On Friday, I made another appearance on Weekly Review, the round-table discussion televised by the county's government access channel.
But with County Commission Chairman Thomas Scott as part of the panel, this time was different.
The show typically features four issue-minded people bandying about pre-determined topics with host Sondra Guffey. But I got a little juiced with Scott sitting at the table with me, attorney Richard Salem and Carlen Maddux of the Maddux Report.
After all, it's not every day you get to see one of our elected officials give impromptu responses to critical issues. This particular show had a growth theme with specific topics of classroom reduction and prison reduction.
Those were not exactly subjects that were going to make Scott sweat.
At one point, I thought about breaking out with, "Yes, classroom reduction is important, but let's talk about the charges of tokenism Commissioner Scott leveled against County Administrator Dan Kleman."
But I stayed on my best behavior and waited to see how Scott would respond to the third topic. Guffey explained that a study commissioned by the city-county planning commission states that, in layman's terms, growth will not continue to pay for growth if population and employment continue to increase at current levels.
Scott got a sort of "Oh boy" look on his face, but when his turn came, he said the County Commission has a surplus of more than $10-million thanks to growth and the increased property taxes it created.
Of course, I was hoping he would call for a moratorium on growth and cause another parade of construction trucks around County Center.
So overall, Scott handled himself well and didn't make any controversial remarks. He had to know no one was going to ignite the studio with something like, "Do you think Emmy Acton should be fired?" but I still applaud Scott - and the other commissioners - for making an appearance.
The government access channel, or HTV22 as they like to say, is funded by tax dollars to provide information about the county and its elected officials, and it should extend to more than just live broadcasts of County Commission meetings.
Weekly Review is not cut from the same cloth as Crossfire, but its very existence should be saluted - especially when you consider there are some County Center critics who would love to see it fade to black.
It ain't the Love Boat, but volunteers have put a lot of love into the SS American Victory.
Now the cargo ship is ready to set a course for adventure ... sort of. On Sept. 20, the Victory will have its first cruise with passengers, steaming to lower Tampa Bay before returning to her berth behind the Florida Aquarium.
The 68-year-old merchant cargo vessel, which served in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars, has been remodeled into a mariner's museum and cruising ship primarily by dedicated volunteers.
The day-long cruise will include tours and a touching memorial service honoring the more than 600 merchant ship crews lost in action during World War II. Organizers are hoping more than 700 will attend.
Tickets are $125 for the day-long cruise and go on sale Monday and will include continental breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack. They can be purchased by calling 223-7999.
On the government access show,I teased Carlen Maddux for scaring Scott with talk of Brandon incorporating. But when you look at the latest problems surrounding the Main Street project, it makes you wonder again if Brandon would be better off governing itself.
Sure, the recent spate of delays and hurdles could be county government effectively putting the brakes on a project with too many uncertainties. But when you know Commissioner Ronda Storms and the Brandon chamber are not on the same page, you have to ask if this project would be further along under the control of a Brandon City Council.
