The $25K Run

What could a person do with $25,000?

Investing such a sum might be the wisest of choices – these economically distraught times could be the perfect opportunity to realize financial security in 5 to 10 years. Stock prices have declined dramatically and sure to level off and, eventually, offer profits to the wise: those who contact a professional advisor rather than decide to pick and choose, then lose.

With the price of gas currently the lowest than it will be anytime in the future, that $25K will put you in a Prius - taxes, title and delivery charges included. It’s a hybrid, gets over 45 mpg and a Toyota. And push-button start is standard. You couldn’t possibly go wrong. I might choose this option, considering the mpg of my ’95 4Runner – paid off years ago and maintained by Mike, the Toyota/Lexus expert, at Toyodoc. It’s still a keeper for transporting anything larger than the purchases at the grocer.

A responsible person would take care of debt. Pay off credit cards, catch up on house payments and pay property taxes and insurance premiums on time.

Attend to medical conditions that have been cost-prohibitive, maybe dental.

This is a perfect time for a first time homebuyer to cash in on the fallen housing market: a sizable down payment and cash to boot for home improvement purchases. It’s still a worthwhile American dream, although on hold for too many.

There are surely those who would just blow the $25K on good-time excursions.

A newspaper trail

Or, as reported by Barbara Behrendt in the Monday, August 25th, edition of Hernando Times, a concerned resident of Hernando County plans to direct the money-flow toward his choice of candidates in the General Election. The article can be viewed at: www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/article783284.ece

Many of the 2008 candidates on the Primary Ballot had been given donations from Blaise and his businesses, but on August 26th, Election Day, he let the candidates “battle it out”. The gentleman is one determined individual to put each and every incumbent commissioner out of office. His conviction is flaunted with plans to spend $25,000 of his own money toward that end.

He can be commended for his determination. As he has been a successful businessman with Hartland Homes Inc, America One Home Loans and Juris Title of Hernando County, he is without a doubt a man who has personal goals and the determination to achieve success with each venture.

Backtracking on the newspaper trail

Let’s go back almost one year to the day, on August 25th, 2007, when Barbara Behrendt wrote an article titled ‘Spirit’ trumps the numbers. The full article can be viewed at
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/08/26/Hernando/_Spirit__trumps_the_n.shtml

A book deal in the making, motivational speaker for pre-construction investment seminars, investor-financed homes… the very type of homes that are vacant, taking up space without occupants to pay for the property taxes that they would bring into county funds. Lowing homeowner property taxes to 1.35% would have made it easier to unload unoccupied, discounted homes and opened opportunities in the future to keep on building.

Ms. Berhendt wrote that Mr. Ingoglia “will come forward later with ideas on how to shrink county government without massive layoffs or service cuts.” At the time, “he hasn’t gotten around to devising those yet.” Whatever those ideas may have been, it’s now apparent layoffs and service cuts are unavoidable and the number of unemployed county workers will increase with little consideration of the position and/or pay level. Primary cost-saving measures include the consolidation of department heads and reduced hours for various services.

One-track minds

The point is that Blaise is determined to prompt voters with a principal that puts decisions in the same vane as voting for a candidate because of a physical appearance, voting strictly along a party line or voting for the candidate based on similar religious beliefs. Single-issue voting is narrow-minded and can compromise the selection of the best-qualified candidate. The odds of making a responsible choice are variable but it’s nowhere near a 50-50 proposition.

Take for instance the current President. Time and again I had talked to people who had voted for Bush in the 2000 election had expressed their dismay and hinted they would go with Gore. These were middle-aged to elderly friends, acquaintances and, just as often, people that would be one-time social contacts (standing in line in a retail store!). Guess what? They made a last-minute flip-flop because of one sole issue. And guess what? It was Iraq and the “war” on terror.

Apparently they make the assumption that it was the patriotic thing to do. This was single-issue voting that kept Bush occupying the Oval Office these past four years. The choice was poorly made as people look forward to the change in January 2009; hopefully mundane McCain won’t be elected on the same premise.

$25K run

Just as Mr. Ingoglia spent over $12,000 last year presenting his Government Gone Wild seminars, he’s prepared to make a $25K run at replacing the incumbent commissioners at whatever cost. Fellow grass roots activist and political action citizen, Linda Hayward, and other members of the Hernando County Taxpayer Alliance haven’t anything better to do, either.

County Administrator David Hamilton is determined to make Hernando County an example in responsible government with cautious steps at balancing a reduced budget by downsizing every level of government. One means of saving resident’s total tax burden is by attrition, such as the announced retirement of Grant Tolbert. And, do the names Tom Leto, Barbara Dupre, Stephanie Anderson, Michael Silvey or Carl Kennedy ring a bell?
The eventual fate of Charles Mixon is uncertain.

Even though these events are decidedly shy of achieving the ultimate goal of reducing taxes further than what has already been realized, Mr. Hamilton is a pro at tackling the issues and delivering successful results - he came on board with no personal, emotional bonds, so his decisions are unbiased and affective.

Blaise can spend his money and Linda can offer solidarity to the one goal of voting against incumbent Commissioners, but it’s poor reasoning gone wild. Their allegiance to that end is wrought with what should be voter concern. The theme will be well received by many who might be less informed as there will likely be no other issues discussed with the same gala.

Nevertheless, with or without their influence, snippets on the budget will continue regardless the vote tally of any given candidate.

It's not just the taxes, stupid

Another concern expressed by many residents is the reliance of construction and related jobs on the local economy. There’s a solid murmuring that the job performance of Mike McHugh should be reviewed for consideration of termination. It appears drawing alternative, higher paying jobs is a haphazard success in that there are businesses that have shown an interest of relocating to Hernando County without the involvement of the Growth and Development Director.

Namely, Precision Alliance has expressed an interest in drawing some 135 machine tool businesses to Hernando County with 4,000 high-paying, technical jobs. The company’s goal is to make this happen within 5 years although the full number of job opportunities may not be realized for a few years beyond, depending on a sufficiently educated work force and the infrastructure to accommodate their needs.

Ignominious and blasé

November is two months in the future. Hopefully residents will become educated voters on a variety of the topics of local concern and not be overly influenced with the preaching of selective topics. There’s no telling how the $25K will be allocated in the coming weeks or what affect it will have on the outcome of Election Day. Perhaps the disappointments of less-than-expected tax savings on recent TRIM notices are all that’ll be needed to make a sweeping change in the makeup of the Board this coming November.

Smear Graphics

What do we have here, juvenile politicians or intense campaigners or overzealous supporters? Whatever the reason, at the southeast corner of the intersection at Mariner and Northcliffe the land has been cleared with what could be considered a small mountain of dirt in this flatland state. In time, it’ll be the site of other businesses that’ll make the intersection another bonanza of traffic congestion, making it an accident-prone location. But that’s not what this writing is about.

The item of comment is the larger-than-me political sign that’s red-and-white against a backdrop of blue sky. Leaning against a wire fence to keep in it an upright position, the sign has been confetti-eed with additional streaks of red with definite hints of being done by a poor expressionist of pre-school mentality.

Whether done out of zeal to oust incumbent Democrat Diane Rowden, Hernando County Commissioner District 3, or to seat the opposing candidate, Republican John Druzbick, it makes a point in that there are delinquents of any age.

Whoever the culprit, the fact is that the smaller sign positioned next to that of Diane Rowden had no memorable characteristics of its own - I have no recollection the candidate's name or election office. This might give the advantage to Mrs. Rowden.

The Commissioner’s sign stands out so, out of name recognition, perhaps ROWDEN will be easily remembered when voters enter their checkmark on the General Election ballot.

UPDATE:

Just great! Two days later and the sign has been stolen!