Primary endorsements - part 7

Yours truly has no idea who he will vote for when it comes to the race for Orange County Mayor: Matt Falconer, Teresa Jacobs, Bill Segal, or Linda Stewart.

Some would call Falconer a radical, others a gadfly. I've had the opportunity to meet him personally on a couple of occasions, and have read the book he published about the virtues of consolidating local government. I don't buy-in to that notion, but I do like how he's making the establishment quake . . . even if only so slightly.

Jacobs is a former commissioner who jumped in later than the rest. I like her personally, but question the whole fire in the belly thing.

A lot of developers I know are supporting Segal (my current commissioner), saying he has a pro-business common sense. On the other hand, he and his wife have given a LOT of money to some extreme left-wingers. I don't like the implications that has for how he'd behave during the 2012 presidential race.

Stewart (another incumbent commissioner) is unabashedly liberal, and you have to respect that. You may not always agree with her on policy (and I almost never do), but you do always know where she will stand. And, she has been very supportive of efforts to preserve our local history.

Bottom line: pick one. This one looks like it's headed for a run-off, anyway. So, the real decision won't have to be made til November . . .

Seriously?! THAT is my congressman?!

Breakfast with the candidate

In the ongoing effort to do ye olde civic duty by getting to know the folks running for public office around this little corner of heaven, yours truly had the pleasure of meeting Matt Falconer this morning at the regular Friday roundtable.

Mr. Falconer certainly came well-prepared for our little group. He literally brought a text book he wrote on how to improve Orange County's government, and gave copies to everyone at the table.

You can't say this guy isn't thorough.

That may be just what we need in the next county mayor.

I'm still not sure I agree with his ideas on consolidation of services, though. I mean, I don't know how the folks up in Apopka would feel about having their fire department absorbed into some new mega-district. And, I doubt the folks down in Belle Isle want to give up their new police department. So, I guess I'll have to read his textbook over the weekend to try to figure out exactly what he means . . .

Man, nothing like homework for the weekend! This being a good citizen thing can really cramp your style, no?!