Tuesday, February 23, 2010

After the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District board vowed to hold off on any raises this year, last week it flip-flopped on its previous position and gave raises to a number of employees.

The board also voted to buy new vehicles for eight new inspectors hired to combat dengue fever. We have to wonder if the expense of vehicles was considered when the hiring of eight new inspectors was under discussion.

Mosquito Control Commissioners Dick Rudell and Bill Shaw have been critical of Director Ed Fussell's spending and financial policies. This criticism rose to new levels with Rudell asking Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward to look into purchasing decisions made by Fussell.

Apparently secure in his support by Commissioners Joan Lord-Papy, Bill Langstaff and Chairman Steve Smith, Fussell has escalated the level of tension by lashing out at Ruddell and Shaw in a response to the director's job evaluation, which was read into the record at the board's last meeting, and in statements on US 1 Radio's Morning Mazagine news program last week.

Publicly criticizing one's own bosses is a bold move, especially for someone making $186,000 a year.

It is unlikely this storm will blow over anytime soon. Two Mosquito Control commissioners -- Langstaff and Ruddell -- are up for re-election in August, and district spending is sure to be at the core of both campaigns.

The Mosquito Control district is an independent state agency with the authority to levy taxes, and it has been expanding its domain for years. The district's spacious new headquarters in Marathon, for instance, has more office space than it has district employees to occupy it. Even so, the district and its growing budget has largely gone unnoticed for years because its tax bite is a relatively small part of the overall tax bill.

We are encouraged by the fact this appears to be changing.

All too often, the post of Mosquito Control commissioner is discounted by voters as a minor post of little consequence. With an annual budget approaching $10 million, it is time for that perception to change. We urge residents to take a closer look as the campaigns gear up this year. The only way to see greater fiscal responsibility in the district is with the election of commissioners committed to reining in spending.

-- The Citizen