Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain both had famous quotes that essentially said the same thing. A positive way to look at things related to human interaction is to say EVERYONE brings joy--people we like, and also people we dislike. The trope goes like this--"Everyone brings joy--some as they arrive, others when they leave."
Thursday marked the last meeting for one of the Escambia County Commissioners, Doug Underhill.
That brought joy to many. Champaigne corks were popping all over town I am certain.
But his last meeting was uneventful, nobody gave any speeches or accolades, he didn't give a soliloqy, and the meeting ended with very little fanfare. in my 16 years in public office locally watching a lot of last meetings--that really was a first. Most often--in my experience serving for a decade and a half-- when an elected official or long term employee leaves a board or organization after serving multiple terms--there is a strong turnout for the last meeting--with family, anecdotes, standing ovations, and multiple speakers lauding such a person's accomplishment(s). I saw it on the School Board, and we've seen it on the BCC. Not so Thursday.
Commissioner Underhill even had an agenda item to present multiple plaques to all of his board appointees most probably in anticipation of such a sendoff. He only presented one however---because only one appointee showed up. So the rest of his plaques remained stacked in a bag behind the dais. He didn't even think to recognize his most loyal, most ardent supporter and lifelong best friend and ally (and secretary) Jonathan Owens. He must have really been discombobulated due to nobody showing up to his last meeting. But failing to recognize his best buddy and out of town meeting attendee travel companion Jonathan Owens was a spectacular faux-pas.
Why are you always after Doug Underhill some might ask?
Answer--I'm not. I'm just playing defense against this guy and his lies, libels, and slanders hurled my direction over the last 6 years. He not only attacks me, but he lies about my family members to include my wife and slanders and libels her, me, and even my brother. He calls Commissioner Barry a thief, and says the most horrible things online about Commissioner Bender and May as well. Lies, lies, lies. He calls constituents "PuS*y" he calls students "miscreants and insurgents" and he is the commissioner who has had more public records complaints, federal and state lawsuits, ethics violations, and censures than any other commissioner in the history of the county. Now, the Florida commission on ethics have recommended he be fined $35K and REMOVED FROM OFFICE for 5 sustained violations.
So yes, his departure is just in time and brought joy to many. For my part, I actually felt sorry for him in a way. And the day of his last meeting I actually said a prayer for a peaceful day and I prayed for his family.
That was hard for me to do, I admit that, but I did it.
One of his most ardent, loyal, obsequious and vituperative supporters from about 12 that bee-hive online on a facebook chat site few look at even sent an email to me stating her displeasure about some picture she saw online that she felt was "Tacky, unclassy, and embarrasing" --she also included her number which to me illustrated she wanted to discuss it. So I called her back yesterday and explained why so many people were happy--and her response to me was "It's my birthday today-you're not going to ruin it, you are full of SHI#! FU@% you! she screamed as she hung up on me! Then she went online and said I was "stalking her" LOL. And then subsequently only printed a snippet of the email I sent back to her after she attempted to Dog-Cuss me out for having the audicity to return her call and speak truth to her. She posted a snippet--but no mention of her cursing, F-bombs, and histrionics--so it was totally non-contextualized and inaccurate. Not surprising. So I'm going to post my full response to her for posterity, right here. I tell you, some of these Underhill die-hards just can't see the forest for the trees...they would have been among the first to follow Marshall Applewhite on his magic starship meteor journey. But I'll never be anyone's pinata--I'll always defend myself and my actions, even as some may not like this. Too bad. My letter to this individual, after she said to me "You're full of SH!&!!!! FU#K You!!!--is below:
"Your opinion means nothing to me or anyone else. You
are irrelevant. You sent a BS email with an attack and I responded.
Period. Because I’ll always stand up for myself and repel BS attacks from
the likes of you. Remember, what is truly “tacky” and an embarrassment is
someone like you banging away on the keyboard all day long in support of your
God and hero Doug Underhill while lying about the other four of us that do our
jobs and get things done. Remember, your hero Doug has more ethics
complaints, lawsuits (federal and state) and censures than any other
commissioner in the history of the county—and now a non-partisan board of
impartial ethics commissioners has recommended he be removed from office and
fined $35K for 5 violations of ethics statutes. I guess all those folks
just “had it in” for Doug LOL. No, it’s him and his conduct only.
And now he is gone and spontaneous celebrations and champagne corks were
popping all over town after his last meeting on the 3rd.
Understand that. Now, run along and post this to ECW so you and about 12
others just like you can have it rattle around your heads. And, remember,
you contacted me with a BS email and your phone number meaning you obviously
wanted a call back—which I did. You just didn’t want to hear the reality
of the situation when I called you.
Jeff Bergosh
Chairman of the Board
& District 1 Commissioner,
Escambia Board of County Commissioners"
