At the February 23rd Orange City council meeting the Chair person of our sustainable water committee was invited by the vice mayor to give a report. As she began her report she was interrupted and cross examined by Council member Gradgrind, who blared his indignation that the Water Committee could question the ’science and experts” of the St. Johns River Water management Commission (sjrwmd).

The blaring style used against a citizen volunteer seemed to be out of place, and that was compounded when in later council action Mr. Grandgrid voted to do just what the committe report was encouraging. He seemed to be totally unaware that the city council and citizens have been challenging the “science and experts” of the SJWMD since way before he was elected in September.

It is, also, true that he signed up to participate in the Sustainable Water Committee during his run for elected office, but has never attended a single meeting.

What is the best way to handle this kind of inappropriate behaviour?

Franke Justice

Dear Franke,

There seems to be several problems going on here. Blaring out toward a citizens probably is against council rules of conduct, being argumentative when someone is trying to give a report seems unfair and, lastly coming to a meeting unprepared is an insult to the council and the citizens.

While the Chair person, the council and the citizens deserve an apology, he will have an opportunity at the next council meeting to do so. After that if no apology is made then it would seem to have revealed the character of Mr. Gradgrind and citizens should prepare for more blaring conduct in the future.

It was unfortunate behavior.  It may have been a momentary lapse or a revelation of character only time will tell.

Flann Anders

I read your letter to the editor in the Beacon and felt that the continued fictional portrayal of events were another denial sent out by the Volusia County School Board and its chairman.

You sent in the following: “…the cadre of teachers and staff discussed which name they felt would be best to represent the school, its mission, its vision, and other unique characteristics (notably its partnerships with the University of Central Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Stetson University). That recommendation was submitted to the School Board to be voted upon, and was approved.

This statement represents only what appeared to happen and not what the experience of citizens and the Beacon’s document request revealed. It is clear that the name chosen for Orange City High School was Candace Lankford’s choice at least one year ago. Numbers of citizens who I consider very reliable talked with her and came to understand that the name Orange City High School was already ruled out because it indicated that this might be a community school. She and the school board are dismantling and closing as many community schools as possible. Your committee of teachers had as their agenda item “University High school decision” according to the Beacon’s documents. Your committee took twenty minutes to discuss, by your assertion “100 names” and chose the one the Chairman wanted and that you as an obedient principal support. This is a deception which simulates public participation and involvement and seems to be alright with you, Candace Lankford and all the other school board members and most staff. I appreciate the staff of the school board who has leaked information so the real facts would come out and match up with the conversations members of the public reported. I applaud the Beacon for doing the document search and editorial to at least get some of the cover up exposed.

The second major problem with your letter is that it ends on a note of solicitation. You continued in what you sent in, “It is my honor and privilege to serve as the first principal of University High School. I look forward to working with all the students, parents and community members as, together, we create the kind of school where we feel connected and proud.”

As George Bush said” fool me once shame on me, fool me twice, I can’t be fooled again”. I have no trust that you and the Volusia County School board want participation from “students, parents, and community members”, when in fact you have shown you actually don’t want any participation through your contrived and deceptive naming process. What I think this part of your letter is doing is soliciting money to do all the stuff that the school board does not fund. You need lots of money to fulfill the vision established by Candace Lankford. You can’t say on one hand that community is not a factor in the naming of the school and on the other hand community is so important to make it great and not be a hypocrite. What you really mean is that you need lots of money. Check with UCF, ERU and Stetson about paying up on those naming rights.

Your letter, whether you wrote it or whether Candace Lankford wrote it shows no signs of acknowledging the crooked way the naming saga has gone. It is a denial of reality coupled with another false promise of participation in order to raise money. “Titanic” actions on the part of you, your committee and the Volusia County School Board have struck an iceberg of your own creation and the more you and the School Board issue denials the more water you take on.

ps: Please give shop teacher Gary Blair a good performance revue, he has spoken up for you at the city council meeting.

The officers who filled the complaint and then an anonymous amendment to include the ineffective and inappropriate actions of the chief seem to be targeted by Mr. Gradgrind. Maybe it’s the direction of a business in his district to go after the officers or maybe it’s just that Mr. Gradgrid is a believer that it’s the victims fault when abuse occurs.

Mr. Gradgrind made no mentioned of the continuing harassment being heaped on officers. Recently a complaint against an officer for driving inappropriately turned out to be filled from the home computer of a troubled police administrator and while the investigation turned up the fact that the officer was not driving inappropriately and the source of the complaint it represents a continuing pattern of harassment.

Attacking the victims in public seems to be an inappropriate way to serve on the city council.

The location is in a very low section that, today, had sizable areas of standing water and many wetland plants all over it.  Perhaps like the Farmton project the flood and wetland rules will be ignored.  Is this another gift to developers?

Will fish and aligators commute?

The Commuter rail station at Fort Florida is not going to work. Gerald Brinton of Volusia County Government and Karl Welzenbach of the Volusia Flagler Metropolitan Planning Organization have both given elected leaders the same message about this part of commuter rail. They both admit that it will not work since few will use it, but it may not be too late to change since Congressman Mica is interested in something that will work for commuter rail and not just a pay off for FP&L.

Who will take up the cause of FP&L? Stand by for volunteers to step up and say “Its got to be at Fort Florida its too late to change”. Right, before its built, before the land is bought, before the county council votes, Its too late to change?

Crotch
Look up crotch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Crotch (or crutch) may refer to:

William Crotch, English composer, organist and artist.
Any region of an object where a trunk splits into two or more limbs. This can include branching regions of trees, buildings, diagrams, animals, etc.
Specifically, the region of the human body between the legs where they join the torso, overlapping the groin. It is the area containing the genitals. As such, it is considered one of the intimate parts. This includes some relation to animals which also possess a crotch.
A term used in tailoring; important for fitting trousers properly. One of the important measurements for clothing size is the inseam leg (=inside leg) which is the distance from the crotch to where the trousers are normally worn e.g. ankle.

“Show me the way to go home
I’m tired and I want to go to bed
I had a little drink about an hour ago
And it went right to my head
Where ever I may roam
On land or sea or foam
You will always hear me singing this song
Show me the way to go home”.

Please someone help this man find the door.

“crack that whip
give the past the slip
step on a crack
break your momma’s back
when a problem comes along
you must whip it
before the cream sits out too long
you must whip it
when something’s going wrong
you must whip it

now whip it
into shape
shape it up
get straight
go forward
move ahead
try to detect it
it’s not too late
to whip it
whip it good

when a good time turns around
you must whip it
you will never live it down
unless you whip it
no one gets away
until they whip it

i say whip it
whip it good
i say whip it
whip it good

crack that whip
give the past the slip
step on a crack
break your momma’s back
when a problem comes along
you must whip it
before the cream sits out too long
you must whip it
when something’s going wrong
you must whip it

now whip it
into shape
shape it up
get straight
go forward
move ahead
try to detect it
it’s not too late
to whip it
into shape
shape it up
get straight
go forward
move ahead
try to detect it
it’s not too late
to whip it
whip it good “

Leaders do while others wait and bitch. Whip it, whip it good!