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Let's freshen our county's leadership

The Hernando County Commission has become a cozy country club. Over-taxed citizens pay self-serving, part-time careerists a full-time salary to be members of it.

Longtime club membership develops experience. Such, however, is not necessarily advantageous to the community. Many years of experience can be one year of indecisiveness repeated many times.

Needed instead are full-time fresh commissioners with new ideas. These cost-cutting custodians of the people's money will have a plan for wise spending and a fierce determination to implement it. Further, leadership will become a reality by prompt resolution of major problems. These include pollution at the former Department of Public Works site and future use of the vacant hospital building. Thereby, there will be an end to time- and money-wasting bureaucratic massaging of successive reports from expensive consultants.

Moreover, these new civic leaders will have integrity. Accountability will be to citizens and not to vested interests. Board decisions, as well as rules and regulations, will be adhered to strictly. Again, development will be controlled so as to be consistent with available water and other resources and to preserve Hernando's pristine values. Staff morale, and in turn work productivity, will rise. Thereby, there will be less need for more staff and car parking space.

Every member of the electorate, beginning in November, has a social responsibility to make necessary changes.

Otherwise, Hernando County, so rich in tradition, will become only a shadow of the wonderful substance it can be. Now is the future.

James A. Willan, Brooksville

Tightwad commissioner is the kind you want spending your tax dollars

Re: Cutting county taxes will hurt quality of life, Aug. 22 letter to the editor from Jay Rowden:

I found Rowden's comment about Commissioner Jeff Stabins being "cheap" quite amusing. Actually I happen to agree totally with Jay. I do believe that Mr. Rowden underestimated Stabins' spending principles.

I happen to have known Commissioner Stabins for many years and I would have to reclassify the good commissioner from "cheap" to "extremely tight." So tight that he actually squeaks.

In this high-cost-of-living era - taxes and fuel costs going through the roof and unaffordable insurance rates - a squeaky-cheap commissioner is my type of commissioner.

Keep up the good work and please continue to spend tax dollars the same way you spend your dollars, Commissioner Stabins.

Bob Kanner, Brooksville

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[Last modified August 31, 2006, 06:41:36]