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The
Worst Ever
One
More Time
Key
West and the Florida Keys are a gift to a reporter that just keeps
giving and giving. Once every decade or so, we cycle onto dead top
center of the worst local government we have ever had, bar none, for all
time, undisputed. Never to be equaled again. Not even if Doug Jones,
Gene Lytton, Ken Sorensen and George Dolezol returned to the county
commission. At midnight on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005, Monroe County will
achieve the pinnacle. That is, this county commission, most
specifically, will become the worst local government since memory runs
not to the contrary.
What do these periodic
eruptions of bad government have in common? A populace transfixed by
snake-eyed pols, a state government that repeatedly dozes off, lustful
developers and Sonny McCoy. Don’t ask us. All we know is that when the
smoke and dust settle and whatever the matter is that was in contention
has been settled in favor of development interests, there stands Sonny
smack at ground zero, hailing the victory for concrete and asking
innocently: “What rock, what window?”
So here we are with a commission out of control, a three-two bloc
brooking no dissent, not even from its appointees to various boards and
commissions, greasing up the skids for development, punishing
contrarians and now demanding, at its peak of irresponsibility, to be
released from the constraints the state placed upon it with Critical
State Concern some 30 years ago. Has Critical Concern worked?
To a large extent yes.
It has, at the very least, slowed the rapacious overbuilding of the
Keys, and it has brought us significant amounts of money for numerous
wastewater projects. God knows where we would be if we had not had this
oversight from the state of all of our land development issues.
Just look at a couple
of recent examples. With the state’s participation, the county designed
a three-tier system of judging the appropriateness of a piece of land
for development. The Tier System was to replace ROGO. As soon as the
Department of Community Affairs packed up and went back Tallahassee the
county commission said wait, we think a two-tier system would be better
(means better for development).
This time the state
caught the county and said, “No, there will be three tiers, not two. Put
tier 2 back just as we agreed.” Well, all right, said the county
commission, petulantly, but we won’t name it that. We will now have Tier
1, Tier 3 and Tier 3a. Boy, that showed ’em. Of course, what it showed
’em is that you can’t trust Monroe County for a split second.
Then there is the
Debbie Harrison goat-roping just finished. Until a few hours ago,
Debbie, an ardent environmentalist, sat on the Land Authority Advisory
Board. But Debbie lost favor with her sponsor, Commissioner Dixie Spehar,
who is more of a development enthusiast than Debbie. Dixie said Debbie
was the best, just a wonderful board member and a crackerjack person
with great credentials, but please, if you would, hit the road. Time for
someone who holds more to the philosophy of the rest of the commission.
No dissent, thanks, it only wastes time. Five minutes later John Dolan-Heitlinger,
a banker and Chamber of Commerce activist, was the new member.
What message does that
send to the folks in the community thinking about taking one of those
onerous volunteer policy jobs that offer nothing but long hours and
harangues from fellow citizens? The commissioners are saying, “Here
dupes, come act as our foil on these critical issues of public policy
until it is no longer convenient for us.”
And how about the
Stock Island Sewer lashup? Remember what the grand jury said about our
county commission’s oversight on that? I recall words like “incompetent”
and “negligent” and the like. We were pulled out of this mire only
because the state forced the FKAA and the county to cut the crapple and
get on with it. More and more our commission appears to govern from the
back room with nothing but disdain for dissent. It has become tiresome
and embarrassing.
Being released from
Critical Concern is the very last thing this county needs. Daily we
fight the forces of full bore development, and daily we win some and
lose some.
Without the state’s
active backing, the Keys will be lost forever.
❐
—D.E. |
