Posts from — April 2008

Last night, the Escambia County School Board voted 4-1 to approve Superintendent Jim Paul’s plan to reduce budget by roughly $6.2 million, in response to the expected $15+ million shortfall the District is facing. Rather than look at administrative cutbacks, Paul’s plan focus on cutting teachers and elementary school clerks. While no current employees will lose their jobs, the District will simply hire less teachers (as if our class sizes aren’t big enough already) and reassign personnel, while requiring current teachers to work more in order to fill the gap.

The sole dissenting vote was cast by Claudia Brown-Curry (ECSB-3), who said, “I still feel we have not addressed cuts at the top level — the fat if you will.” Brown-Curry is a Democratic candidate to replace Paul as Superintendent of Schools.

While the other board members voted in favor of Paul’s plan, board member Patty Hightower (ECSB-4) did ask School Board Attorney Donna Waters if the board had the authority to eliminate positions not included in Paul’s plan. While Waters said she felt the board did have that authority, Paul said he would challenge any attempt by the Board to exercise it. “We don’t want to involve ourselves in a constitutional crisis,” he said. How arrogant.

Paul also tried to float a proposal to cut nearly $1.7 million from non-teaching positions, but that was voted down, with only Hightower voting for it.

Why does our local government always look to cut that which most affects citizens rather that reduce salary, overhead, and inefficiency in administration? The Superintendent of Schools makes $130,436. Why?

Have our schools really gotten any better since Paul has been Superintendent? I don’t think so. It’s time for a change.

As I predicted, the City’s followed suit and announced a pilot recycling program for about 400 East Hill homes.  The program will supply an extra 90-gallon container for recyclables, and reduce garbage pickup to once-weekly, replacing the second pickup with one for recyclables.  At current the pilot program plans to do this at no additional cost to City residents.

Unfortunately I don’t live in East Hill anymore!

Meanwhile the City continues discussions with ECUA on the possibility of ECUA taking over sanitation services in the City.  If only I could think of a more emphatic way to say, “NO!”  I don’t want County-quality service.  The City’s sanitation department is probably the best department in City government.

State Rep. Greg Evers (R-Milton) has a primary challenger in his bid for re-election:  A Mr. Ryan L. Gilbert of Holt.  Pretty late to declare, eh, Mr. Gilbert?

Finally, a body of local government has done something right. Yesterday, the ECUA Board approved a voluntary/opt-in curbside recycling program.

The plan maintains the current service level of twice-weekly trash pickup, and allows customers to add a once-weekly recycling pickup for about $2.  There are apparently some different options as far as container size, whereby use of smaller containers results in a smaller fee.

This is long overdue.  Progressive cities across the country have had curbside recycling for years.  Will there ever come a day when we are not perpetually behind the times?

City residents like me don’t get to take advantage of this;  but I imagine if enough City residents clamor about County folk having services we don’t, the City will follow suit.  So write your councilmembers.  If you don’t know your district, use the tool on the Supervisor of Elections’ website, or ask me.  Jack Nobles and Mike Wiggins represent all City residents, as at-large councilmembers.

As Rick Outzen is reporting, Alan Scott, Republican candidate for Escambia County Superintendent of Schools, is going to be leaving the race shortly. I’ve known about this but have not spoken about it at the behest of a friend. In any case, you’ll be seeing his name in the newspaper in the coming weeks.

Democrat Jim Barnett has filed to run for the District 5 seat on the Escambia Board of County Commissioners, currently occupied by Kevin White. There are now three Democrats and four Republicans, including White, seeking the seat. At current, only Democrat John Hartman has met the petition requirement. Petitions are due May 19.

Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall (PCC-2) now has an opponent in his bid for re-election: Peter Saccomanno. Pensacola City Council races are non-partisan.

As the PNJ reported earlier this month, Sheriff McNesby is going to close two precinct locations, one in Warrington, and one in Ensley, to help slash $2 million from his budget, as the County has asked him to do.

Never mind the fact that the ECSO budget has increased 42% since Ronnie Mac took office.
Never mind the fact that ECSO administration costs have increased 310% since Ronnie Mac took office.

How long are we going to let Ronnie and the ECSO elite pull the wool over our eyes while they rob us blind? The Sheriff’s office is a black hole. More and more money goes in, yet service doesn’t get any better. There aren’t more deputies patrolling our streets. The money we spend goes into the pockets of Ronnie and the good old boys, and into extravagant, unneeded purchases like helicopters and $16,000 sniper rifles.

Vote for someone else.

Sam Lucas (D)
Larry Scapecchi (D)
David Morgan (R)

For any who didn’t know, UWF is hosting an Earth Day symposium all day tomorrow. Symposium culminates with a keynote address from Mike Papantonio and a screening of the short film Sacred Planet.

More info at earthdaypensacola.org.

The ECUA Board will vote at its next meeting on a motion to reduce garbage pickup to once weekly and use the second pickup for recycling.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, April 24, at 3:00 PM, in ECUA’s Human Resources building at 9250 Hamman Avenue in Ellyson Park.

Osceola Golf Course is a public golf course owned by the City of Pensacola (although the course is not located within the City). The course is not self-sustaining, which means City residents subsidise its operation with their tax dollars.

Total expenses for the course in FY2007 were $734,291.00. Total revenue was $550,256.00 — Resulting in a net loss of $184,035.00.

In a time of budget shortfalls, we need to eliminate that which is inefficient and bleeds out cash. Unless we can do something to increase the usage at the Course and make it self-sustaining, it should be sold if possible, or closed otherwise.

At whatever point anyone reads this, consider this an inaugural announcement. This is Progressive Pensacola. It is intended to serve as both a monologue, for me, and a dialogue, for the community, to discuss area politics, news, culture, et cetera.

In time I will add some other nifty things:

• A calendar listing upcoming political and cultural events
• Forum capabilities to foster discussion

For now, my words and sentences will have to do.