Later this month a new Administration will be taking over management of Martin County’s 900 + member staff. We hope that with the coming of a new County Administrator there also arrives some fresh thinking about how the County operates. We are not naïve enough to expect sweeping changes, but we do hope we will see a new attitude from not only the Administrator, but the Commissioners and Staff members as well. We hope the attitude of “that’s the way we have always done it” gets shown the door.

We look forward to meeting and working with our new Administrator.

“What really gets you guys upset he might ask?” The simple answer is waste. We understand the need for government to spend our money on the jobs we have hired them to do. We have a real problem, however, with wasting what we have worked so hard to attain and given in the trust that it would be used wisely.

Of particular concern in the Administrators realm is our County Government’s reliance on highly consultants to do work we would think could have been done at least as well, and certainly more efficiently by their our own staff. Believe us, we understand and appreciate the need for an outside opinion or expertise in many circumstances. However, we have long thought that most local projects, parks, roads, buildings do not require paid consultants. Contractors probably, professionals for sure, but do we really need someone to tell us what we already know we need? Why are we constantly hiring “planning” consultants? Can’t we plan for ourselves?

We also see a great disrespect for County Staff by some officials. At times we see officials trying to exert pressure on staff to parrot a political answer rather than offering their professional opinions without fear of reprisal. We wonder if we have not become dependant on out of town consultants because our own people have become reluctant to deliver the message. If we can’t trust our staff to give us the straight answer, get a new staff. We happen to believe that we are blessed with qualified, dedicated Staff. Hold them accountable for their performance, but rely on them, respect them, and reward them for efficiency.

One subtle change we would like to see right off the bat is canceling of the Annual County Commissioners’ Retreat, usually held in December. We believe the County Commission goes not need to adjourn to some out-of-the-way place to adopt yet another series of what they like to call “Strategic Objectives”. We have yet to see one of these lists implemented, and we have yet to figure out how some of the resulting spending programs are in any way strategic. If we were to suggest just one “Strategic Objective”, how about this: We want taxes no higher than “Roll-Back Rate” will support. No ifs, ands or buts – no tax increases beyond what is required by growth, and inflation unless approved by the voters. We believe that many of our Elected Officials spend far too much of our money. This is true of County and City Governments and School Board. Many things are done well in Martin County but too many are inefficient.

One more suggestion. We would also like to see the School Board and Stuart City Commission on MCTV more often. We want to know what the School Board is doing and planning and our Stuart members are certainly interested in where their huge tax increases are going. We would like to see the County Commission on MCTV less, a lot less. Their meetings are way too long and way too expensive. Do we need to tie up Staff waiting to answer questions where the outcome is a forgone conclusion?

We hope that the new Administrator is an objective, and a patient soul. We hope that he will begin his tenure by meeting with the City Administrators, School Superintendent, Constitutional Officers and the Water Management District leaders to get a well-rounded view of local issues. We offer a hearty welcome and extend our best wishes for his success. As can be guessed, we would be more than willing to spend a little time giving him our point of view.