Out and About
It seemed that Williamson’s campaign was acting out of fear and not the confidence he should have had. Williamson kept (figuratively) punching himself in the face with poorly conceived, ill-designed, not spell-checked postcards – not to mention the out-and-out-lies and turning the local newspaper – us – into the opponent. There is more fallout to come with the election commissions ruling on the postcards and a possible defamation lawsuit. I’m really surprised Williamson didn’t blame his loss on Russian hackers.
My wish is that Santa Rosa County will now be able to heal and come together as much as possible without compromising core principals. Williamson was a divider, he was not a consensus builder. From what I have observed, Dave Piech knows how to work with people of all walks of life and all levels of authority.
I would like to see the board of commissioner not let another county commissioner go rogue while they look the other way. The other county commissioners and our county administrator are the only line of defense we have other than the state…which needs better oversight for county commissioners because right now there is practically none. They don’t have to be drug tested and there are no meaningful rules. Also, the fact that county commissioners receive retirement after serving only eight years is ridiculous.
As far as Navarre Press’s participation in this – all we did was do our jobs. It is our job to report the truth. Like someone said tonight – “There is nothing wrong with the truth.” It may not be the truth you want to hear, it might be not be convenient, it might be hurtful, but it could also be awesome. If you don’t like your truth, it is up to you to change it. Changing the words on the page doesn’t change the truth. However – changing your heart and your mindset will change your truth. When the Northwest Florida Daily News reporter was interviewing me for a story last week he said that Rob felt that we were picking on him. I told the reporter that I was sure Rob felt that way because no one else was asking the tough questions regarding Rob. There is a paper in Milton, they haven’t asked the tough questions or conducted their own investigations. It seems they just take the press releases and print it without checking the facts or the sources. Maybe they felt that since he was our commissioner it was our job. However, he serves the entire county. That isn’t journalism. I’m very proud of our team and they are very tired of being bashed by our own county commissioner without a reason. If we did something wrong – then that would be a different story. I am hopeful that the next four months until Dave is sworn in will be more peaceful and there won’t be tantrums or more retribution.
In other news: Tonight is the last free concert in the Tunes by the Dunes concert series. Robert Wayne will be performing Country at Navarre Beach at 7 p.m.
Register today for the Navarre Fishing Rodeo Oct. 6 and 7. Prices go up on Sept. 17. The rodeo benefits Take A Kid Fishing and Navarre Beach Marine Park. See the ad for more details.
First Baptist Navarre will be holding Care Ministry Monday evenings starting Sept. 10. First Baptist is also accepting enrollment for preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Visit FBCNavarre.org for more information and to register.
The Holley Navarre Senior Association’s sixth Annual Fish Fry will be Sept. 21, with Sheriff Bob Johnson on the fryer! Call now for tickets 850-936-1644.
Quote of the week: I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell. Harry S. Truman (1884 – 1972), in Look, April 3, 1956