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Commission learns ropes after a year
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK BROOKSVILLE -- They came together a year ago with a common, but vague, goal of making Hernando County a better place to live. Through dozens of workshops and business meetings, the newly elected all-Democratic County Commission forged an activist path of adopting ordinances for what might come and tackling unexpected problems as they arise. They didn't always get along, sometimes sparring animatedly about hotly debated topics such as the Economic Development Commission's fate, not to mention perceived slights in etiquette. But one year in, commissioners appear to have settled into a groove that has made them productive in guiding Hernando County, escaping most accusations of fractiousness and unprofessionalism that dogged their immediate predecessors. "This board is working together, and this board has made a lot of progress over the past year," said Nancy Robinson, the commission's dean with nine years under her belt. "Growth and development, zoning, land issues -- we're being very progressive in those areas. This board has been cohesive, and yet we've had healthy debate." Even failed candidates in last year's commission election gave the current incarnation credit for improvement. "They really do act very businesslike," said Janey Baldwin, who lost to Betty Whitehouse in the District 1 general election. "Some things they have done have alienated parts and made others quite happy. They are consistent. . . . There's no school for it. You're flying by the seat of your pants. When you think about those things, they are doing a commendable job." Yet all is not glowing for the board. "There's no doubt in my mind about how poorly our County Commission is performing. It's been really upsetting to us Republicans," said Frank Colletti, chairman of the local Republican Executive Committee. He panned the commission for adopting rules limiting the size of sheds, for increasing impact fees on new construction and for a generally unfriendly attitude toward the business community. Words like "absurd" and "ridiculous" peppered his speech, to the point that Colletti remarked, "I'm trying to minimize my adjectives." Commissioner Betty Whitehouse acknowledged the board could have had more successes if it had a clearer vision. "At some point, we need to focus on that," she said. Still, Whitehouse suggested, the group has worked with a general goal in mind. "Do I think we're there with a total vision? No," Whitehouse said. "Do I think we're making some attempts at it? Yes." If the commission has done one thing consistently, it has created new regulations regarding how the county will look. In a short span, it adopted rules for landscaping, large-scale retail store design, subdividing residential property, roadside sales and accessory buildings in residential areas. Commissioners also required the eradication of the noxious Brazilian pepper tree weed, strengthened the county property maintenance ordinance and increased impact fees to ensure "growth pays for itself," as Commissioner Diane Rowden put it. Chairman Chris Kingsley's proposal to require "nonpolluting lighting" at commercial and industrial sites was one of the few such items that failed to win approval, and his idea for an overlay district that would control growth along U.S. 19 south of Spring Hill Drive remains incomplete almost six months after it first came up. "The vision thing was established in 1992-93 when the chamber (of commerce) adopted the Nature Coast moniker for Hernando County," Kingsley said. "This board has worked to contribute to the idea that Hernando County is the Nature Coast, as opposed to the Concrete Coast. In that, we've been pretty effective." Some people have decried the efforts. Brooksville lawyer Joe Mason, for instance, threatened to sue the county about its Brazilian pepper rule and accused the commission of creating some of its rules specifically to stop a controversial Wal-Mart supercenter from rising at U.S. 19 and Spring Hill Drive. The Hernando Builders Association fought the impact fees, which they called taxes, ultimately losing their battle but winning commission support to pressure state lawmakers for other ways to pay for infrastructure needs. Others had nothing but praise for the actions. "We can hold that hard line that growth will come here, but it doesn't have to be overgrowth," said Jennifer Sullivan, spokeswoman for the county Green Party. "That's the direction they're trying to go, and I think they're trying to be fair." When not working on growth-related issues, the commission most often has found itself putting out fires. The topics have ranged from indigent care to mud-bogging. Perhaps the two most high-profile items involved the now defunct Economic Development Commission and a proposal to move Brooksville Regional Hospital. At Rowden's instigation, the board ended its four-year experiment with the EDC, which had come under increasing criticism for ineffectiveness with taxpayer money. While Rowden pummeled the EDC publicly, Robinson and Kingsley played inside games, eventually bringing closure to the arrangement that had pumped $1.1-million into the public-private partnership. The resulting economic development study conducted by the University of Florida should help guide Hernando County to an even better future, Whitehouse said, suggesting the commission made the best of its bad situation. More than any other matter, the decision of whether to relocate Brooksville Regional, which the county owns, swamped the commission. For weeks, proponents and opponents of the move inundated the board with letters, phone calls and public comments during meetings. Commissioners wrung several concessions from hospital operator Hernando HealthCare before blessing the move, which now awaits state approval before facing an expected court challenge from rival Oak Hill Hospital. They won kudos for handling the debate and negotiations professionally, but also lost points from many east county residents who felt ignored in their opposition. "They don't pay attention to the public comments," said Ronnie Minthorn, who lives east of Brooksville. "I don't think that's right." The EDC and hospital discussions also had some unintended consequences: They highlighted some personality conflicts on the board. Rowden's unceasing comments about the EDC so flustered Commissioner Mary Aiken, who has a disdain for "being yammered at," that Aiken began to lash out at Rowden, who shouted back defensively. Aiken also has criticized Rowden at other times for "airing the county's laundry." Kingsley and Rowden also have gone at it, especially when Rowden tried to tell Kingsley how to act. And Kingsley's authority faced some challenges early, including when Whitehouse undermined his efforts to close public conversation on the hospital relocation. Aiken also lamented the "showboating and grandstanding" that she said extend meetings unnecessarily. She said the Sunshine Law, which prohibits commissioners from contacting one another outside public view, hinders better working relations. "I feel we're not a board, we're a bunch of splinters," Aiken remarked. "You come to the meeting and then you get surprises. We don't work as a group." When issues get worked through, though, she added, "we're a good commission." Kingsley agreed that the board's relations did get out of hand for a while. But the realization, and several debates on meeting procedures, forced commissioners to refocus on issues, allowing the chairman to control meetings. "We got started a little dysfunctional at first," said Rowden, who has voted against her colleagues more than any other commissioner. "But once we all realized that, we were able to pull in and regroup as a commission." Its abilities will be tested in the coming weeks and months, as the commissioners deal with possible state budget cuts, set a new path for economic development, continue efforts to manage growth, attempt to protect the county's water resources and more. The board will continue to face criticisms that it spends too much on such items as consultants, a skate park and raises for its top administrators. The politics of election campaigns will only complicate matters. Robinson said the commission will have to keep its eye on the goal -- serving the public good -- to ensure it acts appropriately. Terry Douglas, a new Hernando County resident, told the board during a recent meeting that he expected nothing less. "You're doing a great job. Just watch your spending," Douglas said. "I'll be watching you, too." -- Staff writer Jeffrey S. Solochek covers Hernando County government and can be reached at 754-6115. Send e-mail to solochek@sptimes.com.
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