The City of Winter Park posted all the written correspondence received by the Ethics Board in response to its call for public input. Read the letters here. (Be patient, it takes some time to show up.) There are some interesting points made. The biggest issue with many is what are being generally called “LLC” contributions that are presumed to have a”bad” influence on elections under the presumption that such contributions constitute efforts to purchase influence for financial gain. How do you define “bad” contributions and separate them from “good” contributions? How can you ban “LLC” contributions and still permit contributions…
Category: Ethics
Better Ethics, or Unethical Power Play?
There are important State laws in place concerning conflicts of interest, campaign contribution limits, and campaign financial reporting. The recently established Winter Park Ethics Board was formed at the behest of a small group of citizens more concerned with limiting the voice of interests with whom they disagree than in doing the work required to compete for votes in the marketplace of ideas. The purpose of the Ethics Board in the eyes of those demanding its formation is to rubber stamp campaign finance restrictions more stringent than State requirements under the righteous banner of improving “ethics” in Winter Park. The…
Conflicts of Interest and Hypocrisy
Winter Park City Commissioners and acknowledged best friends Beth Dillaha and Margie Bridges have been consistently and totally opposed to including people on City Boards who make a living through any connections to real estate. For example, they fought the appointment of real estate executive Pitt Warner to the Ethics Board and then tried to get him removed. Beth Dillaha and Margie Bridges share a conviction that anyone with a possible financial interest in an issue, however remote, must have a conflict of interest and, therefore, it is unethical in their view for such people to serve on City Boards….
Don’t Be Duped!
I received the following from Ellie Warner of Winter Park. I publish it here as a service to my community. Vote wisely on March 10. ___________________________________________________________ Remember the good old days, not so long ago, when sitting commissioners and the mayor remained impartial and thought it uncouth to even place a town candidate’s sign in their yard? That was then. This is now: Winter Park Citizens For Good Government: the anonymous unregistered PAC with a curiously familiar sounding name that sent out the Mayor’s bulk mailing in support of candidate Beth Dillaha with no money trail and with a bogus…
More Misrepresentation
David Strong recently sent out an email that continues to misrepresent his record. He continues to take credit for projects and accomplishments he had little or nothing to do with and continues to tell an incomplete story about taxes and city reserves. David Strong Claim: Reduced city spending by $2 million in response to reduced revenues caused by the economic downturn. Reality: Original 2009 budgeted city revenue was reduced by $2,000,000 as a result of State mandated reductions and the passage of Amendment One in January 2008. The City Manager letter that introduces the 2009 budget makes this clear (see…
Stay away from the fumes.
The One Winter Park folks have gotten great millage out of a gas can full of accusations that their political opponents are being influenced by owners of commercial property. David Strong is the darling of those who claim anyone running for office against him must be under the influence of commercial property owners because that candidate accepts campaign contributions from people who own commercial property in Winter Park. Did you know that many contributors to David Strong’s campaign own commercial property in Winter Park? Did you know that David Strong is a Winter Park commercial property owner? It is interesting…
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…
“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…