Editorial Archive

I was recently asked what I learned from the process of running for office. After considerable thought, here is my answer. 

Over the years I’ve seen many changes in Navarre, some that would not have been my choice. As it is, only one person is charged with representing the 42,000 residents of Navarre.  One commissioner out of five speaks for us.  It is time to incorporate – to be our own voice.

If voter turnout had a voice it would cry “wah, wah, wah” …to be read as a diminuendo, which is the opposite of crescendo. Endless road signs, a steady stream of smiling faces in the mailbox and many energetic handshakes have filled (or cluttered, depending on your viewpoint) our lives in the last several weeks. And for what?

The planned draconian military drawdown will take us to pre-WWII levels.  Our economy is in shambles.  Pundits and politicians falsely claim we don’t have adequate highly skilled foreign workers while highly skilled American workers can’t get hired, and thousands more “children” pour across our porous Southern border to eventually compete with us, our children and grandchildren for jobs.

Wow! If you want to see people get excited in the Navarre area, then all you have to do is use the “I” word — Incorporation.

Early voting started Aug. 11 in Santa Rosa County. Supervisor of Elections Tappie Villane decided to go “above and beyond” what the state required and provide 13 consecutive days for Santa Rosa County residents to vote. The state only required eight days.

Navarre Beach was making headlines and blowing up social media this past week as a video of a hammerhead shark near the shore literally “went viral.” The video, shot by a tourist visiting Navarre Beach, showed the hammerhead heading toward shore and apparently making its way closer and closer to a swimmer. Before getting too close, the shark changed course and went on its way. A Navarre Beach lifeguard had entered the water to make sure all swimmers safely made it to shore. And they did.

Santa Rosa County voters in less than a month will cast ballots for candidates seeking a variety of elected offices. In some cases, the candidate that receives the most votes during the primary will win the office. So, the importance of the Aug. 26 primary election cannot be overstated.

We reported in this week’s issue that Gulf Pointe Academy, a highly successful private school located along Highway 98 in Navarre, was relocating to St. Sylvester Catholic Church in Gulf Breeze. Our characterization of St. Sylvester being located in Gulf Breeze apparently raised a few eyebrows and then prompted comments on our social media sites. We agree. St. Sylvester is not in Gulf Breeze Proper. We know that. We noted in our online response that its street address was Gulf Breeze, so we went with it.

The 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star game was played Tuesday evening in Minneapolis. And while “real” baseball fans like a good pitchers’ duel, many fans who occasionally watch baseball get excited by the offense. What’s better than seeing one the big league stars step up to the plate and belt a fast ball over the wall, right?