Smart people know that it’s best to avoid discussions of politics and religion – especially in the office or during family gatherings – because of how volatile these sensitive topics can become.

Not me, of course.

Whenever I meet someone new – I instinctively bring up local politics and get their unique take on the issues of the day – the more inflammatory the better. . .

That’s how I learn.

We all have our own beliefs – religious and political – and it is that diversity of thought that keeps things interesting and allows the healthy debate of ideas in a free and open society from which all good public policies flow.

I was raised in the Episcopal church, often referred to as “Protestant, yet Catholic.”

The Episcopal Church of America separated from the Church of England following the American Revolution.  As a point of trivia – nearly one quarter of U. S. Presidents have been members of the church – from George Washington to George H. W. Bush – eleven presidents have identified as Episcopalians.

I like the fact that the Episcopal church affirms the dignity and equality of all human beings and welcomes all people without any exceptions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, orientation, age, or any other reason.

After all, isn’t that what organized religion should be about? 

(Feel free to argue among yourselves. . .)

Unfortunately, that inclusiveness has not always been accepted by the greater Christian community – and, in 2016, the Anglican Communion suspended the Episcopal Church of America after years of debate over same-sex marriage and our practice of accepting women and LGBT people into the Ordained Ministry.

I also have some strange beliefs on the power of the metaphysical and the magical.

Even as a young child, I have always kept a variety of amulets, good luck charms and mojo bags about – talismans that protect me from harm, bring good fortune, physical healing, prosperity and a sense of well-being – and I was once told by an old woman, a spiritualist who claims to see these things, that I have a weird aura around me, a strong vibrating energy field she couldn’t quite explain. . .

I keep a small home altar here at Barker’s View HQ – a Butsudan of sorts – a place of good energy adorned with votive candles, a cross and a few items of spiritual importance to me.  In an Abalone shell I keep a few Tonka beans, a gris-gris bag containing High John the Conqueror root, a piece of Palo Santo wood and a wishbone for good luck.

The tiny rubber chicken is a reminder to keep a good sense of humor during difficult times – and never take yourself too seriously – and the baby is from a Mardi Gras King Cake, a symbol of the Christ Child, which is said to bring luck and prosperity to whoever receives it.

Strange?  Probably.  But I like to cover all bases. . .

Admittedly, I’m the King of the Weirdos – but I’ve been granted special powers by the one Grantland Rice called,  “The Great Scorer” – the ability to smell political bullshit from a mile away – and the good instinct to protect the vulnerable from exploitation by a system they can neither understand nor escape.

During my professional life, an old school police chief once told me that I could never leave police work, because those he called “my people” – the ones I truly cared about – the stumble drunks, drug addicts and downtrodden, the crippled and the crazy – the lesser among us – truly needed my help and protection from those who would prey upon them.

I never forgot that.

And, in retirement – when I lost a sense of purpose and came to a very low point in my life – I found through divine enlightenment that I could help alert my neighbors, friends and enemies to the entrenched social, economic, civic and political issues that threaten our quality of life and livelihoods here on Florida’s Fun Coast through these goofy screeds on the news and newsmakers of the day.

Like some demented Paul Revere character with a blogsite. . .

Whether religion or politics, we’ve come to a place in this country where everyone self-identifies – a nation of warring tribes – factions that automatically dismiss the thoughts and ideas of others simply because they don’t hold the same myopic view.

But here in Volusia County – we’re beginning to see a unique unity of thought – the rise of a righteous “Us vs. Them” mentality – born of the idea that the motivations of those We, The People have elected to represent our best interests can no longer be trusted by the majority who pay the bills and look on as political insiders are rewarded – time and again – by those on the dais of power.

The public trust is an incredibly fragile commodity.

I’ve said this before, but central to the idea of our representative democracy is that a small group of politically accountable people will represent the collective interest of thousands of others.  For this system to work, it requires a foundation of trust – a belief that what our elected and appointed officials tell us is true and that their motivations are pure.

When we sense that our system of governance has become biased – and our representatives more interested in promoting their own self-interests or those of their political benefactors – cynicism sets in, an inherent distrust that spreads like wildfire, destroying community cohesion and institutional credibility.

In her book “Political Tribes,” lawyer, academic and writer Amy Chua said, “When groups feel threatened, they retreat into tribalism. When groups feel mistreated and disrespected, they close ranks and become more insular, more defensive, more punitive, more us-versus-them.”

I believe that is true.

So, when you hear our ‘powers that be’ yammering about how angry their disenfranchised constituency has become – totally resistant to the idea that handing even more of our hard-earned tax dollars over to the same dullards while expecting a different result is somehow good public policy – please remember that this utter lack of fundamental trust is their fault, not ours.

Recently, a long-time Volusia County politico was asked publicly about their thoughts on the influence of Barker’s View in driving a larger discussion of the issues – and they responded that this forum doesn’t deserve the dignity of an answer.

Maybe not.

But any smart politician or senior administrator – at least those with the ability to think beyond their own thin-skinned self-interests – knows that blogs and social media posts can be used to gauge public sentiment on the important issues of the day.

But I suppose one has to care about what their constituents think in the first place for that to be effective. . .

Unfortunately, we have reached a bitter place here in Volusia County – a sense that the governmental institutions we once trusted no longer have our best interests at heart.

Sad, but true.

In coming weeks, we will begin to see a concerted effort – on social media and by direct mail – orchestrated by our elected officials and their handlers at the Volusia CEO Business Alliance to sell us on the idea that a self-inflected sales tax increase is the only thing standing between our quality of life and a transportation infrastructure Armageddon.

I hope you will consider the source – and, as Big John likes to say – say a prayer to “all the Gods and Goddesses” for strength and wisdom as we individually and collectively stand firm to our basic belief in governmental fairness and transparency and say “No” to this shameless money grab.

 

 

 

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Angel              Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County

I have a soft spot in my heart for the underdog.

Otherwise, this would have been a completely different piece on the abysmal state of the tourism industry in the Daytona Beach Resort Area as evidenced by months of declining occupancy at area hotels during what should have been our busiest time of the year.

Despite the fact our ‘powers that be’ seem intent on morphing our local economy from travel and tourism to one supported exclusively by warehouse drones and retail sales jobs – the fact remains that many families in the Halifax area depend on a vibrant tourist and convention trade for their survival.

Clearly, Central Florida remains an international beacon for vacationers – in fact, the Orlando Metro welcomes an estimated 43 million visitors annually – generating some $260 million in Tourist Development Taxes each year.

These funds are being reinvested in state-of-the-art amenities, sports complexes, cultural initiatives and world class recreation venues for the benefit of residents and visitors alike – you know, spending on things that actually provide a return on investment by keeping people coming back for more.

Look, I understand we’re not Orlando – but the trend in Volusia County is grim. . .

It should be clear to anyone watching that Volusia County has become the pariah of regional tourism – written off as a wasteland – with millions being invested in Central Florida commuter-transit systems that include Port Canaveral and Brevard County beaches without a mention of adding lines to the Fun Coast anytime in the next millennium.

I don’t know him personally, but I admire Bob Davis, president and CEO of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County.

For years, Mr. Davis has been a staunch cheerleader for our area – and he continues to use his vast institutional knowledge of Volusia tourism trends as a bellwether of things to come.

It’s a hard dollar in a crumbling market – but Mr. Davis never gives up.

Unfortunately, I always felt that our “tourism leaders” put a rather Pollyannaish spin on the malignant issues that our ‘powers that be’ simply prefer to ignore.

In my uneducated view, people quickly learn that their scarce disposable income and vacation time spend anywhere – and they don’t have to subject their family to wandering hoards of Boardwalk zombies, down-at-the-heel “attractions” and the abject blight that permeates large areas of our core tourist area.

Add to that the near-constant drumbeat of paid shills – long-term consultants who receive public funds to put a happy face on a horribly disfigured and dying industry – and it is difficult to know what to believe.

After all, the “new” Daytona Beach is taking shape in the pine scrub west of town – and “Boomtown Boulevard” on LPGA is shaping up as a shopping mecca – drawing established retailers from International Speedway Boulevard to homogenized centers near I-95 and the growing sprawl of Latitudes Margaritaville and Mosaic.

But, with the slow death of NASCAR playing out weekly – and special events attendance at all-time lows – will “synergistic” shopping centers and one really nice downtown park be enough to breath life into the Daytona Beach Resort Area?

And where is the collective vision of our elected and appointed officials to revitalize and redevelop our failing beachside – where massive hotels and convention centers are rising from the sand in some weird “build it and they will come” scheme  – even as the once heralded “brand” slowly gives up the ghost?

I fear they don’t have one – because if they do – now is the time for a “Grand Reveal” of their strategic plan to make the Halifax area attractive to visitors.

If not now, when? 

With the dwindling numbers playing out on the front page of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, anecdotal reviews pointing out the obvious – and those dubious on-line lists consistently placing us among the “Worst Place to (insert life activity here)” – when will those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest get off their collective ass and start doing something – anything – to help Mr. Davis and those with a true stake in our future save this incredibly important industry?

Does touting how we’re going to put the arm on tourists for some 35% of the proposed sales tax increase do anything to restore our image?

How about charging out-of-towners $25.00 to participate in our century-old tradition of beach driving and access?

Is erecting more ugly wooden poles, putting parking meters in public lots, as has been suggested by our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley, or erecting even more signage on the strand to detract from the natural beauty helping to market our area?

As they demand more from you and I – how long is Volusia County going to shun tourist development tax payments from short-term rental provider Airbnb – even as 40 counties in Florida with the tax now accept automated remittance – yet, our Dullards in DeLand still demand that property owners submit the tax themselves?

Are any of these current tactics helping turn things around?      

Look, Volusia County will never be the “Theme Park Capital of the World” – but we are still recognized as the “World’s Most Famous Beach,” and with a little luck and hard work, we always will be.

Perhaps now is the time for those whose voices and vision matter to change tack and begin the process of reclaiming our once bright spot as a premiere seaside destination before it’s too late.

Angel              The Terribly Confused Citizens of the Halifax Area

The fading number of well-meaning people who support the proposed half-cent sales tax citing the “what else are we going to do?” argument, are finding it increasingly hard to defend the initiative after a series of revelations that continue to erode the public’s faith in their local government.

Frankly, I think we’re all a little confused by the rhetoric and bullshit being spewed by our ‘powers that be.’

At the end of the day, when we consider handing over our hard-earned money to others – be it a personal or public investment – it becomes a matter of trust.

In matters of government, transactional ethics require that those who accept public funds to serve in the public interest speak the truth and conduct the “people’s business” in an open, transparent and inclusive way.

Anything less undermines the legitimacy of our system of governance.

In places like the City of Daytona Beach, where a supreme senior executive maintains almost omnipotent power over the operational and administrative functions of local government – and has for many years – a sense of arrogance and infallibility can take hold.

Absent a lack of strong political oversight, over time, entrenched bureaucrats feel they can act independent of public input – and come to consider the natural give-and-take of a healthy representative democracy to be an impediment to civic progress.

That’s when the insidious practice of secrecy and backroom deals becomes the norm.

When the idea of isonomy becomes skewed, and what passes for “governance” begins to exclusively serve the needs, wants and whims those few who have the financial wherewithal to influence outcomes – the oligarchs – who have a chip in the game by virtue of their ability to pay-to-play.

In an excellent piece by the intrepid Eileen Zaffiro-Kean writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal this week, “Riverfront effort done quietly,” we learned that the pernicious move to remove deed restrictions and privatize public land on City Island has been an on-going, behind-the-scenes effort since at least March 2017.

Now, bureaucrats will say that the matter went before a publicly scheduled meeting of the Daytona Beach Planning Board – and it certainly did – but how many of us actually read the agenda of every civic advisory board – or follow the daily machinations of senior planners and “economic development” staffers?

In fact, it appears the Daytona Beach City Commission simply relied on individual private briefings by City Manager Jim Chisholm – rather than demand public hearings or open discussions on the highly controversial removal of state restrictions that held the land for public use in perpetuity.

Given the fact we live in Florida – arguably the biggest whorehouse in the world – under former Governor Slick Rick Scott, Daytona Beach was offered the opportunity to, in effect, purchase the public use protections and open the island and adjacent properties for private development for $8.77 million.

Many residents are rightfully pissed off – citizens who can’t yet picture a City Island bristling with half-empty high-rise condominiums where their County Library once stood – or vacant storefronts occupying the historic footprint of Jackie Robinson Ballpark. . .

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you and I think.  If it ever did.

The Big Money is moving now, and those who have a chip in the game are working themselves into an onanistic frenzy – like a troop of frantically masturbating monkeys – over the very thought of developing our riverfront property for private profit.

To salve the community’s loss, our Philanthropic Savior J. Hyatt Brown, is bringing us a really nice consolation prize in the form of a quasi-public park – which will proudly bear his name and stand as yet another monument to the Brown Dynasty – yet cost Volusia County taxpayers $800,000 to $1 million annually. . .

This phenomenon isn’t limited to the City of Daytona Beach – local governments from Ormond Beach to Edgewater are demonstrating in the most extraordinary ways just how dysfunctional things become when private interests win out over the public good.

Smart people are beginning to speculate that as more of these toxic revelations and behind-the-scenes maneuverings come to light, the more We, The People begin to question the true motivations of those who are demanding even more of our hard-earned tax dollars.

The public trust is an incredibly fragile commodity.

Central to the idea of our representative democracy is that a small group of politically accountable people will represent the collective interest of thousands of others.  For this system to work, it requires a foundation of trust – a belief that what our elected and appointed officials tell us is true and that their motivations are pure.

When we sense that our system of governance has become biased – and our representatives more interested in promoting their own self-interests or those of their political benefactors – cynicism sets in, an inherent distrust that spreads like wildfire, destroying community cohesion and institutional credibility.

In my view, the malignant suspicion that permeates every aspect of Volusia County government – and that is quickly taking hold in the City of Daytona Beach and elsewhere – is infinitely more detrimental to our civic viability than any contrived infrastructure emergency or dubious tax grab.

My sincere hope is that those who have taken an oath to serve in the public interest come to the realization that our government exists to serve the needs of everyone – that they take a step back and rediscover the best impulses that brought them to the dais of power in the first place – honor, integrity and selflessness – rather than merely working in the shadows to facilitate the profit motives of greedheads and the insiders who perpetuate this bastardized oligarchy that is ruining our quality of life and crushing public confidence in the process.

Angel               City of Daytona Beach  

I recently read a post on social media by my smart friend Steve Koenig – a veteran civic activist whose tireless work with The Bellaire Community Group, Sons of the Beach and other grassroots organizations continues to enhance the quality of life of all Halifax area residents.

Steve reported that while traveling to a meeting this week, he was forced to swerve his vehicle to avoid a pothole on Halifax Avenue just north of University Boulevard.  Clearly, Steve was concerned about the safety hazard and decided to contact the City of Daytona Beach for assistance.

Not sure who to call – Steve reached out to Frank VanPelt, the Technical Services Project Director for the Daytona Beach Public Works Department – a true gentleman who is widely known as one of the most caring and responsive civil servants in the business.

According to Steve’s very appreciative post:

“By the time I got to the office, I had an email from Frank copying me on an email he had sent to the right people. Just then I got a call from Steve Doherty from Public Works thanking me for reporting this and he was sending a crew out there to check it out and take care of it. He told me they accept calls 24 hours a day just for such situations. He can be reached at 386-671-8815.  Catching our city doing the right thing is a good feeling.”

Despite my frequent gripes about the state of political affairs in Daytona Beach and elsewhere, the fact is, the community is blessed with many incredibly talented public servants across all disciplines and departments, who perform the thankless work of providing quality core services to thousands of residents and visitors.

Kudos to Mr. VanPelt, Steve Doherty and the hardworking public servants in the City of Daytona Beach – and all of our local governments – who are committed to providing responsive, high-quality services to the mosaic of communities that make up Volusia County.

Thank you for a job well done!

Asshole           Volusia County School Board  

Our elected dullards over at the Volusia County School Board are giving Nero a bad name. . .

While our failing district continues its deleterious spiral – with some seventeen schools dropping one or more letter grades last year – and others, like the languishing Palm Terrace Elementary, recording it’s third “D” in a row – the Volusia County School Board busies itself with arbitrarily changing school start times and ignoring the recommendations of long-suffering teachers who are actually delivering the district’s curriculum in the classroom.

In an inexplicably weird reversal – after first seeking public input through a survey on preferred school start times that was answered by some 24,054 teachers, students and community members – ultimately, the School Board voted 3-2 last week to adopt a schedule no one had ever seen before.

Then, the board opted to ignore a request by some 61 percent of district staff who asked that the new start times be postponed.

Rather than listen to our hardworking teachers when they express real concerns over increasing workloads and decreased planning time – and the destabilizing effect of capriciously changing school start times – once again, their pleas fall on deaf ears, dismissed by an arrogant top down decision-making process and asinine internal policies that place Volusia County Schools statistically among the rock bottom of similar sized districts around the state in several important categories.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s education reporter Cassidy Alexander, attempted to explain the inexplicable in an outstanding article entitled, “Against teachers’ wishes, Volusia School Board picks new school schedules to start in August”:

“The School Board unanimously approved the schedule, which was not included on the survey it used to gauge the public’s opinion and doesn’t resemble the schedule option that got the majority of the votes. Instead it’s one they came up with at their workshop, after asking the transportation department to be flexible in the amount of time it needed to bus students to and from school.”

 As apparent punishment for their impudence in demanding fundamental changes to a failing curriculum that is turning our precious children into victims of system they cannot escape – Volusia County teachers are now being forced to implement long-requested math and language arts textbooks, navigate new computer systems for student data and human resources processes and complete extra state-mandated in-service training – all on top of the new bell schedule – in just four short months.

Volusia United Educators President Elizabeth Albert said, “I am extremely disappointed that the will of the employees was overlooked.  The most concerning part is there are so many changes heading to VCS employees next year. We have reached the saturation point.”

Who does that to their employees?

Who does that to our children?

In my view, Superintendent Tom Russell and his coterie of star-crossed senior administrators seem utterly tone-deaf to the troubling issues faced by our hard-working teachers and families –  a group devoid of imagination and innovative thought who clearly value mediocrity over the smart work and collaborative strategic vision required to fundamentally change this incredibly flawed system.

Now, it is readily apparent that the majority of our School Board seem intent on punishing teachers – and innocent families who must now juggle their busy lives, jobs and after school activities to fit the new bell schedule – while making a total farce of one of the most critical decisions of the past decade.

Angel              Volusia County Councilwoman Barbara Girtman

I wrote about this disturbing series of events in a post earlier in the week – but it bears repeating.

Frankly, the tone and tenor of the raucous free-for-all that passed for a “public meeting” of the Volusia County Council – a parliamentary nightmare that shocked and embarrassed bewildered constituents – has bothered me since I listened to it.

Like many of you, I am still staggered by the open disrespect shown to District 1 Councilwoman Barbara Girtman – and the crushing political dysfunction that exemplifies everything wrong with our county government.

At this weeks Volusia County Council meeting, the Minority Elected Officials of Volusia County proposed a $5,000 public sponsorship for the upcoming “Dreams Do Come True” celebration recognizing the lifetime achievements of former Councilwoman Joyce Cusack and the groundbreaking of the Spring Hill Resource Center which will bear her name.

The event will be hosted by the MEO, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization comprised of current and former minority government representatives – dedicated to developing resources for disadvantaged communities and ensuring fair treatment of historically underrepresented constituencies (which, at this point, includes every taxpayer in Volusia County).

From the outset, it was clear the seemingly routine request had an uphill battle.

In what will go down as one of the worst moments of Councilwoman Weak Billie Wheeler’s lackluster political career – she immediately went on the attack – politicizing the request by accusing the MEO of fielding a candidate to run against her in the next election and labeling the nonprofit as a “political action committee.”

It was ugly – and wrong.

Not to be upstaged, our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley, joined Weak Billie in a tag-team match, besmirching the MEO as a PAC, and claiming that county sponsorship of Ms. Cusack’s much-deserved recognition was akin to a “political endorsement.” 

Bullshit.

Only Councilwoman Heather Post and Councilwoman Barbara Girtman – who serves as co-chair of the MEO – voted to approve the measure.

I found the whole dynamic strange – given the fact that the Volusia County Council annually gives away a small fortune to every pet cause, rubber chicken banquet and not-for-profit with their hand out.

For instance, just last year, you and I were the unwitting benefactors of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Blue and Gold Gala – benefiting the athletic programs of the prestigious private university that is virtually owned and operated by the capo di tutti capi of political benefactors, Mori Hossieni.

Then, we gave $3,000 to sponsor the 2018 Herbert M. Davidson Memorial Award for Community Service – which just happened to go to Lesa France-Kennedy – who is arguably no slouch when it comes to financially underwriting the political careers of hand-select politicians (or receiving a return on that investment. . .)

Maybe it’s me – but I thought it sounded more than a little disingenuous when Old Ed and the Funky Bunch mewed and whined about how cautious they have suddenly become when  stewarding the public’s money.

Since when? 

In a very poignant moment, Councilwoman Girtman showed incredible poise and true leadership when she eloquently called for “inclusiveness,” and thoughtfully explained to her “colleagues” on the dais of power, “I think it’s really important to understand the reason there’s a minority elected officials group is because there needs to be. There needs to be someone who looks out for communities that have a lesser voice — that have always had a lesser voice.”

In a painful reminder of the obvious, Ms. Girtman enlightened her dimwitted fellow elected officials about what her service to Volusia County truly represents.

“We’re a diverse county that should be evolving in a very different way, and the issues that you bring to the table are not the issues that are the affecting a total community.”

 Then, as Chairman Kelley lectured Ms. Girtman about his everlasting love for Ms. Cusack – the intrepid Councilwoman stopped the doddering dipshit in his patronizing tracks – explaining that, “It goes beyond that individual.  That’s the part that none of you are connecting to.”

Rather than listen to the erudite advice of someone who understands the depths of the social, civic and economic issues that plague Volusia County – Old Ed interrupted Ms. Girtman, insolently gaveling her down – before essentially clarifying in his own haughty way that he was talking at the Councilwoman, not to her.

Although I don’t always agree with her politically, in my view, Barbara Girtman represents the fundamental change and fresh eyes Volusia County desperately needs.

In her short tenure, Ms. Girtman has been thoughtful, engaged and incredibly well-informed on the myriad issues we face here on the Fun Coast, and she routinely runs mental laps around Ed Kelley – something I take an almost perverse pleasure in watching. . .

Thank you, Ms. Girtman, for reminding your listless “colleagues” – and the rest of us – of the importance of inclusion and leveraging the power of our diversity to improving the quality of life for all Volusia County residents.

Quote of the Week

“City leaders can’t defuse suspicions — much less generate public excitement and buy-in — by opting to do the bare minimum required to comply with open-government law. In an undertaking that (City Manager) Chisholm rightly described as “transformative,” they should be engaging the public at every opportunity, and making their case in an open, collaborative (and yes, sometimes raucous) discussion of City Island’s future.”

–The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Our View column, “Daytona’s City Island deal sparked suspicion,” Thursday, April 4, 2019

In my view, when the Volusia CEO Business Alliance – our ‘Rich & Powerful’ political insiders who stand to benefit most – gather to perform an autopsy to determine the manner and cause of death of their half-cent sales tax increase, they need look no further than this editorial, and the hundreds of anecdotal experiences and perceptions of area residents who have learned the hard way that the motivations of their elected representatives can no longer be trusted.

In short, they have no one to blame but themselves. . .

Not once during the ham-handed and incredibly convoluted process of “re-educating” the public on why self-inflicting a sales tax increase is a “good thing” have our ‘powers that be’ even suggested a governmental austerity program – a reduction of the shit-through-a-goose spending strategy that has seen millions in public funds funneled to the for-profit projects of political insiders.

Instead, we are told horror stories about what our very quality of life will look like if we vote down the measure – even as local governments continue to demand more, fritter away some $50 million over time on a really nice downtown park and press to allow speculative developers to run wild on our beautiful City Island.

In Ormond Beach, residents have watched as elected officials ignore their own planning board and staff recommendations – then prostrate themselves before their almighty benefactors in the real estate development industry – destroying our lifestyle and even more of our natural places in the process.

Trust me.  There is some shit we won’t eat.

And it is becoming increasingly obvious to anyone paying attention that this ill-fated money grab will be dead-on-arrival – the victim of public distrust in this terribly flawed oligarchical system that no longer bears any resemblance to a representative democracy.

And Another Thing!

The Helping Hands Thru Arts in partnership with the City of Holly Hill presents the first ever Holly Hill Art Festival!

The festival will be held on the spacious front lawn of historic Holly Hill City Hall, 1065 Ridgewood Avenue, and will feature over 70 juried works of fine art and innovative crafts.

The show will run Saturday, April 6 from 9:00am to 5:00pm and Sunday from 9:00am to 4:00pm.

A portion of the proceeds from the inaugural festival will help support arts and music programs at Holly Hill School.

Helping Hands Thru Arts works with local communities and organizations to support fundraising through the arts to benefit local needs.

I hope you will join me for a wonderful weekend of art and culture – and experience the unique vibe and civic pride of this very special small community.

That’s all for me – have a great weekend, everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I take a lot of heat for my often-irreverent take on the state of our political “leadership” here on Florida’s fabled Fun Coast.

Admittedly – I deserve most of it.

But no one with two synapses still firing can argue that what transpired at this weeks Volusia County Council meeting was anything less than a good old-fashioned shit show.

In fact, it was an embarrassment to good governance everywhere – a parliamentary nightmare that marks the nadir of our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley’s, abysmal reign at the helm of this rudderless ship of fools.

Don’t take my word for it – take a strong antiemetic and listen to the archived recording online.

After all, you paid for the entertainment. . .

From Councilwoman Weak Billie Wheeler’s cheap politicization of a request by the Minority Elected Officials of Volusia County for sponsorship of a gala honoring long-time public servant Joyce Cusack – which included much-needed financial assistance for the future Joyce M. Cusack Spring Hill Resource Center in DeLand – to Old Ed’s mean-spirited spitting and sparring with Councilwoman Heather Post over his repeated attempts to avoid even discussing improving pay and benefits for our hard-working Emergency Telecommunicators, it was one for the record books.

The Cusack sponsorship motion failed 5-2 after Weak Billie accused the MEO of fielding a candidate to run against her during the next election – before suggesting that the non-profit organization that focuses on developing resources for disadvantaged communities and ensuring fair treatment of historically underrepresented constituencies (which, at this point, includes every taxpayer in Volusia County) is a “political action committee.”

Not to be upstaged, Chairman Kelley was quick to pile-on, besmirching the MEO as a PAC and claiming that county sponsorship of Ms. Cusack’s much-deserved recognition – and public support of the good work of the Spring Hill Resource Center – was akin to a “political endorsement.” 

My ass.

Only Ms. Post and Councilwoman Girtman – who serves as co-chair of the MEO – voted to approve the measure.

I found the whole dynamic strange – given the fact that the Volusia County Council annually gives away a small fortune of our money to every pet cause, rubber chicken banquet and not-for-profit with their hand out.

For instance, just last year, you and I were unwitting “Coach Level” sponsors of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Blue and Gold Gala – complete with a reserved table for 10 – benefiting the athletic programs of the prestigious private university that is virtually owned and operated by the capo di tutti capi of political benefactors, Mori Hossieni.

Then, we gave $3,000 to help finance the 2018 Herbert M. Davidson Memorial Award for Community Service – which just happened to go to Lesa France-Kennedy – who is arguably no slouch when it comes to financially underwriting the political careers of hand-select Volusia County politicians (or receiving a return on that investment. . .)

Just sayin’.

Maybe it’s me – but I thought it sounded more than a little disingenuous when Old Ed and the Funky Bunch mewed and whined about how cautious they have suddenly become when stewarding the public’s money.

Since when? 

And why is lavishing Mr. Hossieni’s alma mater with public funds okay – but recognizing Ms. Cusack’s lifetime of civic service and helping a fledgling community resource center somehow crosses a line?  

In a very poignant moment, Councilwoman Girtman showed incredible poise and true leadership when she eloquently called for “inclusiveness,” and thoughtfully explained to her “colleagues” on the dais of power, “I think it’s really important to understand the reason there’s a minority elected officials group is because there needs to be.  There needs to be someone who looks out for communities that have a lesser voice — that have always had a lesser voice.”

As a painful reminder of the obvious, Ms. Girtman enlightened her dimwitted fellow elected officials about what her service to Volusia County truly represents.

“We’re a diverse county that should be evolving in a very different way, and the issues that you bring to the table are not the issues that are the affecting a total community.”

The point was lost on most of them. . .

Then, as Chairman Kelley gushed ad nauseum – lecturing Ms. Girtman about his everlasting love for Ms. Cusack – the intrepid Councilwoman stopped the doddering dipshit in his patronizing tracks – explaining that, “It goes beyond that individual.  That’s the part that none of you are connecting to.”

Rather than listen to the erudite advice of someone who understands the depths of the social, civic and economic issues that plague Volusia County – Old Ed interrupted Ms. Girtman, insolently gaveling her down – before essentially clarifying in his own haughty way that he was talking at the Councilwoman, not to her.

Chairman Kelley ended the raucous free-for-all by taking yet another swipe at Councilwoman Heather Post – claiming that she violated some obscure “policy” by attending the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference in Washington, DC last month.

(Apparently, when Deb Denys jets off to Washington for a commercial space conference (?) with a dubious connection to Volusia County it is unquestionably beneficial – after all, you can’t swing a dead cat on the Fun Coast without hitting another defense contractor or aerospace company – but when Ms. Post represents her constituents as a sitting sub-committee member of a national governmental organization it’s a junket. . .?)

To add dramatic effect – Old Ed directed County Attorney Dan “Cujo” Eckert to get involved in his one-man inquisition of Ms. Post – before claiming he wouldn’t “waste the money of this council” to travel to a National Association of Counties meeting.

(He apparently doesn’t have the same qualms about frittering away our money. . .)

His personal attack on Ms. Post was cheap and small – totally unbecoming of his important office – and it exposed Ed Kelley’s true character under pressure.

Add to these goofy theatrics Mr. Kelley’s ridiculous yammering and stammering through various iterations of Roberts Rules of Order – almost verbalizing his mental calculations of how he can use them offensively to limit council discussions, a move that made even Cujo Eckert blush – his painful misunderstanding of a simple workshop schedule, The Very Reverend Fred Lowry’s snooty call for “decorum” (read: “shut these mutineers up and protect the status quo at all cost”) – and the entire ugly affair had the appearance of some bizarre Carnival of the Absurd.

Hell, all that wacky sideshow lacked was Jo-Jo the Dog Faced Boy and the Bearded Lady. . .

In my view, this out-of-control shit storm – that was legally advertised as a public meeting – represents the final straw in a haystack full of them.

Perhaps it’s time for the Volusia CEO Business Alliance to cut the strings on this demented puppet while there is still a shred of credibility left in this elected body that seemingly exists to ensure the patency of the public tit. . .

How long can this Parade of Dysfunction continue?

Regardless, in my view, it is time for Chairman Kelley to hang-up his officious gavel and slither off to wherever batty old politicians go when they become a total embarrassment to their constituents, an impediment to reasonable civic progress and a liability to the orderly administration of government.

 

 

 

Hi, kids!

An interesting phenomenon emerged this week in the shameless push by Volusia County politicians to separate your family and mine from more of our hard-earned tax dollars.

With just weeks remaining before the weird $490,000 “mail in” referendum to decide if We, The People want to self-inflict a half-cent sales tax increase – in effect, giving even more money to the same incompetent assholes whose ineptitude got us into this mess in the first place – our ‘powers that be’ are taking to social media.

Once the forbidden lair of nasty nay-sayers, gadflies and misanthropes – a dark place where most self-respecting politicians fear to tread – it looks like the interwebz has now become the latest battleground in the sales tax push.

This week, my goofy screeds were answered by two of our ‘movers & shakers’ who chimed in on Facebook, and we’ve been besieged by a preeminent economist with a case of logorrhea even worse than mine, who has regaled us for days with rambling dissertations explaining (I think) why we’re all too stupid to accept that higher taxes are somehow a “good thing” – all while touting his own accomplishments – like most PhD’s are wont to do. . .

I found that interesting.

In my experience, you know sitting politicians are getting desperate when they start feigning interest in the thoughts and opinions of their constituents – even more so when they actually come down out of the ivory tower and interact with us. . .

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Asshole           Volusia County Council

At a recent Volusia County Council meeting, our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley, joined several of his “colleagues” in hatching the cockamamie idea of consolidating municipal fire departments under one “unified umbrella.”

Which is to say they are coming for our municipal fire departments after making a gruesome mess of their own emergency services. . .

Of course, as always, they couch it as a way to, “. . .cut cost and improve service to residents,” because if we’ve learned anything about Volusia County – they’re all about cutting costs and improving service delivery. . .    

The same shitheels who brought you a $25.00 day at the beach (which has deteriorated into little more than an inaccessible sandy forest of wooden poles and ugly signs saying “do this, don’t do that”), allowed public infrastructure and utilities to reach an estimated $1.5 billion crisis-point requiring a sales tax increase to solve, set astronomical fire district fees, permitted unchecked growth along the spine of Volusia County, sat idle while publicly-owned structures and facilities rotted from neglect and contributed to a sense of blight in places like Ormond Beach and Downtown DeLand and levied exorbitant fees and taxes for essential public services – now want to takeover well-managed, well-equipped and well-staffed municipal fire departments in a bald-face power grab that made even veteran political observers blush.

In typical fashion, Volusia County is grasping for a way to bolster their own horribly compromised emergency services by wrapping them with well-funded municipal services before a catastrophe befalls its own wholly understaffed and underfunded fire/rescue department.

What happened to the notion that small, accountable essential public services are the most manageable, responsive and community-centric – while large, unwieldy, centralized government entities become grossly inefficient and impassive with a corresponding loss of services?

On the very day the Volusia County Council smugly patted themselves on the back for “fixing” our horribly broken Volusia County emergency medical and fire services by throwing a collective $17 million of our money to repair the damage inflicted under the reign of former County Manager Jim Dinneen and rebuild a marginally efficient service that the Old Guard of Ed Kelley, Fred Lowry and Deb Denys helped destroy, they announce plans to push for consolidation of municipal fire departments?

My ass.

Once again, this diabolical clown troupe has been caught out – now, they’re scrambling for a solution that transfers even more of the burden to the long-suffering municipalities.

I wrote about this earlier in the week, but it bears repeating:

The men and women of EVAC and Volusia County Fire/Rescue are dedicated professionals who have performed with incredible professionalism despite being trapped in a poorly funded and terribly managed system that has long been treated like the red-headed step child of county government.

For years, VCFR and EVAC suffered service and staffing reductions – despite increasing service demand due to unchecked development – which is slowly choking area roadways and stressing public infrastructure, utilities and essential services.

At their own professional peril, members of the Volusia Professional Firefighters Association were among the first to sound the klaxon on the life-threatening issues with staffing at EVAC that led Councilwoman Heather Post to fight for substantive change.

During the height of the EVAC debacle – when your family and mine were placed at grave risk by the horrific mismanagement and understaffing that caused large population centers in Volusia County to go unprotected – municipal fire chiefs did their level best to ensure that their citizens were protected.

Now, it appears those same chiefs are about to reap the whirlwind of their courageous effort to protect their citizens and speak truth to power.

If history repeats, no one who dares bring to light the almost criminally negligent machinations of county government leaves the field unscathed – so, the county council trots out the specter of consolidation to destabilize and demoralize area fire service professionals.

According to the incredibly mean-spirited Chairman Ed Kelley, “We’d be far better served with a unified, consolidated form of fire service than having it all split up,” he said.  “Do we need 13 fire chiefs?  Sorry fire chiefs out there.  Maybe you could be a different chief in a bigger system.”

Apparently after realizing the fallacy of his insensitive public comment, Old Ed responded to my criticism on social media:

“Wow, I brought up the subject for discussion that could lead to better service for our residents and might be more efficient, (could even lead to lower property taxes) but it seems Mark just wants to continue doing the same thing and expecting a different result. We know the definition of that.”

Yeah.  That’s what I want, Ed – more of the same. . .

My God.

It seems when Chairman Kelley receives any criticism of his delusional musings, he instinctively squawks, “I just brought the subject up for discussion!” as though that cowardly walk-back makes everything right again. . .

Anyone remember Mr. Kelley’s weird Freudian slip in December 2017, when he “suggested” moving the City Island library and privatizing our public land?

“It could be a private use that could generate jobs or provide residences, but it’s not up to me to say what should go there. … We (the council) should evaluate the situation.”

Then, just weeks later, Old Ed did his level best to explain what he didn’t say in his premature revelation, “I never, ever once said to tear the library down.  I said we should look at possibly relocating it, and if I didn’t say ‘possibly,’ that’s what I meant.”

Even Councilwoman Weak Billie Wheeler got in on the cover-up, mewing in the newspaper in January 2018, “. . .all the negative comments and false rumors give the appearance that the council is “planning something under the curtain” when it isn’t.”

Guess what?

Last week, we learned the City of Daytona Beach and state legislators are actively working “behind the scenes” to have century-old deed restrictions lifted which will pave the way for the commercial development of City Island – and, trust me, there will be no room for a public library, or a historic ballpark, once the greed-heads are allowed to run wild. . .

With much of City Island currently hosting county facilities, it’s boggles the mind to think that Weak Billie, Old Ed and our other elected dullards on the VCC didn’t know about the city’s mini-moves to legislatively lift stipulations that the property be held for “public purposes forever,” so why lie when the truth would serve them better?

Weird.

Given our dismal past history, you can bet your bippy Chairman Kelley is doing more than floating the idea for discussion when he says he supports the consolidation of the fire service – and that should send a shiver down the spine of every resident and visitor who relies on these life-saving services in an emergency.

Asshole     Ormond Beach “Deputy Mayor” Troy Kent

Why is it that perennial politicians get so damned offended when their double-dealing and abhorrent official behavior is memorialized in print?

Just curious. . .

Two-weeks ago, the City of Ormond Beach Planning Board – a group that must be developing a hellish inferiority complex after repeatedly being reversed, chided and blatantly ignored by the very politicians who appointed them – voted to allow our new Lucky’s Market to have daily outdoor displays of fresh produce when the much-anticipated store opens this spring.

I happen to think Lucky’s will be a wonderful addition to East Granada Boulevard – an area that is actively taking shape as an upscale shopping and dining area after years of chronic stagnation.

In addition, I am impressed by the chain’s “Community Project” strategy, described as “. . .an ongoing endeavor to create lasting change in the communities we serve. This means we support projects, organizations, and initiatives that focus on healthy communities, youth & education, sustainability and resilience.”  

That’s a noble enterprise – but if Lucky’s wants to “create lasting change” here in the Halifax area – they’ve got their work cut out for them. . .

Unfortunately, another struggling local business wasn’t as lucky as, well, Lucky’s Market and other beneficiaries of the City’s subjective benevolence when they asked for the same consideration.

The Ormond Beach Observer recently ran a touching piece on the demise of Woodstock South – a well-kept storefront located in an abysmally distressed area of South Young Street – that features “tie-dyed shirts and other vibrant clothing along with jewelry and metal yard art.  Music from the 1960s and a mild aroma of incense waft through the store.”

A whimsical place that catered to the sartorial needs of the aging hippie set. . .

Like most entrepreneurs, owners David Oshman and his wife, Kamonkwan Tongmusick, were excited about their new venture when they opened in December 2016 – making a home with their small child in a modest apartment attached to the building – and becoming an active part of their new community.

“Our desire was to brighten up U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach and create some excitement and self-expression in a very bland and overlooked area, Tongmusick said.”

According to the report, last fall, the couple requested to have outdoor displays and music as a means of attracting customers after several hiccups.

Apparently, the owners made a mistake and placed some wares near a roadside monument sign, a U.S. 1 motel complained that music from Woodstock South was disturbing their guests and there was a signage dispute with the city – issues which resulted in a code enforcement action.

So, they tried to do things the right way.

When they approached the City of Ormond Beach, the owners were told by staff they would be required to pay $1,650 to have the special exception considered.

Wow.

Ultimately, the request was approved by the city’s planning board on a six-to-one vote – with the outdoor music (subject to provisions) approved five-to-two.

Then, the matter was sent to the elected panjandrums for consideration.

At the September 19, 2018, City Commission meeting, the city’s planning director, Steve Spraker, spoke in favor of the special exception – explaining that testing was performed for the outdoor music and it met the decibel level required by ordinance – suggesting that music be allowed Saturday and Sunday from noon to 7:00pm.

Other reasonable stipulations included rescinding the external music exception if the store received more than two noise complaints.  That’s fair.

It appeared as if the little shop who risked it all to make an investment in Ormond Beach – and jumped through all the onerous hoops required by the city’s bureaucracy – would receive the meager concessions they sought.

Not so fast. . .

Inexplicably, the uber-arrogant Commissioner/”Deputy Mayor” Troy Kent – a middle-school middle-manager with a raging  God complex – set about destroying the hopes and dreams of the small business owners with an incredibly officious tirade normally reserved for zoning disputes with whorehouses, coal-fired medical waste incinerators and commercial meth labs. . .

(Unless the campaign contributions are right, anyway. . .)

The always overbearing Kent crowed, “There is a reason we have rules against outdoor storage in Ormond Beach,” before besmirching a piece of the store’s yard art depicted in a supporting photograph.

He then turned his bitter bile toward city staff and our all-volunteer planning board members:

“I can’t believe staff has given approval for this,” Kent said. “This is not what I believe the residents of Ormond Beach want to see.”

Interestingly, the owners of Woodstock South were not asked any questions – or given a chance to explain their simple needs – instead, they were required to absorb Mr. Kent’s vile verbal abuse and made to feel unwelcome in the very community where they make their home.

Ultimately, Commissioners Dwight Selby and Rick Boehm joined Kent in voting to reject the shop’s special exception – with Mayor Bill Partington and Commissioner Rob Littleton voting to approve.  (The meeting was held before the last election.)

In “Deputy Mayor” Kent’s patented style – the rejection of the couple’s simple request was contrived, pretentious and hyper-dramatic.

Don’t take my word for it, listen to the archived meeting. . .

According to the Observer, Oshman and Tongmusick shed a few tears when they returned home from the meeting – then, they decided to close their business and move out of Ormond Beach.

“The main theme was that our store just didn’t belong on U.S.-1,” Tongmusick said recently.”

“We’re a blight and an eyesore to the neighborhood.”

When it became apparent that they were no longer welcome in their adopted hometown, the couple put the building up for sale and have decided to move their home and store to Massachusetts.

According to Tongmusick, “The air may be colder, but we believe their hearts will be warmer.”

Indeed.

How terribly sad that any taxpaying citizen would be made to feel that their quaint boutique is considered a nuisance by their own elected representatives.

Then – to add insult to injury – Commissioner Kent, that mean-spirited asswipe who has no problem verbally castigating defenseless entrepreneurs whose only crime was thinking they were competing on a level playing field – cried like a whimpering simp when his abhorrent actions were accurately portrayed in the Observer.

During the comments period of last week’s City Commission meeting – when our elected potentates are allowed to drone-on, ad nauseum – Mr. Kent took the small newspaper to task in his condescending, sing-song manner, for reporting the obvious.

“Deputy Mayor” Kent puffed up like a rabid toad and howled maniacally about enforcing “the rules” – while pounding on the people’s dais like some demented Nikita Khrushchev character – describing the reportage as “slanted” and made to sound like the city put Woodstock South out of business.

Well, ultimately, they did. . .

Guess ol’ Troy Boy steams-up his ten-gallon hat and goes all apoplectic when the working press exposes him for the petty tyrant that he is, eh? 

So, why is it that other businesses – like upscale grocery stores, produce markets, home furnishing retailers and other enterprises can openly display their goods outdoors – but Woodstock South is publicly humiliated and run out-of-town for even asking?

What did those who successfully received the commission’s blessing for a special exception do that Woodstock South didn’t? 

And why is it that our ‘powers that be’ repeatedly ignore the carefully considered recommendation of their own advisory board – and our professional planning director – unless it comports with the needs, wants and whims of an influential real estate developer or political benefactor with a profit motive?

Again, just curious.

So, we say Goodbye to another Ormond Beach small business – better luck elsewhere. . .

Quote of the Week

“I have yet to hear any official vow that these incremental taxes will be spent incrementally on infrastructure. Each year every town and the county spend money to build and repair roads, sewers, water supplies and the like. Now, they’ll have more than $40 million more to spend. Will they vow that this will be spent on top of the current spending?  Perhaps incremental to the last five-year average?

 Will they commit to this formula for the next 20 years until the tax sunsets?

 If not, then the money currently spent on roads, water and infrastructure projects will simply move to other pet projects at the whim of the elected officials. In the meantime, we, the taxpayers, will be left with less money in our pockets and the same road and water conditions that we have today.”

–Robert Giebel, Ormond Beach, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Letters to the Editor, “Build on base,” March 25, 2019

Like Mr. Giebel, many of us have serious trust issues with the proposed sales tax increase – and, unfortunately – the recent Town Hall infomercials starring our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley, and “new” County Manager Georgie Recktenwald – did little to allay our growing concerns.

In fact, many of my neighbors say that the repetitive nature of the non-answers provided to wary taxpayers – the monotonous, loop-like talking points that were so carefully crafted by the Volusia CEO Business Alliance’s hired shill – left them feeling like victims of an elaborate sham.

For instance, when we review the still incomplete list of “sales tax projects” compiled by Volusia County and the municipalities (many of which will receive so few dollars back they are hard to discern on the colorful “revenue distribution” graph), we find nice-to-have terms like “asphalt resurfacing,” “road rehabilitation,” “multipurpose trail” and “dirt road reduction,” rather than must-have congestion reduction projects.

How in the hell is a “multipurpose trail” from Valentine Park to Blue Spring Park in Orange City going to help stave off the terrifying specter of a “No Plan B” infrastructure Armageddon?

Or keep my grandchildren and yours from having to subsist by drinking their own recycled sewage?

How do these catch-all aesthetic improvements fit into a larger, comprehensive transportation strategy that will alleviate the gridlock we all know is coming once all these goofy “theme communities” are built out along the spine of east Volusia County?

Do we even have a comprehensive transportation strategy?

The fact is, no new information came from these dog-and-pony shows that toured Volusia County like a bad Vaudeville act for the last two-weeks.

And it shows.

Our ‘powers that be,’ and their nervous handlers at the Volusia CEO Business Alliance, realize they are running out of time to convince their long-suffering constituents that throwing good money after bad at the same incompetents who got us into this crisis in the first place is a good idea.

Yet, they seem wholly incapable of explaining how this hodgepodge of “wish lists” interrelate to form a strategic countywide plan?

That’s because they don’t have one. . .

And Another Thing!

Last week, I wrote a little ditty questioning if the recent $15 million “gift” from our own philanthropic savior, J. Hyatt Brown, could actually be a “give with one hand, take with the other” scenario in disguise.

Is it really a gift horse – or a swayback nag that requires constant attention and can eat its weight in tax dollars? 

You may recall that Mr. Brown’s munificence came with a $40-$50 million commitment from struggling taxpayers for upkeep of his really nice park – even as we are being asked to pony-up an additional half-cent sales tax to cover a burgeoning infrastructure and utilities emergency that threatens our very quality of life.

Like many, I am concerned that the grand Brown Riverfront Esplanade may be part of a much larger puzzle – one that remains too fragmented to see the end result – which has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with facilitating a self-serving plan that will ultimately allow developers with all the right last names to exploit even more public land for private profit.

My fears were stoked by the intrepid reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s excellent exposé, “Jewel for Sale? Daytona Beach looks to clear way for private development on City Island,” who broke the shocking news that city officials have been “quietly working behind the scenes to get state restrictions on downtown riverfront property removed so they can ink deals with private developers interested in the public land.”

Clearly, there is money to be made off the moldering remains of Downtown Daytona – and you can bet your ass those who stand to profit won’t let us hapless yokels stand in the way of “progress.”

So, I asked the legitimate question:  Will J. Hyatt’s park and $60 million Brown & Brown headquarters complex anchor a privatized City Island and obscenely expensive courthouse on Beach Street? 

Is the Brown Riverfront Esplanade the sweetener that helps ‘what comes next’ become more palatable to a citizenry that can’t yet imagine half-empty condominiums and more vacant storefronts where our library and historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark once stood? 

After all – some might think it’s easier for all the right last names to steal and develop public land when you’ve got a multi-million-dollar quasi-public park to replace it, right?

Earlier this week, Tony Grippa, a local ‘Mover & Shaker’ and former Brown & Brown senior executive, who last year chaired the disastrously underwhelming Beachside Redevelopment Committee – a political insulation ploy comprised of our best and brightest minds, born in the aftermath of the News-Journal’s scathing “Pockmarked Paradise” series which exposed the years of blight and dilapidation that are slowly strangling our beachside – took me to the woodshed on social media for having the temerity to question the altruistic motivations of King J. Hyatt Brown:

“The Brown family has done so much for this community that your thoughts are really silly. It is okay to question many things, but the generosity and commitment of the Brown’s to this area is one that should NEVER be questioned. Sounds like you should either run for office, rethink your negativity, or Mark, give some time (or money) to the community. Please tell me you are not just the “critic”?  As President Theodore Roosevelt said: “the credit belongs to the man in (woman) the arena.” Not critic (sic) Usually enjoy your comments. (Even when I am the asshole of the week). But this time I think you are off base.”

 Look, I really enjoy digesting dissenting opinions from those with a take different from mine.

That’s how I learn.

And I am most definitively a “critic.”

But being lectured on what I “should” do by Mr. Grippa was a little hard to swallow. . .

At the risk of sounding maudlin, I dedicated my life to a cause greater than my own self-interests, something that remains a great source of personal pride.

My service, such as it was, to our nation as a member of the military – and in over three-decades as a career law enforcement officer – may have been relatively unremarkable compared to some, but I always tried to serve with honor.

I like to think that I’ve paid my dues in blood, sweat and tears – which, in my view, gives me the right to complain about the entrenched civic, economic and social issues that continue to plague much of the Halifax area – my home – even as Mr. Grippa’s fellow Illuminati ignore the past and busy themselves building a “new” Daytona Beach in the pine scrub west of town.

And, for the record, I have no desire to run for high office (for the same reason I don’t wallow with pigs) and, unlike Messrs. Grippa and Brown – I don’t have any money to “give to the community.”

What I do have is one man’s cynical opinion on the important issues of the day – something I hope drives a larger discussion of the problems we face.

Here’s a little hard-earned advice for Mr. Grippa – and anyone else who consciously choses to blindly accept the murky motivations of our ‘Rich & Powerful’ and NEVER question the true intentions of those who use immense wealth to seek power and influence over the will of others:

In my view, a healthy representative democracy, where the seat of power still resides in the will of the people, requires freedom of thought, varied viewpoints – and, as C. Wright Mills described, “The ebb and flow of discussion,” where citizens are free to think things out for themselves, form their own point of view and join the debate of competing ideas – or even write goofy opinion blogs to vent their spleen.

Then, through the competition of varied ideas, one opinion wins out – usually at the ballot box – and our duly elected representatives are duty-bound to turn thought into action in the form of public policy.

Unfortunately, in my view, what happens in Volusia County is the antithesis of this model – and it is due, in no small part, to the infusion of massive amounts of money into the political process by influential oligarchs whose often mercenary motivations dominate because they own the hearts, minds and loyalties of policymakers.

In my view, that’s not healthy in a representative democracy – and often skews the playing field in a free and open market.  The grim results of this broken system are all around us – some of which Mr. Grippa’s ill-fated committee tried valiantly to solve.

I don’t know J. Hyatt Brown personally.

I’m pretty sure we run in different social circles – because I never see him at the local watering hole I frequent to drink whiskey, swap tall tales and solve the problems of the world with hardworking men and women – many of whom feel disenfranchised by a system they can neither understand nor escape.

Those who do know Mr. Brown tell me he’s a good guy.

I sure hope so – for all our sake.

There is a maxim, often credited to Benjamin Franklin, which says, “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” 

In my jaded view, ol’ Ben was right.

So, Mr. Grippa, I’ll embrace my “negativity,” hyper-critical suspicions and “silly” notions of the news and newsmakers of the day – and I will wear them proudly, like a badge of honor – just as I will continue to respect and defend your inalienable right to form your own opinions as well.

‘Merica.  That’s what it’s all about. . .

Rock on, my friends.  Have a great weekend, everyone.

 

Photo Credit: Ormond Beach Observer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait a minute?

What happened to the champions of Home Rule?

What became of the whole idea that the right to self-determination in local governance is omnipotent?

What happened to the notion that small, accountable essential public services are the most manageable, responsive and community-focused – while large, unwieldy, centralized government entities become grossly inefficient and impassive with a corresponding loss of services?

And what in God’s name would make our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley, and freshman Councilman Ben Johnson, think that anyone would want Volusia County government to take over municipal fire services – or anything else for that matter?

On the very day the Volusia County Council smugly patted themselves on the back for “fixing” our horribly broken Volusia County emergency medical and fire services by throwing a collective $17 million of our money to repair the damage and rebuild a marginally efficient service they allowed to crumble, they announce a shameless power-grab in the form of a consolidation of municipal fire departments.

My ass.

Frankly, as a resident of an east Volusia municipality, I wouldn’t let Volusia County government within arms reach of any essential service my family and I rely on – especially in a life-and-death emergency.

The men and women of EVAC and Volusia County Fire/Rescue are dedicated professionals who have performed with incredible professionalism despite being trapped in a poorly funded and terribly managed system that has long been treated like the red-headed stepchild of county government.

For years, VCFR and EVAC suffered service and staffing reductions – despite increasing service demand due to unchecked development – which is slowly choking area roadways and stressing public infrastructure, utilities and essential services.

At their own professional peril, members of the Volusia Professional Firefighters Association were among the first to sound the klaxon on the life-threatening issues with staffing at EVAC that led Councilwoman Heather Post to fight for substantive change.

In my view, Volusia County government has a very high opinion of itself.

Considering Old Ed Kelley and his cronies are actively traveling the width and breadth of Volusia County trying their level best to convince us to take even more money out of our pockets and transfer it to government coffers as a means of correcting an infrastructure emergency that – under their watch – has been allowed to grow to an estimated $1.5 billion countywide – I’m not sure I want them anywhere near emergency services.

No thanks.

In my view, Ed Kelley couldn’t manage a goat rope. . .

During the height of the EVAC debacle – when your family and mine were placed at grave risk by the horrific mismanagement and under-staffing that caused large population centers in Volusia County to go completely unprotected for hours at a time – Volusia County fire chiefs did their level best to ensure that their citizens were protected.

For instance, Port Orange opted to purchase its own ambulance last summer after that community lost faith in the county’s system.

In addition, the Volusia County Fire Chief’s Association made countless attempts to bring substantive change and suggest solutions to critical issues in Volusia County EMS – only to be met with callous resistance and an unwillingness to address significant issues.

Now, it appears our municipal fire chiefs are about to reap the whirlwind of their valiant effort to protect their citizens and speak truth to power.

If history repeats, no one who dares bring to light the almost criminally negligent machinations of county government leaves the field unscathed – but don’t take my word for it.

Ask former Volusia County Medical Examiner Dr. Sara Zydowicz how bringing forward issues worked out for her – or former federal lobbyist Jamie Pericola – who saw his reputation besmirched by our ‘powers that be’ when he sounded the alarm on internal turmoil and abject corruption of the system by entrenched insiders.

According to reports, the Volusia County Council has asked our “new” County Manager Georgie Recktenwald to begin riding the circuit – talking to city managers about the possibility of consolidating municipal fire departments under the county’s tattered “umbrella” as a way to, “. . .cut costs and improve service to residents.”

Bullshit.

(Hey, Georgie – don’t you have an infrastructure “emergency” to manage?)

According to the incredibly mean-spirited Chairman Ed Kelley, “We’d be far better served with a unified, consolidated form of fire service than having it all split up,” he said.  “Do we need 13 fire chiefs?  Sorry fire chiefs out there.  Maybe you could be a different chief in a bigger system.”

And maybe Ed Kelley could pull his head out of his ass – but I don’t see either happening anytime soon. . .

I have a question:

Do we really need this massive, bloated and wholly unaccountable county government?

One that long-ago lost any touch with its constituents and now serves exclusively as a cheap facilitator for the transfer of tax dollars to underwrite the for-profit schemes of political insiders who perpetuate the fraud with massive campaign contributions to their bought-and-paid-for puppets on the dais of power?

How about we start the process of “right-sizing” this swollen bureaucracy that – in its purest form – should exist only to serve the needs of those living in unincorporated areas not covered by municipal services and our judicial system, tax collection and elections services?

Imagine how We, The People could lower our tax burden, improve service delivery and regain control of our county government if we simply whittled this behemoth down to its brass tacks – limiting its reach to essential services and allowing our elected officials – such as Sheriff Mike Chitwood – to have the constitutionally ordained independence to manage and administer their respective departments in a manner reflective of their political accountability to the people they serve?

Its something to think about. . .

 

 

There’s an old adage, “Never look a gift horse in the mouth.” 

Quite simply, the expression means its bad manners to inspect the teeth of a horse someone has given you – better to just say ‘thank you’ and be grateful to have received the gift.  After all, only an inconsiderate asshole would rob someone of the joy giving, right?

Well, call me an inconsiderate asshole – because I’m not sure I buy that analogy.

Especially when you are the one responsible for the care, feeding and upkeep of that horse for the next 50 years. . .

You see, I’m the naturally suspicious type – always questioning the why of things.

I also happen to believe that gifts that come with strings attached aren’t gifts at all – they are contractual agreements – a narcissistic power-play which ultimately benefits the ‘gifter’ more than the hapless recipient.

As Rachelle Sanders, producer and host of the “Science for the People” podcast wrote, “Giving can be an altruistic act, sure. But it can also be a symbol of power, dominance, and economic disparity.”

In my view, it can also be a thinly camouflaged “give with one hand, take with the other” scenario. . .

Of course, I’m talking about the recent $15 million “gift” from our own philanthropic savior, J. Hyatt Brown, who has been working overtime just to give us ill-mannered muzhiks a really nice park, which is guaranteed to salve all the civic, social and economic issues that have haunted Downtrodden Downtown Daytona like a golem – and deliver us from the squalor and desperation that has (strategically?) suppressed real estate prices in the area over decades.

A “gift” that comes with a $40-$50 million commitment from struggling taxpayers – who are currently being asked to pony-up an additional half-cent sales tax to cover a burgeoning infrastructure and utilities emergency that threatens to have us all drinking our own recycled sewage if we don’t agree to throw even more money at the same local governments that got us into this crisis in the first place. . .

“What are you talking about, Barker?”

“What brand of paranoid lunatic turns down a $15 million gift – you inconsiderate, shitheel!”

“J. Hyatt and Cici are like the Halifax area’s benevolent grandparents – they just want what’s best for us!”

“Like a loyal supporter said, “Where we’re headed is a place few of us can even dream about.”

Maybe so.

Or, just maybe, the grand Brown Riverfront Esplanade is simply a piece of a much larger puzzle, one that remains too fragmented to see the end result, which has nothing to do with us – and everything to do with facilitating a self-serving plan that will ultimately allow developers with all the right last names to exploit even more public land for private profit?

Don’t take my weird skepticism at face value – read the newspaper.

Last week, the intrepid reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s excellent exposé, “Jewel for Sale? Daytona Beach looks to clear way for private development on City Island,” broke the shocking news that city officials have been “quietly working behind the scenes to get state restrictions on downtown riverfront property removed so they can ink deals with private developers interested in the public land.”

In my warped view, I believe forces well outside of our political control have been preparing the battlefield for years – beginning with the strategic rot and lack of substantive code enforcement that allowed large swaths of downtown to fall victim to blight.

Just look at a smattering of the evidence, and decide for yourself:

In December 2017, Daytona Beach City Manager Jim Chisholm sent a letter to the city’s current host for itinerant vendors during Bike Week, informing them that their contract would not be renewed after Biketoberfest that fall.

Then, in January 2018, the Daytona Beach City Commission voted to terminate the agreement, which sounded the death knell for biker-related festivities on Beach Street – killing several local small motorcycle businesses in the process.

Places like the Lynnhurst Hotel – which for much of its 121 years – stood as a dilapidated flophouse, advantageously lowering property values next to the perennially vacant overgrown lot that would become the $60 million glass and steel headquarters campus of J. Hyatt’s billion-dollar insurance intermediary.

Then, days after the city’s chief building official issued an emergency condemnation order – just as ground was being broken on the Brown & Brown edifice – the Lynnhurst was quickly demolished and hauled off.

Just like it never even existed. . .

And remember when an obscure option by a third-party consultant to raze the City Island Court House (which was billed as an uninhabitable shithole, so inherently “dangerous” it can’t possible serve as a public facility) suddenly transformed into an off-the-agenda plan to build a $260-million Taj Mahal courthouse/office complex on Beach Street without any public input?

I do.

Then, last month, we learned of plans by the good ol’ boys investment club over at Consolidated Tomoka Land Company for their mysterious Project Delta “. . .a five-story “Class A” apartment building on the corner of Bay and Palmetto as well as a multi-story parking garage at Ridgewood and Bay, with both structures connected by a covered pedestrian overpass. The buildings would include street-level retail shops.”

Now, the citizens of Daytona Beach are on the hook for $800,000 annually for maintenance and upkeep of the Brown’s Esplanade – the gift that keeps on giving – which will serve as the perfect natural buffer between the ghastly condominiums, commercial shopping and office space that will flood City Island – once that deathtrap courthouse has been demolished, our historic ballpark “The Jack” has been bulldozed and those pesky “public purposes forever” deed restrictions are legislatively removed.

Like they never even existed. . .

In my view, this secretive “Grand Plan” formulated by what the News-Journal has described as our “Rich & Powerful” is being aggressively executed in an environment where our elected officials – in some disgusting Faustian bargain with their wealthy political benefactors – stand idle while those with a profit motive are allowed to do what they wish – while We, The People underwrite it all.

After some members of the Daytona Beach City Commission had the temerity to ask questions on behalf of their constituents – for the appearance, if nothing else – Mr. Brown testily quipped, “This is the most difficult time we’ve ever had giving away $15 million.”

“We’re willing to put our ass on the line to bring back downtown Daytona Beach.”

In my view, it’s us who are putting our ass on the line – and the very future of the Halifax area hangs in the balance – yet public input in this incredibly murky plan has been nonexistent.

At the end of the day, it’s not about us.

Clearly, there is money to be made off the moldering remains of Downtown Daytona – and you can bet your ass those who stand to profit won’t let us hapless yokels stand in the way of “progress.”

So, be prepared to pay the bills and keep your pie-hole shut.  The Big Boys don’t need our participation – just our money. . .

Trust me.  The Big Whammy is coming – and the anchor will take the form of a privatized City Island and an obscenely expensive courthouse complex near J. Hyatt’s monument to his own self-importance on Beach Street.

And there’s not a damned thing you or I can do about it. . .

How long will it take the electorate of Volusia County to realize who ultimately benefits – and who pays the bills – in this oligarchical system where public input in the future of our area is neither solicited nor wanted?

 

Photo Credit: The Daytona Beach News-Journal

 

 

 

Hi, kids!

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Asshole           Volusia County Council Chair Ed Kelley

Regardless of the topic, you can always count on our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley, to have a flaky take on the important issues of the day.

And by “flaky,” I mean Old Ed’s abject stupidity is as thick and dense as a buttermilk biscuit. . .

Whether he’s bashing Councilwoman Heather Post for challenging the status quo – or yammering incoherently like some demented ventriloquist’s dummy about things he doesn’t have a clue about – Old Ed’s wacky soundbites never fail to disappoint.

Normally, I find Mr. Kelley’s unique brand of political slapstick humorous – who doesn’t – but this time he crossed the line, and once again exposed himself as the meanspirited churl he’s always been.

There’s nothing funny about that.

Last November, Joel Price of Daytona Beach, a veteran of the United States Navy who describes himself as legally blind – filed suit against Volusia County, and other political jurisdictions around the state, under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, after his attempts to learn more about local government were hampered by the fact many documents available for review were incompatible with his screen reading software.

Most people who pay attention know that this has been a long-standing issue for the visually impaired as screen reader software cannot translate portable document format while many government websites use PDF to display content.

Since the ADA passed in 1990, the public and private sector have worked hard to ensure that buildings, parks and other public spaces are readily accessible to persons with disabilities – not because it’s the right thing to do – but because it’s the law.

Unfortunately, in many cases it took the force of law to ensure compliance – and I applaud Mr. Price’s efforts to make the services and information provided by government websites equally accessible to all citizens.

Many local communities have taken this movement seriously and are researching technology that will make their web content available to everyone.  For instance, to their credit, the City of Deltona has formed an ADA Compliance Committee that is studying ways to make the city’s online documents and media more accessible.

That’s a big step – especially for Deltona – a city government that isn’t exactly known for its openness and transparency. . .

Trust me – Mr. Price isn’t doing this for the money.

For instance, in a compromise agreement with Flagler County, Price will receive just a fraction of the $15,700 settlement, with the bulk going to pay legal fees.

Clearly, Mr. Price is fighting valiantly for accessibility and reasonable accommodation for all citizens attempting to interface with their government because, as his important lawsuit pointed out, “One must be informed to understand their peril. . .”   

Unfortunately, Chairman Kelley doesn’t seem to grasp the seriousness of ensuring that the visually impaired have the same right to meaningful participation in the political process as everyone else.

That’s not unusual.

There are a lot of things Mr. Kelley doesn’t understand – but that never stops his incessant slack-jawed jabbering – which always serves to expose just how far he missed the point.

Earlier this week, Chairman Kelley responded to Mr. Price’s legal action in The Daytona Beach News-Journal with his usual gracelessness, “This just makes the cost of conversion a lot more expensive,” Kelley said, adding that documents on Volusia’s website are rarely explored and that it’s unlikely Price has been truly interested in records from 137 jurisdictions. “It seems like a frivolous lawsuit.”

Jesus.  What a blathering dipshit. . .

According to experts, “In law, frivolous litigation is the practice of starting or carrying on lawsuits that, due to their lack of legal merit, have little to no chance of being won,”  and are usually filed with the intent to harass, annoy or disturb an opposing party.

In this case, Mr. Price attempted to make governments around the state aware of the accessibility issue – and gave them ample opportunity to correct the problem.

In most cases, they blatantly ignored him.

Only when his pleas for help in accessing these web-based community services, programs and public information afforded to those who are not sight impaired were disregarded did he use the Americans with Disabilities Act for its intended purpose.

I am convinced Mr. Price’s lawsuit was anything but frivolous.

In my opinion, Mr. Kelley’s crude comments and brazen indifference to the very real needs and motivations of the blind and visually impaired in their struggle for reasonable access and inclusion is a new low – even for this callous twit.

Angel              Deltona Strong

 One of my favorite quotes comes from the late cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, who said:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

 A sentiment embodied by those intrepid souls of Deltona Strong.

The community-based organization bills itself as a “…grassroots citizens action coalition located in Deltona, Florida.  As non-partisan non-profit, we strive to break down barriers to achieving an inclusive and engaged community. We research issues that have a negative impact to our community and strategize to identify solutions to challenges for Deltona residents.”

Formed over a year ago by a group of concerned residents, the group’s president, Dana McCool is famous for taking a courageous stand against the city’s grossly unfair and wildly fluctuating water billing policy by paying her utility bill with $500 in pennies – all while livestreaming her simple, but effective, protest on social media.

I loved it.

The effort is guided by McCool, the group’s president; Troy Shimkus, vice president; and Terri Ellis, the communications director. The group’s advisory board includes veteran civic activists Brandy White, Dayle Whitman and Christina Larsen.

Since its inception, Deltona Strong has demanded government accountability, remained focused on building a stronger, more cohesive community through outreach and ambassadorships, and partnered with elected and appointed officials to address lingering civic problems.

In my view, any community activist seeking to make a transformational change at the local level need look no further than the hardworking members of Deltona Strong for example and inspiration.

Through a core commitment to building a better community, Deltona Strong has become an important voice in the life of Volusia County’s largest city.

Tomorrow morning, beginning at 9:00am, Deltona Strong – in cooperation with Mayor Heidi Herzberg – will host a water, septic and sewer forum at City Hall Chambers, 2345 Providence Boulevard.

During the meeting, residents will be invited to participate in an in-depth discussion of public utilities issues, and Ms. McCool will provide an update on the audit of the Deltona Water Department.

Kudos to Deltona Strong for your quality efforts to make a positive difference.

Angel              The Daytona Beach News-Journal

This might sound like a backhanded compliment, but I’m going to say it anyway.

In my view, the News-Journal has taken the lead on public education campaigns on every important civic and social issue facing Volusia County from beachside blight and dilapidation to this goofy half-cent sales tax money grab.

I’m glad they stepped up to the plate to provide a forum for a meaningful exchange of information – especially when those who should have, didn’t.

Where I take exception is the one-sided composition of the presenters – which appears to be limited to those lock-step cheerleaders for a higher sales tax – including our addled County Chair Ed Kelley, Volusia’s “new” County Manager Georgie Recktenwald and usually a few yokels from the respective city crying the poor-mouth blues.

To many, given the make-up of the dais, these forums appear to be little more than a propaganda organ of the pro-tax crowd – a cheap infomercial for all the wonderful things that will come our way if we just rollover and take it like good little taxpaying drones.

At a recent Town Hall forum sponsored by the News-Journal in West Volusia, citizen-activist Keith Chester – who is rapidly emerging as an important voice of opposition to the tax hike – stood before this “Phalanx of Positivity” (a performance expertly choreographed by Sales Tax Guru Steve Vancore of Clearview Research) and asked the hard questions.

According to reports, Old Ed patronized Mr. Chester, and the assembled citizens, with his ridiculous “trust me” promises and empty guarantees:

“County Chair Ed Kelley assured Chester that state law mandates the tax to sunset in 20 years. And while the money is coming in, it would be put to good use, Kelley said.

“I can guarantee you while I’m here we will not waste your money,” Kelley promised.”

“I can assure you the money will be used for these purposes and you can hold your local elected officials accountable,” Kelley said.”

Then, in perhaps the most bald-faced ruse in the short history of this clumsy shit-show, Old Ed tugged at the heartstrings of citizens desperate for hard answers by using the fallback “It’s for the kids” argument, “A lot of this half-cent sales tax is about tomorrow,” he said. “It’s for our children and grandchildren. A lot of its longer-term issues.”

Bullshit.

It’s about the children alright.

Many of us are working hard to spread the word that if these gluttonous bastards have their way, our children and grandchildren will be saddled with a crippling gas, property and sales tax burden that will make living in Volusia County all but impossible for many struggling families.

Then, Chairman Kelley attempted to convince the crowd that the much-ballyhooed Advisory Review Committee “will make sure each half-cent sales tax dollar is spent as pledged.”

The problem is – that’s not what the actual ordinance says – and Ed Kelley damn well knows it.

Carefully constructed language in the ordinance makes the oversight committee little more than a toothless watchdog – with “no decision-making authority” – whose members are merely “nominated” by the municipalities, but “appointed” by royal edict of the county council – and serve completely at the whim and “will of the county council?

So, how is this neutered “review board” supposed to “make sure each half-cent sales tax dollar is spent as pledged,” when the members can be terminated with extreme prejudice anytime they make an advisory recommendation contrary to the shady intrigues of county council members and their uber-wealthy handlers?

That’s not autonomous oversight.  That’s a rubber-stamp.

In my view, News-Journal Editor Pat Rice should consider reaching out to local dissidents – those who have a well-researched opinion on this shameless scam – such as Daytona Beach activists Ken Strickland and Greg Gimbert, former county council candidate Jeff Brower or the well-informed Keith Chester.

(Anyone but me – I have to wash my beard that night. . .)

By doing so, these important discussions would offer a point/counterpoint alternative to the carefully crafted pap, fluff and talking points – and help challenge the well-heeled power structure that is spending lavishly to see this sales tax increase become a reality for hard-working Volusia County families who can least afford it.

Asshole           Volusia County Councilwoman Billie Wheeler

When it came down to standing up for the fundamental principles of American democracy – Weak Billie Wheeler proved, once again, that she simply does not possess the backbone and strength of character to stand with her constituents against the entrenched oligarchy that passes for governance in Volusia County.

At Tuesday’s county council meeting, our dullards on the dais of power decided on a 4-3 split vote to continue the county’s expensive, and incredibly divisive, challenge to Amendment 10 – a measure passed by 53% of Volusia County voters which returns constitutional authority to the office of sheriff, property appraiser and elections supervisor.

Why?

Because when Volusia County’s power elite decide they don’t agree with a decision of the voters – they unleash the full might of County Attorney Dan “Cujo” Eckert to overturn the majority decision of We, The People as they maintain a death grip on the status quo.

In my view, this is the antithesis of a functional democracy – one accountable to the supreme power of the people – and represents an insidious form of subjugation, where our vote only counts if it meets the approval and serves the needs of the ruling class.

It may be a benevolent form of tyranny – the direct oppression of the will of the people cloaked in the velvet glove of protecting our “Home Rule” – but it reeks with the stench of dictatorial rule.

When it came to the nut cutting hour, Weak Billie Wheeler changed her stated goal of dropping the suit to “get on with business,” and joined the always arrogant Deb Denys, the Very Reverend Fred Lowry and our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley, in the majority vote to permit Cujo Eckert to continue this sinister push to overturn our sacred vote.

Apparently, Weak Billie was swayed by Councilman Lowry’s patented argument that you and I are too damn stupid to understand what we were voting for in the first place – which, you may recall – was the same spiteful reasoning the Old Guard used when they attempted to suppress transportation impact fees for their benefactors in the real estate development industry.

In his typically condescending  way, Rev. Lowry said, “Do you like babies, puppies and cats, and by the way, we are going to change your charter.  I found not one single person who understood we were changing the charter. That’s why I’m supportive of this. People just weren’t aware of what they were voting for with this measure.”

Bullshit.

Once again, the Vicar of Verbosity – the Bishop of Bullshit – proves that he will say anything to protect the status quo – even if it means trampling the rights of those he has sworn to serve. . .

Not to be outdone, Councilwoman Deb Denys once again lectured her long-suffering colleagues on her unique brand of “leadership” when she crowed, “We started this, and we need to finish this. That’s what leaders do.  We’ve come this far, so I think we need to see it all the way through to the Supreme Court and get a final determination.”

(Hey, Deb – you are not a leader – you’re a dull tool of special interests that are slowly exsanguinating Volusia County – you know it, and we know it – so stop the Dale Carnegie routine and stay in your lane. . .)

Just for the record, what true leaders do is understand and respect that all governmental power derives from the will of the people – as expressed through our sacred vote – in fact, it is what members of the United States Military have fought and died to preserve for 238 years – and anything less is an affront to all we hold dear in this country.

In fact, what we are witnessing here bears no resemblance to leadership.

As a smart friend said, “This fight isn’t about Home Rule.  It’s about who rules.”

In my view, council members Ben Johnson, Heather Post and Barbara Girtman demonstrated incredible statesmanship – and acted in the highest traditions of our system of representative democracy – when, despite their personal reservations, they stood tall in support of the will of the majority of Volusia County voters and voted to uphold our hallowed right to self-determination.

“This will rewrite our government and it will create a cost to us,” Councilman Johnson said. “And even though we can second guess and say this would not have passed if it wasn’t for the bundling…I’m going to have to go with 53 percent and it’s one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make.”

Folks, that’s what unselfish service to a cause greater than one’s own self-interest looks like.

That’s true leadership in action.

Asshole           City of Ormond Beach

Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse – the City of Ormond Beach goes and lowers the bar – completing its noxious transition from local government to cheap facilitator.

This week we learned the incredibly disturbing news that the Ormond Beach Police Department on West Granada Boulevard is apparently in grave danger of flooding in the event of a catastrophic hurricane – and the building, which was built just 18-years ago at a cost of $1.3 million, has been allowed to fall into such disastrous disrepair that our City Commission was recently forced to commission a $30,000 “feasibility study” which will list at least three alternatives to occupying this toxic site.

Bullshit.

I’ll bet you a Donnie’s Donut that whatever this “study” ultimately shows – it will result in the Ormond Beach Police Department being displaced – and it has absolutely nothing to do with hurricanes and roof repairs – and everything to do with ensuring that the incredibly desirable real estate it sits on becomes accessible to local developers.

There is nothing wrong with the building that cannot be repaired or mitigated – and the facility has never flooded.  Ever.

For over 30-years I served in a local government that was housed in a City Hall facility built in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration – and has now been in continuous service to the citizens of Holly Hill for some 77-years.

It proves what can be accomplished with an attention to preventive maintenance, by living within the community’s means – and building upon an indomitable spirit of civic pride and sense of tradition that has been lost in places like Ormond Beach that value political power and greed over quality of life.

Now, we live in an era where local governments routinely employ the malicious tactic of creating faux emergencies to facilitate the transfer of public assets to private interests with a profit motive.

These ploys usually begin by allowing publicly-owned facilities to strategically rot through lack of maintenance or repair – or a potentially “dangerous” condition is suddenly discovered, usually supported by the “expert” opinions of flexible professionals on the public payroll who go along to get along – which leaves taxpayers with few options beyond building a Taj Mahal replacement.

In this case, the Ormond Beach Main Street project has made wonderful changes to Granada Boulevard – and it is transforming our community’s downtown into something incredibly special.

Why not simply tell citizens of Ormond Beach that the Police Department is sitting on valuable land that could be used to enhance and expand the mixed-use streetscape?

Why ruin it with the stench of lies? 

This blatant deception speaks to how far removed our elected and appointed officials in Ormond Beach have become from the citizens they serve.

Rather than represent our best interests – the City Commission now perpetrates a gross fraud against their constituents – creating fantastic stories of how a relatively new public facility has become all but uninhabitable – as a cheap means of facilitating the transfer of the property to those who would develop it for private gain.

My God.

What have we become? 

Angel               Bethune-Cookman Lady Wildcats

The Bethune-Cookman Lady Wildcats are going to the Big Dance!

Last Saturday, Bethune-Cookman took Norfolk State 57-45 to claim the 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) women’s basketball championship at Scope Arena.  This huge win represents the Wildcats second ever MEAC tournament title and earned the team an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

Here’s a special Barker’s View “Angel Status” to B-CU Senior Angel Golden, and the Lady Wildcat’s fantastic coach, Vanessa Blair-Lewis, who took home the Tournament’s Outstanding Player and Outstanding Coach honors respectively.

Tomorrow morning, B-CU will take on arguably the best team in woman’s college basketball when they face defending champion Notre Dame to kick off March Madness!

You can watch the action on ESPN-2 beginning at 11:00am.

I hope you’ll join me in cheering on our own Lady Wildcat’s on their fist ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament!

Way to go, lady’s!

Win or lose, you have made us incredibly proud!

 Quote of the Week

“Since companies supporting the PAC (Volusia Citizens for Better Roads and Clean Water) are convinced that more funds are so critically needed, I will wait for the Speedway and Brown & Brown, as well as Tanger Outlets, to return public money given to them, and voluntarily rescind any future incentives. This would be done in the spirit of being good corporate citizens, and to lead by their example. In addition, all amenity fees, that fake tax-like charge added to all purchases at The Pavilion, One Daytona and Tanger Outlets, should now be remitted to local governments for infrastructure needs. I did not need government corporate welfare money in my 41 years in business in Volusia County, so why do these very successful private enterprises require it?”

–Bernard Baran, Port Orange, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal Letters to the Editor, “Writers weigh in on sales tax hike,” Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Well said, sir.  But don’t hold your breath. . .

When it comes to the stream of public funds – that’s a one way spigot – with a built-in backflow preventer that ensures We, The People, whose sole role in the process is to feed an insatiable machine, rarely, if ever, see a return on the massive investments we make in the for-profit schemes of the ‘Rich & Powerful.’

But Mr. Baran makes an excellent point.

Thousands of local small businesses struggle to survive in this artificial economy, where our politicians pick winners and losers by skewing the playing field with an infusion of public funds whenever the right last names need us to cover their overhead and reduce risk with tax abatement ploys, infrastructure improvements and other quid pro quo corporate welfare scams.

All while the little guy never sees a dime. . .

When that isn’t enough – politicians permit developers to keep the flow going with “enhanced amenity fees” – a sales tax by any other name – on purchases we make at the very shopping centers we helped to underwrite in the first place.

Then, like the greed-crazed tax-suckers they are, these same “corporate citizens” have the impudence to demand that their elected intermediaries return to the well and demand even more of our hard-earned cash at the point-of-sale with a sales tax increase?

That takes balls. . .

And Another Thing!

 Next week, I will have been a member of the leisure class for five years.

Wow.  How time flies.

During my professional life, I had the opportunity to work on some of the most entrenched civic issues of our time – working with stakeholders in the public, private and faith communities to solve problems and bring about positive change.

I enjoyed that part of the job.

In my view, no issue was more important than juvenile justice reforms designed to protect vulnerable young people from being taken into the gaping maw of the criminal justice system – which invariably led to children leaving school and becoming part of what some refer to as the “School-to-Prison Pipeline.”

One local organization has been at the forefront of the effort to institute a civil citation program in Volusia County

In an excellent editorial authored by the inspirational co-leaders of Fighting Against Injustice Toward Harmony (F.A.I.T.H.) – the Rev. Kathy Tew-Ricky of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ormond Beach and Pedro Dash of Tubman-King Community Church wrote:

“F.A.I.T.H. found evidence that Volusia County indeed tops not only Florida but our nation in out-of-school suspensions and juvenile arrests. A corresponding low graduation rate is not surprising. With this information, F.A.I.T.H. began to research solutions that would keep our communities and schools safer while also correcting misbehavior. The solutions proved to be civil citations in lieu of arrests and restorative practices in our schools. Each of these solutions assures accountability and restitution by juvenile offenders.”

I can assure you that – unless things have drastically changed in the five years since I retired – local law enforcement executives wholeheartedly support reasonable alternatives to arrest and incarceration for young, non-violent offenders – and many are long-term partners with F.A.I.T.H. in supporting the civil citation and other diversion programs in Volusia County.

Now, F.A.I.T.H. is taking on the difficult problem of student discipline.

The organization of 28 inter-faith congregations will hold its 2019 Action Assembly on Monday, April 8^th at 6:30pm at Peabody Auditorium.  Last years meeting was attended by nearly 2,000 people who collectively asked for a commitment from our elected and appointed officials to help bring positive change to often broken systems.

This year, School Board members Ida Wright, Carl Persis and Ruben Colon will appear, along with Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood, Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri, Chief Probation Officer Dan Merrithew and Volusia County Council members Heather Post, Billie Wheeler and Barbara Girtman.

I hope you will take the opportunity to join me for a wonderful evening as we join with “good people doing good work” to ensure a bright future for the youth of our communities.

That’s all for me!  Have a great weekend, kids!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

“…when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

–Sherlock Holmes -The Blanched Soldier

Most of my life was spent bringing bad people to justice with fairness but firmness, without passion or prejudice.

Just the facts, Ma’am. . .

It was someone else’s job to present the evidence and passionately argue the facts of the case to a judge and jury.  I simply collected the who, what, when, where, why and how of the matter – and of these basic investigative questions – often the hardest to determine was the “why” of things. . .

Frankly, after more than three-decades in the business, I finally came to the conclusion that there is good and evil in the world – and outside of that simpleminded explanation – I have no idea why people do the things they do.

My job was to gather the facts.

After a lifetime of thinking analytically about how items of evidence proved or disproved the elements of a crime, that mindset naturally carries over as I bitch and brood over our myriad civic issues – like this shameless half-penny money grab we are all staring down here on Florida’s fable Fun Coast.

In my view, the what is clear – our elected officials demonstrated how compromised they truly are by artificially suppressing transportation impact fees for nearly two-decades as a favor to their political benefactors in the real estate development community – all while approving incredibly lucrative growth along the spine of Volusia County from Farmton to the Flagler County line.

Like the obsequious lapdogs they have become – our politicians and bureaucrats in both municipal and county government are working overtime on behalf of their handlers to convince your family and mine of the importance of self-inflicting a sales tax increase that will generate an estimated $45 million annually, ostensibly to fund transportation and utilities improvements in the wake of the unchecked sprawl they helped create.

Now, those same dullards who perpetuated this gross miscarriage of their fiduciary responsibilities are once again abandoning any semblance of political independence as they kowtow to the whims and orders of their uber-wealthy puppet masters at the Volusia CEO Business Alliance.

The how of this shameless money grab is equally apparent.

A few of our ‘Rich & Powerful’ who see the potential windfall that will result if We, The People agree to hand even more of our hard-earned money over to their elected intermediaries, have formed a goofy Political Action Committee known as Volusia Citizens for Better Roads and Clean Water – a thinly veiled consortium of perennial insiders who long-ago cemented their place at the public titty and latched on like a suckfish.

In turn, the PAC has used private funds to hire a professional strategist in the form of Steve Vancore, President of Clearview Research, who has made a cottage industry out of ramrodding local option tax increases around the Sunshine State.

With Mr. Vancore’s necessarily simplistic coaching, our elected and appointed officials are busy making their way around the width and breadth of Volusia County parroting what they’ve been told to say, as they try and convince us of what our quality of life will look like if we fail to acquiesce to this thinly veiled pass-through which takes cash from our wallet at the point-of-sale and transfers it to theirs.

The who, what, when and where is pretty clear to anyone paying attention.

I’m most interested in the why of it all. . .

Why weren’t entrenched political insiders in the real estate development community – who contributed $1 of every $5 spent to the campaigns of their hand-select political candidates during the last election cycle – required to pay their fair share for the infrastructure stressors they created with mega-developments like Mosaic and Latitudes at Margaritaville?

Why?

Why are we being rushed into a weird, first-of-its-kind “mail in” referendum costing some $490,000 – a highly suspect process which now bears no resemblance to any election ever held in Volusia County – one that will allow voters to drop ballots in “secure” collection boxes at their local City Hall (?) – a slapdash referendum hurried to the polls while voters still wait for a comprehensive list of prioritized projects. . .

Why?

Why were the results of the statutorily required Office of Program Policy and Government Accountability audit (which must be posted at least 60-days in advance of any local option tax referendum) arbitrarily removed from the Volusia County website on Friday – then mysteriously re-posted on Monday afternoon?

According to our “new” County Manager George Recktenwald, the audit results were taken down to give the county council a “chance to review it.”

Say what?

Hey, Georgie – this performance audit wasn’t completed to satisfy the nervous curiosity of those compromised shysters on the dais of power – the audit was done to satisfy the well-earned suspicions of their long-suffering constituents.

It was a means of protecting our interests and provide some level of outside oversight to this crude process which has commingled public funds and staff time with cold hard cash from those private interests who stand to benefit most.

Why didn’t you conniving shitheels give everyone the opportunity to “review the results” simultaneously? 

Why was it necessary to screw up something as simple as posting the performance audit results with a modicum of transparency?

Why?

 Why did a plan to widen Howland Boulevard between Providence and Elkcam Boulevards in Deltona, which was previously identified as a “fully funded” project on a 2017 River-to-Sea Transportation Planning Organization priority list for gas tax and transportation bond funding, also appear on the current half-cent sales tax wish list?

Why can’t anyone in Volusia County government produce a credible accounting for the money already allocated for the Howland widening and other projects identified under our current $65 million transportation bond?

Why is our highly-paid County Manager now allowing county mouthpiece Joanne Magley to field sensitive questions regarding why already funded transportation projects are now showing up as sales tax priorities?

If funding was available for infrastructure considered critical in 2017 – why wasn’t the project put out to bid two years ago?  And if it wasn’t – how in the hell can anyone say with certainty that construction costs are “more expensive than originally envisioned?”

Why?

Why were We, The People promised that the much-ballyhooed advisory review committee would provide independent oversight and prevent the abject waste, fraud, reallocation and mismanagement inherent to any county-run project – yet, in reality, under the terms of the ordinance it’s a toothless watchdog – with “no decision making authority” – whose members are merely “nominated” by the municipalities, but “appointed” by royal edict of the county council – and serve completely at the whim and “will of the county council?   

So much for any semblance of autonomous outside review. . . 

Why?

Why didn’t our municipal and county governments establish, and adequately fund, a strategic plan for the repair and replacement of key transportation infrastructure and essential utilities?

And don’t try to pass off that goofy federal and state cash clearinghouse over at the Transportation Planning Organization – a hot air generator populated with many of the same elected dullards who got us mired in the mess in the first place – as being a legitimate intermodal transportation planning agency.

Why?

Why do our elected officials continue to funnel money to the private interests of uber-wealthy political insiders ($40 million to ISC for their “synergistic” One Daytona project, $4.5 million to Tanger Outlets, $15+ million to gazillionaire insurance intermediary Brown & Brown to underwrite construction of their corporate headquarters, a probable $1 million annual squeeze on the citizens of Daytona Beach for upkeep of the proposed J. Hyatt and Cici Brown Grande Esplanade, a potential $8.77 million to payoff state officials to drop century-old deed restrictions on City Island and make way for private development, etc., etc.) all while allowing a potential public infrastructure crisis to reach an estimated $1.4 billion countywide?

Why?

Why, with citizens being asked to go in their own pockets for a collective $45 million annually to avoid drinking their own recycled sewage, does the Volusia County Council still refuse to implement a fiscal integrity ordinance – or at least halt the long-standing, pernicious practice of allowing politically unaccountable senior staff to reallocate funds and amend the previous decisions of elected policymakers without their knowledge or approval?

Why would our elected officials ask that we hand even more of our hard-earned money over to these demonstrably inept bureaucrats who have proven, time-and-again, that they are patently incapable of effectively managing funds and projects that have been previously entrusted to them?

Why?

With just weeks until we are asked to vote on perhaps the most important civic decision of our time, these disturbing questions, turmoil and utter sense of confusion remain.

If there is any positive to come out of this incredibly expensive shit-show, it is that this creepy process has exposed just how grossly disorganized and horribly fractured Volusia County has become after years of mismanagement, oligarchical rule and strategic rot.

Trust me.  If this blundering attempt to pass a local sales tax increase represents the very best effort of our political elite – we’re doomed.

So, the next time your mayor, council member or commissioner comes before you groveling for your sacred vote that will return them to office for more of the same – or some politically unaccountable shill tries to convince you why your family should throw good money after bad to these same inept assholes who got us into the predicament in the first place – ask them the simple question:

Why? 

 

 

 

 

 

Late last night, a smart friend read an online piece by the outstanding reporter Eileen Zaffiro-Kean in The Daytona Beach News-Journal entitled, “Jewel for Sale? Daytona Beach looks to clear way for private development on City Island,” and remarked that, to the uninitiated, Barker’s View might appear to be the ramblings of a weird soothsayer.

The work of some prescient seer with the clairvoyant ability to tell the future – citing the fact that my bizarre opinions on the important issues of the day invariably prove true in time.

As an example, my friend quoted from a piece I wrote almost exactly one year ago entitled, The Grand Plan:

“Regular readers of this forum know that I harbor a conspiracy theory that, based upon mounting evidence, our ‘powers that be’ have secretly constructed a “Grand Plan” for the future of the Halifax area – something the rest of us, to include our current elected officials in municipal and county government, know nothing about.

In my warped mind, this well-orchestrated blueprint was hatched by Volusia’s powerful camarilla of political insiders – the uber-wealthy donor class who have gained near total control of our democratic processes through massive campaign contributions to hand-select candidates – and a willingness to groom and protect (now former) County Manager Jim Dinneen, despite his many glaring shortcomings.

I also believe that this scheme was clandestinely advanced under cover of darkness without any public input and outside any normal or reasonable budget, planning or oversight processes.

Why?

To ensure that all the right last names receive maximum return on their financial investment in developing and fostering this bastardized political process we call “local government” in Volusia County.

Payday is coming – and everyone who is anyone is already posted at the trough.

In fact, I believe we have been seeing the puzzle pieces drop into place for the past several years.”

Then – the Word According to Barkstradomus:

“And, if our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley’s, verbal slip can be believed – we can kiss public facilities and amenities on City Island goodbye when they package and sell that sweet slice of the pie to some speculative developer.

(Trust me.  City Island is necessary to complete the “package” – and they will be coming for it.)

Then, last fall, the recognized High Panjandrum of Political Power, J. Hyatt Brown, demanded (by threatening to take his football and move to Atlanta) and immediately received, some $15.5-million tax dollars to develop a monolithic headquarters with his name at the top, also in Downtown Daytona.

(Interestingly, that figure almost exactly matches the $15.8-million in public funds Volusia County used to extend Williamson Boulevard to permit direct access to Political Potentate Mori Hosseini’s Woodhaven mega-residential development in Port Orange.)   

Now, our own Camera stellata over at the Volusia CEO Business Alliance – a private consortium of quadrillionaires who, under the stewardship of the American Music Festival’s own Dr. Kent Sharples, figure out inventive ways to use our money to fund their projects – is spending freely to “educate” the great unwashed hoards who exist solely to fill scullery jobs and pay exorbitant fees and taxes – on why we should welcome yet another money grab in the form of a half-cent sales tax this fall.”

At the time, I was laughed at by our ‘powers that be’ – labeled a heretic and dismissed as a madman whose opinions were little more than maniacal ravings.

Now, the evidence has become too shocking to ignore. . .

According to the News-Journal, Daytona Beach officials have been mysteriously working “behind the scenes” to remove century-old deed restrictions on some 97-acres of public lands comprised of City Island, Manatee Island, Riverfront Park (soon to be known as the J. Hyatt Brown Grande Esplanade) and adjacent parcels “…so they can ink deals with private developers interested in the public land.”

Wow.

You see, over 100 years ago when these beautiful spoil islands were deeded to the City of Daytona Beach, the caveat was that the land had to be used exclusively for “public purposes forever,” and would return to the State of Florida if the city ever sold or leased it to a private entity for any private use.

Well, in this mercenary era where the rich get richer and those of us who pay the bills are expected to suffer in silence – the term “forever” means exactly jack shit.

You see, in December 2018, former Governor Rick Scott and his cabinet voted to lift all of the deed restrictions on the City Island property – so long as the citizens of Daytona Beach agreed to pay the state some $8.77 million.

Jesus.  That was bold even by Slick Rick’s fast and loose standards. . .

Now, freshman state Representative Elizabeth Fetterhoff (R-DeLand) has filed a bill to allow all of the restrictions to be dropped for free – apparently arguing that since the land is already owned by taxpayers, one government entity shouldn’t be forced to pay another for it.

Whatever.

This news sent a shock-wave through the Halifax area – with many coming to the sudden realization that their worst fears have finally been realized.

Rather than calm the fears of his anxious constituents, Daytona Beach City Manager Jim Chisholm essentially called anyone who felt blindsided by this sneak thievery fools for not figuring this byzantine scheme out on their own:

“We had meetings with the City Commission when it was talked about,” Chisholm said. “It was not a secret. Everybody who was paying attention knew about it.”

Bullshit.

Even the ultimate insider, King J. Hyatt Brown, who is actively breaking ground on a $60 million glass and steel headquarters building for his billion-dollar insurance company just steps away from the property – and donating some $15 million to renovate Riverfront Park – told his subjects that he was also dumbstruck by Mr. Chisholm’s revelations.

I can assure you that no one pays closer attention to the machinations of government than J. Hyatt Brown – so, someone’s not telling us the whole truth – and Mr. Brown doesn’t strike me as someone who likes surprises. . .

Apparently, Mayor Henry was well aware of the intrigue – commenting that if Ms. Fetterhoff’s bill fails, he is prepared to scrounge the $8.77 million to pull the rug out from under his astonished constituents – even as he and his colleagues on the dais of power try and convince us to self-inflict a tax increase to pay for unchecked sprawl.

(Riddle me this: Why is it our elected officials can always find money to support the needs and whims of political insiders – yet cry the poor-mouth blues whenever it comes to providing essential infrastructure and public services?)

Look, I’m nothing special – a blind pig wandering the political wilderness of Florida’s fabled Fun Coast – tilting at windmills and haranguing those elected and appointed officials who have hijacked our system of governance and turned it into a cheap vendue, where the needs and wants of those of us who pay the bills have become a distant second to those of the ‘Rich & Powerful’ who rule like unaccountable potentates through their elected intermediaries.

But this is something different – more sinister – and infinitely more disturbing than our run-of-the-mill political cronyism.

It speaks to something darker – something that works against the concept of unity and community – and confirms our fears that municipal and county government have dissolved into little more than cheap facilitators for real estate developers and builders who, during our last election cycle, donated $1 of every $5 in campaign contributions to their hand-select candidates.

Once lost, the public trust is almost impossible to restore.  But no one who should seems to care about that anymore.

I urge you to pay attention, my friends.

This one bears watching.

 

 

Hi, kids!

The French philosopher, René Descartes’ liked to say “Cogito ergo sum” – I think, therefore I am.

Whatever that means. . .

Look, I’m the first to admit – I’m not the cerebral type – and my tendency toward guttural reaction, rather than thinking issues through to a logical conclusion, is the basis for what I’m sure will be my epitaph: ‘Whiskey and Bad Decisions.’

I like to say that the only thing that kept me out of college was high school.

Because it’s true.

I was a horrible student – and most of my academic life was spent trying to avoid the confines of places of higher learning.  For instance, during one grading cycle, I actually played hooky six-weeks out of a nine-week period.

Instead of boarding the bus and trundling off to Seabreeze Senior High School, I spent my days tramping the wild places, hunting and fishing the Tomoka Basin like some demented Huck Finn character.

Teachers would tell my long-suffering parents that I didn’t “apply” myself – and those high school aptitude tests repeatedly determined that, based upon my personality, skills and abilities, I was best suited for a career as a concrete garden gnome. . .

My SAT scores were so low that they skewed the national average downward for most of the late 1970’s – and I remember literally “Christmas-treeing” most of the Heart of Algebra section – with its weird hieroglyphics and linear equations mumbo-jumbo. . .

As a result, throughout my professional life I watched as those with a college education surged past me – invariably receiving jobs and promotional opportunities that my abysmal lack of education made me wholly unqualified for – and established a lifelong inferiority complex that left me feeling I never measured up to my peers who took the time to achieve academic degrees.

Because I didn’t.

As a result, I became the consummate experiential learner – a polished mimic who could perfectly emulate those qualities I admired in others – and, to make up for my educational deficit, I worked twice as hard at jobs most didn’t want as a way of proving my worth to the organization.

By the time I reached the pinnacle of my law enforcement career, I had served 26-years and learned every job in the agency – including sweeping the floor.

Trust me.  The School of Hard Knocks is the most expensive education imaginable.

Earlier this week, like most of the nation, I awoke to the news of a widespread college admissions scandal that shocked the conscience of anyone who ever worked their ass off to get accepted to a prestigious university – and exposed how wealth and privilege has compromised literally every social, civic and educational institution in America.

As I understand it, federal court records unsealed in Boston this week name 50 Hollywood celebrities, business leaders and uber-wealthy families who were indicted as part of a nationwide scheme to cheat on entrance exams, fake athletic recruitment and pay bribes to coaches and key administrators to get their children accepted to elite universities, such as Georgetown, Yale, USC and Stanford.

In my view, as tragic as this criminal scam is for those students who were denied entrance to make way for the undeserving offspring of the privileged few – closer to home, we are all victims of a similar pay-to-play system that allows the ‘Rich & Powerful’ near total control of our lives and livelihoods here on Florida’s fabled Fun Coast.

Now, we will collectively take perverse pleasure in this national moment of schadenfreude – watching smugly as a few B-list celebrities, pompous elites and greedy fixers slowly twist on the spit of what passes for public opinion in 2019 – while ignoring the fact our local Movers & Shakers are busy spending heavily to orchestrate a brazen money grab in concert with our elected officials, which, if successful, will take even more of our hard-earned money from our wallets and transfer it to theirs.

This is nothing new.

In coming weeks, I encourage everyone to pay close attention as these power brokers and their hired chattel do everything in their considerable sphere of influence to convince us that a sales tax increase is a “happy thing.”

Think – long and hard – about the ramifications of this tax grab, and consider the question of what ultimately happens if we continue to enable this ‘tax-and-spend’ mentality that has seen millions in public funds blatantly funneled to the private interests of many of the very same people and corporations who are now working overtime to convince us to give even more at the point-of-sale.

It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way.

Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was:

Asshole           Volusia County School District

The hits just keep on coming. . .

When I wrote about the abject failure of the School Board’s toothless dress code among high school students, it raised strong opinions on both sides of the standardization argument.

Some felt my criticism of Superintendent Tom Russell was unduly harsh – while others agreed that his failure to ensure a fair and consistent application of the rules is indicative of much more serious issues facing the district.

One reader, who noted she has children in two Volusia County high schools, felt my comment that some public schools “look more like a prison yard than a place of education and self-discovery” was insulting.

Perhaps it was.

While I meant no personal affront – I’m assuming the offended parent hasn’t seen the incredibly disturbing cellphone footage that emerged from Daytona Beach’s Seabreeze High School just weeks ago when hordes of warring students squared off – at least one armed with a box cutter – wilding, brawling and exchanging disgusting racial epithets.

Scenes that give prison yards a bad name. . .

Last weekend, The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s outstanding education reporter Cassidy Alexander confirmed in a front page/above the fold article, “Poor grades for high school uniforms,” that the School Board’s lack of legislative clarity – and Mr. Russell’s sloppy enforcement of the rules – are having a detrimental impact on the learning environment for high school students and teachers.

According to the report, “Although elementary and middle school principals said they like it and don’t face any significant challenges enforcing it, high school principals said the policy is hard to enforce, cuts into instructional time, encourages students to dislike school even more and is creating rifts between teachers.”

Incredibly, “Of the district’s nine high schools, four principals said less than 50 percent of students are in compliance each day; four more said it’s less than 75 percent.”

Wow.

In keeping with Superintendent Russell’s modus operandi – which values mediocrity and protecting the status quo over the pursuit of excellence in education – once again, a relatively minor issue of policy implementation and enforcement was allowed to reach a crisis point and become front page news.

Then, on Sunday, Mr. Tony Barhoo, principal of Living Faith Academy in Daytona Beach,  reported in the News-Journal’s Community Voices column, “When it comes to schools, parents know best,” the grim statistic that black and Hispanic students in Volusia County are falling through the cracks at an alarming rate.

According to Mr. Barhoo,  “There remains a huge achievement gap between students of color and white students in Volusia County. Black and Hispanic students in Volusia also trail black and Hispanic students elsewhere, scoring behind their counterparts statewide in every single tested grade. It’s no wonder that the graduation rate for black and Hispanic students in Volusia is dead last among the state’s biggest districts.”

I find that unconscionable.

If parents of Volusia County high school students aren’t enraged by this appalling indicator – they should be.

The districts inability to implement a school uniform policy is one thing – the fact our graduation rate for students of color is rock bottom among the state’s largest districts is something far more disturbing.

In my view, this is just one more example of the abject ineptitude and gross lack of leadership by Mr. Russell and his goofy “Cabinet” of  sycophantic sluggards who have become little more than crisis workers in the absence of a strategic vision that continues to fail students, teachers and taxpayers.

In my view, with a budget topping $840 million – this continuing course of conduct and gross organizational incompetence borders on criminal negligence. . .

But when the people you serve stop expecting anything of substance from you – and your elected “leadership” embrace averageness and poor performance as public policy – then underachievement and shoddy standards become ingrained in the culture of the organization.

That’s a dangerous combination when the education of our most precious resource is at stake.

Asshole           Volusia Roundtable of Elected Officials

I wrote about this earlier in the week under the header, “They know we’re watching, right?” 

For those who missed it:

The Knights of the Roundtable met earlier this week to get their collective story together on the proposed half-cent money grab that has consumed our elected and appointed officials literally to the exclusion of anything else.

The bellows for this building political conflagration is Steve Vancore, a professional windbag who has ramrodded successful sales tax initiatives in more than a dozen Florida counties.  Now, Vancore’s Clearview Research has been engaged by the Star Chamber over at the Volusia CEO Business Alliance to prepare the battlefield here.

On Monday, Mr. Vancore met with municipal mayors, city managers and county officials to give them a quick course in how to act human as they polish the turd and avoid their “natural tendency” to be defensive when their long-suffering, overtaxed constituents call bullshit. . .

According to an excellent article by the intrepid Dustin Wyatt in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “I would encourage you to lead with the positives. There isn’t anything to be defensive about,” Vancore said at a round table meeting of Volusia officials at the Daytona Beach International Airport.  “This is a happy thing for our community.  Every dollar of it stays right here.”

A happy thing?  Wow.

It’s a damnable tragedy is what it is.

The abject failure of our elected and appointed officials to hold their political benefactors accountable for adequate transportation impact fees for nearly two-decades – all while facilitating untold profits for their cronies in the real estate development community by permitting unchecked sprawl along the spine of Volusia County – then frightening their constituents with scary stories about what will happen to their quality of life in they fail to self-inflict a sales tax increase on all goods and services they purchase is an abomination.

But those greed-crazed assholes over at the Volusia CEO Business Alliance – who know well that this tax represents a pass-through from our wallet to theirs in the form of government contracts, road and infrastructure projects – aren’t taking any chances in this wretched race to relieve you and your family of even more of your hard-earned cash – and it’s painful to watch.

If this disgusting exercise has done anything, it has exposed the depth to which Volusia County politicians will sink with the right application of money.

The “referendum” that is being rushed to conclusion just ahead of state legislation which will shut the door on these nefarious money-grabs – appears to be taken directly from the playbook of Idi Amin – because it now bears no resemblance to a legitimate democratic election.

This week, we learned that Volusia County voters will be allowed the unprecedented option of dropping ballots off at “secure” boxes in City Halls – the latest twist in a weird first-of-its-kind “mail in” vote scheme – wholly orchestrated by the CEO Alliance and their consultant at Clearview Research to give this tax increase the best possible chance of passage.

My God.

Folks, this is what happens to our sacred systems of governance when We, The People are all that stand between political insiders who stand to benefit and an estimated $42-million in annual revenue.

We become a mere impediment that must be “reeducated” – and told that higher taxation at the point-of-sale is somehow a “happy thing” – even as those we have elected to represent our best interests prostrate themselves before those who purchased their very souls and now use them like cheap tools.

Angel              Bethune-Cookman University Athletics

 From the Barker’s View Sports Desk:

It’s proving to be a banner year for the Wildcat Nation – with the multi-talented Quamecha Morrison finishing second in the nation in the high jump last weekend at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championship in Birmingham, Alabama.

The senior from Beaufort, S.C., cleared six feet, one-half inch on her second try and was one of four to advance to 6′ 1 ½”.  Morrison cleared her first three jumps to earn the tie breaker over Loretta Blaut of Cincinnati and Sanna Barnes of Villanova.

According to reports, “She becomes the first B-CU female athlete to score at an NCAA national championship either indoor or outdoor and the first Wildcat to finish in the top eight since Joel Redhead and Ronnie Ash at the 2009 outdoors.”

In addition, last month, Bethune-Cookman Softball Head Coach Laura Watten registered her 700th career win!

The 2012 B-CU Hall of Famer spent nine seasons as Head Coach at the University of Maryland where she led the Terps to three straight NCAA Regionals.  Coach Watten first led the Wildcats from 1998 to 2005, taking B-CU to five MEAC titles, six regional appearances and a super-regional.

Watten returned to coach the Wildcats in 2014.

Kudos to these outstanding members of our community on their incredible success!

Asshole           Volusia County Council

Earlier this week, a Leon County judge rightfully denied Volusia County’s latest wrong-headed challenge to Amendment 10 – the voter approved initiative that will return constitutional authority to the office of sheriff, elections supervisor, clerk of court and property appraiser.

Now, our doddering fool of a County Chair, Ed Kelley, is joining County Attorney Dan “Cujo” Eckert in yet another push to appeal the ruling and perpetuate this incredibly expensive waste of time and effort.

Speaking in The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Ol’ Ed yammered, “We knew this wasn’t going to be easy.  We hoped that we would have prevailed, but this is just one step. The ruling from the bench may not necessarily be the ruling that would come from the higher court.”

It’s actually the third step, Ed. . .

This latest fail makes it a hat trick for “Cujo” Eckert – whose efforts on behalf of the majority of our wholly compromised County Council to thwart the will of the people and overturn our sacred vote – have been rejected by the courts twice before.

But when the oligarchical “status quo” is threatened by a vote of We, The People – apparently, no expense is too great to force their will over ours.

This push to overturn our vote began during an off-the-agenda action – following the Volusia County Council’s practice of “public policy by ambush” – a move that resulted in Sheriff Mike Chitwood rightfully mocking these vengeful gatekeepers for the “Rich & Powerful” as “scumbags.”

He’s right.

And Sheriff Chitwood wasn’t alone in his staunch support of allowing Volusia County voters to decide their own system of governance.

According to News-Journal reports, “The county’s challenge against the amendment was met by opposition from the Florida Association of Court Clerks and Florida Association of Tax Collectors. Even before Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper ruled against the county, the governor and secretary of state moved to dismiss Volusia’s complaint.”

The fact is, anyone paying attention knows that Volusia County trots out the Home Rule provisions of its charter whenever it suits its own selfish needs – and leaves it in the scabbard when allowing state law to override the will of the people serves the needs of the “system.”

Anyone remember the beach driving debate?

Way back in 2014, a group of intrepid residents formed a grassroots effort to amend Volusia County’s charter and impose a public referendum on every beach-driving restriction set by the Volusia County Council which would have put a quick end to the wholesale abuse and giveaway of our century-old heritage of beach access.

In turn, Cujo Eckert abandoned the Charter and rolled over like a neutered pup when he saw the detrimental impacts this would have on insider influence in the process, and he immediately proclaimed that the proposed amendment would be inconsistent with state statute.

What followed was a bloody battle fought all the way to the Fifth District Court of Appeals which saw Cujo suing his own constituents – with our own money – to protect the status quo.

Where was the hue and cry by our elected and appointed officials to protect Home Rule when citizens asked for a say in protecting Volusia County’s most important economic driver?    

It seems whenever the citizens of Volusia County seek to use their sacred vote to effect positive change – our ‘powers that be’ have no qualms about using our hard-earned tax dollars to fight us in the courts.

In the case of Amendment 10 – Volusia County insiders are scared shitless about losing control if voters are allowed to make decisions and balance power.

It was painfully evident during the beach driving debacle – and increasingly apparent during this shameless push for a half-cent sales tax – wherein the millionaires of the Volusia CEO Business Alliance, with the complete acquiescence of their hired chattel on the dais of power – have manipulated a weird mail-in ballot scheme which bears no resemblance to any legitimate election we have seen before for the sole purpose of controlling the outcome.

You see, as a smart former Volusia County council member recently said to me, “The fuss isn’t about Home Rule.  No, it’s about who rules.”

Quote of the Week

“Commissioners need to stop dragging their feet and get this rolling. There are a lot of empty brick-and-mortar restaurants in Daytona Beach. We should encourage all small business, or more of it will leave.”

–John Santy, Port Orange, writing in The Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Letters to the Editor, “No reason to limit food trucks,” March 13, 2019

One of the most frequent complaints I receive from readers of my goofy screeds are the almost institutionalized impediments to entrepreneurial investment and small business starts in the City of Daytona Beach.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask anyone who has attempted to start a business – even in the moldering ruins of Main Street or Downtrodden Downtown – about the onerous hoops they were required to jump through by officious bureaucrats at City Hall before being granted the right to pursue their livelihood.

The process resembles a scene from some backwater Banana Republic – with a sleepy government official in a rancid uniform repeatedly inking the rubber-stamp that the hapless applicant needs before advancing to the next level of the byzantine bureaucracy.

Some would-be entrepreneurs I have spoken with simply gave up and moved their enterprise to surrounding communities who value investment, while others spent thousands in precious start-up funds to hire attorneys to guide them through the maze toward the illusive piece of cheese – a business tax receipt.

For months, owners of food trucks – which have coexisted with established restaurants in more sophisticated areas for decades – have been fighting an uphill battle against our elected and appointed officials at City Hall just to ply their wares in Daytona Beach.

The same is true in the Kingdom of Ormond Beach where the City Commission recently refused to allow food truck operators to earn a living outside of community-wide events and craft breweries. . .

Daytona Beach City Commissioners seem intent on using their petty legislative powers to skew the playing field – damning the idea of fair competition in a free and open marketplace where survival of the best might adversely impact existing brick-and-mortar restaurants.

That’s not the role of an elected body.

Look, by any metric the Halifax area has a grim reputation as a social, artistic and cultural wasteland – a place where anything other than a godforsaken chain restaurant has a life expectancy of about six-months, a Buc-ee’s gas station makes us feel all haughty and high-brow – and anyone with an idea that doesn’t fit neatly in the box of civic conformity is allowed to wither and die under the crushing weight of red tape, rules and formalities.

Sad.

In my view, it is this gross governmental manipulation of the free market that has resulted in this crushing artificial service economy – based upon the same five uber-wealthy insiders passing the same nickel around – that continues to allow elected officials to pick winners and losers by injecting millions of tax dollars into the private profit motives of all the right last names.

After all, when you stack the deck with bought-and-paid-for politicians – then demand tax abatement, infrastructure improvements and weird “public/private” partnerships which always seem to benefit the “private” side of the equation and eliminate any risk or overhead – it’s incredibly hard for outsiders to compete.

To those long-suffering food truck operators who can’t catch a break, I would suggest spending lavishly during the next election cycle – showering massive campaign contributions on those political puppets backed by our High Panjandrums of Political Power – then watch your fortunes begin to change for the better.

And Another Thing! 

Last summer, The Civitas Project, a private, non-profit corporation in strategic alliance with Stetson University, its Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience and its Center for Community Engagement, published an essay written by former Volusia County Manager Larry Arrington entitled, “Volusia County Government: A New Day Dawning.”

(Mr. Arrington’s excellent piece can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/y45mzznn )

The article was written in the immediate aftermath of former County Manager Jim Dineen’s abrupt departure in June 2018, and expertly details the challenges and opportunities presented for our current Volusia County Council – along with sound suggestions for consideration by our elected representatives which, inexplicably, remain wholly ignored.

With county officials currently travelling the width and breadth of this salty piece of land with their weird medicine show designed to sell us on the “benefits” of self-inflicting a sales tax increase on all goods and services your family and mine spend our hard-earned money on – I thought it would be fun to take a look back at a few of Mr. Arrington’s prescient thoughts.

Many I speak with are concerned that – with little more than two-months before the countywide referendum, we still haven’t received a comprehensive list of projects for review – a situation smart people believe sets the stage for our demonstrably compromised politicians to essentially do what they want – when they want – in the absence of a prioritized strategy or any legitimate outside supervision.

I know we’ve been promised that a mysterious citizen oversight board will be appointed sometime after the vote – not before – but, we’ve been promised a lot of things.

If history repeats, we also know that any committee of political appointees will be comprised of all the right last names. . .

In my view, Mr. Arrington explained the basis for our concerns well when he wrote:

“Once the council allocates money, the funds should be earmarked and used for that purpose, absent a conscious council decision to change course.  Peculiar to Volusia County, the staff has the power to transfer or reallocate funds, changing council decisions in the process.  The allocated money is spent elsewhere, and no one—neither the citizens nor the council—need be the wiser. Council may ultimately approve such reallocations— after the fact. The county government needs greater fiscal integrity to ensure that its financial practices are consistent with the direction of the council and with sound financial management principles.”

For instance, in the early 2000’s, the county bonded some $65 million to address transportation infrastructure projects – what happened to it?

Given Volusia County’s propensity for pulling the “old switcheroo” – how do we know with certainty that transportation projects that were earmarked for road improvement bond funding won’t now appear on the sales tax wish list because the money was shuffled elsewhere?

Should we merely take their word for it?

My ass.

We are told that the results of an “audit” required by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability before the sales tax increase can proceed will be posted for our review later today.

Great.

Perhaps these nagging questions surrounding Volusia County’s pernicious three-card-monte scheme will be revealed?

Don’t bet on it. . .

Among the many entrenched challenges facing us, Mr. Arrington noted, “County government has abandoned its responsibility to lead on major regional issues, preferring instead a myopic “circle the wagons” and cost/responsibility-shifting approach to governance.”

 I agree.

Now, our ‘powers that be’ are once again attempting to shift the cost and responsibility for their abject failure to properly manage growth to We, The People in the form of this barefaced money grab that, we are led to believe, is the only thing standing between us and transportation Armageddon.

These inept assholes should be ashamed of themselves.

Friends, there are a lot of unanswered questions remaining – and time is growing short until we will be asked to participate in a sham “referendum” on this shameless tax increase – which, if it passes, will pour even more of our hard-earned money into the gaping maw of this insatiable, and wholly unaccountable, bureaucratic machine.

According to The Civitas Project, “Experience and scholarship also teach that a quality political institution offers: 1) a high respect for ethics and the rule of law; 2) a commitment to resourcing public services adequately, so agencies can perform their functions well; and 3) a strong ethic of accountability, transparency, and honesty in all government activities.

Unfortunately, Volusia County government has proven – through its opaqueness and actions – that it has none of these important attributes.

In fact, it abhors them.

That is why I hope you will join me in voting “No” on the proposed half-cent sales tax.

That’s all for me – have a great weekend!