Letter: Tell Crist to honor voters' ouster of Stern

Letter: Tell Crist to honor voters' ouster of Stern



Chris Ranung
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 10/11/07


Editor: Concerned residents of St. Johns County must always keep in mind that there is a greater authority wielding decisive power over growth issues in our multi-county area, the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council. Its primary purpose as outlined in its Mission Statement (www.nefrpc.org/about.htm) is to "provide visionary leadership and coordination between counties and governmental agencies to preserve and enhance the quality of Northeast Florida's natural, man-made, economic, and social environment."

This agency, however, deals in the kind of moving and shaking that, if left unmonitored, can potentially vitiate the hard work of our duly elected county and city commissioners.

The 35-member agency board of directors is not an elected body, but rather an amalgamation of two-thirds locally elected county and municipal officials and one-third gubernatorial appointees.

No matter how clearly the voice of the people may have spoken in November 2006, this board doesn't answer to the voters. Tell Gov. Charlie Crist is it time to honor the one-year-old mandate of the majority of St. Johns County voters and select someone other than Karen Stern for a three-year term on the agency's board.

If we wish to retain a robust measure of control over our own destiny, we must speak loudly and clearly to the governor immediately. We should remind him that we removed Stern from the County Commission in November 2006 because we believe her to be beholden to big real-estate and not an honest representative of our best interests.

You can speak out through the appointments Web site (www.flgov.com/2007_boards_commissions).

Water-carriers for the unbridled "pro-growth" crowd should be put out to pasture and removed from our misery now. It is time for an exclusive focus on proactive stewardship over what remains of the natural environment of our beautiful St. Johns County.

Chris Ranung

St. Augustine


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