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.

Precision Perfect

The doctor is in. The diagnosis is apparent. The prognosis is one of positive results, unless the health care provider denies treatment. Recovery may take a few years but patience and determination of the doctors could provide a means for the afflicted to correct the maladies inherent with the ailment.

The ailment is the stagnant prospects of a Hernando County achieving a balance of economic well-being. The health care provider is County Government. The primary decision to wield the necessary surgical instruments lies with departmental heads within the government. They are lax at correcting decisions that have taken the life and breath out of our local economy. The wheezing of the asthmatic condition of the economy has progressively worsened, impaling a community in dire need of a healthy dose of oxygen. Gasping for air can be replaced with a bellow. Out with the bad, in with the good.

John Selway, along with co-owner Jeffrey Walz, of Precision Alliance Company hopes to bring some 135 machine tool manufacturing businesses to a 2-million square foot industrial park. Sounds like a big order to fill but his existing company, Eurotech, has been in Brooksville for over 30 years. He is aware of the needs of the community in terms of a diversified, positive outlook for the future. That future is just around a couple of corners: the goal is to make this happen within five years.

The Chamber of Commerce and Office of Business Development Director Mike McHugh are understandably keen on the idea. For years Mr. McHugh has taunted residents with visions of bringing manufacturing jobs to our county. His successes are well known. Rather than twiddling his thumbs and crossing his fingers to attract new business, he can now spend his days evaluating, discussing and setting in motion a means to bring this dreamy idea to fruition. No more nightmares, please.

Considering how Hernando County is viewed as a “bedroom community”, this is an opportunity of the new millennium. Finally, someone is taking the initial steps that may drag those sleepy-eyed residents out of bed, take a walk on the wild side of higher education and plan for the possibility of financial security. Without the support of qualified technical applications, Precision Alliance will have no choice but take their project to a location outside Hernando. I frown at this prospect.

The Hernando County School Board, Pasco-Hernando Community College and Nature Coast Technical High School will have their opportunities to provide the necessary technically skilled laborers that these businesses require. There will be challenges to meet those needs but professionals of education relish in demonstrating their prowess. This is of monumental importance.

The specific needs of manufacturing businesses do not rely on workers toiling in a greasy, grimy environment as some may falsely assume, but necessitates a higher degree of education that satisfies the knowledge of computer-based applications.

After two and a half years as a resident in the county, I had all but given up on the conservative (lazy?) nature of the community leaders to deliver their professed interest in bringing job opportunities other than retail, construction and lawn maintenance to locations within our borders. These are important means of employment for many but the limitations are evident. These elusive alternative goals are here for the taking, delivered on a silver platter.

County commissioners have been overly zealous in approving housing developments over the past 3 years, apparently assuming that commuters working in Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties will inhabit them along with retirees. Hickory Hill, Sunrise and, recently, Lake Hideaway promise over 10,000 new homes in the next ten to twenty years. Perhaps construction will begin sooner than projected. In the meantime, there are plenty of homes on the market to fulfill many of the necessary housing needs that will come with the manufacturing jobs.

Wouldn’t it grand to see those For Sale signs dwindle, where overgrown lots with Foreclosure notices have brought down home values and when builders and investors can unload unoccupied new homes? And talk about a real estate boom? It would be a win-win situation for a multitude of local businesses.

Perhaps more important to families, there will be the possibility of seeing their kids taking the necessary technical courses to secure local employment. Perhaps the expenses traveling to locations south of here will be less attractive, saving precious time and money to garner respectable wages to raise their own families. Just think how the average annual household income in Hernando County would eventually increase from about $28,000 to over $30,000 - or more.

The hiring of an estimate 4,000 high-paying, high-technicians would bring salaries upwards of $40,000. Let me do the figuring for you = $160,000,00 in wages for jobs in Hernando County. That’s a lot of zeros, a pretty sight to see.

Is it possible local residents will contact friends, relatives and business associates to consider moving here from locations outside the State of Florida? Keep in mind this industry will provide a means for Hernando to “Go Global”. Marketing of services targets businesses the world over. The initial location would be at the Hernando County Airport Industrial Park, a gateway to success.

This may be the dawning of a new day.

My personal comments may foresee the prospects for a positive future along Hernando County’s Nature Coast but the heart and soul of this news lies at the web sight http://www.moveyourbusinesstoflorida.com/. The smiley face of Joseph Selway gives an assurance that drastic economic fortunes could be forthcoming in the next few years.

My suggestion for Hernando Today’s readers is to share this information with family and friends. Right now there’s time to plan for the future and secure the technical training that will be required job applications. Contact county leaders, including Administrator Dave Hamilton, the commissioners and Growth and Development Director Mike McHugh. Not only express your interest, but also explain your expectations of making this opportunity not just a done deal but also a BIG DEAL.

Don’t tell me, “It can’t happen here.” IT CAN! Precision Alliance Company can make this a venture that is precision perfect.