Governor hears Polk County citizens' woes, both strange and sad [Jeb listens..whoa! What an earful!]

AP vai Naples Daily News ^ | March 8, 2002 | Vickie Chachere, AP

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One of fifty Polk County citizens meets one-on-one
with Gov. Jeb Bush.

Governor hears Polk County citizens' woes, both strange and sad

Friday, March 8, 2002

By VICKIE CHACHERE, Associated Press

LAKELAND — If the old saying is true that even a cat can look at a king, can a guy with a goat problem go to the governor?

Vincent Michael thought so and waited four hours Thursday — joining several hundred citizens with problems of their own — for a chance to talk to Gov. Jeb Bush during a morning the governor moved his office to Lakeland.

Bush and Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan have staged more than a dozen "open office hours" at communities statewide. For five minutes each, citizens can tell the officials of their problems.

Author Anne Bertram, in her book "Bowl of Cherries," coined the cat phrase to say no one is so important that an ordinary person cannot look at him.

But Michael's problem was his goat escaped his rural Polk County yard and ate a neighbor's plants. The neighbor retaliated by shooting, but not killing, the goat.

Unhappy with the local sheriff's response, Michael decided to take his case to the chief executive.

A bemused Bush, who had by then spent the entire morning hearing problems ranging from care for handicapped foster children to complaints about contaminated water, didn't know how to respond.

"Some of these things need to be worked out human being to human being," he counseled Michael. "I'm not sure the system is set up to handle goat disputes."

Bush said he understands citizens' frustrations in getting government to act, even when the roadblocks at times are created by his own agencies. Bush said he's hoping that by taking the time to listen, other state bureaucrats will take the cue.

More than 200 people showed up at Lakeland City Hall to bend the governor's ear. Bush and Brogan were able to hold about 50 one-on-one meetings, and the rest met with the governor's staff.

One middle school student showed up at 3:45 a.m. to be the first in line and encourage the governor to support arts education. Martha Villareal, a bank manager who was shot in the face during a January robbery, turned out to thank Bush for his anti-crime initiatives

Sybil Conner of Lakeland brought her four-year struggle to get groundwater in her neighborhood tested for contamination to Bush's attention.

Conner said she believes chemicals released from an old fertilizer plant in her neighborhood is behind a series of deaths from cancer, but neither state nor federal environmental agencies will investigate.

"He needs to know what's happening in the state, what's happening to the people," Conner said.

For Tammy Brown, the adoptive mother of a 9-year-old handicapped girl, Thursday was the first time she'd asked the governor for help.

Brown, who is also foster mother to two other handicapped children, said Polk County has only one nurse to act as a state case manager and by law can't carry a case load of more than 24 children.

A part-time nurse's job has been open for two years, but offers no benefits and can't attract a qualified applicant.

Brown said the result is ill and handicapped foster children are being sent to other counties while Polk foster homes sit empty. Parents — many of whom aren't abusive but lost custody because they couldn't care for their children — lose any chance at reunification.

The governor seemed almost relieved.

"This is actually something that I can do something about," he told Brown, then quickly directing an aid to have the Department of Health upgrade the vacant job to a full-time position with benefits.

Many of the other encounters were on the lighter side of life.

Beverly Page toted a cooler with her own orange juice and soy concoction to her meeting with Bush. She wanted the governor to taste the drink she wants to sell to third-world countries, but a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent wouldn't allow the taste test.

Gladys Harrell didn't come with a problem, but with an envelope containing a double strand of large, simulated pearls.

She told the governor to give the necklace to his mother.

"I've had these pearls for so many years, I wanted to give them to someone who appreciated them," she said. "Every time I looked at them I thought of Barbara."

[summer]

From article:

A part-time nurse's job has been open for two years, but offers no benefits and can't attract a qualified applicant.

Brown said the result is ill and handicapped foster children are being sent to other counties while Polk foster homes sit empty. Parents — many of whom aren't abusive but lost custody because they couldn't care for their children — lose any chance at reunification.

The governor seemed almost relieved.

"This is actually something that I can do something about," he told Brown, then quickly directing an aid to have the Department of Health upgrade the vacant job to a full-time position with benefits.

Good for Gov. Bush! :)

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Bumping for index.

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FYI. :)

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FYI. :)

[Rodney King]

Sybil Conner of Lakeland brought her four-year struggle to get groundwater in her neighborhood tested for contamination to Bush's attention.

Don't ya think that rather than complaining for four years you could have taken a sample yourself and sent it off to a lab for a few hundred bucks?

Conner said she believes chemicals released from an old fertilizer plant in her neighborhood is behind a series of deaths from cancer, but neither state nor federal environmental agencies will investigate

And why does she beleive that? Because somebody had cancer and she saw the BS movie Erin Brockovitch?

[PJ-Comix]

But Michael's problem was his goat escaped his rural Polk County yard and ate a neighbor's plants.

Actually the big danger out there is rampaging emus.

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LOL....

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FYI. :)

[Dog Gone]

Beverly Page toted a cooler with her own orange juice and soy concoction to her meeting with Bush. She wanted the governor to taste the drink she wants to sell to third-world countries, but a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent wouldn't allow the taste test.

I imagine that Jeb later arranged a pay raise for that guy.

This is a great way for Bush to connect with the people and stay in touch with their ordinary needs. Undoubtedly, it's going to increase his popularity and have an impact in the polls, although he hardly needs that. This guy is quite impressive.

[DJ88]

Only in my town and my county could someone go to the Governer over a goat dispute....sheesh.....I didn't even know he was here until I read that paper this morning.

So much for me staying on top of things...

Believe it or not, I know that lady in the picture, ROFLOL!!!!

[Inge_CAV]

Good Morning Summer!

A Happy Day BUMP for You!

[kinganamort]

I WANT A GOVERNOR THAT FIXES PROBLEMS.... ERR UHH

"This is actually something that I can do something about," he told Brown, then quickly directing an aid to have the Department of Health upgrade the vacant job to a full-time position with benefits."

YOU MEAN TO TELL ME I ALREADY HAD ONE? SWEET!

---

SQUASH RENO!

[kinganamort]

squash reno ping!

[PJ-Comix]

Actually I was once sort of in the emu business. I sold an emu oil hair treatment (PJ's Dry Hair Treatment). Unfortunately a lot of people objected to putting a bird oil in their hair. But you know what? It is absolutely the BEST dry hair treatent out there. I use it every day. Oh, and emus are really TASTY. YUM!

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This guy is quite impressive.

I agree. He has the patience of a good neighborhood bartender or hairdresser, willing to listen to every customer's woe. Even more impressive is that Gov. Bush has been doing this THROUGHOUT his term as governor. This is nothing new for him. :)!

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Re your post #14 - LOL!

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Don't ya think that rather than complaining for four years you could have taken a sample yourself and sent it off to a lab for a few hundred bucks?

I honestly don't know about that. Labs can be very picky about what they will do for who. Maybe she does have a legitimate gripe.

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LOL! Maybe you should subscribe to Gov. Bush's weekly e-newsletter if you want to keep up with his schedule and his on-going work as governor. Just enter your email address in the green box, located on the right side of the page here.

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:)!

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:)!