I had to laugh.

It was either that or throw myself on the floor and have a good cry.

Earlier this week, I saw an urgent social media post by outgoing Volusia County councilman Josh Wagner.  He was all whippy over a proposed action coming before the council later this week.

Councilman Wagner was screaming like Paul Revere, sounding the Klaxon and imploring people to pack the chambers wearing uniformed white shirts to ram home the point that Volusia County residents can raise a strong and united front when the chips are down.

What was this momentous act of governance that warranted our collective march on Deland?

Finally! A compassionate resolution to the homeless problem?

Or how about a reduction in government spending?  A pay increase for deputies?  Allocations for infrastructure repair and replacement?  An end to county corporate welfare schemes?  Securing beach access?  A limitation on insider influence in county government?  A motion to terminate County Manager Jim Dinneen and his $325,000+ annual salary?  A pledge to work collaboratively with the municipalities for the common good?  A strategic plan to revitalize our core tourist district?  A long-term solution to regional water issues?  Movement on the extension of SunRail service?

No.

Reducing the current buffer zone for surfers at area fishing piers.

Look, I don’t sit here and make this shit up, folks.

Frankly, I couldn’t if I tried.

Councilman Wagner, the mealy-mouthed backstabber who masqueraded as a beach driving advocate to get elected – then turned-tail when it mattered most – wants to divert our attention to some non-issue as he creeps out of office to chase ambulances for a living?

No.  I don’t think so.

If Josh Wagner proposed a resolution endorsing chocolate cake – I wouldn’t support it, and neither should you.

Why?  Because he can’t be trusted.

The fact that Josh Wagner is what passes for political “leadership” is indicative of all that’s wrong with Volusia County.

He’s the poster boy for mediocrity.

In my opinion, Josh Wagner remains the only person in Volusia County politics who thinks his opinion still matters, and the only legacy of his worthless political career will be the cheap, mean-spirited divisiveness he brought to any issue at hand.

I look like an elephant – and I’ve got a memory like one.

Others may have forgotten Mr. Wagner’s slimy and embarrassing involvement in the Waverly Media fiasco – or his close, personal relationship with Jimmy Sotolongo, the convicted grifter and criminal manipulator who is currently fashioning anal bungs out of apple cores in federal prison.

Or his obstructionist name-calling during the stand-off with the City of Daytona Beach over encamped homeless at the administration building.

But I haven’t.

If he accomplished anything, Josh Wagner set a new low for political bait-and-switch, and his complete lack of concern for the needs and wants of his constituents will remain the stuff of legend.

He wasn’t just wrong.  He was malicious – as half-bright, self important politicians often are.

If there is one bright spot on the horizon, it is that Mr. Wagner’s reign of arrogance is rapidly coming to an unceremonious close.  Soon, all we – the long-suffering taxpayers – must endure is his endless tacky television spots.

He will not be missed.

Meanwhile, back in Daytona Beach, the city commission is set to spend $826,000 in taxpayer funds for two beachside parking lots with a combined assessed value of just $125,000.

You read that right – and I have nothing more to ad.

It is what it is.

If I seem hyper-sensitive to the machinations of what passes for government in Volusia County, it is this level of mind-boggling idiocy that keeps me on edge.

How can people who have been elected and appointed to high public office have the audacity to look their constituents in the eye and attempt to convince them that using public funds to grossly overpay for private property is in their best interest?

Who are these people?

Clearly, Daytona Beach Redevelopment Director Reed Berger is delusional – and an abject failure at anything close to “redevelopment” or revitalization.  Frankly, in most places he would be institutionalized for even suggesting to a newspaper reporter that the assessed value of a property under consideration for purchase with public funds, “doesn’t mean anything.”

Not when your spending other people’s money, I suppose.

As a Volusia County taxpayer, I’ve reached the point of critical concern.

There is no denying the fact that huge sums of public funds are being funneled to a precious few well-connected individuals while the rest of us suffer in stunned silence.

And absolutely nothing is going to change.

The deck is stacked – not that it matters – because you and I aren’t even in the game.

We live in an environment where we pay exorbitant taxes for substandard or non-existent public services (don’t take my word for it, take a drive on the beachside, or mid-town, or Ridgewood Avenue, etc.).  Only to see our hard-earned dollars skimmed off or openly given away to insiders and power brokers who could care less about you, your family, or the community we call home.

The ‘system’ has become horribly addicted to our money.  And like any junkie I ever knew, the only thing it truly gives a shit about is the habit.  Tax, spend with the right people, repeat.

If we are to be brutally robbed by the same treacherous scum day-after-day, year-after-year, whose fault is it?

The thieves who prey on us?

Or ours, for tolerating it?

I was speaking to a veteran economic development director the other day.  Just shooting the breeze, really.

As we spoke, I took the opportunity to congratulate the success of places like Deland, New Smyrna Beach, and Flagler Beach – communities that have identified their unique assets and developed them to full potential.

That doesn’t happen by accident.

It takes visionary elected and appointed officials, supported by talented professionals with the skill to craft a Mainstreet Deland, Flagler Avenue or the look and feel of a quaint beach town.

During our chat, my friend lamented how many business interests relocating to Florida – or even transferring operations from one city to another – instinctively begin negotiations with a prospective community by asking how much “incentive” money is on the table.

Regardless of their longevity, or past track record, those doing business here are conditioned to expect lucrative tax breaks, redevelopment incentives, infrastructure improvements and actual cash infusions from government with little, if any, performance metrics or expectations.

Why shouldn’t they?

Florida has become the poster child for corporate welfare – and it’s becoming a bidding war between communities seeking to attract new businesses and the jobs they bring.

Let’s face it – once they’ve seen the piles of public money dumped in places like Tanger Outlets, One Daytona, or the increasingly rag-tag Oceanwalk Shoppes – wild horses couldn’t keep their hands out of our collective pocket.

Clearly, Economic Development professionals have an interesting job attracting business and industry to the mosaic of municipalities that make up Volusia County.

When done properly, a community’s economic development department will take a holistic approach – working with planners to carefully select, recruit and position businesses in a way that provides the company with the best opportunity for commercial success, while enhancing quality of life and building a distinctive civic brand.

In short, they carefully shape an environment where people and businesses want to be.

Under Florida’s current economic development strategy, local and state governments are quickly becoming community banks – offering huge sums of public money to private interests – and whenever you are playing fast-and-loose with other people’s money, the risk for favoritism and corruption is high.

Trust me.  I’ve worked with some of the best economic development types – and some of the worst.

Here on the Fun Coast, Volusia County and the City of Daytona Beach have set a high mark when it comes to pissing away our hard-earned tax dollars to satiate the personal wants and professional needs of entrenched power brokers and political insiders.

Always cloaked in the dubious guise of “economic incentives.”

There was a time when government assisted the development of a strong commercial tax base by identifying and reducing expensive permitting, onerous regulations, and promoting fair practices for the benefit of consumers.

Local, state and federal government ensured that the playing field was level –  then allowed the natural competition of the free market to work without unnatural stimuli.

It meant that only the best ideas survived, and that prices for goods and services were controlled by marketplace factors, such as quality of service and the law of supply and demand.

Look, I don’t have an MBA – I can barely balance a checkbook – but it doesn’t take a Harvard Business School graduate to understand that the artificial infusion of public funds, tax breaks and other government incentives (read: giveaways) to a well-connected few undermines the very foundation of fair trade.

In a recent piece by Jim Turner of the Florida News Service, we learned that Enterprise Florida – perhaps the most grotesque facilitator of corporate welfare in these United States – has hired a new Chief Operating Officer in former lawmaker, Chris Hart.

Hart’s appointment comes after former Enterprise Florida chief Bill Johnson quit after Governor “Slick Rick” Scott’s request for some $250 million in “economic development incentives” (our tax dollars) was soundly rejected during the 2016 legislative session.

When the legislature gave their collective middle finger to the Governor’s corporate welfare scheme, some suspicious spending came to light.  That’s when Slick Rick – who serves as EFI’s chairman – commissioned an investigation of the agency’s operations and activities.

The final report determined that Wild Bill Johnson treated himself to expensive dinners, luxury hotel rooms and lavish renovations to his Miami office, among other atrocities.

In one instance, Johnson enjoyed a $359 seafood dinner with his assistant, Max Stuart, at a Tampa area restaurant.  He justified the credit card expenditure as “discussion of area politics and strategy.”

They could have done that over a $2.00 Happy Hour Bud Light.  My treat.

EFI responded that none of the over-the-top personal expenses accumulated by Johnson were paid for with “public funds.”

That claim was later proven to be utter bullshit.

In most places, Johnson would be idling away the hours in state prison.  But this is Florida, the “rules are different here.”

Rather than being prosecuted for converting public funds to private use, Johnson was handed a $132,000 severance check after serving little more than one year in the position which paid $265,000 annually.

Initially, Enterprise Florida was designed to receive funding from both government sources and the private sector – but you know how that goes.  At the end of the day, some 90% of EFI’s incentive funds came from tax money.

Even then, a sizable portion of the few private dollars in the mix went to staff members and administrators in the form of lavish bonuses from something called, well, the “staff bonus pool.”

Hell, Johnson received a $50,000 spiff after just six months on the job.

All this on top of the $25 million the state of Florida kicks in to cover EFI’s operating expenses.

Look, I could write a book on the financial abuses and abject corruption at Enterprise Florida – but you get the drift.

During my working life, I witnessed a similar scenario play out with a former area City Manager, and career “economic development” shill, who never seemed to grasp that “spending money to make money” didn’t necessarily include extravagant dinners, complete with expensive scotch, at restaurants in Atlanta’s tony Buckhead neighborhood.

The point is – this disgusting misappropriation of public funds isn’t limited to state and federal government – and our current system clearly encourages the practice.

In my view, it’s time we demand an end to corporate welfare and cronyism, and allow the natural principles of fair and competitive trade to build a thriving, and sustainable, marketplace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For months, I’ve railed against the series of misfortunes and administrative missteps plaguing the beleaguered students, alumni and faculty of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

For those of you with insufficient airspeed – earlier this year, current and former student government members going back 15-years issued an open letter to the university’s board of trustees challenging perceived mismanagement and the outsized influence of Supreme Chairman Mori Hosseini.

This was followed by a vote of no confidence by the faculty senate – the strongest censure available to the disenfranchised professors and associates who develop and present the gold standard in aerospace and engineering curricula.

Stories of extravagant spending by the board – to include a $1 million-dollar chateau at the Paris Air Show, and luxury accommodations during out-of-state meetings – along with questionable travel and expenditures by highly compensated administrators foster the sense that all is not as it seems at our own Harvard of the Sky.

Of course, ERAU “leadership” immediately pooh-poohed the notion that this collective cry for help had any legitimacy, spinning that the measures taken by students and faculty were, “largely symbolic with no legal consequences.”

Well, let me tell you what does have significant consequences.

Earlier this year, a government watchdog blog – John Q. Public – which is authored by a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, obtained an internal Air Force document indicating that a retired General has been accused of sexual assault by a female active duty colonel formerly under his command.

As I understand it, the report refers to three incidents which allegedly occurred between 2007 and 2009, in which the male General is accused of using the power of his position to coerce the complainant into sexual activity.

Why is this important to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University?

In September, Military.com identified Retired Air Force General – and current ERAU Trustee – Arthur J. Lichte as the subject of the criminal investigation.

Since his retirement in 2010, General Lichte has been a busy man.

In addition to his service at Embry-Riddle, he has also been appointed to the board of directors of European aerospace giant Airbus Group; and Air Transport Services Group, a leading provider of air cargo and logistical services for domestic and international carriers.

During his military service, General Lichte once commanded the Air Mobility Command.

As a Volusia County taxpayer (and unofficial member of the Jack L. Hunt Society) who contributed to our recent endowment of $1.5 million dollars in public funds to the university, I have concerns about the optics of allowing General Lichte to remain a voting member of the board while he is under active criminal investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Trust me – I’m not making light of this matter.

I still hold to the old fashioned belief that public funds should be used in the public interest.  And I am highly suspicious whenever our hard-earned tax dollars are appropriated for dubious “economic development” fairy tales.

Once the elected officials have given our money away, no one – and I mean no one – bothers to ensure that our substantial investment is protected.

It just vaporizes.

I also believe that people are innocent until proven guilty, entitled to due process, and the right to confront their accuser in a court of law.  And General Lichte’s 38-years of honorable service to our nation is deserving of our respect and admiration.

My sincere hope is that justice prevails.

But given the sensitivities, and obvious implications for a private university already reeling from internal turmoil, dysfunction and questionable leadership, not to mention the recent arrest of a civil engineering professor on alleged child sex abuse charges, wouldn’t it be in everyone’s best interest – including General Lichte’s – to simply call for his departure from the board until the matter has been decided by military authorities?

As reported by the John Q. Public blog, “Whoever ends up in the cross-hairs of this nascent scandal, it underscores that the high-paid help are no less susceptible to moral, ethical, and indeed criminal fallibility than those who fall under their command.  It’s one of the reasons it’s so important to choose with the utmost care those who will wield massive military authority.  It’s also a reason to responsibly curtail that authority.”

In my view, the same can be said for those appointed to leadership positions in the cloistered confines of a private university in acute crisis, where the enormous influence of one man is being openly and courageously challenged by those who matter most.

 

 

 

 

 

What comes to mind when you think of the Daytona Beach Boardwalk?

For most locals, there are as many good memories as there are bad impressions.

As children, my sister and I would go to the Joyland and Mardi Gras arcades whenever our grandparents came for a visit.  We would play some Skee Ball, swim by the pier, have epic miniature golf tournaments on the roof and watch the saltwater taffy being made.

When I became a police detective, my partner and I would go to the Boardwalk a couple times each week for lunch.  He had a thing for those foot-long corn dogs with mustard.

One time we solved a wandering daughter case after spotting the missing juvenile loitering beachside (I remember the three of us driving back to the police station to reunite the girl with her worried parents, all of us munching on giant cornbread-covered hot dogs. . .)

I have fond teenage memories of taking dates to the Boardwalk, riding the gondolas, then walking along with the loud ringing bells of the pinball machines singing out; surrounded by the aroma of hot pizza and the crash of the bumper cars (remember the pop of sparks flying off the electrified ceiling as the cars whizzed around the greasy metal floor?)

There was a unique feel and a great salty smell to the beach back then, a thrilling sense of something fun.

I don’t get that feeling when I go to the beach now.  Too many signs, too many rules, and too many unfriendly people who enforce them from ugly fiberglass kiosks where money-for-access is exchanged.

Today, you can visit the same arcades and gift shops – now, just a little more down-at-the-heels.

You can even play a loud game of Skee Ball on the exact same machines your grandparents enjoyed.

Literally.

Nothing has changed – except the omnipresent sense that our once venerated Boardwalk has become a blighted eyesore with all the elements necessary to kill a tourist economy.

The reason?  Well, pick your poison.

There are many contributing factors and players – all facilitated by a miserable lack of strategic vision – and elected officials who for the past thirty-years have simply ignored the most important economic engine to ever bless a resort community.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal recently reported on the convoluted lawsuit between an investment consortium of local insiders and the Paspalakis family that has allowed a key section of the area to stagnate.

The take-away:  Nothing positive is going to happen on the Boardwalk anytime soon.

As the News-Journal’s Mark Lane noted in his excellent piece on this decades-old legal mess, the lawsuit is over property that belonged to the Paspalakis family for ages but was part of a city condemnation action in 2003.

Tragically, the Paspalakis’ have been fighting the city’s condemnation since sometime in the 1980’s.

Naturally, this sordid battle has all the usual suspects that have preyed upon Daytona Beach for years:

Greedy investors, strategic bankruptcies, family monopolies, unscrupulous developers – to include convicted grifter, Bill Geary, of Ocean Walk Shoppes fame who is finishing a stint in federal prison – promises of pie-in-the-sky panacea hotels and tony shopping areas, a stubborn inability to reasonably negotiate with the best interests of the community in mind, government overreach and interference, insider maneuvering, piss poor planning, no leadership, etc., etc.

Whether we want to admit it or not, what we are collectively hearing over the roar of the surf is the sad death knell of one of America’s great tourist destinations.

The dirty little secret that most lawyers won’t tell you is that courts rarely settle anything to everyone’s liking – only reasonable people finding amicable solutions can do that.

But it requires that people care enough about the thing they are fighting over not to kill it in the process.

Like that ancient taffy-pulling machine at Zeno’s sweet shop, the wheels of justice will continue their slow churn – and the powers-that-be will keep their noses firmly planted in the backsides of their uber-wealthy handlers – while we, the long-suffering residents of the Halifax area, stand helpless as forces out of our control once again determine our collective destiny.

Keep this in mind the next time one of our elected officials tells you how great we have it here on the “Fun Coast.”

Let’s face it, when you live in Volusia County, there’s plenty of material – political and otherwise – to keep your average opinion blogger busy for years.

That’s one reason I like to keep things local here on Barker’s View – never a dull moment.

But sometimes a situation arises on the national front that simply cannot be ignored.

Take, for example, the curious case of Dr. Jill Stein, the utterly failed “Green Party” presidential candidate, opportunistic Castro apologist, and full-time squirrel turd.

She’s had quite a week trying to eke her way back to some trace of political relevance.

While most of us were gathering around the Thanksgiving table, Stein and her following of brain-dead progressives – who remain utterly terrified by the prospect that thinking adults are finally taking charge – pushed a half-baked plan to force recounts in the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Her evidence?  Something Stein calls, “statistical anomalies.”

A strange hogwash of dubious voter fraud and foreign intrigue, with no basis in fact, that even the “prominent computer scientists and election lawyers” she originally cited as supporting the measure are running from like scalded dogs.

Just like her loopy domestic policies, Stein wants everyone else to pay for her sour grapes.

Stein’s weird GoFundMe-style effort first asked donors for $2.5 million to fund the recount – but that paltry sum was quickly revised upward when Stein explained that amount only covered “filing fees.”

One would have thought that this obvious bait-and-switch would scare most away from this scam, but not our overwrought friends on the left.  No, when Stein arbitrarily hiked the price to $4.5 million they (read: Clinton supporters) compulsively responded like good little lemmings.  Naturally, leftist demagogue George Soros is in the mix as well.

Now, Stein has upped the target goal to $7 million.  Hey, why not?

I guess Thomas Tusser was right with his whole “fool and his money” thing. . .

After rightfully conceding, it now appears the rotting skeletal remains of the Clinton campaign has miraculously reanimated to give tacit support to Stein’s cockamamie attempt to clean her conscience after handing Donald Trump, well, Michigan and Wisconsin, during the general election.

Please understand, these recounts will not change the outcome in any of these states – and Clinton would need a clean sweep in all three to succeed.

Jill Stein knows it.  And so, does Hillary Clinton.

As I understand it – and I’m not sure that I do – the actual purpose of this bogus “recount” effort is much more sinister than ferreting out any “statistical anomalies” or malicious Russian hacking schemes.

It’s about fueling the maniacal “Not my President” sect, adding credence to the paid protesters wreaking havoc in our streets, cooing over the pouting snowflakes in places like Hampshire College, and weakening domestic and international confidence in our nations democratic system.

At the end of the day, it’s about undermining Donald J. Trump.

If Stein and Company demand a hand-count of the ballots cast – and she’s filed suit in Wisconsin to do just that – the time required may surpass the last day for certifying the official tally and directing Electoral College voters in these states.

If the Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania recounts all miss the deadline (or Stein’s legal challenges prevail) Trump will stand at 260 electoral votes, with Clinton at 231.

Neither would have the 270 votes required to officially win the election.

Should this happen, the matter would go before the United States Congress.  In that case, the House – casting one vote per state – would elect Donald Trump, and the Senate would select Mike Pence.

So, if the results are the same, why bother?

Why fan the hopes of those Mensa members still hoping-against-hope that Hillary has a chance to reverse the space/time continuum?

Because, if successful in hamstringing the system, Democrats and the various kooky fringe parties could then use the unusual process to further delegitimize a Trump presidency by insinuating that he was merely appointed by members of the majority Republican party – not the electorate.

In my view, intentionally obstructing our electoral process at this stage for stupid partisan posturing is patently un-American and contrary to our democratic principles.

It also doesn’t play well with Democrats who are just beginning the autopsy to determine exactly what led to their repudiation at the polls.  Even President Obama has expressed his displeasure as he works to ensure an orderly transition.

But when has any of that mattered to self-aggrandizing shitheels like Jill Stein?

Interestingly, for months before the election, Hillary Clinton and her supporters crowed ad nauseum about Trump’s “anti-democratic” refusal to confirm if he would accept his highly anticipated defeat with graciousness and simply go away.

Remember?

These simpering bedwetters viciously railed against Donald Trump when he raised the possibility of Democratic voter fraud and system rigging.  They held him out as a “danger to democracy,” all while smirking with unbridled hubris, assured by their friends in the media that they had the election in the bag.

Then the unthinkable happened.

American voters in the fly-over states ignored the paid statisticians – and defied the babbling bubbleheads of a dishonest corporate media establishment gone berserk.

And they demanded change.

Real change.

Now, it appears Hillary and her Useful Idiot Jill Stein aren’t capable of accepting reality.

Not that they ever were.

Look, I’ve tried hard to be sympathetic to my left-leaning friends – it was a tough loss, I get it – and I hope they would afford me the same courtesy if the situation were reversed.

(They wouldn’t.  I’ve been dumped like a hot rock by “friends” on social media – and called a racist, misogynist, and homophobe – simply because of my choice in a presidential election.)

I thought that once they work through the stages of grief, most would find some level of acceptance (as I did during two consecutive Obama administrations) and let the healing begin.

Given the over-the-top gnashing of teeth and rending of garments that continues to play out on social media, college campuses, and during public “protests” around the nation, imagine what would have happened if Trump had in fact lost the election – then demanded an eleventh-hour recount under dubious circumstances which jeopardized the canonization of Hillary Clinton?

Anarchy.  Guaranteed.

The fact is, it’s time for the Democratic party, their humiliated media pollsters, and the skinny-jean wearing hyper-sensitive factions of the delusional socialist left to accept the fact that Donald J. Trump is our President-elect – and nothing is going to change that.

It is high time we look to the future, and leave egomaniacal stooges like Dr. Jill Stein on the ash heap of history where she so rightly belongs.

 

 

 

 

 

Now that you and I (the long-suffering taxpayers of Volusia County) are Patrons of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, I keep waiting on my invitation to our induction into the prestigious Jack L. Hunt Society in grateful recognition of our generous endowment of $1.5 million in public funds.

Maybe we can even get our name on something?  Hell, everyone else does.

“Eagles Nest: The Rubes of Volusia County Student Restroom Complex”

Hey.  Fair is fair – and shitting in their own nest seems to be the university administrations recent stock in trade.

As an honored ERAU benefactor, I’m paying close attention to our endowment.

I’m weird that way – when someone takes my money because they know what’s best for me, I tend to keep an eye on them – you know:  Trust, but verify.

So far, I’m not happy.

At a gala held earlier this month at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, aerospace giant Lockheed Martin awarded a $5 million-dollar contract to Florida A&M University.

Under the terms of the agreement, FAMU students and faculty members will work closely with Lockheed Martin engineers to develop components and systems for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle designed for long-term human deep space exploration.

Unfortunately, as NASA reaches for the asteroids, Mars and beyond – ERAU remains grounded.

In an excellent article by the Orlando Sentinel’s Gabrielle Russon, FAMU engineering professor Okenwa Okoli said, “We hope to assist with developing future materials and structures, as well as optimizing manufacturing procedures for the Orion program, especially those that will serve a dual purpose here on Earth.”

It’s called being on the cutting edge of developing the most technologically advanced aircraft and space vehicles ever envisioned.

In addition, this partnership assists FAMU in developing graduates with skills in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines that will form the workforce necessary to take the United States back to space.

In my view, FAMU’s win is a tough loss for our own Harvard of the Sky.

In addition, for over a decade, NASA’s Ames Research Center has cultivated strategic partnerships with academic, non-profit, and aerospace industry leaders to work cooperatively on innovative projects in support of NASA’s future space exploration goals.

Current academic partnerships include, Carnegie Mellon University, Silicon Valley/Santa Clara University, Singularity University and Taksha University.

ERAU?  Not so much.

However, in August, Embry-Riddle announced something called it’s “Nexus Partners” in the university’s new John Mica Engineering and Aerospace Innovation Complex.

Boeing?  Lockheed Martin?  General Electric?  Harris Corporation?  Raytheon?

No.

While the global aerospace industry is busy collaborating with other schools, Embry-Riddle’s new partners include a virtual “who’s who” of local political insiders and perennial power brokers:

International Speedway Corporation, Cobb Cole, FireSpring Fund, James Moore & Company, Vann Data Services, DuvaSawko and venVelo.

I guess if NASA ever needs a good real estate attorney – or help sending out a doctor’s bill – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the place to be. . .

While ERAU publicly wallows in administrative dysfunction, aerospace and defense industry leaders are taking note and partnering with other colleges and universities around the world to develop the next generation of engineers, researchers and tech workers.

ERAU students should take note: These important partnerships provide your future competitors with the opportunity to work collaboratively with leaders in critical industries, and acquire the all-important “real world” experience that will make a difference on their résumé.

Unfortunately, for the high-flying Eagles of ERAU, the outlook is grim.

For months, the university has been dogged by a cockamamie search for a new president – along with cries for help from disenfranchised students, alumni and faculty members as they peel the onion of mismanagement and dubious spending by the university’s board of trustees.

For instance, student government representatives going back 15-years have issued an open letter denouncing the actions of the board of trustees – especially the Machiavellian mucking about of Chairman Mori Hosseini – while expressing their collective concern for the future of ERAU.

Then, the faculty senate issued a vote of no confidence against the board – an unprecedented censure representing the most powerful statement of disapproval available to the long-suffering professors and associates.

I’m just speculating here, but when you add to that allegations that Mr. Hosseini has done business with the very university he oversees – “business” which netted his Intervest Construction some $1.5 million dollars – you get the queasy feeling that the intrigues of the Big Man on Campus may not be as benevolent as he would like us to believe.

Given the fact that those who matter – the students, alumni and faculty – have tried in vain to pull back the very heavy curtain on Mori’s dictatorship, last month I called for an independent review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the independent agency that accredits ERAU.

Per SACS principles, colleges and universities that seek accreditation are required to make “reasonable and responsible decisions consistent with the spirit of integrity in all matters.”

I think an argument can be made that the ERAU leadership has failed to live up to those simple standards of fair dealing.

There is a reason these research contracts and partnerships are consistently being awarded to other schools – and it has nothing to do with the caliber of ERAU’s students, faculty or curriculum.

In my view, it is time for a fundamental change in the make-up and focus of ERAU’s board of trustees.  Clearly, the need for increased faculty/student oversight of the direction and stewardship of the university is critical.

And as us uneducated bumpkins say, “time’s a-wastin”

So long as the university remains deeply embroiled in these ugly controversies – and aggressively controlled by one man who casts a very large shadow – I fear these vital government and industry collaborations will continue to go elsewhere.

That is a dangerous proposition for a private school that prides itself as the leader in aviation and aerospace education in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What an incredible year it has been for Barker’s View!

When I started this opinion blog in January, I could not have imagined that it would garner 43,775 views from nearly 30,000 (29,707 as of this writing) visitors, literally from around the world.

I am incredibly grateful to all of you for making that happen.

I have always believed that there is room for an alternative point-of-view in Volusia County.  An opinion beyond the government soundbites and spin – a blogsite that holds those in positions of high responsibility accountable.

Something that lets them know we’re watching.

I’m delusional enough to believe that we are beginning to make a difference – and those in a position to affect change are taking notice.

All thanks to your loyal readership.

Writing Barker’s View has been incredibly cathartic.  It has given me a purpose, much-needed social interaction, and the process continues to keep my mind limber.

At the end of the day, I’m still just a guy in my boxer shorts with too much time on my hands bashing about on the Internet – but your response to the writing, acceptance of my personal flaws, and friendship has been a true blessing in my life.

The best part of this experiment, for me, is hearing your feedback, discussing differing opinions and arguing the fine points.

Sometimes you agree with me – other times, you vehemently disagree.  But we can remain friends and perhaps gain a better perspective on the important issues of the day through the civil debate of ideas.

I can’t think of anything more purely American than that.

Most of all, I have enjoyed meeting some of you, grabbing a beer or lunch with Barker’s View readers, and discussing the issues that are important to you.

We might even plan an informal get-together sometime soon – I’ll buy the keg.

Gratefully, some of the power brokers, politicians and appointed officials I skewer on this site reach out periodically and tell me how much they enjoy reading the blog – even when I take them to task.  Please know that I appreciate your emails, texts and calls.

Thanks for keeping me honest – and confirming my suspicions from time-to-time.

In 2017, I hope to expand the site to include a weekly podcast – and just for fun – I’ve got some Barker’s View swag coming, like this cool new bumper sticker that will immediately improve the appearance of any car or truck to which it is affixed:

On this Thanksgiving 2016, please accept my sincere thanks and deep appreciation for your loyalty, friendship, and for taking time out of your busy day to read, think and form an opinion on the critical issues and news-makers of the day.

It’s important.

May God bless each of you and your families, and especially our men and women in uniform at home and abroad – our military and first responders – who go into harm’s way to protect us every day.

From the Barker Family to yours – Happy Thanksgiving!

Mark

When it comes to “selling” the Halifax area to potential visitors, the powers-that-be like to do the same thing over-and-over again, always expecting a different result.

That’s right – it’s the very definition of insanity.

In their most recent variation of the theme, the Halifax Area Advertising Authority – another tax-funded organization which duplicates the job of the Daytona Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, the Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority, and the West Volusia Tourism Advertising Authority, etc., etc. – has hired NASCAR beauty Danica Patrick to star in a series of digital media spots encouraging folks to come visit the Cousin Eddie of Florida vacation destinations.

The marketing theme?

“Forget what you thought you knew about Daytona Beach, because no matter what you’re into, this place is totally your speed.”

 Wait a minute.  Forget what you thought you knew?

You read that right.

From the same bed-tax gobbling half-brights who brought you, “Seize the Daytona” – our new tourism hook is: “Blight?  Homelessness?  Crime?  Exorbitant beach tolls? FUGGITABOUTIT!”

Is this a bad joke?

Things are so bad that seasoned advertising executives – guys that can sell a ketchup Popsicle to a lady in white gloves – have been reduced to begging people to ignore their gut instincts. . .

“Hey, Mr. & Mrs. Middle America – just forget that time the vagrant urinated in front of the kids on the Boardwalk.  Put it out of your mind. I’m just asking here, but do you think you could also overlook the rundown crack houses, the empty storefronts and omnipresent drifters bumming cigarettes and just relax and have a good time for Christ sake?  I mean, they have a new Outlet Mall on the frontage road, what more do you want?”

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that just three years ago the Halifax Area Advertising Authority commissioned a focus group in Columbus, Ohio (our core demographic?) to study what comes to mind when people hear the words, “Daytona Beach.”

(Best Richard Dawson accent) Survey Says! – “Redneck,” “Crowded” and “Starting to fall apart.”

Apparently, our study participants recoiled in horror – like they were being forced to watch the director’s cut of “Deliverance.”

Columbus?  I spent a month there one night.  You talk about people starved for entertainment.

Wow.

Look, Danica Patrick is easy to look at – and she has an exciting day job – but when it comes to selling Daytona Beach to the Midwestern masses, she’ll earn every dime of that $100,000 paycheck.

Over time, our elected and appointed officials have ignored and neglected the goose that laid the golden egg.  It took about three decades of complete inattention, but they finally killed it, and no fancy marketing campaign can revive it.

Apparently, no one on the HAAA’s over $1 million-dollar annual payroll understands that.

In typical fashion, rather than transform and revitalize the internationally attractive assets that once made us the “World’s Most Famous Beach,” we simply throw good money after bad trying in vain to promote the dregs of a once vibrant destination.

Until we have something unique and different to offer – accessible beaches, clean spaces, modern amenities, beachside shopping, restaurants and attractions, an active arts scene and inviting commercial and retail centers – we simply cannot – and should not – compete in the marketplace.

 

The Chinese zodiac calendar tells us 2017 is the year of the Rooster – a period of righteousness, justice and logical efficiency.

Rooster years are dominated by the Fire element, and the presence of a predominant element governing the annual cycle is never seen as the best of omens.

But it marks the year in which I will no longer accept being lied to by those who are elected and appointed to represent my interests.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of living outside the circle.  The one who oils the machine of local, state and federal politics with my tax dollars – only to be openly deceived by the “system.”

In 2016, the American people learned that once trusted institutions – such as our national media networks – were openly lying to us when reporting the “news” of the day.

Once venerated outlets, such as the New York Times, have admitted to “false balance” and outright lies in their coverage of this year’s election.

It turns out the elegant Gray Lady is a cheap whore, and last week the publisher promised to “rededicate” the newspaper to honest reporting in the future.  As though we are supposed to forgive and forget the biggest journalistic fraud in the history of the free world.

The sudden realization that organizations and traditions we once accepted as the truth were no more than half-baked façades raised chilling questions.  We soon learned that the political elite on both sides of the spectrum were manufacturing the record, so much so that we needed “Truth o’ Meters” to sort the wheat from the chaff – and even the “fact checkers” were wrong.

Now, we feel like victims of a carnival scam.

Let’s face it – we are rubes, screwed by sophisticated grifters who have lost any semblance of integrity and laugh in our face as they line their pockets with our hard-earned tax dollars and shit on everything we hold dear.

For instance, while collectively traumatized by the effects of a Category Three hurricane – our County Manager, Jim Dinneen, tells us that the mountains of debris lining our streets will be cleaned-up in just twenty short days.

Understand, Mr. Dinneen had no basis for his feel-good prognostication.  He just pulled it out of his ass – a quick answer to the media with a fabricated time-frame that got the people off his back for a few more weeks.

Rather than calm our fears, Little Jimmy simply exacerbated our growing frustration as his arbitrary promise came-and-went, leaving many still dealing with the stinking piles of rotting vegetation at the curb.

Last week, some twit who “manages” our county transportation system, Votran – which operates on $18.4 million in annual tax subsidies – would have us believe that it will cost $400,000 to retool a bus line to serve the recently opened Tanger Outlet shopping mall.

In an interesting Sunday op/ed by Daytona Beach News-Journal editor, Pat Rice; he questioned the figure while rightly pointing out that –  with a new apartment community located northeast of Tanger, a proposed 3,400-unit housing development to the northwest, and the 900 new employees and thousands of shoppers traveling to the mall daily – Votran might have considered some advanced planning and route analysis.

Not in Volusia County.

Here, incompetence rises like curdled cream and time-honored organizational management practices like accountability and responsibility are abhorred.

I have decided that I’m not going to take it anymore.

As a taxpayer, I have a right to expect that those who are elected to represent our collective interests will tell the truth on important issues facing our community.  We also have a right to expect that when elected and appointed officials tell us bullshit falsehoods – and use thinly veiled scams to siphon-off our tax dollars to private interests – that they will be held accountable for their actions like the cheap sneak thieves they are.

Is that too much to expect?

Apparently.

In Volusia County, we have come to understand that a few uber-wealthy political insiders control Halifax area commerce and politics through a not so sophisticated system of co-opting our elected officials with enormous campaign contributions – then take massive returns on investment in the form of tax incentives, “economic development” funds and bargain basement prices on the purchase of public lands.

Add to that the dubious “agriculture” and other tax exemptions on the vast landholdings of certain companies and individuals, the arbitrary granting of traffic-free beaches, or the gifting of unrestrained density and height allowances for projects years in advance and you begin to understand the depth of the problem.

While everyone may be equal – in Volusia County, some are more equal than others.

Rather than hold these mega-donors at arm’s length and work in the best interests of their constituents, our elected officials never miss a chance to goo-goo over their masters and prostrate themselves like the caviling sycophants they are.

Don’t take my word for it, just watch re-runs of any county council meeting visited by J. Hyatt Brown.

Recently, the High Potentate of Volusia County, Mr. Mori Hosseini, was recognized with the “2016 Outstanding Philanthropist” award by something called the Volusia/Flagler Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not knocking this special recognition – I’m positive the Hossieni’s personal and corporate giving is infinitely more than my own.

But what about the taxpayers of Volusia County?

Where’s the gratitude and fancy luncheons?

Where’s the cooing and over-the-top fussing whenever we walk into the council chambers?

I guarantee no single group of people contribute more in corporate welfare and outright cash giveaways than the long-suffering citizens of Volusia County.

Under the current “economic development” scheme, We, the People, have financed – or at least mitigated the financial risk – on every project from Ocean Walk to One Daytona and Tanger Outlets, etc., etc.

We recently handed an untested social service agency over $5-million in taxpayer dollars and transferred public property – no questions asked – for a homeless service facility in the heart of the challenged Derbyshire neighborhood.

In September, you and I became honored members of the Jack R. Hunt Society at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University through our generous $1.5 million cash infusion – not to mention the county council’s sale of public property to ERAU – a private entity – for half the parcel’s appraised valued.

Half.

I hope you’ll join me in rejecting the dishonesty of those who accept public funds to perform a service in the public interest in the new year.

We deserve better.

 

 

 

Wow.  What a difference a day makes.

Last evening, the Deltona City Commission held a workshop to discuss the merits of an orphan “civility ordinance,” ostensibly designed to put the reins on spirited debate and shield senior officials from the embarrassment of open criticism from the dais during public meetings.

This shortsighted legislation, thinly veiled as an “anti-bullying” measure, drew fire from freedom loving Deltonians and those who support good government all over Central Florida.

I learned over a long career in municipal government that your constituents will accept a lot of baseless regulation, fee increases and tax hikes – they’ll even put up with aggressive code enforcement – for a while anyway.

What they will not tolerate is having their Constitutional rights to free speech and self-expression trampled for the convenience of the government.

A good example is legislation prohibiting display of the American flag, patriotic banners and military colors.  If you happen to be an elected or appointed public official and want some excitement in your life – propose a flag ordinance.

Unfortunately, this legislation had a more personal undertone.

In an astute observation, Commissioner Brian Soukup – whose frequent hubbubs with top officials was the obvious genesis of the proposed rule – told the Daytona Beach News-Journal, “They might as well call it the Soukup ordinance.”

Love him or hate him, Commissioner Soukup is an intuitive guy.

At the end of the evening, we needed a paternity test to determine just who brought this ill-fated measure forward.

During the meeting, City Attorney Becky Vose finked on Commissioner Heidi Herzberg, claiming that she requested the ordinance – something Ms. Herzberg speed-walked away from.

According to Herzberg, she only suggested a “policy” addressing bullying.

In addition, Commissioner Mitch Honaker – who may or may not have requested a similar policy – disavowed any knowledge of the civility law.

“I am livid,” Honaker said.  “Throw that ordinance away.”

Indeed.

We also learned that the city attorney routinely constructs ordinances at the autonomous request of individual commissioners – a practice that drew the ire of newly elected Commissioner Christopher Alcantara.

“Personally, I think that it’s better if we as a group decided what is it that we want as far as ordinances to give you direction.”

 Smart guy.

Is it possible that Mr. Alcantara is the only one in Deltona City Hall who understands how the council/manager form of government works?

Despite the obvious, Vose continued to champion her work, arguing that she could, “very easily defend it in court.”  Now, I don’t know how long Ms. Vose has served in municipal government, but when your boat is sinking, I’ve found it’s best not to keep drilling holes in the hull to let the water out.

That’s how people get fired.

The city attorney’s unofficial role is to serve as the “fixer,” to accept responsibility, protect commissioners from their own idiotic treachery, and move things off the front page of the newspaper as quickly as possible.

Don’t take my word for it – Ms. Vose should ask her colleague, Kurt Ardaman, over in DeBary – he’s a past-master at justifying the asinine moves of elected officials while simultaneously feathering his own nest.

Ms. Vose could learn something from him – and get rich in the process.

Regardless, this was an extremely weird issue that has left many smart people shaking their heads.

Now, I’m just spit-balling here, but is it possible that something else is at work behind the scenes in Deltona politics?

Following yesterday’s blog, I received a social media post from a member of the Deltona Fire Fighter’s Union, who took exception with the $93,000.00 I quoted for the unusual mid-service buyout received by a recently promoted deputy fire chief.

According to the union representative – the actual amount was more like $40,000.00. . .

I stand corrected.  And now, so do you.

Look, I understand the symbiotic relationship between public employee unions and certain elected representatives – it’s both a blessing and a curse, depending upon which side of the cash flow you’re on.

Trust me – I’ve benefited from this age-old sleight-of-hand myself.

I also know the issues that will inevitably arise when an outside entity – be it a powerful union, or a manipulative political insider – has an outsized influence on the democratic process.

Is it possible that the Deltona fire union quietly pushed provisions of this “civility” ordinance as a means of providing additional protections for their leadership and employees?

Is it possible union leadership wanted to establish a binding bureaucratic process which would have required an internal “paper trail” that could be exploited and challenged at each step?

I don’t know, but time will tell if this is an underlying issue for the citizens of Deltona.

So, what have we learned from the mess?

In my view, this debacle best demonstrates that well-meaning people who propose legislation that suppress our rights to free speech, and the ability to petition our government for redress of grievances, often forget that these laws can be turned around and used as offensive weapons in the future.

We also learned that the City of Deltona has serious leadership issues that no “civility” ordinance can repair.

I am happy to report that Deltona has a core group of very bright and inquisitive citizens who are actively monitoring and analyzing the moves and machinations of their elected and appointed officials.

That’s important – and my hat is off to them for putting the brakes on this misguided legislation.