1

Lets Go Scott Free in 2014

Municipal Election Issue #1 of 3
The President Doesnt Collect Your Garbage
Feb. 10, 2014 SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH EVERYONE No. 14-3E
Senator McConnell
Where Are The Jobs?
Speaker Boehner
Where Are The Jobs?
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[Continued on page 2, Vote]
On Tuesday, March 11, 2014, some (not all) munici-
palities in Palm Beach County will choose one or
more members for their city governments. Do you
know if youre in one of them? On page 5, we list
all municipalities in Palm Beach County and tell
you whether your municipality has an election on
March 11th or not. If it does,
We recommend
you vote by mail.
If Your Mail Ballot Request Has Expired,
Its Not Too Late. You can apply for an absentee
ballot right up to Wednesday, March 5th from
your Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections
Offce. Dont put it off. Do it now!
by phone: (561) 656-6200 (2 minutes!)
by email: absentee@pbcelections.org
on-line: www.pbcelections.org
The President Doesnt
Collect Your Garbage
Many people vote only in a Presidential year. But
the President doesnt collect your garbage. The
President doesnt fll your potholes. The President
doesnt dispose of your sewage. The President
doesnt support your parks.
Local Services Your City Council, however,
does provide many of these services, ones that
affect you directly. You should tell them how you
want your city managed.
Has your request for a mail
ballot expired? You may de-
termine the status of your
mail ballot at:
www.Elections.MyFlorida.com
or at
www.pbcElections.org
2
What Does Your City Council Do? Your
City Council provides services that are mostly
focused on land use and on urban and community
development. These services include local road
and pipe networks (water supply and sewage
disposal), rubbish collection, street lighting, public
libraries, swimming pools and playgrounds.
The Strength of Local Government The
ability to provide for local needs is one of the
strengths of local government. This means services
can differ from place to place. For instance, some
councils may provide more public sports grounds,
art galleries, and community halls, while others
may concentrate on commercial development.
Philosophy (1% vs. 99%) The city services
you receive depend greatly on the philosophy of
the Council Members you elect. A council member
associated with the 1% will be most interested in
developing property for proft. A council member
associated with the 99% will be most interested in
development for people.
Why Should I Vote In This
Municipal Election?
Your One Vote Counts Are you unconcerned
with Municipal Elections? Often, a council election
is decided by only a few hundred votes in all. Last
year, a Council election was decided by 12 votes.
Another by 3 votes! (See article on page 4)
Friends and Money Council elections often are
decided by how many friends each candidate has,
or how much money is spent by each candidate.
But each voter should be concerned with the
philosophy of the candidates running for their city
council (1% or 99%). Find out what occupation,
work experience, and political philosophy your
city council candidates had before running for
their current seat. Dont let others make the
decision for you.
Do You Know If Your City Has A Municipal
Election On March 11th? See page 5 to fnd
out if there is a Municipal Election in your precinct
in 2014. There will be an election only if there is at
least one opposed candidate. And of course, if there is
an election in your precinct, you will get an absentee
ballotif you have requested one.]
[Vote, continued from page 1]
[Continued on page 3, Status]
2014 Election Dates
Muncipal Election, (if
applicable) March 11
Early voting - Primary
August 16 to August 23
Primary August 26th
General November 4th
We cant say this too often: The best
way to vote in a Municipal Election is to
apply for an absentee ballot.
Many voters cant see the point in taking time off
on Municipal Election Day to vote for one or two
Council candidates. If you vote by mail, the ballot
comes to you in the mail, you dont have to take
time off from work to vote, and you are being a
committed voting citizen.
Most voters dont vote in Municipal elections
if you feel its too much trouble to go to the polls
to vote for one or two candidatesthen you dont
vote. But if you receive a ballot in the mail, your
chances of doing your civic duty are quite high!
Mail ballots are sent to your home between 35
and 28 days before election day. This year you will
probably receive yours around February 24th.
Dont Stand In Line
VOTE IN YOUR PAJAMAS
Request a Mail Ballot
561-656-6200
Did You Know?
Your vote has more of an impact in a
small municipal election than it does in a
statewide election.
3
Under the council-manager form of government
for municipalities, the elected governing body
(commonly called a city council, city commission,
or board of selectmen) is responsible for the
legislative function of the municipality such as
establishing policy, passing local ordinances,
voting appropriations, and developing an overall
vision.
This legislative body, voted into offce by public
elections, appoints a professional manager to
oversee the administrative operations, implement
its policies, and advise it. The position of mayor
present in this type of legislative body is a largely
ceremonial title, and may be selected by the council
from among its members or elected as an at-large
council member with no executive functions.
The city manager position in this form of mu-
nicipal government is similar to that of corporate
chief executive offcer (CEO), providing profes-
sional management to the board of directors.
Council-manager gov-
ernment is much like a
publicly-traded corpo-
ration. In a corporation,
the board of directors ap-
points a CEO, makes ma-
jor decisions and wields
representative power
on behalf of sharehold-
ers. In council-manager
government, the elected
council appoints a city
manager, makes major
decisions, and wields
representative power on
behalf of the citizens.
There is also a mayor pro tem councilmember.
In cities where the council elects the mayor for
one year at a time, the mayor pro tem is in line
to become the mayor in the
next year. In cities where
the mayor is elected by the
citys voters, the mayor pro
tem serves simply to serve as
acting mayor in the absence
of the mayor. This position is
also known as vice mayor.
Status of Your Absentee Ballot--You may
determine the status of your absentee ballot request
by using the voter information lookup at:
http://tinyurl.com/7dvp2vv
Absentee ballots cannot be forwarded by
the US Post Offce, nor will they be held. If a ballot
is returned to the supervisor of elections by the US
Post Offce as undeliverable, all future absentee
ballot requests will be canceled until the supervi-
sors offce is contacted by the voter.
What Is a City Government?
City government is the legislative body that
governs a city, town, municipality or local
government area.
City councils generally consist of several (usu-
ally somewhere between 5 and 50, depending on
the citys size) elected aldermen or councillors.
Other common titles for members of the council
include councilmember,
councilman/woman, or
alderman.
The Power Of A
Mayor In some
cities, the mayor is a
voting member of the
council who serves as
chairman (weak mayor);
in others, the mayor is
the citys independent
chief executive (or
strong mayor) with
veto power over city
council legislation. In
larger cities the council may elect other executive
positions as well, such as a council president and
speaker.
The council generally functions as a parliamenta-
ry or congressional style legislative body, propos-
ing bills, holding votes, and passing laws to help
govern the city.
The role of the mayor in the council varies
depending on whether or not the city uses
council-manager government or mayor-council
government, and by the nature of the statutory
authority given to it by state law, city charter, or
municipal ordinance.
[Status, continued from page 2]
Why you should sign up
for a mail ballot.
Politician Scott doesnt want you to
vote. He will make it as hard as he
can to interfere with your right to
vote at the polls.
Dont get discouraged!
Vote in Your Pajamas!
www.pbcelections.org/genericform.
aspx?id=5
866-308-6739
4
[Continued on page 5, One Vote Counts]
The Power of One (and Three)
Joe Casello
City Commissioner Boynton Beach FL
Im a registered Democrat. I believe in the
Democratic process. Ive always taken an active
role in local politics and in the past ran for office
unsuccessfully in my home state of Massachusetts.
My move to South Florida did nothing to dampen
my desire to continue being involved in the
Democratic process. So when the opportunity
presented itself, after a political scandal involving
a City Commissioner who was forced to resign, the
campaign was on.
The newly open seat drew three other candidates,
all established Floridians. A well-known real-
estate broker, a political activist who had served
on numerous city advisory boards and a young
well connected lawyer. Being fairly new to
South Florida with no name
recognition I was way down on
the list of favorites to win this
election.
I started out to muster support
for the campaign by reaching
out to people I knew best: that
being the local Firefighters
union. Being a retired firefighter
of 33 years enabled me to
get a sit down to introduce
myself to discuss common
agendas. Although they thought
what I was doing was noble,
enthusiasm was minimal. At
best I was going to be treated as a fringe candidate
who had to prove no one was going to work harder
than myself.
To show my commitment I invested several
thousand dollars of my own money into the
campaign. I think this is where they sat up and
took a real interest. If I learned one thing about
campaigning it is that money brings in money
and contributions started to trickle in . . . The
campaign was on.
Door knocking, candidate forums, and stand outs
all took the hours out of the day and caused many
sleepless nights leading up to the election. On the
day of the election and with four candidates, I
would have to receive 35% plus 1 of the votes to
win outright.
As I stood out at the various polling places that
day I was tired, cranky and, my wife said she
suspected, suicidal. At the end of a very long day
no candidate achieved the magic numbers to win
outright. But amazingly, I placed second230 to
218forcing a special election winner-take-all
runoff.
I had now shown myself to be a hard-working,
viable candidate, and everybody loves a winner.
The real campaign (the runoff) started and my
support group grew to include union support from
Miami to Tallassee. Although the election was non-
partisan, voters had a card-carrying Democratic
retired Firefighter and a young Republican lawyer
vying for a seat on the City Commission. And not
surprisingly, it did not take long
for this race to expand outside
the city limits pitting the Florida
Ds against the Florida Rs.
Although we knocked on
thousands of doors (there are
over 11,000 registered voters
in my district), voter history
showed signs of apathy, and
we knew voter turnout would
be minimal for a special
election. So we focused our
attention on our super-voters
list and on absentee ballots.
And my personal advice to
any candidate, the difference between winning
and losing an election is in the collection of those
absentee ballots.
The day of the special election anticipation was
running high. You start to second guess yourself.
Could we have knocked on more doors, could
we have sent out more mailings, could we have
made more phone calls? I remembered sending
out personal letters stating that this election was
going to be extremely close and the outcome could
be decided by a couple of votes. I wouldnt come to
realize how prophetic that was until later on.
Republicans in the House
of Representatives fiddle
do nothingwhile America
burns.
The Do-Nothing
Republicans in Washington
fiddle while 30,000
Americans die from guns
every year.
And they call themselves
the Pro-Life Party.
Hogwash.
5
[One Vote Counts, continued from page 4]
[Continued on page 6, Municipal Election]
In the few short months of fast-paced campaigning
I had gained the respect of many. From a virtual
political unknown to having my name on political
signs at intersections. Its not something you
achieve on your own; its about people believing
in you and what you stand for. I knew I was
fortunate to have the Palm Beach Democratic
Partys support and all those under its umbrella
believing in my candidacy. Union brothers and
sisters, door knocking
on my behalf, along with
their financial support,
made us strong.
As Election Day neared,
the end of the last of
the sparse voting public
trickled in to the polls. My opponent stood nearby
with his supporters celebrating an apparent
victory, and I had resigned myself to defeat.
With the polls now closed, we hurried home to
watch the results on TV. As the numbers slowly
came across the TV screen it was like watching
a well-played football game with the outcome in
doubt. In the end it was too close to call308 to
305. A recount was in order.
The next day at the Supervisor of Elections office,
reporters and supporters filled the room. With
emotions riding high we watched as the ballots
zipped through the machines a blur to the human
eye. The official count was in but something
was wrong. The numbers were off by 10. Ten
ballots were missing or misplaced, whereabouts
unknown.
After a few tense hours
the ballots were located
and returned to the office
under police escort. The
10 ballots were fed into
the machine and, in
what seemed like hours
but took just minutes, it was official308 to 305
we won by three votes or, in football terminology,
a field goal.
The importance of every vote has never been more
apparent. Never say My vote doesnt matter
because a political unknown proved it
does matter!
How To Talk About Immigrants:
Replace: Pathway To Citizenship
With: Roadmap To Citizenship
Do You Know If Your City Has A
Municipal Election On March 11th?
Check Below
CITY OF ATLANTIS
Seat 1:
Fred Furtado (Inc) - R
Daniel Larkin - R
Seats 3 and 5 are unopposed
CITY OF BELLE GLADE
No election in 2014
CITY OF BOCA RATON
Mayor:
Susan Haynie - R
Anthony Majhess NP
Seat B:
Mohamed Abdalla - I
Michael Mullaugh - R
Craig F Ehrnst - R
Eric Gooden - D
Seat D:
Rosetta V Bailey - R
Robert S Weinroth D
Yaniv Alcalay - R
CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH
Dist 2:
Mack McCray - R
Paula Melley - R
Dist 4:
Joe Casello - D
Carmela R Nanton - NP
TOWN OF BRINY BREEZES
Usually no election. When someone steps down, someone else
steps up.
TOWN OF CLOUD LAKE
No election in 2014
CITY OF DELRAY BEACH
Seat 2:
Richard Burgess - NP
Chris Davey - NP
Al Jacquet (Inc) - D
Seat 4:
Pamela Brinson - D
Angeleta E. Gray - D
Jordana Jarjura - R
Victor Kirson - D
6
[Municipal Election, continued from page 5]
TOWN OF GLEN RIDGE
No election in 2014
VILLAGE OF GOLF
No election in 2014
CITY OF GREENACRES
Council Dist III:
Rochelle Gaenger (Inc) - D
Judith Dugo - R
TOWN OF GULF STREAM
6 at-large candidates competing for 5 seats
Robert Ganger - R
Scott Morgan - R
Martin E OBoyle - R
Joan Orthwein - R
Tom Stanley - R
Donna White - R
TOWN OF HAVERHILL
No election in 2014
TOWN OF HIGHLAND BEACH
Mayor:
Bernard Featherman - D
Commission:
Dennis Sheridan (Inc) - R
Rhoda Zelniker - D
TOWN OF HYPOLUXO
3 open seats and 4 people filed
Linda Boone Allen - D
Bradley Ross Boyle
Michael C. Brown (Inc) - R
Christine Nagy - I
TOWN OF JUNO BEACH
Seat 1:
Jason Haselkorn - NP
Joseph Rooney - R
TOWN OF JUPITER
Dist 1:
Joe Charles
Todd Wodraska - R
TOWN OF JUPITER INLET COLONY
No election in 2014
TOWN OF LAKE CLARKE SHORES
No election in 2014
TOWN OF LAKE PARK
Mayor:
James DuBois (Inc) - D
Steve Hockman - NP
CITY OF LAKE WORTH
No election in 2014
TOWN OF LANTANA
No election in 2014
TOWN OF LOXAHATCHEE GROVES
No election in 2014
TOWN OF MANALAPAN
Seat 2:
John J. Murphy (inc) R
Clark Appleby
TOWN OF MANGONIA PARK
Seat 3:
Clarence R. McConnel (Inc) - NP
Edward Earl Smith - D
Seat 4:
Ariyan Alipanah
Kelisha Buchanan-Webb D
Addie L. Green (Inc) - D
VILLAGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH
No election in 2014
TOWN OF OCEAN RIDGE
3 candidates for 2 open commission seats; no incumbents.
James Bonfiglio - D
Rich Lucibella - NP
Roberta Wehr - R
CITY OF PAHOKEE
No election in 2014
TOWN OF PALM BEACH
Next election in 2015
CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS
Group 3:
Eric Jablin (Inc) - D
Michael J Peragine - R
Group 5:
Marcie Tinsley (Inc) D
Robin Deaton - R
TOWN OF PALM BEACH SHORES
Mayor:
Tom Mills - R
John Workman (Inc) - R
Commissioners Vote for two
John Maffett - R
Tom Sullivan - D
Lisa Tropepe (Inc) - R
VILLAGE OF PALM SPRINGS
No election in 2014
VILLAGE OF ROYAL PALM BEACH
Mayor:
Laurel Bennett - R
Matty Mattipli (Inc)
Felicia Matula - NP
Martha Webster - D
CITY OF SOUTH BAY
Seat 1:
Esther E Berry (Inc) - R
Kina Green-Phillips D
Seat 5:
R. L. Thomas Jr. NP
Virginia K Walker - D
John Wilson - D
Charter question moved to Aug 26th ballot.
TOWN OF SOUTH PALM BEACH
No election in 2014
VILLAGE OF TEQUESTA
No election in 2014
VILLAGE OF WELLINGTON
Seat 2:
Anne Gerwig (Inc) - R
Sharon Lascola - D
Seat 3:
Howard Coates (Inc) - R
Matt Kurit - D
CITY OF WEST PALM BEACH
No election in 2014
7
What Do Advisory Boards and
Committees Do?
(sample for Delray Beach, FL)
Twenty-One Advisory Boards The City
of Delray Beach has twenty-one active advisory
boards and committees, each set up to perform
specific functions.
Citizen participation in local government
is essential to maintain the quality of life of
a community. Opportunities exist for citizen
volunteers to work in harmony with the
government by serving on advisory boards.
Members are appointed The City Council
appoints members of the boards and committees.
All positions are voluntary and members are
not compensated for their time. However,
the individuals who serve on the boards and
committees provide an invaluable service to the
city. Their advice and expertise on a wide range
of topics assist the City Council in its decision-
making process. It is this effective involvement of
residents in all aspects of community life that has
made Delray Beach an All-America City.
Meetings Open To The Public All board
and committee meetings are open to the public
pursuant to the State of Floridas Sunshine Law.
All proceedings are matters of public record.
Vacancies Board and committee vacancies
are listed in the News for Neighborhoods, the
Citys monthly newsletter, and on
http://mydelraybeach.com/boards-and-committees#vacancies.
Applications All interested residents are
encouraged to submit an application to the City
Commission in care of the City Clerks Office.
Download our Board Member Application
and Advisory Board Questionnaire, and when
completing the application, list the board(s) on
which you are interested in serving by order of
preference.
(Job descriptions for the Boards and Committees will be
included in the next isssue of The Voter.)
Compensation for Mayor and
Council Members
Municipalities pay their officials differently, but
here is a representative annual salary list from
Boca Raton (as of 2012).
Mayor :
Salary: .............................................$ 9,000
Car allowance: ................................$ 5,400
Health insurance (medical, dental, vision)
Coverage under City plan or Wellness
reimbursement: approx. ............. $ 5,520
Pension contribution: ...................$1,535
(FRS - defined benefit plan)
Council Member
Salary: .............................................. $ 7,200
Car allowance: .................................$ 5,400
Health insurance (medical, dental, vision)
Coverage under City plan or Wellness
reimbursement: approx. ............ $ 5,520
Pension contribution ........................ $1,228
(FRS - defined benefit plan)
Political advertisement paid for by
Robert S. Weinroth for Boca Raton City Council
8
Heres number one of the top 10 reasons to
remind you how important it is to Pink Slip
Scott in November 2014!
Reason #1. Scott is Responsible for Floridas
Elections Debacle in 2012.
Scott signed the voter suppression bill,
which among other things, slashed early
voting resulting in lines of 6 and even 7
hour waits in 2012. Scott also refused calls
to extend early voting hours even in the
wake of long lines.
Reason #7. Scott Slashed Environmental Pro-
tections.
Reason #6. Scott Opposes Equality.
Reason #5. Scott cut Jobless Benefits While
Handing Out Corporate Tax Breaks.
Reason #4. Scott Oversaw the Purge of Legal Voters.
Reason #3. Scott Doesnt Stand for Floridas Women
Does Your Community Have A March
Municipal Election in 2014?
Vote By Mail!
To get your mail ballot:
By Phone: Right now, before you forget,call your
Florida Supervisor of Elections at 1-866-308-6739
and request an absentee ballot for all the elections
through 2016. It takes two minutes.
NOTE: If you wish your mail ballot to go to an
address other than your residence address,
you must submit a request in writing.
Your vote is important!
Top 10 Reasons to Kick Scott Out
2014 is here.
In the previous issues, we listed these 9 reasons:
Reason #10. Scott Refused High-Speed Rail.
Reason #9. Scott Slashed Over $1 Billion in Education Funding.
Reason #8. Scott Spent Millions of our Tax Dollars on
Incentives for Companies that Never Created Jobs.
D a n I s a a c s o n , E d i t o r
T h e E n l i g h t e n e d V o t e r
6 0 5 5 V e r d e T r a i l S o u t h , A p t . H 2 1 9
B o c a R a t o n , F L 3 3 4 3 3 - 4 4 2 3
5 6 1 - 4 7 0 - 7 2 5 8
Dan Isaacson, Editor
Reason #2. Scott Has Long Waged a War on
Affordable Healthcare
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