Our local newspaper, Giving “Kudos” to the Charlotte County Commissioners, for “having shown the ability to work out most differences, acknowledge the public while not bowing to the whims of a few and making the tough, sometimes unpopular, decisions when needed.” This, followed by, “But, despite all the good things that have happened, perhaps the number one accomplishment and the one they can hang their hat on is putting the Murdock Village saga to rest.”
Okay, now where do the taxpayers go to get their money back that got us into that mess to begin with? The goal of all “government” is to husband the community’s assets and not to be “investors” in ideas that over time, do not give a return on the investment. By all accounts, the “Murdoch Village” Saga was the most hair-brained scheme to ever be concocted save, for believing General Development et. Al was “good” for Charlotte County.
Every time something goes south, the present Commission uses the “royal WE” as if the “We” includes those who pay the freight being included in the decisions. I fail to see how giving away land for almost nothing to save the political asses of politicians is to be recognized as “good” under any condition.
What we have gotten for our money is more of the same. Nothing that will give the county a better reputation was received by the “giveaway” mentality that allowed for the “firesale” that is called Murdoch Village. And for those who tried to hide behind “I was not a commissioner when Murdoch Village was bought, I must remind you that when people run for office they agree to inherit what came before.
None of the commissioners ran on “I am for “giving away” Murdoch Village. It is the taxpayers who have had to endure all the promises of “things” that were right around the corner and I, like most, were snookered into believing the stories.
The politicians could not induce anyone to buy into their “plans” (schemes?) which proves they are only good at “selling” their abilities to the gullible voters. What we got for all the “Saga” is more housing needing more and wider roads, more schools, more parks and then as the final nail, “more taxes.” Did I mention more firehouses, more police, and more school tax?
Everyone is screaming about “affordability” and the commissioners are planning to spend $901 million on projects on money from a 1% sales tax for THE NEXT 20 YEARS!!!
No commissioner presently on the board will be around in 20 years and no financial institution is promoting anything coming TRUE in 20 years. However, this commission, the one given credit for ending the “Murdoch Village Saga (Slaughter) has a special prescience to do what others’ cannot do.
We are living in trying times and while I am confident, I am not so confident that we will not suffer from financial downturns or inflationary spirals or worse government oversight.
We are being treated like “the little engine that could” as if “wadda ya worried about” being set in stone. With the last referendum being seen as a success, I would only say that 90% of the money raised went to transportation.
Other “ideas,” including, but not limited to spending an “initial” amount on the Justice Center for “needed” court rooms in the amount of more than $18 Million was shot down only when cooler heads prevailed gives you an idea of what is “added” when heads are turned.
While there is a lot wrong with referendums, either for schools (soon to come) or for commissions populated with commissioners who cannot seem to understand the difference between “needs” and “wants,” there is a need for additional funds. None of the commissioners save for Doherty has the expertise to winkle out the “real costs.” Had they been able to do that, every project would be done at a “reasonable” cost including inflation. Doubling the cost is not “reasonable” under any conditions.
Finally, any referendum needs to be as short as possible. The “Plans” must be done with community input, no matter what it takes. For the record, the commissioners have a hard job, and while they can do a lot of things, dancing around the problems is not one that is needed.
Is it Chutzpah or are they just giving us the finger?
I will not vote for anything that is obligated for 20 years, whether I am here or not.
by Blog Contributor Dr. Richard Pitz