Elected officials are there to make tough decisions.

Many of these “servants of the people” worry that taking a stand contrary to public wishes will lead to their failure to be re-elected. And perhaps that is true. If the only reason they wanted to obtain the office was to be called commissioner, then they are failing the voters and citizens.

In most cases, a majority of voters either agree with the path that the government is taking or are at least neutral. A minority will disagree, an even smaller contingent will turn out and lobby against taking the planned action. It is unfortunate that this very small minority will win the day due to 3 factors.

The first factor is that politicians have an inordinate desire to be liked. This can result in capitulation rather than compromise. Many people who seek election have a pet peeve that they want to address. They are egged on by their friends to run and in some cases will win. Unfortunately, if elected they then discover there is so much more to be concerned with than just that one issue.

The second factor is in not comprehending that their election was the people giving them the ultimate responsibility…the trust to make decisions on their behalf. They are supposed to have the facts to make the determination. The elected official should make decisions based on his/her understanding of what is best for every resident. Sometimes that requires going against the audience in the chamber.

The third factor requires a strategic vision. This is woefully lacking by many public officials. They compartmentalize decisions as if one has no effect on others. It is easy to disregard finances and reality if your determining factor and guide is the last person that sent you an email or spoke at the podium.

When you must balance competing interests, it is easier to do nothing. That is what happened with the recent ball field debacle. Anecdotally, there were examples of children not being able to play ball if the fields were gone. At Commissioner Meier’s Town Hall Meeting, one mother stated that her kid played pickup games on those fields 3 and 4 days per week. In both the Commission and Town Hall Meetings there were perhaps 220 people. Some were in both and that includes children.

But here are some facts from the U.S. Census Bureau. There are approximately 160,000 residents in Martin County with 16.5% age 18 or under. That is roughly 26,400 children. Included in those numbers are 16,500 residents in the City with 19.6% age 18 or under or 3,240 children.

According to Martin North Little League, which operates those fields under a sweetheart “Memorandum of Understanding” with the City, 192 children are enrolled in the league with 20 of those children residing within the City of Stuart. Let’s generously assume that another 200 kids play pickup games on those fields, though given the agreement between the League and City it doesn’t seem possible. That gives us roughly 400 children that use that facility which is 1% of Martin County’s children. You notice I said Martin County’s children because the League’s own numbers tell us that this field is used by County children but is paid for with City of Stuart tax dollars.

At both the Town Hall and Commission Meeting, the people who implored and demanded that those fields be left as they are were more likely to be Martin County residents than not. Martin County has stated to Stuart staff that there is adequate capacity at County facilities for this league and more. Would that mean they would have to share with others? Sure, but the kids then in that league would be playing on fields their parents’ tax dollars pay to maintain rather than playing on fields maintained by taxpayers from the City of Stuart.

There are some who will suggest that if baseball is stopped at Sailfish, the site should be kept as a park rather than be developed. In a perfect world where you do not have to worry about costs associated with running a City, that would be great. Unfortunately, the policy that is crafted by the City Commission needs to keep monetary considerations uppermost in their minds. Where will the thousands of dollars come from to have one more little-used space, green or not.

Youth recreation programs should be concentrated at the Stuart Community Center. There is the space necessary to build fields for all sports, and the City should hire staff to have a true sports and recreation program for the more than 3000 Stuart children that do not play on Sailfish fields.

It is easy to let your emotions sway your decisions. It is easy to ignore the facts to come to a decision such as one more park used by very few people. Stuart is a very small and poor City where 65% of property owners pay no tax. If you raise the ad valorem, as has been suggested, 65% will still pay no increase on their present payment of no taxes. The tax increase falls on commercial property, new homeowners, and seasonal residents. This, in turn hurts, businesses and tenants whose rents will increase because of higher taxes which will result in less affordable rentals.

It is easy to do nothing. Doing nothing will result in Stuart not being able to pay its bills in the foreseeable future. In any budget crisis, the first thing to be cut is Parks and Recreation. This very thing the defenders of the status quo are looking to avoid. There are consequences to inaction. It may not impact these individual Stuart Commissioners. They may be out of office when the coffers run dry. It will impact those Stuart kids that want to remain in Stuart as adults.