“And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”

 –Revelation 18:2

I am prone to saying that we live in interesting times.

And by that, I mean we live in perhaps the most fucked-up and totally insane epoch of repugnant treachery and open deceit ever perpetrated in the history of the Union – if not the world.

“Now, get a grip, Barker. Don’t go off the deep end, you crazy bastard – here, have a drink – it can’t be that bad?”

Look, don’t take my word for it – open any newspaper in the Free World this morning and let me know what you think.

During the 2016 Presidential campaign, I wrote extensively how our once venerated media compromised themselves in an almost universal frenzy to delegitimize the frontrunners – with specific and near constant emphasis on now President-elect Donald Trump.

I opined that all it cost us was the collective loss of any real confidence in the national press – and our democratic process.

Well, gird your loins, folks – it’s gotten worse.  As if that were possible. . .

This morning, as good people throughout the nation awake, brew the morning joe, and tune in to their favorite talking heads, they are learning the ugly pseudo-facts about an incredibly salacious story that has been quietly making the rounds of Washington media-types, politicians – and the intelligence community – for months.

It seems that an oddly written, and completely unverified, 25-page dossier allegedly compiled by a former British intelligence officer – hired to develop opposition material on Trump – was obtained by Florida-based GOP political operative, and confirmed hack, Rick Wilson; who then trotted it around to anyone, and everyone, who would read it – including, apparently, the Central Intelligence Agency.

(You remember Rick Wilson.  He coined the phrase “Cheeto Jesus” – and led the ‘Never Trump’ movement from the very point of the spear – then spent the better part of last year viciously trashing the Republican nominee while serving as a “top GOP consultant”?)

To take this absurdity to its ragged edge – this morning we will also learn that top officials of our intelligence community used this unconfirmed “report” to brief both Mr. Trump, and President Barack Obama, as hard evidence of the width and depth of Russian involvement in our 2016 election.

On a more nefarious – and completely over-the-top – note, the report cites information from unidentified covert ‘sources’ that Russian intelligence is currently in possession of extremely embarrassing material that could be used to compromise and blackmail Mr. Trump – also suggesting Russia has been “cultivating, supporting and assisting” Trump in the years leading to his candidacy.

The report – parts of which sound like an old Penthouse Forum segment – include a weird story of Mr. Trump hiring Russian prostitutes to engage in “golden showers” on a bed once occupied by Mr. & Mrs. Obama in the Presidential Suite of the Moscow Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

As I understand it, Wilson took the bait – hook, line and sinker.

In turn, Wilson turned the report over to the Central Intelligence Agency, who quickly shared it within the intelligence community, before adding it to briefing materials presented as a fact-based intel product to the highest officials in the United States government.

Frankly, it reads like some perverted twist on a John le Carre novel – where clandestine dead drops and secretly palmed Minox cameras are replaced with tawdry piss-play. . .

Then, in some onanistic frenzy to break the next big Washington “Got’cha!” the online “news” source Buzzfeed – a strange hybrid website composed of hard journalism and pop culture bullshit – actually ran the raw dossier (complete with Sharpie highlighted passages) last night for all to see.

Understand, the material was billed by Buzzfeed as an “unverified memo” – but the damage was done.

They know it, and you know it.

Now, the rest of the story.

Although this is an actively developing disaster, as the hours pass it is increasingly clear that this dubious “intelligence report” – the contents of which made it all the way to a presidential briefing – originated as a bogus troll post on some obscure online bulletin board (4chan.org).

This morning, the site posted a claim that the “infamous golden shower scene” in the unverified dossier was a hoax, fabricated by an anonymous member of the chatboard as “fanfiction” – then sent to Rick Wilson – and ultimately, the CIA.

Is it possible that the most sophisticated intelligence agencies on earth – along with some of our nations most seasoned journalists and outlets (read: CNN) – have been shamefully duped by the proverbial 300-pound dude sitting on a chat forum in his mother’s basement?

You bet it is.

In a chock-a-block attempt to explain the matter, zerohedge.com summed things up better than I can:

“From here on out, assuming this is all true – it doesn’t matter how “legit” any report, document, or declaration is from any agency regarding Russian involvement in the US elections.  Even if there is credible evidence in the case (there’s not), it simply won’t matter after today.”

 Indeed.

We are witnessing the death of trust.

I hope, in the end, our two corrupt political parties – with the full support and acquiescence of our now defiled media establishment – realize the depth of harm they have done to our great nation with their detestable machinations.

Earlier today, President-elect Trump took to Twitter and denounced the report as “fake news,” stating, “Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to ‘leak’ into the public. One last shot at me.  Are we living in Nazi Germany?”

Given the malevolent fallout and internal treachery we’ve seen in the wake of Mr. Trump’s electoral victory, I’m afraid I can no longer answer that question with any degree of certainty.

Can you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What is to become of an independent statesman, one who will bow the knee to no idol, who will worship nothing as a divinity but truth, virtue, and his country? I will tell you; he will be regarded more by posterity than those who worship hounds and horses; and although he will not make his own fortune, he will make the fortune of his country.”

 John Adams–

Florida’s new House Speaker Richard Corcoran is a man after my own heart.

If you are reading this, I suspect he’s your kind of guy as well.

For the first time, in a long time, we have a leader in Tallahassee who is taking the ethical high road, and dragging his fellow elected officials along with him – kicking and screaming.

Last fall, Speaker Corcoran announced a series of reforms that he hopes will make Florida, “the most open and accountable legislature in the entire country.”

That’s a tall order.  Especially here in the moral wasteland of the Sunshine State.

I recently watched a riveting movie about a young, idealistic FBI agent who is drafted into the shadowy world of the escalating Mexican drug war.  The protagonist, a soft-spoken CIA contractor with a mysterious motive elegantly played by Benicio Del Toro, remarks: “You should move to a small town, somewhere the rule of law still exists.  You will not survive here.  You are not a wolf, and this is a land of wolves now.”

 Unfortunately, Florida is a land of wolves.

Hell, it’s the original den of apex political predators.

 It takes a special courage and inner strength to stand against corrupt systems; to make right that which is wrong and expose the entrenched self-enrichment schemes of those elected and appointed to represent the public interest.

Many of the changes outlined by Corcoran can be found in an incredible (given the times) white paper, composed in 2012 by Corcoran and some two-dozen Republican lawmakers, entitled “Blueprint Florida.”

Trust me.  This is a must read for anyone interested in good governance.  Anywhere.

Called “The Manifesto” by members of the media, the blueprint points the finger of reform squarely at a system that has allowed self-interest to triumph over public interest.

I encourage you to read it here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/files/2012-blue-print-florida.pdf

In a 2015 piece in the Tampa Bay Times, Mr. Corcoran addressed the many cynics and naysayers who will no doubt have a field day with what many insiders and special interests will see as perhaps the first real barrier to maintaining the status quo at the State Capital.

Still, Corcoran believes there will be many legislators who will welcome fresh air, “It’s confront the brutal fact, and the brutal fact is – man is flawed, and if left to their own devices, they’re going to seek their self-interest.”

I think the Speaker is on to something.

After a life spent in municipal government, I have some solid ideas about how our democratic system – at all levels – became such a squalid, self-serving cesspool of base corruption – but, to be honest, I’ve never truly understood it.

It’s like one of those cruel and disturbing stories where a parent turns on their own children – the very ones they trust and depend upon for protection.

In my view, the strength of our system begins and ends with the moral character of those we elect to serve in the public interest.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not naïve (unsophisticated maybe, but not naïve) and I am not suggesting that all public officials are dishonest shitheels – I’ve worked with some incredibly bright and forward-thinking civil servants who set the gold standard for ethical conduct.  I have also been forced to suffer a few of the most unethical frauds ever to disgrace local government.

Fortunately, Mr. Corcoran’s efforts appear to be gaining some traction.

I thoroughly enjoyed Daytona Beach News-Journal editorialist Scott Kent’s recent illuminating piece on Corcoran’s one man frontal assault on “business as usual” in the halls of power.

Now, it’s one thing to champion transparency and basic fairness in the public interest – but more than one “reformer” has been left tilting at windmills when they suddenly discover they are a lone voice in a fetid swamp of graft – or get caught in the, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” trap.

The tale of the tape will be when Corcoran’s transformational policies meet the immovable object of Governor Rick Scott’s unique brand of hazy governance.

I don’t think it’s any secret that Mr. Corcoran is planning a run for governor – and if he proves that his heart is truly in the right place – I can’t think of anyone more qualified, or welcome, to serve the long-suffering citizens of Florida.

For instance, per Mr. Kent, Corcoran has, “butted heads with the governor over state subsidies to private businesses.”  He also said that it is a “disgrace” that local governments use tax dollars to hire professionals to lobby the legislature – asking, “Shouldn’t legislators be aware of the needs of governments within their districts and do the lobbying for them?”

What an interesting concept?

The thought that a politician should understand the needs of his or her constituents, then actually work in the best interest of the communities that sent them to Tallahassee – or Washington – or Deland.

Interesting, indeed.

 

(Photo Credit: The Miami Herald)

 

Please join Barker’s View on GovStuff Live with Big John on WELE 1380am today at 4:30pm!

On the second Monday of each month, Barker’s View joins Big John to discuss topical issues in Volusia County government – keeping you up-to-date on the news and newsmakers of the day.

Please listen in – or join the discussion by calling 386-523-1380.

GovStuff Live can be found at 1380am – or worldwide at http://www.govstuff.org

Thank you!

And I thought I was the biggest windbag in Volusia County. . .

On Thursday, I caught part of the first County Council meeting of 2017.

In all honesty, I waited until the coronations were complete.  There are certain things my old tum-tum just can’t handle anymore – like Nachos Bell Grande and political acceptance speeches.

They repeat on me something terrible.

But, hey, it’s a new day – I get it – and by all accounts everyone who is anyone is extremely positive about the state of county government going forward.

There’s something about a swearing-in ceremony that drips optimism, and I see why most people get caught up in the cheerful pageantry and infectious enthusiasm of the moment.

Unfortunately, I no longer possess those emotions.

The sanguine part of my cerebral cortex has been scoured away by the near constant assault of open depravity and gutter sleaze that is Volusia County politics.  Sometimes I feel like the character in that M. Night Shyamalan film who see’s dead people – except, my sixth sense is the ability to perceive political horseshit.

Talk about a nightmare.

Like many of you, on Thursday I was hoping against hope that newly seated Chairman Ed Kelley would live up to the hype, courageously take the reins in his teeth, and seize control of these runaway meetings, as he promised.

In fact, I was giddy as a kipper as I anxiously waited to see Eddie finally bring county manager Jim Dinneen to heel, then publicly castigate him for orchestrating those exorbitant annual pay increases (like he promised).

And who among us didn’t light-headedly mince about the room, eagerly anticipating the exact moment Chairman Kelley would unlimber his gavel and curb the cheap political pap and fluff that has historically made these meetings so interminably long (like he promised)?

Finally, after years of stagnation and open dysfunction, the power brokers had bestowed upon us a strong, decisive statesman to provide the stewardship we, the unwashed masses, so richly deserve.

As Steinbeck observed, “The world was spinning in greased grooves.”

Now that Big Ed’s in the catbird’s seat, things are gonna change, baby!

Then, suddenly, everything went sideways.

Like watching the ball skip through Buckner’s knees.

I sat in stunned silence as our own Rip Van Winkle of county politics, “Sleepy Pat” Patterson – in an unusually animated moment (and by animated, I mean like the woozy groans of Frankenstein’s monster in an electric storm) – put the absolute smack down on Mr. Kelley, right out of the chute.

During a drawn-out exchange between Mr. Patterson and County Attorney Dan Eckert regarding the infinitesimal details of exactly which events and functions council members would be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses – Chairman Kelley finally saw the opportunity to flex his new muscles and explained to Sleepy Pat that he had droned on entirely too long.

Let’s head ’em up and move ’em out.  Time’s a-wastin’.

“I heard the answer twice.  Let’s move on,” Chairman Kelley asserted.

What a ballsy move, I thought, as I hunched closer to the monitor.

Then, Mr. Patterson – no doubt anxiously waiting for this very moment – suddenly transmogrified into this horribly indignant Werewolf-like creature, sprouted blood-tinged fangs, and seethed at the visibly recoiling Chairman, “That’s Rude.  You’re here to run a meeting – not sit here and shut council member’s discussions down.”

 Whoa.

In other words, “Know your role – and quit interrupting.  Traditionally, the Chair sits there quietly and entertains himself by playing with the shiny buttons on his vest.  Get with the program.”

Our once proud trailblazer was left sputtering and apologizing for his insolent behavior like some doddering old fool who just spilled his soup and made a mess.

In the end, Eddie assured us – and Mr. Patterson – that his boorish outbursts won’t happen again.

But it wasn’t over.

When he was done politely disemboweling the chairman – Mr. Patterson’s tag team partner, our new Vice Chair, Deb Deny’s, continued to publicly spank Kelley like a recalcitrant child during her remarks.

In her typical slightly exasperated, yet infinitely self-important style, Deny’s gave Ed one last throat punch, “This isn’t the Ormond Beach City Commission, with all due respect.”

Meaning, “You’re not in tiny town anymore, Dorothy.  Welcome to the NFL – now get your head out of your ass and follow our lead.”

 Deny’s then joined her fellow council members in a long-winded discussion on when it is appropriate to have discussions, exactly what should be discussed, and when, and why some discussions should be held in a workshop – while other discussions should be held at the end of the regular meeting.

As discussions go, it was quite a discussion.

It also served the purpose of publicly tamping the dirt down on Ed Kelley’s aspirations to shorten county council meetings.

Fortunately, throughout the tut-tutting from the seats of power, we had Mr. Dinneen on hand to explain to us – and the council members themselves – exactly what each of them were trying to say, as though they had been speaking in some obscure Bantu dialect.

Weird.

But, Thank God, we have Little Jimmy to interpret.  That’s what you get for $375,000 annually.

He tells you what you want to hear.

Look, I understand there’s a learning curve.  I mean, Chairman Kelley has only been participating in or presiding over public meetings for, well, the past eight-years.

So, let’s cut him a break.  Okay?

And Councilwoman Heather Post, too.

God Bless her.  She crackled and popped through “you know, ah” her first meeting with a relatively good showing.  Probably just first-time jitters.

I’m sure she will find her way – as we all do.

I, for one, am pulling for her.

So, let’s all just calm down.  Eventually, someone on the dais will find a way to fill the leadership void left in the smoldering remains of Ed Kelley’s best intentions.

And if not, we always have Jim Dinneen to lead us deeper down the garden path. . .

In coming weeks, the ‘movers-and-shakers’ of the Halifax area will host several gala dinners and cocktail parties, all designed to remind themselves how important they are to our collective progress here on the “Fun Coast.”

These include the annual Daytona Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce mutual admiration event, and Team Volusia’s yearly celebration of frivolously pissing away tax dollars for dubious returns.

The tables will be set just-so, and the ‘complementary’ beer and wine will flow.

As the evening progresses, well-dressed speakers with recognizable names will take the podium to congratulate each other’s achievements, drone on about all they have done for us – and, most important, tout their big plans for our communal success in the year to come.

Comments from the well-heeled dais will include terms like “Buoyed Optimism,” “Failing Forward” and “Big Wins!” and we will hear how Team Volusia is “punching way above its weight.”

Sadly, they will believe their own quaint euphemisms, even as they struggle to convince themselves that – with enough of our money – they can actually make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

In a recent article by the Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Clayton Parks, it was announced that Team Volusia – one of the myriad “public/private” partnerships that serve as a conduit for funneling public dollars to private businesses – will be hosting a three-hour soiree at the elegant, and appropriately named, Mori Hosseini Center.

Mr. Parks began by reassuring us that, although the engraved invitations don’t specifically say it, members of the public are welcome to attend the $75 per plate buffet – resplendent with white bean hummus crostini and Charleston crab cakes with remoulade.

While the News-Journal may not come right out and say it, the invitations were correct.

Team Volusia neither needs, nor wants, your attendance on their big night – all they need is our money.

You see, nearly half of Team Volusia’s $1.4 million annual budget comes from you and me.

Something else they won’t tell you:  Although the invitations specify ‘business attire’ – because our tax money is involved, the law classifies this gala as a public meeting.

You can wear bib overalls and a corncob pipe and they can’t exclude you.

Our friends at Team Volusia plan to use this glorious event to trot out their brand new “three-year strategic plan” – cleverly entitled, well, “Strategy for Success” – which, by the way, was cobbled together by two folks from a consulting firm out of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Little Rock.

In keeping with their publicly-funded mission to generate economic development and build the tax base in Volusia County – Team Volusia sent $55,000 (not counting travel costs) of our money to Little Rock, Arkansas – for two people who don’t know Mason Avenue from the Port Orange Causeway.

In return, the consultants (who bill themselves as former economic development ‘practitioners’) wrote our “strategic plan.”  (Team Volusia couldn’t find anyone local to bang-out a “tell ‘em what they want to hear” manifesto for fifty-five grand?)

Hell, I’m just sitting on my ass.  Maybe I missed the call?  Probably napping.

In my experience, strategic planning is normally performed internally as a management and team building tool.

It is very effective when all stakeholders are involved in setting common goals, evaluating current and future needs, soliciting internal and external suggestions, analyzing strengths and weaknesses in the marketplace, and developing a comprehensive focus – a road map, really – for achieving objectives over time.

When done properly, the exercise can build consensus and enthusiasm, set internal priorities, and allocate talent and resources toward achieving collective goals.  Obviously, the process is most effective if the resulting blueprint is exercised and implemented by everyone as a means of focusing energy and ensuring that each element of the organization is pulling in the same direction.

However, if management simply places the binder on a bookcase in the executive suite, We, the People, who paid for it might as well have wiped our collective bum with the $55K.

For instance:

You might remember that in 2013 the Volusia County Council took delivery of a $100,000 report on the future of Volusia’s tourism industry.

In the final narrative, the county’s consultant – another out-of-towner from something called the “Strategic Advisory Group” – described a meeting with Team Volusia wherein it was acknowledged that tourism is the number one industry in Volusia County.

Per the much-heralded report (which is no doubt collecting dust on county manager Jim Dinneen’s credenza), “The Team Volusia website lists “high impact” industries in the section on potential financial incentives. Tourism is not listed as one of these industries and there is no section for tourism investment.”

It still isn’t.

In fact, in nearly four-years, I haven’t seen any substantive changes to the Team Volusia website at all.

Just like Daytona Beach itself, it’s the same tired shit, rehashed in some weird exercise that involves doing the same thing over-and-over while expecting a different result.

Or maybe their web presence is just there to camouflage the fact that Team Volusia is simply another ineffectual, and overvalued, tax funded boondoggle?

I mean, we spent $100,000 hard-earned taxpayer dollars for a tourism study – not counting all we gave away in terms of beach access, incentives, and stomach acid – to lure a panacea theme hotel to the area.

Is it too much to ask that someone, anyone, on the payroll take the personal initiative to put the word “tourism” on the Team Volusia website’s business & industry priorities section?

You know, just shoehorn it between Team Volusia’s main thrusts of ‘Film Production’ and ‘Headquarters/R&D’?

(Film production?  Really?  I mean, a movie hasn’t been made here since the De Niro flop ‘Dirty Grandpa.’  Oh, wait, that wasn’t actually filmed here – the producers just took advantage of our seedy reputation to enhance the plot line…)

I don’t make this shit up, folks.

As I write this, my stomach churns and my chest tightens remembering the countless hours of my life spent trapped at ‘gala dinners,’ and seemingly endless breakfast meetings, listening to overdressed economic development types drone on about how wonderful things would be if we could just shovel more tax money at parasitic businesses who consistently factor our money into their bottom line.

I should have had the moral courage to stand up and shout, “Stop lying to us, you treacherous bastards!” – but that would have been considered inappropriate, given the setting and circumstances.

I would have been dismissed as a mad man – or terminal drunk – or both.

In retrospect, I can’t think of anything more appropriate.

 

 

 

 

In government – or any endeavor where a small group of people have control over the lives and livelihoods of others – perception is reality, because accountability is paramount.

We have a right to expect that those in high office will serve responsibly and act in the public interest.

But who ensures compliance with our expectations – and the rules?

There are certain professions that we naturally hold to higher standards of ethical conduct.

For instance, we expect law enforcement officers to follow the rules, set a solid personal example and possess the judgment, strength of character, and moral courage to do the right thing, for the right reason.

These traditions of personal and professional conduct are so ingrained in our society that if even one member of the police service steps out-of-line, the entire vocation is held to account.

That’s a high bar – and it should be.

So why is it that politicians are consistently ranked lower than petrified whale turds on the gauge of public confidence?

Why do we simply accept that our local mayor – or United States senator – are supernaturally predisposed to feathering their own nest?

Because, on balance, the evidence supports the theory.

The American people are terribly cynical about their political system; and our open distrust of elected leaders, and formerly trusted institutions, shows no signs of easing.

The fact is, we’ve been burned too many times.

In my view, a key reason for this pessimism is the staggering attempts by politicians at all levels to weaken oversight and neuter the independent watchdogs their constituents rely on to keep everyone reasonably honest.

Earlier this week, during a terribly mismanaged 24-hour period, the House Republican Conference, meeting secretively behind closed doors, voted to eviscerate the Office of Congressional Ethics.

It’s like the mafia voting to dissolve the FBI because their constant snooping is bad for business.

Then, following the righteous outcry from, well, everyone – including President-elect Trump – the GOP suddenly scurried back into the smoke-filled room where they reversed course and dropped the ill-fated measure.

Like it never even happened.

But the damage was already complete.

Despite all the encouraging rhetoric and “drain the swamp” promises during the election cycle, it appears nothing has changed at all.

Clearly, the new Republican majority squandered their one opportunity to make a good first impression by kicking off with a self-serving move to crush their own independent oversight board.

How mindbogglingly stupid.

And telling.

Unfortunately, the House GOP’s misstep in exposing their collective disdain for notoriously lax federal ethics rules is child’s play compared to the cesspool of political corruption here in the Sunshine State.

Even casual observers of local and state politics have come to the realization that Florida has finally become an open kleptocracy – a place where the rich get richer through open access to public funds – and you and I, the long-suffering taxpayer, pay the bills and suck hind tit (if we’re fed at all).

The examples are endless.

For months, we watched in abject horror as John Miklos – the Chairman of the St. John’s River Water Management District’s Governing Board, and president of Bio Tech Consultants, (a company who lobbies for private interests before that very same regulatory agency) – played both sides of the fence to his own lucrative advantage.

From the open quid pro quo corruption that was the City of DeBary’s underhanded attempt to surreptitiously acquire the environmentally sensitive Gemini Springs Annex for commercial development – to his controversial involvement in a plan by Major League Baseball player and manager Davey Johnson to develop a dubious “wetlands mitigation bank” near New Smyrna Beach – Long John Miklos was skulking in the fetid back alley of every suspicious land-grab or environmental exploitation in the region.

Add to that Governor Rick Scott’s conspicuous acquiescence – and you get the queasy feeling that this just can’t be right.

Because it isn’t.

But this is Florida.  The rules are different here.

Despite their own independent investigator’s findings that Mr. Miklos blatantly violated state ethics laws in his conflicting role as both public officer and private consultant, the Florida Commission on Ethics inexplicably ignored all reason – and the law – when they issued a colossally absurd decision clearing Miklos of all charges.

In Florida, it is perfectly acceptable to accept payment for securing permits and acquiring conservation lands for private development from the very same regulatory agency you oversee.

And, by all appearances, those with the authority – and responsibility – to criminally investigate continue to sit on their collective ass like another weary spectator.

Sad, really.

Whenever someone asks why the material on Barker’s View tends toward the dark underbelly of regional politics, I laugh maniacally and point them to overwhelming evidence of dysfunction and utter corruption that we have come to accept as the status quo.

So, if you need constant validation about how wonderful things are here on the “Fun Coast,” you won’t find it here.  Go watch a Danica Patrick visitor’s bureau video and “forget everything you thought you knew.”

For the rest of you intrepid watchdogs, choke down an antiemetic and stay tuned.

Knowledge is power.

I will continue to use this forum to champion those who seek the truth, identify systemic corruption, expose conflicts of interest and misconduct, and support government whistleblowers at the local, state and federal level.

In my view, grassroots efforts – the much-maligned citizen initiatives and committed individuals who ask the tough questions – serve as our best hope for reforming our broken system and transitioning public service back to the ethically conscious pursuit it should be.

 

 

 

 

To say that I am suspicious of Volusia County politicians is an understatement.

I’ve been burned before.  So have you.

Let’s face it, few things in life are more fragile than trust.

Officials and government organizations can spend years developing relationships, establishing confidence and expectations, and providing efficient services in the public interest – only to see it all destroyed by a single lie or act of irresponsibility.

Or, like in Volusia County, it can be one deceitful kick in the head after another – a situation where governance takes the form and appearance of a Turkish bazaar.

A strange, dark place where access is bartered and sold to the highest bidder.

Regardless, once lost, the public trust is nearly impossible to recover.

This morning I read with interest Daytona Beach News-Journal reporter Dustin Wyatt’s excellent interview with incoming county council Chair Ed Kelley.

To his credit, Mr. Wyatt didn’t serve up softballs, he asked the tough questions that we need hard answers to.

To his credit, Mr. Kelley gave some unexpected – but encouraging – answers.

Specifically, Chairman-elect Kelley articulated some very convincing solutions for making council meetings more efficient by curbing the carnival atmosphere and increasing the number of workshops.

He also showed some much-needed leadership in speaking out against the utterly insane practice of providing County Manager Jim Dinneen – perhaps the most grossly overpaid and ineffectual appointed official in the state – with automatic annual pay increases.

In a blatant ‘fuck you’ to their constituents, the former council’s final insult came when they voted unanimously to give Mr. Dinneen a 3% pay raise, bringing his already obscene annual income to $241,000 (estimated at $375,000 with benefits).

“Is he going to leave if he doesn’t get a 3% raise?  No,” said Kelley.

“Is he worth ($7,000) more?  He had a list of accomplishments and things he’s done for the past year, but that’s his job.” 

 Well said, Mr. Kelley.   

 The fact is, Jim Dinneen should be fired – not rewarded.

Little Jimmy is considered an autocratic shit by those who work for him – and he has been the single most divisive force ever to disgrace county government.

The Dinneen strategy of ensuring that uber-wealthy political insiders have unfettered access to the public trough, while alienating and insulating elected officials from the true needs of their constituents, has resulted in an unprecedented level of distrust and weary cynicism.

We also learned that Councilman Pat Patterson is seriously out-of-touch with reality.

Delusional, really.

Per the News-Journal interview, Patterson “totally disagrees” with Mr. Kelley’s spot-on assessment of the county manager’s most recent bonus, claiming against all credibility, “I’ve been around Dinneen a lot longer than he has and I’ve witnessed what he’s done.”

We’ve also witnessed what you have done, Mr. Patterson.

At a recent meeting, Councilman Patterson all but prostrated himself before the High Panjandrum of Volusia Politics – Mortenza “Mori” Hosseini – when he stopped by the council chambers to make good on his demand for $1.5 million taxpayer dollars, ostensibly to benefit Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

There was a mawkish familiarity about Patterson’s over-the-top idolization of all Mr. Hosseini represents that nauseated me – and exposed all one needs to know about his true allegiance.

“Sleepy Pat” Patterson is a perennial politician who has been around since the mid-90’s – demonstrably ineffective, but beholden to just the right people.

So, Mr. Patterson, don’t presume to tell your long-suffering constituents that Mr. Dinneen’s annual salary increase is something other than an open gratuity for facilitating the obvious.

Mr. Kelley also gave us his thoughts on reining-in the farcical gatherings that have become what passes for bi-monthly county council meetings.

According to Mr. Kelley, these ineffective and God-awfully long gettogethers have dissolved into something more akin to a ‘social hour’ than a business meeting.

He’s right.

The circus-like atmosphere hit its geophysical nadir during the final meeting of 2016, when former councilman Josh Wagner literally strummed a guitar and performed his worst Weird Al Yankovic impression before a thunderstruck audience.

Seriously, it was bizarre.

When I worked in government, we had an insider phrase for lengthy staff presentations.

We called them “Dog and Pony Shows.”  And make no mistake, they serve a strategic purpose.

They take the emotional energy out of the room.

They cause the elected body, and the public, to lose focus and become apathetic to the issue being discussed.

They limit the amount of time available for critical discussion and citizen participation.

Most important, when performed correctly, these presentations subliminally telegraph the city/county managers preferred outcome (which has normally been set in stone during individual manager/council member discussions well prior to the actual meeting.)

I equate long-winded staff presentations to ‘verbal anesthesia’ – and Jim Dinneen uses this established practice to full-effect.

Trust me.  I’m a past-master at the art.  Ask me to give a budget presentation and I’ll turn even the most ferocious political gadfly into a sleepy-eyed kitten, purring unconscious in their seat in the gallery.

As a veteran politician, I suspect Mr. Kelley is well acquainted with the procedure as well.

“I just don’t think (County Council meetings) are efficient and productive,” Kelley said. “I don’t think you need to have a presentation where someone tells me ‘How very good’ something is three times. That’s for me to decide if it’s very good. You sit there and you listen and you think, ‘Come on, get on with it, wrap it up.’”

Indeed.

I suspect we will see some form of push-back from the county manager’s office.

Workshops are an effective way of allowing elected officials to discuss important issues between themselves before they take definitive action, all without violating the Sunshine law.

This level of open communication and collaboration is anathema to Dinneen’s management style.

In fact, Mr. Dinneen knows that his ability to effectively control information, and shape policy outside the confines of a public meeting, is critical to maintaining control and covering the mistakes and omissions of his administration.

I’m incredibly pleased by what Mr. Kelley said.

But he also told us during the campaign that he was a beach driving supporter – when his actions proved him to be anything but.

Hence, my skepticism.

Unfortunately, I’ve been around long enough to know that the proof is exposed in the actual arena, where business as usual is always the preferred course of small-minded bureaucrats.

Clearly, our new council will be shaped by Mr. Kelley’s political acumen – but only time will tell if he has the strength of character to fundamentally change the current path of county government and restore the public’s trust.

August 2016

So, it’s our fault?

If I receive another arrogant lecture from a speculative developer scolding me and my neighbors because he can’t build an overpriced, high-rise theme hotel without copious amounts of tax dollars in the financing scheme – and a private beach – well, I’m going to vomit.

In August, we were collectively subjected to the whining and finger-pointing of the shamefaced Henry Wolfond, CEO of Bayshore Capital, who crowed, ad nauseum, over his failure to sprout the much-anticipated “Hard Rock Daytona” from the sand dunes.

The project was billed as the magic panacea to cure all the ills of east Volusia – and when it failed – the crash consumed more newsprint than the Hindenburg disaster.

The Overthrow of Mayor Clint Johnson

 In August, what I affectionately refer to as the “Debacle in DeBary” reached its nadir with the summary execution of the duly elected mayor, Clint Johnson, by his fellow elected officials on dubious charges that he violated certain provisions of the city’s charter.

If there was one bright spot (there wasn’t, but let’s pretend), the convoluted and incredibly expensive process used by the bureaucracy to protect itself from Mr. Johnson’s tough questions and red hot criticism exposed some very disturbing facets of what passes for governance in the City of DeBary.

The genesis of this cheap coup d’etat began months before when the now disgraced former city manager, Dan Parrott – I suspect in a panicky attempt to conceal his crimes and those of his toady’s in City Hall –  grasped at straws and came up with the idea of twisting a few of the Mayor’s more opinionated social media posts – coupled with a text message or two – into self-described “charter violations.”

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. so eloquently said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

What happened in DeBary is a travesty, and it will be talked about and analyzed far beyond the limits of this small town for years to come.

In the end, it will serve as a shining example of what happens when vengeful, small-minded politicians are left to their own dreadful devices.

We haven’t heard the last of this one, folks.

 September 2016

Corporate Welfare

Given Volusia County’s history of financially supporting speculative developers, private universities, retail outlets, various “business incubators,” and countless marketing and tourism boards – not to mention Forbes-listed billionaires – why wouldn’t our area 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 concerns in Volusia County – then search in vain for the public gain in core areas, such as East ISB, Midtown, the “E-Zone,” Main Street, etc. – one begins to ask the question, “Where is our return on investment?”

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

In September, we asked the logical question – why do we do the same thing over-and-over while expecting a different result?

Because the right people are getting rich, that’s why.

October 2016

Hurricane Matthew – The Best We’ve Ever Seen

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, those big-headed shitgibbons on the Volusia County Council wasted no time in slapping each other’s back and congratulating their own performance.

As they tell it, we “dodged a bullet” – thanks to their smart planning and incredible leadership.

Bullshit.

Using his patented “best/worst” spiel to full effect, county manager Jim Dinneen was quick to tell the media that the County’s response to the storm was, “The best effort he’s ever seen in his career.”

Double Bullshit.

Now, I have personal knowledge that Volusia County’s first responders did an outstanding job before, during and after the event.  However, many things about the Dinneen administration’s emergency response efforts were sorely lacking – starting with the timely dissemination of public information.

Little Jimmy might want to tone down his ‘best/worst” shtick.

There is a definite ‘Boy who Cried Wolf’ component to Mr. Dinneen’s public pronouncements that cannot be ignored.  In the aftermath of this natural disaster, we learned that residents prefer facts – not wild emotional speculation and self-aggrandizing tut-tutting from their elected and appointed officials.

A Call for Outside Intervention

In October, Barker’s View discussed the deepening divide at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – and Volusia County residents became members of the prestigious “Jack L. Hunt Society” of million-dollar benefactors – when the Volusia County Council made good on a demand by Mori Hosseini and ERAU Interim President Karen Holbrook for $1.5 million in our tax dollars.

Ostensibly, the money is needed to assist “struggling start-ups” at the new John Mica Engineering and Aerospace Complex – a multi-million-dollar taxpayer funded research and technology facility that will – to-date – house elements of aviation pioneers, such as, International Speedway Corporation, DuvaSawka medical billing, mega-law firm Cobb, Cole, FireSpring Fund, accountants James Moore and Company, Vann Data, and venture capital firm venVelo.

Wait.  These are all established local companies with little, if any, direct connection to the aerospace industry?  So why did we fund them with our tax dollars?

Where is Northrop, General Electric, or Boeing?

Apparently, these aerospace and technology giants are rapidly partnering with other colleges and research facilities that aren’t known as the personal fiefdom of Mortenza Hosseini.

Following a vote of no confidence by ERAU’s faculty senate against the Board of Trustees, as a benefactor of the prestigious university, I felt it important to roll-up my sleeves and lend a helping hand.

To that end, I called for an outside review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools – the agency which accredits ERAU.

I’m still waiting. . .

November 2016

Daytona Tourism

Interestingly, the Halifax Area Advertising Authority – yet 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 doyen 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-bright’s who brought you, “Seize the Daytona” – our new marketing hook is:  Blight?  Homelessness?  Crime?  Exorbitant beach tolls?  FUGGITABOUTIT!

No joke.

Lies and Damn Lies

In November, some nit-wit who ‘manages’ our county transportation system, Votran, which operates on $18.4 million in annual tax subsidies, announced that it would cost $400,000 to retool a bus line to serve the recently opened Tanger Outlet shopping mall.

In an interesting Op/Ed, Daytona Beach News-Journal Editor Pat Rice questioned the figure while rightly pointing out that with a new apartment complex (which ultimately received a bus stop), a proposed 3,400-unit housing development to the northwest, and the 900 new employees and thousands of shoppers traveling to Tanger daily – Votran might have considered some advanced planning a route analysis.

Not in Volusia County.

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

How about you and I make a pact not to take it anymore?

Deltona Politics

Saying that Deltona is a community in crisis is like saying the DeBary city council has a slight problem with situational ethics.

In my view, the growing shit-storm in Deltona best demonstrates that elected officials who propose legislation and “processes” that suppress our right to free speech, hamstring our ability to petition our government for redress of grievances, and erect barriers to elected officials who try to uncover government corruption and inefficiency – seriously underestimate the intelligence of their constituents.

Deltona has serious issues.  It also has some very smart watchdogs.

I am happy to report that the community has a core group of very bright, committed and inquisitive citizens – supported by Commissioners Soukup and Alcantara – who are actively monitoring and analyzing every move and sinister machination at City Hall.

My hat is off to them – and this one is going to be interesting to watch in 2017.

December 2016

The Screwing you get, for the Screwing you got 

We began the Christmas Season with the unsettling news that former Daytona Beach Assistant City Manager Gary Shimun is an accused whore monger with some serious character flaws.

Apparently this wasn’t the first time he attempted to screw someone over.

In the aftermath of this ugliness, a trusted Barker’s View contributor who has spoken out against racism, gender discrimination, and whistleblower retaliation by the City of Daytona Beach reported that Mr. Shimun was a principle on the personnel board that willfully denied a most deserving African-American candidate a management position with the city.

I also have it on good authority that our contributor recently received the go-ahead from the United States Equal Employment Opportunities Commission to sue the eyeballs out of the City of Daytona Beach in Federal court.

I’m told that lawsuit will be filed in January.

Trust that we will have more on this developing situation in the very near future.

Look, there’s so much more – One Daytona, Bio Tech Consulting, Enterprise Florida, the election, etc. – but you get the drift.

I recently read that the Merriam-Webster “Word of the Year” for 2016 is: “Surreal.”

I agree.

This has been a very interesting year – and you can bet we’re in for more of the same in the New Year.

You can also bet that I’ll be here at Barker’s View HQ – hunched over the ‘ol computer in my boxer’s – tilting at windmills – and stirring discontent among the power brokers, political insiders, and self-important assholes who pass for “leadership” in Volusia County.

Thanks for reading.  And all best wishes for a happy, healthy and most prosperous New Year!

 

 

Most of you have lives. You know, jobs and important activities that occupy your time and talents.

Pursuits that span beyond sitting at a computer in your boxer shorts, smoking cigarettes, pouring Rebel Yell in your coffee and brooding about local political corruption.

So, for those of you who want a condensed look back on the year that was – or a quick primer on the thorny issues we will face in 2017 – I’m putting my sedentary lifestyle to work for you.

Here’s my unadulterated retrospective on the year that was:

January 2016

Monument to the Mayor

We began the year with a look at the newly minted “Ritchey Plaza” – a sempiternal monument to former Daytona Beach mayor and founding member of the ‘in-crowd,’ Glenn Ritchey, which was built smack-dab in the smoldering remains of the once thriving Boardwalk – the epicenter of the now fading World’s Most Famous Beach.

With the scourge of crime, drugs, and unrestrained blight creeping in all directions, our own Daytona Royalty bestowed upon their long-suffering subjects this bright, shining opal – a park (?) resplendent with Adirondack chairs and eight (count ‘em) Royal Palm trees – strategically positioned around the bootlicking “I coughed up cash” plaques commemorating the largesse of the donor class.

In my view, the mega-wealthy camarilla that erected this shrine to their own self-importance in the center of what is left of our beachside should be ashamed of themselves.

But they aren’t.  The irony seems lost on them.

Trust me.  I’m the most ego-maniacal asshole you know, and this self-congratulatory bullshit made me blush.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

A bureaucracy, especially one as bloated as Volusia County, requires tax dollars like a parasitic insect needs the blood of its host.  It’s very life depends upon it.

In the summer of 2015, County Manager Jim Dinneen proposed levying a half-cent sales tax to pay for transportation infrastructure repair and replacement.  The process began with Little Jimmy’s usual hysterical hand-wringing, and claims that transportation funding would run dry if we didn’t collectively bend over and accept the increase.

In 2016, City leaders balked and the county council effectively tabled the initiative.

Or did they?

In Volusia County, no tax, once proposed, is ever really dead.

Look for this issue to rear its ugly head in 2017.

February 2016

Seize the Daytona

When masses of street people descended upon the county administration building on Beach Street, their disorganized, but effective, protest did far more than bring much-needed attention to the problem of chronic homelessness in the Halifax area.

It exposed the harsh realities that many didn’t know existed in local government, such as:

The ineffectiveness of what passes for “leadership.”

The lack of basic cooperation between the municipalities and Volusia County.

The fact that Jim Dinneen has little, if any, effective communication with senior constitutional officers on important issues.

And, most important, we saw the level to which our elected and appointed officials will sink when the pressure is on.

Enough is Never Enough

 Volusia County uses public funds to purchase “off beach parking” while simultaneously increasing tolls, removing beach access points, and establishing even more ‘traffic-free’ zones – then the county suggested charging residents and visitors for parking (up to $20 per day) at those very same off-beach lots and public parks.

The hits just keep on coming. . .

March 2016

Students or Victims? 

After months of wrangling, the Volusia County School Board settled the school uniform brouhaha in favor of a personal dress code for students.

So far, so good.  I guess.

In a far less publicized (but incredibly telling) move, the school board also voted to abandon the long-standing “pass to play” academic requirement for student athletes.

In keeping with the nationwide trend of “dumbing down” the academic process, Volusia overturned rules which held students who participate in organized sports accountable for maintaining passing grades.

When did raising the bar become a bad idea?

April 2016

Our Harvard of the Sky

In “Speaking Truth to Power” we examined the brewing unrest at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

In an open letter to students, faculty and alumni, some fifteen former members of ERAU student government artfully and courageously exposed the outsize influence of Mori Hosseini – Chairman of the Board of Trustees and High Panjandrum of Political Power.

We also learned for the first time that while he served as a member of the Board of Trustee’s, Hosseini-owned Intervest Construction took more than $1.5 million out of ERAU in “office space, utilities and aircraft charter services.”

Interesting.

In my view, this issue best exemplified – in microcosm – the detrimental impact the consolidation of political power can have on organizations, government, and our democratic process.

With a cobbled together search for ERAU’s new president underway, this issue is one to watch in 2017 – especially as Mr. Hosseini funnels even more of our tax dollars into his own private university.

The Debacle in DeBary

In April, we began the strange and terrible journey that would become known as “The Debacle in DeBary.”

Thanks to the Pulitzer-worthy reporting of the Daytona Beach News-Journal’s Dinah Voyles-Pulver, we got our first glimpse of perhaps the most disturbing example of criminal arrogance to ever compromise a local municipal government.

And that’s saying something.

From the quid pro quo corruption of John Miklos to the public cashiering of the City’s duly elected mayor, this sordid affair reads like a Travis McGee novel.

I spent a lot of time on this issue in Barker’s View this year.  It has all the gritty elements of dysfunction, hubris and governmental corrosion; and serves as the ne plus ultra of petty greed and public corruption run amok.

Hold on.  This one is just getting started.

A Sad Day for Volusia County

In May 2016, I published what would become the most read post on Barker’s View.

It dealt with the frustrating aftermath of the 5^th District Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold a lower court ruling in the Let Volusia Vote referendum question.

It read, in part:

“Interestingly, in most cases elected bodies welcome the referendum process.  It serves as a buffer, a political heat shield on controversial matters that periodically come before them.  In this case, our elected officials fought tooth-and-nail to retain “exclusive authority” over all matters related to the beach. 

What does that tell you?

When viewed from the perspective of a compromised Volusia County political system, one that has been bought and paid for by a few ultra-rich elites who throw huge sums of cash at select candidates through multiple, but individually controlled corporate entities, you get the impression that citizen input and opinion on matters related to our beach is neither wanted nor considered.  Simply put, you were out bid.

 There is an ill-wind blowing across the breadth of Volusia County and it carries the stench of political corruption.  And at this point, it seems the powers-that-be no longer try to hide it.”

Despite the heroic efforts of Sons of the Beach and other grassroots initiatives, I’m afraid the die has been cast in the beach driving debate.  The county council election drove a stake through its heart – and We, the People, lost.

Look for even more giveaways in 2017.

June 2016

Calling it what it is

June saw our first foray into the local election season when I joined with others in calling bullshit on a dubious mailer sent to Volusia voters by County Chairman-elect Ed Kelley, wherein he championed himself an advocate for “beach access.”

Apparently, Ed’s double-talk worked.

Smart people understand that when politicians use the term “access” when addressing beach driving, what they mean is the ability to schlep your belongings to the shore from an “off beach” parking area designated by your government and paid for with your tax dollars.

Now, I’ve vowed to give Mr. Kelley a fair chance to prove himself – because that’s the right thing to do.  But I’m not optimistic.

Time will tell.

July 2016

Support your Local Police

During the long, hot summer of 2016, we took up the social epidemic of vilifying law enforcement.

Tragically, we saw deadly assaults on police officers in Dallas, Baton Rouge, and elsewhere – along with raging street demonstrations and violent riots in cities across the United States.

In July, I was asked to contribute to the Daytona Beach News-Journal’s “Community Voices” column and took the opportunity to support our besieged officers who bravely hold the line between order and anarchy.

My remarks were met with a cowardly, self-serving attack by former Ormond Beach Police Chief Larry Mathieson – a self-styled “consultant” – who opined that my “bias” in supporting law enforcement while condemning inflammatory media speculation, incendiary rhetoric, and our complete lack of political leadership (factors which I believe have contributed to the demonization of police officers) “are at the core of the problems with race, policing and violence in this country.”

In my opinion, Larry Mathieson remains the worst excuse for a police administrator I have ever had the displeasure of knowing.  Just a spineless asshole, and a continuing embarrassment to a proud profession.

I’m glad I got the opportunity to let him know that.

Eating the Elephant

There are many barriers to the revitalization of Daytona’s Beachside – and despite all the enthusiastic, but ineffective, ‘rah-rah’ speeches of the Regional Chamber of Commerce – we always seem to end up right where we started:

A urine-stained, trash strewn, Square One.

Perhaps more frustrating is the fact that the City of Daytona Beach appears to have abandoned any effort at code enforcement, infrastructure improvement, or effective change in our core tourist area.

In fact, Daytona’s community redevelopment funds are being given away – literally – in increasingly bizarre land deals that see hundreds of thousands in public funds spent on properties worth far less.

And still no explanation from City Hall.

Thanks to the noble efforts of a few intrepid residents who are actively purchasing and restoring blighted properties in challenged areas, there is hope.

Whether the City of Daytona Beach will assist these fledgling efforts remains to be seen.

Tomorrow we continue our look back at the people and issues that defined 2016.

Please stay tuned.