Lively Discussion at Forum on Ballot Questions

There were compelling arguments on both sides of the questions as our speakers discussed Medical Marijuana, the re-authorization of the Children’s Services Council, and the School Tax extension Wednesday at Bear Lakes.

Moderator Fred Scheibl described the pros and cons of Amendment’s 1 and 3 and the Palm Beach Gardens Term Limits questions before turning it over ot our featured speakers.

Eric Stevens, Finance Director of United for Care, spoke in favor of Amendment 2, listing the safeguards that will be established by the legislature, Virginia Brooks argued that we will be creating a new form of pill mills, with marijuana freely available.

The Childrens Services Council was represented by board member Tom Weber who described all the good the organization has accomplished over the years, while Sid Dinerstein raised the issue of taxation without oversight, the argument against independent taxing districts of all kinds, no matter how much good work they do, and raised the spectre of a future Democrat Governor appointing board members who will use it to fund their liberal interest groups.

Former County Commissioner Karen Marcus spoke in favor of arts in the schools and the need for continuing the tax for another 4 years, using “refrigerator art” created by her grandchildren as props. Sid countered with the taxes that those grandchildren will be paying.

Handouts with lots of detail on the questions were provided at the meeting. Click HERE if you would like to read or print them.

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Some Pictures from the event:

Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera at Frenchman’s Reserve

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:

Former Candidates Unify around Winners

Several months ago, during the heat of the primary election, all the Republican candidates for the county’s congressional districts were asked to attend our lunch this week, the day after the winner had been declared. We would congratulate the winners and commiserate with the losers, and all would have the chance to come together in unity to defeat the Democrats in the fall election.

The response was gratifying, as nine of the ten candidates for disticts 18, 20, and 22 attended, thanked their supporters, and said they would do their part to help defeat incumbents Patrick Murphy, Lois Frankel and Alcee Hastings. (Only Calvin Turnquest did not attend.)

From left: Paul Spain, Beverly Hires, Carl Domino, Fran Hancock, Alan Schlesinger, Nick Wukoson, David Wagie. Not shown: Jay Bonner, Andrea McGee

Carl Domino prevailed in district 18, receiving 38% of the vote in the district (47% in Palm Beach County). The other candidates whose campaigns in general had targeted Carl as the front-runner, split the remaining vote among themselves, suggesting it would have been a different race with fewer candidates. Coming in second was Alan Schlesinger with 24%, followed by Beverly Hires, Brian Lara, Calvin Turnquest and Nick Wukoson. Carl gave us his thoughts on the November contest, listing All Aboard Florida (he is opposed, whereas his opponent was “for it before he was against it”), Obamacare (will vote to repeal, but what is really needed is a replacement), and immigration as top issues.

In district 20, Jay Bonner, who did not have a primary opponent, laid out his challenge – that the district is 4 to 1 Democrat and designed to elect a minority candidate. His approach will be to attract voters with a faith agenda, bringing his message to the churches where the conventional Democrat positions on social issues are not strongly supported.

And in district 22, which spans Palm Beach and Broward Counties, Paul Spain was the winner, bringing in 43% of the vote against Andrea McGee (35%) and David Wagie (23%). Paul is ready to take it to Lois Frankel with his message of fiscal responsibility, opposition to Obamacare, and support for Israel.

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Starting in September, the club will be picking a night for phonebanking at the GOP Victory Center. Details will follow.

Also in September, we will have Florida CFO Jeff Atwater on Friday, September 26 (note the day change), and in October we will have a session on the November ballot questions (3 state, 2 county, some local), with pro and con speakers and discussion on the issues. Join us!

Some pictures from the event:

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

2014 Scholarship Winners Announced at June Lunch

This year, the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches is happy to award the Anne Roberts Scholarships to five deserving scholars – one new award and continuing support for four previous winners.

The awards were presented by former Congressman Mark Foley, who has provided significant contributions to our scholarship fund (including an additional $2000 at the meeting). Stressing the importance of finding young Republicans who can be tomorrow’s leaders, he spoke of the harm to the younger generation that the Obama policies have wrought, and how our message to them should be one of opportunity. Encouraging the younger generation to run for public office, “Politics is a rough and tumble business” he said, but “also one that can be very rewarding”.

The recipients are:

Jason Ferrara, who will be a senior in political science at the University of Alabama and going to law school next year. His father is attorney and REC member Jim Ferrara of Boca Raton. Not able to join us today, he sent his thanks and pointed out that he is hoping to volunteer in political campaigns this summer.

John Ryan Clark, who will be a senior in in political science, international affairs, Chinese, Business and Asian studies at FLorida State. He also plans to attend law school with a Chinese law program. He is currently in Tianjin, China on a Gilman Scholarship from the US State Department and could not be with us.

Daniel Kozell, younger brother to past president Rick Kozell, who will graduate in May with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Dylan Brandenburg, who learned his skills in computer and political science from working in political campaigns with his parents Gary and Kathy Brandenburg of North Palm Beach. A student at Florida State, he joined the Computer Criminology program and has worked for the state of Florida in the Insurance Fraud Division, and now works for Dana and Johnston Blakely in their business “On Track Investigations” who are sponsoring him for his private investigator license.

Hanna Matry, our newest recipient who received her AA degree from Palm Beach State and is now in her 2nd year at the College of Engineering at the University of Florida, majoring in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. She is just starting a summer internship with Rocketdyne at the old Pratt&Whitney site. Not able to be with us, her mother Joanne Matry arranged for her to thank us in a video which was played at the meeting.

Also at the meeting, we heard from county GOP Chair Anita Mitchell who reported that the county party is now “in the black”. Anita told us about the party program to reach out to independents (50% of whom used to be Republicans), and to create a “service” orientation, beyond politics. The latter is designed to present a helpful presence in the community through helping people with problems they are having with government, and to work with groups such as the Boys and Girls clubs.

Mary Kate Knorr, the Republican Victory Center Manager, brought us up to speed on their plans, and stressed that volunteers are needed for a variety of jobs in addition to the more traditional precinct walking and phone-banking.

Candidates present included Calvin Turnquest, Nick Wukoson and Brian Lara running in CD18, David Wagie of CD22, and John Hartman – the only Republican in any school board race, running for Karen Brill’s seat.

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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.

Fran Hancock Succeeds Rick Kozell as RCPB President at May Meeting

Summary of May 28 Meeting:

The invocation and pledge were done by Michael Barnett.

Rick Kozell, President of the RCPB, thanked Marilynn Parmet and the RCNPB for jointly sponsoring this event. Noting that this year’s Primary Election in less than 3 months away on August 26, Rick pointed out that the notable races were the District 18 Congressional race against a Democratic incumbent in a primarily Republican District. Also noted was the importance of the Governor’s race, with the good news that Florida is leading the nation in job creation and Governor Scott is raising 3 times as much as Charlie Crist.

Future meetings of the RCPB will include another possible joint meeting with RCNPB with Florida CFO Jeff Atwater as the speaker and a Candidate Forum for Districts 18 and 22.

All members were encouraged to join the leadership group, and all were encouraged to state reaching out to undecided voters to get them to support Republican candidates.

Bette Anne Starkey announced the winners of the Anne Roberts Memorial Scholarship Winners, and pointed out that the scholarships will be awarded at our next meeting in June.

Rick Kozell announced, with regret, his resignation as President of the RCPB because he is taking a new job in Washington, D.C. for a couple of years. In conformance with our bylaws, Rick asked for nominations from the floor to fill the office of President. Bill Diamond rose to nominate former State Committeewoman and long time club member, Fran Hancock, with the nomination being seconded by several other club members. After hearing no further nominations from the floor, a motion was made to close the floor to nominations; this motion was seconded and passed without opposition. The vote on the nomination of Fran Hancock was then taken, and she was elected by the club members present without opposition.

The guest speaker was Adam Putnam, the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Focusing on the great importance of keeping the Governor’s office in Republican hands, Commissioner Putnam encouraged the grass roots to start talking to their undecided neighbors about the accomplishments of Governor Scott and the importance of his re-election to Florida, and the business and families who have thrived under the low taxes and reduced regulatory obstructions advanced under his administration.

Candidates for office were then given 3 minutes to speak to the audience. The meeting closed with Rick Kozell thanking the leadership group and the club members for the support and help they provided during his tenure as club President.

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