Marion Politics: Are We In For Big Changes?
{NOTE: This thread of the blog is full. You can continue to review the many excellent comments made to date. However, to add your comments, please scroll up to: "Big Changes In Marion Politics? (Continued)" -- October 21.}
Over the past few weeks, there have been several posts indicating a point of view that our County (possibly our State and Nation) is in for some changes in its political direction.
It was suggested that we open a thread on this topic to further discuss what people believe is going to happen as a result of the upcoming elections. Some of our bloggers see the election results as political “business-as-usual”; others are predicting a “new direction”.
Tell us what you think:
Are we going to have the beginnings of a “new direction” in the politics of Marion County following the November elections? Importantly, why or why not?
P.S.: Don't forget to vote in our Straw Poll. Click on the link in the thread below this one.
posted by Blog Master @ 10:15 AM
184 Comments:
We have a National "October Surprise" with Mark Foley. Could be that we may have one locally. Is Fitos sitting on some big surprise to throw at Harris? Stay tuned, I think she may be.
With a steady influx of new voters (about 3-4000 a year) one group can no longer have a solid hold on politics here. The views and needs are much too diverse to be aligned with any one set of principles or ideals.
This is good news and presents opportunities for candidates that refuse to accept (or genuflect)to major party platforms.
Marion desperately needs office holders that actually want to "solve" problems and stop wasting our tax money appealing to small groups pushing "bumper sticker" agendas.
Ask yourself one question regading the same problems in Marion County. Have they been fixed?
The answer: No
I hope Fitos comes up with something. Wouldn't hold my breath.
The new Marion County politically: less influence from the far left and right extremes and more attention to the average Joe and Jane in the middle of the political scene.
The lack of turnout of the church folks won't do it alone for the Democrats. They need good candidates and that's where things aren't working for their party (locally). There are not good candidates running.
anyone who thinks adding b. fitos or d. weesner to the commission is going to help needs to go visit their doctor.
DITTO!
Look for an influx of Harris signs from billboards to road signs to yard signs blanketing the county -- Randy Harris he is our friend style. Sorry I missed too many of you at the big Harris fundraiser-- I'll bet Sue Carr his personal Star-Banner reporter enjoyed it, but I think his two personal editorial writers Bill Thompson and Brad Rogers missed it. Least I missed them. The last three weeks will see more money spent in a county commission race than ever before. Looks like they are running scared, but Barb must be taking political lessons from somebody who doesn't know cause she hasn't us given a reason to vote against Randy.
Harris is getting ready to rumble! Poor Fitos will be left in the dust.
My prediction: Florida ranked #2 or #3 in the polls tomorrow.
GO GATORS!!
Q: Are we in for big changes in county politics?
A: No—-People are losing interest in politics. Result, nothing changes.
Don
(OTOW)
Your party's nomination for a County Comission seat; what a terrible thing to waste..........Barbara!!
Darleen's wasting hers too, she just doesn't know it!
Absentee ballots hit the mail yesterday. I received a flyer from Randy it was a bit outdated looking but, lots of information. Being a registered Rep. I was impressed to have also gotton one from Weesie, clever on her part to go after Peytons people, Got nothing from Peyton of Fitos! Barbara, if you think like most Dems and think you have this in the bag, you had better think again. Jim you had better not be to cocky either if you let Darlene take this out from under you, you may deserve a good A** whoopin from some folks!
STRAW POLL UPDATE!
Results as of today (189 participants):
GOVERNOR:
Charlie Crist 50%
Jim Davis 36%
Max Linn 14%
COUNTY COMMISSIONER (Dist. #2):
Jim Payton 51%
Darlene Weesner 49%
COUNTY COMMISSIONER (Dist. #4):
Barbara Fitos 49%
Randy Harris 51%
SCHOOL BOARD (Dist. #5):
Ron Crawford 55%
Joyce Romanski 45%
STATE REP. (Dist. #24):
Dennis Baxley 51%
James Walker 49%
STATE REP. (Dist. #22):
Larry Cretul 59%
Macky Thurman 41%
STATE SENATE (Dist. #14):
Ed Jennings 48%
Steve Oelrich 52%
ROAD TAX:
Yes 47%
No 53%
I think I got it!
The expectations for Randy are so high no matter how impressive his many patriotic signs he will post soon throughout the County, the effort will be seen as not enough. After 12 long years we will be disappointed if he doesn't pull out the stops and exceed our electioneering expectations. His challenge is he has to stand for something because Barbara will not be an easy dirty tricks victim. Unfortunately, 12 years of his version of obstructionist government will not resonate well with the informed electorate.
However, to her advantage as we all patiently wait for Barbara to do anything, when she finally does we'll be impressed by her anemic effort but amplify it by our own low expectations for her.
Barbara, my advice, don't place your full effort on the high anti-Randy vote. It will be there but you still have to stand for something.
Randy wins in a recount.
As a registered Republican I am deeply concerned. Nationally we have lost the "moral" edge with the Foley scandal. This will translate in to 2-3% loss in the votes our candidates receive.
Further, this will partially carry into the local races by association. Maybe only a percentage point or two but in close races it will make a difference!
The Straw Poll doesn't indicate any clear winners (except maybe Cretul)and that could also be in doubt.
Don, you may be right about voter lack of interest.
P.S. to my post. Crist is looking pretty safe.
I believe Barbara Fitos and Darlene Weesner are going to win the Commissioner spots. Will this cause a big change in our politics? I don't know but sure hope so.
Femdem,
Wishful thinking.
The problem with the straw poll is that most of us here are "in the know." Doesn't say much for Marion County's vast, undereducated electorate. I think the question is will our frustrations with certain incumbents be reflected in the vote of the masses? Can the Walker, Fitos, Weesner, and anti-road tax vastly underfunded campaigns compete with the Republican juggernaut? Are our close races just wishful thinking?
Good points Jackie. I think there will be a few close races, but the Republicans will continue to occupy the drivers seat of local politics.
Vote NO on Amendment No. 3
The voters of Florida need the ballot intitative process intact!
Political change is going to “cascade”. This year, the Dems are going to make some good progress at the national levels, modest progress at the State level, and very little at the local level. However, by 2008 more Dem progress will creep into the State and local election results.
Just my opinion.
I'm sure Dems will take seats across the spectrum. However the independents are making solid inroads as well. 2008 will be a good year for Indys on the local, state or national levels. Matt Towery stated today in his column:
"In at least several states, independent candidates and Libertarians are showing up on ballots. In some cases, they are drawing stronger support at this stage in the election cycle than they traditionally do."
Watch for this trend to continue here as well.
CT,
I agree with you. We also need more government positions to be declared non-partisan in elections.
Like our "non-partisan" school board?
The biggest problem is the abortion issue. There are an awful lot of voters who only vote for pro-life candidates, regardless of the office. What abortion has to do with school board and county commission races, I don't know, but it's why Republicans keep winning. You could have a lifelong educator who also has tens of years business experience and well connected in the community up against an illiterate, though pro-life, contractor in a school board race and the educator will lose every time in Marion County.
Hmmm..... that sounds vaguely like real life.
Now now....don't go there!
I disagree. I see that issue loosing ground every day. Here's why. The argument is that once elected, all politicians continue to seek higher office where that issue might come up. The facts clearly dispute the idea. Most local candidates stay local. This myth is perpetuated by those who need to make it an issue.
Let me be the one to pass on this bit of info: Pro-Life or not most candidates I've spoken with dislike using this as a political weapon, and they should. It's deplorable.
Independent minded people like ourselves need to make it a non-issue.
Right on for Democrats or Republicans.
Don't vote, take your chances and don't bitch at the results!
Lost our way:
That material is a direct hit on the matter at hand. The reality lies in the sad fact that the Republican Party is lost to this radical group. I feel it can not be salvaged. Nationally or locally.
The only way to beat them here in Marion is with a full attack on their flank. You simply can not beat them head on.
Everyone on this blog knows who these people are. If you're in the REC you don't dare say one negative word about them. Many have left that club. It's on deaths doorstep thus the leaderships sudden re-invention of themselves. However it's the same decaying fish in a different color wrapper.
So it goes. They're weaker and they know it. We need to bring many many more into this new group.
Republicans, Democrats, Independents' it doesn't matter we need them all!
to Anonymous: "The biggest problem is the abortion issue. There are an awful lot of voters who only vote for pro-life candidates, regardless of the office".
You are so right! Any candidate running in Marion County better say they are pro-life even when they don't belive it or they are out. It's all about getting votes. Contributors to candidates that claim they are "pro life"? Now that's a joke.
Let's all party at the Library!
Night Owl I love your idea. We could really get the Harris folks bent out of shape. Let's wait until after the elections and have a victory celebration at the Library in honor of Harris' defeat.
James Walker,
Notice that you have done a good job with signs in the Belleview area. Hope that is the same for other places.
Critic,
It's just such an honor to be driving through a neighborhood you've never been to and see your name in some stranger's yard. It really validates this whole thing for me. People are crying out for a change in the way our politicians do business, and I'm just going to continue to do my best not to let you down.
James
If someone was interested, the way to beat the right wing flank of the GOP is to fill the vacancies on the REC. Both Dems and GOP are entitled to something like 300 committeemen and women and alternates. I am told the GOP is now down to about 47 or so, and most are hangers on and do more talk than work.
The way to get on the REC or DEC coimmittees is really very simple. Go to the Supervisor of Elections offce and file for the seat in your precinct. If memory serves the next time the seats are up is in two years. Go qualify, and you likely will be unopposed. Filing for elections get you by the local questionaire now required, the interviews, and signing the local oath which most people won't sign since it takes away your right to vote for the best qualified person, limiting you only to the GOP nominee.
Then, after filing the available seats, you have an election and elect someone who can make a difference. Last time that was tried in the GOP they took away the headquarters building, forced another election, and threw the insurgents out.
Neither committee is worth the powder it would take to blow them up, and most people go to a couple of meetings and then quit.
--pwf
I don't know all the details, but a friend told me Dennis Baxley had a blowup yesterday at a candidate forum. Someone (a Democratic plant?) accused him of putting campaign funds into his business and something about ethics charges and probable cause. I went and looked at the campaign finance database and sure enough, there are a lot of payments during all of his elections. 2004 stands out because it was over $12,000 and it was for "political consulting." Don't know what kind of consulting a funeral home can do. Anyway, was is there anyone out there who might know a little more about what happened?
I also want to revise my call for the Harris Fitos race. I saw them both earlier this week and Fitos just doesn't get it. She's talking about her plans for the commission, which is fine, but that won't beat an incumbent. She needs to take a 2x4 and beat him over the head repeatedly if she wants to win this thing. But she won't and Harris remains perpetually employed in the service of the people of Marion County.
BARBARA, WAKE UP!
Right on Jackie.
Randy will win this one again. Not sure which is more frustrating, Randy always winning or the other side being lazy.
Fitos better get her act together!!!!
Barbara, people accused you of being lazy in the last campaign. Please don't let those of us who think you can win down again this time.
Not only does Barbara not get it, she thinks she's got it and will not listen to any advice from those in the trenches.
Night Owl . . .
Executive committee membership is an elected position except the sitting REC or DEC can appoint people to fill vacancies. At the Rec, there is a state GOP party oath that must be taken that is pretty benign. However, there is a local oath than that eliminates all maintain stream GOP potential committe persons. It is a hard line oath on the life issue, demands you faithfully support ALL the GOP platform, and that you will not support anyone other than a GOP nominee. I know a dozen or so who have looked at the oath, wadded it up and did something else with their time. I know many more who signed the oath and did what they damn well pleased to do regardless of the oath. Same is true at the DEC where several years ago the chairman supported a Republican over their own nominee.
But yes, it is easy if anyone wants to spend their time (and money) in that manner. If you are an active precinct person who communicates with your precinct, you do it on your dime cause there aint no financial help available.
--pwf
Anonymous says "Not only does Barbara not get it, she thinks she's got it and will not listen to any advice from those in the trenches. "
Sounds like Rock Gibboney vs Randy Harris. Rock thought he had it won and probably did four weeks out. Harris went to work the last month and won handily. Rock never has figured out what happened. Looks like Barbara may be overcome with her own people. Harris 52-48.
Not having looked at the blog since last December, I've been monitoring the comments on the local political races with interest since primary night (September 5).
The road behind Randy Harris is strewn with the carcasses of failed challengers who thought they could beat him by looking like a reasonable alternative and riding into office on a tide of anti-Harris sentiment. It has been my belief for quite some time that a successful challenger will have to take him down a few notches.
If anyone cares to provide their comments to Barbara Fitos directly, I suggest e-mailing her at bfitos@msn.com.
In the meantime, here's a fun topic. At a candidate forum sponsored in The Villages last week by the League of Women Voters, the following question was asked: "In the spirit of openness and accountability, both candidates for governor have gone beyond the state mandated disclosure requirements by publicly releasing their federal income tax returns for 2000-2005. Will you pledge tonight to deposit your 2000-2005 federal income tax returns in the next seven days with Marion County Supervisor of Elections Dee Brown, who has agreed to place them in your file in her office where they can be inspected by the public?"
Two days later, Fitos filed her 2000-2005 federal income tax returns as suggested in the question. Harris gave an answer that amounted to a "no." To my knowledge, he has not filed his with the Supervisor of Elections.
Commissioners releasing their federal income tax returns is not without precedent. Both Parnell Townley and Steven Hennning, while married, filed theirs for years as part of their annual financial disclosure, but Harris has never done this. On every state mandated financial disclosure Harris has filed (13 of them), he has taken the option to fill in certain income information on the dislosure form rather than attach his federal return as did Townley and Henning.
An interesting aspect of the state mandated disclosure is that it does not require disclosure of assets or liabilities solely in the name of a spouse or income that is solely that of the spouse. This spousal exception is quite an opporunity for parties with interests before a county commission to funnel sweetheart deals into the family of a county commissioner without public scrutiny. Of course, were a commissioner to file a joint tax return with the IRS, income from such deals would have to be disclosed on the return in order to avoid a trip to the penitentiary.
Go to the Crist website and you will see a calculator with the word "transparency" on it on the page with the Crist tax returns. Why is Randy resisting making his finances as transparent as Crist's? Should voters reward a candidate who keeps them in the dark like this? What's Randy hiding from the voters?
I'm with you Brian. What's Harris hiding from us? Others share their finances, why not Harris. Do you suppose he's on the "payroll" of a few developers?
Sounds like a good article for the Star Blunder. You won't see it though.
They're too busy destroying coach Yancey's reputation to deal with Harris. What a smut peddling operation!
The amazing thing about Harris is his bombarding us over the airwaves (with Lund) about honesty in government and transparency. I couldn't even begin to express here the level of rhetoric these two men level at our community.
This county will never see Randy Harris's tax return. Never. Nor will we see Charlie Stones (that would be a hoot, know why?) I don't need to mention the myriad of other office holders that the ink from their 1040's will never see the light of (public) day.
Not a chance. Too much money being the problem? I think it would be just the opposite. It would demonstrate how badly these individuals need the job. It would also expose them as not quite up to snuff as their public persona projects.
I will gladly offer my 1040's the next time I run for office!
Many of the local politicians have to depend on us for their livelihood. Doubt several of them could make it in real jobs.
Just came back from the Chamber's "Stump on the Lawn" event. It was really great - great food and a great turnout. The heat was a little much though.
I have to say the most interesting part was with Baxley/Walker.
Baxley had a very embarrassing "Howard Dean" moment at the beginning of his speech where he irratically screamed "THIS IS A GREAT COUNTRY, ISN'T IT!" straight into the microphone blowing everyone's ears out. Pretty funny -- he's getting desperate.
Baxley went on to say that he will have his "most effective" term ever in the "front row" of the legislature. Great, more unnecessary firearm legislation and government intervention.
Walker lost his place in one part, but overall did well. He was the only candidate who made the crowd laugh, by basically saying "In terms of effectiveness on our issues in the legislature, Mr. Baxley might as well have been out in the parking lot!"
Darlene was a little bit too shrill, while Payton, was well, Payton.
Barbara once again refused to engage Randy openly. C'mon Barbara!
Baxley a Howard Dean type. That's a good one---I can see it.
What do you mean, Payton was Payton?
hello folks:
monday on the bobby d show 10am max linn, for govenor, if his plane is working
tues. darlene weesner 11am
barbara fitos was invited but said she will let us know.
open door policy everyone invited.
thanks
From the AP: Reform Party gubernatorial candidate Max Linn landed his plane on Interstate 4 near downtown Orlando Friday and was hospitalized. Linn, a former flight instructor, was the only one aboard the plane. It wasn't clear why Linn had to land the plane. Linn was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. A Linn spokeswoman said she didn't know the extent of Linn's injuries but believed they weren't life threatening.
P.S.: Linn was released from the hospital this evening. His airplane is being held for further investigation by the FAA.
Payton brought his usual, down-home "I'm a member of your community" stuff. Classic Payton - certainly nothing against him though.
Well, I stopped by the Supervisor of Elections office today and picked up a set of Fitos 2000-2005 tax returns. They have a file there labeled "2006 Candidate Income Tax Information" but there is nothing in it from Randy Harris. His tax returns remain shrouded in secrecy.
Someone asked if Harris is on the payroll of developers. Take a look at his campaign contribution reports for the past 12 years and you can readily observe Harris mainlining developer money. And that's not counting his not yet reportable take from the fundraiser held for him last Saturday at the home of a major developer.
Take a drive around the Fairgrounds development -- The Magnolias. The signs from site development to finished home are like a who's who of Harris campaign contributors over the years.
But here's the real kicker. There is serious talk right now in elite circles that is seeping into the media that the Harris family has an equity interest in the Fairgrounds development that is formalized in documents nowhere to be found in the public record, an interest that may be constructed in such a way that principals in the project don't know it exists.
I don't know if any such interest would have thrown off income yet, but this may help explain why Harris has his heels dug in against establishing the precedent of releasing his return because I don't know anyone who thinks he's dumb enough to jerk around the IRS.
He sure is jerking around the voters, though.
Mr. Creekbaum: I find it very interesting that there is so much concern about Mr. Harris' donations from developers. No different than what Peyton & Mosley received. Why no concerns about their contributions? They are all in the developer's "pockets".
Brian, why don't you do the research on Randy and post it on the blogsite? Maybe locally, it could be a headline story for a few days.
Barbara could use your help. Bottom line, if ANY elected official is doing something wrong I think we all have the right to know.
I have also heard rumors about a "secret agreement" making money for Harris on the Fairgrounds development. Very disappointing, if true. Don't believe anything like that exists for other politicians who accept developer contributions (e.g., Payton & Mosley).
Doubt there is anything illegal, but may be something politically unseemly here.
As a matter of fact, I publicly questioned Payton a few weeks ago at a candidate forum in Marion Oaks about the three $500 contributions he accepted from the Biancullis five days before he voted to site their automobile recycling plant on the west side of Ocala over neighborhood objections. His response was that no amount of money could influence his vote. That is certainly being tested with the Plunketts, who individually and through various business entities have injected nearly $10,000 into his campaign depending on how you count.
I don't see Weesner, a perennial loser, beating Payton if she couldn't beat McClain two years ago with the wind at her back because of what the Harris faction backing McClain did to Parnell Townley in the primary.
Mosley is not currently in an election and my information is that polling shows Payton comfortably ahead, so rather than hold an academic discussion about them, I'm more interested in Fitos v. Harris. I regard Harris as the favorite, with Fitos having an outside chance at upsetting him that is much more outside than it needed to be because of how she has run her campaign.
A high government official (not the library director) recently expressed to me the hope that I'm digging up information on Harris to help Fitos. Well, I'm not the only person in Marion County with a shovel and strong reasons for using it. Anyone with relevant information should be putting it out.
I'm sure anyone with documentation of a Harris financial interest in the Fairgrounds development will find willing recipients at the Star-Banner and several television stations or they can contact me if they would like to talk about reward money.
It was Randy who spearheaded the "surplus property" selloff in which the Fairgounds crown jewel was sold to private interests in a move condemned by everyone from former Lt. Gov. Jim Williams to Paul Ferguson. And it was Randy who made a special lobbying trip to the school board to keep Forest High School off the Fairgrounds, keeping the Fairgrounds live for residential developers.
By the way, you couldn't question Harris at the Marion Oaks candidate forum because he didn't show up, just like he doesn't show up to face the people at many candidate forums. Maybe he's busy shredding his tax returns.
That's interesting about Jim Payton taking three contributions from someone right before voting in their self interest. Perhaps they are all crooks!!!
Brian, your extreme dislike of Harris is lengendary. No one needs to encourage you to "get the dirt" on Harris because you obviously already want to. Even questioning you on what you are doing, or could do, to help Fitos is redundant. Could it be that Fitos wants to distance herself from you because you have your own high negatives in some circles?
It's hard to imagine that you would look forward to dealing with Randy on library or other issues for another four years.
This may be your best chance for 15 minutes of fame. You'll never be as close as you are now! Or are you just a little too afraid of Randy to take him on? He's beat you before!
Brian,
Tell this person to screw off and keep up your efforts to take Harris out. The guy is a public menace.
Anonymous 3:50pm and 4:51pm; you both are asking for the same thing...Randy to be beat. But you both want Brian to do your dirty work for you.
Given the general consensus of the PH comments most want Randy gone but many are resigned to the "fact" that he can't be defeated. Sounds like a bunch of sheep being led to a fleecing to me.
Unfortunately Barbara's lack of an electioneering work ethic means most of you will have to do her work for her. Isn't that the definition of grass roots support? If defeating Randy is what you want don't give up. Three weeks from Tuesday is a long time in political terms.
Barbara, a little advice, let the citizens know whatever their philosophy is means more to you than your own philosophy. It's about their needs not yours. Randy obviously has too much of an ego to actually admit that. Be a candidate of the people rather of the fringe "right."
Anyone remotely familiar with local political history knows I'm probably the last person in Marion County you could call afraid to take on Harris publicly, and that goes back into the 1990's when many people were afraid to speak out against him for fear of physical retribution from his militia supporters.
And anyone who knows me also knows that I'm not likely to form my actions toward Harris based on the clumsy bating attempts of an anonymous internet blogger engaging in ad-hominems.
I'm sure everyone here understands that if Harris has buried something out at the Fairgrounds, it's because he wants to hide it from voters because it reflects unfavorably on him as a public official. Not that I'm saying Harris has done anything illegal, but when the perp attempts to conceal incriminating evidence it's what they call in the legal profession an action that shows consciousness of guilt. Same thing holds in the political realm.
From what I see, the local newspaper isn't going to be any help in the Fitos-Harris campaign. Coverage is at best neutral about the two. If anything, it might even be more to the advantage of Mr. Harris.
Brian, interesting comments;
Given the following that you posted "shows consciousness of guilt. Same thing holds in the political realm." Since the voter is the judge and jury how do you organize the guilty verdict?
Also, your comments, "based on the clumsy bating attempts of an anonymous internet blogger engaging in ad-hominems." I really don't view someone's excessive baiting as clumsy. It was quite apparent, so not "clumsy."
pwf, you were mentioned in one of the previous postings as having negatively commented on the fairgrounds sale. Did you and do you feel there might be something fishy about that sale or any other county land sale?
Here are quotes related to a post I made above relative to the Fairgrounds sale pushed by Harris:
"Since the discussion has turned to the possibility of land sales, I can only tell you that we’re dumb as a skunk in Marion County because we sold the Fairgrounds property for $12,000 an acre for a subdivision. The lots are selling for a $100,000. Now, they bought it on the premise that, you know, it’s going to take a lot of money to develop. Well, I’ve been down this road before. Know what you’re talking about when you’re talking about what we’re going to sell. For me, we don’t sell public lands, we buy."
Former Lt. Governor
Jim Williams
Golf Conference Meeting
Ocala Golf Club
August 14, 2006
"As for the comment above about the fairgrounds etc . . . . "
"Selling that property and the Dunnellon Airport was the worst single decision the county commission has made in 45 years.
The second worst decision was selling the same property 45 years or so ago. Fortunately, we got it all back, but selling such an asset to pay down two or three percent bonds was in a single word STUPID!"
"They do not make land any more, and what area in the world except Marion County would want several hundred acres of vacant land in the heart of the county (or city)? Answer? every single county and city in the world except Marion County."
"This is a great opportunity year for the Dems, but they wont argue the right issues."
Post by pwf to "November Elections: Who Do You Like?" thread at 1:10 PM, September 18, 2006
The fundraising results for Fitos and Weesner are disgusting. I know there are some big money Democrats in this county. Their lack of support of the two candidates really tells me something about the commitment to both candidates.
Anonymous asked,
"pwf, you were mentioned in one of the previous postings as having negatively commented on the fairgrounds sale. Did you and do you feel there might be something fishy about that sale or any other county land sale?
First, having driven through the fairgrounds Saturday, I am convinced even more it was the single worst decision made in my 48 years in Ocala by a county commission. It is insane to sell that property for a song when we are out buying other property for our current and past needs -- not to speak about our future needs.
My comments were not to attack any commissioner, or the commission. More so, they were to show how stupid WE, including ME, were to have allowed these sales to go down without a fight.
I am as guilty, and perhaps more guilty than most (sorry for my ego *slim) because I have experience in battling against odds before the commission, and I will always regret not standing up and fighting; it was not one of my proudest days. Frankly, I was simply tired at the time and I am just tired of battling.
Having said that, to answer the anonymous question above:
As an old newspaperman, I don't express opinions that could reflect a criminal offense without some knowledge. I have no knowledge at all, not a twit, nor do I believe anyone else has any knowledge of anything improper or illegal or hidden with the sale.
For me (or anyone else) to have that knowledge and not take it to the state attorney, in my frame of reference, would be to commit a criminal act myself: knowing a crime had been committed and not reporting it.
No, I do not believe there is anything criminal in the eyes of the law with the sale of the fairgrounds. The law does not make STUPID a criminal offense.
No I do not believe Harris or his family has any secret interest in the property. Yes, I do believe there are some who would say about anything to defeat Harris. No I am not involved at all -- I have not even had a discussion -- in his campaign.
Have a greay Sunday!
--pwf
That should have ended a GREAT Sunday, not a greay Sunday. I'll have gravy on my taters tonite!
--pwf
STRAW POLL UPDATE!
Results as of today (217 participants):
GOVERNOR:
Charlie Crist 51%
Jim Davis 36%
Max Linn 13%
COUNTY COMMISSIONER (Dist. #2):
Jim Payton 53%
Darlene Weesner 47%
COUNTY COMMISSIONER (Dist. #4):
Barbara Fitos 49%
Randy Harris 51%
SCHOOL BOARD (Dist. #5):
Ron Crawford 54%
Joyce Romanski 46%
STATE REP. (Dist. #24):
Dennis Baxley 52%
James Walker 48%
STATE REP. (Dist. #22):
Larry Cretul 58%
Macky Thurman 42%
STATE SENATE (Dist. #14):
Ed Jennings 47%
Steve Oelrich 53%
ROAD TAX:
Yes 49%
No 51%
{Poll participation has slowed down a bit, so we will post the next update in two weeks.}
they could go either way. no big winners in the straw poll.
Just a note about Harris and county lands. He might not have made any $ on the sale of the fairgrounds, but his friends and contributors sure as hell did. And then when we need to buy a piece of land for a new courthouse, who does Harris turn to? His old buddy CL Dinkins. Drive around Marion County and I guarantee you'll see a hell of a lot of Harris campaign signs on CL's property.
They're all crooks and I don't care how lousy a campaign Fitos is running, we're all idiots if we don't vote Randy out NOW!
YOU GOT IT!
Has anyone posted about Harris' tattoo yet? Folks seem to be infatuated with everything else about him. The best name recognition of any politician in the county. Probably why he will win!
It's not a tatoo. It's a scar from all the deals he signed in blood with the devil.
jackie wilson and anonymous 7:22pm you are both absolutely correct. I pray there are a majority of voters that think your way on November 7th or before if they vote early starting October 23.
Barbara can still learn while Randy already thinks he knows it all and won't change.
If you watch the County Commission meetings, which I do, Randy dominates the meetings even though the other Commissioners should be heard too. Randy also tried hard to get the Commission to sell some park, I think it was Horseshoe Lake. I wonder what developer wanted that land?
pwf, do I remember correctly about the park being sold, almost? You know the commissioners and the meetings better than most. Any comments on selling that park?
Another thing you'd learn if you watch the commission meetings is Randy was always against impact fees, probably because his developer buddies were pulling his strings. I wish we had all that money now. Maybe we wouldn't need the one cent sales tax for roads now.
Randy and the developers is like Bush/Cheney and their oil buddies, the people that work for a living are the only ones getting screwed!!
So what does Randy's tattoo say; Son of doG? Are Libertarians allowed to be dyslexic!
Seriously, does anyone know the details on the tattoo?
I'm with you Jackie Wilson - Whatever happened to "conflict of interest". If you look at most of the candidates contributors lists, past and present, (Peyton, Mosley, Harris) they have received donations from mostly developers (although many personal donations are actually from developers; they just are hiding their corporations - just google and you'd be surprised who owns these "businesses" that contribute). Look at their "individual" contributors. Many of whom have interest in these businesses. It's a shame that previous and current candidates that refuse to be "bought" will never have a prayer being elected in Marion County. This is the "good ole boy" way of politics; and always will be, despite what PWF says. I will be voting for Fitos and Weesner; just because I know they are honest and can't be bought.
Anonymous 9:14pm amd jackie wilson. I applaud your determined spirit to rightfully change the face of "good old boy" politics in Marion County.
If Randy wants another "straw poll" how about one for County Commissioner term limits. How about two terms? It's good enough for the office of Florida Governor!
Just about the time the developers have you bought you're gone!
As they say, the scandal in politics is not what’s illegal, it’s what’s legal. I wouldn’t be surprised if the names of Harris’ developer buddies cleaning up on the Fairgrounds deal and their contributions to Harris campaigns past and present started showing up soon on the blog.
In the meantime, below is a letter the Star-Banner published Saturday that deals with Harris’ over-the-table money. Per County Finance Director John Garri, the pension calculation is (Average of Five Highest Years Salary x 3% x Number of Years Service). The 3 percent factor is for a special class in the Florida Retirement System called the Elected Officers’ Class. If you are a mere mortal public employee then the factor is 1.6 percent, barely more than half what the elite pols get. Is anyone surprised the politicians have a special higher factor for themselves? I’ve heard Harris talk about his lobbying trips to Tallahassee, but has anyone heard him say anything about trying to save us money by lobbying to have his fat government pension reduced? I’ll bet not.
Million-dollar man
It was refreshing to read in the Star-Banner recently that County Commission candidate Barbara Fitos says she will serve no more than two four-year terms if elected. As a homeowner and single mom working in the private sector, I’m not interested in using my tax dollars to turn the County Commission into a permanent perch for career politicians to fatten at the public trough.
The opponent Fitos faces, 12 year incumbent Randy Harris, joined the County Commission in the middle of the first Clinton administration, when his political party offered a Contract with America that included a Citizen Legislature Act “to replace career politicians with citizen legislators” by imposing 12 year term limits on members of Congress.
That was four years before Jeb Bush became Florida governor and six years before George W. Bush became president.
The Bushes are term limited and moving on after eight years in office, but just like the career politicians in Congress who rejected term limits, Harris wants to remain glued to a government salary. With so many talented people available for public service in our county of 300,000, is it necessary for us to keep one man on the County Commission for half his adult life?
Over the past 12 years, we taxpayers have paid Harris about $700,000 total in salary. Add in the $24,000 a year government pension he’s scheduled to receive beginning at age 62 and Harris is looking at well over $1 million in lifetime government money for lecturing us from the county commission on the virtue of limited government. That doesn’t count the government health insurance benefits for which he’s eligible.
Thanks to us, Million Dollar Randy can now afford luxury riverfront property recently featured in a glossy Ocala magazine. No wonder he wants us to let him suckle us more.
Mary Lutes
McIntosh
All that money spent on supporting Harris over the years by taxpayers and so little in return for it! His CAVE mentality is legendary...correct PWF?
I differ with you. Randy has more than saved the county his salary over the years in stopping the waste of tax dollars on stupid projects.
Then why does my tax bill keep going up?
The entire Republican tenure in office has been dedicated to talking a big game about government spending but spending more!
Harris is one banana in the bunch.
Last year alone the taxable value of property in Marion skyrocketed. Include a very moderate rise in county operating costs and ask yourself where did all of the revenue go?
Multiply this effect by the last twelve years and you'll see that the Harris faction creates a beautiful illusion. It's all about who controls building and development. It couldn't be any simpler.
Please keep in mind a very important fact. The county clerk and the finance department creates the budget. Friends of taxpayers or friends or developers? The clerk needs to go as well.
I should also add the chance of Ellsperman being voted out of office is nearly nill. The Star Banner thinks he walks on water. As do many of the local pillars of the community.
Heck let's say it: All of them need to go.
Moved here in December 1997
Christopher Thurow said: "Please keep in mind a very important fact. The county clerk and the finance department creates the budget. Friends of taxpayers or friends or developers? The clerk needs to go as well."
This is simply wrong. The clerk does NOT create the budget in Marion or any other Florida county. It doesn't matter who his friend is or is not. He does not create the budget.
The budget is "created by the County administrator and his staff through a series of meetings that actually start about February 1." After those first sessions between the administrator and his staff, the initial spending requests, based on the priorities set by the commission and administrator, are then compiled by the county clerk's budget department and returned to the administrator and the county commission. The clerk does exactly what he (or she) is told by the commission. His only job in the process is to make sure the spending is legal, and to make sure the budget is balanced.
His record is clear and it is clean. He has saved this county much, much money through his investment policies, and through his hard work. His staff is excellent.
David Ellspermann as clerk does not need to go. He is the best clerk I have worked with in my 50 years of covering government. To say he needs to go shows a complete lack of knowledge about this clerk and about his department. And if you ever want any information, all it takes is a simple request and it is immediately provided. You don't need to be a big shot, just make the request and if the information is available, you will get it. That is called service in my world, and David Ellspermann provides excellent service.
(For the record, I was deeply involved in his opponent's campaign when David first ran for office. This is one of my few loisses, but I am proud to say it was a good defeat, because my client has a wonderful job and David has done an excellent job. I am not spinning for a client.)
--pwf
PWF is correct. The leadership on the county budget comes from Pat Howard and his department heads. Not to diminish the role of Ellspermann, but his group is the budget administrator.
I think there is some room for improvement in the work Howard does with the budget. That's about the only reason I can think of to keep Harris around. To be a thorn in the side of the departments on budgets.
Harris is a very good "thorn"!
I'll challenge Paul on his comments.
I have worked with four different Florida counties assembling their budgets. I also did the same with the SJRWMD. I know a thing or two.
While the county commission does in fact discuss the budget they typically discuss very few items. The items that usually do get discussed are of their own choosing. After all how many line items in a 400 million dollar budget does anyone honestly beleive they talk about. They don't. The decisions have already been made by the county administrator, each individual constitutional officer and the clerk.
I'd make an educated guess that around 70% of the county budget is never discussed in the public arena. Maybe it's presented, but never discussed. In the 25 years I've worked with BOCC's not once did any commissioner take the time to dig into a budget.
The clerk takes care of those funny little critters called budget amendments too. Usually tacked on to the consent agenda.
As far as the clerk doing as he is told is true but naive. The clerk is the official recorder of the board, he and he alone certifies and signs off on the budget. Every year the county is audited by the state and the clerk is responsible.
Since (in Florida) all constitutional officers may be held personably responsible for county debts in certain instances you can be sure the clerk has the numbers in the counties favor.
The clerk is indeed a powerful position, in Florida anyway.
Ellsperman knows where the money is going and where it went and who got it. Trust me. Has he done a good job? He certainly has protected the county commission since he's been in office. You make that call.
So, "PWF" and "Fiscal Conservative" don't necessarily have it correct! What else is new?
Sorry folks for not posting more. I’ve been in mourning for my Gators. Oh well, there’s always the next game!
Thank you gator 4 life for reminding us there are actually things more important than politics. Just remember that a few months ago most Gator fans would have been happy with a 9-3 season. I'm prepared for another loss, probably to Spurrier, and then a trip to the Capital One Bowl. Take heart, with Tebow and Co we've probably got the beginnings of a dynasty on our hands.
Anybody watch the political forum tonight?
Randy actually looked scared. I easily give the edge to Barbara. She certainly understands economic development better. She actually has a plan to shift some of the tax burden from residents to growing and new businesses. Seems more balanced and fair to me.
Yeah, Randy saved money and the millions he "saved" will now cost us hundreds of millions to fix!
I agree, Randy did not win the forum tonight. Worse, it will be replayed ten times between now and election day. He will wish he was a little warmer and more engaging with the electorate. He certainly does not support growing the business community.
Also, christopher thurow, I support just about every opinion you have posted however, do not mistakening blame the Clerk for the budget. His responsibility is to correctly construct the budget presented to him and make sure the money is spent according to statute and/or ordinance. That he does extremely well and his investment practices have greatly benefited the taxpayer. He is an excellent Clerk! There is a reason he ran unopposed last time.
I'll agree with anonymous 9:51pm and 10:53pm.
Randy did not look comfortable tonight especially given his 12 years of experience. He was around during the creation of the problems we have facing us today!It's hard to run on a record that shows you were a large part of the problem.
His turn is up and the voters just need to turn him out!
hey guys: when is the debate on the air again and what station. also darlene weisner will be on the bobby d show tommorow at 11am and barbara fitos will be on weds at 10am and max linn will be on thursday 10am. also blogmaster i have discussed with the max linn campaign your blog and they are interested in the data, you might want to contact them, you might get some free press. hopefully will see you guys on the radio tomorrow. thanks
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I ran into Parnell Townley at Red Lobster Sunday night. He said he had been reading my comments in this blog and was surprised when I told him that Catherine Hanson, whom he knows, was blown out on September 5.
Hanson, a realtor and 16-year incumbent on the all Republican Lake County Commission, lost 64-36 in the September 5 Republican primary to teacher Linda Stewart. "This isn't about me, this is about the citizens," Stewart told the Leesburg Commercial.
Elaine Renick ousted 8-year incumbent Robert Pool 57-30 (a third candidate got 12 percent). Pool told the Commercial: "I have said all along there was a movement for change, and I sensed it. People blame the government and I am the government."
According to the Commercial, both Stewart and Renick “ran on campaigns of slow or managed growth, accusing the sitting commissioners of rubber-stamping developments without regard to crowded schools and available infrastructure.”
Any of this sound familiar so far?
In an op-ed that appeared in the Commercial the day of her defeat, Hanson wrote: “Taxes have not increased except as appraisals have increased. Property is more valuable now. Ad valorem taxes have been reduced the past two years and are the 11th lowest in the state.” Of course what she was really talking about was not taxes (and assessments), but rather millage rates, just like our Commissioner Harris is talking about in his whopping developer-funded eight page mailer and his $6,500 taxpayer funded full-page re-election ad in the Star-Banner disguised as citizen education. Hanson further protested, “I voted for 1,300 fewer homes than a ‘moderate growth’ commissioner.”
Then, the voters in her own party got out the hook for her in a big way.
Recently, Stewart participated in a tri-county candidate forum in The Villages. I noticed that she was nodding a lot when Barbara Fitos spoke and not nodding at all when Randy Harris spoke. I told her afterwards the two were opponents. You couldn’t tell during the forum because, as others have noted here, the two have not been going at each other in candidate forums. Stewart said she thought Fitos was “well-spoken.” She said nothing about Harris but told me she faced a developer-funded incumbent with a big war chest. In fact, both incumbents thrown out in Lake outspent their challengers better than 2-1.
I asked Stewart if she thought her race against Hanson had any lessons for Marion County. Her answer? Growth.
On primary day, like the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld, Republican voters in Lake County said to incumbent county commissioners: NEXT!! Will voters in Marion County now say the same?
Very good comments Brian and I'll bet right on target.
I have no desire to debate someone who is ill informed. If Mr. Thurow had spent as much time in budget sessions as I have in Marion County, he would know that commissioners do know exactly what is in the budget on a line item basis, and spend weeks with department heads, the administrator and the public at open, advertised workshops. ASk department heads who have been chopped up, sauted and eaten for lunch over budget proposals if individual commissions knows what is in the budget. More than a few times, the clerk has gone to commisisoners and the administrator and said I can not spend that money.
I do not believe Mr. Thurow jhas ever sat in on a budget workshop or the sessions in commissioners offices individually working with departjment ehads even when he was running for commission. If so, not more than one or two.
I am not concerned about what has happened in the four counties he has helped county commission budgets together in -- not even sure if that is correct -- but he made the statement the clerk -- David Ellspermann by name -- does the budget. Simply untrue now or at any time since 1958 when my knowledge of Marion County starts.
His claim and $1.50 buys coffee at Wolfys, and has not a twit to do with the current races since Ellspermann is doing such a good job that no one, not even Mr. Thurow, ran against him.
On the forum last night . . .
If Barbara Fitos thinks she will win by asking the taxpayers to spend millions to buy land and millions more to fund development of an industrial park for the EDC and Chamber to "give" away along with other tax gifts to get prime jobs like they have wanted to do in the past, it aint gonna work.
First, in spite of the studies done on a MAI basis -- that is made as instructed -- there is not now and has never been a shortage of indutrial land in the City of Ocala or Marion County.
The last time I studied the issue, about four years ago, 52% of all land zoned industrial in Ocala was vacant, not occupied. That, for those folks in Rio Linda, says more than half of the industrial zoned property is vacant. That does not indicate a shortage.
Second, private owners have land available that has been set aside in the Comprehensive Plan Industrial use that is or could be developed for the EDC to bring companies to Ocala, but at a price, say $50,000 to $200,000 an acre depending on location and size. Not cheap, and private owners are not as inclined to give away their property as governments are inclined to give away our property.
What Barbara is talking about is government owned and developed land that will be available for a song -- like the fairgrounds were.
Third, try and site a major industrial park and listen to the squalks from nearby owners. They do not want industry near "our" horse farms, or near their homes. Industtial property has to be "near" something.
Fourth, show me where government owned and developed land was given to companies in a bidding war with other areas and I will usually show you vacant buildings as soon as the length of stay requirements in contracts expire.
It is bad business to "buy" a company for a few years, as has proven so many times, i.e. when we did not "buy" a comany and they went elsewhere and then left; i.e. Sykes and their glorious computer call system businesses that were built across America and then closed up.
Fifth, judging from her comments on the debate, she has fallen into the trap of so many candidates through the years: she showed she thinks she can win with the support of the "sisterhood", the elite who run the Chamber Board, the EDC BOard, bank boards, and those on the pages of the three (soon to be two) slick city magazines. The Chamber and the EDC has never run Marion County politics (even though I was a member for 43 years). In fact, a surprisingly high number of them do not even vote.
You are correct, Harris did not look comfortable, but his comments probably answered the questions better than hers. Same is true with Payton. Darlene looked better this time than her many other runs, and her answers were closer to being on point than she has ever been, but the TV programs run by the Chamber are seen by perhaps 4-5,000 people (maybe 1,200 to 12,500 last night and a few hundred more during the reruns) at most and, with one major exception where a candidate simply totally lost his train of thought and never recovered, have never played even a very small role in the decision making process.
Having said that, the races are for the incumbents to lose, and while the wind from other counties may blow here, the challangers have shown little reason to vote for them so far.
They are afraid to bring up the real issue, and for good reason. The real issue is population growth, and if they propose shutting down growth, they propose shutting down the economy and putting literally tens of thousands of tradesmen. laborers and businessmen and women out od work, and when word of that gets out, these people, along with suppliers, realtors, secretaries, bankers, et cetera will react.
And yes, if we had stopped growth the day after I got here, we wouldn't have these problems. Marion County is "a not in my back yard county," a county that after "we got here no one else should come," but it is also a county with an economy spurred by construction, which comes from growth, unfortunately.
The challangers have three weeks to raise issues that count and explain what happens to the economy if they win. I'll bet they don't raise them.
--pwf
Thanks to recent Star Banner articles, letters to the editor and opinion pieces, I have made up my mind on who to vote for in the county commission election. I’m going with Jim Payton and Randy Harris and encouraging all of my friends and neighbors to do the same. The local Democrats just don’t have it. Even with all the problems of the national Republican Party, I’ll go with who I know.
And continue to watch your property taxes go up.
First I am not making the claim that anybody has done a bad job. Ellsperman or any other office holder. I was attempting to make a point concerning their longevity in office and the consequences of that.
Take for example Villie Smith our property appraiser. His salary was probably close to half of what it is now when he was first elected. Do you really think for a second he has any inclination to help foster political change here?
Am I after Mr. Smith? No but I am after some real structural modifications in our power base.
Remember the five constitutional officers and the county commission salaries are based on population count. The more the merrier.
The point that keeps getting lost here is that the these people are a part of the established old guard. Period. That my friends is a very important fact. Almost everyone on this blog wishes for almost universal political change here in the county. The problem is “we” keep supporting the same group of long standing politicos. Harris, Albright, Ellesperman and of course the sheriff. Is this change?
Wouldn’t it be novel idea if the participants of this blog instituted a shift toward total realignment of the power structure in the county? WE are the problem. Think about that.
To edisrevir, absolutely. I helped get impact fees charged in the Florida county I came from. I paid about $ 6000.00 in impact fees on the house I had built and sold there and another $8,000.00 on a home I had shortly before that.
My wife and I also bought a lot of record here so that wouldn’t have been an issue either. But your question is very valid.
ANON @ 10:21 AM.
Do you really think two Democrats on the Commission are going to reduce our taxes. Get real!
P.S. I was hoping on Fitos as our saving grace...but just don't see it.
Thurow wrote "The problem is “we” keep supporting the same group of long standing politicos. Harris, Albright, Ellesperman and of course the sheriff.
Is this change?"
For the record, Harris has served three terms, Albright is two years into his first term, Ellspermann two years into his third, and the Sheriff, in his second year of a second four year term plus two years of another's term. This is hardly a dynasty.
Albright obviously did a good enough job as state representative to where a majority of people thought he was doing a good job and elected him Tax Collector. I can not argue with the majority of voters. Frankly, I applaud the job he has done as Collector. At this point, I would give him agrace of "A".
Harris has served three terms. On many issues I agree with him, on many I disagree, but again the voters have chosen. On the whole he has been a good commissioner. Good enough to get re-elected? Voters will choose and the majority of people eligible to vote this year were not here 12 years ago. Most know nothing about Marion County except they want more highways to somewhere and they dont want to pay the bill.
In Ellspermann's case, he won a very tough campaign to win his first term; I did much, much work for his opponent who was an old family friend, and we lost by something like 800 or so votes (I have forgotten). His grade as clerk? A+.
Then you to include the Sheriff, respected across the state as one of the top Sheriffs in office. Hardly part of a dynasty, he was appointed to office after the old Sheriff resigned in disgrace, and he took over a department in ruin. His opponents will continue to criticize him, but the facts will prevail, and Marion County will continue to be blessed with one of the top departments in Florida. Grade? A+.
I can not imagine why someone who wants to develop (even after two bad defeats) a political career in Marion County would go after two of the best elected officials in the state. Such bad judgement supports the judgement of voters.
--pwf
If we’ve got all this wonderful industrial property I’m reading about on the blog, then I wonder why Wal-Mart took off when they couldn’t get a horse farm fast tracked and Sysco took off when they couldn’t get a golf course. Randy told us he drove all over Marion County in a weeks-long intensive search for an alternative to Irish Acres but couldn’t find one. Did he miss something? Is he blind? Did his wig fall down over his eyes while he was driving around?
Perhaps having property that is declared industrial is not the same thing as having property that is declared industrial that is of sufficient size and that is located near transportation and other needed resources.
lot of stuff about how long people serve. the length of time is not important. it is the job they do. someone said they worked for four counties. i prefer to have someone doing a good job and keeping them -- this is a business, and change for chanage sake is not good either. be careful with your ballot.
I would like to state to my fellow bloggers just for the record. I don't know why Paul Ferguson wants to drag me into a pissing contest but I'm not going to bite.
Of course they're the best politicians in the state. Why? because Paul supports every one of them and he stands to make more money each and every election cycle. Where are Pauls interests? The public or protecting the status quo?
Like I stated it's the same old same old......ad nauseum.
I absolutely love what the new publisher of the Star Banner has done with the editorial policy. Just guessing I'd say he figures policitcal candidates should stand on there own.
If you are interested in seeing a rebroadcast of the Chamber of Commerce Political Forum, the schedule for the local Education Channel stations, Cox, Channel 12; Bright House, Channel 17; Comcast, Channel 99; Cablevision of Marion County, Channel 13; Oak Run and Pine Run, Channel 19; and Ocala Palms, Channel 11 is:
-- 2 p.m. Oct. 21, Oct. 22, Nov. 4 and Nov. 5.
-- 6 p.m. Oct. 23, Oct. 30 and Nov. 6.
[Don't forget to vote in our Straw Poll.]
For the record, I have never done anything for Ellspermann, did maybe $200 for Albright (lots more for his opponent), am not involved in the Payton and Harris campaigns.
I simply call them as they are, not as I wish they were.
And I am not the one who raised the issue about getting rid of Ellspermann and then, of course, the sheriff. Our fellow bloggers can simply read what he wrote and see who raised the issue.
One might learn of what he speaks before he opens his mouth. --pwf
The Facts. Some but not all monies paid to Ferguson Printing during the 2004 campaigns. This does not include several other races that he also received compensation in tens of thousands of dollars. All from long time Marion entrenched interests.
George Albright $ 4,427.00
his opponent
Bob McCall $ 39,711.00
Ed Dean $ 92,802.00
This is why Paul supports these people so strongly. Hell, I would too!
And fortunately that was just a part of our business. Thanks for reminding me of how much we earned by hard work.
-pwf
A blogger said "Randy told us he drove all over Marion County in a weeks-long intensive search for an alternative to Irish Acres but couldn’t find one."
Simply not true. He didn't have to look far to find what many suggested was available. He found the same site I and others found, north of SR 40 west of town in an already developed park. Walmart didn't like it enough and went elsewhere.
And that doesn't answer the question should any government money be used to subsidize private business. I think not, and I do not believe it is a winning political platform. The last time I studied economics, the market says what to do and when. This is no different.
--pwf
Anyone familiar with my years-long criticism of the Ocala public pension plans for betting money that prices set by free markets are defective knows I am a big fan of free markets. Anytime anyone tells me the government should do something, whether the private sector is doing it, and if not why not, is my first line of inquiry.
According to what was said at an anti-Wal-Mart meeting I attended at Jumoblair during the 2002 primary election mostly out interest in the political ramifications of what was happening, Harris told the anti-Wal-Mart people his friends from high school he grew up with needed the jobs that a distribution center at Irish Acres would provide.
Because Harris is a very unprincipled individual who will do just about anything to anyone to hold on to his government job and advance his political career, he abandoned his free market property rights principles and capitulated to the anti-Irish Acres people to save his personal bacon in the election. Well, what does it matter if you screw your high school buddies out of modest private sector jobs when you need to save your fat government job? The Harris focus on retaining his government job is understandable given that his financial disclosure immediately preceding that election showed the government was the source of 93 percent of his income.
Yes, Harris and others supported a site in the Ocala International Commerce Park that those closest to the situation did not believe Wal-Mart would accept. This was nothing but an empty political maneuver by people who wanted to appear to the electorate to be doing something. Perhaps I could have been clearer by stating Harris was unable to find a site acceptable to the company looking to locate here. The market rendered a verdict on the lack of suitable industrial sites in the county. Wal-Mart did not locate here.
Unfortunately, in this day and age, the competition to attract new business requires local communities to subsidize industrial development. If a company wants to build a new plant, and has two similar properties available, and one comes with tax incentives, which one should they move to?
Doesn't make it right, but that's how corporate wellfare works these days. If we had an educated local workforce, businesses might be coming here without the payola. But, we know how you "fiscal conservatives" feel about our millage rate.
My worry is that we're not in a position to break our addiction to the construction industry. I think I mentioned this before, but we're in for an economic bust as the building boom continues to slow. It will reach throughout the community when the banks foreclose on all the empty new construction that local builders have overextended themselves to put up. Then the interest only loans will start coming due and the construction workers living beyond their means won't be able to keep up with the now astronomically higher mortgage payments. They won't have industrial jobs to turn to, because we haven't invested in bringing them here. God, that sounds bleak, and I sure hope we don't get to that point.
Good thing we have all those retirees shopping at Walmart and eating at Bob Evans to support our growing service industry.
Listen people -- Fitos is the answer. Criticize her campaign, but what have any of you done to promote her candidacy?? Have you spoken to everyone you know (anyone you don't know?) to advance her as County Commissioner?? The "lack of a campaign" only proves she is NOT A POLITICIAN. The lack of "beating Randy up" is proof that she is a LADY. Barbara is sharp, very intelligent, knows the issues, is very aware of public concerns. She would make an excellent Commissioner -- don't punish her because she is not a P0LITICIAN!
Randy is a self-righteous little prig. He completely lacks courtesy as is evidenced by the manner in which he treats people at the podium during commission meetings. He is the rudest human ever. As a voter and a taxpayer he cares not a whit what you have to say.
Property taxes are not the beginning and the end of voter concerns.
How about that transfer station deal??
Interesting how he stated he could drive down 301 in one day and find land for the Belleview library -- but six months later ended up with the donated land recommended by the library advisory board.
The man is a joke.
Agreed, Barbara would make a wonderful commissioner. I just hope enough people figure that out.
Anonymous 8:14pm you're pretty much on target. jackie wilson you've gotten much of it, but poor pwf I'm really concerned, with all your political knowledge, that you've embarrassed yourself with your lack of modern age economic reality.
In the olden days pwf you were more or less correct. The manufacturing industrial base took what cities or counties had to offer in "industrial areas." They produced stuff, American goods, and we had a favorable balance of trade. But slowly, very slowly, we could not compete with cheaper overseas labor in factories that we often built, with foreign aid, to help the third world nations prosper.
Fast forward about 40 years and cheap Chinese, Vietnamese or Indian labor is kicking our industrial ass. We don't do manufacturing in this country anymore we're a "service nation."
Remember service is what male livestock do to female livestock. Get the picture to what's happening to us pwf? Now we have massive Walmarts that mostly import cheap foreign made products because we as Americans are too cheap to spend a few dollars more on American made goods.
Savvy cities and counties know this pwf and they "subsidize" industry to come to their areas to provide mostly service jobs. Big corporations don't have to take blighted industrial tracts in run down areas of Ocala because other areas with real economic development realities are attracting them because individuals like you are living in the past and impeding our elected leaders from performing responsibly. Subsidize industry or pay lots more in welfare because people will become increasingly unemployed and that pwf will cost you bigtime! The next unemployed worker may make a living selling what he steals from your house!
Now you really want to know why Ocala/Marion County lost Walmart, because the good old boys and the construction (and horse) industry (developers) were frightened to death that they'd have to pay a real wage because larger corporations were going to offer an hourly rate and better benefits that a family man or women could live on. They weren't about to have to do that, so they got the deal killed! End of economic reality lesson #1 pwf.
Now to the real issue, Barbara gets it and understands modern age industrial development but Randy and now sadly pwf and their friends in the CAVE Society don't get it! Barbara, my fear is enough people will not get it because now formerly thought of engaged and informed individuals like pwf can not obviously comprehend the concepts that you speak on.
I think that hits on what this whole post comes down to - Are We In For Big Changes?
We need to be. But, alas. Barbara Fitos and young Jim Walker are the best alternatives we've got this year. There's substance there with both of them, but the best their party can do is a badly written eight page insert in the Star Banner THREE WEEKS before election day.
Not to say there aren't others out there working in the right direction, but this election year, this is the best we've got here locally. Let's get behind them.
Wow, pwf it looks like you've been told!
Now lick your wounds, they're only superficial and get on board supporting Fitos. It's time to fish or cut bait. Randy's a relic. You've got it figured out, just come out and admit it!
Pauls comment:
" show me where government owned and developed land was given to companies in a bidding war with other areas and I will usually show you vacant buildings as soon as the length of stay requirements in contracts expire."
This is the dirty little secret we seldom hear about. It's true everywhere from Dallas to Jaxsonville to Miami.
Paul is correct in all of his comments about (my word) corporate welfare. Anybody who knows me knows I'm not a CAVE person but I despise these types of deals. The taxpayers always pay and pay and pay.
I like Barabara but if any type of office park could survive here the local developers would be all over it. We have no air service and until we do most manufacturers will pass us by. They need flights by the hour.
I agree with the scenario about a period of recession here if we loose the construction industry. It would probably do us a world of good.
Brians comment about Randy. I think Randy was doing the Wal Mart project a favor. He didn't have the votes to get it approved and unless I'm wrong if a vote was taken on it and denied they could not have resubmitted it. He gave Wal Mart people a second chance they didn't take.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Christopher Thurow, come on now your patronizing pwf because he's dusted you off a few too many times. Like I do with pwf I usually agree generally with what you say and what again what he says. However, I can't understand why two bright fellows can pigeon hole economic development with boarded up factories and empty industrial parks. Marion County is not desperate for industrial development and certainly not office parks. My goodness Thad Boyd has all of that covered. What Marion County needs to do is attract industry that has jobs that pay well. Anything less is just a slow death. We do need to disvesify from a construction only industry and horse farms will NEVER bring jobs that pay well. If we attract too cheap of retiree we'll never get the support to grow any level of quality of life because they'll be against anything they don't directly use themselves.
Even under the “we better not vote on this because Wal-Mart’s gonna lose” scenario offered by Christopher Thurow, Harris could still have done his usual attacks on his fellow commissioners for their failure to respect what he saw as the property rights of the Irish Acres owners. He didn't. Randy was subdued. Lund did a daily radio show count of how many days these people’s property rights had been held hostage by what he painted as selfish environmentalists and museum goers and the like. Then, Randy caved and pulled in his horns and Lund went silent like he was holding a wake for the property owners. It was like the hostages had been executed and Randy didn't even have the guts to publicly condemn the killing. The fact is that Harris backed down from the wine and cheesers at Jumbolair, the tree huggers, the boutique horse farm owners, and the Star-Banner, etc because he wanted to see his name in the win column on election day. Randy looking out for Number 1. Same old story.
I don’t know Barbara Fitos well, but I’m well-enough acquainted with her to be confident that she is an essentially decent, community-minded person who views the county commission as public service, not a vehicle for the aggrandizement of her personal ego. She was embraced by the community while raising her son as a single parent and has been giving back to the community on an unpaid volunteer basis for many years.
It is inconceivable to me that she would treat any member of this community, including those with whom she disagreed or those in the employ of the county government, with the sort of disrespectful belittling behavior for which her opponent is well known.
I could provide a laundry list of criticisms of her campaign. However, for those who don’t know, Barbara is holding down a full time job at the bank that pays as much as a county commissioner makes and that carries with it commensurate responsibilities. She is doing this while carrying on a campaign for countywide office, and she is not permitted to do anything on her campaign while on the bank premises. Unlike her opponent’s employer (us), her employer does not pay her to engage in campaign driven activities such as outings on the Ocklawaha River with the press.
She has publicly stated that she will retire from the bank if elected and work as a county commissioner full time. She is, as others have stated, very bright and quite capable of ramping up quickly into a productive county commissioner.
She has been working on a master’s degree in pastoral studies with an eye towards counseling people, which is further evidence of her concern for people in this community.
We’ve seen people run for the county commission who were desperate for the job. There may be something to be said for hiring somebody who has enough to offer in life and enough going on that they wouldn’t throw themselves off a cliff if they didn’t get elected.
The recent Straw Poll update is probably close to accurate except in two races. I see Fitos over Harris and Walker over Baxley as the upsets. The rest of the poll is OK, although doubt Larry Cretul will win by much more than 2-3%. Just too many Democrats in his district for him to win big.
To Anon 10:27:
Your comment: " I can't understand why two bright fellows can pigeon hole economic development with boarded up factories and empty industrial parks. Marion County is not desperate for industrial development and certainly not office parks."
This seems ambiguous. I don't believe you got what I (we) were saying. I'm for the private sector addressing this issue. The question do we need office and industrial parks is best left to the developers. If there is truly a need for these type of projects the developers will run to it.
What I would like to see (and I'm going to mention this to Jim Payton) is a economic developement board set up by the BOCC.
Brians comment:
"The fact is that Harris backed down from the wine and cheesers at Jumbolair, the tree huggers, the boutique horse farm owners, and the Star-Banner, etc because he wanted to see his name in the win column on election day. Randy looking out for Number 1. Same old story.
True to a fault.
Mr. Thurow.....Is the Fitos plan for bringing industry to Marion a good one? I'm not quite sure where you are on this.
Someone, probably anonymously, wrote "Now you really want to know why Ocala/Marion County lost Walmart, because the good old boys and the construction (and horse) industry (developers) were frightened to death that they'd have to pay a real wage because larger corporations were going to offer an hourly rate and better benefits that a family man or women could live on. They weren't about to have to do that, so they got the deal killed! End of economic reality lesson #1 pwf."
Well my friend, you better go back to school and re-read the shitoiry of the Wal-Mart fight. It had nothing to do with the construction folks at all. It was the boutique horse farm owners and environmentalists who killed that deal stone cold dead. Harris was smart enough to see he wasn't gonna win, and saved his fight for anothger day. As far as Lund shutting up about it, he has talked about it probably three or four times a month, including two weeks ago, since it happened.
Call me wrong, but I am betting that Marion County is not going to elect a commissioner who aligns themselves with the give aways of the EDC and Chamber.
--pwf
Anonymous at 10:27 last night wrote, "Marion County needs to do is attract industry that has jobs that pay well. Anything less is just a slow death. We do need to disvesify from a construction only industry and horse farms will NEVER bring jobs that pay well. If we attract too cheap of retiree we'll never get the support to grow any level of quality of life because they'll be against anything they don't directly use themselves."
I will bet if I had the files I could find 100 columns I wrote on the Orlando Sentinel Florida Tiems Union and my own weekly, The Gazette, that said exactly, almost word for word, what you said. I started writing them in early January, 1959, and we still need them. It is just like restaurants; we used to say what Ocala needs is a good restaurant. We have probably close to 500 now, and what we still need is a good resturant.
Want to bet on the number one thing that Orlando says it needs? Good paying jobs. You will hear all kinds of tales about how this group or that one kept this business or that one from coming here to hold down wages. Hogwash!
We were supposed to have kept Bush Gardens from coming here. Simply untrue. The brewery neded shipments of gain by huge barges. The only thing we had to offer was water. The gardens were going next to the brewery regardless. --pwf
Another Anon writes . . . "Savvy cities and counties know this pwf and they "subsidize" industry to come to their areas to provide mostly service jobs."
Cities and counties do not subsidize any company or industry.
There is only one source for money that cities and counties have. It is called taxes upon you and me. Look at your tax bill November 1 and tell me if you want to pay even a dime more. Count me out on subsidizing any busienss, including mine.
Savy cities and counties know this doesn't work now and never had. It is only small cities and counties that think they can get into the ball game by buying their way in the door. Gotta pick up grandkids!
--pwf
Al asked:
"Is the Fitos plan for bringing industry to Marion a good one? I'm not quite sure where you are on this."
Again I like Barbara and I think she would be a fine commissioner. On the other hand her ideas about economic development are ancient.
The days of local governments giving away property and huge tax breaks to lure a company to town are over. It simply never works out. Would I be interested in discussing newer methods? Sure. But the county needs to take a leadership role in this. To be honest we could use a economic development component in our comp plan.
Paul said:
"...but I am betting that Marion County is not going to elect a commissioner who aligns themselves with the give aways of the EDC and Chamber."
I was always under the impression Paul was a staunch supporter of the EDC. I certainly do not need to tell anyone here I am not. From Pauls statement however I do see that these type of activities are becoming much less attractive and why a lot of folks won't support Barbara because of that.
I support the EDC's efforts to attract industry. I do not support any government giveaway, and never have. --pwf
"Politico" is correct, there is going to be an upset in the commissioner elections. However, I bet it will be Payton biting the dust and not Harris.
My comments about Harris’ personal radio flack, John Lund, backing off on his Wal-Mart rhetoric pertained to the 2002 election, not every word the man has uttered years later. Lund backed off to give Harris room to cave in to the interests I listed above. I want to apologize for omitting the champaign sippers at Golden Hills from my earlier list of elite interests whose backsides our supposedly principled supporter of property rights kissed to get re-elected. If anyone else had done what Harris did, Lund would have been complaining for hours per week about it.
I have personally heard Lund state on-the-air he is “fond” of Harris, an unusual way for one man to talk about another. Clearly, their partnership is a close one. In 2002, John and Barbara Lund and Bill Glass formed an entity called Citizens for a Green Florida that ran ads comparing Harris and his primary opponent Rock Gibboney clearly designed to make Gibboney look bad. When questioned about it at a candidate forum held by one of the Republican clubs in the SR 200 corridor, Harris said he had nothing to do with the ads and acted like he hardly knew Lund.
Subsequent to the election, I pulled the records for Harris' taxpayer provided cell phone. They revealed 92 calls to the Lund residence during the 70 days from when Citizens for a Green Florida was registered with the State of Florida through the 2002 primary election day. This was a dramatic increase over previous months and does not even include landline calls and calls to the cell phone.
strange anyone would make such a comment about harris and lund. Is it not possisble for you to post to a blog would slinging mud?
In this day and age of what Republicans do, I don't find the comment about Lund and Harris strange at all!
PWF:
WAS THAT SLICK PIECE WE RECEIVED IN THE MAIL FROM THE COMMISSIONERS ABOUT THE ROAD TAX ONE OF YOUR CREATIONS?
I doubt pwf printed it. he has alreeadfy posted he's not working on any elections. However, did you watch the Board of County Commissioner's meeting? They ripped the Deputy County Administrator for not sending the mailing out in a timely manner. Seems Randy was the major push for this and it was her responsibility. I guess Randy wants to show some level of accomplishment to justify his re-election bid. The two running for re-election knew this propoganda needed to be sent out with the absentee ballots. I thought this new Deputy County Administrator use to work for one of the South Florida supervisors of elections? Maybe her expertise is in butterfly ballots?
That mailer was one of the best "political mailers" I've gotten this election year.
What are you talking about? I couldn't figure out any of the specifics, other than they want to build a lot of roads. I felt like I was being hoodwinked. If they're trying to convince the skeptical, they failed. Of course, most everyone out there will just nod, think "Traffic sure pisses me off" and blindly go along. I think I'll read the actual ordinance before I decide.
I watched the commission meeting too. They were sure mad at somebody about this mailer going out.
The slick flyer is one side of the story. What's the other side? The poll many comments ago shows the issue narrowly losing.
I disagree with broad brushing Republicans as suggested in a post above. My mother is a Republican, her parents who came to Marion County nearly a century ago were Republicans, and I am an independent who often votes for Republicans. I like Republicans. Lots of them are normal, healthy people.
The cult movement in Marion County that Randy Harris has led over the past decade or so should not be confused with the Republican Party even though it uses the name of the Republican Party. The cult’s adherence to brainwashing rituals and the like, which was mentioned by another blogger as something that has hurt the cult’s recruiting in recent years, has more in common with communist dictatorships such as North Korea’s than with the Republican Party.
Many locally elected Republicans try to avoid meetings of the Harris cult, though this is not always possible because the cult can be very demanding and its members vote with religious consistency and fervor. Excluding his own vote, in elections it’s likely that the cult’s leader, Harris, doesn’t even carry a majority of Republican votes on the county commission.
The paper had a big ad from Citizens Against Urban Sprawl this morning encouranging a No vote on the road tax. Would some of you political experts look at the ad and tell me if it is "legal".
Anonymous last night wrote:
"What are you talking about? I couldn't figure out any of the specifics, other than they want to build a lot of roads. I felt like I was being hoodwinked. If they're trying to convince the skeptical, they failed. Of course, most everyone out there will just nod, think "Traffic sure pisses me off" and blindly go along. I think I'll read the actual ordinance before I decide."
I have not read the ordinance, but you will not get the info you want. That is not where the real information is. You have to go to the workshops and meetings to hear what is being proposed.
Like it or not, this is an issue that your tires, your gas tank, the common sense part of your body tells you to vote YES, because there is no doubt we need it. But as it has often been said,
H O W E V E R . . .
the folks I have talked with (no scientific study) tell me they plan to vote with their heart and vote NO.
When I did the promotional materials for the sales tax for the infrastructure several years ago, I told a story that spoke both to the HEAD and the HEART and left little choice for a voter except to vote YES. Those issues were clear, there were no options other than property taxes, and the voters agreed with a substantial win.
This time, there is another option (gas tax and impact fees) and I have the feeling that heart will overcome head and the issue will go down.
If I was a commissioner, I would authorize another $40-60,000 for the last three weeks, and bombard you with more specific on radio, TV and in at least two more mailers.
They are trying to do this issue "on the cheap". Orange County spent something like $2 million four years ago when we were doing the sales tax infrastructure vote, and still were within a half a percent of what they were trying to raise.
But then Lund would scream if they spent $100,000 or more to promote a sales tax he opposes.
--pwf
Anonymous wrote "I doubt pwf printed it. he has alreeady posted he's not working on any elections. However, did you watch the Board of County Commissioner's meeting? They ripped the Deputy County Administrator for not sending the mailing out in a timely manner. "
You are correct. I have not even studied the sales tax issue and the mailer was the first thing I have seen on it other than to have knowledge something was coming.
Nothing wrong with the mailer from a design standpoint. It is not what I would have done, but then I didn't do it.
I would have done a tabloid what showed specific road improvemnents in EACH of the areas of the county, and what it would do for YOU traveling. In school bond issues, you show something for every school, even if it is a bicycle rack! The same is true with this issue, in my opinion.
Since I am not voting absentee this time, I dunno if they mailed out something specific to absentee voters. Sounds like they mailed nothing. If that is true, it is a foolish mistake. The political graveyard is full of people who have failed to mail to absentee voters. THey are sure they will win and wake up the morning after wodnering "what happened???"
But finding out after the fact that nothing was planned for absentee voters at least spreads the blame between the people planning the work, the administrators, and the commissioners. On something this important, a plan should have been presented to each administrator and the commission to make sure you haven't forgotten anything. This issue has been known for more than a year. The plan should have been discussed and approved months ago.
--pwf
And that from someone who procrastinates . . . but usually wins.
--pwf
If I’m correctly reading the political logic of some of the bloggers, then a close relationship with the policies of the EDC and Chamber may put you on the losing side as a candidate. That would mean a loss for Fitos and a win for Jim Payton. You can bet Payton isn’t “in” with many of the EDC folks!
Anon 7:48 The ad is legal. Many have been done in the past and many will be done in the future.
On the "specifics" issue. That's the problem I have with the road tax. It's long on promises but short on details. My gosh the flyer looks like it was done by the road builders association. My thinking is no way. Let's pick up on this funding discussion after the election.
We need a seperate thread to discuss the much ballyhooed EDC.
Vote NO on Amendment #3
What about Randy Harris? Wasn't he in his early thirties back in 94?
You are riggh and the blogger back a couple of notches is wrong. Gosh, we elected a kid at 18 to be a City Councilman, and he went against the Chair of the Democratic Party, a school board member, the city clerk, and I can't remember who else -- six or seven of them -- for State Representative and lost by about 500-600 votes countywide. Age and hair has nothing to do with it. Gosh Dennis didn't even have any hair!
--pwf
pwf-
Who was this 18 year-old, and how long ago was this?
I remember Cory Pool running when he was 18 for school board. I know he didn't win but did respectably. That was probably 15 years ago.
Mr. Baxley has forgotten and ignored too many voters who previously supported him. I call it good old arrogance!
The year, as I recall was 1976, and his name was David Passman. He served three years on the Ocala City Council after defeating a long time businessman and all around nice guy. David was recruited to run against Buddy MacKay, and when Buddy ran for senate instead of the house, the chair of the Democratic Committee who previously had recruited David, decided to run. It was a WAR! The two sides spent something oike $150,000 between them, and created political divides that exist today with some old timers. David came soooo close. He then got a divorce, went back to college, got a degree, and became a partner in a Big 8 accounting firm, and has now retired.
Cory Pool was 18 when he ran and I would guess that was 16 or 18 years ago.
--pwf
David Passman was elected to the Ocala City Council at age 18 when I was a kid in the 1960's or 1970's. I think it was the 1970's. I believe he was a CFCC student at the time.
Harris (born 12/13/58)was 35 when first elected to the county commission in 1994. Of course, C.L. Dinkins, who controlled him at the time, was much older.
Ideas, not age will determine which candidates I vote for.
However, I'm ready for a change and I believe notable change will come in this election. Much more will come in two and four years from now. Bush's legacy will take out more Republicans in two years that he does in this election.
Is it a coincidence that two women with Master's degrees are running for County Commission against younger men in each case that have a high school education and not much more? Are the good old boys too conservative to vote for educated women? Does it represent a threat to them or their lifestyle.
This is a topic for discussion and not an accusation.
I enjoy this blogsite until we get into long diatribes and personal attacks. Let's address the candidates and not each other. Quite frankly I feel confident I could do well taking anyone's opinion to task, not because I think I'm smarter but because "it's politics folks" and there is no right or wrong, only opinions.
No I'm not the blogmaster writing under anonymous.
I'd enjoy hearing anyone's predictions and maybe why. Only 2 1/2 weeks to go!
Someone has raised gender as an issue.
For the past several years, I’ve been asking people what percentage of registered voters they think are white Republican men, like all our county commissioners, and between the ages of the youngest and eldest county commissioners. The estimates have ranged as high as 20 percent. The correct answer, which has remained stable despite changes on the county commission in recent years, is 6 percent. The percentage of all adults in Marion County meeting all these criteria is between 4 and 5 percent.
I’ve never been a fan of affirmative action, but I don’t think you can deny that characteristics like gender and race still matter in how people are treated in society and, therefore, the life experiences they bring to public office. I would never vote for a candidate purely on such factors, but I don’t think you can deny they have some relevance if you are trying to create a government representative of the people.
As then candidate Jim Payton told a mostly black audience at the Lillian Bryant Center in 2002: Look at me. I’m a white man. I can never fully understand what it’s like to be black.
No, he can’t, and neither can I. Beyond that, we have factors like party that people choose.
Many of the comments I see here reflect an assumption that we should each always strive to fill each of the county commission seats with people who will closely follow our personal views. I don’t share that assumption, and I don’t vote that way in county elections. I don’t think it’s healthy to have a county government in which many people feel they have no voice. As an independent voter, I will try to help correct that situation with my vote.
We have no women on the county commission. We have no blacks on the county commission or members of the political party to which almost all black voters belong. We have more than 76,000 registered Democrats in the county, who comprise 39 percent of the electorate, but we have no Democrat on the county commission.
After the election, we will likely have four or five Republican county commissioners on a commission where it takes at least three votes to do anything. To me, the county commission races this year aren’t so much about who controls decision-making as they are about whether many of our citizens feel like they even have a voice in the decision-making. There is much to be said for having a government in which all the people feel they are heard even though they don’t all get what they want.
Factoid:
Number of ballots cast by women in the 2002 and 2004 general elections in Marion County? 55 percent.
the guy who claimed dinkins controlled harris really doesnt know harris. maybe that is why harris has opvercome all of his vicious attacks for the past several elections. more than most of us harris thinks for himself and stands behind his decisions.
the guy who claimed dinkins ever controlled harris really doesn't know harris. maybe that explains why harris has overcome this guy's vicious attacks over the past several elections. more than msot of us harris makes his own decisions on his own beliefs and then is willing to stand behind those decisions.
To Anon 8:12...Again Randy is one of our "leaders" that has always needed the job. Many of us are going to hanner on this point until everyone get's it.
Also his principles are long on wind but very short on action. Can anyone tell me one intitiative that Randy has championed from conception to final approval by the board?
Let me quote Randy here to support my argument....(smuglly spoken)
"I'm looking for a reason to get behind this thing."
(Randy's comment on the road tax)
Well I've looked for a reason to get behind Randy for the last 4 years and to date have not found one. I have really tried!
It's certainly easy to beleive that CL Dinkins was Randys mentor. They are both self centered, arrogant and smug. In reality they are shy, introspective and not sure of themsleves. Does this matter? As a public officeholder it matters deeply.
The blooggers here have engaged in quite an impressive discussion concerning real positive change in this county. Even if these guys hold on to office one more go around it won't make any difference. Marion has grown far beyond them.
Good points BC. The female vote could be very important to us getting at least one female and one Democrat (with one candidate) on the County Commission. Hope it happens.
A very good possibility. Could even be a "two-fer".
DON'T COUNT ON IT!
Heard a few minutes of Harris on the radio this afternoon. He was raising concerns about Ritalin drug researchers having financial ties to the company that makes the drug.
What a great point relating to the need for full financial disclosure by county commission candidates. Let’s see those tax returns, Randy! Stop hiding your family’s financial ties from the voters!
pwf, jackie, Chris, Brian or others:
Please give your chances of Darleen winning, Barbara winning, Walker winning and of the road tax passing.
I prefer discussing who should win, but I’ll play the forecasting game for a moment.
Chances of Barbara winning are 1 out of 4.0013407234324 (how’s that for precision?). His negatives are sky high and polling outside the two campaigns right after the primary of likely voters based on voting history showed Barbara slightly ahead in the sample but within the margin of error. Barbara would make a better commissioner than campaign manager and he has a 4 to 1 money advantage that gives him plenty of dough to con the fresh batch of suckers who’ve registered since he was last on the ballot. Wildcard observation: The Politically Homeless straw poll shows a close race and it systematically underestimated the women in the primary by a lot.
Chances of Darlene winning are slightly less than the chances that a chicken will win the 100-meter freestyle swim in the next Summer Olympics.
Chances of Walker winning are 1 out of 2. I know the least about this one but the Democratic leadership seems focused on it and a number of Republicans seem disenchanted with Baxley. When my father died last year, I took his body to Roberts so Baxley wouldn’t make any money off it if that gives anyone a clue how I’ll be voting.
Chances of Road Tax passing are 1 out of 3. The sales campaign is as weak as the people who hold meetings twice monthly in the county commission auditorium.
Barbara; 50.47%, wins in a squeaker with lots of write in votes for others.
Darlene; 44.5%
Walker; 46.5%
Road Tax; 48% - too bad, higher taxes ahead.
You have them all right except Fitos. Your percentage is correct, but it goes to Harris not Fitos.
I was talking to an old friend of mine, a real redneck, real conservative. The guy with six broken down pickups in his front yard. Would follow GW Bush into Iran. You know the kind of guy. He tells me he's voting for Weesner. Why? He's mad about growth and the way the developers have the entire commission in thei back pocket.
That's probably why both commission challengers have real chances of winning. I'll only say that it won't surprise me if either Fitos or Weesner pull off an upset.
Walker is another story. I think he's got a lot of things in his favor. Baxley's gun legislation has really ticked off a lot of small business owners. The way Baxley has been pushing the "success" of the FCAT is going to turn off a lot of moms, and you know that women vote. And Walker is better looking than Baxley. It might just play into it. It's a race where if Baxley goes negative he gets into trouble (How do you attack a vet who's going back?) Walker has a real chance in this one and it comes down to turn out. If Dem turnout is a little up and Rep turnout is a little down and the I's vote Dem, Walker's in.
Road tax goes down. People will be mad about the use of so much public money to pay for the campaign and seeing all those signs out in front of the offices of builders. It's not very subtle.
Needless to say, I am anxiously awaiting election night!
Oh, one last thing. Just looking at the past couple of commission races, none of the Dems get less than 47%. That you can bank on.
Well, here are some figures Jackie Wilson may want to share with her redneck friend with all the pickup trucks in his yard that show how Randy Harris has morphed from the populist representative of Joe Lunchbucket into a career politician mainlining big money from fat cats.
When Harris first ran in 1994, his median contribution size (half above and half below) was $50. In this election, so far it’s $500, ten times higher than in 1994. It would probably be higher if the government allowed contributions of more than $500 per election per person.
A staggering 110 of 150 contributions Harris has reported in this election are at the $500 level (one of these was returned). He only has 12 contributions under $200.
And that doesn’t even examine how all these $500 contributions tie together, which they do. A couple of Randy’s more amusing contributions include $500 each from Linda Marks and Theresa Lane.
Marks is the publisher of Ocala magazine – the glossy narcissistic organ of Ocala elites with all the pictures of the same people over and over at different parties around town. She’s pictured in the front of every issue in furry headgear that makes her look like a Cossack. Recently, Marks was an unsuccessful applicant to the county commission for appointment to the Hospital District Board of Trustees. Gee, don’t suppose she’s planning to reapply and is lubricating Randy with a first ever contribution for a vote, do you?
Theresa Lane is the wife of developer and former library advisory board member Glenn Lane. My library sources tell me she’s a titled Brit. Cheerio, Randy! Glenn, who is a Democrat who supported Randy in 1994 and introduced him to the publisher of the Star-Banner in that campaign, penned a Star-Banner op-ed a couple of years ago comparing the Randy led censorship movement to the Taliban and has told me more than once he thinks Randy is an anarchist, but Glenn has a septic tank issue on the county commission radar so it’s time to get out the checkbook and buy the politicians.
Randy done struck gold out on the Fairgrounds and moved to Beverly Hills! Before you know it, he’ll be sipping tea with his pinkie in the air. Maybe he already is.
Ain't it the truth!!!
He is "elite" Ocala now. How quickly he forgot his roots.
It was written to Anon 8:12... “Again Randy is one of our "leaders" that has always needed the job. Many of us are going to hanner on this point until everyone get's it.”
Vote against Harris, rail against him, even defeat him if you like, but at least get your facts straight. Comments in this post make the writer look silly, and shows he knows little or nothing about his subject.
Randy Harris was a fairly successful businessman when he first ran for office. He had a good business, a beautiful wife, two beautiful daughters, a nice tract of land north of town, a 2,000 plus square foot home, a large barn, a large shop I would have died for at his age, and he built it with NO DEBT!
He ran 12 years ago after a one term commissioner had thoroughly embarrassed the county with his antics, and while conservative, was ill informed, and someone was going to defeat him. Harris was in a three way race, nobody knew who he was, and he went into a runoff and won the Republican nomination, and defeated the Democrat who later changed to become a Republican.
To claim he was a clone of C.L. Dinkins shows you know neither of them.
You then write; “Also his principles are long on wind but very short on action. Can anyone tell me one initiative that Randy has championed from conception to final approval by the board?”
I have neither the time nor inclination to research the issue and come up with a longer list, so let me just name a few off the top off my head:
-- Got Munroe Regional Health Systems to assume $4 million in indigent health care costs. That figure now tops $9 million, and the law actually requires the county to do it, but Munroe agreed rather than have an annual fight. The end of that may be in sight, however.
-- Was instrumental in the formation of the partnership between the county, hospitals and doctors in the creation of the community health system for indigents, a model used across the nation.
-- Sale of the fairgrounds. UGHHHHHH!!!! UGHHHHHH!!!!
--Sale of the Dunnellon Airport. UGHHHHH!!! UGHHHHH!!!!
-- Implementation of the county’s first long range capital improvement needs.
-- Development of the county’s first effort to find a long range funding source for roads through the sales tax eight years ago.
-- Development of the county’s long range capital improvement financing through the sales tax initiative four years ago.
-- Reorganization of the Marion County Park Department (with two years of help from yours truly and others) into a viable, nationally recognized park department.
-- Forced the end of the spending bloodbath at Horseshoe Lake Park.
-- Forced the funding of the new library headquarters from existing revenue rather than bonds, perhaps a mistake.
-- Stopped the creation and construction of another Mount Trashmore north of town on land that drains into the Silver River.
-- Changed the management of the Library by abolishing the library board. UGHHHHHH!!!
Then to write, “It's certainly easy to believe that CL Dinkins was Randys mentor. They are both self centered, arrogant and smug. In reality they are shy, introspective and not sure of themsleves. Does this matter? As a public officeholder it matters deeply.”
Well, I have known CL for many years, more than I can remember, and he is shy. He is not self centered or arrogant. He has worked very hard from his days of running the camera store at Silver Springs to entering the real estate business to building a multi million dollar chain of convenience stores. Success makes you arrogant? Not with C.L. He has quietly done more of this community than most people I know. He and I have a love hate relationship, for I have opposed him on many things, but I admire him greatly and consider him a friend, even though he has to tolerate me.
As for the comment that Harris (smugly) said he was looking for a reason to get behind the sales tax for roads issue . . . that was spoken several weeks ago, and I must admit in my head I know it is necessary and needed, but in my heart, I am having a hard time. And that isn’t very smug. It is just true.
You obviously do not know Harris for he needs no mentor. He may not have gone to college, but he is one of the best read people I know in politics, has through the years been one of the best prepared commissioners to discuss any issue. His success in winning debates about issues at the commission comes from his preparation and his passion.
So disagree with him on his positions, disagree with him on his politics, but never, never, ever under estimate Randy Harris. Do it at your own peril and you will get your clock cleaned by him as another blogger can testify.
Randy is in another tight race. I have not talked to him about his campaign, but I sense it could go either way. If he wins, it will be because people agree with his policies. If he loses it will be because there are more new voters living in Marion County today than there were a dozen years ago, many of them as ill informed as some writers on this blog. And when did you move here? That’s right, I remember now. --pwf
Anon writes, "Barbara; 50.47%, wins in a squeaker with lots of write in votes for others.
Darlene; 44.5%
Walker; 46.5%
Road Tax; 48% - too bad, higher taxes ahead.
4:50 AM, October 21, 2006
My recollection is that no write-in votes are counted unless they pre-qualify as a write in. If I am correct, we will never know how many people wasted their votes writing in a name never to be counted.--pwf
I’m voting for Harris because I’m so pissed at the Star Banner for trying to “butcher” the reputations of so many good local people (like Coach Yancey and others). I’m going to vote for Harris just to make the Banner have to live four more years with him. I know the Banner would give its left arm to see him disappear. I’m not so sure Fitos would be an improvement. I see her as weak and frequently caving in to please the Banner.
Wrong, "Critic from Belleview", PWF's post is not the last one in this section.
Thanks for reporting on a great race.
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