| CONGRATULATIONS GARY WHEELER
We congratulate Gary Wheeler, who we endorsed for reelection, and Wesley Davis and Bob Solari in their victories in the County Commission elections. The IRNA looks forward to working with each of them in the future for the good of the county. We also express our sincere thanks to Honey Minuse and Susan Boyd for running good campaigns and bringing important issues up for consideration in a responsible manner.
Vote for Wheeler, Minuse, Boyd
Endorsed by the IRNA
 | Gary Wheeler District 3 | Gary Wheeler - is an incumbent who has worked hard to promote a wide range of efforts that affect positive growth management in the county. He was supported by IRNA in his run for the current term because of his stated positions on growth issues and his voting record has matched his words. He has not disappointed us. As a local business owner and as head of the County Sheriff Department he has demonstrated management skills; as a commissioner he has shown an ability to work openly and effectively with those who participate in the county government process. For campaign information visit Wheeler's website:
www.votewheeler2008.com
|
 | Honey Minuse
District 5
| Honey Minuse - retired to Vero Beach from a career as a registered nurse and nursing administration. When she became concerned about threats to the quality of life in her immediate residential area in Indian River County she became active in numerous committees and was elected president of her neighborhood association. She joined IRNA and became a tireless and effective worker on all of the issues that the IRNA stands for. She was elected president of IRNA, resigning this year to run for county commission. She has supported Charter Government and Hometown Democracy efforts because they would put control over changes to the county's land use regulations into the hands of the voters. She also believes strongly that developers, not taxpayers, should bear the burden of increased costs to the county from their development efforts through the proper determination and imposition of impact fees. For campaign information visit Minuse's website:
www.honeyminuse.com |
 | Susan Boyd
District 1 | Susan Boyd - came to Indian River County 8 years ago having held important executive positions with well known not-for-profit cultural and community organizations in the Northeast. She also served for many years as an executive with NBC. Her management experience and responsibility for large budget operations while at NBC have given her extensive financial management skills which will be a great asset to our community. She currently teaches in the Sebastian Charter School. She is active in Pelican Island Audubon Society programs and serves on its Board of Directors. She is well informed on the major issues facing our County and supports the same efforts IRNA has backed to put more control into the hands of the voters when it comes to key land use management changes. One of her particular concerns is the need for better zoning regulations to balance industries (e.g. mining) with the welfare of neighboring residents. For campaign information visit Boyd's website:
www.votesusanboyd.com |
"CHARTER
GOVERNMENT: myths created by opponents
exposed".
The June Newsletter is now online for anyone interested.
Get it Here
Read this column by an IRNA member that puts the real issues of the county commissioner races in perspective.
This ad appeared in the Sunday August 17, 2008 Press Journal. You're vote is critical. Don't let Indian River County be bought. Pd.Pol Adv paid for by the IRNA Political Committee, P.O. Box 643868, Vero Beach, FL. 32964, independently of any candidate. This advertisement was not approved by any candidate. Below is an excellent editorial that recently appeared in the Press Journal..
Kenric Ward: Is Indian River County for sale?By Kenric Ward Wednesday, August 13, 2008Even in the midst of a deep housing slump, real-estate interests are spending freely in Indian River County.
A Press Journal examination of second-quarter campaign finance reports shows three County Commission candidates - Wesley Davis, Gary Parris and Sandra Bowden - receiving a combined $33,100 from donors affiliated or allied with the real-estate industry.
For the purposes of this analysis, the "real-estate industry" includes Realtors, brokers, land dealers, contractors, builders, engineers, citrus/ranch/packing concerns and related family members.
Cash from these contributors represented 42.7 percent of Davis' second-quarter fund-raising total, 36.4 percent of Parris' total and 58.3 percent of Bowden's total.
On top of that, the electioneering group, Common Ground, which advertises for these candidates, is backed by many of the same sources. Developer-driven donations accounted for 72.9 percent of Common Ground's bankroll.
This interlocking network of corporate and family donors wields financial clout far beyond its modest ranks. Indeed, if you broaden membership in the "real-estate industry" to encompass lawyers, CPAs, investment firms and sundry suppliers who depend on development for a sizable share of their business, industry contributions account for 84 percent of Davis' second-quarter war chest and 71 percent each for Parris and Bowden.
While unaligned commission candidate Bob Solari also enjoys developer support, industry contributors heavily targeted their spending to the Davis-Parris-Bowden troika and Common Ground.
Not surprisingly, the three opposing Indian River Neighborhood Association candidates - Susan Boyd, Honey Minuse and Gary Wheeler - were all but shut out. Even by the loosest definition, this slow-growth threesome received less than 5 percent of its second-quarter funding from development-related sources.
Cumulatively, the Common Ground candidates have built up a nearly 2-to-1 fund-raising advantage over their IRNA rivals since the campaign began ($147,409 vs. $79,953).
The industry's aggressive, concentrated political effort is not unique to Indian River County.
Through May, mortgage bankers, brokers, real-estate companies and homebuilders gave more than $95 million to federal candidates and political parties. That's up 67 percent from the 2006 election cycle, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsible Politics.
Although the National Association of Realtors lost 93,000 members since last year, the group is on track to surpass the $8.8 million in political donations it made two years ago. The Florida Realtors PAC gave the maximum allowable $500 contributions to Davis, Parris and Bowden.
As industry-connected donations ramp up despite a down economy - or perhaps because of it - they've raised concerns about undue influence.
On the heels of a development binge, Loudoun County, Va., supervisors voted this year to stop accepting campaign contributions from builders and others with projects before the board. The panel was embarrassed by a Washington Post report, which detailed close relations between developers and some supervisors, and triggered a federal investigation into potential public corruption.
"We are holding ourselves to a higher standard than (candidates) who might challenge us. I think that it will help build the public trust, not only for the people, but for the applicants," Commissioner Lori Waters told the Post.
A ban on developer contributions doesn't seem likely here - not as long as developer-friendly, charter-phobic politicians keep winning. But county voters can at least educate themselves by checking out the names of donors posted on the supervisor of elections Web site: tcpalmelections.com or voteindianriver.com.
Residents who regularly watch commission meetings will surely recognize several of the political players (including Joe Paladin, the convicted felon and builder who, on May 20, pitched a token $300 to Parris from a Melbourne Beach P.O. box).
© 2008 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers |
