I posted last week how the strong mayors of Orlando and Orange County (yes, they have a county mayor) pushed through votes for a $1 billion downtown revitalization package. Here is what the sports columnist for the Orlando Sentinel wrote (Three Cheers for Crotty )
It was right after this ominous presentation that Crotty stood up, stood tall and said (and I’m paraphrasing): “Haven’t we already spent $1 billion at the convention center? With all due respect, we’ve done plenty for the people who come here on vacation. It’s about time to do something for the people who live and die here.”
Said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who was sitting in the audience: “Mayor Crotty standing up and saying that changed the tone of the entire meeting.”
If ever a politician deserved a standing ovation, this was it. This was one of those all-too-rare moments when we could actually say, “I’m proud of my hometown.”