One of the Greatest Gifts You Can Give Is Your Time
By 
Super fun fact, the City of Safety Harbor operates under a Commission-Manager form of government. The Commission has five elected members consisting of a Mayor & four City Commissioners. The reason this is such a fun fact is because it means we the people “should” have a great deal of power. Operative word is should. The truth is most things Government related are boring, leaving us uninvolved. No matter how important budgets and policy making are to our everyday life, they’re a dull study. This could be why the recent municipal elections have not only been about where our Commissioners stand on budgeting, policy making & determining the tax rate but instead have taken a que from Reality TV.
I would rather be bored than exposed to the slander and drama in this coming election held on March 9, 2021. I have asked our Commissioners these 3 questions:
- We are a very festive, small town. How are we budgeting for the added expenses involved in hosting Festivals once again?
- Are you considering adopting new policy? If so, please elaborate on your ideas here.
- The millage rate has been 3.95 since 2017. Is there any reason we would need to increase the rate in the next budget? Or is there any reasons that would provide us to reduce the millage rate?
Now, ask yourself, these questions:
- What is your favorite part about Safety Harbor?
- How many commission meetings have you been to, what inspired you to go?
- Would you ever run for office, why or why not?
The duties of a commissioner consist of attending two monthly meetings, listening to constituents, making new policy & reforming existing policy, reviewing & adapting the Manager’s proposed budget. On average the meetings run a couple of hours. In addition to the scheduled duties, commissioners attend workshops, work sessions & special meetings as necessary. If you are interested in representing your neighbors you must have lived in Safety Harbor since March 2020, you must be registered to vote and you may not be holding another elective or appointive office.
Qualifying ends at noon on December 14th 2020, so start your engines. The City Clerk is waiting to hear from you. She can be reached at 727-724-1555 ext. 14006. You will purchase a $40 Candidate Handbook from the city. I wish you, happy reading, followed by happy greetings. Candidates need a hundred signatures from their fellow Safety Harbor residents to qualify. Three seats are up for election in March 2021. We look forward to hearing back from all of our current commissioners and learning about all of our neighbors who are interested in becoming commissioners.
Ms. Hildick:
So, what is exactly the point of this article? I’m seriously not sure what the purpose or message of this article is.
It appears you begin by trying to explain the pros/cons of city manager/commission vs. strong mayor form of government, but then jump to how boring the actual day-to-day issues are then something about our commissioners acting like a reality show.
You then make a statement of how you would “rather be bored than exposed to the slander and drama in this coming election” but then somehow try to get others to participate in the same election. All this with a bunch of questions thrown in the middle with no follow up.
So, again, what is your point? Introductory statement or opinion; support of statement in body; closing and conclusion supporting the intro. Basic stuff. I know this isn’t the New York Times, but at least have an idea as to what your article is supposed to say – or at least have someone read it over for editing and peer review. Absolute gibberish.