Tuesday evening, as budgets were discussed and final votes taken on community groups, someone forgot the Kissimmee Chamber of Commerce! Supreme leader of the Chamber, Mike Horner, was stunned, but never spoke up. The City Manager explained that the item never showed up in the budget, therefore it never made the list to be considered. The item is a $30,000.00 grant the city has given the Chamber to run its small business program.Horner claims the program may be lost, completely, if the City doesn’t fund it. Hmmm, nice tactic, wrong time to pull it.

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EVERY community agency has taken hits, thanks to the group in Tallahassee where Horner will soon be. If the program is so darned important, perhaps the CHAMBER can cut the money from some of its own additional programs, like lunches for all the fat cats attending the monthly meetings, or perhaps, knock the money off one, or several of the “galas” the Chamber holds for its own self promotion. Either way, taking a $30,000 hit is no worse than taking food away from our senior citizens, or medical coverage from a child, or from any of the many community groups that have already taken the hit.
Now, it’ll be interesting how our city “leaders” respond next Tuesday to Horner’s request to reconsider. IF there’s an extra $30,000 laying around, why? We’ve all been told by the manager that the budget has gotten as lean as it can get, or has it?

At the County’s recent retreat, true to his word, Commissioner Mike Harford brought up the idea of night meetings. It was discussed but commissioners decided to set it aside for the time being. Unless there appears to be more citizens requesting the commission meet in the evenings, don’t count on it. What is good is that it was discussed and not just thrown under the bus. The ball is now in the hands of the people. You want night meetings? Tell the commissioners. We’d suggest considering splitting the meetings by having two night meetings, and two day meetings. Perhaps the first and third Monday for evenings, the second and fourth for daytime. Just a thought.

The out of town & out of County developer, Jonathan Wolf has come up with another scheme. This time going after Federal money from the Neighnorhood Stabilization Program, which gives grants to state and local governments to purchase and redevelop FORECLOSED properties that might otherwise become abandoned and cause “blight” in the neighborhoods. Wolf, along with his new pet, Jay Wheeler, have been trying to sell county commissioners on this new scheme. According to one report concocted by REAL ESTATE RESEARCH CONSULTANTS, they report that the projects have the “full support of the Osceola County School Board". That’s just not true. We know that at least two, and possibly three school board members have NOT been very supportive of this endeavor. Further, reading the report from this new group, it is apparant some conditions, both financially and for qualifying to live there, have changed. The report is slanted to look as though it’s the most wonderful project to assist workers since sliced bread enabled them to bring their own lunch to work! All this rhetoric boiled down and you get misleading and erroneously stated “facts". The Osceola County Commission has made it clear to the Wheelers and Wolfs of the group that they are simply NOT interested. Hopefull, the School Board will have a dedicated meeting towards this item, have a vote, and then move on with more important and pressing issues. We believe that when the final vote is taken, a majority of school board members will do the right thing and vote NO.

Speaking of this project, the State of Florida expects an interest payment on the money given towards this project or wants the money returned by month’s end we’re told. If this is correct, will Jonathan Wolf come to the rescue and pay it knowing what he may get on the other end? Maybe, maybe not. He’s a developer, and a financially well off one at that, so we’re sure he didn’t make his money by continuing to invest in something he’ll not win.

By the way, Mr. Wheeler, why is it that you refuse to answer question emailed to you by a constituent? You’ve been sent several emails from Mr. Tom Long, regarding this project now called Signature Crossing. Although you have received them, you do NOT answer the questions, instead trying to turn it around by asking him which schools he volunteers at. You have done this several times and you don’t seem to understand that many, many people are tiring of your childish behaviors. You seem to tell folks, I’m the elected person here, know eveything better than you, so I can toy with you. Actually, Mr Wheeler, you’re simply making, or cintinuing to show yourself as a pompous ass. You never did answer who paid your golf fees, perhaps that was taken out of your little fund to “spend as you wish” but paid for by the taxpayers? Maybe Mr. Wolf paid them for you? That’s fine, just make sure to file the proper paperwork showing ALL gifts received by you with the Stae, Mr. Wheeler, as we have a feeling several folks will be curious to see who is giving to whom.

You may remember back in October when a dirt bag named Brian Leroy Trumble was arrested and originally charged with 122 counts of lewd and Lascisious molestation and 2 counts of sexual battery on a minor less than 15 years of age. Now, this true dirt bag has had an additional 980 counts of child porn placed on him as well. He’s currently residing at our jail and we sure wish him well with all the other prisoners there who just love child molesters! We only hope he doesn’t get that extra butter he’s been wanting!

Has anyone else wondered why, now that the fuel prices have dropped dramatically, food costs continue to rise? Why power costs are going up? Why just about everything else is going up? Could it be that when we cut back on our driving and used much less gas, the industry got the hint? Perhaps we need to do the same with cherries, now costing as much as $5.00 per pound! How about soda, which has doubled in costs, and of course, there’s the everyday items as well. How about we cut back on that stuff too? How much more can we be expected to pay, especially when some of us are getting cut from our jobs?
We’re not sure about you but, while we really enjoy a cherry now and then, we’ll NOT be buying them at $5.00 per pound, ever!

We’d like to mention that our County Commissioners, well, 4 of them, have been doing a good job as of late, even turning down a project staff was pushing for. Surprise, surprise! A note to the guy under investigation. Mr Smith, STOP “helping” the Chairman! He’s a big guy and he’s got the learning curve going for him. He’s doing a good job, (could speed it up a little) but overall good. No one appreciates your interruptions, Mr Smith, so please, have respect for the other Commissioners and STOP “helping"!

As the Holidays approach us remember to say Merry Christmas to all your friends and family. If it’s another typy holiday, such as Quanza or Chanukah, call it by its name and be sincere!

Until the next article, we’ll simply say, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy Quanza.

Be healthy, always be safe, and let’s look forward, together, to a new and better year coming!