Wednesday's PSTA Board meeting was a typical right up to the very
end.
The Board whizzed along Wednesday through the agenda and received
a favorable budget report that estimates PSTA will be able to operate to nearly
2021 without dipping into reserves.
PSTA has done a good job of pulling some rabbits out of the hat
but has used some estimates on fuel prices and property tax revenues that could
be a bit volatile. The entire budget on paper looks pretty good.
More telling will be how the budget actually affects service, and
that will become clear in the next few meetings as route changes and deletions
begin to take shape.
All went along well until item number 12 on the Agenda which is
simply Board Comments.
PSTA Board member Doug Bevis, Mayor of Oldsmar, was first up in
this round robin of comments where most members resort to promoting some event
in their community or thanking PSTA staffers for their efforts.
Mayor Bevis began by thanking the budget staff for their
excellent work and then said, "I think it is a good thing GreenLight failed.'
He went on to add, (Paraphrasing)"If Greenlight had not failed we would
not have had the level of review we see in this budget and a leaner PSTA."
I was at the meeting and as he as speaking, I did a quick sweep
of the dais and if looks could kill Oldsmar would be looking for a new Mayor.
The next couple of speakers tiptoed around Mayor Bevis's remarks
doing the soft shoe that is typical of this section of the Agenda, then
Commissioner Welch was up to bat.
Neither able nor capable of just letting it pass, Commissioner
Welch said he could not agree completely with Mayor Bevis that the GreenLight
defeat was a good thing but, "He was about 90% sure the Oldsmar Mayor was
right."
What?......
Welch, who did everything to get the GreenLight referendum passed
except lay his first born on the GreenLight alter is now 90% sure it was good
that GreenLight was defeated?????
Remember Welch was the PSTA Board Chairman, who defended the
ethics review during GreenLight, supported Brad Miller's bad judgment during the misuse of Federal funds debacle, lead the
charge for a vote of confidence for Miller, constantly and vehemently pushing
the GreenLight referendum and belittled those who opposed it.
Now all of sudden 8 months later he is 90% sure it was a bad
idea. Where was the great enlightening? It could not have been the vote because
he was still up on the idea after GreenLight was mauled at the polls.
The unanswered question is: how many other people on the PSTA
board really agree with Mayor Bevis but are afraid to speak out?
They booted Norm Roche when he didn't buy GreenLight.
Here in lies the problem with PSTA, HART and all of the
"Taxing Authorities" that are set up and populated with a majority of
elected officials. The problem is all of these people are politicians. These
boards should be made up of a majority of citizens so the politics is second
and the governance is first.
It does not take a rocket scientist to simply observe and see that
this board does not really function as a governing board. It is politics first
and functional governance second in virtually every case.
The evidence is pretty clear as the board snuggles up to its new
consultants and members who may face elections begin to set the stage by
distancing themselves from their failed attempt to take $130 Million a year
from this County's economy for something the people did not want.
And then they wonder why we don't trust them.
As for me I am 100% sure GreenLight was a bad idea before the
vote, after the vote and I will be forever. And it is a fact 62% of the voters
agree.
E-mail Doc at mail
to:dr.gwebb@yahoo.com or send me
a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to
share on Facebook. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay
Post Photos.
No comments:
Post a Comment