of record on these projects sign an affidavit stating they inspected the project after construction and that it has been built according to the plans." 

I like that idea, and we are going to look at doing just that.

1. County staff scrutinizes plans to insure they meet code.
2. Approval is sought and obtained to construct
3. County inspects items built
4. Engineer of record signs off that what was built matches what was submitted to county
5. If post construction-issues arise based upon faulty/flawed construction--builder and engineer of record will be called to task

The problems that we are facing today are self-inflicted.  We have allowed things to be built, land to be cleared, and subdivisions to be platted where the grading plans have not been followed--and now we are scrambling to pick up the pieces. When we have to come up with solutions for homeowners who have faced tremendous issues with improperly constructed infrastructure in subdivisions that affect nearby homeowners-this is problematic and it should NOT be a regular, recurring situation.

Sadly-----it has been.

So we have to do better.  And we will.

I'll be bringing a plan to address this issue.

How Will We Pay to #OpenOurBeach ?

Beach Access #4 has been locked and off-limits to the public for the last 7 years since the county paid just over $3Million to acquire this parcel for habitat conservation and public access.  We have done the work, we have the plan, and I have identified a source to complete the project.  It is time for us, finally, to #OpenOurBeach.  

Some folks have speculated on the "how" question.

Now that the Restore Act Project has been pulled back, in order to use restore act funds to #OpenOurBeach at Perdido Key Beach Access #4 we would have to start from scratch, build a new project, vet it, take public comment, and re-submit it to the US Treasury.  That could be an option, but that would take too long.

We could always seek to utilize TDT funds (hotel tax monies)--however that would also be a circuitous process, as the law changed in 2018 and now any infrastructure-related expenditures of these funds require a study indicating the tourist related impact necessitating the expenditure.   Additionally, the law requires that the local Tourist Development Council bless any such expenditure.  So this could happen, but again it would be a long process.

General fund dollars could always be used--but even I would not support expenditure of general fund dollars for this project.

So this really leaves few options for this funding.  LOST IV is already overspent for the first 4 years and there are no residual funds from LOST III that could be used.  This I confirmed with the budget and finance office yesterday.

But after going through multiple sources and scenarios, I finally came to a funding source that is available, unallocated, and ready for utilization.

"These funds would be an allowable source to fund the Perdido Key Beach Access Project"  Said attorney Alison Rogers yesterday evening when I asked her about this funding source in particular.

"There are more than enough funds there to do this if the board directs it" said Stephan Hall when I asked him about this specifically in my weekly conference call yesterday evening.

I intend to discuss this funding source this morning during our Committee of the Whole when we discuss this project.

We will #OpenOurBeach!

Thursday: An Update on the Progress to #OpenOurBeach

Condo Owners near the County's 330 foot parcel of Beachfront property in Perdido Key next to the Crab Trap Restaurant love to use our beach as their own "private" beach.  They even advertise it!  Now that we're going to #OpenOurBeach--this group of condo owners is doing everything they can to try to stop us.  They like it just the way it is, because it is a comfortable status quo for them.

This Thursday morning we will have our monthly committee of the whole meeting.  This week one of the items on the agenda is a 15 minute item from Tim Day in Natural Resources about the current status of our plan to #OpenOurBeach access point in Perdido Key next to the Crab Trap.

This 330' parcel directly the Gulf of Mexico was purchased by the county 7 years ago for habitat protection and public beach access.

But special interests have fought us tooth and nail over the last several years as the county began the plans to finally open this site to the public.  They have fought us in court and as the county ran this project through the development review process.

The entire sordid history of this can be reviewed here

The backup for this Thursday's discussion is empty.  What I fear is that those who are opposed to opening this access, along with their acolytes, will attempt to "scare" the full BCC into paralysis on this project.  They will urge us to "wait" to build this access until "the court case is finalized." (this could be pushed out forever in an attempt to stymie the opening of this access to the public)

I am of the belief that we don't have to wait.  We have checked the boxes and we have done our planning.  We have a nice sketch of what we can build and we are ready to go.  So I asked our attorney about what it is that could potentially shut us down, and the conversation went a little something like this:

JEFF B:  "Absent a dispositive ruling from the circuit court (i.e if there is another judge rotation, or no action is taken, or the plaintiffs push this out with additional motions or requests for continuance-- and the case is just languishing there) -----is there anything preventing the county from moving ahead with construction of the improvements provided we follow the DRC process and settle/resolve any appeals from that process.  Or to put it another--- way: Is there anything in either of these processes that would prevent us from moving forward with construction of the improvements prior to the final dispositions of any appeals to the circuit court?"

ALISON R:  "At this time, there is no requirement that we stop.  Anything we do is at our own risk.  The DRC was last Wednesday and there is a 15-day window for a potentially aggrieved party to appeal that to the BOA.  They haven’t appealed it yet.  There is some concern about other parties (such as environmental groups) becoming interested in what is going on there, but that is speculative at this time.  They might be more interested in federal causes of action."

JEFF B:  "That is what I thought.  So, if we let the court process and other outside interested parties’ potential suits work their way out on one track, and we build the access on another track, ----- wouldn’t it take a judge’s ruling to force us to remove improvements once we had completed them and opened the access point?  Wouldn’t that be the only mechanism any aggrieved party would have at that point, once the access was built?"

ALISON R:  "Or an injunction prior to completion"

JEFF B:  "A hypothetical:  If we built it out and it was being used by the public prior to the final disposition of the case (s) in circuit court, and if after it was open the judge ruled in favor of the condo owners and against the county----------would the access park have to be shuttered pending an appeal or could the park remain open while the county’s appeal of the judge’s ruling went forward to the first DCA?"

ALISON R:  "I think most likely that would be true.  It is possible that some unexpected order or outcome could happen, but almost positive it would stay until final resolution."

  

  

Monday Meeting on Big District 1 Infrastructure Projects

Big infrastructure meeting Monday afternoon--lots of big District 1 projects moving forward.

Late Monday afternoon I will be meeting with County Administrator Janice Gilley, County Engineer Joy Jones and a host of other staff members and the discussion will center around a number of big, beneficial District 1 Infrastructure projects that we will be moving forward.

As discussed in previous entries on this blog--each commissioner receives an allocation of $1 Million Annually in discretionary (Local Option Sales Tax) LOST funds for capital projects.  The unexpended amounts roll forward.  I  have identified $3 Million in desperately-needed D1 projects for which I will be expending my discretionary LOST funds over the next several years.

On Thursday of last week, The BCC unanimously approved one of these very important projects.  This  Bellview-area drainage project is one part of the list of projects I am bringing forward for discussion Monday.  This project has huge implications for storm water issues in this portion of District 1--where in one subdivision houses' backyards are literally being washed away.  What was approved on Thursday is part one of getting that situation solved as well as establishing a regional storm pond in the Godwin Lane area of Bellview.  As we all saw with last Wednesday's deluge in Beulah-- storm water issues are a tremendous problem--one we must continue to work to address.

For the 2020-2021 budget cycle I am allocating $500,000.00 for-- and will be pressing staff to-- develop a regional project to address flooding concerns in the following areas of Beulah that are suffering negative stormwater consequences as a result of massive unfettered growth and development:  Beulah Road, Frank Reeder Road, Rebel Road, and Tower Ridge Road.

In addition to this regional pond and Sarasota ditch rehabilitation project, here are the other projects that will be discussed with planning and engineering staff on Monday.

1.  Beulah Fire Station Modernization         $1,000,000.00
2.  Bellview Public Library                          $250,000.00
3.  Regional Drainage Improvements,
     Godwin, Blue Angel, Sarasota Street      $400,000.00
4.  Drainage Design, Dunaway Lane, 

 Fridinger Road, Pursell Ln.                         $200,000.00

                                                                   
5.  Cerny Road/Muldoon sidewalks,
street lights, and drainage improvements     $700,000.00
6.  Splash Pad at Beulah Park                       $200,000.00
7.  Misc. street lights, sidewalks
     and roadway improvement at various
     other locations  throughout District 1      $225,000.00

I'll be discussing these projects in depth in the weeks and months to come as I bring them forward for affirmative votes of the full board.

100-Year Rain Event Last Wednesday in Beulah???

We had an unusually large amount of rainfall in a very short period of time on Wednesday in Beulah.

 I received several Facebook messages, phone calls and emails about flooding throughout the area.  One neighborhood's storm retention pond was inundated and residents were in fear that it would
overflow from the top and flood the houses in the neighborhood.

I also received calls and photographs indicating that the red clay and dirt being utilized by several developments throughout the area was washing through silt fences and over roadways and into private ponds.

Beulah road at one point was covered in as much as 2 inches of water at some locations north of Mobile Hwy. according to one resident.

Staff, to their credit, immediately went out to Beulah to check conditions at the Navy Oaks ponds.  I drove the area after work at around 5:30PM----and thankfully the water had receded from the roadways I traveled (Helms,Beulah, Mobile Hwy, Klondike, 9-Mile Road).

So how did this happen--what was the cause?

According to a local engineer, Tom Hammond from Hammond Engineering, this event was actually greater than a 100-year flood event for a short duration of time.  He sent staff and the commissioners the chart and weather station data, above, showing that in just 2 1/2 hours--we were hit with a 5.29 inches of rain--which exceeds the intensity of a 100-year flood event according to Hammond.

"The rainfall event yesterday in Beulah was 5.29 inches in 2.5 hours which far exceeded a 100 year rainfall event. The weather station is at the Beulah Nursery. It is likely rainfall exceeded the 100 year event in other parts of the county as well.  Please see attached. Figured this documentation may help with responses to citizen concerns." stated Hammond in an email to the county.

Staff is working with the developers on the red soil issues and this information about just how intense this rainfall was in Beulah for this short period of time at least provides an explanation of why and how this happened.  It was an intense weather event.

Will Gary Bergosh Run For State Attorney?

A recent poll conducted over the 2nd and 3rd of February shows that in a hypothetical matchup between Gary Bergosh and Greg Marcile for the State Attorney position, Gary Bergosh has 65-35 support among all party respondents, and a commanding 75-25 advantage with Republicans Only.  Will he run for this office though?

More and more people are asking me this question.  Will he run?

Why wouldn't he run?  is another question I frequently get.

I discussed a lot of this in a previous post early last month.

First of all--the answer to the question of if he will run is entirely up to him.  I know he has considered it in the past, and I know he would do a hell of a great job if he sought the position and won it.

But the answer really is up to him.  I don't know what he will do, I do not presume to speak for him nor do I know his plans.  It is up to God,  him, and his family, --as I know he would pray on this if he even thought there was a chance he would run.

To the question of why wouldn't he run?  Well, again, that's up to him.  But the first consideration is that he has a job already, an important job, an all-consuming job, and a meaningful, worthwhile job as a Circuit Court Judge.

It is a job of prestige and honor that pays a good wage--one Gary worked very hard to win in an expensive, hard-fought race 14 years ago.

And he would have to voluntarily resign that job on the spot---- before he could even sign up to run in a partisan State Attorney's  race.  That's number one.  And that would mean he would not get a paycheck for up to a year during the campaign.

Number two is the risk factor.  It would be tremendously risky (and borderline financially irresponsible and reckless) to leave a set, secure job that pays well to run in a contested race (which will be hotly contested).

But here comes the wild card that throws all these considerations into the wind.  Numbers.

The numbers look good for Gary Bergosh in this race.

According to a recent poll of which I am aware, in the hypothetical race between Gary Bergosh and Greg Marcile for State Attorney--- among those who expressed a choice Gary came out ahead by a margin of 65-35 among registered voters of all parties.  Among Republicans only--the number is even wider  75-25 Bergosh among voters who were not "undecided."

So we get back to the original question of will Gary Bergosh run for State Attorney?

As his brother and someone that loves him--my advice to him is to stay where he is and wait a few years.  This would prudent, this would be intelligent.  This would be the path of least resistance.

But Gary is his own man, he's a Marine, and I know he has often times rejected the path of least resistance and instead taken the path of Maximum Resistance. 

And this has worked out well for him thus far.

So we shall see what he chooses to do on this issue...........meanwhile, to all those who have asked me if he will run---the answer is I don't know.

Is Now the Right Time to Discuss an Overpass Connecting Devine Farm Road with Frank Reeder Road?

With tremendous growth occurring along and all around both Frank Reeder Road and Devine Farm Road--and with two interchange projects being planned in the area--is now the right time to discuss an overpass between these two county roads to provide another east-west artery for NFCU, OLF 8, and this growing area of the county?

At last night's FDOT meeting regarding I-10 widening and interchange reconfigurations, an interesting side-bar conversation happened between several folks in attendance regarding Devine Farm Road and Frank Reeder Road.  Currently, as shown in the map above--both of these roads dead-end right into the Interstate just southeast of the I-10 Weigh Station complex. 

With explosive growth all around both of these roads, with a tremendous need for more east-west connectivity in this area of the county, with NFCU expanding, with OLF 8 set for development, and with two separate FDOT studies underway currently for three area interchanges--is now the right time to discuss an overpass connectiong Devine Farm Road in District 5 with Frank Reeder Road in District 1?

This is just a rhetorical question at the moment--and a lot of upgrades would have to be made to both roads before such an idea could be seriously considered.  Also, Commissioner Barry in D5 would certainly have a big say in this--as would I as the D1 commissioner.  Residents, I am sure, would also have a lot to say about this and I am certain there would be significant push back from some.

But I do think it is worth having a discussion--given all the growth that is not only out there now, but coming in the years ahead.  It's certainly something to consider if all concerns can be addressed and it could be done cost-effectively.

I-10 Pine Forest Road Interchange Re-Work Could Solve Wilde Lake Blvd Issues

An attractive component of FDOT's plan to reconfigure the I-10/Pine Forest Road interchange in Escambia County will be that it also fixes the very dysfunctional and dangerous intersection at Wilde Lake Blvd and Pine Forest Road in District 1

Yesterday evening there was a well-attended, very informative FDOT meeting held in District 1.  It was hosted by Pine Forest United Methodist Church on Wilde Lake Blvd.---and there were about 100 citizens in attendance.

The primary reason for the meeting was to present the public with some preliminary plans for adding two more traffic lanes to I-10 from the Alabama state line to Hwy 29 in Escambia County.  Plans for the re-configuration of the interchanges at Pine Forest Road and I-10 as well as the interchange at exit 5 and I-10 were also presented to the folks in attendance.

Staff from FDOT were available to answer specific questions, static displays were presented, a mock-up of a diverging diamond interchange was set up, and a series of videos were shown explaining what a Diverging Diamond Interchange is and how it functions  (these are the types of interchanges contemplated for the Pine Forest and Exit 5 reconfigurations as a part of the project).  You can see the video explaining how these interchanges function from the Federal Highway Administration here .

Those who wish to view the materials presented but who were unable to attend can access the handouts here and find more information about the safety features of these innovative designs here.

Currently, this project is not scheduled for construction and no funding has been identified for construction.  This project is currently in the Project Development and Environment study phase--which is a necessary step that must be concluded before a project can move forward.

I am excited about this project, even though it is one that will not be completed for several years.

An attractive component of FDOT's plan to reconfigure the I-10/Pine Forest Road interchange in Escambia County will be that it also fixes the very dysfunctional and dangerous intersection at Wilde Lake Blvd and Pine Forest Road in District 1

And one of the things that is especially attractive about this project (as displayed in the picture above) is that once the new interchange is designed at Pine Forest and I-10----the intersection of Wilde Lake and Pine Forest road will also be re-configured to much more effectively flush traffic--and this will also greatly improve safety at this intersection.

I look forward to watching this project progress, and the next public meeting on this project will happen early in 2021.

Politics and Sports...Too Bad the Former is not More Like the Latter Part II: Making the Calls

In sports by and large--a bad call happens and folks criticize the call and not the person making the call.  In politics a decision that some constituents do not like becomes their "bad call"--and unlike in sports-- it becomes all about the person and not the "call."

In sports there are competitors, spectators, and referees.

Referees manage the games and make the calls during the games to insure that the rules are followed and that the game is played fairly.  Referees and Umpires know the rules, they apply the rules, and for the most part they tune out the noise from the spectators and apply the rules to the game.

Sometimes the referees make a bad call--and the call is challenged.  Sometimes the calls are upheld, sometimes they are overturned.

People get mad at the calls, sometimes loudly criticizing the calls (particularly in baseball)  Umpires take it for the most part--the screaming and yelling from the stands--because typically the criticism is of the "call"--not the "person."  Sometimes players are ejected though if they don't let the situation go--and depending upon the level of personal attacks aimed at officials--sometimes spectators are removed as well.  We've all seen this.

But typically at the end of a game after one side wins and one side does not win--good calls and bad calls and all aside----- the issue of the referees fades into obscurity.  As it should.

I mean, who actually remembers the name(s) of the official(s) that blew the Saints/Rams Missed Pass Interference Call in 2019?  --the referees were not even named in the scahing press reports of the missed call. It was a bad call--a terrible call.  It was a missed call--and everyone knows that.  But the call was bad, not the person! 

The person is a human and humans make mistakes. 

In that instance--the participants on both side of that play worked together to insure such a bad call would never happen again and followed the process to change the rules of the game to allow instant replay reviews of Pass interference calls.

So what the heck do referees and umpires and penalty calls have to do with politics, you ask?

A lot.

In politics, particularly on the County Commission, we have to make tough "calls" on many of our votes (zoning changes, ordinances, taxing decisions, land value determinations, union negotiations, etc.)  We utilize our common sense, we apply the "rules" (ordinances, laws, regulations) and we make "calls" (votes)--often times with an evenly-split, vocal and motivated constituency on both sides of an issue.

But here is where the huge differences come in.

In politics and particularly on the county commission--folks zero in on the person if a "call" does not go their way.   And it can get very personal in a mean-spirited, ugly way in a real hurry---just over one vote on one position/proposition.  It is not about the call, it becomes about the person.

And then the attacks come.

I've seen it first hand and it is quite appalling.  A good person makes a vote on something because he believes this is the right thing to do and that person is demonized and trashed online, at meetings, and in the press (sometimes even  by the press)

A retired commissioner with whom I spoke about this phenomenon confirmed it to be true when he said to me  "Jeff, you can do something for someone on twenty different occasions--fixing pot holes, getting a road repaved, doing something with zoning, or whatever.  But on that 21st issue--if you have to say NO or you can't fix the problem for whatever the reason--they will turn on you, they'll forget the good you have done.  That's just the way it is"

Yes indeed, and it is a shame.  It does not turn into just one call with the call being criticized--it becomes personal with the action ("call") being weaponized.  I've lived it personally now over the last three years on a number of decisions I've made.

So yes, in this instance, it sure is too bad that making "calls" in politics couldn't be more like making "calls" in sports.  Because, just like the referee or the umpire--politicians are humans too--and none of us are infallible.

Politics and Sports....Too Bad the Former is not More Like the Latter Part I: Sportsmanship

Roger Federer and Randy Couture are/were tremendous competitors in their respective sports--but both were/are uncommonly humble and gracious in their pre- and post- match comments.  Both men displayed tremendously good sportsmanship in both victory and defeat....

Even though not a word of it was mentioned in our Church Service this morning--most everyone in Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida, The United States, and the entire world-- knows what today is:   Today is Super Bowl Sunday.  Even people who love college football but disavow the NFL know what game is on today.  Most of them will be watching it, too, even if they don't admit it.  The two best teams in the NFL will be playing a game and only one team will be victorious, earning the distinction as the best football team in the world.  It will be fun to watch-lots of friends, parties, good food, funny commercials, cheers, boos, yelling and screaming, halftime shows, and hopefully a good game to boot.

What the heck does this have to do with politics, though?

Nothing, really. 

But Politics is often described as a "blood sport."  "Brutal--not for the faint of heart"  is how I have heard it described.  It is brutal and it is most definitely a competition.

There are similarities.

But there are big differences, too.   Huge ones. 

It really is too bad that politics is not more like sports in some respects, though.

In sports, two opponents concentrate on beating their opponents on the field or on the court--it is not personal for the most part, it's just that the two opposing teams/participants want to win.  Before the match, there is a handshake typically.  Fighters touch gloves.  Then the competition happens and the outcome becomes the end of the intensity.  Then there typically is a handshake or a hug.  Baseball and Football teams from both sidelines/dugouts  often huddle up after the most intense of games and kneel down in mutual prayer.  It's called good sportsmanship.  It's common in sports, uncommon in politics.

You see, politics becomes personal.  It gets ugly.  It is irrational and the hatred just oozes from many that find themselves involved in tough "competitions." This is unfortunate.

Roger Federer, Peyton Manning, and Randy Couture are three of my favorite personalities from the world of sports.  They all are/were in tough competitions during their careers. Big Matches/Games/Fights--often with world championships on the line. They each won some and lost some--that's just the way it went.  But these men were humble in victory and gracious in defeat and that's what I see is missing a lot from politics.  No trash-talking before, just good sportsmanship before, intense, fierce competition during, and gracious, humble speeches after--and that really is how a lot of great sports figures operate.  It's how I want to be.  But it is hard.

I fall short so frequently in so many respects--just as many do---it's hard to even try to aspire to have the level of sportsmanship these three men (and many others) have displayed but I will say this:  With respect to sportsmanship and demeanor---I want to try to be the type of political competitor that Federer is as a tennis player, Couture was as a fighter, and Manning was as a Quarterback.  Respectful of the opponent, respectful of the game/sport, appreciative of the spectators/supporters, and gracious for the opportunity to play--humble when victorious and gracious if things don't go my way.  It ain't always easy to do this in politics, though.  😏

In some respects, it's too bad politics is not more like sports.