Ideas Likely to Be DOA Part I

I'm of the opinion that the nascent, fledgling concept by some in the community--banging the drum on the necessity of a "Strong" Elected County Administrator/Mayor---will be DOA if and when it comes to a vote of the current BCC---which would be required to move such a concept forward....

Like the feather floating around the sky, eventually landing at the bus stop at the beginning of Forrest Gump (Or even the plastic trash-sack floating around in that scene from American Beauty)There are some radical initiatives swirling in the air around the county among select circles. These ideas do not appear to have support if they come before the board of county commissioners for action--so far as I can tell.  More than likely--- they won't be able to muster three votes in support, and therefore they'll be Dead on Arrival (DOA).

The first "idea" is the imposition of a "king,"  "Boss-Hog" style elected "County Mayor" to be in charge of the BCC and to implement his/her "vision" for the "community."  (and, convenieuntly, the vision of those who install such an all-powerful figurehead).

"But wait--what about the initiatives of the board and the individual board members' districts?"  one might naturally ask.

Right.  

Yes, about that....  Those initiatives, those of the 5 (or7 or 9) board members, under a strong administrator and a new fancy, whiz-bang newfangled governance "structure"---- go straight to the penalty box, the cold storage locker, or the back burner--- if not straight to the round file.  

That's the way that'd work.  Been there, done that, have the T-shirt and seen the movie....

So, yeah, uh,  no.  No thanks on that.

I don't know who had this genious idea--but it's a non-starter. Disastrous, actually.

Maybe someone drew it up on the whiteboard with X's and O's like a PeeWee football coach.

But it's a play that won't be run.   And if it was to be run---it would be a loss of yardage or worse yet, a pick-6 going the opposite way on the field.

Two podcasts last week on the #1 rated Pensacola morning radio show, Real News with Rick Outzen on AM 1370 WCOA-- illustrated the deficiencies of such a plan.  The first podcast--a candid discussion with current Mayor Grover Robinson--was very enlightening.  He has essentially lived in both sides of this question-first as an Elected County Commissioner--and then subsequently as an Elected "Strong Mayor".  He sums it up well, speaking from a unique position of firsthand knowledge, when he says unequivocally that such a system in the county "Won't work."

Then yesterday, I spoke on Rick's podcast and had similar reasons why I believe such a proposal would be, metaphorically speaking, the equivalent of a plane crashing into a mountain.

No, whoever wants it has to go through the current BCC to get it, and I don't foresee that happening.

That idea is DOA.

(If I sent this post in to our wonderful Pensacola News Journal as an Op-Ed---I wonder if they'd print it?)

Some County Reorganization "Group" Members Don't Necessarily Agree with a Strong Elected County Administrator

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