Illegal Drug Abuse leads to More Deaths Locally....

"This graph on page 4 (above) shows a significant and deeply disturbing statistic.  For the first time ever – fentanyl superseded all other drugs including alcohol. Most of these deaths are from illicit fentanyl (not prescribed or legally manufactured)."  Dr. Deanna Oleske, District 1 Medical Examiner

Many people espouse the belief that illegal drug use/drug abuse is a "victimless crime."

But looking at the violence in our area and the shootings, murders, and crime---much of it revolves around drugs and the sale and distribution of illegal drugs according to those very familiar with the criminal justice system locally with whom I have spoken.

But what about the overdoses?  

We received an email this week from our area's medical examiner who provided stark numbers from the state and from our four county area related to drug overdoses and deaths.  From her email:

"The District 1 MEO saw a 57% increase in drug related deaths in 2020 compared to 2019. We also had a 30% increase in NON-COVID related cases – and the 2 categories that increased the most dramatically were sudden natural deaths in young persons and drug related fatalities (fentanyl and methamphetamine). This week, I had 25 decedents on the docket and 75% are drug related deaths. Last year, an average week was 15-18 decedents and now it’s 22-26.  Unfortunately, COVID restrictions ease up, the drug related fatalities are continuing to increase.  You would be surprised at some of the occupations of our drug overdoses --- teachers, lawyers, nurses, firefighters, truck drivers, veterans. These are our neighbors; this is our community."

Read the most recent interim state report on drug related deaths here

Illegal drug abuse is NOT a victimless crime.  Perhaps it is time to get back to the basics with ads like this one that I remember seeing when I was growing up.....

9-Mile Road in Beulah Traffic Shift Today----We are Now Using Both Sides of the Road! We're Getting There!!

 

It is coming along, and this is a big step forward that constituents in Beulah will greatly appreciate!   From the project team:

"All:

Last night Roads, Inc. Of Northwest Florida shifted the westbound 9-Mile Road traffic off of the inside eastbound roadway to the outside westbound roadway between the Beulah Middle School and Navy Federal Way. This new traffic control phase places the traffic on the Segment 6 project (The Project between Beulah Middle School and I-10) onto the appropriate lanes (eastbound on the eastbound roadway and westbound on the westbound roadway).  Eastbound traffic remains in a single lane. It does not make sense to try to re-stripe the roadway, open to 2 lanes and then immediately close it back to 1-lane to complete the remaining median work at Security Place, Heritage Oaks, and Navy Federal Way.

Westbound traffic remains in 1-lane between Foxtail Loop and Navy Federal Way. This allows the contractor to have the inside lanes to complete the construction of the eastbound left turn lanes into Security Place and Heritage Oaks as well as complete the construction of the concrete traffic island at Security Place and Traffic Separator at Navy Federal Way. However, Roads,Inc. Was able to open the westbound roadway to both lanes from the beginning of the project (Beulah Middle School) to the left turn lane for Foxtail Loop since they had been able to full construct the median work between those points.  There are some minor signal issues that we are addressing. Due to the temporary nature some signal equipment is the new equipment and some is the old. As the transfer to the new is worked through we will see the compatibility issues be resolved."

Florida Elections Bill Heads to 3rd Reading in the House (Sans the Onerous Commissioner Elections Language)

Watching SB 90 and HB 7041 over the last month finally take shape has been the epitome of sausage making.   We like how it turns out, watching the process of making it-----not so much... 

Yesterday the Florida Senate passed their version of this year's big priority among Republicans nationawide ---an Elections Administration Bill---- largely along partisan lines and via a 23-17 vote.  All Democratic Senators along with one Republican voted against this bill.  But it passed the Senate.

The House version was similar, but it had a very onerous provision attached that really amounted to a poison pill.  This provision would have required that all commissioners in non-charter counties that are voted by single member districts run again next year--to include those of us that just won fresh 4-year terms in 2020.  It was a horrible idea, the language was unconstitutional, and it would have been problematic.

No, not problematic---It would have been a disaster ---had that language made it into the final bill under consideration presently.  

But this language was never in the Senate Bill, and last night at 1:33 AM the House Sponsor--seeing the Senate got their own bill over the line--- offered a strike all amendment that removed this punitive language that targeted duly elected county commissioners and instead adopted the Senate's  Bill language.

That was a good move, and the smart play.  Several State Senators (and more importantly, their legislative liaisons, had been made aware of the language in the house bill that was targeting county commissioners--and it appears the Senate had no appetite whatsoever to pick this fight unnecessarily...as that language, again, was NEVER considered in their bill)

So after a flurry of  Democratic amendments were considered and voted down today--House bill sponsor, Representative Blaise Ingnolia, was able to get his strike-all amendment passed forward to a third reading tomorrow on the House floor---at which point is looks all-but certain that the Senate's bill language will win the day, and will be passed by the House and subsequently make it's way to the Governor for his consideration.

Although it would seem counterintuitive that Governor DeSantis would support this bill--I have heard from some sources that he does not favor this bill.  So we will see what happens after the third reading tomorrow.

Meanwhile--those of us commissioners around the state (nearly 100) who would have had to re-run had this original language remained, can all breath a collective sigh of relief.  

That's not going to happen.  At least it does not appear likely this go round..

And that is a good thing.  

Safety Concerns Boil to the Surface in Wake of Fire: Help us Please!

Residents of Tampico Blvd in District 1 are concerned the campfires in an unlawful squatters camp behind their subdivision nearly cost them their houses--potentially their lives...

Residents of Tampico Blvd. are frustrated.

A large fire erupted in a wooded lot behind their homes last week.  Before it was contained, residents with whom I have spoken were literally using their garden hoses to keep their fences and backyards wet.  They were concerned that this fire could have overtaken them.

And it could have.  It was stopped literally feet from these citizens' back fences.  They know that were it not for division of forestry personnel and ECFR response--they very well could have lost their homes.

While the fire's genesis has not been officially determined--some residents believe it was a campfire that somehow became uncontrolled.  

"Camp Fire?"

Yes, come to find out there is an "established" homeless camp in the woods of this neighborhood.  Multiple folks living there, defecating there, urinating there, and stacking garbage there.

And burning fires there.  from a constituent:

"I nearly lost my home this afternoon.  There was a woods fire that started behind our homes and ran the length of our homes to Hwy 98. There are homeless people that live in the  woods.  We believe their camp fire started the fire.  We have recently called ESCO because of them fighting in the woods, no one came.  We have spoken to the realtor who represents the owner, to no avail. The owner lives in Dallas, Texas. I called code enforcement because of the trash they have strewn all over behind our house.  They came out and posted the violation.  We nearly lost our homes.  These people have no right  to be there. Please, please do something about this. "

 followed by this one:

"It is late but I can not sleep for worrying about what could be going on  the other side of my fence.  We do have an active complaint with code enforcement regarding the garbage and trash but I doubt if the inspector walked all the way into the woods to see just how bad it is. He would not have felt safe. I saw a video done by my neighbor, Mike Cottrell yesterday.  The extent of this mess is horrendous.  There are huge piles of trash that go on forever that will require bull dozers to deal with for removal. There is human excrement, used needles, crack pipes. They have built tree stands to keep watch.   The fire hazard will get greater as we get into the summer months.  There are children that live in this neighborhood. Summer vacation is coming.  Inspite of parents telling them not to go back there some may be drawn to the forbidden. I am asking that Mr. Bergosh ask a code inspector to go ( with a deputy for protection) all the way thru this site to see how horrendous it really is. Not doing something about this is totally unacceptable. Help us, please."  

In speaking with some folks familiar with this issue--it is a known reality that these squattter encampments are quite common in wooded lots throughout Escambia County.  If they are truly ubiquitous as I am told--how can we insure they are safe and don't start forest fires?

Look--as I said on Ch. 3 yesterday on this topic--we all feel for the folks that are homeless, and we know it is a challenging issue to tackle.  There are some that have addiction challenges, some have untreated mental health conditions, some are truly down on their luck, while others remain homeless "by choice."  I feel for these folks in this condition and I will continue to work to assist however I am able and whenever I am able.

But whether you are homeless or not---if you engage in conduct that puts citizens' lives and property in jeopardy---that conduct must cease.  Your rights as a homeless individual do not allow you to harm other citizens just so you can behave any way you want to.

So I will be speaking with staff about the best way forward on this topic.  I believe it will certainly require coordination/cooperation among multiple entities including the sheriff's office, code enforcement, and social services organizations along with faith-based support groups.

This will be discussed at an upcoming BOCC meeting, as well.

Concurrency?

 

As I stated in a recent meeting, and as I prominently featured in my NEXT4Escambia plan as I ran for re-election last year, I will be bringing the topic of concurrency forward at an upcoming meeting for discussion among my peers on the Board of County Commissioners.

As a local school board member here for 10 years , I supported the concept of concurrency and voted for it on several occasions until it was watered down to a point that it was ineffective and meaningless--at which point I voted against it on principle.

I have no idea, whatsoever, where my counterparts on the BCC stand on this isssue--so at the first meeting where this is brought the topic will be brief, factual, historical and then I'll attempt to ascertain from my peers what their appetite is for moving forward with having staff bring recommendations.

This initial discussion will likely occur at the first meeting in May.

Jim Little from the PNJ called me about this topic about a week ago, and we had a really good conversation.  His article derived from that discussion is online today and will more than likely make it to the printed paper in the next few days.  It is a good article and captures the essence of our discussion.

I agree with those in the homebuilding community who believe that we can do more with the LOST funds we already have (for which they lobbied and assisted in campaigning for when the referendum(s) were put before the voters)--and it is for that reason and others that I generally oppose impact fees across the board for the county in favor of intelligent, well thought-through concurrency. (Although I will support impact fees and an enhanced MSBU/and or a TIFF on our soon to be developed OLF-8 property---as it now appears it will be largely retail and residential which will reduce our opportunity for and the size of a Triumph Gulf Coast jobs grant).

So we shall see where the concurrency discussion goes in May.  It may be something that sparks interest or it may just fizzle......

60th Coffee with the Commissioner Tomorrow Morning!

 

We will have our 60th Coffee with the Commissioner event this coming Wednesday, April 14th.

We will be having a discussion about water activities around the county, water safety and aquatic resources that we spend taxpayer money for that benefit the community and enhance our quality of life.  We will also discuss the county's soon-to-be constructed new boat launch facility that will be on Perdido Bay in District 1. This $3.5 Million facility, on 39 acres, will be an amazing asset for boaters county-wide---particularly those who live on Escambia's West Side.  

About the event--how to participate:

Join District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh at his virtual 60th Coffee with the Commissioner event Wednesday, April 14th. The live stream will take place from 6:30 - 7:30 a.m. 

Escambia County Administrator Janice Gilley, Emergency Manager Eric Gilmore and special guest, Robert Turpin Manager, Marine Resources Division, Escambia County Natural Resources Management Department . 

Discussion will include the county's response to COVID-19, vaccinations and CARES act expenditures, updates on the American Rescue Plan and the status of those funds to the county, and an in-depth discussion of our County's aquatic resources that we manage and enhance and promote. 

To join the meeting, go to the following Facebook page at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 10 and watch the live stream: www.facebook.com/CommissionerBergosh/. 

Residents are encouraged to send virtual questions and comments they would like to discuss with District 1 Commissioner during the event through Facebook

Tremendous Community Support at District 1 Library Groundbreaking Ceremony Yesterday!

We appreciated the participation of 3rd and 4th grade students from Bellview Elementary School!

Thanks to Sheriff Chip Simmons for taking time out of his
busy schedule to join us for the ground breaking!

From Staff:

"Escambia County held a groundbreaking ceremony today for the new Bellview Library located at 6425 Mobile Highway in Pensacola at 1 p.m. The 12,500 square foot building is expected to be completed Spring 2022.

Thanks to D1 School Board Member Kevin Adams for 
his participation in our groundbreaking!

Escambia County is adding on to a prior bank facility, which was 2,500 square feet and 10,000 square feet will be an addition. The architect for this project is STOA Architects. Hewes and Company is the contractor. The construction cost is expected to be $3.8M for this project.

Speakers included Vice Chairman and District 1 County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh, Escambia County Administrator Janice Gilley, West Florida Public Libraries Director Todd Humble, Escambia County School Board Member Kevin Adams and Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons.

Vice Chairman and District 1 County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh said, "One of the things that I always wanted to see happen in District 1 was for us to have our own public library. We're the only district of five that did not have one. There are a lot of folks who worked hard to make sure we had the funding available and the resources in order to bring this all to fruition. I want to take a minute to thank the Library Board of Governance Division. One of the things I like about taking this four-acre property and doing what we're doing with it is we're taking a building that wasn't being used and we're now going to repurpose it for a good use. Instead of building brand new, we're repurposing, so that is a good thing. The other thing I like about this property is that there's plenty of space so once we're all done building this brand-new library and putting the parking in and stormwater retention, there's still room and some more things that we're intending to do with this property. Hopefully and eventually, there will be more than just a library.  I want to thank STOA Architects who have put together really a fantastic design for this library. A year from now, we will see the vision, and it's going be an amazing day for Escambia County, for the students and the citizens of District 1."

The main portion of the library will consist of a large open space that is divided into areas such as a lobby, a story time area, a youth area and an adult reading area. This large open space will provide entrances to other support spaces such as multiple study rooms, staff rooms, a PC area and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) room. The development of the building’s façade was inspired by origami, the art of folding paper, which is why there are angles throughout the building.

Letter(s) to the File Part II: Policy Violation Results in Letters of Counseling

The firefighter's union supported Joe Biden, and the local affiliate has supported various candidates as well.  But campaign activities must not happen on government time nor can campaign events occur on government property...

This is America--and we enjoy many more freedoms than most any other country in the world.  Freedom of speech, assembly, and the freedom to support political campaigns during election season are three very important ones.

The national paid firefighters union supported Joe Biden for president.  They love him.  They endorsed him early, often, and enthusiastically--they even have a dedicated website about their loyal support for Biden.  Great--go get em tiger!

Locally, their affiliate supports and endorses candidates as well.  

In 2016 they supported a commission candidate that came in a distant, disappointing third place, not even in the running.  But even that candidate in that race did much better than the one commission candidate IAFF supported in 2020 who also, very disappointingly, came in an even more distant 3rd place finish-garnering just 22% of the votes in that race.  Nearly 8 of 10 voters voted against that

Letter(s) to the File?

Yesterday afternoon it was discovered that there were apparently "2nd" personnel files maintained on select fire department personnel, in contravention to board policy and bargaining agreements, separate and apart from the 1 and only official personnel files kept downtown.  This was discovered as some disciplinary letters to file, apparently, "never made it" to either of these files--as they should have.  So this will get a thorough discussion later this morning....

As I begin the gathering of documents necessary to fulfill a public records request of me made by the paid firefighters union--a question percolates about whether or not "letters to the file" on three battalion chiefs that I have acquired are actually public records.  (these are in relation to some serious law, ordinance, and policy violations that apparently occured last summer in a fire house and for which nobody accepted responsibility or gave a cogent explanation).  As I have said multiple times, there is a massive, stunning, and unacceptable lack of leadership in the county's fire department right now, and sadly these documents appear to show more illustrations of this.  Like a rudderless ship without a chief for going on TWO YEARS!

According to the county attorney, these particular documents are public records.  But while I was ascertaining the "whether or not" determination about these documents in particular--it was brought to my attention that these documents were not actually ever even put in the official files of these three employess.

What?

Where were they, if not in the employee's official file, was my first and natural response?

"Uh, we're not sure--we thought these were put in the file.  But apparently they were not, they were instead given to the interim fire chief and he put them in his separate file and they never made it downtown."  Was the answer I got yesterday afternoon in my conference call.  What?

Here is the thing:  There should be, by law, ordinance, statutes, and under bargaining agreements---1

Discipline Delivered Part II: Local Fire Union Secretary's Conduct Rebuked and Consequences Delivered

 As I work to put together the public records requested of me by the local paid firefighter's union, I have come across disciplinary documents that are public records according to the county attorney.  As I stated in part I--I'm certain these documents would have remained in a file cabinet or on a server somewhere and never never been made publicly available had it not been for this public records request.  But the request has been made, and it will be costly and time consuming and all the responsive records will be gathered, reproduced, and turned over to the fire union's lawyer.  Lots, if not all of them, will be published on this blog as well after they are paid for by the union's lawyer.   This particular discipline, indicated in the three pages below, is in response to an official complaint made by Escambia EMS in response to a disgusting, despicable, and low-class post made on the local fire union's Facebook page.  The language in the discipline narrative is scorching--and I am told the suspension without pay has already been applied to this particular employee as a result of this incident--although I'm also told this employee is actively appealing this discipline.  Read the discipline documents here, below:

In addition to this information, this particular file also has the transcript of the county's staff questioning this employee about the Facebook post that was the subject of the investigation.  I am astonished at the answers given in this questioning--which more than likely led to the administration of discipline on this individual by staff.  Read the transcript here, below, and while you do-perhaps ask yourself what you would do if this was an employee of yours and was answering you this way as you conducted an investigation?.....

Discipline Delivered Part I: Scathing, Scorching Narrative Accompanies Union President's Discipline Document

 WOW!  This narrative is scathing, cutting, and scorching.  It is really quite unbelieveable.  It's also a public record.  And it probably would have remained in a file somewhere, never seeing the light of day.

But now, because a South Florida lawyer has made an extensive records request of me, obviously on behalf of a local union official, this public record is coming out.  And there are more coming.

This record is about discipline for conduct that is extremely concerning.  The conduct at issue got my attention when I heard about it.  But more importantly--it resulted in other county employees speaking out-demanding an investigation!  see below:

And after EMS complained, and others, an investigation was conducted.  Here is an excerpt, below, from the discipline that was administered as a result of the investigation request(s).  (Note:  so far as I have been told, these allegations and these discipline recommendations listed below have been appealed by this particular employee.  Nevertheless--this is a public record.)  And these folks want the public records so here, below, is part 1.  And it is a scorcher, the read of the narrative.  Ouch!  (As I pointed out to a recent poster on a different blog post--chat sites, facebook, blogs, and other social media critiques are one thing--but this discipline narrative is real world, written by an employee's supervisor!  Wow!)

A Great Day for Celebration in District 1's Bellview Community This Monday!

MEDIA ADVISORY: Ground-Breaking Ceremony for the Bellview Library

Published Apr 05, 2021

The media and the public are invited to a ground-breaking ceremony for the new Bellview Library located at 6425 Mobile Hwy. in Pensacola on Monday, April 12 at 1 p.m. The 12,500 square foot building is expected to be completed Spring 2022. COVID-19 precautions are being taken so please RSVP at https://bit.ly/31ydSrD by Wednesday, April 7.

Speakers will include:
Chairman and District 4 County Commissioner Robert Bender 
Vice Chairman and District 1 County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh
West Florida Public Libraries Director Todd Humble
Escambia County School Board Member Kevin Adams
County Administrator Janice Gilley
(One or more Escambia County Board of County Commissioners may be in attendance)

Escambia County is adding on to a prior bank facility, which was 2,500 square feet and 10,000 square feet will be an addition. The architect for this project is STOA Architects. Hewes and Company is the contractor.

Features:

• The main portion of the library will consist of a large open space that is divided into areas such as a lobby, a story time area, a youth area and an adult reading area. This large open space will provide entrances to other support spaces such as multiple study rooms, staff rooms, a PC area and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) room.
• Most of the existing bank footprint will be utilized primarily as a meeting room but will also function as a multipurpose room to use for programs geared toward the community. This room will have the existing bank structure exposed with some acoustical clouds to control the reverberation time.
• The development of the building’s façade was inspired by origami, the art of folding paper, which is why there are angles throughout the building.
• The new library will include an exterior lawn area with the ability to project movies onto the building for events.
• Most of the old oak trees on the south side of the property will be preserved. This south side will also serve as the location for a future park and playground so the large oak trees will be able to provide natural shade.
• A sidewalk will be built that provides a direct connection between the new library and Bellview Elementary providing accessibility for children to enjoy after school programs.

Fire Union Lawyer's Public Records Request of Me will be Time Consuming..

Some folks deridingly refer to public records requests as "fishing expeditions."  I just think they are a part of the job and a part of the law.   And some such requests do require an inordinate amount of time to complete--as will be the case with this one that has recently been made of me...if a "fishing expedition" is what this is, I hope they remember to never bring bananas on the boat........its bad luck.

The public records law is one I take very seriously.  It is part of an important system of checks and balances that applies to all of Florida's agencies, departments, offices,  and elected officials.

Over the course of my 15 years as a locally-elected public official, I have fulfilled dozens of these.  No problem, no worries.   I finished a large one in 2018 at the request of the sheriff's office--it was huge and filled an entire box--hundreds of pages.  I got it done within 30 days.  I finish them quickly, and I answer them completely.  As a matter of fact I just finished one up last week and turned in the documents, it was a rather quick one to complete.  Some are easy and I turn them around immediately where it is practical to do so. (e.g. one email, or one specific document requested).

But now comes a rather extensive one from a law firm out of Fort Myers Florida, pictured below. 

This one appears to be at the behest of our local paid firefighter's union.  

But why this request, and why now?

--The union is more than likely still simmering over the fact that they worked so hard to get my opponent elected in the race for county commissioner last summer--yet the guy they backed got vaporized--he finished a distant 3rd place--not even close to being in the running. Even with their endorsement, even with their members holding signs and writing checks and dressing up in costumes on the side of the road waving at cars....  Didn't matter, didn't help, he got smoked.  

--Perhaps a few of them are still sore because I posted every employee of the county's salary online---to include all the firefighters? (many making $70K, $80K, $90K yearly--many making six figures.)    

--They might be angry because a campaign rule and county policy was broken by some personnel that would not fess up-- and a campaign sign was brought onto county property-- in a fire station--leading to a letter of reprimand for some senior fire staff.  

--We're in the process of bargaining a new contract with the union locally--maybe they are mad about that (but why?)?  

--Maybe they're mad because I've said HELL NO to raising the fire MSBU on taxpayers

--They're probably mad because I blew the whistle on the way good, hard--working volunteers were being treated poorly and run out of fire houses. And I demanded an investigation.

--A few are mad because after this despicable post was made on the union's facebook page FALSELY claiming a "lack of resources" at a recent fire was what caused a civilian casualty--there was actually some consequences meted out by administration.  

That post on the facebook site was reprehensible, unprofessional, and disgusting.  Most importantly--it was a lie.  I got the actual fire incident report and we had one unit on scene within two minutes, and several others within four minutes.  We ended up with 7 or 8 trucks and 69 personnel on that scene in a very quick timeframe.  So

PNJ's Local Preference Article and Editorial Miss the Mark

Two articles on local preference in the Pensacola News Journal totally missed the mark and ignored a very important fact--central to their "attack" on us.  Lazy, feckless journalism.....

In August of 2018 The Escambia Board of County Commissioners discussed local preference for projects the county was sending out to bid.  We discussed the topic and we agreed this was a noble aspiration--local preference.  Keep the money local--who woudn't support this?  We also discussed that we wanted to expand opportunities for small/minority owned businesses to contract with the county--and we would do this by widening the pool of qualified small business entities, women-owned businesses, service disabled veteran-owned businesses, and minority owned businesses competing for our jobs.  All of these goals were great, and the vote to affirm the county's commitment to these things was a 4-1.  It was discussed at a Committee of the Whole-- and subsequently we ratified the language from the discussion meeting at the following regular meeting.

We were so supportive of this (and I remain supportive of these goals, btw.) that we baked this requirement into our interlocal agreement with the city of Pensacola when we provided the additional funding needed to complete the ST Engineering Aerospace jobs project at the Pensacola Airport.

So there is no doubt that there is support for this concept from the county.  There is now, and always has been.  Everyone should have a crack at landing county contracts--not simply a select few.

Here is the information from that meeting.  And here is the language from the local preference resolution.

But there are a couple of things to remember and to clarify----especially as Jim Little of the PNJ writes an inaccurate account of what we actually approved.  And then subsequently the "crack" 2-person editorial board use Little's inaccurate piece to attack the county for "not following their own rule!"

But Wait!  We never codified this into an ordinance.  We adopted a resolution.  It was not a rule.  Because there are issues with a specific rule at the local level that would have to be fleshed-out.

#1--such a rule may not be lawful for many of our procurements if any federal grant money is used--as local preferential set-asides are not allowed at the local level with federal money according to our attorney. (although the federal government does use set asides in their own procurments....)

#2--the language itself is/was vague and aspirational--so even if passed as an ordianace (which it wasn't) it would have been difficult to enforce on a prime contractor.

So it was never added to our code of ordinances.  

This would have required two meetings-- culminating in a publicly noticed, scheduled hearing.  

But that never happened.  

I'm not saying we shouldn't--maybe we should, and maybe we will.  

Again--no value judgement on the merits--that discussion should happen.  My judgment is only on the PNJ for once again painting the commissioners in a false light, creating a straw man, and knocking it down in another attack on the county based upon a story that is not accurate.  

Jim Little often writes good articles that capture the essence of what is happening in the county.  Here, however,  he totally and completeley missed the mark.  I'm told he never even reached out to the county