By: NEBA, Network of Entrepreneurs and Business Advocates A group of outstanding citizens appointed to the ethics Advisory Panel met 18 times to formulate a plan to ensure that the city has ethics oversight. They presented a very comprehensive ethics plan to the City Commissioners, four of whom rejected most of it, suggesting instead that […]
Over a six month period from October, 2012 until July, 2013 something special happened in City Hall. Something that a lot of people in this community had been seeking for a number of years. But those people were told they were naysayers and critics. The powers in City Hall told these people “take your three […]
In the same week, just one day apart we were treated to a glaring difference between the Leon County Commission and City of Tallahassee Commission. Tuesday, November 19 the County Commissioners met to conduct business. The biggest topic of discussion was really not part of the agenda. The potential for a gun ordinance had been […]
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have been a hot topic in my home for nearly a year. As a concerned parent, I have firsthand knowledge what these standards are doing to my children. Ever since last year, my now third-grade daughter has repeatedly expressed frustration in math. I’ve witnessed her love of math slowly […]
When I was young I quickly recognized when mom or dad shared an opinion. The tone was different. There was a sense of ownership, a heartfelt conviction. It revealed itself further when I observed their actions. Actions, and words, written and spoken, are born of heartfelt, deeply held convictions. Out of the abundance of the […]
By Mike Farrell How serious does a conflict of interest have to become before you can call it a conflict of interest? Believe it or not, this conundrum is intended as the start of an ethical discussion. The SPJ Code of Ethics is clear: Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than […]
Over the last few months, both the County and City governments have been less than honest with millions of dollars of money belonging to the people they represent. First up, the Leon County Commission and the five-cent increase in the gas tax that was passed by a vote of 7-2 (Commissioners Sauls and Proctor voted […]
In the best of times, a city government spending $2.1 million to renovate a government owned building to facilitate a restaurant would be tough to justify. But given the facts surrounding the City of Tallahassee’s venture into what is now called the Brew Pub at Cascades Park, it is hard to believe that the City […]
The Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) has published a document called “Traffic Crash Facts” (TCF) since at least 1994. The publication listed all sorts of data about crashes in Florida, one of which was what caused them. That changed in 2011 when the data placed online was very limited. The cause of […]
Over the past year or so, the Leon County Sales Tax Committee (STC) has patiently listened to scores of proposals for the use of future sales tax. We could easily have a couple of billion dollars in ideas floating around the community. No doubt, we need infrastructure in this county and we need to expand […]