South Dade Matters

Looking at the World South of Miami: Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Pinecrest, South Miami and Miami-Dade County.

Tag: Brian Pariser

May 6, 2013

PB: Mayoral Scandal Rocks Palmetto Bay

It’s probably not the first time a sitting public official anonymously blogged, but the news astonished us here at SDM. David Singer disclosed on this blog that Palmetto Bay Mayor Shelley Stanczyk owned and operated a blog called pbcheckstherecord.com, which she used to trash candidates in the most recent election.

Mayor Stanczyk may have taken her dirty little secret to the grave had she not published defamatory material. But there it is in black and white on the Recall Palmetto Bay website: Stanczyk used her Paypal account to purchase the website. That deed makes her responsible for the content of the blog, which included these gems:

  • I am getting a lot of emails regarding the election. While some candidates have a ton of money to throw into the race, Last reports show Dubois well over $100,000 with an anti Gay Christian Coalition PAC contributing more. (Posted November 17, 2012)
  • Writing about Vice Mayor Dubois: When he says he has lived in this county for 10 years I begin to understand that he has been violating environmental laws for the entire time he has lived here in Palmetto Bay. … John, your case is not dismissed. They are filing to continue going forward. Becoming a Vice-Mayor is not a tool to use to avoid prosecution. Just be honest about your legal troubles. Lying is so much worse. (Posted November 13, 2012)
  • Again writing about Dubois: The Village’s last [mitigation] payment to the County was made in 2010. The Charter Amendment regarding mitigation changes was voted on and passed successfully during the summer 2009 write in ballot. If you did not know that, your credentials as a resident to this village should be revoked. And as I suspect that you did know, your (sic) very dishonest way of campaigning is certainly not a credit to you and makes you untrustworthy. (Emphasis added by SDM.) (Posted on November 11, 2012)
  • Dubois’ campaign contribution list began with the 12 attorneys from the firm Bilzin and Sumberg. Yes, the name is familiar. It’s the law firm that represents Palmer Trinity. It is also the same group on the same night who gave Araiza his first group of contributions. While the law suit is winding down I am sure there is more for them to get from the Village in terms of concessions. Surely they are counting on a compliant council to back off of the many stipulations they agreed to. (Emphasis added by SDM.) (Posted on November 2, 2012)
  • [Vice Mayor candidate Karen] Cunningham’s PAC and out-of-state contributions…will total over $100,000 for her many mailers, newspaper ads, paid campaign workers, campaign managers, and more. Her out-of-state contributions include lobbyists, bankers (union money), unions, politicos, charter schools, and of course her family. She is a UTD Labor Organizer. One would think that the teachers are supporting her campaign. They are not. (Posted on November 2, 2012)
  • Referring to a mailer she didn’t like: It was sent under the name of Tell the Public the Facts, Inc. The groups behind this PAC are all inactive businesses with a long history of political campaign…involvement so it is difficult to see exactly what individuals are involved although Cunningham’s main supporter, [Former Mayor Eugene] Flinn has been suggested as the spearhead of this PAC activity (this may be one of his PAC’s from his last election). (Emphasis added by SDM.) (Posted on November 2, 2012)
  • To supplement her funding and to make up for the discretionary money of Dubois, Cunningham is running the old style negative union style campaign. She has intimidated residents into putting her signs in their yard by showing them copies of the sign ordinance and saying that it permits her to place a sign in their yard without their permission. Of course it doesn’t. Her main platform is that she is a widow, and that the budget of the Village smells funny. Her door to door against Pariser is old style lie and intimidate. (Emphasis added by SDM.) (Posted on November 2, 2012)
  • Tendrich’s platform then was to have more code enforcement and code compliance officers. He’s the anonymous caller if you ever have the code officer visit you and he tells you a complaint was made. … It’s always political with him. He doesn’t like the Mayor or Lindsay or Pariser. If they vote for something he votes against it and has said so. I am wondering if he has cut a deal to get the votes from Araiza at the run-off.  (Emphasis added by SDM.) (Posted on November 2, 2012)
  • Recall Palmetto Bay is supporting Dubois, Araiza, Cunningham, and Tendrich. David Singer of Berkowitz Construction is the leader of the Recall Movement. His support clearly states the agenda and the future of development in Palmetto Bay. As someone told me when they read about the Recall movement, if Singer and Berkowitz Development is involved there’s something big to build and money to be made. (Posted on November 2, 2012)
  • What surprised me about the questions to Karyn Cunningham was that no one asked about her door to door activity of recording addresses where Pariser signs are located and then sending them the FAMOUS ANONYMOUS LETTERS FILLED WITH COPIES OF FLINN AND SDM BLOG PAGES [ :) ]WITH A HAND SCRAWLED XEROXED LETTER TELLING PEOPLE TO TAKE THEIR SIGNS DOWN. Talk about intimidation tactics. Her daughter and Karyn both denied doing it to those who asked her personally but… The truth is in the handwriting. I am no handwriting expert but if I was a betting man I would say it was a match. (Emphasis in the original.) (Posted on October 21, 2012)
  • Flinn ambushed Stanczyk when she made the motion for 900 students. As an attorney he knew that by making the statement that the 900 was arbitrary when he did, that could be used against the Village and would never stand up to appeal. Flinn’s determination of arbitrary is the stated reason the judges have used to rule against the Village and is cited by Palmer attorneys repeatedly in the filings. (Emphasis added by SDM.) (Posted on October 21, 2012)
  • Flinn is stirring this pot as fast as he can in hopes it will bring him back to power. This is what we need, an arrogant official using the Village as a stepping stone, again. He fell off the pedestal once, Cunningham will help him back up just to let him leave us with another mess. (Emphasis added by SDM.) (Posted on October 21, 2012)
  • Under the heading “Re-Elect Brian Pariser Supported by Mayor Stanczyk in Letter to Palmetto Bay”: This letter came by email.  Other letters that I received in support of other candidates were negative and not accurate.  The accomplishments listed are verifiable.  Read on. (No date shown.)
  • In a comment on the charter amendment changing term limits: Voting Yes would allow a council member who has served 1 term to serve 2 full terms as Mayor or Vice Mayor utilizing their knowledge and experience to the benefit of the Village residents. Dissatisfaction with the individual of course would be determined at the polls and the point becomes moot. Term limits have a somewhat negative connotation in Dade County because of the controversy regarding our County Commission.  However, that discussion denies the facts of the very steep learning curve for those who are elected to this part-time volunteer job in the smaller municipalities. (No date shown.)

SDM Says: What a self-serving, back-biting hack.

20 comments
December 3, 2012

PB: Council Meeting Quick Bites

New Village Council Members

Tonight’s village council meeting will see two new faces sworn-in: John Dubois as Vice Mayor and Tim E. Schaffer as Councilman.

It’s not clear how the village’s political landscape will change given that Mayor Shelley Stacnzyk is joined at the hip with Councilwoman Joan Lindsay. These two dragged former Vice Mayor Brian Pariser into a series of difficult votes on controversial subjects. SDM believes Mr. Pariser was retired from office precisely because he failed to distinguish himself from Stanczyk and Lindsay.

On the other side sits Patrick Fiore (who is making noises about running against Stanczyk in two years). Dubois benefited from Fiore’s support in the past election, though Fiore couldn’t pull his candidate Jim Araiza across the finish line. Therefore, Palmetto Bay’s second new face is the unknown Schaffer. (SDM calls him Marathon Man because of his fuel purchasing habits.)

So what exactly can residents expect from this new council? SDM suspects Mr. Fiore and Mr. Dubois will work in tandem and that Stanczyk and Lindsay will stay in their camp. This will leave Schaffer to either join the Amigos, to stand independently, or to join the Fiore-Dubois group. Schaffer owes his election to the Stanczyk-Lindsay operation so early money says he will step directly into Brian Pariser’s empty loafers.

SDM Says: If Schaffer becomes the third Amigo, nothing much will change in Palmetto Bay. Property owners will be under the gun of the crazies that support Stanczyk and Lindsay and village government will continue on its intrusive, hyper-regulatory course. If the Marathon Man breaks from the Amigos, residents might see a more reasonable government…and Schaffer will grow a target on his back from the SOPs and CCOCI folks.

Decorum Rising

In addition to swearing-in the new members, the village council will take up the crucial issue of reading the decorum statement before each meeting starts. If adopted, the decorum statement will be read as the second order of business, right before the Mayor starts handing out her proclamations and honors every local sports team that wins anything.

SDM Wonders: The decorum statement is pretty straightforward but it is incomplete because it is not addressed to the council itself. From SDM’s perspective, most of the indecorous behavior at village meetings comes from the dais and from the spouses of those on the dais sitting in the back of the chamber. Let’s hope the council listens to the decorum statement and applies it to themselves.

Misapplying the First Amendment

The minutes of the November 5, 2012 council meeting (Item 12A) contains an interesting misapplication of this provision of the U.S. Constitution:  ”Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Village Attorney Eve Boutsis’ was asked a question about the village’s sponsorship ordinance:

Councilman Tendrich noted that on page 4 of 9, line 36, to state that an illegal business would be prohibited from advertising seems obvious. He asked about churches that volunteer in Palmetto Bay.

Attorney Boutsis explained that this is a matter of separation of church and state. (Emphasis added by SDM.)

 SDM Wonders: How would a church’s purchase of a sponsorship of a village event “establish a religion” or “prohibit the exercise” of a religion? Of course, it wouldn’t and Ms. Boutsis should know this. In fact, SDM would argue that by singling out churches, the village is actually preemptively prohibiting speech based on content, which is a constitutional no-no.

SDM Says: Most village churches by now have zero interest in supporting the village’s events, but Palmetto Bay leaders cannot say with a straight face that they support local churches while at the same time they limit their freedom of speech.

 

6 comments
November 21, 2012

PB: Hello and Goodbye

Hello Tim

By now, most Palmetto Bay watchers know that John Dubois and Tim Schaffer were elected to the village council last night. Dubois’s victory was narrow, but a win is a win. Schaffer trounced Jim Araiza.

Before SDM says goodbye to Brian Pariser, let’s first say hello to Mr. Schaffer. SDM has called Mr. Schaffer the fourth amigo in the past, but SDM’s sources are not sure he will take Mr. Pariser’s spot in the ruling troika. The first indicator is that Palmetto Bay’s mysterious Marathon Man apparently spends a lot of time at the Hole in the Wall Pub. If true, then he is obviously too normal to be an amigo.

On the other hand, Mr. Schaffer was supported by the Stanczyk/Lindsay machine so SDM has to put him in that camp unless he splits from them. We are all going to have to wait and see what Mr. Schaffer is really all about. For today, SDM is giving Mr. Schaffer the benefit of the doubt while keeping an eye out for trouble.

Goodbye Brian

The good news from last night is that Palmetto Bay will say goodbye to Brian Pariser. Given the holiday season, SDM wishes to thank Mr/ Pariser for his service to the community. SDM was no fan, but props are due to anyone who sits on a municipal council.

SDM’s agenda

Mr. Dubois has been a steadfast critic of the three amigos and appears to have the intellectual capacity to challenge the surviving couplet. Assuming Mr. Dubois is up to the challenge, SDM has some suggestions regarding what he ought to do right away:

  1. Set a meeting with the village attorney; just the two of you. SDM wants to see the transcripts of the attorney-client sessions on the Palmer matter and you should be demanding that they be released or you should report to the community as to why they should remain embargoed. SDM can accept that there may be a good reason to keep the records under wraps, but we must be told why. If there is no good reason, then introduce a resolution to release the transcripts now.
  2. When you meet with the village manager, you must ask him whether he is trying to settle the lawsuit with Shores at Palmetto Bay, LLC. (This is the charter school project on Franjo Road.) The Mayor and her anti-school cronies should not be allowed to continue to interfere with a legitimate use of private property. Use your business experience to help the manager find a reasonable settlement so that this property owner can move ahead with his project.
  3. Speaking of settlements, please look into a settlement of the Palmer issue. Again, Palmer is here to stay and both sides need to find a way out of the mess the Mayor created. Maybe you will find that the village’s legal position is strong enough that there is no reason to settle at this point. If that is the case, then tell us why we should stop worrying about a potential $13 million liability.
  4. Hold a workshop on the future of the downtown area. Our community deserves to see a vibrant, exciting Franjo Triangle where businesses are welcomed, rather than shunned. Bring in the Palmetto Bay Business Association and the chambers of commerce and let them know that Palmetto Bay is under new management.

SDM Says: The beginning of a political career is a little like the birth of a child. One never knows for sure what this new person will turn out to be. SDM hopes Mr. Dubois and Mr. Schaffer turn out to be great leaders for our community.

16 comments
November 19, 2012

PB: Campaign Law Violation Exposed

Many Palmetto Bay residents found an 8 x 14, yellow political ad in their mailboxes this weekend. Forget for a moment the idiocy of giving normal people such a dense piece of advertising with the expectation that normal people will read it. What should concern the folks behind the political committee called “Palmetto Bay Concerned Residents (PBCR)” is that SDM did read the document. PBCR’s got some explaining to do.

What is a political committee and why are they used?

Political committees like PBCR are formed to allow people to support candidates through expenditures that are independent of the candidate’s campaign. Why use a committee? The primary reason comes from human nature. We do not like to hear negative things said about one candidate directly from the mouth of the opposing candidate.

So, a candidate will ask his friends and supporters to form a committee that can blast the opposition while he himself stays above the fray. According to the mailer, PBCR seems to have been formed for the specific purpose of supporting Vice Mayor Pariser’s re-election and Tim Schaffer’s candidacy for Councilman.

How are political committees regulated?

Florida election law governs all campaign activity. What’s important to understand here is that the term “political committee” carries with it a series of legal requirements that must be followed to the letter. Failing to do so exposes a violator to misdemeanor charges and/or fines. (See s. 106.08(7)(a), Fla. Stat.)

One key requirement of law is that contributions to political committees that support individual candidates may not exceed $500 per person. A political committee may accept unlimited contributions from individuals if it only focus on issues.

How did PBCR violate the campaign finance laws?

Very simply, a person named Jack Fell contributed $3,000 to PBCR and PBCR sent a mailing to Palmetto Bay voters specifically urging a vote for Pariser and Schaffer. Under some circumstances, both the contributor and PBCR may be culpable for an illegal contribution.

Any person may file a complaint with the Florida Division of Elections. Instructions can be found here. SDM knows for a fact that these violations are treated very seriously and will be investigated if a complaint is made.

Fell also donated to Pariser and Schaffer!

Mr. Fell donated directly to Mr. Schaffer on October 1, 2012 and to Pariser on June 5, 2012. Therefore, neither Mr. Pariser nor Mr. Schaffer cannot deny knowledge of Mr. Fell’s activities. PBCR’s reports are published on the village website and the key players at PBCR are also well-known supporters of these candidates.

SDM Wonders: How can a practicing attorney like Mr. Pariser continue to allow (encourage?) his supporters to run rough-shod over the laws he swore to uphold.

Will Palmetto Bay voters notice that Mr. Fell and his cronies at PBCR will go to any lengths to win – including a probable violation Florida’s election laws?

We may find out tomorrow.

14 comments
November 15, 2012

PB: Palmer’s Latest News – Positive & Perplexing

SDM sometimes wakes up wondering how the universe functions, especially after reading this momentous article in the Miami Herald:

Court rules Palmetto Bay is not on the hook for Palmer Trinity’s legal fees

By Howard Cohen
The Miami Herald

The Miami-Dade Circuit Court has ruled in favor of Palmetto Bay, which argued it does not have to pay the legal fees connected with its longstanding battle over Palmer Trinity School’s expansion.On Nov. 5 the court denied the school’s request that the village pay its attorney’s fees and costs, which could have totaled more than $300,000.

In July, the school won the right to expand to 1,150 students and, with that victory, filed a motion to collect legal fees.

In August, Palmetto Bay petitioned the Third District Court of Appeal to reconsider its July order that the village pay the school’s attorney’s fees. In September, the appeals court reversed its earlier ruling that the village pay the school’s legal fees. The case went back to the Circuit Court, which ruled in favor of the village.

“It’s over. The appeal is over and hopefully everyone can get back to doing what we do,’’ says Palmetto Bay Village Attorney Eve Boutsis. “The city continues to be a city and Palmer Trinity already has its development order and will do what it has to do and hopefully everyone can move on,” Boutsis said Tuesday afternoon. “This was a great result for the village and it ends this cleanly.” (Emphasis added by SDM.)

[SDM Question: Does this mean the transcripts of the shade sessions will be released now?]

Stan Price, the attorney for Palmer Trinity, commented on Wednesday. “We’re extremely disappointed. We don’t know what you have to do to prove bad faith on behalf of government entities before you can get fees, but we’ll continue with the litigation and hopefully, at the end of the day, we’ll be totally vindicated.”

The village still faces a civil suit filed by the school, which contends it’s owed more than $12 million in lost tuition and other revenue as a result of the suits. The village is fighting those charges.

Palmetto Bay Mayor Shelley Stanczyk has faced criticism from some residents who formed a political action committee to have her recalled next year along with Council Member Joan Lindsay for their decisions to fight the school. The Recall Palmetto Bay group has also worked against re-electing Vice Mayor Brian Pariser, who faces a runoff on Nov. 20.

The group is upset because the three council members continued to lead the fight against Palmer, after the court ruled against the village. The village has spent more than $600,000 in legal fees since the dispute began in 2006.

The recall group used the Third District Court of Appeal’s strongly worded language against the village as ammunition. The appeals court ruled that Palmetto Bay acted with “willful disobedience” regarding previous judicial instructions. The court had also noted the village’s appeals were “an exercise in superfluousness and futility.”

Village supporters strongly disagreed with the unusually harsh language. The battle has divided the village during the recent Nov. 6th elections. Pariser finished a close second and faces challenger John DuBois in the runoff. Council member Howard Tendrich, who disagreed with Pariser, Stanczyk and Lindsay, lost his bid for reelection. His challengers, Tim Schaffer and Jim Araiza, will be in the runoff.

On Tuesday, Stanczyk expressed satisfaction with the latest court decision. The court did not elaborate on its decision, saying only the motion was denied.

“This ruling continues the statement that the village has not acted with willful disobedience and that our actions were not frivolous,” she said.

First off, SDM wants to say bravo to the village’s legal team for protecting the taxpayers from this cost. Having to pay $300,000 to Palmer would have been a blow to the village, though a manageable one. Palmetto Bay’s lawyers lost the case, but won a critical skirmish over fees and costs and Ms. Boutsis deserves praise for achieving this result.

But the result also sparks questions in SDM’s tiny mind. For example, why are Palmer’s legal fees and costs half the amount the village has incurred in defending the lawsuit? If the village’s financial exposure was $300,000, why didn’t someone try to settle the matter before we incurred more than half-a-million in legal fees and costs on our end?

Perhaps more importantly, did it make sense for the village to spend tax dollars and to drag Palmer through all of this torment over a net difference of 250 children spread over more than 50 acres of land? Earlier posts noted that village staff believed Palmer could have added some 2,000 students based on the code.  (Staff essentially talked them down to their 1,150 recommendation.) Was this result worth all the time and money spent by the village on this lawsuit?

SDM also wonders why the village elders and legal counsel never discussed the dimensions of the village’s financial exposure with residents. With all due respect, the calls for settlement that have emanated from SDM and the Palmetto Bay News for at least 18 months appear well-founded. While the village attorney deserves kudos for this victory, her obsession with keeping the rest of us in the dark looks to have extended this lawsuit. Inevitably SDM must ask: who benefits when a lawsuit drags on?

Finally, SDM wonders how the Mayor can be so clueless. Seriously, does she not understand that the village lost the lawsuit? That the court said specifically that the village’s behavior in the Palmer litigation amounted to “willful disobedience of the court’s instructions”? [Read more at Palmer Litigation: An Exercise in Superfluousness and Futility.] Frankly, SDM cannot figure out why the village lets her speak to reporters.

SDM Wonders: How does Ms. Boutsis conclude that “[t]his was a great result for the village and it ends this cleanly” given the following:

  • The village lost the underlying suit and spent a small fortune defending its position.
  • Palmetto Bay was slapped with a humiliating and harshly worded order questioning the village’s motives. (Judges are human, too, they talk about cases to one another. SDM cannot see how this case was good for Palmetto Bay’s reputation.)
  • One of the village’s most important institutions (and one of its largest employers, too) has been unable to expand for a minimum of four years. (How many kids missed out on a Palmer education, Mme. “Education” Mayor?)
  • Palmer still has a lawsuit pending on damages.
  • A once tranquil village finds itself divided.

SDM Says: This not so great and not so clean “victory” rings a little hollow. Do the candidates for Vice Mayor and District 2 agree with Ms. Boutsis?

4 comments
November 14, 2012

PB: Pariser only wanted half a village

One of the advantages of age is that you tend to recall things that some folks would like to forget. For instance, do all of you who live South of SW 168th Street know that Vice Mayor Pariser never wanted you to be part of Palmetto Bay? Yes, that includes all of you CCOCI folks, too.

Oh, you don’t believe SDM? Look at this article from the Miami Herald dated March 23, 1995:

NEIGHBORHOODS SEEK STUDY ON INCORPORATION GROUP EAST OF U.S. 1 SEEKS FACTS

OSCAR MUSIBAY Herald Staff Writer

Prompted by efforts of other Dade neighborhoods to incorporate, some residents living east of U.S. 1 between Southwest 136th and 168th streets want a study of how much it costs them to be a part of Metro government.

Residents of East Grove Estates and five other neighborhoods are circulating a petition asking Dade County to compare taxes paid by residents within the area to money spent for Metro services. The area is mainly made of single-family homes.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean we want to incorporate, but we want to know the facts,” said Brian Pariser, president of the East Grove Estates Homeowners Association. “We don’t want to be left out of something, nor do we want people to be makers of our fate.”

The coalition of residents will have a town meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 14260 Old Cutler Rd., to discuss the issue.

Pariser’s group wants the county to provide a feasibility study of about 20,000 people who live between Southwest 136th Street on the north, 168th Street on the south, Biscayne Bay on the east and South Dixie Highway on the west.

Areas to the north and south of East Grove Estates already are investigating incorporation.

In November, residents of Perrine and Cutler Ridge to the south formed a steering committee to report on whether Perrine, Cutler Ridge and Saga Bay could support their own government.

Pariser said the study area is too wide and would thin resources.

To the north, the Pinecrest/Palmetto area also is meeting to assess its chances as a municipality.

If anyone thinks SDM is overstating Mr. Pariser’s position, why not ask some of the key founders who are still around? Eyewitnesses are invited to comment on this post. Tell SDM how this blog’s version of events is wrong.

SDM Wonders: Why did Mr. Pariser want to cut-off the village boundary at SW 168th Street? SDM heard rumors for years it was because Pariser and his neighbors thought the southern neighborhoods weren’t compatible with the northern ones. (Not compatible is  a code word for some other very unkind terms.)

Fortunately, the narrow-minded Mr. Pariser was overruled by the wise founders who argued pragmatically that a city of the size Pariser imagined could not support itself.

SDM Says: If one wonders about the roots of Mr. Pariser’s divisive tenure on the council, one should start at the beginning when his words were unguarded.

 

14 comments
November 13, 2012

PB: One Week to Go – Time for a Reverse Snoopy

SDM spent a little time away from computers and televisions over the weekend – wow, it’s hard to remember that once upon a time none of this stuff existed. But, the modern world relentlessly calls us back to reality, which means…we still have an election to decide!

Seriously, can’t we get this set up so when the election cycle is over, it’s over in Palmetto Bay, too? SDM will file this idea away for another day.

“Every now and then I feel that my existence is justified!” – Snoopy, after returning the blue security blanket to Linus Van Pelt.

SDM couldn’t help but notice Mayor Shelley Stanczyk appeared in picture after picture on election day. Her emails dropped regularly – unrequested – into thousands of mailboxes all over the village. One key message: Vote for Brian.

Thus, SDM can safely conclude that she is – to use a phrase in the news – “all in” for her Vice Mayor, which begs the question, why? What is it about Mr. Pariser that got Her Honor out to the polls to cajole and torment voters day after day?

Clearly, Pariser votes with the Mayor on every bad idea she conceives. (More on this in a moment…)

But is there something more about Mr. Pariser that makes the Mayor work so hard for him? Two possible answers:

  • It’s no secret that Mayor Stanczyk desperately wants another term. She will need Pariser’s help if she runs and, perhaps more importantly, his commitment not to run against her. SDM likes this answer, but it’s not the strongest one.
  • SDM watches just about all of the village council meetings. The dynamic is very interesting. The Mayor talks a lot, but she is never fully sure of what she is saying – or doing, for that matter. At almost every meeting, the Mayor will look to Pariser to help her shape her scattered thoughts into a modicum of coherence. Sometimes he will come to her rescue by asking a few questions that clarify the Mayor’s muddy concept. Pariser is Stanczyk’s blue security blanket.

Like Linus’s reliable touchstone (you never saw the blue blanket object to waiting all night for the Great Pumpkin to arrive), Mr. Pariser doesn’t push back against the Mayor and her expensive and illegal ideas.

For example, Mr. Pariser voted for the disastrous and punitive motion that started the Palmer Trinity lawsuit. He voted to waste tax dollars on an extra police officer even though the police chief didn’t ask for it. And, he joined in Shelley’s callous denial of the family with the handicapped child.

In each of these instances, Mr. Pariser’s used his legal training and demeanor to support the Mayor’s bad ideas even though he knew they crossed the line of legality and common sense. A security blanket is there for support and Pariser is nothing if not blindly supportive.

And Stanczyk, like Linus will go to any length for her blanket.

SDM Says: In a week, we will see if Palmetto Bay voters will do a reverse Snoopy on the Mayor.

7 comments
November 8, 2012

PB: Guest Post – A Gentlemanly Reply

After a minor contretemps broke out over some misguided and politically harmful comments by a supporter, Vice Mayor candidate John Dubois proves he’s a gentleman:

Dear SDM and blog readers,

This is the first time since I’ve been a candidate that I have felt compelled to respond to any media or online comments because I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion and I believe strongly in freedom of speech. However, in this instance there is an implication that David Zisman speaks for me or represents my campaign and I that is not the case.

David Zisman is a good personal friend of mine, however, we have very different approaches and points of view on politics. Furthermore, I do not and cannot control what comes out of his mouth.

Howard Tendrich and Karyn Cunningham are two exceptionally nice people that, like Jim Araiza, Tim Schaffer, Brian [Pariser] and me, have the right and should be encouraged to engage in the political process by running for office. In the race for Vice Mayor, Karyn ran an excellent campaign with integrity, focus, and very hard work. If Karyn had a few more weeks campaigning, I believe she would have closed the gap and been in the runoff. I think she will be good addition to our council in the future and I would not only encourage her but also support her in such endeavors.

Our former mayor [Eugene Flinn] also has as much right as any of the rest of us to engage in the process. Blaming him for causing a runoff is wrong. I only blame myself for not being able to break 50% to avoid a runoff. Characterizing the two candidates that did not make the runoff as going down in a blaze is derogatory and uncalled for.

Best regards,

John Dubois

See how that works? Don’t throw your friend under the bus and be generous to your opponents and colleagues. SDM feels proud to support Mr. Dubois and hopes former Mayor Flinn and Ms. Cunningham endorse him, too.

SDM Says: Come together…right now…

16 comments
November 8, 2012

PB: How To Lose An Election

No, SDM is not going to talk about the national race. This blog is local and a very promising local campaign to unseat an unpopular incumbent is taking steps to lose the runoff.

Yesterday, a gentleman named David Zisman commented on PB: Post election review. Here is the core of his politically foolish statement:

Thank you SDM for coming to the correct analysis of who to support in the runoff. There should not even have been a runoff except for the efforts of our not so endearing X Mayor. His two candidates went down in a blaze. Howard had already decided not to run back in August when our X Mayor convinced him he would win outright. As for Karyn, she seems nice enough but the lingering distaste for the X Mayor lives on long after his stunning defeat against Lynda Bell. Karyn, next time you run for something, stay far away from Gene Flinn. I can only imagine the support that he promised you and I assume he delivered you nothing.

So Gene Flinn will cost Palmetto Bay about $50,000 for the runoff election that “Never Should Have Been.” Well that’s still cheaper then having him in office.

Now, Mr. Zisman has a right to his opinion, which SDM will show to be both dead wrong and outrageously presumptuous at the same time. But first, my dear readers must understand that Mr. Zisman advertises himself as a John Dubois guy, which SDM takes to mean that he is an integral component of Dubois’s campaign and perhaps even a spokesman for him.

If so, Mr. Dubois’s got some splaining to do.

First, the idea that some self-anointed group of residents would essentially try to “negotiate” Councilman Tendrich out of running for re-election so that their candidate would have a clearer path is anathema to SDM. Who are they to tell him not to run? This is the precise behavior SDM finds repugnant in the Three Amigos.

Second, SDM happens to like and support Mr. Tendrich and thinks you should have kept your guy out of the race, which might have thereby avoided a runoff.  See how ridiculous you sound when the facts are flipped?

Third, you can cajole and lobby people not to run for office, but your doing so makes your candidate look weak. SDM happens to think Mr. Dubois will do an excellent job and has no trouble supporting him enthusiastically. SDM also believes Mr. Dubois can and must win without the machinations of a few Machiavelli wannabes.

Fourth, why, when the runoff will be so close, would you go out and insult a two-term former Mayor and a candidate who just took about a third of the vote? (BTW, that ain’t going “down in a blaze,” sir.)

SDM Says: Mr. Zisman, you have a constitutional right to express your antipathy toward Mr. Flinn, but you should remember the ancient political maxim – the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Mr. Flinn has repeatedly criticized Vice Mayor Pariser, making him a logical addition to the Dubois team.

SDM Wonders: Why are you so hellbent on alienating Mr. Flinn and Ms. Cunningham at the moment Mr. Dubois needs them most?

SDM’s Free Advice to Mr. Dubois: You need Mr. Flinn and Ms. Cunningham to support you and to ask, beg and cajole their supporters to choose you. Your margin of victory does not warrant a touchdown dance and declaration of victory at halftime. Distance yourself now from these comments. SDM will publish your statement should you wish to avail yourself of this forum.

9 comments
November 7, 2012

PB: Post Election Review

Palmetto Bay voters cast about 1,500 more ballots in 2012 than they did in 2010 but about 2,500 fewer than in 2008. These results are consistent with the overall county turnout. SDM is convinced that the lengthy ballot combined with fewer early voting days and lessened voter intensity explain the delta. It will be interesting to see how the pundits and political scientists dissect these numbers.

Ready for some runoffs?

Village voters split their vote in thirds, setting up runoffs between Jim Araiza and Tim Schaffer for District 2 and John Dubois and Brian Pariser for Vice Mayor.

Howard Tendrich’s homespun campaign just couldn’t compete in the intensive environment of a Presidential year. SDM will miss Howard’s gentlemanly ways as much as his humanity. You did a good job for Palmetto Bay, Howard, thank you for your service.

SDM was very impressed by Karyn Cunningham. She came into the race late and really had no name identification in Palmetto Bay, but her showing was impressive nonetheless. SDM hopes she will seek office again.

The runoff will be held on November 20th and it will be a totally different race. Only 30% of voters participated in the 2010 runoff so SDM figures that fewer than 5,000 votes will determine the composition of your village council.

For SDM, the choice is clear: Dubois and Araiza

Now that SDM-favorite Tendrich has been retired, the only rational choice is to vote for John Dubois as Vice Mayor and Jim Araiza as Councilman in District 2. Both need to win to turn back the Three Amigos and their handlers.

Dubois narrowly bested Pariser yesterday. Cunningham’s unusual success probably kept Dubois from winning outright.

Araiza and Schaffer were separated by 52 votes or .55%. That’s close people, but the general election results are immaterial now.

Because only about a third of voters will vote on the 20th, your vote counts even more in a runoff. You can be damn sure the SOPs and the CCOCIers will show up.

Charter amendments pass, except for one

All the silly charter amendments passed, except for one that SDM took particular issue with: Interacting with Administration. This amendment would allow village politicians to circumvent the manager and pressure individual employees. Bravo, Palmetto Bay, for rejecting it.

The term limit amendment passed, which means that Mayor Shelley Stanczyk can now seek re-election. SDM wishes to thank the Blog deities for this gift. SDM promises not to waste this unexpected munificence.

SDM Says: It may be up to village voters to limit Stanczyk’s term.

13 comments
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