Sid Braunstien Candidate Intro

[sidandpattib]

Good morning, all. It is Friday & I have the day off. For those of you who don't know - my position at Bass Pro was one of three management positions eliminated in each store at the end of January due to economic conditions. I now work fulltime with another company. When I win the campaign I will dedicate full time to this county. A number of you know me well enough to know that with me what you see is what you get. I commit that I will respond to questions or comments posted here as succinctly as possible. On with the questions....

Have you ever held government office before?
I have not held government office before. I have served as Chairman, President and Fundraising VP for several non-profits. I owned & operated my own international company for over 10 years. I dealt with bureaucracies in the US and Canada such as Western Electric and telephone companies.

What experience do you have in trying to bring very diverse groups to a consensus and how are you in the art of compromise?
I have negotiated contracts with multibillion dollar corporations and learned the art of active listening. I've brought labor unions, management and workers together for discussion. In every venue I've been able to find winwin solutions and bring adversaries to agreement through understanding and developing relationships.

What is your position on the Driftwood Estates drainage issue? Should the County stop the ongoing development until drainage is fixed?
I do not believe that construction should begin or continue in wetlands or floodplain areas. There is plenty of dry buildable land in our county.
Driftwood Estates has been in existence for years and unfortunately has many difficulties. There are a variety of issues in that neighborhood . One is that Driftwood was initially part of Sandestin. It was cut off from the resort by Intrawest which cost the neighborhood a second access road as well as the prestige of being part of Sandestin. Intrawest's move altered Driftwood property values and justifyably caused ill will among Driftwood homeowners. The other issue pertains to drainage. Builders developed and sold people homes in a wetland area. It is apparent that the drainage systems they built are not working. It is not the responsibility of Walton County to repair the drainage systems. Walton County can assist residents by stopping further development until a repair is successful and getting other entities involved to effect positive change. For example: it is my understanding that banks are involved with receiverships. It seems reasonable that the banks should work with developers to correct the drainage issues and bring relief to the suffering in Driftwood. A possibility exists for homeowners, banks and developers to unite and bring litigation against Intrawest for their losses.This is an example of my thought process for uniting adversaries and creating win-win situations.

Should Code Enforcement be proactive or reactive?
I believe in structure. It is an effective framework within which to work. Government, business, homes & families need structure. The Code Enforcement Group must be both proactive and reactive. Codes currently on the books must be enforced. If codes are poorly written, they need be corrected. We rely on the code enforcement group to make the community aware of code weaknesses along with suggested solutions for repairing them. This begins the proactive process which is finalized when new codes are writtten with past and present in mind.

You mentioned that the County should buy land for public venues, how do you feel about using property taxes to buy those properties? Could we open up some of the school property when it is not in use since our tax dollars already paid for those?

Property tax money has already been used to buy land for public use (Ex: the Huettel property, parks, boat ramps, etc.) I believe we should judiciously continue the process to preserve our community's heritage and recreational opportunities. I believe developers should be encouraged to include parks, recreational and educational areas in their plans. The County should also use all means available for future procurement. This includes applying for grants, gifts, trades and any other legal means of funding land aquisition. We do not need to rely solely on tax dollars for it.
We currently have access to school facilities in a very limited manner. Other communities across the nation share schoolgrounds and buildings for events. I believe we should explore having more public access to school property - once again seeking a win-win for the community.

More answers shortly....

 

[sidandpattib]

Let's continue...

What do you think about the county's sign plan for the bike path on 30A?
Signage is inconsistent throughout the entire county because there is no plan in place. It is long overdue for us to select colors, a logo, and set signage standards for use everywhere. In advertising this is called "Branding". Signage should be consistent from one end of the county to another - north, south, east, & west. Visitors should be able recognize that they are in Walton County just from the look of our signs. Let's bring all parties (including the TDC) together in one room and hammer out a plan for every part of the county to follow. Then the TDC can incorporate the plan into their advertising to attract visitors.
I, too am glad that the signs were recently removed from 30A. One of the many reasons they were so offensive was their bright color and inconsistent height.

Is the beach public or are some areas private and the public shouldn't use them?

Public vs Private beaches is in court for a solution as we speak. There are a number of public beach accesses that lead to areas used as public beaches. I've had the privilege of speaking to a number of beachfront property owners and they seem to accept that people can stroll on the beach. In my mind's eye that opens the door to "public beach" without abuse. Walking, strolling on the beach is one thing. Setting up tents and leaving trash behind is another. The public beach area is for family setup and cleanup. Taking a leisurely walk on the beach is a joy for all.

Should seawalls be allowed on the beach?

Beachfront homeowners should have the same rights to protect their property as those who live on the bay through building seawalls. Once again there should be codes and standards which everyone should followin building, not only to protect their property, but also to create a consistent appearance along the beach.

How can the County get more parking at beach accesses?

Parking is a problem along beach accesses everywhere as more tourists come to the area. The TDC could acquire inland land upon which to build parking areas and offer shuttle buses to the beach. This would also divert high volume traffic from beachfront roads.
A good example of community co-operation could also be to allow parking at schools like Butler during the summer with shuttle buses to the beach.

Are you for or against having concerts at some of the developments like Gulf Place. It looks like the jazz festival is gone, but the Criollas guy has said that their new company is wanting to have more concerts there?

Walton County has had both free and paid concerts for many years. It is part of the charm of this area. As attendance numbers grow, so have parking challenges. Once again - schools & shuttles could be a solution. When there is a large event, I would like to see facilities such as South Walton High be used. Parking is generous throughout the adjacent county complex. And of course since there are no neighborhoods surrounding it, noone would be disturbed by the sound of music. I do want to establish policies for usage such as hours, cleanup, damage insurance, etc.

What is your feeling on the current Sheriff versus County situation? Do you have any thoughts on improving communication if the current Sheriff wins?

Whether the current sherriff wins or not, lines of communication must be established and maintained. It is the responsibility of all parties involved to agree to a way to communicate. In today's world, there are a multitude of communication avenues from which to choose. I suggest a form that would allow an audit trail. I go so far as to suggest that if there is "No Comment" that message should be put in print, to acknowlege that communication has occurred. If either entity breaks the communication agreement there must be a consequence.

This issue with "things left on the beach" what do you think? Should the government have the right to play beach removal czars and take the stuff on those privately-owned beaches or not?

The key words in your question are"privately owned beaches". In an earlier response I gave my view on the subject of public vs private beaches. IF we had rules and regulations re: where private property begins and ends we would have NO problem with removing things from private property. So the solution is to create the rules and regulations that can be upheld to ensure privacy for the landowner and clean beaches for the public.

There has been some talk about beach renourishment along more beaches in Walton County. Since you are trying to get the seat of Meadows and District 5 where it has been done before, are you for or against it for the rest of sowal?

Beach renourishment has been more than successful in the past few years. Based on my knowlege I would actively support beach renourishment when it is necessary and I would tie it into preserving land that belongs to private citizens.

What do you think about the recent issues with the Sherrif regarding the the 300k spent on communications. Was it "bid" legally? If he comes in to the County Commission meeting "hat in hand" would you approve his request or not.

I do not have all the facts regarding this situation. I do know that when one person whispers something in a second person's ear and then a third person gets involved, the original message gets distorted.
There are procedures in place for every department within the county to follow re: budget requests and capital expenditures. The Sheriff's department appears to have failed to follow those procedures. This is not a positive example for a law enforcement agency to show.
I believe that the BCC wants to work out the situation with Sheriff Johnson. If I were already seated, I would listen, ask questions and make my decision based on the information gathered.

Finally a simple yes or no one for ya, I see in newspapers that local groups have concerns regarding buying that beach at eastern Lake. Would you approve it or not?

I do not yet have all the facts on this situation either, so I cannot reply simply Yes or No. What I have heard secondhand is that a group of people wanted to execute the purchase of the property for preservation purposes and the cost would be deferred. If that is accurate, I would be all for the purchase after a few questions are answered. Would the area really be open to the public? Would the county be expected to invest in it via parking, walkways, docks? If the answers were positive, I would have to balance the expenditure for improvements against the gain of another nature study/recreation area for Walton County.

Whew! That's all for now....Sid

 

[seagrovegirl]

I like your common sense approach to the issues. Listening, collecting facts and base the decision on those principals. Thank you!!!

 

[Jim Tucker]

Thanks Sid! You have some nice answers there.

 

[Yahoodie]

As usual, you go directly to the heart of the question and answer it directly. Your clear answers are refreshing. Please keep up the great work.

 

[Roadrunner]

Mr. Braunstein:

I apologize for not responding sooner. I just wanted to say thank you for responding to my questions. I hope your answers have helped others learn more about you as they make their decisions on who to vote for. It looks like it may just be a three person race so I am off to try and get Mr. Osbornes feelings on the issues. Thanks again.

 

[Greg Felt]

Support for Sid

I am very excited to hear that Sid is running for County Commissioner and he has my full support. I had the pleasure of working with Sid as the Race Director for the Sandestin Triathlon for several years. Sid worked for the Boys and Girls Club at the time; the designated charity. Sid was a very motivated, extremely organized individual that genuinely cared about helping the youth of Walton County. His ability to attract and organize volunteers was inspirational. Due in large part to the help of Sid, we were able to turn the Triathlon into a profitable event for the resort and give a great deal of money to a worthy cause. I strongly believe that his positive character and outstanding ability to work with others will enable him to excel as our next County Commissioner. Good luck Sid!

 

[SoWalProfire]

Firefighters support Sid

For all the reasons listed in his response above and many more, South Walton Professional Firefighters have endoesed Sid Braunstien as their candidate for WCBCC Dist. 5

GO SID!!!!

 

[Bobby J]

I have had to remain pretty low key this political season due to personal reasons but I have had the opportunity to sit back listen and learn. I wanted to take the time to thank Sid for running a clean, ethical campaign. Sid has handled himself as a gentleman and someone that I would be proud to have represent our area.
Sid, I wish you luck and Thanks! You are a class act! No matter who wins you will always have my vote.

Bobby J

 

[DiDa723]

Ditto to Bobby J about Sid B

I have had to remain pretty low key this political season due to personal reasons but I have had the opportunity to sit back listen and learn. I wanted to take the time to thank Sid for running a clean, ethical campaign. Sid has handled himself as a gentleman and someone that I would be proud to have represent our area.
Sid, I wish you luck and Thanks! You are a class act! No matter who wins you will always have my vote.

Bobby J

I couldn't have said it better myself! Lots of luck Sid!!