Do We Need Another Hero?

All of the comments that I hear on the street are about this new commission member or that new mayor, as if one person is going to overcome all the dilemmas that we face in the community of Cedar Key. What we should have, instead of a new hero, is a commission and a citizenry who pull together.

Do clammers have problems finding launching ramps? Sometimes. Should residents expect not to find a boat trailer blocking their driveway? Always. What about the business owners? Granted, some of them are not residents of Cedar Key, but they contribute to our general welfare and they obviously have problems, too. Should the retired schoolteacher, who pays $400,000 for his quiet retirement spot, be jolted out of a sound sleep by a pre-dawn airboat? No. And, what about the continuing tension between the "Old Cedar Key families" and the "Newcomers?" Who gets first place in line? The list goes on and on. But, turning all of our attention to any one group is not going to help us with Cedar Key's common problems.

We need the City Comprehensive Plan for direction and the Community Redevelopment Act to provide the funding. But none of this is going to ultimately work unless we really do plan and really do use the money in a purposeful way. Unfortunately, the City Commission is forced to spend a great deal of time trying to figure out which screeching seagull to feed first.

Cedarkeynews.com would like to provide a neutral ground for a gathering of diverse interests in our city by presenting unbiased news reporting and allowing the free exchange of ideas. In this way, we all might finally be able to see that another new hero is not the answer. Getting our city together is.