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Douglas Barnard

Published: October 15, 2008

I was sent a letter posted on the Sun 'n Lake commentary Web site written by a Joe Eck. It was a plea for Guy Maxcy's re-election to the county commission, repeating Maxcy's campaign theme of "Please, just four more years." I wonder how many readers know why another term is so necessary for Maxcy? Maybe Eck and others know that if Maxcy gets 20 years in he becomes eligible for a retirement benefit? In other words, he gets paid for not working and we the taxpayers have to fork over monthly public funds to him.

During Maxcy's first term, he voted against the Highlands County, state-required Growth Management Plan because as he put it, "It wasn't Jesus' way." That may have been his thinking, but it seems that he got an e-mail from heaven correcting it because during his four terms on the county commission, he has voted for no less than 400 comprehensive plan amendments. Talk about flip-flopping.

A plan that's good today has to be changed tomorrow, maybe to accommodate one of his developer buddies? Then again, maybe Maxcy doesn't know what he's voting for. Do you remember the meeting at the Agri-Civic Center when he adjourned the commission without passing a necessary tax ordinance and had to have the county attorney interrupt him and re-open the meeting so that somebody on the commission could make the motion to pass the tax? Maxcy isn't a bad guy, he's just clueless as to the real issues facing this county. We taxpayers just can't afford another term with him on the commission so that he can gain personal benefit from that term.

Two years ago when I ran for Avon Park City Council. I heard time over time about how dysfunctional and out of touch the county commission was. Could it be that with Carl Cool leaving and Michael Wright taking over that people are more confident in county government? Think about how changing the commission membership could and would advance us from the 1970s to the 21st century.

Douglas Barnard
Avon Park

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