EVERYONE WANTS TO BE A TV STAR...ALMOST

Polk Government TV is still in it's relative infancy...it's available to cable subscribers through the county as a means of presenting county and (in some communities) city commission meetings and other events along with programmes highlighting county services and departments.

Now County Commissioner Randy Wilkinson, one of the more conservative --- not to mention, high-spirited --- members of the commission, wants to host his own half hour show on PGTV. This would follow in the precedent of former collegue Don Gifford, who did a programme on the channel for a time. However, the idea is not being met with universal agreement among the other members of the county commission, who are used to Wilkinson's ramblings on a variety of subjects from manger scenes on the administration building's lawn to road projects. Randy is simply a lightning rod for controveresy.

Wilkinson, who was known as "Commissioner Four Square" in the aftermath of the hurricane recovery effort, is up for reelection next year. Fellow commissioner Paul Senft, who has generally been one of the more moderate voices on the board, suggested that such programmes be suspended ten months to a year before an election as well as a disclaimer that any opinions presented by one commissioner was not representative of the entire five member panel.

Polk Countians are safe...at least for now. The board decided to let the PGTV Advisory Committee handle the subject.