First, you need to know that I do not have and never have had any business dealings involving Winter Park commercial property. The only property I own in Winter Park is the home I live in. My only interest is the pursuit of rational, positive, and professional governance for Winter Park. If you take a minute to get past ethics issues, campaign misrepresentations, and propaganda you will see there is a fight going on in Winter Park that is unnecessary, expensive, and dangerous. The fight is between owners of property in Winter Park and a group of extremists led and…
Category: Elections
Redevelopment is good for Winter Park
There has been lots of screaming and yelling about redevelopment over the past several years. How about understanding the real impact of redevelopment on our quality of life and financial security? Look no further than the Winter Park Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). Our resident anti-growth militant Beth Dillaha has referred to our CRA as “a slush fund for developers.” Let’s explore that conclusion. A CRA is a defined geographic area where incremental property tax revenue from both the City and County must be reinvested within that same area. Winter Park’s CRA area is roughly bounded by Webster, 17/92, Fairbanks, and…
Claiming the work of others as your own.
David Strong’s campaign web site promotes this: “During his first term as Mayor, David guided our city through the formation of a 10-year financial plan. Winter Park not only enjoys the highest level of service of any city in Orange County, it is the only city in Central Florida with a 10-year financial plan.” David Strong is referring to the formulation of a 10 year financial projection (far from a plan) that was initiated, undertaken, and completed by City Commissioner Phil Anderson with the help of city staff. What are they thinking? Or, are they thinking? Our city would greatly…
I am soooooo right I can do anything I want!
David Strong funded almost 20% of Beth Dillaha’s 2008 campaign for City Commission, offering $9,000 in contributions that were accepted on October 9, 2007, $8,000 from companies he controlled with the balance personally from he and his spouse. In a City Commission workshop on ethics held November 19, 2007 David Strong said. “I think most of our problems arise in this area [ethics] from conflicts of interest and campaign finance.” Then went on to say, “I think… I think that… campaign finance is.. a.. is obviously a very open book and should be, and I think we need to find…
Sentimental journey to lower service levels, higher taxes, and lost independence.
I attended the campaign forum last evening with both Ken Bradley and David Strong making their case. Ken Bradley is a good man who needs to hone his message of rational, positive, professional leadership. David Strong is lost in his emotions. I was simultaneously touched and troubled by David Strong’s teary eyed reading of a letter from his father, a former Winter Park Mayor, delineating the responsibility each generation of residents has to nurture our city. True, but not sufficient. David Strong’s commitment comes not from a passion for leadership but from a deep well of sympathy and sentiment. Our…
“Forward” is the new “Backward”
David Strong’s first campaign mail piece has the headline: “Let’s Continue Moving Forward.” This is a bizarre, cynical, and disturbing act of propaganda. Is exposing our city to a $25,000,000 liability and spending $4,000,000 of our money to make the post office redevelopment project go away “moving forward?” Is virtually wiping out our general fund reserves by spending the $4,000,000 of our money to make the post office redevelopment project go away “moving forward?” Is voting to increase our millage rate while our property values have fallen as much as 30% “moving forward?” Is voting to decrease the value of…
Misrepresentation
David Strong’s campaign Web site says, “Winter Park remains financially strong, even as Central Florida has entered uncertain economic times.” This is complete baloney. Our general fund reserves had to be bolstered by the $1,000,000 sale of land owned by our water company and the cancellation of over $500,000 in previously approved capital projects (among other “adjustments”). Our reserves would be $5,500,000 higher and would have been available to soften the shock of the economic downturn if David Strong had not mismanaged the post office redevelopment controversy. Currently, revenues and spending (and thus service levels) are falling faster than projected…
David Strong and Political Reality
Our resident anti-growth militant Beth Dillaha has been trying to kill the Central Florida Commuter Rail initiative and Winter Park’s participation in it for years. If you did not know this it is because she intentionally hid her motives from you. Dillaha has been consuming endless hours of City Commission time for months since her election, predominantly on trying to gin up public support against the existing commuter rail agreement with Orange County. Well, Dillaha finally got her chance to call for a vote to terminate the commuter rail agreement on Monday, January 26, 2009 and it failed 3 to…
A History of Slander
January 2009 Through most of my twenty years as a Winter Park resident I did not pay much attention to our local politics. I began to explore the realities in early 2006 when I received the infamous anonymous flier concerning David Strong’s legal troubles related to his smearing dog poop on his neighbor. I realized at that moment we were in trouble. What on earth happened to rational discourse and respect for process? The answer is David Strong and a small group of people called “One Winter Park,” their supporters and sympathizers. Winter Park used to have a City Planner….
Why did the City Commission Increase Your Taxes?
Please read the Mayor’s Message in the November/December 2008 City of Winter Park Update. David Strong is straining to tell you that the City Commission increased your millage rate for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2008, raising taxes for all Winter Park property owners. David Strong, Beth Dillaha, Margie Bridges, and Phil Anderson voted for the increase. Karen Diebel voted no. If you own a homestead property your taxes may be lower than last year because of the increase in your homestead exemption but they WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN LOWER if the City Commission had not increased the millage…