The Way I See ItBy cj pollickMatthews Leaving Clearwater – Doug Matthews, Director of Public Communications for the city, has taken a position as Public Communications Director for the City of Austin, Texas. He will assume his new duties in February. Shoppes Of Sand Key - DA Bennett & Co. won a highly contested legal decision that essentially allows the owner of the Shoppes of Sand Key to add height and density to current property specifications. That legal decision, however, did not have the support of Sand Key residents nor the City Council of Clearwater. Clearwater city officials, however, stated they would appeal the decision and keep legal expenses low by using city attorneys to file the appeal. Bottom line? It looks like the Shoppes of Sand Key owner may soon be able to proceed with negotiations to redevelop the property with interested buyers. Tenant To Leave Shoppes Of Sand Key - According to staff at the Bank of America branch office at the Shoppes of Sand Key, that particular Bank of America branch may be closing on April 19th. Of course, that means that Clearwater Sand Key residents will not have a local bank. The next nearest bank for those citizens would be on Clearwater Beach/Island Estates or in Belleair Bluffs (where there are several bank branch offices). This closure is not a surprise to people that have been following branch banking closures across Florida. In fact, in Bradenton there have been two community bank failures the past few months and more U.S. bank failures are expected in 2009. Seminole Fire District To Expand – If a State Legislative Bill presented by Rep. Janet Long passes, Seminole Fire District could expand to provide fire services to Indian Shores, Indian Rocks, Belleair Shore and Belleair Beach. How have the beach communities responded? They do not support this proposed Bill and hope it is rejected. With finances always an issue at the current fire station (Station #28), the financial future of this issue remains clouded. Fire District in Seminole or Indian Rocks? Israel Responds To Gaza Strip Bombing - Tensions in Israel had been growing over many months due to bombs launched over the border by radical Hamas terrorists. Finally, leaders in Israel had enough of the random bombings and sent jet bombers into the nearby Gaza strip to bomb sites where terrorist bombs had been launched. Israel later followed the air attacks in the Gaza strip with ground troops and tanks. Hundreds of people have been injured or killed in the last few weeks of these bombings. Immediate result? Israel is clearing an area where bombs were once launched into Israel by radical Hamas followers. Future result? Middle east tensions could not be worse, and the attack by Israel against Hamas radicals in the Gaza strip may enlarge the conflict to include other radical militant groups from Iran, etc. This is not something Barack Obama wants while confronting current US financial problems. Illinois Senate Appointee Says He Is The Real Deal - Is Illinois the most corrupt political state in America? Some might say no, by comparing voting improprieties in Minnesota as an example of election corruption (more votes than people) by Minnesota Democrats; then again, some might say that New Mexico's Gov. Richardson is another example of elected officials using their office for personal gain, aka the former Senator from Alaska. Corruption by seasoned elected officials seems to have made regular national news ever since the antics of Gov. Blagojevich (D-IL) became public. When the troubled Gov. of Illinois made his appointment of Roland Burris to fill the vacated Senate seat of Barack Obama, leading Democrats such as Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) cried foul-play. Democrat leadership in Washington wants to appoint their own man and not abide by Gov. Blagojevich’s selection. However, other minority officials in Washington and Illinois are coming to the support of Senate appointee Burris. Burris would, after all, become the only Black-American official in the US Senate (replacing Barack Obama.) As leading Democrats battle to determine who should fill the vacated Senate seat, Republicans in Illinois are hoping for an open special election to fill the Senate seat. “Let the people decide,” say Republicans. Suffice this is not something Obama needs to confront during his first 100 days in office. Of course, New York is going through the same ordeal with Sen. Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be vacated Senate seat. It appears that Caroline Kennedy wants to be appointed by the governor of New York to the open Senate seat. And yes, "Sweet Caroline" wants no public disclosure of finances, no media probing, no jokes about her lack of elected office experience (remember what the liberal media did to Gov. Sarah Palin?), no public statements regarding her political policies, etc., etc. Yes, she expects a royalty-like appointment due to her name. On the other hand, and as most people know, she is not qualified for this important elected office. Will she gain the appointment? Hmmm, she is a Kennedy! Florida Vs. Oklahoma On Thursday – On Thursday evening we will know if Oklahoma is the best college football team in America. It’s the Florida Gators vs. the Oklahoma Sooners for the National Championship. Of course USC said they are the best team in America and Texas recently said they were #1. The real #1? GO GATORS. C. S. Lewis’ Legacy – Tremendously popular this Christmas was the second film based on C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series. C.S. Lewis’ 110th anniversary is seeing a renewed focus on his work. Interestingly enough, Lewis did not think he would be remembered long after his death. Though he died November 23, 1963, (same day as JFK), his books are more popular now than during his lifetime. There are over 200 million copies of his 40 titles in print. |