PB: Pre-Election Musings
by SDM
One of the more interesting aspects of political campaigns is the question of how involved one member of a council gets in the campaigns of other members.
The political calculus usually leads elected officials to follow a limited number of paths:
- Publicly support your candidates and publicly oppose their opponents.
- Say nothing publicly, privately support your candidates and oppose their opponents.
- Play both sides.
- Do nothing and mind your own business.
Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. For example, the first path is an all-in kind of strategy. If your folks win, you reap a windfall of support. If one of your folks loses, then you’ve made an enemy…sometimes permanently. Because this strategy is so risky, experienced pols avoid it.
The second strategy is the most commonly followed and, at the same time, the most disavowed. Its obvious advantage is its flexibility. If your current colleague wins, you tell her you were with her all along. The losing candidate may blow your cover, but doing so is a bridge burner and only happens if the losing candidate thinks you double-crossed her. The disadvantage is such deviousness can and eventually will blow up in your face.
Playing both sides is often the path of lobbyists, but many supremely unprincipled elected officials do it, too. Like the second strategy, playing both sides is advantageous because your bets are hedged. The downside is that most people see through you and will discount your support accordingly.
Many pols with whom SDM has been acquainted over the years assiduously follow the last strategy. It’s advantage is neutrality, which is also its disadvantage. This is the political equivalent of choosing to live to fight another day.
In Palmetto Bay, Mayor Shelley Stanczyk, Councilwoman Joan Lindsay and Councilman Patrick Fiore have all chosen to publicly support their candidates and to oppose their candidates’ opponents.
SDM Wonders: How will Mayor Stanczyk and Councilwoman Lindsay react if they find themselves in the minority with no ability to influence council actions? Conversely, how will Councilman Patrick Fiore react if he becomes a minority of one?
SDM Says: Because of the limited number of possible outcomes, the inevitable result appears to be an even more polarized and fractured village council. This time, SDM hopes to be wrong.
Recieved this tonight…. I guess i now get to post the Mayors campaign reports.
From: “Shelley Stanczyk, Mayor of Palmetto Bay”
Date: November 2, 2012 6:10:32 PM EDT
To:
Subject: Updates on Early Voting and Poll Information
Reply-To:
Good evening;
I received a copy of your email address from a local resident, Warren Lovely. He requested the Village’s email list following a request by the Recall Committee in the person of David Singer. Mr. Lovely suggested to me that I add you to my list of residents. He has found my email updates to be helpful. I hope you will too. If you would like me to remove you from my list, please respond with unsubscribe in the subject header.
Early voting is well underway with waiting lines of only 2-3 hours at Coral Reef Library or less if you arrive at 6 – 630 AM earlier in the week. Longer waiting lines around the county of 5-7 hours in the north end are common. Thursday the county added equipment to speed the process. Alana Hudak visited Coral Reef Library on a tour of Early Voting sites to evaluate the situations. Printing your personalized sample ballot from the elections department and completing it at home with your choices will speed up voting. All you will have to do is copy over your choices to the official ballot. Early voting ends Saturday at 7PM. Voting at your regular precinct is Tuesday, November 6 from 7 AM -7 PM.
The elections themselves have become quite a hot topic here in Palmetto Bay. I’ve received multiple mailers, robo calls, phone polls and surveys from our candidates. Some so many that it is hard to believe. For myself, I find it difficult to believe that I should vote for a candidate based on the number of mailers they send. I would have preferred to meet them at my door or see them at meetings. Only 1 candidate (other than Councilman Howard Tendrich, of course) has regularly attended meetings or attended at all, that is Tim Schaffer, candidate for Council District 2.
Two of the candidates are very new to the Village process and really haven’t been known before. For some this is a positive as they seem to be running traditional grass roots campaigns, meeting residents and walking door to door. However, for others they are running for reasons that are clearly not about our residents and the future of our village but for personal reasons. This can be seen with the support from outside sources and the unusual number of mailers.
My worry is that we are now amping up our campaigns to a level never seen before. The amount of money spent and the source of the money has become a serious issue. PACs and other financing methods are in play that hide the sources of money, amounts and are not transparent as to who the support comes from and why. Campaigns are being funded not through resident support but outside entities that will benefit financially from the outcome of the election. I fear that this type of campaigning will allow only those with strong political connections, independent wealth, or are backed by entities that are suspect to run for office in our Village in the future. This is of deep concern to me.
Our neighboring communities have maintained a level that is expected of small communities such as our Village. Pinecrest candidates have spent only a few thousand dollars on signs and handouts. I urge you to evaluate carefully the candidates based on their credentials, funding sources and loyalty to our community, not based on the number of mailers, robo calls or surveys done to win your vote. Your vote is valuable to determine the future of our Village. Please use it wisely.
In conjunction with all of the above, is the presence of the Recall Palmetto Bay group. This is a group who is supporting the 4 candidates (Dubois, Cunningham, Araiza and Tendrich) which of course colors their campaigns rather negatively. They are led by David Singer of Berkowitz development, joined by David Zisman and J.B. Harris of Palmer Trinity. I am putting several links at the bottom of the page to election information that I hope is helpful but also illuminating on certain issues. While the resident website has factual information I was interested in the take on the political side of things. Written with style but is quite factual.
Arrive tomorrow morning by 6 AM to get a good spot in line and your wait won’t be too bad.
Here are the links:
Go to the main website if your questions are not answered. pbcheckstherecord.org scroll down for the different pages
Palmetto Bay Elections PAC’s, Recall Palmetto Bay, Campaign Laws, Early Voting, Elect Pariser, Dubois, Cunningham, Araiza, Schaffer, Tendrich
Boletero Comes to Palmetto Bay to Bring a Win and Absentee Ballot Fraud for Howard Tendrich and Karyn Cunningham by PB Checks the Record
Residents Support Pariser and Schaffer for Council in Palmetto Bay Election
Candidate for Palmetto Bay Vice Mayor John Dubois Fights DERM (did he cut the mangroves?) TO PROTECT HIS VIEW
http://pbcheckstherecord.org/karyn-cunningham-for-vice-mayor-and-howard-tendrich-district-2-incumbent-palmer-trinity-candidate-supported-by-the-palmetto-bay-recall-2012-group/
Candidate Campaign Finance Reports and Credentials
State Consititution Changes and Explanation
Palmetto Bay Ballot and Charter Amenments
Good luck with voting.
Shelley Stanczyk, Mayor
305-389-3425
shelleystanczyk.com
Warren Lovely gave her your email???? Stanczyk is as shameless as she is unimaginative.
The interesting fact is I have copies of her campaign reports and it is very interesting how much money she received from outside of palmetto bay, CCOCI and what I believe are PAC’s. They should be all posted on the recall website tomorrow morning, if every thing goes according to plan. You know what they say about glass houses.
I received the same. Here is my response to Ms. Stanczyck . . .
I am exceptionally disappointed and offended that you would choose to use your public office and under the false pretense of providing voting information to go on an unadulterated and crassly political rant to promote your allies.
You have every right to promote your candidates as a private citizen. I consider it totally unethical, however, to use the good graces of your office to do so. It is also disingenuous to do so under the pretense of providing useful information that would be expected from a dedicated public servant.
I would have hoped for better.
SDM. Fiore is already in the minority. What exactly is your point…. No pun intended. Really.
Fiore may end up being a minority of one if Pariser is re-elected and Schaffer is elected.
I responded to Shelly: do not send me any more of your “self serving” emails.
What happened to leaders who actually lead? Well, I guess you can say she is leading us into the darkness. Come back to the light Shelley! Every citizen has a right to be heard and not dismissed because he or she doesn’t agree with you. I feel like a 3rd grader who gets a slap on the wrist every time I say something. The letter from Shelley and politics in Palmetto Bay are just disgusting. Time for a Council that listens and has a heart for EVERY RESIDENT of Palmetto Bay!