Ringing in 2012

Usually people ring in the new year with resolutions that may or may not be fulfilled and positive outlooks for the near future. Here at the beginning of 2012, I take a bit of a different view.

I bid good riddance to 2011. It was a year with few blessings and many defeats. Though I survived those and will continue on, I see some disturbing trends in my town and as many investment advisors will tell you, past performance is a good indicator of future success or failure.

Four years ago the local Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) brow-beat my wife and I into paying over $6,000 in penalties to the state. Again in 2011, the same DEP representative attempted the same technique. However, this time I had an attorney with me. The DEP rep immediately postponed the meeting and four months later, no more word from the DEP.

In mid-2010, the city government-owned natural gas utility (ESP) was discovered (by state auditors) to have coded numerous business accounts as "tax exempt" in their computers, unbeknownst to the business customers. Mine was one and instead of the utility paying the back sales tax, which was about $6,500, out of the $8million profit they made, they required me to make it up. I put the issue to a newly-elected city councilman, whom also happened to be an architect who had renovated some historical buildings. Ironically, considering the councilman had received tax benefits for renovating his buildings, he actually said siding with me on my issue would be unfair to the other taxpayers. Apparently what is good for some, isn't so good for others. This all came to a head in 2011 as a contributing expense the business just couldn't bear.

2011 saw our fair city lease out an entire floor of their building to a private company. On the surface this would appear a good move, but considering private sector commercial space is in such abundance, it seems to be in direct competition. Later in the year the city gave an entire piece of property to a local company with the stipulation that the business hire 100 people over the next couple of years. Again, this seems in direct competition with private commercial property owners. Tax incentives are one thing, but outright giving of property, well, that's another matter.

And near the end of the year, the county hired someone for a marketing position (Equestrian Center Marketing Director) who had no marketing experience. One of the county commissioners pushed for the man's hiring and then pushed for an increase in salary for the position before the man even started the job. Nobody within the county government could find it within them to file an ethics complaint. When the newspaper exposed this matter, the man was fired and the position re-posted. This time, the job title was changed to "manager" and voila! The man is one of the seven finalists for the job. Keep in mind that, after a statewide survey was done, the position in this county is at a higher rate of pay than any of the other Equestrian Center Marketing Directors across the state.

I now fully understand why most people who come to Pensacola, leave after about five to seven years. They realize that our town is so entrenched in the "good old boy" system it is likely to never change.

So as we begin 2012, I have little faith that our little town will show much change, but I take on the challenge to affect as much positive change as I can. This is my new beginning. If you can bear it, I beg you to work every day to meet this same challenge.

Thank you.