Directing attention to the 8 May Ponte Vedra Recorder issue front page article featuring County Commissioner Ron Sanchez’s commentary and all the other recent similar front page County Commissioner remarks — this St. Johns County private-property-owner-taxpayer since 1974, business person for nearly 60 years, has this to say, and say it with all due respect to all parties concerned. My criticism, first and foremost, is directed solely at eliminating wasteful spending of our tax dollars.

Item: Anyone naive enough to believe a well-informed-serious-minded entrepreneur would invest money, energy and time establishing a sizable commercial enterprise in St. Johns County is blind, a wishful thinker, or both. A “for profit” business person is frugal and extremely cost conscious.

Item: We have a St. Augustine Record senior management and editorial staff praising the Airport Authority Board & Executive Direcor, year after year, squanderer of huge amounts of State and Federal Grant money, in addition to County tax dollar contributions in the millions. Baffling!

Item: We have County Commissioner Airport Authority Liaison person Ron Sanchez, permissive of the squander (if one is to judge his associated commentaries accurately) praising Airport Authority repeated performance shown to be less than what one would expect over a lengthy period of time. The plunder of private property, some 300 plus parcels no longer on the tax roll, is zany, folks. The bankrupt skybus airline hanger having cost in the millions remains un-rented. General aviation air traffic tending down considerably, predicted to remain so for years to come. One ponders the potential disastrous effect, should anchor tenants, North-Grumman, SK Logistics, Ring Power Corp, etc., become seriously impacted by the sour economy taking further negative hits. What’s the “Plan B?”

Item: We have a Chamber of Commerce leadership, also praising the virtues of the Airport Authority Board and Executive Director, given “mediocre-achievement-past performance.” Sure to impresses a new business prospect into locating in St. Johns County and initiative to nowhere being praised, right?

Item: We have a City tourism industry suffering from “want.” Year after year road congestion and parking problems, galore! Try driving east into town via King Street from US Hwy 1? Try exiting the Post Office parking lot and managing that intersection traffic light? Travel US Hwy in the vicinity of SR 312? Who, besides a few, isn’t yelling and screaming for something to be done about all this? Are you, Mr. & Mrs. St. Johns County Taxpayer, happy with the state of affairs?

Item: Master of the Obvious commentary is totally useless. Demand for new hard-nosed leadership is what this once small town, now a small city, “desperately” needs. Unless more taxpayers start raising hell about all the razzle-dazzle nonsense, just settle back and get what’s coming to the County in terms of more mortgage failures, higher taxes, less job opportunities and lower quality lifestyle. We lost the shrimp industry, oyster industry, scallop industry in harmony with nature type enterprises, only to be replaced by County-wide land development exploitation resulting in congested roadways and all other associated negatives. The recent Tea Party happening at the Fort was a fantastic showing of force. We need to repeat this type demonstration, frequently!

Please, make a difference! Please, get involved!

Al Sesona

Yeah. he’s experienced alright. What kind of deals has he made with Ken Bryan, I wonder.