Updates
June 8, 2008 by Barbara
2 DOWN….2 TO GO?…..
BCbythesea…hears ….Vice Mayor McIntee and Commissioner Silverstone had their ethics charges dismissed at the June 6,2008 Tallahassee hearing…previous post….
The charges….were made by the opposing side…. word is…. it was an Editor of the paper that supported the losing majority….in the last election…..
More LBTS tit-for-tat…in ethics charges…..
A stretch to begin with….charging a conflict of interest for being a VFD member/CIC Chair…(political action committee)….and also a sitting commissioner …
A quick dismissal was enacted….but did involve….the time and money of the two incumbents….attending….and the Ethic Committee….etc…
BCbythesea….perhaps if there were different representation in legal counsel to the town at the time this was initiated…….this could have been put to bed quickly…….just as the recent decision to stop the Bert J. Harris legal avenue the town was on with the previous Town Attorney….(which the new Town Attorney…stated would only serve to pay his legal firm …to continue…
BCbythesea…in other words to “pad” the bill….
The answer to any “perception” of any conflict has been answered recently….without the state….
The CIC has voted in new by-laws …that any sitting commissioner may not be on the board…. previous post…
The 2 incumbent commissioners….are now recusing themselves from any VFD votes…
BCbythesea…the 2 incumbents should also recuse themselves from any questioning or inserting themselves into the presentation….or negotiations of the new VFD….going forward….unless specifically questioned or asked for their expert opinions by the new chiefs, the staff, fellow commissioners or residents….
The other 2 LBTS recipients of ethics charges also addressed on the 6th…. we have heard …were not in Tallahassee …
The former Vice Mayor….the charge of conflict with his elected position and being employed by the BSO….
This charge was brought by a resident at the time……to see if there was a conflict …due to voting on BSO contracts and being a paid employee of the BSO…albeit a different department of the BSO….
Previous inquiries did not cover all aspects of this potential conflict….and the resident pursued it to make sure it was not an ongoing situation…no matter who sat on the dais…
BCbythesea…does not know the outcome…any reader that does…please send it in….
The former Chair of the Planning and Zoning Board …we hear did not attend..sending legal counsel…(unknown who was representing her…a former Mayor…..who resides part-time in Tallahassee…perhaps? )…….
Her ethics charge was made by a resident at the time……..due to the question of conflict of interest with purchasing and then selling a property for profit at the Oriana development that came in front of the board she chaired during the time she made her real estate deal…
This was at the time when Oriana was front and center in town with their questionable changes in their site plans….a highly charged atmosphere of SLAPP suits…( full disclosure…SLAPP suit included this writer…previous posts…)…and an amount to be paid to the town to monetarily rectify the situation…
It was at these meetings…this alleged transaction came to light….
If it came at any time she was on the dais…even after they had their final approval…there was always the potential for the development to come before her board again….
Another reason for the charge…apparently…. there was no financial disclosure showing the transaction on her post-annual financial report as required by the county….for all appointed board members upon leaving their position….
Of all 4 who faced these charges…this one would seem to be the one that would be addressed as the most serious…for not making that declaration….if indeed it was not made…. as purported….
Again…any reader with the information….please send it in….
BCbythesea….Although on the record with concern over the process of the Town Attorney RFP and the concern over the Special Magistrate….previous post…
(commission should re-address the Special Magistrate position…..)
The Town Attorney so far …(with the exception of his Sunshine Law…..extrapolation…previous post.)…has been a breath of fresh air….and can hopefully put all future “possible “ethic charges from both sides …a thing of the past….unless there is clear reason for concern…as shown in the examples above….
more to come….
