The local newspaper, Sarasota Observer runs a weekly column titled “Slice of the City” with snippets and highlights about Sarasota and its residents. The paper’s Community Editor Loren Mayo took note of my Stray Kitty story and ran a brief article and photo about the adorable stray kitten who has been living in my carport.

Read the story on the Observer’s site (see link below) — and if you’re so motivated, leave a reader comment on the Observer’s site letting them know you appreciate their attention to this story — which will only help those 60,000 some-odd stray cats in Sarasota County! The paper must hear about a gazillion stories of the city every week and I really appreciate them noticing this one and trying to help the little guy!

Here’s the article on the Sarasota Observer website – or check it out in today’s issue of the paper on newsstands now (page 16).

He's famous now!!!

We’ve all seen, read, heard the news reports on the situations in Haiti and Chile … but if you want to get a snippet of what it’s like to be a Sarasotan who makes hands-on sacrifices to be on the ground as a volunteer responding to disaster events around the globe … read my piece on ShelterBox USA — online here at Creative Loafing’s website, or in print in the CL newspaper on Wednesday, March 10.

I interviewed three local ShelterBox volunteers — and couldn’t get over the commitment these Sarasotans have made and continue to make to helping disaster victims throughout the world.

John Freeman traveled to the Congo.

Beverly Hill (wearing headband) traveled to England for intensive training.

Alan Monroe (left) unloading ShelterBoxes in Taiwan last year.

To make a donation or learn more about volunteering with ShelterBox, visit shelterboxusa.com, or follow on Facebook (Shelter Box.) and on Twitter (ShelterBoxUS).

Sarasota City Commissioners hire a new City Clerk and THEN begin salary and benefits contract negotiations? That’s what all the news reports have mentioned, as an almost irrelevant aside, in the print papers ever since Pamela Nadalini was hired.

Does that process sound backward to anyone else but me?

In their search for a new City Clerk, this language was included in the posting on the City’s website: “Salary is negotiable. Qualified candidates should have demonstrated experience that would justify a six-figure income.” Okay, well, at least we know that the salary to be negotiated is $100,000-plus. And, yes, I know how government works — with their pay scale ranges and all that … but still, something’s on the table, or else they wouldn’t be negotiating any contract at all.

I’ve hired (and fired) and been hired (never fired) more times than I can count, and not once did salary negotiation begin AFTER after hiring someone. After making an initial offer, sure … but after hiring someone and splashing the news all around town? Exactly how much leverage do they expect to have in their negotiations? Maybe none at all?

The new city clerk, and I wish her well and offer congrats, and yes, I’m glad to see a woman, and a black woman, at that level in local government (though I’ll be glad for the day when/if we ever can just laud someone for their experience and not for their being the “first” of some group to break the erstwhile all-white/all-male bastions of higher up government positions). But here’s my advice to Nadalini: she should hold the City up for every dime on and even off the table. She’s got ‘em on the ropes … they’ve got zero leverage — what are they going to do … fire her? — especially after all the “first woman/first black” write-ups they’ve been getting from the press? I’d like to know what precisely is on the table for negotiation? A range of $10,000? Five weeks of paid vacation instead of three? A government auto? I don’t know — I wish the local reporting covered that, and I just haven’t had time to investigate it myself. If anyone knows — feel free to add some input in the comment section of this blog.

I’m sure the city would say this is just business as usual, everybody does it, yada, yada, yada. Color me stupid if you want, but how about doing business unusually?… by that I mean, how about doing business intelligently and with forethought. Even if hiring first, negotiating second, is de rigueur among government types … why not break the mold and think for ourselves as city leaders? The formula should be simple: search, interview, determine the best candidate, express an initial interest in hiring subject to salary and benefits discussion, if the candidate is interested too, then you move on to negotiate salary and benefits, and, then, if the negotiations end up with the candidate you want at the price you can afford, you then offer the job, they accept or don’t accept, and you hire or don’t hire.

Look, I know this is a very small matter in a big world of big matters. But it’s stuff like this — multiplied times a gazillion — that creates inefficiencies, irrelevant time-wasters, and inflated costs in our government.
I know — I’m just a simple taxpayer, so what do I know? — but in my book: negotiate first; hire second.

Now, I hear the USPS might shut down Saturday service … I’m okay with that — as long as they continue five days a week.

But what I lament is the idea that people just don’t write old-fashioned letters anymore. We’re losing something — an archive of loves, loves lost, travels, penmanship, the ability to coherently write down our thoughts without the benefit of the backspace button or cut and paste rearranging of our thoughts.

How can you express real longing in an email?

I’ve written letters where tears plopped down from my eyes and blotched the ink on the page below, rendering a word or two or maybe several scattered over two or three lines — unreadable. But yet, so readable, right? Pretty hard to misread the emotion behind a tear-stained letter.

And, I’ve been known to literally seal (some of) my letters with a bright red lipsticked kiss, even spritz them with Chanel No. 5.

I doodle cat drawings and smiley faces and send my letters addressed to people I love with big bold color addresses on the front and call men things like “Joe–Master of the Universe-Smith” and “Simon-chef extraordinaire Jarault” — stuff like that. Women, obviously, get less flirtation in my envelope-addressing, but I write them all the same. Just don’t girlify their envelopes up like I do the guys’.

But I write to women friends as much as I do to men. And I still write to three college professors — one of whom maddens me (and I mean that affectionately!) by only corresponding via email and not giving me his home mailing address so I can stalk him in an appropriately literary fashion. I can’t write him at the university any longer because he’s long since retired. He’s the one who taught me about Shakespeare and yet I can’t write to him because he’s an email kinda guy now.

Ah, the vagaries of corresponding.

Didn’t Kevin Costner do a movie about delivering the mail in some future world — The Postman or something like that? Guess I’ll have to watch that.

In the meantime, I’ll continue my love affair with letters … and with the people who deliver them … and oh, yeah, particularly with the people who write me back!

Did you read Eric Ernst’s recent column on the subject of the estimated 60,000 stray cats in Sarasota county? It’s shocking — and important — reporting. I had no idea there were that many. I’m trying to do my part to solve the problem — I’ve adopted and neutered or spayed three cats and made them a part of my family … but three’s my limit!!

Stray kitty in front of his carport box and blanket home ... but he wants a REAL home!!

I did manage to have some fun in February … to wit:

I spent one afternoon at my Mom’s house — clearing an area of weeds and vines, laying down a supposedly-weed/grass-stopping fabric, and then topping it with pretty stones (gravel) I’d bought for her as one of her Christmas presents. It wasn’t really hard work, and it was actually fun. I find it really gratifying to work on a project and complete it and I especially enjoy improving home and yard … even though in this case, it was my Mum’s. Wish I’d taken a picture of the before … but at least here’s one of the after.
Read more »

BIZ 941 Magazine is “looking for the 25 rising stars and prime movers in the local business world. They can be newcomers of note, young talents and established powers who are tacking new and exciting initiatives. We want you to nominate the Sarasota and Manatee businesspeople—including you—who are making their mark on the region. Our 25 People to Watch will be the centerpiece of our July issue and will be honored at a special Biz941 event. Deadline to submit the online ballot is April 19, 2010.”

Nominate your fave biz(y) person “to watch” online at http://www.biz941.com/Misc/People-To-Watch-Nomination.asp. (and no, I’m not talking ’bout me — I’m bizarre(y), not biz(y)!

I appreciate the emails and blog comments wondering about the little kitty I found. Unfortunately, I don’t have great news yet. He’s still outside; I’m still feeding him and have put a blanket and basket out for him tonight. He’s very sweet and eats a TON of cat chow. I’ve given him water also. But, he won’t let me catch him. I wanted to take him to the Cat Depot (a no kill facility) where at least I knew he’d be safe and cared for … but I can’t catch the bugger. I tried and was nearly bitten for my efforts.

Nobody I’ve contacted seems to want him. Not sure what to do next … . It’s also creating a bit of havoc inside because my three cats know he’s out there and are a bit on edge and watch him through the windows and sniff at the door, etc.

I’m enough of a crazy cat woman with three.

My head is kind of bobbing around like one of those little bobbling dolls that people put on their car dashboards sometimes. I’m all in a dither (or is a dather) trying to figure out how to vote on the Hometown Democracy Amendment, which will be on Floridians’ ballots later this year. To wit:

The Amendment would establish “that before a local government may adopt a new comprehensive land use plan, or a mend a comprehensive land use plan, the proposed plan or amendment shall be subject to vote of hte electors of the local government by referendum, following preparing by the local planning agency, consideration by the governing body and notice.”

Maybe I’m missing something … but I can’t see how this could be a bad thing — isn’t that what democracy is all about? Read more »