It’s pretty simple.
Although our population has increased 4 times, the high-school clique from the paper mill company town days still runs things.
They’re not necessarily bad people though some are disrespectful and mean. But they mostly simply believe they are entitled to rule over the rest of us. Psychologists would tell us it is because of their insecurity in a more complex world. You know, one in which citizens want to not only play soccer but might also want to play minigolf on a world-class course. That's complex thinking for some officials.
The insecurity manifests in many ways. For instance, they are very controlling of their small world. Many of the same people control the Republican party, the Joint Development Authority, the Public Service Authority, the Landfill, and the Chamber of Commerce…. You get the idea. Their whole reason for being is to make sure that Camden County stays in the good ‘ole days. Unfortunately, they’ve had their way for a long time. Bad decisions are the consequence.
That behavior has harmed Camden County for decades. The Spaceport fiasco is a case in point. The clique followed their chosen leader of the moment in an expensive pursuit of a spaceport that defied common sense. They allowed exaggeration by folks who were masters of hype to convince them to spend millions on what could charitably be described as a pipedream. Even today, there is no rocket path over Cumberland Island and no rocket maker who could launch a rocket legally under Camden’s $15 million FAA license. In every case, the promises were made by promisers akin to old-time snake oil salesmen. And the bills went to us taxpayers.
The contrived dispute between soccer and minigolf is a perfect example of Administrators bestowing special favors. The soccer fields are truly a mess and plenty of kids use them. Why have our governments failed to always provide top-quality soccer fields, baseball fields, boat ramps, clean park bathrooms, swings at our parks, and playground slides lower than Camden's tallest waterfall? Trip and fall hazards abound at our busiest Peeples Park. The rather special elevated wetlands nature trail at Browntown Park is closed because our government let it become unsafe. Tennis and basketball courts throughout the county have been unplayable for years. Most of the neglect is due to government mismanagement, lack of accountability to taxpayers, and catering to special interests.
We agree that soccer improvements are needed, but just exactly how did Camden County decide to sign a contract that conscripted the former Pro-3 minigolf in its plans without ANY PRIOR PUBLIC DISCUSSION? The May 14, 2024 Special Called meeting specifically to discuss “possible action regarding the former Pro-3 Mini Golf” was a Fraud. That’s because months earlier, on February 29, 2024, County Administrator Shawn Boatright signed a 14-page design agreement that included the following requirement:
Here's the full 14-page contract:
Chairman Ben Casey had the gall to tell us this week that he didn’t threaten to immediately bulldoze the county-abandoned unique minigolf facility. Maybe, maybe not. But surely he knew his County Administrator had signed the contract months ago planning to remove the minigolf course sooner than later. Was Casey’s statement a play on words because he figured they’d use dynamite rather than a bulldozer to destroy the minigolf? Or did Boatright sign the contract without knowledge of and authorization from the County Commission?
Serious businesses easily saw that Camden was “all in” for the spaceport. That project consumed Camden administrators and millions of dollars for years. Meanwhile, real prospects with real jobs for our retirees and under-employed decided they wouldn’t touch Camden County with a ten-foot pole. Even today, the dreamers think a new Publix is “progress” and the JDA is caught up in the tinsel of movie studio dreams. The funniest joke in Camden is that every new building is probably a Dollar General.
How about more factories like Foodie J’s, the local egg roll company that issues more paychecks to our people than work at the $92 million liquid nitrogen plant, the Aldicarb pesticide factory, and Turner Bros. Heating and Air, combined?
Camden County development has been on the wrong track for decades, mostly because small people with limited experience and ability have been micro-managing decisions at the top. Just because their daddy or granddaddy was an important player in his time doesn’t bestow the same capabilities on them in today’s world. Heck, even the long-worshipped Gilman Paper Mill failed to keep pace with the times. It would be considered a huge joke if today an educated nobody assumed he was qualified to be President of the United States because his daddy named him George Washington.
This screed is not directed at the worker bees in Camden County. Countless of our neighbors perform at the top of the game every day. That’s why many of us love living here. Not only is Camden County historic, close to nature, and affordable, but we have many great, hard-working neighbors. Camden County is a good place to live and to raise a family. But it misses on a few cylinders.
In almost every case, the problems start at the top decision levels where we find a few immature, selfish, self-inflated ‘leaders’ lacking the talent, skills, and sensible vision needed to carry Camden forward. Blueberry farmers are not normally experienced in the rigors of managing hundreds of skilled employees and diverse community services. We don’t need a new Sheriff who has demonstrated he thinks the rules don’t apply to him and who we’re told is just planning to use the office as a steppingstone to the governor’s mansion. We don’t need a lobbyist for the highest-paid Federal Executives as a decision-maker on the County Commission. We deserve Administrators whose families live where we live and not in other states. And for the salaries we pay, we need Administrators who bring more real-world experience to the job and not just a willingness to be somebody’s puppet.
Our elected officials have shot themselves in both feet by creating the unnecessary soccer/minigolf controversy.
There is no magic potion.
Vote wisely on Tuesday.
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