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October 18, 2010
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CAMPAIGN LETTERS FROM LOCAL CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES FOR FLORIDA’S 24TH DISTRICT
SUZANNE KOSMAS, Democratic Candidate
"Central Floridians have a clear choice in this election: while Suzanne Kosmas is standing up for the priorities of Central Florida, such as
creating jobs, blocking Congressional pay-raises, keeping NASA strong, and protecting benefits for our veterans and seniors, Tallahassee politician Sandy Adams is pushing strange ideas like privatizing Social Security and Medicare and taking away Floridians' right to vote for their U.S. Senators," said Marc Goldberg, spokesman for the Kosmas campaign. "Adams has no real solutions for creating jobs or boosting the economy, and she has the wrong priorities for Central Florida."
SANDY ADAMS, Republican Candidate
"My name is Sandy Adams, and I am running for Congress in Florida’s 24th District. It’s time to stop the reckless spending, end the bailouts, reduce the debt, and repeal and replace the government takeover of healthcare. I will hold the line on the growth of government, stop the reckless spending, and say no to the tax and spend liberal policies of the Kosmas-Pelosi Congress. I would ask for your vote for Sandy Adams on November 2nd so that together we can work towards a brighter future for our children and grandchildren."
B. CAMPAIGN LETTERS FROM CANDIDATES FOR COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1
JOIE ALEXANDER
The fiscal challenges facing the community and county government over the next two years will impact the short- and long-term future of Volusia County. While we’ve cut $146 million from the budget, more cuts are going to be needed. I will continue to do everything I can to cut waste and provide for a lean budget that still provides essential services to the citizens of Volusia County. I will also continue to support our business community to create new jobs so that our citizens can maintain the quality of life that they deserve. This will include nurturing existing businesses through “economic gardening,” assisting with the creation of small businesses through the business incubator program, and working closely with our private sector through Team Volusia. Southeast Volusia needs a seasoned, experienced leader with a proven track record of success to continue to look for innovative ways to downsize county government and to make the budget cuts that are necessary, but to do so in a way that is responsible. I am the only candidate in this race with real hands-on experience at cutting the budget and reducing taxes. I have made the difficult decisions. I am that experienced leader. I would appreciate your vote on
November 2.
GEORGE TROVATO
The Shadow requested a submission for this week but none was received as of the time the Shadow was published.
THE USE OF THE “BED TAX” MONEY FOR LOCAL EVENTS
Attached as a LINK are the last two years of grants made by the Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority (SVAA) and the proposed current year proposals. The stated basis for spending SVAA money on these projects is to put heads in beds. Stated differently, it is to increase the number of tourists who come to town for at least one night’s lodging. This is “bed-tax” money. The mission of the SVAA is solely to fill rental units. Increased occupancy from tourists benefits our entire community.
Moving money into the local event business is like eating your best kernels of corn, and planting the worst. Dinner that night or that season is good. Predictably your crop is eventually depleted and your people starve. SVAA money is the seed corn of our tourism industry. Grants given to popular causes and friends are reducing our marketing effectiveness. If an event were proven to not generate overnight tourism it would be hard to offer continued subsidy. We think checks and balances have been purposefully
avoided by SVAA staff and it’s Board. The procedural basis for any of these grants is not a “feel good” arrangement but requires a report subsequent to the event by the would be recipient of the grant to show how this event resulted in generating overnight tourism by the grantee. According to the SVAA’s own procedures (look at its web-site), no money is to be paid out before that report is submitted and a determination is made that the reason for the grant has been met.
The Shadow has serious doubts as to whether most if not almost all of these grants meet the primary requirement of being directly in line for putting heads in beds. It is not that the recipient entity may not be worthy of community support, but the question is: Should they have bed tax money? The Shadow believes that, for example, the Atlantic Center for the Arts is a very worthy organization, but almost no case can be made that supporting it brings any, and certainly not appreciable, tourists to stay in accommodations in the City. SVAA also has a $15,000 grant this year for the 33 year old Images Art Festival. How many rooms have been filled and how long is tax money needed to fund an event? Clearly there is no weaning process at the SVAA. This is bad business.
Similarly, the Volusia County Fair is close to Deland and is within the West Volusia Advertising Authority (WVAA). The dividing line between the Districts is the center of SR 415. It has a $25,000 grant this year from the SVAA on top of a $20,000 grant last year. Certainly when the fair is open some of the participants who are not local may stay here in New Smyrna Beach, but the Shadow believes that there are few participants or visitors who find accommodations here. In fact, all of the carnies have trailers and mobile homes and stay out at the fairgrounds. If you look at the WVAA web site, the Deland area has a multitude of accommodations in West Volusia. Where is the SVAA report that justifies $45,000 in tourism money for the Fair? Each dollar diverted from the mission of “heads in beds” causes long term damage to our community. If the Fair needs money, the WVAA authority should provide all of the funds.
The Shadow also has trouble understanding the grant this year to Mike Lopez Productions for a series of events at the Indian River Shopping Center (Publix on the Beachside). We are told that the event held over the Fourth of July at that location was bad for business in most of the Plaza’s stores. We doubt very much any overnight hotel rooms were available that weekend. Certainly not many! The question is: If there are no more rooms to rent since on that weekend Mayberry is full up, why would the SVAA waste their assets? Major holidays are a major problem for the tourism office. The truth is vendors and local eateries benefit from holiday events, not accommodators who are forced to pay the bed-tax. IMAGES takes business from tourism, it does not generate enough visitors who use hotel rooms to warrant any funding. Fish Stock the Shadow believes, is on the Memorial Day weekend, another holiday, and takes out more than it puts in.
Mike Lopez Productions has another event scheduled for November. It will fail just like New Smyrna Beach Uncorked did. Last year the SVAA and Community Redevelopment Agency kicked in $5,000 and $15,000, respectively, for Uncorked. It was worst than flat, it achieved nothing other than a pub crawl for drinkers. It put no heads in bed and was basically a giveaway of bed tax funds. Here is an article written by a knowledgeable citizen who has put together this type event many times, at no cost to the taxpayers. Read his research - analysis to weep. LINK Oh, by the way, did we tell you that we heard that Flip-Flops had not as of last week even been asked to participate in an event in November held at its own Mall!
Mike Lopes states that are going to give some of the money “they” collect from ticket sales to the Marine Discovery Center and to another group out west that made equipment used to clean up the environment. Bed Tax money to the MDC is a joke. Give any money back to the SVAA and use it for the purpose it was collected: to put heads in beds. Since there is grant money paying for this event, it should not generate money to give away to favored groups picked by who knows whom.
A wine event cannot succeed in the fall. Call ABC liquors and ask them about wine sales. Had the SVAA done an honest report on Uncorked, they would know better. They would also not be foolish enough to do it again, but they are! People will not pay Mike Lopez, $75.00 for tickets to drink wine. Worse this event will take money from local wine shops and Norwood’s event in December. We predict they will not sell 100 tickets and will fill the tent with bodies (and special people) at the last minute, for free.
UNION ENDORSEMENT OF CURRENT CANDIDATES IN LOCAL ELECTION
Given the Shadow’s stance on the outrageously generous pay, pensions, and benefits given to (and unchanged) our local police and fire departments, the Shadow believes you should know that both the Teamsters and the International Association of Fire Fighters have endorsed Mr. Trovato. The IAAF flyer is totally misleading, blaming EVAC for the one delay in the last five years in ambulance response when it was the 911-RCC service run by them which failed to notify EVAC of the change in the patient’s condition. Look, the union has the right to campaign for the election of its own officials, but you should know what they are up to and decide if you want biased officials making decisions in their favor that adversely affect you.
The slick flyer put out by the IAFF last week is a lie. There is only one case they can point to in the last five years where the so-called ambulance “contingent” service they want to provide may have made a difference. As stated above, that delay was caused by a gross service error made from the 911-RCC service they insist on maintaining. It is also costly since it makes no sense even in cuckoo land even if there were an ambulance in every station. Edgewater just spent over $200,000 for its second ambulance. Each of these fire departments is likely to go on an expensive spending spree and this will be the result of giving life to into a proposal that makes no logical sense. No Councilman should vote for their proposal next week. It is a sham and they know it.
This is not totally a simple issue since the Shadow has been told that Mr. Trovato says that he did not solicit these endorsements. But then New Smyrna Beach Mayor Adam Barringer said he did not seek union endorsements either, but he has protected their interest his entire first year in office. Probably a coincidence! “You figure”, as the kids would say. Mrs. Cusak, who is running for the at large County seat, according to the Daytona Beach News Journal has 50 to 100 IAFF members working on her campaign. Understand, this is only one issue of many, but a vote for those who support the IAFF is a bad vote if you care about this issue.
NOTES
THE SOUTHEAST VOLUSIA ADVERTISING AUTHORITY (SVAA) ON THE BLOG
The BLOGS on Monday and Tuesday last week has been deluged with postings on the SVAA. What seems to be the case to most bloggers is that the Board has been derelict in approving grants that have anything to do with putting heads in beds. If true that they also have approved payments before a report has been made as to the effectiveness of the grant, or, worse, before the event has even taken place, they have violated there own rules. If true, this Board should be replaced. The County Council removed and replaced the entire solution here also.
THE CITY REDUCED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE WHILE KEEPING ON THE GOLF COURSE PRO AND GREENS KEEPER.
The pro at most small golf courses today, the Shadow is told, makes his or her money from people who want to pay for lessons. We suspect you could contract for a part time greens keeper for $10,000 or $15,000 in today’s market. Ours cost us about $100,000 last year in salary, pension, and benefits. Taking the two of these slots off the City payroll alone would almost pay the costs for the lowest paid policeman. We will not lose any public safety with the cuts proposed, but you could not even make the argument if the two positions at the Municipal Golf Course were cut first and no cuts in police patrolman was made.
West Volusia Advertising Board last year. The Shadow wonders if that is not the best!
DEAR PAM
As we have stated in the past, we realize that various City officials have limited resources available for pursuing cost reduction projects, so we have decided to help them out and provide draft letters for review. As we have said, this will free them up for important things, like dealing with all the serious problems of the police and fire department pensions.
Dear Mayor Barringer,
Look, I can not continue to take care of the employees if you let the Shadowites continue to rat out my plans. The natives are getting restless. You hired Johnny to cut off information, but City employees apparently keep on ratting me out.
PAM
REBRANDING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
There are so few fires since the building codes kicked in big time 20 or 30 years ago that it is nonsense to call our local full time employees that are in all those new buildings by the wrong name. Rebranding is the answer. Worse the number of emergency calls is also way down so that too has created a real naming problem since medical type calls are also going away. Now some wags have thought of calling them “EVAC Third String” or “Lazy Boy Brigade”. Dicey!
HOW NOT TO REORGANIZE A POLICE DEPARTMENT
The City has created we are told two new Lieutenant Positions at the police department to replace the two needless Commanders who retired. The last official minutes of Commission meetings was apparently presented in July, so we will not have the official minutes for at least two months. (The audio was not being streamed as of as of the middle of the week either. It is on the web-site now.) Promoting more officers to management positions defeats the objective which was to decrease the top heavy management and use the money to pay the police on the beat. But, what do you expect in Mayberry?
BLOGS
Date: 10/16/2010, 8:23 PM
10/16/2010, 8:23 PMName: Moron Math
Moron MathOnly city or government would think they can make money on the launch ramp. Drive by Monday at noon sees how many trailers are there. Add it up... Keep telling those fools - county spent nearly $10,000,000 to collect $6,000,000 in beach tolls. Can I mention Ester Street parking lot ROI???
Date: 10/15/2010, 8:55 PM
10/15/2010, 8:55 PMName: Really 571.
Really 571.Really! OK, but do you really think the City will pull this off. It seems they have not done such a great job collecting revenue for rental properties downtown, on the water at the airport; seems they can't put newly bought property to work for the taxpayer; seems they let all sorts of folks use the CRA parking lots to store their equipment trailers on the weekend for free; seems they can't keep the streets and right of ways clear of a myriad of illegal t-signs; seems they can't run a water taxi when given seed money from the Fed; seems they give a great deal of money away for "classy" boondoggles; seems they can't finish putting in sanitary and storm sewers and pave streets; seems your walking/talking Mayor can't get his scotch-sippin' Angler cronies to pay a fair rent (but he'll go after beer budget boaters); seems Mayor Adam can't get the Fish & Wildlife to put their own money into their site; Mayor Adam hasn't implemented his white paper economic development plan; Adam is key in the reign of the overpaid CM Pam; Adam won't lead in admonishing Frank G; seems Liz can't keep up parks & rec's (look at City Gym);seems Liz runs a fraction of the programs of the adjacent Cities; seems Liz can't help make money at the Golf Course but got her hubby a job with a great salary...So if, and its a big if, they pull off parking meters at the boat ramps, BIG DEAL, they have done nothing significant to create income, collect outstanding depts., or stop the needless bleeding of tax $$.
So boat ramp parking meters - big whoop! It’s a drop of income in a sea of poor economic performance by Adam, the CC and Sr. Staff, especially Parks & Recs.
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