Here4Good - IIRC, we had single district voting in one election, in the late '80's or early '90s. It was the biggest mess, and we went back to county-wide voting in the next election. If I am not remembering correctly, perhaps someone who keeps better track of these things will post and correct me.
Why was it a mess? We elected the late Col Bob Fleet as our District 5 commissioner, and that was a good thing. However, none of us had any say as to who filled the other four seats. That was not a good thing. If the citizens of South Walton, or DeFuniak, or Eucheeanna, or Choctaw Beach, etc only elect one commissioner, that's one out of 5. And the other four have no responsibility to answer to citizens who do not live in their districts. That might work for state politics, but not in a county. Each elected commissioner and/or school board member represents a district, but answers to every voter in the county. And that is how it should be. The reason that we in SoWal feel that our votes don't count is that the vast majority of us (not necessarily on this board, but the general public) don't come out to vote until the general election. By then, many county races are decided.
In reference to my county job...yes, I work for a constitutional officer. Yes, twelve years ago I went through a competitive interview process after seeing the employment ad in the DeFuniak Herald, but there were still questions about why I was selected, and these questions lingered for several years. Because of certain members of my own family, plus the fact that EVERYBODY knows ShallowsFuzz, it was widely assumed that the good old boy network was alive and well. And I felt insulted and hurt, because I had worked very, very hard for the education that, at the time, was a prerequisite for my position. I'm still a little defensive, if you can't tell.
As far as it being difficult to get a county job, yes, it is right now because there is a hiring freeze. But in the nearly-twelve years I've worked there, we've gone through probably 25 people - 50 or more, if you count the other offices in the Annex. Therefore, steady is not a word I'd use, and many positions have been available and well advertised. As far as benefits, I ran out of both my dental and chiropractic benefits last year, and last Saturday I paid $80 for a small bottle of prescription eyedrops. I am fortunate in that my family health insurance is paid for because both I and my spouse work for different departments in Walton County. That is actually cheaper for the county than covering us individually would be. However, most of us pay out the yazoo for it, as I did during that time when Fuzz was separated from the WCSO.
And, my road was on the paving list for five years before it actually got done. If I was able to pull any strings, the rest of East Point Washington Road would be paved all the way to 395. But, it's still dirt, despite the increased traffic on it due to all my new neighbors, and I guess it will be until all the new subdivisions that won't sell go in.
Perhaps I should have made this a blog. Unfortunately, I have to go bounce down the dirt road to Publix now.
Why was it a mess? We elected the late Col Bob Fleet as our District 5 commissioner, and that was a good thing. However, none of us had any say as to who filled the other four seats. That was not a good thing. If the citizens of South Walton, or DeFuniak, or Eucheeanna, or Choctaw Beach, etc only elect one commissioner, that's one out of 5. And the other four have no responsibility to answer to citizens who do not live in their districts. That might work for state politics, but not in a county. Each elected commissioner and/or school board member represents a district, but answers to every voter in the county. And that is how it should be. The reason that we in SoWal feel that our votes don't count is that the vast majority of us (not necessarily on this board, but the general public) don't come out to vote until the general election. By then, many county races are decided.
In reference to my county job...yes, I work for a constitutional officer. Yes, twelve years ago I went through a competitive interview process after seeing the employment ad in the DeFuniak Herald, but there were still questions about why I was selected, and these questions lingered for several years. Because of certain members of my own family, plus the fact that EVERYBODY knows ShallowsFuzz, it was widely assumed that the good old boy network was alive and well. And I felt insulted and hurt, because I had worked very, very hard for the education that, at the time, was a prerequisite for my position. I'm still a little defensive, if you can't tell.
As far as it being difficult to get a county job, yes, it is right now because there is a hiring freeze. But in the nearly-twelve years I've worked there, we've gone through probably 25 people - 50 or more, if you count the other offices in the Annex. Therefore, steady is not a word I'd use, and many positions have been available and well advertised. As far as benefits, I ran out of both my dental and chiropractic benefits last year, and last Saturday I paid $80 for a small bottle of prescription eyedrops. I am fortunate in that my family health insurance is paid for because both I and my spouse work for different departments in Walton County. That is actually cheaper for the county than covering us individually would be. However, most of us pay out the yazoo for it, as I did during that time when Fuzz was separated from the WCSO.
And, my road was on the paving list for five years before it actually got done. If I was able to pull any strings, the rest of East Point Washington Road would be paved all the way to 395. But, it's still dirt, despite the increased traffic on it due to all my new neighbors, and I guess it will be until all the new subdivisions that won't sell go in.
Perhaps I should have made this a blog. Unfortunately, I have to go bounce down the dirt road to Publix now.
