From Marty Donovan: “It’s a shame that people have become so apathetic, or they have just given up on local government.”
In other words, if you don’t agree with Marty, you are apathetic. He just doesn’t get people want the park. He didn’t win the 2006 referendum. He didn’t win re-election. [...]
The PNJ and WEAR TV are reporting that Marty Donovan failed to get the necessary valid signatures to force another referendum on the Community Maritime Park. Donovan told PNJ reporter Jamie Page that he only had about 4,500 signatures—which may or may not be accurate—and doesn’t expect a significant influx [...]
An interesting analysis of the Crist vs. Rubio race for the U.S. Senate:
A sure sign that an election is a year away: Gov. Charlie Crist is changing again.
The populist Republican governor is trying to convince people he’s a conservative now that his opponent in the Republican primary for Senate, [...]
A 2005 class-action lawsuit against the state of Florida over it not meeting the federal Medicaid standards will have its opening arguments heard today in a Miami federal court.
The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the Florida Pediatric Society, Florida Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and all residents under age [...]
Alabama is struggling with how to regulate the gambling with the electronic bingo casinos. Thank goodness, we’re not having to fight the same battles here. Read Alabama casinos revamp gambling.
[...]If someone knocks on your door asking you to sign the Donovan petition, ask them what is their bond plan? The City is obligated by contract to provide $40 million for the Community Maritime Park. What type of bonds does Mr. Donovan want to have issued, instead of the issuance [...]
I spoke with Supervisor of Elections David Stafford about how a voter can take their name off a Donovan petition if they no longer want to be a part of it. Stafford said that there is no procedure under state law or the city charter that allows a voter to [...]
If Marty Donovan truly wanted to stop the Community Maritime Park, then he should have had a petition drive in April or May. At the April 23 regular meeting of the Pensacola City Council, the Council unanimously approved the Development Agreement and Sub-Lease Agreement between CMPA and Maritime Park Development [...]
We are hearing that people who signed the Marty Donovan petition are upset because they were told the petition was a vote to stop the park. They now realize it’s only the bond financing that they are voting on and the city council will simply approve another plan, if the [...]
Press Release
Pensacola musician Dr. Michael Brant DeMaria is a GRAMMY Nominee! Nominations were announced last night by The Recording Academy, and DeMaria’s soundtrack “SIYOTANKA” is nominated for Best Native American Music Album.
DeMaria composed and performed the music for Pensacola Little Theatre’s 2008 production of the same name. The play, [...]
If Martin Donovan is able to get enough signatures, then the name of the Political Action Committee that battles him should be No Boss Marty. His petition drive really isn’t about the bond financing. It’s about his personal vendetta with Quint Studer and Mort O’Sullivan and his willingness to use [...]
It may be a bluff to force the Pentagon to rewrite the bid specs, but Wes Bush, president and chief operating officer of Northrop, said in a letter delivered to Under Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter that the company “cannot proceed to submit a bid.”
Read this
City Manager Al Coby has notified the Pensacola City Council in a memo dated today the Redevelopment Revenue Bonds, Series 2009 A & B will be marketed through December 8 with the sale to occur on or about December 9, 2009 and closing on December 21, 2009.
The bonds are $45,335,000 [...]
Trang Huyen of the Behind the Seams in Pensacola, Fla. has been selected America’s Most Stylish Blogger by stylelist.com. I was pulling for Derek Cosson.
[...]Press Release:
Catholic Charities and Families Count, the agencies responsible for administering Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing funding, have issued the following clarification regarding eligibility criteria for individuals and families wishing to access Homeless Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing (HPRP) funding.
The Homeless Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing program, created through the American Recovery [...]
If Consolidation is recommended by the commission and that plan includes merging Energy Services of Pensacola into a utility authority, then ESP shouldn’t be given. Instead, it should be sold to the new authority. All proceeds go to fund the unfunded pension balances for the city general, police and fire [...]
The Escambia County Consolidation Commission is less that 45 days away from its Jan. 15, 2010 deadline to report to the Northwest Florida legislative delegation. Prior to that meeting, if consolidation is to be proposed, it must also present its final report to the Pensacola City Council, Escambia County Commission [...]
Press Release:
City Councilman Larry B. Johnson pre-filed today to run for re-election to the Pensacola City Council, District 4. Johnson, whose district includes parts of East Hill, Cordova, and East Pensacola Heights, said he was proud of the work of the current City Council, and hoped to serve another term [...]
Press release:
The Escambia County Republican Party welcomes Governor Charlie Crist as a featured guest at its 2009 Lincoln Day Dinner scheduled for this Thursday evening, December 3, 2009 from 6-9pm at The Courtyard in North Hill at 25 West Avery Street in Pensacola. A limited number of tickets remain for [...]
A digital billboard “snafu” in Mobile has caused quite a stir at WPMI. Newport Television, the owners of WPMI, have suspended General Manager Shea Grandquest and News Director Wes Finley for one week, without pay. The picture below has circulated the Internet, after being posted Wednesday afternoon on Twitter by [...]
Northwest Florida Daily reports The Zoo Northwest Florida is in negotiations with the Virginia Safari Park in Natural Bridge, Va.
“We are negotiating, but nothing has been finalized,” said Eric Mogensen, director of the drive-through animal encounter park in Natural Bridge, Va. “Probably nothing would be done until after the first [...]
Sam Hall’s District 2 canceled out Ron Townsend’s District 7: +84 vs. -79
PC Wu’s District 1 canceled out John Jerralds’ District 5: +241 vs. -225
This referendum was won on the east side of Pensacola.
PC WU: Y: 1264 N: 1023… Difference +241
Sam Hall: Y:869 N: 782…Difference +87
Maren [...]
10 City Precincts had more No votes than Yes votes:
Sam Hall – District 2
#51 Ferry Pass Y:6 N:8
#106 Grace Lutheran Y:187 N:194
#108 Holy Cross Y:112 N:128
#110 PCC Y:14 N:22
John Jerralds – District 5
#98 Macedonia Y:302 N: 605
#41 Bayview Park Y:179 N: 228
Jewel Cannada-Wynn – [...]
City Attorney Rusty Wells issued today a memo to Mayor Mike Wiggins on the new charter, which I have received a copy of. It’s a preview to the full presentation Wells plans to give to the City Council at its Committee of the Whole meeting on Dec. 14. The new [...]
Mobile Press Register is reporting: “Officials at Pensacola Greyhound Track in western Escambia County expect the track’s poker room to open “around the end of January,” general manager Nick Schlikin said in a Pensacola News Journal report. Construction has yet to begin on the poker room, which is expected to [...]
District Yes %
Wu: 55%
Hall: 53%
DeWeese: 62%
Johnson: 61%
Jerralds: 43%
Cannada-Wynn: 54%
Townsend: 47%
Sam Hall, Maren DeWeese, Larry Johnson and Diane Mack came out big for the charter. Their influence and impact on the voters is evident, especially DeWeese and Johnson.
On the other hand, P.C. Wu [...]
Collier Merrill hosted a successful fundraiser for Holly Benson last night at The Fish House. Benson is running for the Republican nomination for Florida Attorney General. She is the first Panhandle native to run for a statewide office since Skip Hunter ran for Insurance Commissioner in 1994. She was introduced [...]
“I firmly believe the voters are always right” – Charlie Fairchild
Whenever you hear Charlie complain about the Community Maritime Park or the new charter, remember this quote. The voters are right and they didn’t agree with Charlie on either issue.
[...]YES for Approval 7,762 (55.2%)
NO for Rejection 6,308 (44.8%)
Total votes cast 14,070
We will analyze the vote further tomorrow, but the message of change that began in September 2006 with the CMP vote and was continued in the 2008 City Council election is still alive. We can trust the voters to see through all [...]
Press Release:
Despite a slow economy, tourism numbers in the Pensacola Bay Area were the second-highest in history. From Oct. 1, 2008 to Sept. 30, 2009, overnight visitors to the area generated $133 million in lodging revenue.
2007-08 was a record year for the Pensacola Bay Area tourism industry with lodging [...]
What is your prediction for the charter referendum – use percentages? For the tie-breaker, predict total votes cast, too.
[...]The No Boss Mayor effort may have actually had more to do with the state and national interests wanting to stop “strong mayor” than any local grassroots effort. In reviewing the board minutes for the Florida City and County Management Association, I came across this entry from a board meeting [...]
Press Release:
Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David H. Stafford today reminded voters that all mail ballots for the City of Pensacola Charter Referendum must be returned to the Elections Office no later than 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 24th. Voters who have not yet mailed their ballot should deliver [...]
As of Saturday, 12,144 votes had been received by the Supervisor of Elections. The over 65 voters are still the largest percentage of the voters – 4,743, 39.1 percent of votes cast. That age group has voter turnout of 59 percent. The votes are 4-to1 to the under 35 year [...]
From our research, one of the stronger links between No Boss Mayor and the ICMA is Beth Rawlins, a Clearwater political strategist who specializes in helping Florida cities stop efforts to convert to Mayor-Council formats and to fight consolidation attempts around the state of Florida. Rawlins is who No Boss [...]
Help Manna Food Bank. “Fill the Mayflower” will be at Cordova Mall in front of World Market today and tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Wednesday, Nov. 25 from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Coastal Moving & Storage will have their trucks at the mall accepting food donations [...]
All ballots for the Charter Referendum must be received by the Supervisor of Election by tomorrow. If you haven’t mailed your ballot, please drop off at the Supervisor of Elections offices at 213 Palafox Pl, Suite 4. If you lost your ballot, they will give you a new one and [...]
On November 2 when the No Boss Mayor had released its challenge that both sides should tell the voters who is supporting each side of the charter issue, No Boss Mayor already had the $17,000 ICMA check in the bank. The first report was only through Oct. 30. The No [...]
Thanks to a public records request, the IN obtained a copy of the electronic filing of the last campaign report of No Boss Mayor. This is not the official report – NBM has put that in the mail so the final copy may be different.
What were they hiding from the [...]
From Newsweek:
1. Steve Jobs – got people to stop thinking about computers and the Internet as weird, complicated things
2. Jon Stewart – gone from optional to indispensable.
3. The Google Guys – brought the ethic of speed, automation, and efficiency to the work of the mind
[...]
Tim Eagan – former Marty Donovan campaign worker and the man who wanted so badly to present to the Pensacola City Council his plans for a multimillion dollar development at the Port of Pensacola – faces a new charge – failure to appear. Eagan was charged on Nov. 16 for [...]
In ten months Marco Rubio has gone from 5 percent of the GOP vote in 2010 U.S. Senate race to a whopping 37 percent. Gov. Charlie Crist has seen his margin shrink in the 43-point swing, according to a poll by Daily Kos.
Republican Primary – poll 11/16-11/18
Charlie Crist (R) 47%..( [...]
The New York Observer reports “…Morning Joe is struggling to hang on to viewers. So far this fall, from Sept. 1 through Nov. 13, according to The Observer’s analysis of Nielsen numbers, Morning Joe has averaged 357,000 total viewers and 124,000 in the 25- to 54-year-old demographic—down 35 percent and [...]
Orlando Sentinel reports how a Winter Garden couple and their son were terrorized for two days by four people who kidnapped them at gunpoint, forced the woman to withdraw nearly $24,000 from the bank and shot her as she tried to escape. The family lived in 3,700-square-foot house inside a [...]
I got up early this morning and listened to Fox News while I was making coffee. The news anchor signed off his broadcast with, “This is Fox New–fair, balanced and unafraid.” It really struck me as odd. What national news network is truly afraid? What good journalist lets fear impact [...]
Another bit of irony, the anti-charter group is now warning people about the provision that would allow petitions and initiative with signatures from 10 percent of the registered voters.
They are saying, “It’s too low. Fairchild and Donovan would be doing petitions on everything.”
Charlie Fairchild is one of the founders [...]
I attended today a luncheon for Take Stock in Children – a college scholarship program for Escambia County’s public school students. Each year, sixth grade public school students who are financially eligible can apply for this program at their school and are chosen through a selection process. Students selected will [...]
Courtney B. Peterson has prefiled to run in 2010 for a Pensacola City Council District 2 seat that is currently held by Councilman Sam Hall. Peterson is a member of PYP and should be a very credible candidate.
[...]According to the Mobile Press Register, The Mobile City Council voted 6-1 this morning to take out more than $80 million in bonds to refinance old debt and help pay for the construction of GulfQuest, an interactive maritime museum on the downtown waterfront. What no petition drive?
Pensacola has Marty [...]
