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Hernando Today

Published: August 20, 2008

Updated: 08/20/2008 10:47 am

County Commission, District 1

While somewhat of a newcomer to Hernando County, Jon "JAZ" Zydenbos, who moved here about three years ago, has become a quick learner when it comes to the top issues facing county residents and their local government.

Most of all, Zydenbos, a 63-year-old Realtor, understands how county government became overly bloated with the windfall of higher property values, doubling the size of its general fund budget in the past several years when the county's population grew by less than 20 percent. County government grew at an out-of-control pace and is now suffering from millions of dollars of painful budget cuts with the free-fall of housing prices, property values and the passage of Amendment 1.

It's not going to get any easier as the downward spiral has continued.

"They didn't understand the consequences," Zydenbos told Hernando Today's editorial board about county commissioners allowing government to balloon unchecked.

Now, Zydenbos says, "It's like taking candy away from a baby."

"We've got to start chopping."

We couldn't agree more, and that's why we are endorsing Zydenbos in the County Commission, District 1 Republican primary over incumbent Jeff Stabins and another political newcomer, Michael Burmann.

By not cutting property tax rates in tune with fast-paced growth and skyrocketing property values, those consequences have led to a further deepening of the housing crisis in Hernando County, helping to put many of our tradespeople out of work. That's created a domino effect on Hernando County's overall economy, with the jobless rate reaching 8.8 percent in July, foreclosure rates hitting state highs and residents looking for leadership to help get us out of this mess.

And that, perhaps, is the biggest problem of all.

Our current county commission, with the exception of Dave Russell, has shown little effort in trying to help jumpstart the economy here. Commissioners missed a perfect opportunity recently when four out of five, including incumbent Stabins, failed to cut impact fees by 25 percent to give first-time homebuyers in the county access to $25 million in state funds for down payment money. The loss in impact fee revenues to the county - over exaggerated by government bureaucrats - would have been countered by putting people back to work and filling homes that have sat vacant on the market for months.

Instead, commissioners decided to take the easy route and go along with a plan proposed by Stabins that will do little, if anything, to stimulate the county's economy. Stabins calls it his "HELP" plan, which would utilize about $1.8 million in already available county funds so homeowners with properties valued at $30,000 or less can apply for up to $30,000 in zero-interest loans to renovate their properties. Even if all the funds were used, which is doubtful, it would be the equivalent of adding ten $180,000 houses to the county's property tax rolls.

This crumb is hardly an economic stimulus.

Zydenbos, a Vietnam veteran who served in the United States Air Force, also correctly notes that THE Bus is a failure, "truly symbolic of not transportation, but a feel good." He says Pinellas County is in need of buses, and Hernando County should do whatever it can to scrap THE Bus and come up with a sensible plan to provide efficient public transportation to those who really need it.

Zydenbos also favors making the county jail revenue neutral and putting inmates to work farming so they can feed themselves and others less fortunate in our community. "They will feel better about themselves," Zydenbos says of the inmates putting in a hard day's work instead of lying around the jail, watching TV and wasting their time away.

Zydenbos would also look at privatizing as many parts of county government as possible, including road maintenance, parks and others. He also favors charter government and notes that county employees are paid at much higher rates and with better benefits than their counterparts working in the private sector. That has to be remedied, and Zydenbos says he's willing to lead the charge to bring county salaries and benefits more in line with the private sector.

Zydenbos also notes that the general public has lost trust with its elected officials and that citizens are extremely unhappy with the level of customer service provided by county government, necessitating the need for what he calls a "citizens satisfaction index" that should be consistently measured and met by county government.

County government has been living high on the hog while incumbent Stabins presided over its gorging on property tax dollars. Stabins has a four-year record to run on. Unfortunately, he's done too little, too late.

If you think your property taxes are too high, as we do, the blame can be laid squarely on the current county commissioners. If you want to change that, we suggest that you cast your ballot Tuesday, Aug. 26, for Jon "JAZ" Zydenbos. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Ramon J. Gutierrez in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Commission, District 3

With 12 years of service on the Hernando County School Board, 19 years as a resident of District 3 and 28 years running his own successful small business, John C. Druzbick brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table in his run for county commission.

Druzbick, 57, and owner of a discount blind business, has a firm grasp on the county's budgetary process and is unhappy with the way county government has more than doubled its budget in the last five years while the county's population has grown by about 29 percent.

"I really think this board is lacking in some very common business sense," Druzbick told Hernando Today's editorial board. "Government is not a business, but it should sure be run more like a business."

That's one of the reasons why we're endorsing Druzbick, who's also served this community in a number of volunteer areas, in the County Commission, District 1 Republican primary on Tuesday, Aug. 26, over Hubert "Wayne" Dukes and Charles Gaskin.

There are many others. Among them is Druzbick's pledge to put people back to work by implementing impact fee credits to local builders. Although commissioners voted against the proposal 4-1, Druzbick says he favored cutting impact fees by 25 percent to give first-time homebuyers in Hernando County access to $25 million in state funds for downpayment money. He'd also like to see the county spend more of its money with local businesses whenever feasibly possible. By hiring local employees and using local products, Druzbick says sales tax revenues would help offset the loss of impact fees, which are among the highest in the state.

Druzbick also favors zero-based budgeting and a pay-as-you-go approach to capital projects to ensure they are fully funded before they are started, unlike the Elgin Boulevard fiasco. Druzbick would also like to see local governments combine their buying power to purchase commodities like gas, paper, equipment and insurance, which would provide each taxing entity a substantial savings.

On economic development, Druzbick believes that Michael McHugh, director of the county's Office of Business Development, should be given more tools to compete in attracting big business to the county by offering the same or better incentives that other counties offer. Attracting new industries to Hernando County would help diversify the local economy and provide a hedge when the building industry suffers setbacks.

Druzbick also said he favors holding the line on salaries for top-level managers in local government and that county officials need to rebuild trust with the general public by having a more transparent and open government. He says he'd also look at how much the county spends on attorneys, with an eye toward chopping those costs.

Druzbick, who's presided over $440 million budgets and helped supervise more than 3,000 employees in the school district, has the skills and the knowledge to lead Hernando County in a direction that's more beneficial to its taxpaying residents. We recommend that you cast your ballot Tuesday, Aug. 26, for John C. Druzbick. If elected, Druzbick said he would serve a maximum of two terms. The winner of the primary will face Democratic incumbent Diane Rowden in the Tuesday, Nov. 4, general election.

Commission, District 5

Perhaps the second time's the charm for former Brooksville fire chief James Adkins, who is hoping to get past challengers William "Billy" Healis and Michael Robinson in the County Commission, District 5 Republican primary on Tuesday, Aug. 26.

Adkins, who unsuccessfully ran for the post in 2004, is running again on a campaign of lower taxes, less government and common business sense, which includes responsible spending and accountability.

"There's no accountability in the spending of funds," Adkins told Hernando Today's editorial board. "I put the blame on the elected officials. They could always say 'no.' The word 'no' is very seldom used."

For that, and a number of other reasons, Hernando Today's editorial board is endorsing Adkins in the primary election.

Maybe voters will listen better this time around.

Adkins, a longtime resident who grew up in the eastern part of the county, says the county has wasted an enormous amount of money on THE Bus.

"It should never have been started," he says. "It does not go where people live, and it's a tremendous cost to the people through our tax dollars."

Adkins also says the county wastes a lot of money on salaries for attorneys and staff, as well as hiring far more employees than needed. He cited 55 librarians and 350 employees in the parks and recreation department.

He also says the county wastes a lot of money buying new vehicles.

"I think at one time everybody had a vehicle," he says.

To stimulate the economy, Adkins says the county must do more to attract large, clean industries to its industrial parks and promote more financial incentives to get them here. While he supported the 25 percent reduction in impact fees to give first-time homebuyers in Hernando County access to $25 million in state funds for downpayment assistance - a measure commissioners defeated 4-1 - Adkins says the program would have been more like the $600 stimulus checks the federal government sent to taxpayers.

"Did it help? A little bit, maybe," he said. "Is the 25 percent a fix all? No. I consider it a good gesture to help somewhat."

While Adkins says he believes in the vote of the people and, therefore, supports the Spring Hill Fire Rescue referendum, he also believes in consolidation of services whenever possible to save taxpayer dollars.

Adkins also says he is opposed to the construction of a new $50 million judicial center in Brooksville. Instead, he believes judges should hold night court, which would also alleviate parking congestion in downtown Brooksville during the business day.

Adkins also believes that government needs to get out of the 9 to 5 mindset and be accessible to the public at all hours.

"I'll be a voice for the taxpayer," he says. "That's what I ran on the last time, and that's what I'm going to run on again."

Taxpayers need a stronger, common-sense voice on the commission. That's why we recommend you vote for James Adkins on the Tuesday, Aug. 26, Republican primary ballot. The winner will face incumbent Democrat Chris Kingsley in the Tuesday, Nov. 4, general election.

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