Anyone ever get duped into a game of Three Card Monte?

You take the Ace of Hearts and two black queens and bend them into a tent shape.  Then the practiced hand of a street grifter flips them around a few times.  The rube bets he can find the ace.

Looks simple enough, right?

But he can’t.

See, the dealer has a shill in the audience that distracts the rube just long enough. . ., well, you get the rest.

You will never guess the right card – unless the grifter wants to build your confidence so you double-down and bet the farm – because that’s the way the scam is intended.

And it works every time.

This morning I rolled out of bed and took my daily dose of local news.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal is reporting that our friends at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University just made a very generous investment in the speculative financing game with a $1-million-dollar gift to the FireSpring Fund which provides “seed capital” for promising start-ups.

The Orlando-based fund is a weird mix of public and private money that seeks to “create an eco-system for entrepreneurs, technologists and the creative class” in Central Florida.  In my view, it’s just another corporate welfare scheme designed to teach budding tycoons that in 2017 you no longer need to stand on your own two feet – not when every local government is throwing ‘economic incentives’ at you, anyway.

I say let the “creative class” get off their ass and build a business the old-fashioned way – through the competition of goods and services in the marketplace.  See, it’s not government’s job to fund your ventures with my tax dollars – especially when my fucking roads aren’t getting paved, etc.

But I digress. . .  (Deep breath.  Calm down, Mark. . .)

Interestingly, regular readers of this forum might recall that our elected and appointed officials rolled over and peed all over themselves in the County Council chambers when Mori Hossieni and Interim ERAU President Karen Holbrook came to collect their $1.5 million dollars of our hard-earned tax dollars.

Not including the parcel of public land we simply gave away to the private university for half its assessed value.

Yep.  We sold Embry-Riddle the Volusia County maintenance facility across the street from the new Micaplex near Clyde Morris Boulevard and the Bellevue Extension for a paltry $400,000 – that’s a 50% bargain basement price from its assessed value of $800,000+ on the free market.

Anyone who still believes that county manager Jim Dinneen isn’t facilitating the greatest corporate welfare giveaway in the history of local government need look no further than this farcical financial shell game.

Through a not-so-subtle sleight of hand, Mori Hosseini requests (demands) $1.5 million-dollars ostensibly to benefit Embry-Riddle – where he sits as the powerful Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and last year was exposed has having taken $1.5 million dollars from the university in “office leases, utilities and aircraft charter services” between 2010 and 2012.

(Wait, can that be legal?  Sorry – this is Florida – the rules are different here.)

Now, months later, the apparently flush university makes a very generous cash donation of $1 million dollars to the FireSpring Fund – apparently to buy their involvement in funding potential startups at the Micaplex – a “technology center” that has so far proven to be the biggest local, state and federal tax sponge ever devised.

Of course, the other half-million covers the cost of the public land purchase – and Embry-Riddle pockets a cool $600K in immediate equity on the deal.  Which will probably go out the back door in office leases, utilities and aircraft charter services, etc. etc.  Who knows?

How neatly packaged.

And conveniently confusing.

According to the News-Journal article, “The idea to fund Fire-Spring is fairly recent and came up after ERAU secured a $1.5 million grant from the Volusia County Council, Hossieni said.”

“The county has to be commended for doing this because this is the result of it,” Hossieni said.”

“This will bring high-paying jobs to the community.”

(Remember the code word is: “Jobs.”  Always, “Jobs.”)

And besides, I’ll just bet a $1 million-dollar check buys a lot of clout in deciding which “startups” get funded – and which wither on the vine.

In my opinion, having studied Mori’s Machiavellian attempts to control virtually everything within his domain, I seriously doubt this money – having been washed through ERAU – doesn’t come with a few unwritten strings attached.

Plus, it adds a plausible buffer between the man, and the funding decision.

It’s a damnable travesty that a private university with as many internal problems as Embry-Riddle – the fiefdom of one man who casts a very large shadow – continues to permit this level of personal manipulation of government funding and endowments.

Boss Hossieni does what he wants – when he wants – and he could give two-shits about the needs, wants and opinions of those whose tuition pays the bills – the professors and staff who present the curriculum – or the taxpayers who fund the speculative investments.

Every hardworking resident of Volusia County who struggles and sacrifices to pay taxes in support of this bloated, caustic and horribly mismanaged plutocracy we call county government has skin in this weird money shuffle.

Once we were Patrons of the University – now, we find that we are just mere pawns in a massive corporate welfare scheme.

As I’ve said, ad nauseum, it is high time for the university’s oversight authority to commission an independent external review of ERAU’s governance practices – to include an investigation of Volusia County’s strange relationship with Mr. Hosseini and the wholesale giveaway of public funds.

Remember this the next time one of these fucking drones we elected asks for one red cent more in taxes.

Please.  Remember this.

 

 

 

I originally posted this essay in September 2016 in response to Canadian developer Heron Group’s plan to build a luxury apartment complex in Midtown – in exchange for some $15-million in tax-funded ‘incentives’.  

Kudos to the City of Daytona Beach for standing firm and opposing this blatant corporate ripoff:

Whenever you travel to forested areas – or even in some suburban settings – you find signs that wildlife officials have posted warning, “Don’t Feed the Bears.”

When bears range beyond their increasingly limited habitat and begin foraging for food outside their normal diet – household trash, dog food, etc. – it not only increases the chances of negative interactions with humans, but also dulls their natural instincts and makes them vulnerable to harm when they lose the skill and drive to fend for themselves.

Biologists tell us that whenever we attempt to treat wild animals like house pets – to make their lives easier by “helping” them – we upset the natural balance and foster artificial habits that can be dangerous, both for the bear, and the person feeding them.

It also encourages other bears to come around looking for the same “free” food handouts.

They go from being apex predators to fat, lethargic Yogi Bear-types who have figured out a convenient way to avoid doing what is necessary to thrive and dominate in their natural environment.

The same can be said of private corporations seeking increasingly lucrative “economic development” incentives in Volusia County.

Whenever I hear of yet another “great idea” I try to view it from various perspectives.  I find that when you contemplate issues critically, like a good chess player, you often find that there are as many negative outcomes as there are positives.

I also speak to smart people and get their take.  The insight and informed opinions of others is critical.

It’s called strategic thinking, and it allows you to reason through tough problems and develop sound solutions through the debate of competing ideas.

This process is rarely, if ever, used in government.

That usually means city and county officials will invariably – almost instinctively – ignore the public interest and consider the most improbable course of action possible in any given situation – always viewed through the lens of what our influential political insiders want or need.

But one things for sure – they don’t need or want our input.  No one cares what you think.

It’s just one reason why every board of trustees or governmental advisory committee in the region is populated by the same people – or at least by those controlled by the same people.  It’s bad for business when the peasants get involved – just shut up and pay for it.

I was reminded of this when the Heron Development Group, a Canadian company whose market research apparently tells them that building a luxury apartment complex in the heart of Daytona Beach’s Midtown – a challenged neighborhood that has suffered from blight, crime, poverty and a general lack of hope for many, many years – is a great idea.

I was curious whether or not Heron’s site development folks actually visited the area, which on certain nights can take on the appearance of a war zone – gangs, shootings, drugs, apathy and chronic victimization.  I mean, did they speak to anyone who actually lives there?

Then, we learned the rest of the story.

Initial plans called for the Heron Group to build a 220-unit upscale complex on South Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard with apartments priced in the $20,000+ per year range.

Unfortunately, in addition to the $1,700 average monthly rent, the development’s finance plan also called for a $15 million cash infusion from the citizens of Daytona Beach.  Including a $3.6 million construction grant – with a promise of $613,000 up front to cover permitting expenses and the purchase of additional property.

Wow.

According to City Commissioner Rob Gilliland, Heron’s request represents “the largest incentive package ever for a project in Daytona Beach.”

As the back-and-forth continued, the Heron Group finally settled on a whittled down tax abatement scheme worth $3.6 million over time.

Whether or not the project ever comes out of the ground is anyone’s guess.

In my view, Daytona’s core deserves new development – in fact, revitalization is the only thing that will ultimately change the cycle of blight and economic depression that has paralyzed the area for decades.  The residents deserve modern amenities, convenient retail outlets, casual restaurants, access to neighborhood healthcare providers, and affordable housing options that go beyond Section 8 “projects” and subsidized housing.

The City of Daytona Beach can help that process by using tax dollars for effective code enforcement and increased police/fire protection, streamlining residential improvement permitting, supporting increased home-ownership, facilitating neighborhood clean-up projects, setting performance metrics for those receiving redevelopment funds, ensuring adequate public amenities and infrastructure improvement projects that improve the feel of the area, build an identity, and foster community pride.

Is Midtown currently the best location for the highest priced luxury apartment complex in the City of Daytona Beach?

I don’t know.

What I do know is that regardless of what is ultimately built, it could very well be the catalyst for positive change.  It shouldn’t be dismissed out-of-hand.

Let’s get to the net-net:

From my perspective, the Heron Group’s audacious initial demand for $15 million in taxpayer dollars to pay for expenses most developers assume as the cost of doing business is clearly indicative of all that’s wrong with our current economic development incentives.

It’s also a dire warning of what’s to come, because it exposes how our area is perceived.

Given our regions history of financially supporting speculative developers, private universities, retail outlets, and various “business incubators” – along with Forbes-listed billionaires – why wouldn’t Volusia County be on the radar of every CEO seeking a corporate welfare check?

When you consider the tens of millions in tax dollars that have been diverted to private industry in Volusia County – then search in vain for the public gain in core areas, such as East International Speedway Boulevard, Midtown, the “E-Zone,” Main Street, etc., etc. – one begins to ask the natural question, “Where is our return on investment?”

When you factor in the cash infusions, on-going property tax abatement, tax increment financing, infrastructure improvements, and innumerable other public incentives, one can see how this artificial “feeding” of certain corporate interests can alter the natural balance of the regional marketplace.

Where are the jobs and improved quality of life they repeatedly promised would result from this perverted use of our tax dollars?

Why do we continue to do the same thing over and over while expecting different results, when the evidence clearly demonstrates that these incentives have neutral or minor fiscal impacts in the community?

Over a decade ago, a seminal study published in the Journal of the American Planning Association cast serious and demonstrable doubt on the integration of financial incentives in local economic development plans:

“It seems to us that there is a need for a radical transformation of policy ideas on how we achieve local economic growth and how we get people working. The standard justifications given for incentive policy by state and local officials, politicians, and many academics are, at best, poorly supported by the evidence.”

 If so, why is shoveling good money after bad still the very foundation of Volusia’s economic development efforts?

And most of all – Qui Bono?  Who ultimately benefits?

 I believe we deserve answers to these questions from our elected and appointed officials.

Trust me.  These speculative developers and corporate greedheads will continue to pour into Volusia County like Genghis Khan’s hordes.  Blood is in the water, and everyone wants to guzzle from the public tit while the big money flows.

Get used to it – and more important – know your role.

Your job is to feed the machine.

Nothing more, nothing less.

 

 

 

From the painfully obvious file, I’m not a runner.

Since I retired from police work, I’m not chasing anybody – and nobody is chasing me.  Besides, my military service cured me of two things:  Camping and running for pleasure.

While I understand the health benefits of lacing up some fancy neon shoes and pounding the pavement – it’s just not for me.

My doctor is a great medicine man who has kept me tuned and patched for nearly 20-years now, but he is absolutely consumed with long-distance running and biking.  He and I are about the same age, and he routinely competes in various endurance races and physical contests that border on masochism.

I have another friend who thinks nothing of getting on a feather-lite racing bicycle and putting in 60-miles in an afternoon.  He claims to receive some euphoric feeling – a sudden release of endorphin’s (I think).  It apparently has an addictive effect and keeps the pedals churning.

Whenever I come upon him peddling along in my traffic lane, I give him a taste of the chrome just to nudge him over and ensure a healthy respect for the motoring public.

I hate to say it, but I get the same giddy sensation from a quick six pack of Bud heavy.  And, when done right, I don’t need a shower afterward.

At 5’-11” and 230lbs., with a pack-a-day habit and a permanent ashen complexion, I’m what doctor’s call a “high miler.”

Hell, even my own aerobically-obsessed physician knows that running would pulverize my knees into powder and grind what’s left of my hips into bone splinters.

No. I avoid running at all costs.

Besides, I don’t look good in spandex.

Neither does County Manager Jim Dinneen, but that doesn’t seem to stop him.

Naturally, Jimmy is a runner – it’s ostensibly a hobby, but he still finds a way to burn through public funds while he puts in the miles.

Last weekend “thousands” (although the actual number of participants is still being argued) of runners gathered at the Daytona International Speedway for the highly-touted “Daytona Half Marathon” – sponsored by DIS, Brown-n-Brown Insurance, and, well, you and me.

Yep.  Mr. Dinneen is convinced the annual event will become the “next big thing” so he has no problem throwing our tax dollars into the mix.

Exactly how this expenditure of public funds benefits the greater public interest has yet to be fully explained (I’m sure it has something to do with “jobs”) – but anytime Brown-n-Brown or DIS is in the mix, it seems our hard-earned tax dollars aren’t far behind.

This year, you and I contributed some $40,000 to the Daytona Half Marathon (not counting services), money that was washed through the tax-funded Halifax Area Advertising Authority ($25,000), the Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority ($15,000), and the West Volusia Advertising Authority ($5,000).  (Whew!  That’s a lot of advertising authorities!)

You know what gives me the pre-race diarrhea?

The fact that our elected and appointed officials have the utter gall to whine, ad nauseum, that we are completely and horribly broke in terms of transportation infrastructure funds – while we continue to throw precious tax dollars at every bullshit whim, want, and corporate welfare scheme of our uber-wealthy power brokers – and mismanage what is now a horribly bloated $800+ million-dollar annual budget.

It gets back to the age-old question of what government should do, and how much should it tax to do it?

In my view, one positive to come out of our $40K investment in Little Jimmy’s latest folly was the fact that we finally got our Volusia County council members in ‘racing suits’ – coveralls emblazoned with the names and corporate logos of their sponsors.

I’ve been advocating this for years.

Given the massive amount of corporate campaign contributions in county races, in my view, our elected officials should be required to put the insignia of their patrons on the sleeve of their jersey – right out there for everyone to see.

The symbolism of News-Journal Editor Pat Rice as the cream filling in a sandwich of council members Heather Post and Billie Wheeler, each wearing suits festooned with Brown-n-Brown, International Speedway Corporation, etc. etc. insignia, was not lost on us yokels up here in the cheap seats.

It’s what we call in the business, “bad optics.”

Speaking of the bought-and-paid-for class, Jimmy’s fun run came on the heels of the highly-feted Team Volusia Gala at the tony Mori Hosseini Center.

In a follow-up article in the Daytona Beach News-Journal entitled, “Team Volusia dinner big on enthusiasm, short on details,” business correspondent Clayton Parks wrote, “Team Volusia’s annual dinner was long on celebration but somewhat short when it came to offering details regarding how the group can take its efforts to boost the local economy to the next level.”

Indeed.

But the photographs which accompanied the article just oozed swank.

Our movers-and-shakers, all in their finery, rubbing elbows, air-kissing, and sipping white wine – wow – simply elegant.

I didn’t attend the soiree.

Instead, I took a somber drive around the beachside – our core tourist area, and the main economic engine of our county – and took in the unkempt streets, the blighted commercial and residential properties, the empty storefronts and weed-strewn vacant lots, the stumbling homeless, the knocked down fences with boards and slats akimbo, and the gaudy airbrushed signage on the temporary storefronts which anchor our “here today, gone tomorrow” economy where a few get fat on tax-funded ‘economic incentives’ and the rest eat shit and die.

And I thought to myself, “How in God’s holy name can these people look at themselves in the mirror after accepting awards and empty accolades for their “leadership” of this unfathomable debacle – this economic and humanitarian tragedy?” 

I still don’t have an answer.

I’ll just bet they don’t either.

Here’s a riddle for you:  Which has more common sense and public approval, Flagler Beach City Commissioner Kim Carney?  Or a pile of rocks?

Anyone who has driven A-1-A through the quaint beach community lately has noticed the growing number of cairns – rocks carefully placed one atop another to form a small tower of stacked stones.

Since prehistory, cairns have been built by societies and individuals for a variety of purposes, from trail markers and navigational aids to sentimental memorials and personal commemorations.

And sometimes, they are constructed by tourists and locals in small beach towns just for fun.

Last week, my little niece and I took the coast road from St. Augustine to Ormond Beach, and as we passed the short stretch in Flagler Beach, she pointed and smiled – noting how “cool” the rock formations were as we tried to count them driving past.

She wanted to stop, get some ice cream, and check out the cairns.  You know, actually visit the community and contribute to the local economy in some small way.

How unique is that?

When she asked who made the interesting structures, I responded that it was most likely beach walkers having a little fun with the erosion protection rocks.  But then I thought to myself, maybe these strange structures are some mysterious monument to the abject stupidity of government intervention in the natural process – and the mean-spiritedness of some small-town politicians?

After all, the Brainiac’s at the Florida Department of Transportation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers believe that doing the same thing over-and-over again while expecting a different result is good public policy – and a sound use of our hard-earned tax dollars.

“Let’s see, we piled granite and coquina stones at the dune line to prevent erosion – and Hurricane Matthew took our rocks – and half of A-1-A – with it.  So, what should we do?” 

 “I know!  Let’s pile more granite and coquina stones on the dune line.  Good idea!”

The Corps of Engineers is currently “studying” beach renourishment options, and the initial design phase won’t be finalized until the middle of the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season. . .

Naturally, whenever people actually attempt to derive some level of pleasure, relaxation, or enjoyment from their public beach invariably the “Fun Police” arrive on-scene and put the kibosh on that shit.

Enter Flagler Beach City Commissioner Kim Carney.

In a recent Daytona Beach News-Journal article entitled, “Stone stacks piling up in Flagler Beach,” Commissioner Carney is quoted, “They’re getting too high, they’re too distracting.”

“The height is just getting out of control.”

“People aren’t even supposed to be over there,” Carney said of the stretch of S.R. A1A where most of the cairns have appeared over the past several weeks. “It’s a construction area, it’s posted ‘No Trespassing.'”

Out of control?  What a nit-picking asshole.

“I believe those rocks are there for a purpose, and they’re not being used for that purpose,” she said.

At what point do certain elected officials transition from public servant to boarding school rector with a God complex?

Especially one that is up for re-election. . .

Politicians like Kim Carney wouldn’t know fun, or a bright idea, if it bit them on the backside – let alone their role in governing a small tourist community.  But they damn sure know how to throw their weight around and crush anything they don’t understand.

For example, does anyone remember Commissioner Carney’s wholly inappropriate involvement in a sexual battery case involving James McDevitt – the son of long-time Flagler Auditorium Director Lisa McDevitt – who pled guilty in 2015 to violently raping a woman in Flagler Beach?

I do.

In an excellent editorial on the sordid ugliness by Pierre Tristam in FlaglerLive entitled, “The Inappropriate Commissioner Kim Carney,” wrote:

“Carney is a friend of the 22-year old’s mother, Lisa McDevitt, and has led fund-raisers on her behalf. No one begrudges that involvement. But Carney went much further. She sought to discredit the victim of the rape and elicit a story from FlaglerLive to that effect, while also attacking the local judicial system and the victim’s advocate system.”

Did I mention that Commissioner Carney sits on the Flagler Auditorium Governing Board?

Because she does.

The fact is, Kim Carney represents everything I despise about small-minded, self-serving politicians.  In important issues, such as a violent sexual assault – or matters as insignificant as a budding tradition of building small stone cairns on a quiet beach – she feels the need to insinuate herself.

Look, you may think I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill – and perhaps I am.  But often it’s the seemingly trifling matters of governance where we uncover the dark side of those in power.

And intentionally attempting to discredit and bash the victim of a violent sexual assault is reprehensible – regardless of who, or what, you are.

In my view, people like Commissioner Carney are bullies – politicians who find fault and threaten the full force and might of government – simply because they can, and that is counterproductive and unacceptable.

When I told my niece that someone wants to take down the cool little stone sculptures we saw, she said that person was a “doody-head.”

I agree.

I hope those trespassing rock-stackers, the voters in Flagler Beach, remember Commissioner Doody-Head’s ridiculous pettiness on March 7^th.

(Photo Credit:  The Daytona Beach News-Journal)

Having spent most of my life in law enforcement, I have developed a few non-scientific theories regarding perceptions of the police service in our society.

One of those is that the average person interacts with a cop twice in their lifetime.  Maybe.

Most of us have received a speeding ticket, been in an automobile accident, or the victim of a minor crime that we reported to the police.  Beyond that, we are only acutely aware of a police presence when we are driving along and suddenly see a patrol car – screech, “Oh shit!  There’s a cop!” – then slam on brakes to slow our excessive speed.

Admit it.  Hell, I do it all the time.

Law enforcement deals with a very small percentage of the population – perhaps 2%.  The “frequent flyers” – career criminals, drunks, addicts, predators, street hustlers, thieves, the homeless, mentally ill and the violent – the dregs and wolves of society.

My other notion is that on the rare occasion when we actually need a cop, if he or she shows up two minutes early, or two minutes late (based on our time schedule), then the officer is either overzealous or a slacker – you know, the whole, “there’s never a cop around when you need one” thing.

Most of what we think we know about law enforcement officers is derived from television programs, movies and the media – all of which, for increasingly similar reasons, are inherently incorrect.

The entertainment industry produces a product to amuse and provide a brief distraction for the majority of the public – it’s how they stay in business.

On the other hand, rather than report the news, the “mainstream” media now produces a product that they think represents what the majority of American’s want to hear – it’s how they stay in business.

I’m convinced it’s an advertising/demographic thing – just feeding the machine – because reporting fact-based “news” rarely matters anymore.

Since the terrible summer of 2016, despite all evidence to the contrary, everything we see or read in the “news” has a subtle – but noticeable – anti-police bent.

They think it’s what people want to hear.

I love the Daytona Beach News-Journal.  In my view, they do a great job, under difficult circumstances, and a few of their reporters are personal heroes of mine.  They put out a good newspaper most days, and work hard under the crippling financial constraints that plague what remains of print media in this country.

However, a recent editorial touting changes to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office body-worn camera protocols, well, rubbed me the wrong way.

The piece began, “John Braman is Exhibit A on the value of outfitting law enforcement officers with body cameras.”

Bullshit.

As most of you know, John Braman is a former Volusia County Sheriff’s Deputy who was apparently exposed as a common thief when several DUI suspects complained that he removed cash from their wallets.  Additional evidence supporting these serious allegations was captured by Braman’s body-worn camera during an arrest last August.

To correct the record, John Braman is an aberration.

He is a rarity in a profession that derives its moral authority to enforce the law from the public’s fragile trust.

What he represents is a grotesque monster that rarely shows itself, but that many are convinced exists.  The proverbial “bad cop” who confirms latent suspicions about everyone who ever pinned on a badge and took an oath to serve and protect.

The News-Journal’s editorial relies on these fears and myths for its substance.

Look, it appears John Braman crossed a very clear line – and if his suspected crimes are proven true, he deserves everything he gets – and more.

No one despises a bad cop more than a good cop.

But let’s not overlook the fact that the clear majority of law enforcement officers do a dangerous job with honor and incredible dedication to protecting life and property.

Our lives and property.

In their horribly skewed op/ed, the News-Journal evokes the specter of widespread corruption, writing “Without video evidence from the Aug. 1 stop in Ormond Beach, who knows how that investigation would have proceeded. . .”   

Who knows?  I know.

The case would have proceeded the way thousands of other criminal cases are conducted – even in the absence of “tell-all” video footage:

An investigator – acting without bias or pre-conceived assumptions – would develop facts to support or contradict the allegations, establish probable cause that a crime has been committed, swear to the accuracy of his or her work, then submit those findings to the State Attorney for independent review and prosecution.

And the News-Journal’s editorial board damn well knows it.

As a former law enforcement executive, I agree that body-worn cameras are a good idea.  In the vast majority of cases, these devices exonerate officers of baseless allegations by criminal suspects and false witnesses.

Invariably, the grainy footage exposes people at their worst – displays in living color the result of man’s inhumanity to man – and captures the dangers, insults and degradations our officers face in the line of duty.

That is “Exhibit A” in the case for police cameras – a fact rarely reported – and one the News-Journal’s editorial barely touched upon.

In my professional experience, I can count on one hand the number of police corruption cases that have occurred in Volusia County over the past thirty-years.  Incredibly few and far between – with actual police misconduct almost universally rooted in bad decisions, off-duty stupidity, or toxic personal relationships.

Not graft, bribery or organized criminal conduct – but common human frailties.

To add insult, the News-Journal’s editorial surmises that, “If officers know all their activity is being recorded (without any “police tactics” loopholes), they have disincentive to take any shortcuts — and the confidence that their lawful actions will be proved justifiable.”

What a crock of shit.

What a disservice to those who take an oath to trade their lives for ours, to put our safety above their own self-interests, to protect the weak and vulnerable and stand the line against crime, anarchy and victimization.

Put a camera on Volusia County’s elected and appointed officials and watch the mechanism of government grind to a steaming halt. . .

The fact is, the precision and expertise required to get a good case from crime scene to courtroom leaves no room for “shortcuts” – and no police officer worth his or her salt needs a camera tacked to their shirt to show pride and dedication in their work.

Look, I still love our friends at the News-Journal, but perhaps it’s time the editorial board realizes that the silent majority of American’s – people of all colors and creeds – are beginning to ignore the jabbering of the radical fringe and are standing in strong support of our nations law enforcement officers.

And rightly so.

Each week, we mourn slain police officers and pray for the wounded – and our brave men and women of law enforcement continue to selflessly lace-up their boots, pin on the badge, and go in harm’s way to protect us.  All of us.

The thin blue line.  United, as always.

Our police officers deserve our respect and admiration.

Unlike many other pillars of our free society, these incredible men and women earn it every day.

 

 

I recently received a sincere note from a Barker’s View reader asking why I have a “hard on” for a certain highly accomplished former elected official.

My friend seemed convinced that this extremely wealthy and civically engaged individual is somehow different from the rest of the ineffective, self-serving politicos, highly paid slugs, puppeteers and hangers-on who I take to task on this page.

Perhaps he is – but I tend to judge people by their actions, not the strength of their personality – and a drive through the challenged commercial areas and neighborhoods of our communities tells me our powers-that-be can do better.

I realize these screeds can seem personal – even hurtful, at times – because stirring powerful emotions and public interest in the process is the intent.

Rest assured, I remain one of the few people in this nation that you can agree to disagree with and still be friends.

I make it a point not to lose pals over politics (others may dump me for my weird views or political leanings), but neither the national media, nor the raving of demagogues on either side of the political spectrum, are going to dictate my personal relationships.

Besides, I don’t have that many friends, and I’m not tossing anyone on the ash heap because they think President Trump is a fascist and I don’t – or they believe Jimmy Dinneen is the best county manager we’ve ever had (well, we might part company over that one. . .because only a lunatic would go that far. . .)

Look, I believe this blog only holds relevance to those who enjoy it – nothing I write here is going to change the world (or even DeBary, for that matter).  But, thankfully, hundreds of people read Barker’s View each week to gain an alternative perspective on the news and newsmakers in east Central Florida and beyond.

Given the times, I believe that is important to our local discourse – and the future.

Smart people understand that, at the end of the day, this forum remains one man’s opinion.  The genesis for additional dialog and analysis.  Nothing more.

When I get a call or an email from one of our local ‘movers and shakers’ who I’ve taken to task and we can have a laugh over some satirical – even sarcastic – descriptor I’ve used, I know they “get it.”  After clearing the air, invariably we get down to a productive discussion over the meat of the matter at hand.  Often, we find some common ground and move the conversation beyond my goofy name-calling.

It is safe to assume that those people are true statesmen, men and women who have the flexibility of mind to understand that good public policy is forged in the searing heat of vastly differing public opinion – and that diktats handed down from on high rarely, if ever, serve the best interests of the governed.

Those who give me a flinty stare, or take personal offense to something I’ve written, are either too thin skinned for their chosen profession – in it for all the wrong reasons – or too self-absorbed to understand the grave issues we face here on the “Fun Coast.”

Besides, good governance does not occur in a vacuum.

Please understand, if you appear in this column it is because you are relevant.  Vitally important to the political and economic health of Volusia County – an elected or appointed official, or someone extremely influential to our system of government and commerce.

If you read these essays, you are equally relevant.  Vitally important to furthering the narrative and holding those in power accountable for their actions and intent, which is essential to the imperative of checks and balances in a representative democracy.

I guess what I’m saying is – if you get your knickers in a twist because I refer to you as a “malignant ulceration on the body politic” or a “rabid shitheel” – get over yourself.

Use the tone and tenor of these ham-handed dissertations as a means of gauging the sentiments of your constituency – rather than the limits of your own self-esteem.

I served in municipal government for three-decades, and trust me, I have faded some heat in my day.  In fact, there were times I needed an asbestos suit just to show up for work in the morning – but that comes with the territory.

Suffice it to say, I’ve been called worse by better people than me.

Besides, eagles should not be angered by the jabbering of crows – grow a backbone (and a sense of humor).

Look, I admit it – I am singularly the most fucked-up person you know.  A maniacal bastard who flails around every day seeking desperately to uncover what passes for ‘The Truth’ – and to understand the ramifications of that reality for my family, my friends – and my community.

Deal with it.

If you have been elected or appointed to a position of high office, or hold influence over the process in some way – then wield that awesome power in the interest of those who put you there.

Be open to alternative opinions and trust the suggestions of your constituents (especially when the sweat and spittle flies as they rage at you from the public podium) and make sound decisions – even when those difficult choices are controversial.

Our government was meant to be participatory.

The critical debate and evaluation of ideas and differing points-of-view are as vital to the process as elections.

These are the activities we expect of good citizens in a free and open society.

It’s what our Founding Fathers had in mind.

And if you still insist on taking it personally – well, screw you.

That’s your problem, not mine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you noticed that everyone who is anyone in the Halifax area is getting an award this season?

Hey, don’t get me wrong.  I enjoy a good tribute to my own self-importance as much as the next guy.

Heck, I’ve got a whole “I Love Me” wall at Barker’s View HQ.

It’s anchored by the things I am most proud of, my Honorable Discharge at one end – and Nola’s graduation certificate from “Puppy School” at the other.

(Unfortunately, she couldn’t walk with her class after a disastrous misstep on the “Sit/Stay” test.  God bless her, she tried.  Eventually, Nola gave a reasonable showing and she was granted her sheepskin, minus honors. . .)

I think she holds a grudge, though.

Every time we go to Pet Smart, she has a bowel movement – half her body weight – near the Puppy School campus.  Every time.

Letting them know what she thinks of their dubious ‘academic standards’ I guess.

Nola lives the opulent life of Queen Nefertiti – spoiled in every respect – but she’s a Holly Hill Cur at heart.  And you know the saying, “You can take the girl out of Holly Hill, but you can’t take the Holly Hill out of the girl.”

I love her to death.

Look, I don’t want to burst your bubble, but when the awards season comes to an end – you and I won’t be standing atop the podium, rubbing shoulders and slapping backs with the muckety-mucks.

So, don’t look for your name to be called when the illustrious “J. Saxton Lloyd Distinguished Community Service Award” or the coveted “Lou Fuchs Outstanding Leadership Award” is bestowed.  (I’m pretty sure Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Fuchs would be mortified if they could see the condition of the community they helped build.) 

No.  All we’re getting is another shit sandwich.

Just shut up and know your role, John Q.

But don’t get discouraged.  The point is that those who think they so richly deserve these accolades (mainly the rich) are actively working to make our lives infinitely better by encouraging our elected officials to give away our tax dollars to their uber-wealthy corporate friends who promise to create “good jobs” in Volusia County.

Hooray for us?  I guess.

Why, just last week I read where those election-rigging Russians are going to solve all our woes with a brand-new skyscraper of a hotel/conference center that will stand out like a huge shining Opal in the squalid dumpster fire that is our beachside.

We’ll all be swimming in it (not the pool, that’s for guests) – and relishing our new ‘hospitality jobs’ cleaning motel rooms, parking cars and tidying up the landscaping.

Milk and Honey, baby.

I sure hope so.

In the meantime, our power-elite are busying themselves passing around the same self-aggrandizing honors at high-end banquets and “public/private” galas.

And one things for sure – they don’t want We, the People, anywhere near them.

They only need us to pick-up the bill when it arrives – that’s what “public/private” means.

I recently read where the well-to-do Old Guard of the Civic League of the Halifax Area honored Glenn Ritchey, Peter Heebner and Dr. P.T. “Bud” Fleuchaus for their recent work on the Volusia County Charter Review Committee.

I’m assuming they received the “James T. Dinneen Award for Protecting the Status Quo” medal?

To be honest, I’m not sure what the once venerated Civic League actually does these days – except “study” the issues – oh, and give each other pretty plaques.

In addition to the “Award Recipients” section, the Civic League’s website is resplendent with haughty, league-funded studies entitled, “The Public Pension Crisis” (of which yours truly is the poster boy), “The Fire Study” –  An independent and objective study of fire rescue services in Volusia County (updated January 19, 2011?), and “The Tourism Report,” which concludes, “There is a need for leadership in government and the private sector to assist in accomplishing our common goals of the revitalization of the tourism industry and our quality of life for the area. Therefore, the Civic League must take an active role on these issues, especially working with the City and County in the redevelopment of the ISB gateway.

Obviously, the ‘tourism study’ hasn’t been updated in a while.

I guess the Civic League is big on suggestions – not so much on the whole “leadership” thing anymore.

Earlier this month, Team Volusia, the tax funded conduit for corporate welfare, held their annual gala dinner at the posh Mori Hosseini Center.  They used the occasion to trot out Team Volusia’s new three-year ‘strategic plan’ – Strategy for Success – for which we paid $55,000+ to a firm in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Little Rock.  I don’t make this shit up, folks. . .

Next month the Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their “97^th Annual Gala” featuring guest speaker Nancy Grace – yes, that Nancy Grace – the viciously evil crone who embodies all that’s wrong with cable news.

She’ll be proselytizing to our assembled ‘movers and shakers’ on “Personal Inspiration and Motivation – Overcoming Obstacles.” 

Really?  Really.       

In addition, the upper-crust will make a few speeches and paint a pseudo-reality – all pap, no substance – doing their level-best to convince us yokels that our local economic outlook is peaches and cream.

At the end of the evening, those in attendance will “network” at the feted Dessert Reception, hosted by NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway, “featuring coffee, a multitude of dessert options, and more networking.”

Valet parking will be provided by Mori Hosseini’s own ICI Homes.

How absolutely Swellegant!

I don’t know about you, but I’ll savor that thought while I’m heating up my Swanson TV dinner.

Look, I know that I’m one of those “foul-mouthed east-Volusia naysayers” you hear so much about.  A degenerate malcontent who keeps pointing out the flaws in the sow’s ear and bringing unwanted attention to the perennial problems our power brokers try so hard to pretend don’t exist.

But, is it possible that I’m the only one on the “Fun Coast” who is sick and tired of the abject wasteland that is our core tourist district?  Or who sees the horror show that is the east ISB ‘gateway’, Midtown, or the Ridgewood Avenue commercial corridor, which increasingly looks like a scene from the zombie apocalypse (seriously)?

Leadership awards?

My God.

Maybe some civic-minded organization will smell the coffee and honor us with special recognition – the long-suffering taxpayers of Volusia County – the great unwashed hordes who continue to fight the good fight and struggle to make a living, serve the public, build a business,  swing a hammer, treat the sick, respond to emergencies, provide care, park cars, report the news, tend bar, serve food, mow grass, raise a family, and contribute their time and talents to make a viable community despite the self-serving efforts of our elected and appointed officials – and the blue-chip puppeteers who control our destiny.

Don’t hold your breath.

I think Nola has the right idea after all.

Dos Vedanya, y’all.

 

 

I’ve said more than once that Florida is the most corrupt state in the union.

Unfortunately, evidence in support of my calamitous assumption just keeps piling up.

Earlier this month, Florida Department of Environmental Protection secretary Jon Steverson announced he would be stepping down after a tumultuous two-years at the top of the agency charged with, among other important things, protecting our drinking water.

You may remember that Secretary Steverson was “widely criticized” last year over his failure to notify Governor Rick Scott, the citizens, or anyone else, about a massive sinkhole (billed by Steverson as a “water loss incident”) at Mosaic Company’s Mulberry phosphate processing plant.

Geologists later said that a child could have seen it was a pollutant-guzzling sinkhole, but in keeping with Mosaic’s PR damage control, Jon avoided using the “S-word” for some 19-days post incident.

Yep.  Jon kept us all in the dark for three-weeks while some 215 million gallons of acidic, radioactive wastewater drained into the region’s aquifer.

You know, where our potable water originates.

“Widely criticized?”  This bastard should have been hung by his fucking thumbs from a gallows in front of the State Capitol building as an example to any other dishonest whore who would turn a blind eye to his sworn duties and jeopardize the health of Florida residents.

Did Rick Scott launch his ass like a Saturn Five?

No.  He let Steverson get his solid gold parachute packed, then ‘honorably’ resign months later.

Although Steverson’s two-page resignation letter didn’t say peep about the Mosaic disaster, or his other mindbogglingly dumb ideas – such as allowing commercial timber and cattle operations on State Park lands – or increasing the ‘acceptable’ level of carcinogenic chemicals being dumped into our waterways – he did, however, tout Governor Scott’s pursuit of the manically expensive lawsuit against the State of Georgia known as the Tri-State Water War.

Wonder why he would do that?

Last week, when Floridians began to question Scott’s mental state after discovering that he has now thrown some $72 million of our tax dollars at the Tri-State suit – we learned that Jon Steverson will be going to work for one of the very firms billing taxpayers for the legal work!

Yep!

Jon will join Rick Scott’s previous Department of Environmental Protection secretary, Herschel Vinyard, who already works at the same law firm.

With no resolution to this lawsuit in sight – two – count ‘em – former DEP secretaries, the very people who were charged with protecting our vulnerable water supply and overseeing our sensitive wetlands and environmental assets, will now be working for the very same firm that is hip-deep in the public trough.

In an excellent piece in the Orlando Sentinel, the always intrepid Scott Maxwell wrote:

“We have trapped ourselves in a wickedly stupid cycle.

 Whenever someone proposes we do something radical like not allow raw sewage in our rivers or dump fertilizer into our watershed, business groups pop up to scream: “That’s regulation! That’s overreach! That will kill jobs!”

 A few years back, businesses actually teamed up to coin a supposedly evil-sounding name for environmental watchdogs: “Big Green.” It sounded more silly than sinister. But the idea was to try to convince you that Florida’s true enemies are the people trying to keep your water clean.

 It sounds ridiculous. But Florida leaders parrot this claptrap. Gov. Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam have all ranted about the EPA.

 And Scott — with the help of spineless legislators — has decimated environmental protections put in place by Jeb Bush, Bob Graham, Charlie Crist and others. They dismantled the state’s growth-planning agency, closed water-quality offices and put developers in charge of restraining development.

 So they allow our natural resources to get fouled and then bill you to fix the mess. Over and over again.”

 Sound familiar?

This is the same administration that has allowed Long John Miklos, Rick Scott’s hand-picked Chairman of the uber-powerful St. John’s River Water Management District’s governing board, to lobby for private clients of his Bio Tech environmental consultancy in front of, well, the St. John’s River Water Management District.

Only in Florida.

As Maxwell points out, the Tri-State lawsuit may have some merit.  But allowing participating law firms to bill Florida taxpayers up to $825 an hour is simply over-the-top.  After all, what incentive do they have to resolve the matter so long as the public tap is flowing strong?

Our tab for this year’s legal fees and costs associated with the suit is estimated at $41-million dollars.

And you can bet your bippy nothing settles until Jon Steverson gets his back-handed payback for taking the fall on the Mosaic disaster – among other environmental debacles.  After all, he did yeoman’s work holding the watchdogs off as long as he could.

Even as hundreds of millions of gallons of highly toxic waste whirlpooled into our drinking supply.

In an interesting side note, last week Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jim Boxold announced he will also be leaving the Scott administration midway through the governor’s final term.

Per the Tallahassee Democrat, just hours after Boxold announced his resignation, “Capital City Consulting announced he was joining the Tallahassee-based group’s team of lobbyists.”

Sleep well, my fellow Floridians.

Sleep well.

 

 

 

 

 

I’m sorry.  I should probably listen to my best instincts and let this one go.

But I can’t.

When you’ve spent your entire life in law enforcement, there is something about unanswered questions that gnaw at you.

Loose strings.  Unfinished business.

I am referring to the deepening mystery of County Manager Jim Dinneen publicly, and unequivocally, calling Sheriff Mike Chitwood a liar in the Daytona Beach News-Journal – and the ensuing “This county ain’t big enough for the both of us” ego-feud between these two titans of local government.

Just two-weeks after Chitwood took office, the News-Journal reported that he was faunching at the bit over charter provisions that compel the sheriff to come before the county council – and Mr. Dinneen – to obtain permission for sheriff’s office expenditures.

For a guy like Mike Chitwood, that level of supervision is anathema to his free-wheeling style.

He likes to make decisions on the run, and he understands the importance of adapting quickly to changing threats and trends – tactics that run counter to the charter’s bureaucratic rigidity.

Then, during a local radio interview, the sheriff brought up a 2010 dust-up with Mr. Dinneen wherein the outspoken Chitwood called former Sheriff Ben Johnson a “moron.”

According to Sheriff Chitwood, Dinneen reacted by contacting Daytona Beach officials and attempted to have him fired.

During the same newspaper interview, the sheriff described a meeting with Dinneen during which Chitwood essentially explained that there is a new sheriff in town, and Dinneen shouldn’t expect him to play nice all the time – especially in matters relating to the welfare of his deputies.

The sheriff also stated, for the record, that the pair were working on their “relationship.”

When asked for his take on the quarrel, County Manager Dinneen coldcocked everyone when he said – pointblank – none of what the sheriff said ever happened.

Further, Dinneen emphasized the point by saying he would have been personally offended if it had.

Wow.  Powerful stuff that goes beyond establishing their respective turf.

Look, I joke around and poke fun on this forum – but this is significant.

In the aftermath of this Clash of the Titans, we got dribs and drabs from the News-Journal explaining the origin and purpose of the county’s home rule charter – and chirps about the need for these two extremely important positions to work collaboratively in the public interest.

But we never heard the other shoe drop.

We listened to the yada, yada, yada of charter issues, budget oversight, buffers, etc. – but what we really wanted to know was, who is telling the truth?  Dammit.

Crickets.

Then, last week, Volusia County trotted out a professionally produced video starring Sheriff Chitwood and Jim Dinneen which has the pair “partnering” to run the upcoming Daytona Half Marathon together.

Yep. Just two best bro’s meeting on the street, shaking hands, and chatting up the big footrace while wearing identical running jersey’s emblazoned with “Brown-n-Brown” and “International Speedway Corporation” logos – like they got dressed out of the same closet.

Weird.

What happened to the great “Chitwood-Dinneen Blood Feud of 2017”?

I thought, “Either the newspaper got it way wrong, or Mike Chitwood should get the Oscar for best supporting actor in a dramatic fantasy video.”

I was confused.

Sheriff Chitwood cut his teeth on the mean streets of Philadelphia, then spent a decade policing the not-so-nice streets of the City of Daytona Beach, literally from the point of the spear.

As a veteran law enforcement officer, he knows that all a good cop has is his or her personal integrity.

So, why would he let some mealy-mouthed turd like Little Jimmy besmirch his well-crafted and all-important reputation for telling the truth – just the facts – even when it hurts?

And, if Dinneen is telling the truth (I don’t think he is), why would he stand idle while the High Sheriff openly lies about the nature of their professional relationship, and by insinuation, diminishes his standing with both the elected officials – and the public – by making him look like an umbrageous asshole?

Knowing the enormity of these two personalities, I found it odd that either one would simply ‘forgive and forget’ with so many unanswered questions floating around.

Didn’t make sense.

And it doesn’t appear the News-Journal is going to bring us closure anytime soon – and they should.

So, as I reported last week, I called my old friend Big John – who knows everything about anything related to Volusia County politics – and asked him, well, what the hell happened?

Per Big – just as things were heating up – J. Hyatt Brown, the uber-wealthy political insider who spent more money on last year’s District 4 county council race than most of us will make in the next five years – simply picked-up the phone and told Jim Dinneen to drop it.

Just like it never even happened.

In government, just like in nature, periodically there will be a clash at the top of the food chain that results in survival of the fittest.

One will stay, the other will go, and things will fundamentally advance.

This often occurs in the immediate aftermath of elections.

These internal battles represent the natural evolution of a governmental organization.  A pivotal competition that upsets the status quo and sets the stage for positive change and progress.

Like any complex and diverse ecosystem – with intricate, often symbiotic relationships – when we attempt to “play God” and artificially control the natural environment, the results are almost always disastrous.

Anyone who has ever kept an aquarium knows exactly what I am talking about.

For instance, when we remove apex predators from the ecosystem, we throw off the delicate balance that has evolved over time, resulting in unnatural behavioral change by other organisms.

By example, while alligators eat the occasional house pet, they also naturally consume prey species from the environment that would otherwise reproduce without check, off-setting the balance.

In government, petty squabbles at the top can result in serious dysfunction at all levels of the organization as people take sides, departments become polarized, working relationships deteriorate, and a “bunker mentality” sets in as the unresolved interpersonal conflict eats away at morale and productivity like a ravenous cancer.

Strong “Type A” personalities don’t let bygones-be-bygones.  They dominate.  It is their nature, and the lex talionis prevails.

As a successful business executive and finely tuned political player, Mr. Brown should know this.

We have a right to expect that in exchange for an unprecedented level of access, those who have purchased political power will refrain from using their significant influence to interfere in the delicate equilibria of government – and allow nature to take her course – before an even more toxic environment can emerge in Deland.

 

 

I have a confession to make.

Try as I might, I’ve never been able to decipher the deeper meaning of poems.

Filthy limericks I get – poetry, not so much.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the fluidity and musical rhythm of reading a good poets work – but I’m just too damn dense to understand the nuances and fine distinction required to make sense of things.

I simply lack the mental dexterity, I suppose.  It’s like mathematics – anything north of simple division and I’m lost.

But when it comes to regional news – ‘current events’ – I consider myself as well-informed as the next guy.

Like many of you, I read the newspapers, watch what passes for national news on television, and try my best to make sense of the ponderings of local editorialists.  But, much like an idiot savant (absent the ‘savant’ part), I have a weird aptitude for figuring out the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of politicians, and the money behind them.

Or maybe it comes from witnessing the same comedic farce over-and-over again.

After all, I know most of the players, and over thirty-years of flailing away in the bureaucratic trenches gives me a unique perspective on the inner-workings of things – the rest I just make up.

In short, most of the time I feel confident about my understanding of local politics.

Then, like trying to interpret the collective works of T. S. Eliot, the state of local affairs conspires and I suddenly discover that I really don’t know anything at all.

Take the recent dust-up between Sheriff Mike Chitwood and County Manager Jim Dinneen.

Earlier this month, during an interview on local radio, Sheriff Chitwood took umbrage with provisions of the county charter which require that he approach the County Council, hat in hand, and seek permission for Sheriff’s Office expenditures.

In turn, he went public with a story that Jim Dinneen attempted to have him fired in 2010, when he served as chief of police for the City of Daytona Beach.

Incredibly, Dinneen unequivocally denied the sheriff’s allegations.

Later, Sheriff Chitwood told us that he and Mr. Dinneen recently sat down together and are actively working to mend their relationship.

Again, Dinneen told us the meeting Sheriff Chitwood described never happened. . .

Wow.  Now that’s news.

When the chief executive of county government is openly calling the highest law enforcement officer in Volusia County a bald-faced liar, that is cause for concern.  After all, if one of these two titans of government are brazenly lying to the public – well, we’ve got bigger problems than I thought.

No wiggle room.  Dinneen called Chitwood a liar – and that is a “Yuge Deal,” in the parlance of our times.

And, by all accounts, the Daytona Beach News-Journal thought it was important, too.

For a minute, anyway.

In an excellent article by reporter Dustin Wyatt, we learned “The sheriff said he confronted Dinneen about the past and present earlier this week.  But Dinneen said that conversation never happened.”

“He didn’t sit me down and explain anything to me,” Dinneen said.  “That is not true.”

But Chitwood described to The News-Journal things he said in a meeting with Dinneen.

“I told him about the past and he said if this is going to work, we have to work together,” Chitwood said.

“I had to let him know that I’m not going to sit in the sandbox and play nicely with everybody. I’m gonna do what’s best for my deputies.”

Said Dinneen: “I would never allow anyone to lecture me like that. He never said those words to me ever, I would have taken offense to it.”

 Holy shit.  Houston, we have a problem.

Then, on a recent bright Tuesday afternoon, while sipping a cold brew from DeBary’s own Central 28 Beer Company and skimming social media, I came upon a professionally produced video depicting a staged chance meeting between Sheriff Chitwood and Jim Dinneen in the quadrangle of the County administration building in Deland.

I leaned in closer, took a long swallow, and eagerly awaited the dramatic moment when the sheriff would haul-off and punch Little Jimmy right in the pie hole for besmirching his character and calling him a degenerate liar in the newspaper.

Didn’t happen.

Nope.

Right before my eyes, the Clash of the Titans dissolved into a mincing love-fest as the two previous rivals – resplendent in running shirts prominently emblazoned with J. Hyatt’s “Brown-n-Brown” logo, and the International Speedway’s corporate emblem – clasped hands and partnered for a footrace called the “Daytona Half Marathon.”

“Wait!” I thought, “Aren’t we smack dab in the middle of a good old fashioned political brouhaha?  An ego-maniacal ‘This county isn’t big enough for the both of us’ Battle Royale?  A burgeoning charter crisis that spawned no end of editorial yammering from local media and became the ‘sujet brûlant’ whenever neighbors met on the street?”

Yes, I’m almost sure I remember that.

Whenever I’m tragically confused (which encompasses most of my waking hours) I called my old friend, Big John – Volusia’s social conscience and learned sage on all things politics – and asked, well, what the hell just happened?

According to Big, the brewing tempest between the sheriff and county manager was salved-over when J. Hyatt Brown – one of our High Potentates of political power – simply called Jim Dinneen and told him to drop it.

Just like that, the whole sordid mess just withered up and dropped off the vine.

“Nothing to see here, folks.  Move along.”

And never mind that little man behind the curtain.

If Big said it, I believe it – and you should too.

Because that is the way things work here.

Is our High Sheriff a liar?

Is our County Manager a fraud?  (Yes, he is, but that’s for another day.)

We will never know, because I doubt any hard news outlet in the region would allow one of their reporters to touch it with a 10-foot pole.

And that’s a shame.

So, we are left to analyze what little evidence we have and draw our own conclusions on the veracity of these two important political figures – one a proven public servant, the other a political hack with the situational ethics of a brokeback snake.

I have my thoughts.  How about you?