Commissioner Ray Quinn sworn in

The St. Johns County local news desk watched the beginning of yesterday’s County Commission meeting, when retired Army National Guard Sgt. Major Ray A. Quinn of St. Augustine was sworn into office as a county commissioner.

He will occupy the District 3 seat vacated by Commissioner Mark P. Miner; who has been ordered to deploy with the Florida Army National Guard in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The ceremony was performed in the County Auditorium by Circuit Judge Clyde E. Wolfe, with Quinn’s hand on a Bible held by his wife, Addrenne.

“I can’t tell you what an honor this is,” Quinn said moments later. “Mark Miner is a soldier and a patriot. He is training at Fort Hood right now. He sends his regards and told me they’re in the field with freezing temperatures in the teens. But his attitude is just as it was here — fired up and ready to go.”

Quinn shook hands with the four sitting commissioners and indicated that it was time to go to work. As they say in the Army, “Take seats!”

Quinn was reported to say that he felt the commission had addressed “interesting issues” on his first day.

A local paper quoted Quinn’s remarks, saying, “Long term, I intend to keep an eye on growth and make sure it is well-managed. The Planning Department is drafting a 2025 plan for us to look at, and we’ll probably see a draft in March. This was a grand experience for me.”