Ro Cuchens - Fiscal Conservative

I would rather vote for a skunk but this seems like a bit of a stretch. I hope all of his ethics violations and questionable dealings are enough to crush him.

He's a snake.

I would rather vote for a skunk but this seems like a bit of a stretch. I hope all of his ethics violations and questionable dealings are enough to crush him.

He's a snake.

No stretch involved - figures are from the audits for each of those years.

Did he think no one would check his claims ?

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No More 'Ro'

The truth is that the millage rate was 5.315 in 2002 before Cuchens took office and was 4.060 in his last year in office. He voted NAY on one budget and YEA on three.
The millage rate was 4.060 in 2006 before Commander took office and the tentative rate for 2010 is 4.14. Commander's nay vote this year is the first time she has opposed the set millage.

Who is the fiscal conservative?

The truth is that the millage rate was 5.315 in 2002 before Cuchens took office and was 4.060 in his last year in office. He voted NAY on one budget and YEA on three.
The millage rate was 4.060 in 2006 before Commander took office and the tentative rate for 2010 is 4.14. Commander's nay vote this year is the first time she has opposed the set millage.

She also voted to lower the budget last year and to keep the same millage rate.

Who is the fiscal conservative?

It's sure not 'Ro'

Millage rate is just a mathematical calculation.

Expenditures are the true indicator of "fiscal conservatism".

The national tax rate is not the problem it is the out of control spending that is the problem - just as it was the problem during Mr. Cuchens tenure.

Naturally the millage rate declined - property values went thru the ceiling and without a doubling of the expenditures ad valorum taxes collected would not have increased by 114%.

No stretch involved - figures are from the audits for each of those years.

Sure they were partying well into the night but that budget was a freak child of the bubble was it not? I guess your point is that he was one of the hogs at the trough? One of the foxes guarding the hen house?

The truth is that the millage rate was 5.315 in 2002 before Cuchens took office and was 4.060 in his last year in office. He voted NAY on one budget and YEA on three.
The millage rate was 4.060 in 2006 before Commander took office and the tentative rate for 2010 is 4.14. Commander's nay vote this year is the first time she has opposed the set millage.

Who is the fiscal conservative?

Collected taxes 2003-2006 up 225%

Collected taxes 2006-2010 up .0000000001% (if roll back is ultimately approved)

Source: CAFR, Walton County Clerk of Courts.

I showed you mine, now you show me yours. I remember a District 1 Commissioner telling me one time he did not even know what the roll back rate was. When they are flush with cash, they cut the millage and say they are cutting taxes, when they have no cash they jack the millage and say we are collecting the same this year as last year so we are not raising taxes.

Can not have it both ways, imho. That is why I look at the taxes collected, those are the dollars taken out of the economy that are used to create jobs, sell goods, and generally make a better way of life for the rest of us.

Government thinking is skewed thinking. IE, I need an electronic way to view a pdf file, do I go and buy a $139 Kindle like the private sector guy, or do I go and buy the $899 Ipad like the public sector government employee that is not spending their own dollars. In Walton County we go with the Ipad, what the heck, can also watch movies and play games.

Who is the "Fiscal Conservative?"

Collected taxes 2003-2006 WENT UP 225% under Ro Cuchens.😱

Collected taxes 2006-2010 are up .0000000001% (if roll back is ultimately approved) under Sara Comander.

There's nothing left to say. Comander :clap: is the fiscall conservative, NOT Cuchens.

If the other 4 commissioners had followed Comander's lead, our budget and millage would be lower and they would have received A+ ratings from the Taxpayers Association, too! Raising taxes is not always the best answer!!!

Government thinking is skewed thinking. IE, I need an electronic way to view a pdf file, do I go and buy a $139 Kindle like the private sector guy, or do I go and buy the $899 Ipad like the public sector government employee that is not spending their own dollars. In Walton County we go with the Ipad, what the heck, can also watch movies and play games.

I guess I don't see why a free download of an Adobe program to view a pdf isn't an option. :idontno:

Maybe because I actually have to pay for stuff? :roll:

Collected taxes 2003-2006 WENT UP 225% under Ro Cuchens.😱

Collected taxes 2006-2010 are up .0000000001% (if roll back is ultimately approved) under Sara Comander.

There's nothing left to say. Comander :clap: is the fiscall conservative, NOT Cuchens.

If the other 4 commissioners had followed Comander's lead, our budget and millage would be lower and they would have received A+ ratings from the Taxpayers Association, too! Raising taxes is not always the best answer!!!

The four years Cuchens was in office were boom years and revenues went up in spite of the fact that the millage rate went down. In commander's four years the market crashed and revenues basically remained nuetral in spite of the fact that the millage rate increased.
I agree that raising taxes is not the answer and the budget should be decreased before taxes are raised. Cuchens would have made the same stand that Commander made and possibly would have excercised enough leadership to halt the increase instead of being on the losing end of a 4-1 vote. I am certainly going to vote to give him a chance to do it.

Finally, you have decided. It appeared to me you've been leaning that way and just wanted to be thoughtful about the decision. Glad you made up your mind. I voted for Sara today.

Finally, you have decided. It appeared to me you've been leaning that way and just wanted to be thoughtful about the decision. Glad you made up your mind. I voted for Sara today.

Glad to hear you voted, I will wait awhile probably. Any thoughts on the other races now that you have voted? I am generally leaning anti-incumbent in the school board but really don't know alot about some of the candidates and frankly hear zero buzz about these races.

My question is is there anything anyone could say to change the anti incumbent mentality?

My question is is there anything anyone could say to change the anti incumbent mentality?

I don't know frankly. I would like to know a little about who I am voting for and as far as the school board I don't know alot. I do know Bill Eddins Jr. is the son of the State Attorney and Wallace used to own Southbay Ace and Sunday used to be superintendent but that is about it.

I don't know frankly. I would like to know a little about who I am voting for and as far as the school board I don't know alot. I do know Bill Eddins Jr. is the son of the State Attorney and Wallace used to own Southbay Ace and Sunday used to be superintendent but that is about it.

Here ya go- listen to the candidates introduce themselves at the beginning of the video.

http://www.sowal.com/bb/local-government/49397-school-board-candidate-forum-video.html

To learn more about the people running, theres some sort of public thing tonight at 6 in Freeport at the high school for all local candidates. They present themselves and answer questions.

I'm wondering if anybody is checking up as to where candidates actually live. Do they live where the property appraiser's office says they live, or do they live where their mailbox 35 miles away is? :roll:

Just a point of clarification, Idlewind. Revenues during Comander's term have not remained neutral, they have dropped for the last two years by millions of dollars. That's what makes her stand-alone NO vote so courageous.
As for Ro taking the same stand, I'm not sure what you are basing this position on. The BCC minutes clearly show that Mr. Cuchens routinely voted to RAISE the millage and taxes.
Glad to hear you are voting, and I still recommend you call Comander personally. She takes her calls and returns the ones she misses. I think you would be surprised at her honesty and integrity. Anyway, just wanted to make sure the facts were out there, too.

By the way, I think most incumbents should go, too, but we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Voting against every incumbent is just as bad as voting for them all.
It's about making the right choices.

The four years Cuchens was in office were boom years and revenues went up in spite of the fact that the millage rate went down. In commander's four years the market crashed and revenues basically remained nuetral in spite of the fact that the millage rate increased.
I agree that raising taxes is not the answer and the budget should be decreased before taxes are raised. Cuchens would have made the same stand that Commander made and possibly would have excercised enough leadership to halt the increase instead of being on the losing end of a 4-1 vote. I am certainly going to vote to give him a chance to do it.

The four years Cuchens was in office were boom years and revenues went up in spite of the fact that the millage rate went down. In commander's four years the market crashed and revenues basically remained nuetral in spite of the fact that the millage rate increased.
I agree that raising taxes is not the answer and the budget should be decreased before taxes are raised. Cuchens would have made the same stand that Commander made and possibly would have excercised enough leadership to halt the increase instead of being on the losing end of a 4-1 vote. I am certainly going to vote to give him a chance to do it.

Maybe you will get lucky and he will give you $5 million to build a park too.

I'm wondering if anybody is checking up as to where candidates actually live. Do they live where the property appraiser's office says they live, or do they live where their mailbox 35 miles away is? :roll:

See, this is the sort of thing that I am guessing that the Supervisor of Elections should check out. If this government worked, a person could report their suspicions and the SOE would check it out. Since it doesn't, everyone just speculates because if you were to report it, the SOE would just ASK the person where they lived and then say "Okey Dokey! See you at church on Sunday, and best to your wife!"

This is what drives everyone nuts who moves here - there is no newspaper, no news organizations to even try to discern the truth, so there is no need for the county to satisfy the need of the people to know. We are in the middle of a commission race involving Ro Cuchens, about whom there are all of these stories about profiteering from the last major hurricanes, and the only source of information about this issue is the candidate himself. And, he says it weren't true - go figure.