Light-up McIntosh December 15
Light-up McIntosh will begin at the Civic Center at 6:30 p.m. The event will host Santa Clause and an area choir from six local churches will sing.
08.25.06 -- EDITORIAL: Some people like to getcha
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Some people in this town like to getcha.
By CHER PHILLIPS
The editorial board would like to start this edition of Darts and Laurels with a we-know-it's-not-a-permit-but-we-hope-you-like-it-anyway LAUREL to Ursula Hochberg for telling it like it is.
Ursula sat on the back row of this week's special meeting, raising her hand in patience. When Acting Council President Frank Ciotti called on her, she said, "I've had my hand up now for a good half hour."
He apologized and Ursula told her story. She said she put up a wall inside her business and applied for a permit. She hung the permit on her door during the construction. While she was not there, someone took it. So, she went down to the office, got another permit and hung that on the door. Someone took it, as well.
Then, Ursula drove home the point that following the rules in McIntosh isn't always enough to keep you from being picked on by the status quo.
"I followed the rules, as always, but there are some people in this town ...," Ursula paused. "...That like to getcha."
Then, something miraculous happened for a town where council meetings begin with the Lord's Prayer and just as often end in a shouting match.
People laughed.
One reason is that her comment was funny. But in the past four months, laughter wouldn't have been possible. Another reason is the reaction from the council has changed. For that, we'd also like to send out a it's-about-time-we-were-all-heard LAUREL out to the council members for not turning a deaf ear on their residents.
Oh, they didn't really offer much of a solution to her but Ciotti listened sympathetically and said he was sorry. Maybe it's the change in the status quo, I don't know. But in the past months, when some people have brought concerns before the council, they've been chastised for complaining to the council -- like Fred and his palms, Casey and well ... anything she tries to voice.
As much as we'd like to leave everyone warm and fuzzy, we've got one more missive to send. That's a we-maybe-think-you-did-the-right-thing-but-we-aren't-sure-exactly-why DART to former town council member Joe Phillips for not offering an explanation in his resignation letter. He came to last week's meeting and from the floor was willing to continue giving input and opinions to the council and the community, whether that opinion was heeded or not.
But he offered no explanation for his resignation, in his letter or in the council meeting.
When Phillips was campaigning for election last year, he sent a letter out to McIntosh residents asking for their votes. Some might remember this letter. While he was campaigning, he came down to Sportsman's Cove, according to some of the residents who remember his visit. There are 101 McIntosh voters who believed him last year and deserved a better explanation for how he spent their votes.
posted by Cher @ 9:35 AM,
2 Comments:
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At August 26, 2006 2:28 PM ,
Mcintosh resident said...
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Joe Phillips would have wore out the Gavel if someone would have acted the way he was at this meeting. I am concerned the town is considering fining a resident "double" for what seems like a miss comunication. I dont think the average resident knows all the rules and I can tell you that getting an answer or direction from the town is not very easy.
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At August 29, 2006 9:48 AM ,
said...
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I think it should be obvious why Joe Philips resigned. The tide has turned, friends. He and his friends do not hold a majority on the council to pass their policies. They had a vision for this town. It was not my vision and it turned out that it was not the vast bulk of McIntosh's idea, either. He saw the handwriting on the wall and he walked away. The fighting was also too much for him, and rightly so. I think it will be good for his health for Joe to be on the sidelines. His lips were quivering during the meeting before his resignation. I can only imagine what it did to his blood pressure.
Editor
Editor and Publisher:
I'm Cher From McIntosh, FL I'm a graduate student at the University of Florida working on a master's degree in Mass Communication. While I was finishing my undergrad degree in journalism last year, I reported on McIntosh, Fla. for an in-depth reporting class. I figured that the reporting and the public record files should go somewhere people can access them. Reporters don't report to keep the information they find to themselves. Some of that reporting is included here in a forum that allows response. McIntosh suffers because with no news coverage, the local government and the rumor mill have too much potential to run rampant over residents. I moved to McIntosh in the fall of 1999. My profile
About This Blog
The primary purpose of this blog is to accurately reflect what happens in town public meetings and dispel rumors. I record the meetings and make them available for download. One of the goals of this blog is to offer residents a place to voice opinions. The comments, views and opinions expressed there are not necessarily those of the editor.
