Paging Mr. Osborne, paging Mr. Alan Osborne

[BlueMtnBeachVagrant]

This forum's nice but I would suggest you meet the guy. I think you would find that a little more informative as I did last night. The jury's still out as to whether I will vote for him but if we have to have someone representing us in a 4 vs. 1 fight against the knuckleheads(nicest word I can think of) that are in office now, I do not see him ever being intimidated in any way.

I hope you really mean 3 vs. 2. As I've said many times, in my book, Ms. Comander is not part of the Fab 3.

 

[Andy A]

BMBV, we really must quit all this agreeing. It is bad for our images. You are right about Commissioner Comander. She votes according to her decision and it is my firm belief it has nothing to do with a particular bloc or party affiliation. That is good. I didn't agree with her vote on the Sheriff's funds for the 911 system, but I can understand where she was coming from. IMO, she is turning out to be an excellent Commissioner.

 

[BlueMtnBeachVagrant]

Andy A., It is nice to find common ground with one's neighbor every now and then.
Thanks

 

[Jdarg]

Here is a thought. Many issues that come before the BCC seem to be put off until future meetings, in some cases to clarify laws. Wouldn't it be helpful to have someone on the board (other than the BCC attorney) that can quickly understand sticky legal issues, or at least know the questions to ask during a meeting, instead of 3 meetings down the road?

I first heard the "buzz" about Osborne at a parent function at Bay Elementary. Many parents are impressed with his organization and preparedness for meetings, his intelligence, and his hard work.

Right now, he has jumped out of the pack on my short list (OK, my list was 2 people), and I am looking forward to hearing more about him and his plans for his BCC term.

 

[30A Skunkape]

I so hope he adopts Crazy Train as his official campaign song

 

[Alan Osborne]

Answers to paging Mr Osborne

Since somebody has already posted the link to my website, I'll start my introduction by getting right to answering the questions asked. In fairness to the other candidates, I didn't read their responses because I wanted mine to be my own. Here goes.

Have you ever held government office before?
A.

 

[Alan Osborne]

Answers to paging Mr Osborne

We are having power issues with the storm. I will reply when the storm has passed.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Hopefully, you aren't also having flooding issues from the storm. Looking forward to reading your replies to the questions, Alan. Welcome!

 

[Santiago]

I hope you really mean 3 vs. 2. As I've said many times, in my book, Ms. Comander is not part of the Fab 3.

No, I actually meant 4v1. Everyone has their issues and my list is small and simple. The vast majority of the county's tax dollars come from South Walton and our youth sports league's facilities pale compared to other areas in the county. If this issue is taken care of, I am a pretty happy camper. I attended a mixer to get to know Alan and feel that he is probably more pissed off than I am about this issue. I left without having any doubts that he will go to the mat on this issue and look forward to seeing him do it.

 

[Alan Osborne]

First 4 Answers

Answers to paging Mr Osborne

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Have you ever held government office before?
A. No. I have not held an elected position, but I have held numerous offices of responsibility in the military. I think my background in the government is clearly defined on my website.
What experience do you have in trying to bring very diverse groups to a consensus and how are you in the art of compromise?

• By its very nature, the military is one of the most diverse groups of people ever put together, all though compromise is not always an option. When you get down to it, bringing people together is about leadership. I have had plenty of these opportunities. If you consider flying combat missions in four different aircraft, and coordinating over 100 people in a possible life or death scenario, then yeah I?m experienced. I?ve done it in 5 different conflicts. To accomplish compromise you have to first state the clear goals of both sides of an issue. You then need to bring the facts to the table of both sides so that each understands the others position. I know how to do this and have done it well in the past on government projects in excess of 40 million dollars. I will also add to this that occasionally when the facts are clear, there are times when compromise is not an option for the community. I am well prepared for this and will defend my position on any issue with facts and not emotion. One of the most challenging things that I have ever done is bring a group of homeowners together and uniting them for the good of the community. When you deal with people?s homes, children and lifestyle, this is as hard a ?sell? as you will get in my opinion on compromise.

What is your position on the Driftwood Estates Drainage issue? Should the county stop the ongoing development until drainage is fixed?
A. Everyone knows that I have been at the forefront of this. It is this simple?the Developers led the county ?down that road? without the DRI being complied with and without the required drainage easements in my opinion. Yes, the county should stop ongoing development until the drainage is fixed. My personal feelings aside, it is always more expensive to fix a problem after the fact than before it occurs. Why build more houses until it is in compliance and the county is in possession of the drainage easements, since those easements join county right of way. This should not be paid for by the taxpayers!
Should Code Enforcement be proactive or reactive?
A. Of course, I think it?s both! Easy answer is, it should follow the written rules in the county code and item?s passed in resolution. If you don?t like one of them you can organize your facts and group, come before the commission and ask that it be changed, pleading your case. I think the real issue that people have that really bothers them in South Walton is getting the codes fairly and evenly enforced. As a commissioner, I would have a meeting with the code enforcement department and hear their side of the story. There may be needs that have to be addressed to ensure the desired effect of the code is met, But once that happens enforcement should be immediate!
How do you feel about using property taxes to buy up lands for use as public venues? Could we open up some of the school property when it is not in use since our tax dollars already paid for those?
A. If it is the desire of the population to tell the commissioners that they want more use of land as public venues, then I see no problem using tax dollars, as long as it doesn?t take away from the basic services that a county must provide. It also can not adversely affect the tax base of all for the benefit of a few. It must remain within reasonable reach of a manageable budget. As for using the school property for public venues, I believe that should be limited to youth sporting events and not any private ?for-profit? or tourism event. Our schools have been getting better and better here in District 5 since I moved here. Our schools are safe and I don?t think the public at large should be roaming around the school grounds. I think that the parents and community like it that way. We need to improve our parks, preserve what we have now and acquire all the land we can AFFORD for the public. Public land is enrichment for all who use it. School carnivals, fundraisers, sports boosters and youth clubs (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc.) would be exempt from this policy.

OK everybody, the next four questions tomorrow, I owe my wife dinner!, it is Saturday night.

Alan Osborne
Please clap, my dog doesn't say much in my office!