Dear Dunedin residents and supporters

After losing a close election race for Dunedin City Commission, I wanted to share some thoughts about the election returns. My desire is to move ahead positively, with a deep commitment to Dunedin’s future, and to a process of fairness for the community. I am dedicated to this for our residents, whose voices and concerns are vital to our city.

 The emotion of the campaign being over, I get a chance to see the lay of the land the way it really is.  1713 people voted for me -- out of 30,762 registered voters in all the precincts in Dunedin, according to the Pinellas County website information. Think of that--- that’s only 5.6% of the registered voters.  Even if I had won, I would only have gotten 5.6% of the registered voters in Dunedin to support me and my valued policies.  The real problem isn’t my loss to Julie Bujalski’s 5.8%, some 83 votes over mine, with six others in the race; it’s the fact that such a small percentage of the voters cast their votes.  As a city, we need to be focused on how we get more of the people to vote.  How do we remove the obstacles?  How do we make voting as regular and easy as shopping?   Democracy is not served when only 17.7% of our registered voters vote – and that’s all we had in Dunedin.  It’s not about winning, it’s about validity.  I know what I’m going to do: I’m going to commit myself to what is necessary to make a vote authentic, and to serve the public responsibly.

 If you ask me what I would say to the victors, I’ll quote George Fletcher writing about the revolution of Lincoln’s policies: “Politics merely occupies the surface of our lives.  The give and take of daily conflict can lead us easily to forget both our shared purposes and our enduring principles.”  Remember the shallowness of your victories, and proceed with humility.   We have enough of hubris in officials granted office with far, far less than majorities. 

 My best hope is for a new Dunedin City Commission that works for the people’s interests in our wonderful community, which deliberates with logic and critical thinking openly and honestly with the public’s best interests, without personal agendas, as I commit myself to making sure this happens with the integrity it deserves for Dunedin. My deepest thanks go to the good people of Dunedin who expressed their trust and confidence in the message I conveyed, as my firm dedication to them is treasured always. This is my enduring promise. Candy and I are blessed by your support and confidence, as a new pathway for the community's interests and involvement unfolds.

Please let me hear from you always, as I want to work to ensure community concerns over matters that involve you, as I will make sure this happens for the betterment of our community. My phone number is 727-798-9429

Ron Barnette

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Here is the previous message sent out for your information, as many people wish to know.

I Want to Earn Your Confidence and Support

"It's All About You"

Welcome to this website which I created for you, as I appreciate your time and your thoughts. I am Ron Barnette, pictured above with my wonderful wife of 32 years, Candy. As I am a candidate for a vacated 2-year seat on the Dunedin City Commission during the next election, I respectfully solicit your thoughts about how Dunedin can become an even better community. YOUR thoughts and input are vital, as my mission is to reach out to ALL the residents of our city, as I intend to further, with your ongoing help, my responsibilities as your city commissioner. My personal philosophy is to listen carefully and continuously to your community voices and input. I learn from you wonderful people and neighbors who live and work in our town, and who know about our community's needs, as you feel them in your own lives and places. This is how a leader continually learns to speak for, and represent, a community...otherwise, it is pure speculation, which is not my style of leadership. I ask for your valued input, and pledge to you my dedicated support for Dunedin's community values and quality of life for all. This is my promise to you. My email address is listed below, and please let me hear from you as we develop together the enrichment of our creative community's ongoing, positive vision; for It's All About You. You have my word that I will reply personally to your email thoughts and concerns, and will always respect your privacy.

Please let me share with you more about who I am, and about why I ask for your support as a candidate for Dunedin's City Commission, as I welcome and enlist your thoughts and input. I wish to continue to meet you and learn of your thoughts and interests, as I literally walk our community and seek to know you...for WE ARE the community, and together we can enhance Dunedin's future and your benefits from our great town.

Prior to moving full-time in 2002 to Dunedin (Candy and I purchased our home here in the late 1990's), I served for 30 years as Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at Valdosta State University, University System of Georgia, where I was the department head, and most recently the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. I was also co-founder of the university's Center for Professional and Applied Ethics, and worked as assistant to the university's Chief Academic Officer on matters of conflict resolution and mediation, in which I was trained by the Consortium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in conjunction with the Chancellor of the University System. I enjoyed a wonderful career at the university, and still teach an occasional course online for doctoral students in the College of Education. A native of California, where I received my Ph.D degree from the University of California at Irvine, I write, am available for educational outreach in many areas of study, including ethics codes, Celtic studies and culture, creative neighborhood and community planning, logic and critical thinking, and more.

I am firmly committed to working full-time for Dunedin's quality future. I have been involved much as a volunteer for our city's betterment and have served on several city committees and a vital task force. In 2004, I initiated and wrote, with Dunedin's most helpful City Manager's staff assistance, the City of Dunedin Code of Core Values for Civility and Ethics, which assists to "promote the highest standards of civility and ethics from all its officials, whether elected or appointed,"as described. After I presented this document to the full city commission for their approval, I was proud to receive from them a special plaque of our new City Code. I take this commitment to serving Dunedin as an honor, and pledge to work on your behalf to make all areas of our community important partners in our city values as we all move ahead. Again, this is a promise. Yet I need to hear from you as I request your support and confidence...for all leaders need to earn such support, by reaching out to those whose thoughts are often not heard. Listening closely to Dunedin's residents is essential.

I am a team builder; I have a lengthy, experienced career of working effectively with a wide range of people to solve problems, of generating creative solutions for new challenges, and with assisting the public in their concerns. I am a positive thinker, and yearn to help facilitate opportunities. I listen, think, and respond effectively to a diverse range of ideas which I value and address responsibly. The PROCESS of independent thinking and reflective, responsible analyses of issues which effect Dunedin is vital to our community, without a personal agenda. With your help, support and trust, I will work diligently with my fellow commissioners to ensure that your enhanced quality of life is realized in our wonderful city, accompanied by a fiscally conservative and responsible duty to operate our public budget with continued, low city taxes.

My commitment is to you......"It's all about you,"after all.

Please contact me at Ron Barnette

I have also included here several items for your review:

• My campaign message
• Important testimonials
• A campaign flyer, which summarizes pertinent information to date.
• An ongoing draft of a position 'white paper' on a Dunedin Creative Community, which outlines my thoughts, as refined by ongoing community input. I welcome your ideas.

Here's a photo with my exceptional children, of whom I am a very proud dad!: