The three lame-duck Sumter County commissioners had the perfect opportunity this past week to do right by the constituents they were elected to serve, but as usual, they failed miserably.
The Sumter County Commission spent five hours last Tuesday night hearing from Villagers and area residents who are opposed to The Villages building apartments in the mega-retirement community. Villager after Villager stood up and expressed concerns about those units being built at the site of the former Hacienda Hills Country Club. And just like they did last year during hearings about raising taxes 25 percent, the three lame ducks – Al Butler, Steve Printz and Don Burgess – joined with fellow commissioners Doug Gilpin and Garry Breeden in completely ignoring the concerns of those who elected them and siding instead with their puppet-master, The Villages Developer.
That massive tax increase is exactly what cost those commissioners their jobs in the first place. We’re sure most of you remember it well – the commissioners sat through hours of complaints by Villagers and area residents who blasted the 25 percent tax hike that clearly was a sweetheart deal for the Developer. They ignored their constituents, passed the tax increase and found themselves out of a job after the election in August.
Which brings us back to this past Tuesday’s hearing. Wouldn’t it have been great if just one of those commissioners had developed a conscience and actually listened to those who stand to lose everything from money to their quality of life because of those apartments? It truly would have been a defining moment for those commissioners and the chance to go out on a high note.
Of course, they also could have done the right thing and suggested the apartment hearing be delayed until next month when new commissioners Craig Estep, Oren Miller and either Gary Search or Larry Green take office. At a September commission meeting, Gilpin made that very suggestion and the lame ducks appeared to agree with him.
But at the Oct. 13 commission meeting – the first of two public hearings on the apartments – Gilpin announced that he had changed his mind and wouldn’t seek a delay. He cited some nonsense about state requirements and said he had “mixed emotions.”
Please.
We all know that Gilpin takes his marching orders from The Villages Developer. Let’s not forget that he works for T&D Concrete, the company that pours the slabs for new Villages homes. He wouldn’t dare upset the Developer, who clearly tells him when to jump and how high.
In fact, we’re guessing that Gilpin’s phone rang right after he announced his desire to delay the apartment vote. We’re guessing he was summoned to the office of the Developer’s top political hack, who asked him if he had completely lost his mind. He was probably reminded that the Developer’s grip on the commission will end in November, so ramming the apartments through to pad the Developer’s wallet was of utmost importance.
We’re betting the embattled Gilpin was given orders to fix the mess he created, so at that first October hearing, he spouted that nonsense about state requirements, etc. The bottom line, of course, is that neither he nor any of the other commissioners voted to delay the hearing. So all five gave up their only other chance to do the right thing.
Not surprisingly, many Sumter County Villagers are counting the days until Nov. 10 when the disgraced lame ducks are gone. Given the immense favoritism for the Developer and the complete lack of representation for Villagers and area residents, Nov. 10 and the changing of the guard can’t get here fast enough.
