Before the March 13th game, all the kids got to run around the field. They gave some patches to the Boy / Girl Scouts.

On March 19th some more kids got to run around the field.

On March 29, the old people got to run (or walk) the bases.

If it is meant to represent the views of the organization, perhaps you could explain the basis for this position since at face value it would appear to disenfranchise voters, shift more power to staff and administrators, create guaranteed lame ducks with no second term accountability to an electorate, reduce our influence both regionally and on a state level, and insure that any commissioners we do happen to like will be prevented from serving.

Jono

I see now that this was only a facet of Sarasota County’s corruption. This incentive may only be for those few who knew that is was in the making. Today’s article in Sarasota Herald Tribune by Tom Lyons, pertaining to Mark Utz, a former county employee, only rekindled many of my burning thoughts and memories of my last few years of employment at Sarasota County. Please take my thoughts and statements as a lifelong citizen of 50 years in Sarasota County and as a taxpayer, not as a disgruntled employee. I was an operation supervisor in environmental services, drainage operations section. I supervised the daily operations of the Sarasota County Correction crew. Prior to the correction division being disbanded, and all work put to contract. The last couple of years of my employment, I worked closely with the hand clearing contract group and assisted with inspections of contract work. Throughout the contract period, the contract came up for renewal. I sat in a meeting with Jim Oppie, manager, other contract inspectors, and procurement representatives when it was openly discussed on how to keep a preferred contractor, Eco consultants, and prevent another competing contractor from being awarded the bid. A decision was made to change the bid specs so that the competing contractor would not be able to meet the bid requirements. As an employee, with nearly 30 years of service and hoping to reach my retirement without a layoff, I too feared that if I spoke up or caused friction, I would be marked for death as well. To my knowledge, today Eco consultants three years later, is still riding on contract extensions and the contract has still not officially come up for rebid and award. Another class action of Sarasota County’s corruption.
Working with the other contract inspectors, I often heard disgruntlement over the right of way and median mowing contracts because management would not take contract inspector’s decisions to make adjustments in their deduction of payments for work not performed at satisfactory levels. Tom Moroney would tell the inspectors not to worry about it and they would go ahead and sign off for payment. I heard this complaint quite often from the inspectors. I wonder now why this specification outlined in the contract, was not enforced by management.

As an operation supervisor, I held a purchasing card. Often, I was asked to give my card to the secretary of my department so that she could make payments off of my card for services rendered to those whose cards were maxed out. Once again, if I had refused, I would not be writing this letter as a 30 YEAR RETIRED employee but as 29 year laid off employee. I truly regret the hurdles that the Sarasota County Commission is facing, but I truly believe this problem is much larger than what is portrayed by the county administrator. With his recent reassignment of Jennifer Sluzar, in procurement, is only another example of moving a problem instead of correcting the problem. As we all know, there is no open position to move a $75,000 a year employee into. Yes, there will have to be a new position created – once again at the expense of the tax payers. Why were five employees let go for misuse of credit cards, yet the one responsible for many of these problems is retained?

With INGP investigating these allegations in Sarasota County, I am afraid that only a few problems will be overturned. I would hope that my statements could be passed on to them for investigation as well, but with this firm being hired by county administrator, Jim Ley, I am reluctant if this firm will ever be directed into problems at the manager, supervisor and inspector level. I regret where Sarasota County has gone in the last few years. The reputation of our county should be of a high standard and without proper leadership unfortunately this will be hard to prevail.