Today PNJ columnist Mark O’Brien makes a good point about city councilmen and county commissioners needing to be bold.
I would push the point even further. When will the county commission put the public and their civic duty ahead of their re-election aspirations?
At Monday’s meeting, it was accepted by all that for Escambia County Area Transit to survive long-term it would need a dedicated funding source. For most counties that dedicated funding source is a gas tax. Yet it was clear that at least two of the commissioners up for re-election – Kevin White and Mike Whitehead – would not vote for a gas tax this year or next.
Sometimes you have to do the right thing even if it might hurt your political career. And maybe that’s the problem being a county commissioner shouldn’t be a career. It’s time to quit playing with lives of those who work at ECAT and depend on it for transportation.
Commissioners, if you want to destroy ECAT, then do so, but don’t do it because you are afraid you won’t get re-elected.