We need more people in goverment who can clearly communicate and educate.

Don excels in these aspects. His videos and posts have very articulate explainations of the complexities for the various aspects of governence, business and budgets in Sumter County and The Villages.

I agree with what you say, but make no mistake about one thing. If Don shared the same views regarding how the impact of new development should be paid for as the commissioner he is replacing, who was duly elected by the residents of Sumter County, he would not have been appointed by team DeSantis.

I don't think you're wrong.

What I've noticed with the way this area is politically organized is that no one lasts long who does not understand just who is really calling the shots around here. Threading that needle while trying to represent "the people" will take a lot of political skill.

Very true but he was not a fan of the new commissioners.

Will be very interesting to see how this plays out once he disagrees with the developer.

Don is extraordinarily knowledgeable about how this community works and what is in our best interests.

:bigbow:

You do realize he also teaches at the enrichment academy.
He owns his own business.
He is sill grieving the loss of his son on Jan 22

Thanks everyone for the words of support and encouragement.
The appointment came as a huge shock to me on Friday, I was notified about 15 minutes before the public announcement was made.

The way an appointment works is that you must submit your name and other information to the governor's office (website application) and they do the screening from there. I submitted my name shortly after Diane Spencer resigned for health reasons, about the same time I decided to run for the office. There's a vetting process that follows but I honestly don't know what it entails, I received one brief phone call and email in my response to my application, that was it until Friday afternoon.

Honestly, I didn't expect anything like this so close to the primary election, and I'm unsure what impact it will have on the election process, some may see it a negative and some may see it a positive, it's impossible to know the actual impact. I would have expected something like this after the election results were known and then seating the winner early so that the county would have a full board sooner to conduct its business. The other side of the coin is that the county is in the middle of budget season and it is certainly better to have the full board to make some of the most critical decisions the board makes. Again, I have no insight into how the decision was made.

Is it a surprise that a known conservative Governor appointed a known conservative citizen to fill a seat such as this? I would hope not. Do I think that the Governor's office called someone in the upper echelons of the developer's hierarchy in the screening process? I have little doubt. I've no idea who they would have responded but if it was a nod to yes it was a very hesitant nod, considering how many times on the CDD and PWAC boards I've disagreed with them (don't worry, you'll never read about things like that on the pseudo-news web page). The headaches I've caused them with my videos - my comments in video 113 about their involvement in the First Responder's rec center were not well received, as well as many other comments I've made that put them on the hot seat.

I don't know the developer, I'm not on the A list for the Christmas party. I met Ryan McCabe 3 and a half years ago when I was "called to the principal's office" to discuss my drone flying over the construction area (a story best saved for another date), and I met Jennifer Parr for the first time at the grand opening of Ezell, she knew me on site (surprised me!) and we talked for about 1 minute, that's it Yes, I know Dr. Lester, I met him for the first time about a year and a half ago and have had coffee with him at Scoopels several times since, I learned very quickly to watch what I say as I quickly felt ripples after my comments. Have I done business with The Villages? I bought my house from them and my mortgage is through CFB, beyond that no. I had considered it very early on but backlash from my videos quickly squashed those thoughts. I also wanted to have sole control of my video content, editorial license, and timing, something I would have lost with the first dime from the developer. 2500 years ago, the Chinese General and philosopher, Sun Tzu (known for the work The Art of War) wrote "keep your friends close and your enemies closer", what he failed to include was - because it's hard the tell the difference. I've learned this last part the hard way.

While the response to my running and this appointment have been overwhelmingly positive, there have been a few negative comments from democrats and other expected sources. I do hate social media and its labels, the popular labels of Racist, Misogynist, White Supremist, and many others have a companion here in The Villages - "In the developer's pocket!" Seriously? Do people not realize that responsible government actions must take into consideration more that the comments and wants of a few individuals, they must include all the facts, fiscal, contractual, and legal ramification in addition to the impact on the community as a whole both long and short term as well as any unintended consequences. It's a very difficult process weighing all these factors and the one factor that, if done right, doesn't come into play is one's own opinion and self-interest. This is where my head has always been.

Thanks again everyone. More to come.

May the Force be with you.

:clap2:

Don

I was not sure about whether I would vote for you but now after reading your post can tell you that you will have my vote for sure.

Congratulations Don. I think you were an excellent choice by the Governor. The only negative aspect to the appointment is that it may affect your Villages update videos.

?
 

he posted construction update # 113 . A trip down meggison road and central parkway 2 weeks ago per youtube

Thanks. I looked for it and saw most of it earlier today.

The Saw Grass parking area seems like it is going to be way too small if these venues are popular.

Thanks for the comment I am a liberal and I vote it will be for you if I get to vote.

I am sorry you are having negative comments from some Dems. I guess there are bad apples on both sides. Don't loose sight that there are good apples on both sides too.