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Commissioner should work in district he represents

 
Published Dec. 6, 2012

Commissioner's office misstep

The newly elected Hernando commissioner from District 1 has abandoned his district. Nick Nicholson has decided to have his office at his business on Horse Lake Road in District 5, not in District 1, which he represents.

His office to serve the populace of Hernando County should either be in the County Courthouse Building downtown Brooksville on within the district he is to serve.

He ran for office to serve the people, not his business interest, Nicholson Engineering, and if he is unwilling to devote the time required to complete county business he should step aside and allow a worthy individual who has the county's interests to take his seat.

We cannot have an open government when an engineer conducting his private business adds the county's business to his personal business space. This smacks of improprieties. Mr. Nicholson has stated "One of my jobs is to supervise the County Administrator and that's kind of hard to do from Forest Oaks". Horse Lake Road also is not in the county government center in Brooksville.

This is not a logical explanation. The county commissioners' job is not to micro-manage the administrator, but to provide policies and procedures for him/her follow.

Commissioners were dispersed a few years ago to be closer to the districts they represent, not to make their lives more convenient. I hope the county commission can see the error of allowing Mr. Nicholson to work from his own business and advise him to relocate either to the courthouse building or within his duly elected district.

Mark Johnson, Spring Hill

Holiday show falls short Nov. 24, review

Holiday show was enjoyable

This is in response to Barbara Fredricksen's review of the Christmas show at the Show Palace. We found the show to be very enjoyable.

We are frequent customers and like all the shows. The cast works very hard. This is a holiday show and we find no need to be so critical.

Yes, people like Matthew McGee are missed, but his show had many familiar faces that lived up to their usual fine performances. Many people may not attend this show, due to the harsh criticism. In this economy, it is not a good idea to contribute to losses to an established business.

Cindy and Jim Eldredge, Spring Hill

Painkillers often cause more harm

In reading the alarming news items about the fungal meningitis outbreak attributed to a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy — amounting to 510 cases with 36 deaths — I am deeply concerned that deadly epidural steroid injections to relieve back pain are just the tip of the iceberg.

These risky interventions, including overuse of cortisone injections, overdoses of prescription drugs such as methadone and other opioids, as well as debilitating back surgery are often worse than the disease.

Back pain is pervasive throughout the United States and impacts productivity in the workplace, with estimates that the direct costs of treatment top $50 billion annually. A report by the National Center for Health Statistics found that more than a quarter of adults had low back pain in the past three months, and it's the second most common neurological ailment in the United States, trailing only headaches.

Prior to undergoing expensive, risky and sometimes life-threatening treatments, individuals should first try a conservative approach to back pain management.

Vincent Depasquale, Spring Hill

Drivers ignored truck on fire

I was driving north on I-75 at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21, heading to New Port Richey for Thanksgiving with my family. I had just finished fueling my truck at around exit 168 and continued my trip when around mile marker 189 my 2001 Ford F250 started giving me trouble with the engine making a knocking sound.

I tried pulling over on the shoulder with my hazard lights on, but cars were oblivious to my situation and blew their horns at me. While pulling over, smoke started pouring out from under the hood. I immediately called 911 while other motorists kept driving past me going about their business.

An off-duty officer stopped as I got out of the vehicle. He was the only one who stopped and he called 911 as well. As I waited for the fire department to arrive, the entire front of my truck became fully engulfed and I lost all my personal belongings: my laptop, wireless printer, $2,000 worth of music, jewelry, title to the truck, registration, checkbook, Bluetooth headset and other belongings.

I called the road side assistance that my insurance company uses, but later the tow company called to tell me the roadside assistance had been canceled because the vehicle was damaged by fire.

The Florida Highway Patrol called a wrecker and the tow bill is $215, plus $25 a day storage. My other option is to sign over a copy of the title and give the tow company $100. I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles and it's $90 for a duplicate title even though I explained the situation to them.

I hope when people read this it will change the way they act on roads and maybe they'll stop to help a stranded motorist.

Robert Howell, New Port Richey