Pennywise and socially foolish - An opinion

An Opinion - Submitted by Tony Crawford

Well, has National politics trickled down to our City? I am not sure. I was at a

Commission meeting where 3 out of 5 Commissioners voted to keep $25,000 out of the pockets of non-profit organizations such as  Barnabas, Council on the Aging, Micah's Place and Starting Point.

It's a long and complicated issue on how this removal of funding will effect those

organizations. There is this thing called "matching bucks," which means the more

money they get from the City, the more they can obtain from other government grants.

$ 5,000 from the City could bring in a return of $50,000. Not a bad bang for your

buck.

I have have been told by some Commissioners who opposed this in the budget that they

do not feel that the Government should play a role in these issues and that these

organizations should be funded through private contributions. They also feel that

the government shouldn't choose which charity the taxpayers' dollars go to. I have

been told that we, as taxpayers in the City, already contribute tax dollars through

the County to fund these charities. This is a fact, we do.

I spoke with representatives at some of the organizations. I learned that when

they apply for grants, the fact that our own City will not directly and publicly

support them gives a very bad and misleading perception of their need and value to

our community. Lets face it, if the City itself is saying no, how can another

agency understand the value they bring to that City.

The local police and fire departments call on these non-profits during emergencies

and on a regular basis. This alone shows the value, need and cost savings they

provide to the City.  These organizations help:  beaten women; they provide meals,

rides, and baths, yes, something as basic as bathing, for the elderly; they help

the mentally challenged and provide education to our kids as well as family and

child counseling. I believe a dysfunctional child will grow up to be a

dysfunctional adult thus putting more of a social burden on society. This really

isn't rocket science. We need these guys around and we need to let our

Commissioners know this.

I would guess there are about 8,000 taxpayers in the City. The $25,000 the

Commissioners turned down would work out to a little over $3.00 per year per

taxpayer. Someone has to convince me that the majority of taxpayers wouldn't gladly

pay $3.00 to help support these organizations that day in and day help those in

need. From a strictly economic point of view, they help the City save money by

allowing the police and fire departments. do their job in a more cost effective manner and

remove a large burden off their shoulders.

What I would ask of all who are reading this is simple. Pick up the phone now. Give

your opinion. We as citizens hire our Commissioners and we can fire them come next

election. They are hired to do "our bidding" not theirs. They are hired to listen to

us and make their  decisions based on what we think, not their own opinion of the

way government should be run. They are here to represent the entire community, not

just the views and philosophies of those who voted them in. They will not and can

not please everyone-- I think we all understand that. It is, however, our job to let

them know what we think before they vote. If we wait-- we lose-- and have no one to

blame but ourselves. I would urge you to call them and give your opinion on this

matter. Whether for or against, let them know where you stand.

There is a budget meeting Tuesday, Sept 3rd at 5:05 p.m. It's not too late. If you wait, it will be too late.

Mayor Pelican 423-8644

Commissioner Corbett 583-1716

Commissioner Gass - 277-7987

Click here for email addresses.

Commissioners Filkoff and Boner supported this issue.

Editor's note:   Tony Crawford moved to Fernandina Beach from New York fourteen years ago.   An avid city watcher, Tony finds watching local government at work, interesting, comical, and sad.

September 2, 2013 1:00 p.m.