State and Local Ballot Questions at October Lunch

Medical marijuana, conservation lands, judicial appointments, school taxes and the Children’s Services Council – these are all topics about which you will be asked to decide on the November ballot.

Come to our October lunch for a description of the questions and their implications, along with speakers who will represent each side of the issues. We will have handouts, and an opportunity to mingle with the proponents/opponents and get your questions answered.

After a brief description of the ballot questions and the implications of a “yes” or “no” vote on each from moderator Fred Scheibl, we will have a set of speakers present their arguments in favor or opposed to some of the issues.

In favor of Amendment 2, Medical Marijuana, we will have Eric Stevens Finance Director for United for Care, a Florida PAC. Speaking against it will be Virginia Brooks of the PBC Faith and Freedom Coalition.

On the county questions, Thomas Weber, board member of the Children’s Services Council will speak in favor of the CSC reauthorization, with a rebuttal given by former GOP Chairman Sid Dinerstein.

Former County Commissioner Karen Marcus, a long-time supporter of the county school system will be on hand to support the continuation of the .25 mil special property tax for education in the arts, with Sid also providing the opposing view.

The 2014 ballot will not be as long and involved as that of 2012, but the questions are important. Join us and be informed!

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$20/Members $25/Guests

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	Eric Stevens is the Finance director for United for Care and he has been working with the campaign since July of 2013. He received a scholarship from the University of Miami in 2009 to start his pursuit of bringing medical marijuana laws to the state of Florida. He has worked to help his home state of Massachusetts pass medical marijuana with 63% of the vote in November of 2012, and he also worked to get the city of Miami Beach to place a straw ballot question about medical marijuana before their voters in November 2013.
	Virginia Brooks is a founder of the Palm Beach County Faith and Freedom Coalition. A proponent of traditional values, Virginia is active in many local grassroots organizations, including the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches. She retired from being an associate professor of English at Palm Beach State College, and is also an interpreter for the deaf at her church.
	Thomas Weber, is the President/CEO of Arbitration Resolution Services, Inc. and a founding principal and President at Aquila Property Company, Inc. Mr. Weber previously served as chairman of the Education Foundation of Palm Beach and currently is a board member of the Education Foundation and the Junior Achievement of Palm Beach and Treasure Coast Board. He also was a member of the Business Development Board, the Education Commission and the Economic Council of Palm Beach County.
	Sid Dinerstein was Chairman of the Palm Beach County GOP for 10 years until 2012 and remains very influential in local politics. Retired entrepreneur, author, radio host, a county spokesman for lower taxes and smaller budgets, Sid’s impact on Palm Beach County has been considerable.
	Karen Marcus represented District 1 on the County Commission for 28 years until term-limited in 2012. A friend of the environment and mostly responsible for the parks and greenspace we enjoy in Palm Beach County, she has been active in many local issues since leaving office and has been a supporter of the county schools.

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CFO Jeff Atwater at Joint Event

Co-sponsored by the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches and the Republican Club of the Northern Palm Beaches, on September 26, a full house of members and guests gave a very warm welcome home to Florida’s CFO and Cabinet Member Jeff Atwater. President Fran Hancock remarked in her introduction that she has watched him through high school and college, followed by his successful banking and political career.

CFO Atwater impressed the voters to think about the “Consequences of Change” quoting strong statistics to show how the state has improved the past 4 years under the governance of Rick Scott while declining under the previous administration.

Some of the examples he cited were in the housing market and job creation. i.e., when he was elected, unemployment was in the 10-11% range, and the average home price was $121,000. Unemployment has dropped to 6% and the average home price in Florida has increased to $185,000.

The CFO also pointed out that Florida was only one of 8 states to survive the recession and regain our AAA credit rating from Standard & Poors.

EDUCATION:

He also emphasized that money had not been the answer to improving Florida’s educational standards. In the 1990’s, with even more money being put into education, Florida slid into an educational abyss. FL was 45 out of 50 when 4th graders were tested. Governor Scott and the Republican legislature realized that more money was not the answer. Ideas and better outcomes were and getting parents involved in their children’s education and choices of charter schools, home schooling, and virtual education would make a difference.

The best news is that this year Florida has moved up to 5th in the country with 4th grade students reading at grade level.

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Here are some pictures of the event:

Phone Banking – Every Tuesday from Now to the Election

Come join your associates from the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches every Tuesday at the GOP Victory Center, and make calls for Rick Scott.

The race for Governor is expected to be very competitive, and Charlie Crist needs a big showing in Palm Beach, Broward and Dade to prevail – help Rick Scott take the fight to him on our home turf.

The GOP Victory Center is on the sixth floor of the Regions Building (4 floors up from GOP HQ) at 1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd, Suite 650, and will be open from 10:00AM to 8:00PM. Light refreshments will be served.

To aid in scheduling, please contact Anita Carbone ( anitahcarbone@gmail.com ) and let her know when you will be coming.

CFO Jeff Atwater at September Lunch

Join us on Friday, September 26, at Bear Lakes for Florida CFO and local favorite Jeff Atwater. Running for his second term, Jeff will update us on his campaign and what’s happening in Tallahassee these days.

A fifth generation Floridian, Jeff Atwater was born in 1958 and lives in North Palm Beach. He has a BS in Finance and an MBA from the University of Florida and prior to starting a political career, has worked as a community banker for more than 25 years. He served on many local boards, including the NPB Chamber, United Way, the Boy Scouts and Roger Dean Stadium.

Elected to the North Palm Beach City Council in 1993, he served as Vice Mayor, then was elected to the Florida House in 2000, and the Senate in 2002, becoming Senate President from 2008-2010.

In 2010, in his first statewide race for Chief Financial Officer, he defeated Democrat Loranne Ausley with 57% of the vote.

As CFO he has opened the state’s books to the public through a comprehensive website, including audits and vendor contracts in addition to detailed budget information. In other initiatives, he has pushed for insurance reform and prosecution of insurance fraud, particularly associated with PIP (Personal Injury Protection) claims for staged accidents.

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$20/Members $25/Guests

Kickoff to Victory in CD 18, 20 and 22 – Wednesday August 27

ATTEND our AUG 27th luncheon for our Kickoff to Victory on November 4th, and be the first to hear our Republican Congressional nominees bask in their victories in the primaries from the day before. All of the other candidates in CD’s 18 and 22 have pledged to be there to show their support and solidarity.

Our candidates for CD 18 include: Carl Domino, Beverly Hires, Brian Lara, Alan Scheslinger, Calvin Turnquest, Nick Wukosen. For CD 22, our candidates include Andrea McGee, Paul Spain, and David Wagie. Jay Bonner, who is not opposed in the primary, will be speaking as the CD 20 nominee.

Find out how our primary winners plan for success in the November election and what our club members can do to help them.

Please RSVP by August 25. We hope to see you there.

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Also …

With the upcoming primary election approaching on August 26, it is important for voters to get as much information as possible about the candidates. Our website for our Republican Club of the Palm Beaches has a very informative voters guide to help you get this information. Please share this link with your friends as well. Click here: “Vote 2014 PBC Voters Guide“.

For your information, there are registered Republicans running for office in three School Board Districts: John Michael Hartman in District 3, Tom Sutterfield in District 4, and Joe Moore in District 6. Be sure to participate in the primary elections and please support Rick Scott and other Republican candidates in the general election.

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$20/Members $25/Guests

Wellington Candidate Forum

In Wellington, the candidates for School Board district 6 were in attendance (incumbent Marsha Andrews and challengers Joseph Moore and Carla Donaldson), joined by one candidate from district 3 (John Hartman, who also attended the Boca event).

Boca Candidate Forum Features Congressional, State Senate, County Commission and School Board

Join Us for Jamboree 2014

Anne Roberts Scholarship to be Awarded at June 25 Lunch

Please Join us for the awarding of the 2014 Annual Anne Roberts Scholarships.

Presenting the awards for the club will be former Congressman Mark Foley. In the early days of the scholarship, Mark’s contributions allowed us to follow the students throughout their entire college years.

Also at this meeting, we will hear from PBC GOP Chair Anita Mitchell who will bring us up to speed on “Anita’s Rules for Winning – GAME ON!”.

Then Anita Carbone, who is running the Victory Center this year for the Palm Beach Republican Club, will tell us about the exciting volunteering opportunities up on the 6th floor.

Please join us and celebrate the day with our young scholars.

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Former Congressman Mark Foley was born in Newton, Massachusetts. He attended Palm Beach Community College from 1973 to 1975. He served as city commissioner for Lake Worth, Florida, in 1977 and as vice mayor from 1983 to 1984. He was a member of the Florida state house of representatives from 1990 to 1992 and a member of the Florida state senate from 1993 to 1995 until elected to Congress from the (then) 16th district. He resigned from the House in 2006.

County Party Chair Anita Mitchell was elected without opposition to replace former Chair Ira Sabin who resigned last September. Mother of West Palm Beach Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell, she has helped raise money for a variety of GOP candidates over the years, including Mitt Romney and Rick Scott, and has been a long-time member and leader of the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches.

Political consultant Anita Carbone is the 2014 manager of the GOP Victory Center for the Palm Beach Republican Club, and has been a board member of the PBC GOP. She has served as a field coordinator on the campaigns of many local politicians, including former Congressman Allen West.

Lobster Fest 2014

In lieu of a July meeting, come join us at the annual county GOP Lobster Fest. Use the [PRINT] button above right to print the flyer, reserve your seat with GOP and send in your check, then click on the RSVP button below if you would like to reserve space to sit with us at the RCPB tables.

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