On June 20, 2024, Commissioner Krista Keating-Joseph posted this on her personal Facebook page. Apparently, “them” are the three County commissioners up for reelection, Commissioners Henry Dean, Christian Whitehurst and Roy Alaimo.
Yes, I realize that the threshold for courtesy and respect has plummeted, and professionalism has been redefined to mean, “anything goes.”
But is this behavior okay?
Besides the fact that it is just plain rude, this Commissioner’s behavior says several things to me.
- It says that she represents only those who agree with her.
- It says that she doesn’t understand that her job is to work for the County and do what is right for the entire county.
- It says she has no intention of working with her fellow commissioners to debate and make decisions that are in the best interest of the county.
- It says that she doesn’t respect her fellow commissioners.
So, I have to ask again, is this behavior okay?
For some, probably
Perhaps those who agree with the platform that she and the candidates she endorses, are just fine with this approach. After all, rebellion against the government is in our DNA, isn’t it?
However, there are two questions to keep in mind as we approach this important primary election.
First, can development be slowed without damage to the economy?
And second, is that what is right for the County?
The answer to the first question is academic – grounded in knowledge, critical thinking and collaboration with all of the stakeholders in the County. Developers have been painted as bad. The Commissioners have been painted as beholden to developers and not saying “No” enough. There is ALWAYS more to the story than what you read in social media and candidate websites. I implore voters to dig deeper than the marketing campaign and learn about how decisions are made rather than taking a candidate’s marketing campaign as gospel.
The answer to the second question is less academic. This is where our right and privilege to cast our vote for decision-makers come into play. Make no mistake, however. County Commissioners, aka “decision-makers,” are obligated to serve all constituents in St Johns County, not just the ones who think as they do. They are also obligated to obey the laws of the State of Florida.
A Commissioner for all of the county?
I cannot access some content on the Facebook pages of Commissioner Joseph, Ann-Marie Evans or Ann Taylor. My guess is that the content was reposted from Nicole Crosby’s Fight for St Johns County Facebook page, and I have been blocked there. I make this assumption because I get this message on all three Facebook pages – Joseph, Taylor and Evans. I could easily be wrong and be making a bad assumption. But if I am right, why would a candidate for County Commissioner in my District 5 post any content on their Facebook page that I, as a potential constituent, cannot see?
It is too bad that such an important campaign has turned so inconsiderate that anyone not in agreement has been blocked.
This is not the behavior we should expect from our elected officials.
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