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Commissioner Questions If Century Courthouse Closure Could Fund African American Chamber
September 18, 2009
County Commissioner Gene Valentino questioned Thursday night if the the Clerk of the Courts Office in the Century Courthouse could be closed in order to provide $40,000 in funding to the Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce.
At Thursday night’s Escambia County Commission budget hearing, the chamber approached the commission and asked for the $40,000 not in the budget so the group could work on economic development and work to make sure that the county does more business with minorities.
After Commissioner Marie Young said she supporting funding the chamber, Valentino questioned if the money could come from the courthouse closure.
District 5 Commissioner Kevin White was visibly upset by the District 2 commissioner’s suggestion, pointing his finger and saying, “So you want to do that? Is tha what you are saying?”
“I’m just bringing the thought out,” Valentino replied. “You were interesting in seeing it closed at one point.”
“When did you ever hear me say that?” White said.
“I did not hear you say it, but I saw it in the paper,” Valentino said. “I’m just coming up with an idea. I shouldn’t be scolded for trying to think out of the box about trying to find a way to solve problems around here.”
“Oh, but you are going to go in something in my district, and I am not going to scold you? Please.” White said.
“I understand from staff that it’s not a big deal. There’s a few appointments per day or per week up there,” Valentino said.
“I believe it is just a matter of saying ‘yes” here,” Young said about the funding for the Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce. “I’m not interested in going into Kevin’s district (where the Century courthouse is located) to try to remove anything.”
“This is suppose to be a state function,” Commissioner Grover Robinson told his fellow commissioners. Escambia Clerk of Courts Ernie Lee Magaha’s budget is provided by the state court system. Robinson said that increased court fees on the local level, as mandated by the state, will not stay in Escambia County but go into the state’s budget. “That really upsets me.”
“I don’t think it is fair for Escambia County citizens to pay additional fees, get their services cut and have that money go to somewhere else,” Robinson said. He said that while he was originally against keep the courthouse open in Century, but now he is supporting keeping clerk of the court services in Century.
After Robinson’s remarks, Commissioner Chairperson Young turned the discussion back to the chamber, ending discussion on the Billy G. Ward Courthouse in Century. It was at that point that White walked out of the meeting for a brief time.
Last year, the Century courthouse cost the county $19,300 for maintenance and $34,000 for utilities including the phone system. That was for both sides of the building — the side occupied by the clerk of the courts and tax collector and the side occupied by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office precinct.
The $65,000 needed by the court clerk to keep his office open was cut from the first budget proposal considered by the commission earlier this month. The $65,000 was returned to the budget considered Thursday night by the commission, but the commission failed to ratify that budget. The BOCC will consider the budget again next Thursday night.
Pictured: Commissioner Gene Valentino at Thursday night’s Escambia County Commission budget hearing.
Comments
23 Responses to “Commissioner Questions If Century Courthouse Closure Could Fund African American Chamber”
Look Century has lost enough HOSPITAL,POLICE,HIGH SCHOOL,MIDDLESCHOOL,ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,DRIVER LICENSE.Yes we have a court house but honestly not many people use these services as the others I listed.Look this all some way or another and I dont care if you dont agree but (ONE DAY LETS ANNEX CENTURY TO PENSACOLA) Sure make it sound good with more Government funding and whatever these left wing hyprocrits will lie about.No thank you we like our little town I just wish more than this little amount of people would stand up.
Only a suggestion like this could come from one of our County Commissioners. I think if Mr.Valentino wants $40,000 for an African American Chamber of Commerce, he should pay for it with some of his own $$$. Do we have a White American, Polish or Indian Chamber of Commerce ? NO WE DON’T!! We have one Chamber of Commerce, for all Americans.
Money the county does not have is still not going to be there even if they find a new use for it! If the budget requires cuts then they need to be made. I do not agree with removing the court services from the area and cause people to travel a greater distance. It seems like the services could be streamlined to save money. Even if they close the court services giving it to the black chamber is a bad idea. If that happens then it seems segregation is alive and real in Escambia county Florida! Why must there be color in everything? Does the regular chamber of commerce serve the entire community without regard to ethnicity, gender or religious preference? Why have we as citizens allowed this to happen? Is it not offensive to people that there are so many African American and minority differences now? Why is there a black entertainers award? Are the regular entertainer awards not enough? Why do we have to have Irish Americans, Spanish Americans, or African Americans? Why cant we just be Americans? This country can not handle segregation again right now or ever, I thought we changed that in the sixties? I do not ever want those days to return, I pray for the day there will be racial equality in this country and all races can be proud to be Americans.
Where is Valentino originally from and how long has he been in Pensacola?? I think he should go back to wherever he came from (but he may have needed to leave there because of all his dirty politics)…If the African Chamber of Commerce is in Pensacola then why don’t they find funding from the City of Pensacola. I’m am so tired of the treatment of the good people of the “Northend”..Century. The haves in Pensacola think that they can just walk all over what they presume are the “havenots”. I think the petition to have us become a part of Alabama should be started so we can become part of a state that might actually see the potential in our area. Century has it’s problems but so does Pensacola and sooo many of our problems are caused by the county officials. We need to start counting all the salaries of the higher ranking county officials so the funds will be there to fund the necessary ventures.
This is one of those situations where money is spent foolishly, then when something comes along that we really need, we have to raise taxes to fund it.
Boy we can ALL can see this so call juster being called for by Mr. Valentino. He can always make sugestion’s to close down plenty for District 5. We meaning District 5 has made as much or more CUTS than any other District in the County. I don’t see Mr. Valentino volunteering any County offices closed in his district. District 3. People Of District 5 WAKE UP. He is trying to shove this down our throats. District 5 has something that the Other District’s need. We have something to bargan with if we stand together. We have plenty of Water at the Walnut Hill water. And Pensacola needs it to supply them. District 3
There is some shady Dirty Politic’s going on here. I think District 5 needs to branch off from ESCAMBIA COUNTY and become it own County. We pay taxes too. And we are not being well represented.
We at the Northend needs it own County and Leave Escambia County. Can’t be no worse of a deal than we are already getting.
They are just passing the blame to get all of you people to quit talking about opening the building back up. I never heard of the Gulf Coast African American
chamber of commerence. Don’t be fooled.
This waste of tax money will only breed more hatred and strife amoung all races.
Why would a community so favor a single race over others to direct tax money to support a racist agenda?
It looks like Century has a mandate to establish racism with tax money being the substidy.
Well lets get all other races involved with this precedent and dole equal portions to each ethnic group:
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Japanesse Chamber of Commerce
Italian Chamber of Commerce
Irish Chamber of Commerce
Scottish Chamber of Commerce
Chinese Chamber of Commerce
Greece Chamber of Commerce
Indian Chamber of Commerce
White Chamber of Commerce
Let’s support all races in this type of endeavor not just one.
If I missed some group so sorry…I guess you must be one of the many alienated groups that Century may succeed in ignoring.
David Preston for County Commissioner!
How much is the county going to give the White Chamber of Commerce
What a dumb idea Greg Valentino You can’t run pensacola so why don’t you leave Century alone. This is not your District so stay out
Mr.Emmons, no disrepect, but Century is a town, Molino is NOT. Since the residents in Molino are in the middle of Pensacola and Century, my opinion is that they can make a decision on which direction they would like to drive for such services! When Molino becomes it’s own town, then please feel free to campaign for a Molino Court House to be built.
As far as Commisioner Chairperson Marie Young is concerned, if I remember correctly, she didn’t even know how many miles Century is from Molino, but now all of a sudden she is interested in Century? Apparently it’s for her own personal interest and agenda?
Marie Young said “I believe it is just a matter of saying ‘yes” here.
Something to consider is that the funding to keep services for the Century Courthouse will benefit each and every citizen of this community. The Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce would only benefit the African Americans citizens. How is that fair to all who actually live here?
Yes, such an organization built up here to help the many African Americans that live here in Century I’m sure would be very beneficial for them, but it should be a seperate venture, not a part of this Century Courthouse issue!
The amazing thing I have found in my families 12 years of living up on the northend, is how wonderful the african americans, native americans and white americans all get along with each other. We all treat each other with as much respect as possible and don’t pay attention to skin color, but to one’s own actions with one another. IF you were to take something as important as the Century Court house and all the services it renders to it’s citizens and replace it with a Chamber that is partial to only one race, then that will only cause the peace and respect we have with one another to be challanged. Century’s most important need and desire right now is to have an organized and efficient government that will bring us growth so all of us all can prosper… together.
Mr.Valentino, please continue to think outside of the box for solutions, but try to find something that will benefit ALL of the Century residents, not just a certain few.
Commissioners White & Robinson, thank you for fighting for us and please never stop. We may be a small community compared to Pensacola, but we are all fighting these battles beside you, with what little resources that we have available.
The Commisioners do not need to give any of our taxpayer money to this Gulf Coast African American CoC. It is ridiculous that they would even ask for it. Who cares if the County does more work with minority businesses. We are just trying to survive this bad economy. I agree with the “guest”. In this 21st century, why are we still calling the black race, African Americans. They are Americans. Their parents did not ever live in Africa, neither did their grandparents. They are black, as the caucasion race is white. If there was a White Chamber of Commerce, Leroy Boyd would be picketing. Racism will never end, because most don’t want it to. But keep the 40,000 in the County’s Bank Account or Hire a new Deputy Sheriff with it.
is the pensacola chamber of commerce,perdido key chamber of commerce,or century chamber of commerce funded or supplemented with county money?
I cannot believe this!
Close down a government service office in favor of an ethnic based organization? I don’t think this is in the best interest of ANYONE! I bet if they wanted to close down this office and give to a religious organization all things would hit all fans.
If you’re going to close a government office, put the money back into the general fund for other government services so that taxes wouldn’t be raised to fund some other silly project.
It’s about budgets people, if you don’t have the money…don’t spend it. I say minimize the government at all levels and stop laying the expense on the folks who are paying the bills.
UNBELIEVABLE
RACISIM is alive and well apparently. But this time is not the whites. Save maney by shutting down the court house and then spend it on some non public or govermental service. How can this even be entertained?
Escambia County Florida has fallen backwards in time so much in the last five to seven years until it has become sicking. Our forefathers that ran our counties government years ago, thought it a good idea to have Schools, Court house, Sheriff offices, Health clentics, Hospitals and etc. to serve the citizens of North end Escambia and had the forethought to budgett the money to make these things happen. It seems that the Mr. Valentino’s (college graduates braines of today) does not share the same thoughts and concernes as our forefathers. Instead all he can do is come up with shady backdoor ides to fool the Black community by promising money that he says the county does not have anyway. Just another way to snoop the North end citzens and hide it under the name Gulf Coast Africian American Chamber of Commerce. Century has a Chamber of Commerce already and they are working for both Black and White citizens. The present Chamber needs money too but to go to the County commersioners and Blackwash things to get the money! I don’t think this woud ever happen. They are for the Whole North Escambia not Black or White. I guess Mr. Magaha has forgotten his folk and his raising in a North County setting and is now washing his hands of us as he is a Pensacola boy now. Never mind the hardships of folk tha work hard and run farms in the rural. Times a hard enought without spending a full day going to the County Seat to do necessary buisness there. Mr. Magaha has and probably was in on some of the decision making to get services in North Escambia and now seems to wash his hands of us. Lets go ahead and cut the county off at Nine mile road and ask Alabama if the would like to have a step child. We are surely treated like on in Escambia County Florida.
Just to clarify — the Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce is located in Pensacola. There is also the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, the Perdido Key Chamber and the Century Chamber of Commerce.
The C of C in question is downtown and has been around for a while. Why the need for two Chamber’s is hard for me to understand. Hang tough Kevin.
This don’t make sense. Remove funding for one the to save money and the a few months later give funding to something else and to use the same building. What idiot came up with this idea. And if we are ever going to bring the different races together then we can’t call something like this the Gulf Coast African chamber of commerce. It should be call Century chamber of commerce. I don’t remember there being a White chamber of commerce anywhere. So lets quit tring to devide the people and make something for all the people. But if we don’t have money to support the Century court and Tax collectors office, how can we support this request.
Get rid of the college boys, let common sense people run this country.
This is luticruis. Who has ever heard of: Gulf Coast African American Chamber of Commerce???? So, now I guess the citizens of North Escambia County will have to drive over 40 miles to do EVERYTHING!!!!! I know that a lot of people have made the comment that you can do everything “on-line”, but that is not true, especially for the 100’s or evern 1,000’s of people that don’t have computers or internet service. Also, will the county commisioners who don’t think it matters that we are up here going to pay for the gas, or even bus ticket for people to get to Pensacola??????? There goes another day of work to take care of any “courthouse” business…..
Just close all offices and move everything to Molino. Should have been built in middle of county anyway.
Thank you Commissioners White & Robinson for standing up for the North end of the county on this one. You are so right… It isn’t fair for us to pay more taxes and have more services taken away or moved south. I sure wish Janet Holley understood this and would bring back our tax collector’s office.
Taxpayers have a right to have access to services offered by the county and the residents in Century and the surrounding northend communities should be able to go to the office in Century and do all or at least most of what county business they may have to do without having to go to Pensaocola.
Again, thanks Commisioners White and Robinson.