Marvelous transformation...

In the last decade, the city of Brooksville has come from the dark ages to become a progressive, bustling town. With the annexations of Southern Hills and the Majestic Oaks property, the city has more than doubled its size. Included in these annexations is the old Milk-A-Way Farm which is also a future planned development project. These residential community projects are only the tip of the iceberg seen in growth within the city in comparison to the increases in business development.

Large businesses, some of which are the super Wal Mart, Loew's Home Improvement Center, Walgreens, CVS and Applebee's Restaurant, have popped up over the landscape of Brooksville over the last ten years. Small to moderate business operations have flourished within the city limits as well since 1994. Hot Wheels, the new Dairy Queen, and yes, our business, A.L. Covell Electric, Inc. have all experienced the positive growth spurt within the city limits. Even as we speak, a new business is sprouting out of the earth on Jefferson Street, next to the Christmas House, which will be a golf cart distribution company.

This residential and business growth would not have happened without massive infrastructure improvements within the city of Brooksville. Some of the major improvements over the past decade, or so, include a new city hall, the new sewer plant on Cobb Road, 7 lanes up SR 41 into the city, the Jerome Brown Center, Tom Varn Park, and the Brooksville Quarry Golf Course. Some items that are not so readily visible are new sewer lines, and new water lines to support the future growth for the residents and business owners.

The city of Brooksville has a new ladder truck for the fire department which is the envy of the west coast of Florida. Our new fire Chief Tim Mossgrove is a positive influence for progressive improvements in fire safety within our community. Many young police officers have been working their way up the food chain in recent years, like Lt. Hankins, who has put his heart and soul into making Brooksville a safe place to live, play and work. This city has many un-sung heroes that have participated in the future growth of the city. City employees ask little, but give a lot, to all of us. Their contributions of new sidewalks, bulb-outs, and city entrances are pale in comparison to their over all net worth as civil servants. The majority of residents and businesses owners have worked hand-in-hand to influence a strong, successful future for the city of Brooksville.

Has all this smart growth happened by magic? No, this marvelous transformation of the once sleepy little town of Brooksville occurred under the watchful eye of Brooksville's city manager, Richard Anderson. Thank you, Mr. Anderson for all your outstanding contributions for the city of Brooksville. Your leadership in good times, and bad, have proved that you are a real pillar of our community and a real southern gentleman. I, for one, am proud to call Dick Anderson my friend! Best wishes from all of us as you enter into retirement, Dick!

Upcoming events

Several upcoming events worth noting:

• Father Daughter Dance on Saturday, February 3rd from 6 to 9 pm at St. Anthony Church. Please call the Hernando County Parks Department for information / tickets at 754-4031
• Deputy Lonnie C. Coburn Memorial Bike Ride on February 17th. This memorial ride is for law enforcement officer, Lonnie C. Coburn, who was killed in the line of duty. The ride begins at SR 50 and US Hwy. 301 at noon. Contact Jeff Duval or Jerry Jennings at 796-0189 or 683-0699 for details.

Train wreck in slow motion

Sitting in the audience of the Brooksville City Council meeting last night can only be described watching as train wreck in slow motion. The last agenda item on the schedule was labeled "City Manager Search Process" presented by Richard Anderson. Mr. Anderson gave a brief presentation on suggested methods for undertaking a search for his replacement as city manager. Councilwoman Bradburn made a motion to use the services of the Human Resources offices of the Hernando County Government and Swiftmud along with the city's HR director. This motion by Ms. Bradburn lacked any real substance and had to be refined by the city clerk so the staff had a clear idea on how to proceed with a search for a new city manager.

Frankie Burnett was the only council member that came to the meeting with some concrete ideas on how the next manager should be narrowed down from the applicants. Mr. Burnett managed to convince his fellow council members to appoint a five member committee to refine the search from a list provided by the Human Resource Directors to present to council.

This agenda item then took a strange twist with the discussion that ensued between the council members. Several motions were made to place additional items on the agenda even though they had not been publicly advertised in the newspaper. Council Richard Lewis attempted to retain Richard Anderson until a new manager could be chosen by council. Councilman Burnett seconded Mr. Lewis' motion but it died with a 3-2 vote to deny, with council members Bradburn, Bernardini and Pugh voting nay.

Councilman Bernardini then suggested that Richard Anderson be fired immediately but was counseled by their attorney about the pitfalls of immediate termination of the city manager. The city attorney advised that 30 days severance pay would accompany this method. Mr. Bernardini then made a motion to have Mr. Anderson put on administrative leave until his resignation date. This motion was placed on the agenda by the

second of Ms. Bradburn and received the third vote for a majority by Mr. Pugh, to seal Mr. Anderson's fate with the city. Needless to say, once this item was on the agenda, Mr. Pugh, Ms. Bradburn and Mr. Bernardini voted to have Mr. Anderson placed on administrative leave until his resignation becomes effective on February 8th.

At the conclusion of the meeting, directly after citizens input, Mayor David Pugh took the opportunity to throw a few jabs at his critics in the audience. Time will only tell how long it will take for the city to heal with this controversy...

Hoo-Rah!!!

Hoo-Rah! A very reliable source informed me a few minutes ago that Chief Tincher, Lt. Hankins and Ron Baker were told to report to work tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. because the investigation turned up nothing of substance. The city council meeting tonight should prove to be very interesting since they (city council) have not discussed this latest development...

Affecting him very deeply...

Imagine if you had to suggest an employment agency to conduct a search for your successor because your boss was incapable of exhibiting any leadership concerning your position within your firm. Would you be the stand-up type of person to show loyalty for the company until your last day or would you just walk away after being treated so shabbily by your boss? I dare say most individuals would just walk away.

Well, this is just what the city manager has done in the absence of any leadership by the Brooksville City Council. Several days ago, Mr. Anderson recommended in a memo to the city council suggestions to find a replacement for him as city manager. Needless to say, the job search for a new manager replacement should have been initiated by the city council.

Looking past how the city council managed to create this turmoil over the last several weeks, it is now time for them to do the right thing. The right thing would be to ask Mr. Anderson to stay on until the completion of his contract so an in-depth search can be made for his replacement. With Mr. Anderson in place, an in-depth hunt could begin for the new manager that will mesh with the city of Brooksville. From a practical stand point, Mr. Anderson’s expertise would be quite beneficial for the day-today operations while the city council prepares to find his replacement. A citizen appointed panel could be set up review the applicants just like the search that is being conducted for a new school superintendent.

Richard Anderson has earned the respect of the city residents and taxpayers during his 12 years at the helm. Watching his actions over the last several weeks have given me a new found respect for his integrity to do what is right, even when it is very difficult. Mr. Anderson has wiped away many tears of his employees and friends while it is apparent his heart is breaking from the cruelty of his bosses, the city council. The tired look on his face is the only outward sign that this travesty is affecting him very deeply. For goodness sakes, city council members, do what is what at your meeting tomorrow night and vote to reject Mr. Anderson’s resignation, effective February 8, 2007.

Policy direction

If you are interested in watching our local government officials in action, plan on attending the Hernando County Commission workshop at the Hernando County Utility Building on SR50 (the old Lil Dess building). The workshop is open to the public and starts at 8:30 a.m. This workshop is to provide policy direction to the staff for projects and activities which will impact the 2007/08 budget. Although this workshop will be a discussion of the county commissioners and staff public input will taken at the end of the meeting. If you have any questions, call the county administrator's office at 754-4002.

Special session odds

Last week the Tampa Bay Business Journal ran a survey question relating to the special session of the Florida Legislature on the insurance crisis in this state. Their poll specifies that is not scientific but offers a quick glimpse of what the business readers are thinking on the issue. Here is the survey question with answers:

Will the special session on insurance make a difference?

• 14% Yes, I have confidence in the Legislature to force a change
• 73% No, the crisis in Florida isn't going away anytime soon
• 12% Undecided

I sure hope the Florida Legislature beats the odds of this survey to fix the homeowner insurance problem.

Deserves everyone's attention

I hope everyone read the St. Petersburg Times this morning. The article "Feudin' and Fussin' in Brooksville" read like a version of Hatfield and McCoy feud. Every little scrap of gossip was included in this article for the whole world to see in the Local & State edition which is commonly referred to as the metro section. This well written article by Jonathon Abel would be hilarious to the outside reader but in reality it is a very sad reflection of how gossip, and loose tongues, can destroy lives and careers. This article is a mirror image of our community and it is not a pretty sight.

The Hernando Times edition ran a guest column by local attorney, Mr. Jimmy Brown this morning, too. This column by Mr. Brown was a well thought out analysis of the dispute in the city of Brooksville. A quote by Mr. Brown was, "The proud and honorable heritage of our city require we act with the dignity and foresight our predecessors left us as their legacy." Although I am not a native of Brooksville, his words are very thought provoking and deserve everyone's attention. Mr. Brown asks that the city council return the three employees "to their indispensable positions".

The Brooksville City Council will meet again on Monday, January 22 at 7 p.m. Hopefully, each council member will keep their personal comments in check and do what is right for the city at this meeting to resolve this crisis. Brooksville's future depends their leadership to be fair and respectful to everyone involved in this issue...

Charter violation confirmed

I have confirmed information from two reliable sources that the Brooksville City Council has violated the intend of the city charter by placing Chief Tincher, Lt. Hankins and Ron Baker on administrative leave. The “hired gun aka labor attorney” for the city of Brooksville has issued the first opinion in response to questions surrounding the alleged violations of the city charter. It seems that this “labor attorney” hired by the Brooksville City Council has come back with the opinion that the city manager is the only person responsible for personnel issues relating to (city) employees. With this opinion, the city manager, not the city council, has ultimate responsibility for all personnel issues, including the placement of employees on administrative leave.

How many lawsuits will be spawned with this micro-managing of Mayor David Pugh, Councilwoman Lara Bradburn and Councilman Joe Bernardini for the violations of the city charter? Who knows, but a full re-instatement of these three employees by city council needs to take place today!

National holiday

Today is a national holiday to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday but you sure would not know it by the silence in downtown Brooksville. A spokesman for the local NAACP had cited, the lack of funds for a parade permit and insurance, per the city of Brooksville requirements, was the reason no parade was scheduled this year. The only local activities to commemorate the day will be a fish fry at Kennedy Park this afternoon, followed by church services this evening. This quiet way to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, in lieu of the annual march up Main Street, is a sad reflection on our community.

The Brooksville City Council could not waive the insurance requirements due to a new amendment to the city charter voted in by the residents in November 2006. In a nutshell, this new amendment prevents the city council from waiving insurance requirements to outside organizations. On the surface, this amendment was a sound financial decision by the city voters but it has really hurt two local groups that have been active in past few years with community events, like the Martin Luther King Parade and the Veterans Appreciation Parade in November.

Here's a few suggestions for the Brooksville City Council as they set their agenda for the coming year. As they plan for some of the city functions like Founder's Week, please consider taking the Martin Luther King Parade and the Veterans Appreciation Parade under your wing (of the city) by officially sponsoring these two events. As you evaluate the tax dollars required to make the Founder's Week a success, please consider including the Martin Luther King Parade and the Veterans Appreciation Parade.

In the word's of Dr. Martin Luther King: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter".

Leadership for Dummies

The Brooksville city council members should have been issued an easy to understand manual that outlines the chain of command within the city structure. This manual could resemble many of the self-help books on the market today. Most of these books have familiar titles like this, "_____ for Dummies, 101" that only need to have the subject inserted in the blank.

A classic example of arrogance underscored the immediate need for a " Leadership for Dummies" manual for council members Lara Bradburn and Joe Bernardini this morning. The Hernando Today ran an article by Tony Marrero that cited the disgust of Lara Bradburn and Joe Bernardini in reference to the backlash from residents supporting Chief Tincher and the police.

Too bad someone hasn't thought about a "Leadership for Dummies" manual to sit on the shelf at the bookstore next to all the other "Dummie" books. A basic "Leadership for Dummies" manual would begin on page one by stating that "the residents aka voters" are always the boss in government, not the elected official!

Congratulations, Jeff

Yesterday, following the re-enactment ceremony of Commissioner Rocco's swearing in ceremony, Commissioner Jeff Stabins was chosen the a new chairman of the Hernando Board of County Commissioners with a 5-0 vote by his peers . This was the second time in two years that the majority party has elected a chairman of the minor party for the county commission. A message for our commission chairman would be said best in the words of President Theodore Roosevelt, "Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground." Congratulations and good luck to our new moderate, centrist Chairman Jeff Stabins!

Heads rolled...

It did not take long for the city council members to clean house in Brooksville. A forced resignation of the city manager, Richard Anderson was only the beginning as heads rolled at the city council meeting last night. Council members David Pugh, Lara Bradburn and Joe Bernidini voted to place Chief Ed Tincher, Lt. Rick Hankins and Ron Baker on paid administrative leave from the city, under the strong objections from Councilmen Richard Lewis and Frankie Burnett with a 3/2 vote.

Where was David LaCroix, the city's attorney, during this discussion and vote? According to the Brooksville city charter, these council members do not have the authority to hire, fire, or put anyone on administrative leave other than the city manager. This appears to be a violation of Brooksville's city charter by Mr. Pugh, Ms. Bradburn and Mr. Bernidini. This is clearly a textbook case of misfeasance on the part of these three council members to infringe on the rights of others in an improper, if not unlawful manner by violating the very city charter they were elected to protect for the city of Brooksville.

The action of these three council members is reminiscent of the year 1994 when a past city manager fired Chief Tincher and the fire chief. Many city tax dollars were spent to restore these two positions after three prior council members were recalled under the provisions of the city charter. By the way, Joe Bernidini was one of the council members thrown out of office in this recall vote of 1994.

Lara Bradburn has labeled her actions, and those of her cohorts, Mr. Pugh and Mr. Bernidini, a new direction for the city of Brooksville. This "crash and burn" new direction of these three council members is a total disgrace to city taxpayers. Unfortunately, Ms. Bradburn and Mr. Bernidini are untouchable under Florida Statute 100.361 for recall as sitting elected officials until they serve one year in office but Mayor David Pugh is fair game under these provisions.

Chief Tincher should have been given the opportunity to complete the internal investigation already underway within the Brooksville Police Department, without the interference. This novice mayor, and two city council members, appear to have a personal vendetta rid the city of employees that do not mesh with their ideals. If questions had still remained after this internal investigation was completed within police department, and not answered to the full satisfaction of the entire city council, then an outside investigation would be fully warranted at the direction of the city manager.

Mr. Pugh, Ms. Bradburn and Mr. Bernidini should heed the following quote by President Ronald Reagan: "Those who preach the supremacy of the state will be remembered for the sufferings their delusions caused their peoples".

Please be advised that I have removed & blocked future comments on this post. I fully understand that emotions are running on full speed with this issue but I respectfully request that any comments on my blog remain free from profanity. While I appreciate all your comments, pro or con, inappropriate language will not be allowed on this blog. Thank you for your consideration in this matter on future posts.

Spiteful form of micro-managing

This morning, the Hernando Today ran an article titled, "Mayor asks for probe of police department." Mayor David Pugh, Jr. is apparently demanding an independent investigation of the city's police department. Mr. Pugh was quoted as saying, "I don't have any confidence in our police department when it comes to investigating someone internally". This is the second time in the last several months that Mr. Pugh has expressed extreme displeasure with a city employee.

If you recall Mr. Pugh was hyper-critical of city manager, Richard Anderson, during a city council meeting in August and Mr. Anderson was not there to defend himself. Is Mr. Pugh's criticism of city employees warranted? Some might applaud Mayor David Pugh's action to ask for an outside agency to investigate the police department as leadership or it could be viewed as a spiteful form of micro-managing from the youthful, inexperienced mayor.

Chief Tincher should be given the opportunity to complete the internal investigation already underway within the Brooksville Police Department, without the interference of the novice mayor and city councilman, Joe Bernadini. If questions still remain after the internal investigation is completed within police department, and not answered to the full satisfaction of the entire city council, then call for an outside investigation.

High hopes...

Last Friday, I listened to the Hernando County Legislative Delegation on the small television in my office. It was the first time in 5 years that I was unable to attend this yearly meeting of our delegation. I was chained to my desk attempting to close out our books for the year 2006.

The Honorable Robert Schenck was nominated by Senator Fasano to lead the Hernando County Delegation and seconded by Rep. Charles Dean. Rep. Schenck filled the shoes of David Russell with ease this year.

The first order of business on this delegation's agenda was to listen to the local elected officials. It never ceases to amaze me that each year the local elected officials are given an unlimited time to present their wish lists while the non-profit groups, and local citizens, are given just 3 minutes to speak at the podium. It seems kind of ironic that the local officials stand at the podium promoting pet projects, which will eventually be funded by our tax dollars, while the citizens sit patiently waiting in the audience for their chance to be heard by their delegation.

A suggestion to speed up the process for next year's delegation would be to have either the county administrator, or city manager, present all the requests to the delegation in lieu of having multiple commissioners giving political speeches at the podium. The Hernando County Delegation has been subjected over the years with numerous commissioners taking their turn at self promotion at the podium and this year was not any different with Commissioners' Rowden, Rocco and Kinglsey taking a tremendous amount of allotted time that would have been better spent listening to the non-profit organizations, and just us plain citizens. In fact, I believe that state statutes were written for the benefit of ordinary citizens to have the ability to directly speak annually with their legislative delegation.

The Hernando Legislative Delegation listened quite patiently to all the concerns of the citizens. Two of the most important items brought to the table were homeowner insurance and high property taxes. Encouraging words were spoken by both, Rep. Schenck and Senator Fasano, about soaring property insurance rates and the need for in-depth discussion at the special session of the Legislature this month.

Representative Robert Schenck has been working on methods for equalizing residential property taxes, with updated equations for local property appraisers, which is being co-sponsored by Senator Mike Fasano. Senator Fasano spoke about the need for a 3% cap on commercial property taxes to protect the interests of those Mom & Pop businesses struggling to stay afloat under a sea of bills that include high property taxes, along with extremely high business insurance premiums for their property.

It is a good thing I was in my office alone while listening to this broadcast on channel 19. I shouted out a loud hoo-rah for Representative Charlie Dean when he advocated that he would push for all counties to have zero-based budgets, with line items, so the citizens could better understand where their tax dollars are being spent each year. Zero based budgeting, along with performance management, were key items in my platforms when I ran for commissioner in 2000 and 2004 so I was ecstatic to hear Charlie Dean spout the need for this simple approach to budgeting in local government. By the way, Commissioner David Russell used this same zero based budgeting agenda in his campaign of 2006 and hopefully he follows through with the implementation of this process in Hernando County.

It looks like our Representatives and Senators are ready to hit the ground running this legislative session. I have high hopes that our delegation will do their best to look after the interests of their constituents. Good luck to the Hernando County Legislative Delegation!

New trends...

I'm sure everyone is aware of the ever changing advances in technology in our society. With all the new items on the market, like MP3 players and multi-functional cell phones, many retailers have had difficulty keeping up with the new trends. With each new year these advances in the electronic and computer technology keep most of us on our toes.

One area that has fallen behind the times is the sector that oversees cell tower placement. I am speaking of our local Hernando County ordinance that regulate the placement of cell towers. In 2000, cell companies were flooding our county and the fear of having a glut of towers was very real possibility for our community. The Hernando County Board of Commissioners took the lead in 2000 and developed an ordinance regulating cell towers. The mind-think of 2000 was having high towers, with multiple carriers, to prevent having a cell tower every mile, or so, with strict adherence to radius rings of coverage. This thinking was excellent for 2000 but has quickly become outdated as technology has increased the demand for cell phones.

Today, people are using cell phones in place of land-line units within their homes and businesses which has created a new problem for cell phone companies. The towers need to be lower and closer together for appropriate coverage within the confines of a home or business. Lowering the heights of some of these towers has given rise to the many new towers being erected in densely populated areas of Hernando County over the last year. With these new towers cropping up, so are the concerns of the local neighbors. This lower tower requirement, with the need for closer proximity, was tackled in Phoenix, Arizona by co-locating the cell tower equipment on utility power poles with in the city. Other areas of the country have used innovative approaches by placing the tower equipment on church steeples, water towers, and the signage of local businesses.

At the last month's meeting of Hernando County Planning and Zoning Commission, I requested that Ron Pianta, planning director, ask the future direction of the Hernando County Board of Commissioners regarding a review and update of the ordinance relating to cell towers. Hopefully, the 2006 county commission will be as progressive as that of the sitting board of 2000, with this new technology facing Hernando County.