Reception for New Administrator

Gary Kuhl will begin work as the new administrator for Hernando County tomorrow, March 1, 2006. A public reception is being held to welcome Mr. Kuhl to our community on Thursday, March 2, 2006. This reception is being sponsored by the Hernando County Chamber of Commerce and the Hernando County Government and will be held at 20 N. Main Street in downtown Brooksville from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Welcome to Hernando County, Gary Kuhl!

Alert Patrolling

Last Sunday two individuals were arrested in connection to the theft of construction material at the Trillium construction site. Numerous charges levied for the two suspects included burglary of tools, burglary of a structure and grand theft. Apparently these two suspects posed as undercover police to raid construction sites in plain site. The arrests of these suspects was due to the alert patrolling of the Hernando County Sheriff's Department. To those that think this was a insignificant arrest for the Sheriff's Department, think again, please. Construction related burglary happens everyday in this county, this state, and across this country because open construction sites are an easy mark for criminal activity, like grand theft. With each theft, small or large, it has an impact on the company, or individual, associated with the crime. Consider the loss of tools for a blue collar worker. Hand tools are the person's livelihood, and when stolen, leave this worker devastated, and struggling to buy, or borrow tools, to earn a living. Companies either absorb the losses or face the possibility of increased insurance premiums, in the event a claim is made for the theft. With each new theft within the construction industry, expenses rise for the businesses and so does the cost for the consumers. As an owner of small electrical contracting business, we have faced theft many times over the years at construction sites that has cost us thousands of dollars in replacement tools and equipment. The most aggravating thing about construction theft for a small business, or individual, is witnessing the difficult job that our law enforcement officers face while trying to apprehend the criminals. Leads are few, or in most cases, leads are nonexistent, so the victims are left to deal with the loss without criminal prosecution. I'm sure that these arrests last Sunday by the Hernando County Sheriff' Department are being quietly applauded by many of us in the construction industry within Hernando County. I, for one, would like to just say thanks to the alert deputy that apprehended these two, alleged crooks last Sunday.

The Concern was Annexation

Mayor Joe Johnston has sent correspondence to Diane Rowden, chair of the Hernando County Commission, requesting clarification of the county's intention in reference to the "First Right to Serve Areas" spelled out in the sewer and water agreement between the city and the county. In his letter, Mr. Johnston cited comments made at the Hernando County Planning & Zoning Commission, and subsequently the BOCC, regarding the intent or specific provisions of this sewer and water agreement. Ms. Rowden has added this letter, with the service agreement, to next Tuesday's Board of County Commission meeting agenda for discussion. An indepth discussion took place on this "First Right Serve" agreement at the P & Z several months ago when I questioned why the city was requiring annexation agreements be signed by the applicants before receiving water connections to their projects through the city. These annexation agreements are for properties not currently located with the city limits but in the "First Right to Serve" area. On many projects, the P & Z determines what type of utilities are necessary for a project like county water, wells, septic tanks, or city water and sewer under this "First Right to Serve" agreement. The concern was focused on the P & Z approving zoning agreements that would arbitrarily force property owners to annex into the city just to receive water to their projects. The county commission also discussed this issue at length at one of their recent meetings. I'm sure everyone recalls the turmoil over the water agreement to the new Emergency Management building under construction which required the county to annex a portion of their parking area into the city to receive water under this "First Right to Serve" agreement. P & Z members are concerned that applicants that come before their board, in this "First Right to Serve" area, for zoning requests are being forced into annexation without any voice in the matter. It will be interesting to hear the discussion that will ensue before the Board of County Commissioner's next Tuesday.

Proud To Call Her My Friend

Sometimes we get busy in our own little world and fail to recognize the nice things that happen in our community everyday. Little things like the garbage being collected along the road sides, in our parks and on the corner by our house. Little things like helping a disabled, blind man find his way in a sighted world. Little things like being a representative for your homeowner's association in the group, known as United Communities. Little things like the volunteer that spends many hours promoting the Cancer Society. Little things like helping the Spring Hill Rotary raise awareness for a dog park and then help raise funds for that project as well. Little things like participate in a Republican Club to promote awareness for the party platform. Little things like bake hundreds of Christmas cookies for migrant worker's children. Little things like just being there for a friend to chat and pass the time of day. Roll all these little things done each week and you will see a very remarkable woman named Rose Rocco. Mrs. Rocco is one of the nicer things that has happened to Hernando County. She is always ready to roll up her sleeves to give someone, or organization, a hand. The most remarkable thing about Rose Rocco is she never asks for anything in return for her kindness and is only looking for ways to improve our community. I'm sure many of you know of a special person just like Rose, and if you do, say thanks to them. This is my way to say thanks to Rose Rocco for all she does in our community and to also say I'm proud to call her my friend.

Fine Arts Social

I received the following information by email from Linda Anderson, treasurer for the Hernando County Fine Arts Council and thought you might be interested in attending this social meeting:

The next planning/social meeting of the Friends of the Arts will be held Friday, March 10, 2-4 p.m. at the Rising Sun Cafe' in downtown Brooksville located at 10 S Main Street. You are invited to come early to hear Joy Pritz play her violin between 12:30 and 2 p.m. Lunch can be purchased during your visit to the Rising Sun Cafe'. The cafe' has marvelous soups, great wrap sandwiches, and the peach ice tea is a favored beverage. We are seeking volunteers to help with the 22nd. annual Hernando County Fine Arts Festival, which will be held May 27 & 28. There are a variety of ways that you can help in advance of the weekend, as well as either or both days of the Festival. If you have questions, please call the Fine Arts office at (352) 754-4788. With your support we can make it possible for the arts to flourish in Hernando County.

Please be advised that I have put a block on the comments to my post titled, "Garbage In, Garbage Out". The block was necessary for this post after I received comments that contained profanity. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Garbage In, Garbage Out!

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridge the freedom of speech... Does this sound familiar? Yes, it is the 1st Amendment to the Constitution. Our forefathers were very wise to include this in the Bill of Rights. Our fathers, grandfathers, uncles, sons and daughters have fought to keep the "Freedom of Speech" free in our Country. My father, my brother, my husband, and yes, both my children have defended this freedom through their military experience. So I, for one, would not attempt to silence anyone. Sometimes, under the guise of freedom of speech, though, out creeps slander, and the politics of personal destruction, which is all wrapped up in someone's ego because they fail to understand the ramifications of what it takes to "Keep America Free" in the true sense of the word. Distortion of the truth by the means of propaganda has been used for centuries as an effective way to reign in power. Today this propaganda has taken a new twist in the computer age by skewing viewpoints while hoping to sway public opinion. Hate speech, political speech, insults, and baseless character destruction are examples but when does this wandering, worthless babble of some individuals cross the line of free speech? When does this distorted propaganda, veiled under the umbrella of 1st Amendment, become slander? It is a fine thread that many dance upon everyday, here in our county, while they wrap themselves in the flag demanding free speech under our Constitution. Unfortunately, many of the free speech advocates abuse the 1st Amendment, hoping for protection, while spewing worthless drivel to the same low intellect they attract on a daily basis. This old phrase really fits for these individuals ....Garbage in, garbage out!

Last Saturday night my husband and I attended the Lincoln Day dinner hosted by the local Hernando County Republican Executive Committee. The evening opened with a welcome from the chairwoman, followed by introductions of the local elected officials by the Master of Ceremonies, Bob Haa, local talk show host at WWJB radio. Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite and representative Russell were recognized along with Commissioners Stabins, Schenck, and Robinson. School Board members Nicholson and Wiggins were also introduced by Mr. Haa. Although it was noted for those elected officials that attended the event, many were absent, like all the (Republican) Constitutional officers and state senators. Of the approximately 200+ people in attendance, many came from Citrus, Pasco and Sumter County (s) Executive Committees to hear the keynote speaker. It is always interesting to attend these dinners because it is usually a kick-off event for the upcoming elections besides being a fundraiser for the party. For those of us that have attended many of these dinners, it boils down to the low hum in the room of those taking odds on the candidates in the upcoming races and rumors for those who have yet to throw their hat in the ring. The seasoned candidates cruise the room pumping the flesh while the novice beginners look like wall flowers wondering how to be noticed in the sea of faces. As the dinner plates were being removed and the remainder of the auction gifts were distributed to the lucky winners, the chairwoman came to the podium to give a special presentation. Jeff Johnston was awarded a beautiful plaque for his many years in the military in the defense of our Nation. During the presentation, many of Jeff's medals were announced which include the Silver Star and his Purple Heart ribbons. Congresswoman Ginny-Brown Waite then had the honor of introducing the keynote speaker for the evening, Congresswoman Katherine Harris who is a candidate for the US Senate. Mrs. Harris genuinely spoke from her heart to layout her "grassfire approach" of campaigning and really impressed the audience with her warm personality and honest character. She was quoted as saying, "I believe America's best days are ahead of us." I had the pleasure of chatting with her in the buffet line and made point of telling her how much I admired her courage. Mrs. Harris commented that it was not courageous to follow the law. Katherine Harris was most gracious to everyone in attendance, taking time to speak to many throughout the evening. The evening concluded after Katherine Harris' presentation, with Bob Haa closing the ceremonies. As good nights were being said by the departing crowd, a contingent of those from Pasco County stood by the door holding Crist campaign signs which, in my opinion, was in very poor taste. All in all though, it was an enjoyable evening and my best wishes go out to Katherine Harris in her bid for the US Senate!

News Flash

Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite personally stated her objections to turning over 8 ports on 540 WFLA AM at 3:15 p.m. this afternoon while talking to Bud Hedinger, the talk host. She called his radio program after hearing the discussion about the port(s) turn-over to the United Arab Emerits. Congresswoman Brown-Waite stated that it was bad public policy to turn over these ports to the United Arab Emerits, in light of the fact that they were tied the worst terrorist attack on our Nation on September 11, 2001. She stated that she had personally sent a letter of protest of this action to President Bush and would be taking action in Congress to stop this action. Congresswoman Brown-Waite also verbalized her displeasure with airport security in reference to the lack of (security) checks on airline personnel, like the food service workers that supply aircraft with food supplies. Thank you, Ginny for being a great protector of our security and looking out for the welfare of ports against terrorism!

Quality Product, Reasonable Price

As Hernando County begins the 2006-07 budget cycle, more emphasis needs to be placed on a countywide Performance Measurement System. A limited program was initiated under the former administrator, Gary Adams with only a few departments. Performance Measurement needs to be applied to all departments to efficiently run them (departments) at a reasonable cost to the taxpayers. Performance Measurement systems are an indispensable part of the management process and will give Hernando County a way of determining whether it(county government) is providing a quality product, at a reasonable cost. A more in-depth look at a countywide Performance Measurement system could possibly aid the budget director, along with the county commissioners, to find a way to cut the Ad Valorem by at least 0.50 mil. As a management tool, more effective decision making could be based on performance appraisals of employees by management. The accountability of departments would also improve their public service performance by using comparable data as a way to improve their own performance. Most of all though, public participation is needed in this system so the citizens feel like they are a part of a solution, and not just considered a problem when issues arise. The marrying of all elements will improve civic discourse in our community. A Performance Measurement system can help identify target areas that need immediate attention, like backlogs in various departments and citizen complaints. A very important element to this system is evaluating progress based on timely data that reflects cost savings, services, evaluation of service levels, along with public satisfaction. To make a Performance Measurement System work, it must apply to all county governmental departments as a complete system. The development of Performance Measurement system for Hernando County will take time but the results will be well worth the effort to make our community prosper. " Look at it this way, a quality product, at a reasonable price, what more could the citizens of this county ask for in their government?"

Comprehensive Plan Amendment Recommendations

Even though the hour was around 7 p.m. Monday night, the Hernando County Planning & Zoning Commission passed (5-0) recommendations to the BOCC for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to amend the Future Land Use Element by adding Objective 1.01V and policies 1-5 for Rural Clustering. This new objective and policy cluster allows the clustering of residential development at an increased density beyond the allowed one unit per ten acres in the Rural category of the Future Land Use Map when there is a preservation of at least fifty percent of the parcel in permanent open space and when other environmental issues are addressed. To accomplish this Rural Clustering it will be necessary to create a "Rural Residential Overlay" based on guidelines with the 50% preservation requirement plus 8 other stipulations. The stipulations range from environmental issues, historical sites, habitat preservation, etc. The density of future applications will depend on how many of these 9 stipulations can be met by the developer with the 50% preservation of land a mandatory requirement. Don Lacey of Coastal Engineering represented his client Gary Schraut for an application for a Rural Development Overlay District on Citrus Way and Parsons Road which consists of 183 acres. The existing zoning is now mining but with this "Rural Residential Overlay" a request will be made for approximately 100 new homes to be nestled within this area surrounded by a minimum of 50 % preservation land. Many questions were asked by P & Z Commissioners but the one that was asked over and over was by Anna Liisa Covell. She asked, "Who will maintain this open space of preservation land. Will it be a Homeowners Association, the county, the Department of Forestry, etc. and who will pay for the maintenance of the area?" It was determined that all these questions would be answered when the applicant came back for a Master Plan approval. This Comprehensive Plan change will need to go before the Board of County Commission for their approval, as well as the DCA before the applicant can proceed on his project. This bold new approach to land use for rural areas may be just the answer the farmers, and owners of large tracts, need to make their property profitable or desirable while leaving 50% of land pristine for the Nature Coast.

New Beginnings

Over the last several weeks a couple of new construction projects in the Brooksville city limits have really taken off. At the corner of Broad Street and MLK, a new Dairy Queen Restaurant is quickly taking shape. The slab has been poured and the walls are quickly going up on this new structure to replace the old Cottage Dinette that used to sit on this site. At the rate this new Dairy Queen is being constructed it will open just in time for the warm weather of late spring. If anyone has been watching, the old K-Mart building on SR 50 is almost completely demolished, with most of the debris already removed from the site. Bill Geiger, Development Director for the city of Brooksville, indicated that the developer has received all the city approvals and the permit for the new Publix store (slated for this site) should be issued in the very near future from the county. This new, larger Publix will replace the existing store which is just west of this site in the Brooksville Square Plaza. Everyone had wondered if this Publix location would survive with the opening of the WalMart just to the south on SR 41 several years ago. It is great to see the Publix corporation expanding their operations in Brooksville with a larger, more spacious facility. One sad point is the closing of Citrus Services (citrus packing plant) located at 26 E. Martin Luther King Blvd. After many, many years this company is quietly shutting down operations of their facility. Nothing has been mentioned about the future use of this site but I'm sure it will be very marketable since it is zoned industrial in the City of Brooksville. I wish the owners well in their future endeavors and they will be missed as an anchor business in our community.

Spur Competition or Just Rate Increases

On Monday, Florida House GOP leaders proposed new legislation for the regulation of homeowner’s insurance. With this Legislation, homeowners insurance rates could jump as much as 25% a year without government oversight by the state's Office of Insurance Regulation. Backers of this bill feel this method will spur competition between insurers in an open, competitive market. Consumer advocates are warning that this move will make the purchase of homeowners insurance out of reach for many Floridians who are already facing double-digit rate increases in their premiums this year. Under this proposed legislation, property owners claiming a homestead exemption would receive smaller increases based on Citizens’ Insurance rate losses but owners of non-homestead properties would face higher rate increases. This bill will pit inland homeowners against those living within hazard areas, like beach properties, by allowing insurance companies to assess premiums based on risk. It needs to be noted that homes requiring more than $1-million in insurance coverage will be ineligible to receive coverage from Citizens Insurance. Republican backers have included provisions to make it easier for homeowners to get no-interest loans to fix up their homes, making their homes more resistant to hurricanes, with a $100 million “damage prevention endowment” from the state general revenue funds. Keep a close eye on this legislation as it makes its way through the Florida House and Senate because it will have an impact every property owner in the state of Florida.

Al Cardenas Needs to be Commended

Al Cardenas, former state Republican chairman, needs to be recognized for his courage to publicly criticize Broward, Pinellas and Pasco County Republican Executive Committee leaders for their early endorsements of candidates before the Primary Elections. Mr. Cardenas was quoted as saying, "I think it's divisive and party activists are really not serving their candidates well." In the absence of any public statements from Carole Jean Jordan, the current chair of the RPOF, it was reassuring to read the strong public comments made by Al Cardenas warning the end result will be a "unity challenge" within party ranks for the November elections. Mr. Cardenas needs to be commended on his courage and commitment to promote party unity but most of all for his strong leadership principals.

Points to Ponder

A preliminary 2006/07 budget discussion will take place at the Hernando County Board of Commission meeting on Tuesday, February 14th. The Budget Director, George Zoettlein, will present costs, a potential millage reduction, along with his recommendations. Linda Hayward will present a petition that has garnered over 10K signatures from the citizens of Hernando County seeking property tax relief during this budget discussion. Our commissioners are facing a challenge this year to reduce the Ad Valorem millage rate in this county to an amount larger than the 0.25 mil suggested by Mr. Zoettlein. The 3% property value increases each year created by the "Save Our Homes Act" has really put a burden on homeowners who are finding affordable home ownership beyond their reach. Many struggle with day to day living expenses just to get by and have a difficult time paying property taxes, let alone homeowners insurance premiums. The citizens in Hernando County are honestly pursuing accountability for taxation from our elected officials this year. One suggestion that was floated several years ago was splitting the Hernando County Sheriff's Department into its own MSTU which was then estimated at approximately 3 mil rate. This suggested MSTU for the Sheriff's Office would have a separate line-item on property tax bills and could potentially lead to more accountability for increases/decreases for the Sheriff's budget at election time. Be advised though that this Sheriff's Department MSTU method could be a double-edged sword because the county commissioners would not be obligated to reduce their Ad Valorem rate equally with that of the projected Sheriff's Office (MSTU) and could potentially cause even higher property tax bills. The county commissioners have a state mandated 10 mil cap and the MSTU method(s) could be in an addition to that(the county commissioner 10 mil) cap. County commissioners would have to be fiscally prudent to tighten their belts, along with the rest of us in the private sector, to make this MSTU method work with a substantial millage tax reduction.

Good News from the Sheriff's Department

Hernando County Sheriff's Office's Major Royce Decker will advise the county commissioners on Tuesday of a LiveScan Workstation Grant in the amount of $38,431. This LiveScan Workstation grant for equipment will allow the Hernando County Sheriff''s Office the ability to fingerprint and have the data submitted immediately to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) electronically for inclusion in the state's computerized Criminal History File. This equipment will give the Sheriff's Office the ability to positively identify the arrested person and the FDLE will be able to maintain a complete and accurate criminal history data on arrests in Hernando County. Kudos to our Sheriff's Department for being on top of the available "information technology" to protect the citizens of Hernando County.

Surprise your Sweetheart on Valentine's Day!

Do you want to surprise your sweetheart on Valentine's Day? Have the Hernando Harmonizers deliver a singing Valentine. They will sing at homes, offices, hospitals, schools or anywhere in the Spring Hill boundaries. They come dressed formally and deliver two Valentine songs, a rose or a box of chocolates, along with a Polaroid picture of this special occasion for $40.00. If you are interested in this opportunity or just want to hear the Hernando Harmonizers at their next performance, call Doug Stewart at 688-0392.

Salary Comparisons

Last night, a local television news reporter covered the salary for three school superintendents in counties south of us. What caught my attention is that this reporter compared these salaries to that of Governor Bush. The governor of our state is paid lower than any of these three superintendents. It made me think of the Mercer report just completed for the Hernando County that has apparently indicated across the board raises for most county employees this year. Keep in mind that in addition to the projected raises for the Mercer study, employees will also receive customary 5% increases this year. The Mercer study compares our county government employee job classifications and salaries with other county government(s) employees. Getting back to the television report, compare Governor Bush's salary at $124,000 a year to the starting wage for our new county administrator, Gary Kuhl, who will start at $120,000. By October, Mr. Kuhl's salary will be raised to $126,000, with the customary 5% merit increase, and this does not include the Mercy study increase. The Mercer Group is consulting firm that specializes in wage and salary structure studies, and has a clientele base that consists primarily of government entities. These Mercer studies have been used twice in the past (1998/12% & 2002/7%) to generate approximately 19% increases for Hernando County employees. These past increases do not include the yearly raises at approximately 5% per year for most employees. One question needs to be considered as budget talks begin for this year in Hernando County, "Is the Mercer Group artificially generating wage increases based on a comparison method of their own clientele base?"

Bandshell Bash Marks Its First Year Anniversary

Linda Anderson, who is a member of the Hernando County Fine Arts Council sent me this notice by email this afternoon & I thought I would pass it along. If you haven't gone to a Bandshell Bash, you are really missing out on a great Saturday evening in downtown Brooksville. Best of all, the entertainment is free & family friendly!

February's event marks the first year anniversary of the Bandshell Bash concerts! We are very excited to have been able to "keep the rhythm going". We thank all of you for attending and all our sponsors for their support. We are celebrating our anniversary with a Mardi Gras theme. We have 23 Skidoo opening and Henry Turner Jr and Flavor direct from New Orleans as our feature. A Cajun BBQ dinner (sponsored by Bill Koenig of Raymond James and Peggy Bell of Main Street Eatery) will be available during the event. We also have the Cruise-In (open car and motorcycle show), craft vendors and business exhibitors, raffles, Mardi Gras beads and more!

Hope to see you Saturday, Feb. 11, 4pm to 8pm at Hernando Park Bandshell.

Linda Anderson
Band Shell Bash Committee Member

Clean Up Hernando

This Saturday, February 11, 2006, Operation P.R.I.D.E. will have their annual Hernando County clean-up day. Individuals, civic organizations or homeowner associations, and businesses are encouraged to participate in this most worthwhile event. This is the 6th year in for this organization's effort to make Hernando County beautiful and clean for all of us. So please, consider taking a few minutes on Saturday to clean up your community, or just that unsightly intersection, or corner near your house, that is littered with trash. Contact Rose Rocco, Operation P.R.I.D.E.'s president, at (352)686-5183 for details.

Clear Messages

As we move into the 2006 election year it will be interesting to see which candidates, from local to federal, have a clear, concise message in their platform for the electorate. Very often candidates do not educate themselves on the office they wish to hold, which leaves a void in their campaign before it ever gets off the ground. It is has become almost customary for these novice candidates to repeat the mantras of their particular party affiliation to get attention in the public, and that of their party. Using sound bites for the media has become the norm to get attention for these candidates but it really does not display any real qualifications to hold a public office. Fancy slogans are great but they need to be backed up by the substantial qualifications of the candidates. All we can do is watch and wait, as the slate of candidates begins to build this year's election season, and hope the winners in November have what it takes for our future here in Hernando County!

Welcome, Mr. Kuhl

This morning at an emergency meeting of the Hernando County Commission, Human Resource Director, Barbara Dupre gave a brief presentation of the contract for new county administrator, Mr. Gary Kuhl. Mr. Kuhl was present in the audience for the presentation. After a brief discussion between commissioners and Mr. Kuhl, a motion was made, and passed unanimously, to approve his employment contract. A round of applause then erupted between the commissioners, and the sparse audience, for him. Mr. Kuhl will begin his new job as our county administrator on March 1, 2006. "Welcome, Mr. Kuhl"

MPO

This morning at the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), a presentation was given on the Long Range Transportation Plans (LRTP). The presentation focused on the 2025 LRTP for arterial roads and funding mechanism's to achieve the goal. A figure of $3.2-million a mile was quoted for current construction costs and right of way (ROW) acquisitions. The presentation included several methods of raising capital for the roads on the 2025 year plan. Option 1 included raising the Impact Fees again, a 3 cents gas tax ear-marked for road construction and a 1/2 sales tax. Option 2 suggested a 1% sales tax increase with 80% of it ear-marked for the road construction. Commissioner Schenck inquired if developer agreements for future roads could be figured into the long range estimates. He was informed that it would be almost impossible to predict how these agreements could be included without planning specifications. Mr. Jennings suggested that advanced right of way projects take a more active role in this ROW acquisitions. Commissioner Kingsley commented on Commissioners Stabins editorial comments in last Sunday's paper, in reference to use the sales tax windfall for necessary projects within the state, like for schools or insurance. Mr. Kingsley then made a motion to draft a resolution to Hernando County Legislative Delegation to suspend the state sales tax holiday. His motion included having the tax windfall surplus go towards the infrastructure improvements statewide to take the burden off the individuals counties. His motion was seconded by Commissioner Robinson. The motion passed, with Commissioner Schenck being the only descending vote. Further discussion will inevitably take place this spring with our county commissioners for funding the 2025 LRTP.

On the More Colorful Side

As I watched President Bush's State of the Union Address last night, I marveled at the fashion trend that our own, Ginny Brown-Waite created during her first term in office as our congresswoman. That year she wore a bright purple-blue dress to the President's Address so that she could be seen by everyone back in Hernando County. She was the only one in colorful clothing that year. Last night many congresswomen and female senators wore bright attire to be noticed in the crowd so I had to really scan the faces to see Congresswoman Brown-Waite. But there she was, in the receiving line, to greet our President as he entered the Chamber. Oh, by the way, Ginny had on a dark lavender suit, with a purple scarf! Maybe next year, our congresswoman could possibly wear a fashionable hat to re-gain that notoriety she had the first year in that Chamber.

Public Trust?

The public's trust seems to have been strained over the last month, or so, with the Hernando County government. Many important news articles have flashed across our local headlines which have everyone concerned about the quality of life in our county. Headlines like, the hiring of a new administrator, to the problems with the county jail under the management of CCA. Some of the concerns are as minuscule as the county telethon participation this year. But the question is, "Where are our county commissioners?" The Hernando Board of County Commission's scheduled meetings have been very sparse since the end of last year, and will continue that way through March. The BOCC is averaging two regular meetings a month, and one monthly land-use meeting. Nice work for part-time but who does John Q. Public contact in the event a problem needs to be resolved by this elected body? To be fair, an emergency meeting was called by the BOCC chairwoman for tomorrow morning to approve the new administrator's contract. Its short-notice, but it is a meeting of BOCC, even though it only has one agenda item. Aside from this emergency meeting tomorrow, the BOCC has only two regularly scheduled meetings (each) for February and March and one land use meeting (for each month). It also appears that Hernando County is operating on cruise control at these meetings since most of county business is approved on the consent agenda, that produces very little discussion by our commissioners. The BOCC's job classification is for part-time work but this is stretching the term "part-time" just a little bit. Trust in our local elected officials depends on an open door policy with them at the helm, not government employees making critical decisions. Maybe its time that the BOCC re-think their position, and reinstate the their meetings for the second Tuesday of each month.