This past Monday night’s Town Commission meeting was another meaningless convergence; an exercise in futility. The agenda consisted of 14 items, all of which could have been confronted and decided in one hour.

Now that the issue regarding the Key Club, the code, the Comprehensive Plan and the development has been temporarily put to rest, about what have we got to debate? My answer is plenty.

If you look carefully you will actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks to the Longboat Key Town Commission, the Longboat Key Club has received approval of their “massive” rejuvenation, and the town will soon bear the fruit of that approval.

The outcome is still in doubt. There are many questions to answer, and I don’t think anybody can predict what the outcome will be. It is still possible for the Key Club to attain all that they originally asked for or even possible that they will withdraw their project completely.

Town Commission discussion continues to go on its merry way without a positive arrival at a conclusion. For many months meetings have included ideas about the color of sand and the eventual budget. Decisions can’t be that difficult on either subject. What is so difficult on deciding the color of sand or arriving at a budget? The majority quintet of George Spoll, Jim Brown, Dave Brenner, Lynn Larson and the newly elected Phillip Younger are in control, but unable to arrive at a decision.

The quadrumvirate has been replaced by a quintet of misguided commissioners. The meeting at 9 a.m., June 7 at the Temple started by naming a replacement for Gene Jaleski. The fist nominee was a man who suffered a defeat in the election just three months ago.

A very trying moment occurred when Gene Jaleski resigned from the Longboat Commission. Contrary to some of the statements made by his detractors and opponents, Gene was very good, informed and forthright legislator. He delved deeply and intelligently on every issue before the commission. Perhaps, too deeply.

The floodgates have been thrown wide open by the unfortunate action of the four commissioners who constitute the quadrumvirate (George Spoll, Jim Brown, David Brenner and Lynn Larson) on the Longboat Key commission. They have dictated the policy that, as Commissioner Hal Lenobel stated at the recent meeting, will result in the Miamification of our beloved Key.

Total confusion now reigns supreme in the Longboat Key Club’s application. The club now seeks approval based on the longstanding code and Comprehensive Plan, not on the rewriting of the code and trashing of the comp plan, which they sought in the last month.

I have been questioned, who am I? I believe my readers deserve to know the answer to that question. My name is Dan Dowd. I am not Al Green. I am not Matt Walsh. I am not Steve Reid. I am not Hal Lenobel or Bob Siekmann. I am Dan Dowd. Is that my real name? Yes, that is my real name for the sake of this column. I happen to like the name Dan Dowd.