A focus on Manatee County's top 2015 top issues
As 2015 draws to a close, a year-in-review of Herald editorials shows the Manatee County issues that stood out. One state political controversy also consumed a great deal of interest. The rankings are purely subjective, based mostly on the importance to both community and society -- which are quite distinct from one another. The amount of newsprint they generated also played a key role.
1. Crime and child abuse should never make this kind of list. Unfortunately, though, the disturbing death of Janiya Thomas, her body found locked in a freezer her own mother delivered to a relative, gripped the community's consciousness for months after so many Herald accounts of child abuse in the family.
The mother, Keishanna Thomas, still refusing to say a word about this, sits in jail on fresh charges of murder in Janiya's death. This very, very troubling case brought to light new deep deficiences in Florida's entire child welfare system, one the state appears to be reviewing.
2. The 4-year-old Labrador mix named Padi earned global fame for sitting on death row for months while the politics of state law played out; finally, a judicial decision this month found Florida's dangerous dog statute is unconstitutional. Paul and Jeanne Gartenberg, Padi's human companions, led the community's collective sigh of relief over the canine's freedom from the threat of euthanasia over a bite on a child that may have been self-defense. The poorly written law is now targeted for clarification in new legislation that allows for due process. Thank goodness.
3. Diana Greene took over a beleagured Manatee County School District fractured over the short but financially successful tenure of former Superintendent Rick Mills.
Greene not only won high marks from the school board for her job performance this month after only six months as superintendent, she's won community support for her constant public engagement and steady leadership in repairing divisions both inside and outside the district. This ranks as the one of the best news stories of the year, one so sorely needed that only someone like Greene could accomplish.
4. The Board of Trustees at State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota rightfully earned broad community scorn for eliminating tenure and other policy changes that fit a business model of corporate operations but not an educational one. This devaluation of educator talent threatens to saddle SCF with a poor reputation as both an institution of higher learning and a desirable place for top educators to seek employment. Shameful.
5. Manatee County finally embarked on a multi-pronged strategy to address the cost of health care for the working poor, uninsured and underinsured, tackling an issue bedeviling the community for far too many years. Still, the county must craft a dedicated and sustainable funding stream to partially reimburse hospitals and physicians for the discounted medical care provided to indigents patients. A new citizens task force will work on that while a consultant will develop a comprehensive program that cuts treatment costs and improves patient outcomes. We need success here on those two fronts, so don't let us down.
6. A plethora of isses dominated the Legislature and Governor's Mansion this year, including a state budget fiasco, special sessions and other political snarls, but none lasted longer than the combative legal fight over redistricting. The Florida Supreme Court had to step in and put its stamp on the congressional district maps, but the state Senate boundaries remain to be determined -- also in the hands of the courts.
Bradenton Republican Sen. Bill Galvano stood in the middle of this mess with his testimony this month in defense of the map he submitted. The judge also holds maps drawn by plaintiffs in the case. All of this came after the Senate confessed to illegally drawing its own district boundaries, giving GOP candidates clear advantages over Democrats. This is a legal tussle with implications for the next decade -- before new maps must be drawn after the next U.S. census.
7. Manatee County enjoyed one of the greatest event successes in recent history with the debut of not just a big but a hugely entertaining day -- one that attracted anywhere in excess of 50,000 or so people along the Manatee River in both Bradenton and Palmetto and on the Green Bridge.
The inaugural Riverwalk Regatta proved immensenely popular and this second year's edition, set for Feb. 6, promises to be even bigger as organizations are setting the stage for an expansion for the Formula 2 Powerboat League competition and the HydroCross jet ski stunt show and races and all the related events. This is a terrific addition to the county's now growing crowd-pleasing entertainment schedule.
These next three issues could easily rate at the top of this list and should because of their societal importance. We rank addiction, homelessness and education near the top of this year's community-wide issues because they deserve great attention -- and the Herald did that, spotlighting perhaps the most difficult societal issues that defy solutions because not enough people are engaged in problem-solving.
8. Homelessness is chronic here. Like everywhere. For the vast majority of those living in cars or on the streets, this is not a lifestyle choice, as the Herald has noted time and time again this year. The causes? Minimum wage jobs, or worse; divorce, bad health and a myriad of other life circumstances put families out of homes -- and living in their cars, like the mother of three profiled Tuesday who once washed her daughters with paper towels from a day care generous enough to allow them to park outside at night and clean up inside before the girls went to school.
Turning Points, Manatee County's godsend nonprofit working to end homelessness, assists this family with rental assistance -- and many others. The agency spent almost a $1 million on rent and utility assitance this year. Call 941-747-1509 to join this effort.
9. Bless parents who read to their children. They are giving the gift of language, understanding of the written word and so much more. The social connection between adult and child is priceless. But the payoff lies elsewhere, in education and life success. The Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, in which Manatee County participates, is essential to raising the language skills of youngsters so they achieve those abilities by their third grade. That is the foundation -- just third grade -- that studies show is a key to a lifetime of success. While this campaign intends to boost the educational achievements by children, the future of the community depends on the success of our children. And this is a far more broad-based campaign than parents reading to their children.
10. Here's the toughest issue around: addiction and death from heroin and fentanyl, the latter an incredibly powerful drug added to heroin by dealers with no conscious. How bad is the situation? One numbskull dropped off a heroin-laced burrito to a local hospital for a patient just this week. The desperation for a fix cannot be exaggerated. Sad.
The solution? We wish. Since law enforcement can only slow the importation of heroin -- and Manatee County has achieved some success there -- the other partial answer is a sharp increase in mental health addiction treatment. Florida finally appears to be waking up to that necessity, but the coming regular session of the Legislature will test that reality -- with a simple question: Will lawmakers talk the talk or walk the walk?
Manatee County is the worst in the state for overdose deaths from those drugs. Addiction services must increase significantly ASAP. This is a family and community issue, not a we-don't-care-about-drug-addicts issue that has blinded lawmakers to any strong and meaningful response in the past.
This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "A focus on Manatee County's top 2015 top issues ."