Live Oak —
The biggest story of this election season actually began in 2008 with the defeat of District 5 County Commissioner Randy Hatch. The man behind the upset? Former Tax Collector George Burnham, who has of late injected himself into county politics with a vengeance.
Hatch’s loss was surprising, but hardly earth-shattering.
He had been vulnerable for a while, it turned out. A number of south county folks later recounted having felt, fairly or not, that he’d lost focus on local affairs, especially with all his work as president of the Florida Association of Counties.
Then there was his opponent. Wesley Wainwright would have certainly proven formidable even without Burnham’s support. (For the record, he’s so far shown himself to be more than capable as a commissioner.)
Two years later, commissioners Doug Udell and Billy Maxwell came into Burnham’s sights.
With Maxwell’s loss on Tuesday both are now gone, and Burnham-backed candidates dominate the commission.
Burnham’s always had the golden touch for politics, but what he pulled off this time around takes the cake.
We don’t necessarily mean that as a compliment.
What makes 2010 different than 2008? The winning candidates themselves.
Phil Oxendine and Clyde Fleming may turn out to be fine commissioners.
Frankly, however, neither has to this point inspired particular confidence in his ability to run the $50 million corporation that is our county government.
All we can do now is wait and see.
With all due respect, gentlemen, we hope you prove us wrong -- for all our sakes.
Local News
November 5, 2010
OUR VIEW: Kingmaker
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