Alachua Voter Guide

I read with interest the ideas in the G’ville Sun For a better community in 2010 and will bet the ‘ideas’ have either been written by an elected official or by a writer at the G’ville Sun who has probably been at that ‘job’ for life. Let’s take a look at the ideas and, while we’re at it, I’ll add a few:
G’ville Sun – Reduce the district’s unacceptably low dropout rate: Will require the School Board to form better working partnerships with the city, county, and community nonprofit organizations.
Me – Would be nice but it is doubtful this strategy will work. What must happen (and will not, I might add) is that one must create disincentives for teenagers having children and babies born out of wedlock. In years past our parents and the society provided the ‘disincentives’ for out of wedlock births by, at the very least, disapproving of this behavior. Unfortunately and sadly, some now applaud this behavior. If elected officials don’t have the guts to do this (and they don’t), at least don’t offer incentives for out of wedlock births. Remember what Pavlov taught us. You do that and you’ll decrease the dropout rate. If you don’t do that, you will be spinning your wheels as you have been for 4 decades.

G’ville Sun - Renewed emphasis on early childhood development-education: The entire community should rally around the United Way’s “Success by Six” initiative.
Me: See #1.

G’ville Sun - Make progress on homeless services: Build the long-promised “One-Stop” service center.
Me: “Build it and they will come.” Absurd idea. Let them live with the Commissioners who are pushing this idea (Jack Donovan, Rodney Long, and Craig Lowe).

Gville Sun - Unify vital public services: Separate city-county police and fire departments are wasteful, inefficient and unnecessary.
Me: Another bad idea. Cities are responsible for police and fire protection and for protecting their citizens; not counties. Besides, all you’re really advocating is absorption of GPD with ASO. You really think Waldo, High Springs, or Alachua are remotely interested in giving up protecting their residents. Get real.

G’ville Sun - Improve transit: Advance a bus rapid transit initiative for west Gainesville. Get legislative approval for RTS transit fee for Santa Fe College students.
Me: Not a bad idea but be careful about dedicating rapid transit lanes because the city, by ordinance, cannot expand a road beyond 4 lanes, therefore, if you dedicate a lane to bus rapid transit on a 4 lane facility, you’re going to have one less lane for cars. Be careful what you ask for.

G’ville Sun - Insist on a meaningful clean-up of Koppers Superfund site: The remediation plan recommended by the EPA is totally inadequate.
Me: Totally agree for many reasons but mostly because it threatens out city’s water supply.  I thought Senator Nelson was going to help on this but he was clearly just blowing hot air several years ago.

G’ville Sun - County charter reform: We urge vigorous citizen participation in this once-in-a-decade opportunity to make county government more accountable to the taxpayers.
Me: Yes but that’s like barking up a tree. History is the best predictor of the future so I’d suggest looking at our history. Additionally, I’d suggest having the G’ville Sun release the figures, once again, on reader responses to this question and compare it to the recommendations of the Charter group when published.

G’ville Sun - Strengthen the town-gown partnership: Collaborate on the future of the old Shands at AGH site. Support development of the eastside UF campus.
Me: I’ve been suggesting that for years and, in fact, it is happening.

G’ville Sun - Protect our water: Clean-up southeast Alachua County’s impaired water bodies and Gainesville’s stressed urban creeks.
Me: Duh. Goodness, that suggestion took a great deal of thought.

G’ville Sun - Economic development: Time to write a new strategic plan for sustainable job creation.
Me: No, no, and no! If the writer had a clue about the psyche of an entrepreneur they would know that government does NOT have to write a strategic ‘plan’ to help business. That is, unless the ‘plan’ is to reduce government influence in economic development. The word is REDUCE not EXPAND government’s role. Please, please, please understand that people who either own their own businesses or want to start their own business have a fire burning in their belly to do just that. In other words, the desire is ALREADY there! By far the best thing government can do is create an environment in which the fire can be stoked. There is very, very little government does, plans, or enacts that does that. In fact, what government typically does is throw a large bucket of water on the fire.
As an entrepreneur who has started two successful businesses and a former City Commissioner, I promise you, I know what I’m talking about. I have even offered, as a Commissioner, solutions to this endemic problem but they have been ignore which, I suppose is not surprising since none of them have any experience in the private sector. Look at it this way, if you want to know about starting, sustaining, or building a business, you’re probably going to be more successful if you talk to someone who has actually done it.  Have any of your local elected officials done that?  The answer is a resounding, NO! It would be the high of insanity to ask these folks.

Here are a few of my suggestions for improving the community in 2010:

1. STOP THE TREE BURNING POWER PLANT IMMEDIATELY. It is WAY to expensive and will result in continued massive increases in utility rates.

2. Offer (the operative word here is ‘offer’ not mandate) solar electric power generation for ALL residences and office buildings in Alachua County right now. If the owner agrees, attach cost of units to the property. This way if the property sells the remaining cost of the PV Array will transfer to the new owner.

3. Cut GRU’s transfer to the city by $5 million dollars and reduce the electric rates to all city residents by a commensurate amount. At least have the discussion.  Offer the same to residents living outside the city IF they wish to annex into the city.

4. Change the City Charter and return to 5 Commissioners instead of 7. We can’t afford 7 for many reasons.

5. Cut the pay for Commissioners in half. No retirement and no healthcare (I can hear the squeals already).

6. Move the City elections to November. No elections in the Spring. This will save money as well as increase the paltry turnout (10.78% of registered voters in the last Mayoral election).

7. Eliminate the $500,000.00 dollar per year City Communications office…it didn’t exist when I was on the City Commission. I can think of a few more but this is likely too long already.

I’d say that would be a good start for 2010 and I didn’t have to go to 10.   I guarentee you my 7 will provide more improvement in our community than the Sun’s 10.  Somehow, someway, we’ve got to stop this nonsense.