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Residents weigh in on course of EDC
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET © St. Petersburg Times, published April 5, 2001 LECANTO -- A half-dozen residents spoke Wednesday at the Economic Development Council's town hall meeting about the course the group should take. In case no one got it the first time, the residents kept returning to the same ideas: Either bring economic development under county control or leave it completely up to the private sector. Be accountable for the tax dollars you spend. And somehow try to rebuild your credibility. "I think that most of us want to get to the same place," Lecanto resident Chris Lloyd said, referring to the common goal of bringing clean, well-paying jobs to the area. "The disagreement is the route we use to get there." The group of EDC members nodded, and some took notes, as residents listed their complaints about the group and offered advice for the future. The purpose of the discussion, as spelled out on a dry-erase board in the Lecanto Government Building's main meeting room, was "to obtain input from the community on how to restructure the EDC as a public/private partnership." A large paper sign posted nearby outlined the guidelines for the discussion: "Freely share your vision for the future," "Keep brief and focused," and "No personal attacks." Setting aside gripes about the group's troubled history took away some of the talking points of the first speaker, Beverly Hills resident Dave Conant. But Conant urged the group to learn from the controversy it sparked last year when it brought the Brown Schools live-in facility for troubled youth to Lecanto without advance notice to neighbors or officials. "Keep the people informed," Conant said. "Don't let people read about it in the newspaper on the day it happens." Lloyd said the county should handle economic development so there is complete accountability for tax money spent. But if the organization remains a public-private partnership that receives matching dollars from the county's occupational license fee fund, the county's contract with the economic council should set more specific guidelines for what council expenses qualify for the matching public dollars, Lloyd said. "The numbers should be crystal clear and should compute precisely," Lloyd said. Several speakers also noted that the group needs a public-relations makeover if it has any chance of moving forward. Some suggested that the group list the businesses it has helped and better publicize its accomplishments, although others wondered whether the council's reputation was already damaged beyond repair. "I don't know if you can get the credibility back or heal those wounds," said Joyce Valentino, speaking for the Heatherwood Community Homeowners Association. Property Appraiser Ron Schultz suggested a semantic change: remove "development" from the group's name and go with something more descriptive of economic improvement. The Economic Development Council's name leaves some thinking "you only represent those who tear down trees and pour down concrete," Schultz said. Two discussion facilitators from Central Florida Community College lined the wall of the meeting room with 11 pages of highlights noted from the speakers' comments. Now council members will sort through the ideas, as well as opinions expressed last month before the County Commission, and come up with a restructuring plan to present to commissioners. "We learn from our mistakes," said council treasurer Bruce Schultz (no relation to Ron Schultz). "We got a pretty good education at the EDC."
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