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The Martin County

  Defender

The e-newsletter for aware citizens – No. 64

$$$$$ for commission candidates involved in primary races

CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION / (-EXPENDITURE) TOTALS AS OF 7/18/08

District 1

Doug Smith (R) -  $108,191 / (-$55,217)

Henry Copeland (R) -  $49,962 / (-$15,955)

Tom Fullman (D) -  $5,727 / (-$3,634)

Eric Brent (D) -  $4,590 / (-$4,516)

District 3

Lee Weberman (R) -  $101,505 / (-$70,127)

Patrick Hayes (R) -  $16,550 / (-$6,698)

District 5

Ian Pollack (R) -  $51,510 / (-$11,631)

Edward Ciampi (R) -  $47,129 / (-$23,191)

John Born (R) -  $6,700 / (-$7,887)

John Hockey (R) -  $5,314 / (-$13,055)

[Editor's Personal Note to Pollack, Born and Hockey:  You are all wise enough to know that your campaign can not be won with only a pittance of funding. It's fine to present your positions in person at forums, but it takes money to reach the 49,000 other Republican voters not in attendance. Since so many of your views are similar - especially preventing western rural lands from being spotted dark with cluster housing - it would be heroic for you to support, for the good of the county, one candidate capable of winning.]

Analysis of largest campaign treasuries

Are developer-related interests trying to buy the election? Let’s examine the make-up of the contributions. The numbers will speak for themselves.

Doug Smith in District 1 had 388 contributors, of which 38% gave the maximum allowed of $500, 25% gave $200 to $499, and 37% gave under $200. Of the $500 donors, at least 44% were developer or real estate related. This includes such occupational titles as contractor, realtor, property management, land planner, architect, etc. Undoubtedly the number actually development-connected is higher, but it is not possible to determine by title alone if, say, an attorney or investor is deeply involved in development. Most of the $55,217 paid out is for forthcoming newspaper and direct mail ads.

Lee Weberman in District 3 had 295 contributors, of which 53% gave the maximum allowed of $500, 28% gave $200 to $499, and only 19% gave under $200. Of the $500 donors, at least 42% were developer or real estate related. This includes such occupational titles as contractor, realtor, property management, land planner, architect, etc. Undoubtedly the number actually development-connected is higher. Most of the $70,127 paid out is for a big TV ad campaign later.

Ian Pollack in District 5 had 231 contributors, of which 27% gave $500, 21% gave $200 to $499, and a majority of 52% gave under $200. None of the $500 donors had a recognizable connection with development.

Henry Copeland in District 1 had 237 contributors, of which 26% gave $500, 22% gave $200 to $499, and a majority of 52% gave under $200. None of the $500 donors had a recognizable connection with development.

Edward Ciampi in District 5 had 195 contributors, of which 38% gave the maximum allowed of $500, 14% gave $200 to $499, and 48% gave under $200. Of the $500 donors, at least 12% were developer or real estate related.

Rating the Stuart News

THEY GET MOSTLY “A”, BUT ONE DISAPPOINTING “F”

Diverse Views: Few newspapers present as wide a range of viewpoints as the News. There is hardly a belief or attitude that you can not find in the columns (including staff columnists), letters and online blog. Rating A.  Wide scope of online election content also earns an A.

Reader Access:  The thoughtful and the idiotic all get a chance to express themselves in print and online. The News is almost unique here in the number of reader guest columns they run, covering many important topics. Rating A.

Political Endorsements: This is less than perfect. The News picks up an easy A when it endorses someone like Laurel Kelly, who has been doing a fine job as Tax Assessor for many years. The News also has been bold and wise in refusing to endorse either candidate when one may be only a little less-bad. Some party stalwarts may say you are obligated to endorse, but your primary obligation is to tell the truth. So another A for not endorsing either Eric Brent or Tom Fullman in District 1.

To show how fair they are, the editorial board even videotapes endorsement interviews, and shows them on their website. A reader should be able to see why the editorial board supports a candidate. That’s brave.

Unfortunately, in the case of the endorsement of District 1 Republican candidate Doug Smith, they let preconceived bias make their decision instead of the interview answers. Watch the video and compare Henry Copeland’s sharp, understandable replies with Smith’s vague mumbles, late arrival and disconcerting body language.

Any objective person watching the video clearly saw that it was Copeland who, by far, had a superior understanding of the issues, a clearer insight of what should be done, and a much better approach to making the Commission a more effective and responsive body. The News endorsement editorial almost implied as much.

It almost seems as if the criterion for endorsement requires adopting the business boosting positions held by the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Council. No fair. Some of the views of those organizations are excellent, but other positions would benefit their members primarily, and place burdens on residents. So Copeland didn’t pass that filter, and did not get the endorsement that his interview deserved. Endorsing Smith makes other more sensible endorsements less credible. Regrettable rating F.

STUART NEWS DISTRICT 1 REPUBLICAN POLL

The newspaper’s online poll of reader voting preference makes no claim to being scientific, but its results are interesting food for thought. As of July 25, 286 votes had been cast as follows for the candidates:

Henry Copeland - 58%

Doug Smith - 39%

Undecided - 1%

www.MartinCountyDefender.com

The Defender’s website is up and running, though still under construction. It contains an archive of all past issues. Attached to this Issue No. 64 is a copy of our  website Home Page in pdf format. It is worth saving because, in addition to the archive link, it has the links to 20 websites containing much useful information related to Martin County. (To open a pdf file, the very widely used Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed. Latest version 9 may be downloaded free at www.Adobe.com.)

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• NO MORE 2004

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For a free subscription to The Martin County Defender, send request with “Subscribe” in the subject line to:

mc-defender@comcast.net

Comments and requests to unsubscribe may be sent to this same address.

Al

Al Forman, Editor                                  7/28/08

The Martin County Defender is published and Copyright 2008 by WordsmithAmerica,

. All rights reserved. No part of this issue may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for public or private use, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. NOTICE:  All correspondence not bearing legal copyright notice which is sent to the Defender or its editor is subject to being edited and published.

--

  Al Forman

  mc_defender@fastmail.net

The Martin County

  Defender

The e-newsletter for aware citizens – No. 62

District 81 primary for state representative

IT MATTERS BECAUSE LEGISLATORS TOO OFTEN THWART THE WILL OF RESIDENTS IN ORDER TO BENEFIT THEIR PAY-TO-PLAY SUPPORTERS

State Representative District 81 is shaped like a Gerrymandersaurus. The neck starts in Indiantown, the head is in Port St. Lucie, the nose is at Jensen Beach and Sewall’s Point, and the open jaw is at I-95 west of Palm City.

Stuart down to Tequesta and west are in uncontested District 82. It has no primary for Democrat Catherine Hilton and incumbent Republican William Snyder.

However, in District 81 both Republicans and Democrats face primaries. Here is a quick once-over of the candidates in District 81.

Republicans

Michael DiTerlizzi is the heavy favorite here …. unfortunately. He has name recognition and a campaign chest overflowing with large donations, totaling over $54,000 as of 3/31/08. His dominant contributors are from the real estate and development sector, plus attorneys who have appeared before him when he was sitting as a commissioner. The attorneys plead for zoning and Comp Plan changes to benefit their clients, and DiTerlizzi has usually been agreeable. The State House of Representatives is loaded with such reps (eg., they turned down DCA Secretary Tom Pelham’s plea for even a minimal Citizen’s Bill of Rights because the developer-business interests did not want it). Do we need to send one more of that brand to Tallahassee?

Jeff Gorman has a campaign bank account as thin as a supermodel. He does not answer written questions, so we don’t know much about him.

Danny “Dr. J” Jazarevic is a surgeon living in Stuart. He has a highly respected history of army and public service. Unfortunately he has a thin campaign bank account at this date. Still he is a better candidate than DiTerlizzi.

Democrats

Bill Ramos, a Jensen Beach resident who works in Martin County, is the people’s candidate. He ran previously for state rep, and lost, but not by much. His campaign treasury of about $9,000 as of 3/31/08 is made up almost entirely of small contributions, typically $10 or $50, from ordinary local citizens - not the smart money boys. People are anxious to have their voices heard in Tallahassee, heard over the deafening whispers of overpaid lobbyists.  Ramos deserves our votes.

Adam Fetterman, a politically well-connected personal injury lawyer, is the lawyer’s candidate. Much of the more than $72,000 contributed to his campaign by 3/31/08  has come from other lawyers in $500 gobs, very little of it from Martin County. Big bucks from Palm Beach and Broward Counties. He lists his address as Port St. Lucie to qualify in District 81, but an online address search indicates he really lives in Palm Beach County. Lawyer-representative inspired liability and other laws often burden ordinary citizens and businesses. Let’s not add to that mess by sending Fetterman to the legislature.

Green Party candidate Kristina Wright is also running. FYI: Presidential candidate of the Green Party is expected to be hatred-filled former US rep Cynthia McKinney.

NOTE: The next candidate campaign report, covering contributions to 7/18/08, is due on 7/25/08.

Party change deadline is approaching

July 28 is the last day to change your party affiliation in order to vote in the primary. In DEFENDER Issues 60 and 61, we showed how easy it is to switch temporarily from Independent or Democrat to Republican. It’s worth doing for this primary election.  Any voting questions, call the Supervisor of Elections at (772) 288-5637. They are very helpful. It’s not that I don’t like Democrats - on the contrary I plan to vote for Democrats Bill Ramos and Martha Bennett in the general election.

However, one Republican candidate in Commission District 1 (Henry Copeland) and one in District 5 (Ian Pollack) have the best chance to win against developer-funded opponents. They have the widest backing. Their victories would get the Commission off the bad track of eroding our wonderful Comp Plan, allowing monstrous warehouses next to homes, and promoting rural clustering to benefit developers and large landowners, while citizens pick up the extra infrastructure tax burden.

Victories by Copeland and Pollack will allow county government to focus on quality of life issues that affect all residents. Let’s not split the good-guy vote as we did so self-destructively four years ago. This is a subtle hint to two good, but not likely to win, candidates: Hockey and Born.

• NO MORE 2004

Economic times are not good, but  panic giveaways will make the problem worse

Many folks have been hard hit by the economic slowdown, including a home foreclosure and declining businesses owned by people close to me. It’s a painful national problem. One little county can not turn it around instantly any more than one person on a beach can hold back the tide. Certainly shifting the financial burden to present residents to bring in new business is not the answer. And giving away the protections that have made Martin County such a desirable place to live is surely not a solution.

Shouting jobs-jobs-jobs as justification to Browardize Martin is worse than foolish. Developer-influenced Commissioner Michael DiTerlizzi has even stated on the record that jobs are more important than pollution! Cough cough. This is a time that slow-growth and fast-growth advocates should be working together cooperatively to help present residents and businesses, while preserving our quality of life.

CRITICIZING MARTIN’S ECONOMY IS BS

It is tempting to some to make it sound like Martin County is a basket case in order  to convince us that we should adopt changes that benefit their own self interest. Don’t be misled. Martin County has the highest wages in Florida for counties our size, and the highest on the Treasure Coast. We have lower unemployment (5.6%) than St. Lucie County (7.6%) and Indian River County (7.2%). We have one of the best school systems in the entire state. Our crime rate is low, and western sprawl has (so far) been avoided.

Furthermore, manufacturing jobs in Martin are higher, as a percentage of all jobs, than St. Lucie and Palm Beach Counties, as well as higher than the state average. And our tax millage rate of 13.5892 is a better business attractor than the 19.2848 in fast-growth St. Lucie County (plus 4.2625 for the City of Port St. Lucie - for a total 23.5473 that is 73% higher than Martin County).

The clincher is the recent finding by business-oriented Forbes magazine, which studied every county in the U.S. with more than 65,000 population. It found that Martin County is the 11^th best county in the nation to raise a family!  The only other Florida county to be listed is Sarasota in19th place. Why the heck would some people want to change our growth/economic model from one of the best in the nation? Well maybe we do know why. Wink wink.

So it would be wise to ignore those who badmouth Martin’s economy for their own purposes. Instead of pushing a selfish agenda of change, let’s come together in a constructive way to find how we can do, at least something, to make matters better without ruining our future.

3 commissioners drive down home values

Rocky Point resident Jay Honan reports that a potential homebuyer in Connecticut wants to speak to him about the effect of a giant Hinckley warehouse to be built next to neighborhood homes. Will this drive down those home sale prices? You can bet the farm it will. We can thank Commissioners Smith, DiTerlizzi and Weberman for this financial disaster. They voted to approve the warehouse even though a mountain of evidence showed that they shouldn’t. Why did they do so? You get one gue$$.

IT’S ABOUT ETHICS AND BUILDER-DEVELOPER CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

Can we learn from another county?

Loudon County, VA supervisors have voted overwhelmingly to bar themselves from accepting campaign contributions from builders and others with proposals before their board. It is part of a broad effort to restore public confidence in a body that some have viewed as too close to the development community, according to a Washington Post report.

Loudon Supervisor Lori Waters (R) said it was a necessary step even though it would put incumbents at a disadvantage when running for reelection against challengers without such limitations.

All in favor of such a rule for Martin County, please raise your hands.

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For a free subscription to The Martin County Defender, send request with “Subscribe” in the subject line to:

mc-defender@comcast.net

Comments and requests to unsubscribe may be sent to this same address.

Al

Al Forman, Editor                                  7/14/08

The Martin County Defender is published and Copyright 2008 by WordsmithAmerica,

. All rights reserved. No part of this issue may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for public or private use, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. NOTICE:  All correspondence not bearing legal copyright notice which is sent to the Defender or its editor is subject to being edited and published.

--

  Al Forman

  mc_defender@fastmail.net

The Martin County

  Defender

– No. 60

The primary election Circus

SORTING OUT THE GOOD, BAD AND INDIFFERENT COMMISSION CANDIDATES

There are 15 candidates for the three open Martin County Commission positions - eight Republicans, four Democrats, and three Other. Ten are involved in primaries to be held Aug. 11-23, 2008; two have no competition. They include a mélange of people devoted to public service, people devoted to financial interests, people intent on gaming the system, and people giving themselves an ego boost.

The primaries are limited to Republicans and Democrats competing within the same party in each of the districts. If you are a Republican, you are limited to voting for a Republican. Similarly for Democrats. Residents vote for all districts.
 

Write-ins move to the general election ballot with the winners of the primaries, together with No Party Affiliate candidates (Independents).  For those who did not submit candidacy petitions signed by voters, the qualifying fee for those running under a party was $3,414.60. For those who qualified as a No Party Affiliate, the fee was $2,276.40.
 

The primary is so important because it may determine who will be elected. And that will seriously affect our quality of life.
 

YOUR EDITOR’S PERSONAL DISCLOSURE:  I don’t believe in endorsing candidates. I’m not the Political Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. However, I have followed the candidates intently as much as possible, and I want to share with readers - especially those who have asked about my candidate preferences - whom I will and will not vote for …. and why. To the extent that it is knowable, I consider candidate position and history. And since this is Martin County, Character Counts.
 

District 1 - Republicans

 
Doug Smith is the incumbent running for re-election. He rarely encounters a developer proposal that doesn’t earn his support. He voted to plop the monstrous Hinckley warehouse right next to homes in Rocky Point. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the Glatting Jackson report and the pro-sprawl Valliere Rural Cluster Amendment. Smith supported spot zoning biochemical industrial manufacturing next to residences way outside of the Urban Services Boundary (USB). He voted to stretch utility water lines beyond the primary USB to accommodate a developer. An example of Smith’s “understanding” of community economics is his statement: “I don’t understand how growth doesn’t pay for itself.” Hello? Anyone home? It’s the high cost of infrastructure, commissioner. It is no surprise that developer-related interests bestow generous contributions on his campaign. It’s truly time for a change. A vote for Smith is a vote for Browardizing Martin County!.

 
Henry Copeland is Smith’s political nightmare. Copeland is an eloquent speaker. Year after year he is on the front lines fighting against exploitation of the county by politically connected smart money. He works to preserve the Comprehensive Plan. As an attorney, he will bring special skills to the commission to monitor the shenanigans that go on at both the administration and the commission. Copeland’s answers to the key questions posed by residents in the Martin County Consensus survey (not to be confused with the increasingly irrelevant Consensus Inc.) of 1,600 citizens, show Copeland’s well conceived, constructive responses. I will vote for Copeland because it is a vote for progress and preserving our quality of life.

District 1 - Democrats

Tom Fullman , a longtime Republican, switched to Democrat in the hope that he could get on the ballot with little or no opposition. He has said that he is slow growth, but has failed to state his positions on numerous other important matters. Fullman’s publication of scurrilous accusations and false statements in the Stuart News is disquieting. More troubling is his court record (Martin County Clerk of Courts Files #1133746, #0844032, and #1741661). Both the Internal Revenue Service and the Martin County Tax Collector had to drag Fullman into court to collect taxes due. Does that enhance the confidence of citizens who pay their taxes on time that Fullman would make a good steward of public funds controlled by the commission?

Eric Brent has a good background in affordable housing, knowledge much needed on the commission. He kind of came from out of nowhere, so we don’t know much about him. Even so, he is a better choice than Fullman.

BITE THE BULLET! Democrats more concerned with the welfare of the county than their local political party would be better served to register Republican to vote for Henry Copeland in the primary. In the November general local and national election, converts can still vote Democrat … or Green Party, or Possibility Party, or 28 other minor parties if they wish.

District 3- Republicans

Lee Weberman, the incumbent running for re-election, is the commission’s loose cannon. He has earned the reputation of being rude to both citizen and fellow commissioner. Much of what was said about Doug Smith, except for Weberman’s opposition to rural clusters, is also applicable to Weberman. Perhaps more so. When pro-developer commissioners voted to cut added impact fees to a mere $1,000, even that was too much for Weberman, who opposed any increase. Better that taxpayers foot the extra infrastructure cost. Unsurprisingly, he has a big campaign treasury from developer interest contributions.

Patrick Hayes is a rare bird - a water preservationist who supports rural clustering. He has run before for commissioner, and lost. Hayes does not have broad support. We don’t know where he stands on a wide range of issues.

DILEMMA: Since “None of the Above” is not a ballot choice, I may vote for Hayes as the lesser bad, but only in the primary.

District 3 - Democrat

No primary contest here. Lone candidate Martha Bennett offers excellent pro-resident positions on the key challenges that face our county. I’ll vote for her in the general election, and hope other Republicans will rise above partisanship to support her, too.

District 5 - Republicans

Ian Pollack is, in my view, the best of all 15 commission candidates. A former police commander, he’s tough but sensitive to citizen needs, and focused on public service. Since his defeat four years ago because of the split good-guy vote, he has consistently spoken up in public meetings to oppose exploitation of our county, fighting to preserve the Comprehensive Plan that has made Martin County special. His activities on behalf of good causes has earned him wide support from diverse voter groups. I look forward to voting for Pollack.

Edward Ciampi is the candidate of the developer/business organizations, a DiTerlizzi wannabe, but not as clever. He openly supports Big Sugar, the source of so much of our water pollution. Ciampi also supports rural clusters. He is a poor choice for commissioner in my opinion.

John Hockey  has excellent positions on public issues. For example, he supports the 20-acre western rule, would vote to rescind the Valliere Rural Cluster Amendment, will not take campaign contributions from developers, and so on. However, he has not been on the battlements fighting regularly for all these and other causes the way that Pollack has year after year.

John Born is a good man. I know him and his family personally. However, other than his general opposition to sprawl, I do not know where he stands on many critical issues. He has not replied to the questions posed to him. Like Hockey, he has rarely been at the lectern trying to convince commissioners to make good decisions.

NO MORE 2004! The problem with reasonably decent candidates like Hockey and Born is that they do not really match up to Pollack in either history or consistent effort. They do not come close to having Pollack’s wide support. The fear is that 2004 can repeat itself if Hockey and Born chip away just enough votes from Pollack to allow Ciampi to slide through with a winning plurality - not a majority -  just as DiTerlizzi did in 2004. So I hope that readers will rally with me behind Pollack. It will change the complexion of the Board of County Commissioners for the better.

District 5 - Democrat

Linda Green  is a sincere person with the best intentions. She is a bit out of her depth in brutally competitive Martin politics. As JFK is reported to have said: Politics ain’t beanbag.

OTHER CANDIDATES: Joan Wilcox and John Patteson have registered as No Party, and will be on the general election ballot. Donald Gleichman has registered as a write-in candidate.

In summary, my primary votes will go to

IAN POLLACK & HENRY COPELAND

My letter of 6/20/08 in the Stuart News

Change party to vote in Republican primary

If you want to vote for your preferred County Commission candidates, it’s easy to overcome the obstacles being placed in your way.

Recognize that some voting rules for local officials are questionable, such as our closed primaries that restrict voters to the candidates of the party you registered with. Worse yet, some voting rules are ridiculous, such as write-in faux candidates who will not appear on the ballot, but do force a closed primary. That is the legal, but unsavory tactic being employed by some Republicans calling themselves the Iron Claw.

You can turn the Iron Claw into a pile of rust simply by filling out a form to change party affiliation. Suppose you are a Democrat or Independent who wants to get rid of an incumbent Republican commissioner who always votes for developer proposals at the expense of residents. Just become a Republican - at least for the moment.

As described in the Martin County Defender Issue No. 58, just pick up a Voter Application Form at any library, government annex or Tax Collector office. Or go online to www.martinvotes.com, click on “Voter Info/Education” and “Update Your Registration.” Print out the form, fill it out noting party change, sign and mail before July 28 to:

Supervisor of Elections

Stuart, Fl 34995

Presto! Change-o! You can now vote in the primary for good Republicans. Of course, you can vote for whomever you want in the general election in November.

Personal Political Disclosure: I have been an Independent for decades, joining one party or another only rarely when vital primary issues require it. This is such a time. I have become a registered Republican (temporarily) to help preserve our quality of life.

Al Forman

Upcoming Candidate Forums

July 21, 2008 at 6:00 pm.  County commission candidates. Blake Library. Sponsored by Martin County Conservation Alliance.

July 22, 2008 at 6:00 pm.  County commission candidates. Hospice of the Treasure Coast, 1201 SE Indian St., Stuart. Sponsored by Martin county Interagency Coalition.

August 11, 2008 at 6:00 pm. Candidates for two House of Representative districts. Blake Library. Sponsored by Martin County Conservation Alliance.

August 13, 2008 at 6:00 pm. County commission candidates. Blake Library. Sponsored by League of Women Voters.

August 14, 2008 at 6:00 pm. Superintendent of Schools and State Representative District 81 and 82 candidates. Sponsored by League of Women Voters.

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For a free subscription to The Martin County Defender, send request with “Subscribe” in the subject line to:

mc-defender@comcast.net

Comments and requests to unsubscribe may be sent to this same address.

Al

Al Forman, Editor                                  6/28/08