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| I'll never support establishing a powerful "KING" elected County Administrator. Never. To do so would be an absolute disaster. |
I wrote last week about the initiative to radically transform Escambia County's current governance structure--being spearheaded by downtown businessman John Peacock.
Rick Outzen published a list of individuals purportedly "supporting" this radical change.
And I know many on the list so I have now had the opportunity to speak with a number of them personally on this topic specifically.
One I spoke with said simply "I was asked to attend a meeting and provide input, and that's what I did. I didn't know my name was going to be used and associated with supporting this effort, though." This individual continued "I received a couple of emails and I stopped responding and stopped attending--I agree with some of what they are trying to do--but certainly not all of it."
Another individual, with whom I am very well acquainted and with whom I speak very frequently, summed it up succinctly "Jeff, I am supportive of making the 5 elected commissioners be voted on county-wide like most commissioners are around the state--but knowing the civil rights rulings out there I knew this would not be possible--so I was supportive of the idea of going with 7 commissioners, two of
which would be 'at large'. That was my interest in attending" he concluded.I've spoken with former elected officials that were involved with the previous effort to establish a charter for Escambia County--and the sentiment is mixed on whether or not having done this back in 2009-2010 would have been beneficial for us today.
So I stand by what I have said all along--I'm willing to listen, I'm willing to have a discussion.
But I don't see this effort getting legs and gaining traction--for the following two critical reasons:
1. I do not believe there are three commissioners willing to cede their ability to hire an administrator to carry out important board policy and initiatives in favor of allowing a select cabal of monied, downtown interests to "anoint" a hand-selected person for whom they would raise money and install as a powerful "king" administrator. (I lived this in the school district for 10 years with a king, boss hog superintendent--I'll never support doing this in the county and in fact I'll vehemently oppose it actively)
2. While I strongly support the concept of having four of us run county-wide (1,2, 4 and 5)--with D3 remaining a district-specific elected seat in the minority-majority district to comport with the McMillan Decision---OR establishing a 7-Member Comission with the addition of 2 At-Large seats---I have already brought these concepts before this current board and there was no appetite, whatsover, to even pursue further discussion on it. The board, according to what I heard back from them when I brought this--didn't favor the ideas or the concepts. So unless their opinions have changed considerably and radically in the 8 months since I brought these ideas---it appears to me that this is a non-starter.
So if it is a NO for a king/boss hogg administrator and a NO for at large elected commissioners---what else is left? Some minor, functional division consolidation? maybe? or would anything else besides the two biggies be simply "tweaking at the margins?"
Nope. I don't see this latest push going anywhere. But we shall see what the discussion brings.
9 comments:
In the 20 chartered counties in Florida, only 3 of them (Duval, Miami-Dade, and Orange Counties) have an elected county executive. Duvall County has 19 commissioners, Miami-Dade County has 13 commissioners, and Orange County has 7 commissioners. The elected constitutional officers in several of the the chartered counties fall under the authority of the county rather than having their own independent offices, if they still exist.
https://www.fl-counties.com/themes/bootstrap_subtheme/sitefinity/documents/charter-provision-comparisons-september-2010.pdf
Under normal circumstances, I'd say an independent administrator would not be a good thing, but after watching the total dysfunction of this county's board, the collapse of its credibility, its sheer incompetence, and the complete lack of ability to provide its constituents with the level of services and infrastructure that they deserve, I'd have to say that anything that dilutes or removes power from the current 5-member structure would be a net positive.
My eight balls shows;
Brown will be D2 commissioner
Reeves will be Pcola Mayor
Peacock the financial planner figured out he sure wished he had a government retirement.
He ain't gonna get it this way.
Enjoy 2022. It's almost here.
Eat a Taco. Even if it's not Tuesday. ;)
Anonymous 9:55--You share the opinion of about 5 downtowners and about a dozen or so disaffected, frenzied keyboard "warrior" types who sit in darkened living rooms, foil covering their windows (and their heads) banging away at the keyboards in anger, frustration, and desperation via online chat sites that are echo chambers of hate and groupthink-- as they realize their voices and positions are outside the norm, their ideas and opinions have no merit and their lives are empty. Meanwhile, the rest of us keep grinding it out, working our jobs, getting things accomplished for the citizens we serve. Did you hear that our area made the top 10 list for places to retire in 2021 according to US News and World Reports? I guess it must not be that "dysfunctional" for our area to have leapfrogged hundreds of other places? So, take your opinion, take the deceit which oozes from your post, and go take it out on your keyboard with your buddies while the grown ups get stuff done.
Aunt Cleo, for almost two years I have assured intimates that Tallahassee was going to come up with a love test candidate for the GOP primary. As usual, people told me I was nuts. :)
And I would nevertheless explain that the GOP machine was not going to allow defiance of the republican party in open support for an NPA candidate, so they would come up with somebody who donors couldn't say no to.
Throw in the current attempt at dismantling home rule that's happening state-wide, with the governor and our republican lawmakers lockstep in stripping away by main force the ability of local governments to actually govern locally, and the icing on the cake with a candidate our senator is endorsing is that they have somebody with no deep ties--actually, no particular ties period--to District 2 to go against republican candidates running on a local platform.
In other words, yes, Kevin Brown's candidacy will indeed be a proof test of whether
(1) the deepest pockets imaginable on a local race (both on the books and through dark money tied to Downtown interests and who knows where else in the state);
(2) adherence to the Tallahassee GOP machine; and
(3) the endorsement of our senator, who will have control State of appropriations
will indeed carry the day.
Did I expect this degree of fix? Not the degree, but I knew it would happen, and in fact warned the other republican candidates early on to be ready for it. If I were a member of the GOP total domination brigade, this is exactly how I would have played it myself--this or something similar. I probably would have tried to come up with a candidate who wasn't such an evident plant, but I suppose they think, perhaps justifiably, that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of their scheme.
It will be interesting to see how they continue to run the "the West Side is rotting because the Base" talking point, apparently in the interest of keeping gloves off Doug. Perhaps that was a horse trade with Karen Sindel to bring her on board with Vicki Haines Campbell, who is over on ECW pretending not to know the details of the plan, speculating on why Kevin Brown just bought a house in the district, as if she hasn't been at the table arranging this for some time now.
More important: every day is taco day in this house. :) All I had to do was say the word yesterday and there went the diet...
WEAR is running the story on Beach Access. Good job for all the people wresting that from D2's firm grasp.
"Lets Go Brandon"
WOOO HOOO beach access!!!!!!!!!
:) :) :) :)
Thank you Commissioner Bergosh! And Commissioners Bender, Barry, and May, and Mayor Robinson.
No, Commissioner, it's you who need to grow up. You've done your part to help make the county an impossible place to work, to create the brain drain that's left the county with no credible budget or frankly, anyone who is even capable of writing one, or a 21st infrastructure for anyone other than the newest developments, or a functional Public Safety Department
Standing out in the rain with a bucket while first Donald Trump and then Joe Biden rain money down on you doesn't mean you're getting anything done. God help us when the Pelosi-McConnell gravy train finally stops because none of the people who you helped run off to the city are going to come bail you out, no matter how much you beg or pay them.
Of course, by then you'll be collecting your pension. You couldn't even muster up a majority of voters in your district the last time around- and that was before you rammed this ridiculous office park down their throats.
Make no mistake-- this county will be much better off when all five of you are gone. It's long past time.
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