Action Center Grand Opening

Senate Debate Video – Other Candidates

Joe Budd for Congress, District 19


Sherry A. Lee for the District 2 county commission race


Tami Donnally Florida state House, District 85


Francisco Rodriguez Florida state House, District 83


Pat Rooney Florida state House, District 83


Steven Rosenblum Florida state House, District 89

Photos from Senate 25/27 Debate

Photos taken by Boris Balaban and Iris Scheibl.

REC Meeting Summary for 6/9/2010

Chairman Sid Dinerstein called the meeting to order and Sid Lanier led us in prayer followed by the pledge.

Chm. Dinerstein then called for a moment of silence to honor Kristin Hoke, WPBF Reporter/Anchor that passed away earlier in the day. He described her as a consummate professional and praised her for her brave battle with cancer.

The Board congratulated Chm. Dinerstein and especially his wife, Esther,  on their 43^rd Wedding Anniversary.

Chm. Dinerstein announced that the County had dropped the issue of the additional 1% sales tax for the Fire Department. He thanked those of us that attended the meetings as well as the efforts of other groups that participated in opposing the tax.

Our speaker, Pam Bondi, candidate for Florida State Attorney General was introduced and a brief biography was given.  Pam, a fourth generation Floridian and graduate of Stetson Law, sees the AG as a legal job and not a political position. She has 18 years experience as a prosecutor and has worked with Fox News as a Legal Consultant. She supports smaller government and reduced regulation for businesses. On immigration, Pam fully supports Gov. Brewer of Arizona and the legislation she recently signed into law. She noted that the Governor had no choice but to enact legislation at the state level given that the Federal Government has failed grossly to enforce existing laws and secure our borders by any means necessary. 
 
Visitors were recognized. Chairman Dinerstein questioned Mark Hock as whether to vote on the current applicants or to wait on the outcome of the next motion. The decision was made to go ahead with the vote on candidates. Although 5 new members were admitted to the Committee, Mark  reiterated that they would be unable to vote tonight.

Mark Hock noted that an affirmative vote of 107 would be necessary to pass a motion to amend our Constitution and change the structure of the Committee from a district system to a precinct system.  Under the current system we have 100 districts with 4 committee members per district for a total of 400 positions, 240 of which were open as of May 2010. The precinct system calls for 1 committeeman and 1 committeewoman per 1000 registered voters, precincts would have 2 to 8 committeemen, totaling 2400.  John Parsons then reintroduced a motion for same that was tabled at our May 12 meeting. Second was made and Dean Taffel presented the argument against the motion*. Several committee members spoke to the issue, the majority being in favor. Linda Mazziotti explained how the roll call vote works with the Chairman only voting in the event of a tie. Chm. Dinerstein cast the 108^th vote for, with 16 against, and 3 abstentions.

Greg Langowski made announcements regarding upcoming events.

Numerous candidates were given 2 minutes each to address the assembly. The audience was dwindling precipitously and one candidate commended the remaining members for staying, saying we were the core of the party.

Other Committee members were given 2 minutes to address what was left of the crowd.

Chairman Dinerstein adjourned the meeting around 8:45.

 

*Dean also pointed out that we need to go directly to the people using the examples of Scott Maxwell’s successful bid for Lake Worth City Commission because of our grassroots effort. His other example was how much absentee voting picked up after the radio spots that Sid Dinerstein had recorded were aired.  This was met with much applause.

Fire/Rescue Sales Tax Status

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The 1 percent sales tax proposal has been pulled from further consideration for the November ballot. Confirmed by county staff, the reason given was problems with the statute that made wording for the ballot measure difficult to craft. Perhaps our patient opposition and public outcry had a positive effect? Thanks to all who participated in saving the taxpayers from a BIG mistake.

See the text of the letter from County Administrator Bob Weisman to Commissioners and staff at

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On Tuesday, June 8, the Board of County Commissioners voted 4-3 to continue on to “First Reading” of the ballot initiative for November. In spite of the fact that 33 of 34 speakers were VEHEMENTLY opposed to the measure, Commissioners Marcus, Aaronson, Vana and Santamaria voted to proceed. Commissioner Taylor changed her vote from last time and opposed it. For a blow-by-blow description of the events and who said what, see the featured article at as well as the Post and Sun-Sentinel articles on the subject that are linked from there.

Many members of Republican Club of the Palm Beaches came and spoke against the proposal, including Melissa Andrews, Barry Carson, Tami Donnally, Nancy Hogan, Carol Hurst, Mike Lameyer, John Parsons, and Fred and Iris Scheibl.

Sighted in the audience were Sid Dinerstein, Carl Domino, Claire Jones, Yvonne Inglis and Bette Anne Starkey .

NEXT STEP:

Tuesday 6/15/10 – We need to turn out again, in larger numbers (if that is possible 🙂 to once again speak against the proposal. We can expect more speakers on the other side at that meeting as they will try to counter the optics of overwhelming opposition.

Gubernatorial Candidate Rick Scott Interview at DC Works for US

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Fred and I drove down to Coral Springs in order to hear Rick Scott, GOP candidate for Florida Governor, running against FL Attorney General Bill McCollum in the primary. Mr. Scott is considered controversial – because, as he put it, he ‘upset the apple cart’ as he started to gain in the polls against the assumed GOP candidate. Scott is also controversial because of his role as CEO of Columbia/HCA during a huge 1997 Medicare/Medicaid fraud scandal. However – he also had been a huge opponent of Hillarycare. And he was the guy running the Conservatives for Patient Rights commercials battling Obamacare. My post is for information only – I think we need to hear/see more from all of the viable candidates.
Fred summarized Scott’s approach as ‘Government by Audit’ – when asked what he could have done differently at HCA, he said they should have had more auditors to keep tabs on things. An answer that he could have given (but didn’t) is that a leader can set an example for an organization that breaking the law is not OK.

I took a lot of notes and this is a long post. Many of the questions asked of him should also be the kinds of questions we ask of our candidate for other state offices (such as in the Senate debate on 6/24).

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Here’s a few pictures (fuzzy cellphone – sorry) of the event. The narrative continues below them.

Meeting Summary

Karin Hoffman kicked off the meeting and spoke about the need for activism. She also spoke in defense of the DC Works for US strategy of endorsing primary candidates. She feels that waiting until August is too late to build up the volunteer base and techniques and that it’s more important to pick the candidates NOW. She also spoke about needing to win, not 30 or 40 congressional seats – but over 110 in order to have a veto-proof majority. Karin also announced that Bill McCollum will appearing at DC Works for US in about two weeks.

Opening Remarks: Mr. Scott said that he has spent the last 1 1/2 years fighting the healthcare bills. But that he’s running because the state is a mess and we keep electing the same type of politicians. We need someone who has runa businesses before. Rick has done all kinds of menial jobs and came from modest means. He purchased his first business at 21 – a donut shop. (As an aside, he remarked that if you let the employees eat unlimited donuts, after the first couple of days they will never eat one again!) He owned various businesses since then, the largest being Columbia/HCA with 285 thousand employees. He’s lived the American Dream and he has had setbacks. We need accountability in government, like there is in the private sector. We need to balance budgets. He also spoke to making the climate better for businesses in Florida. That the only way we’ll recover is by bringing in businesses and expanding the economy – not by spending programs.

1) Accountability budgeting – set measureable and outcome oriented goals and measure them daily.

2) Arizona-like immigration bill.

3) Defend the state of Florida (eg from federal actions)

He doesn’t need this job but feels he needs to act.

Karin then followed with questions submitted by members by email. There were no questions from the audience.

Speak to your Columbia/HCA Controversy: Can’t make excuses. The company had 1)best patient satisfation 2)Lowest prices 3) Best patient outcomes. But did a bad job of internal/external audit. In business, the executives are accountable; in government – NOT. How to fix it in government? More internal/external auditing. How to enforce immigration? Use the Governor’s pulpit to educate/cajole. Push the Federal government to act and do their job. Pass an Arizona-like bill. Use all agencies to enforce the law. Make e-verify mandatory? Yes – or something like it. But he wants to remain sensitive to not overwhelming businesses with regulations. How will you decide when to use the National Guard (eg in oil spill/border issues)? Need a forceful governor and legislature. It’s their obligation to act if the Federal Government doesn’t How to prevent the oil spill from damaging FL and what is your position on drilling? 1) First solve it (the oil flow) 2) hold the companies accountable and keep them responsible for compensating those whose businesses/livelihood damaged 3)we need to be energy independent – which includes nuclear, alternative energy as well as offshore drilling. How about distance for drilling? Find out what caused the blow-out. Need experts. How to handle the rise in unemployment/create jobs? 1) Create a state budget that business people won’t feel relies on increased taxation 2) limit regulations that impact business from coming to the state 3) States that have lower spending as a percent of their GDP have better business environments – so lower spending. 4) The governor has to be a salesperson – promoting the state. What is your position on Hometown Democracy? (Iris’ note: Amendment 4 on Nov ballot) It’s a disaster. Job killer. We elect individuals to be responsible for monitoring/planning growth. Can’t have every decision voted on. Why vote for you? Not a career politician, not accountable to any interest group, not going to pander. How to protect Floridians from actions by Congress/Federal Gov’t? Educate the citizens. He didn’t see Governors and Attorney Generals speaking out to their people during the healthcare fight and talking about the implications. Our state elected officials need to take a stand. So when Congress votes – the impact on the states will be clear. Use laws. Defend states rights. Impact on FL of gov’t standards on waterways? Get the facts. Sit down with everyone. High Speed Rail? What is the ROI? Will it pay for itself? From what he’s learned, it won’t. Position on accepting Federal Stimulus Dollars? Against the stimulus bills because you can’t tax or spend your way to prosperity. We should not have accepted the stimulus dollars. We want our elected officials to stand up for our state. Agenda 21/Sustainable Development? Not familiar with it. FL Senate Bill 6? His daughter is a special needs teacher. He believes in accountability and merit pay. The best teachers should make the most money. New teachers should not be getting tenure. What’s the purpose of public schools – to teach! Vouchers? Absolutely believe in them. FL HB 21/SB 98, Right to bear arms? Strong believer in gun ownership and right to bear arms.

At this point, after Karin had squeezed in 3 or more questions after Mr. Scott’s handlers had said he had to leave, Karin thanked him and the candidate was whisked away through the crowd. A few candidates for various office spoke very briefly but the meeting was over.

Shark Tank Video of Thrasher Remarks

For Javier’s commentary CLICK HERE

Senate District 25 and 27 Town Hall Debate – 6/24

Sponsored by the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches and South Florida 912

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District 27				District 25
Lizbeth Benaquisto	Mike Lameyer	Sharon Merchant		Ellyn Bogdanoff	Carl Domino

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On Thursday, June 24 at 6:30pm, the Republican Florida Senate candidates for districts 25 and 27 will share the stage for a “Town Hall” style debate, at the First Baptist Church in West Palm Beach. Co-sponsored by the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches and South Florida 912, a non-partisan grassroots organization. The event will feature the candidates answering questions on current issues at the state level, chosen to give them an opportunity to contrast their positions with those of their opponents.

The church is conveniently located in downtown West Palm Beach, just south of Okeechobee Blvd. If you’re not sure how to get there, below are driving directions.

From the North and South
Take I-95 to Okeechobee Blvd. Okeechobee Blvd east to Flagler Drive. Turn right on Flagler Drive, church is about 1/4 mile down on the right.

From the West
Take Okeechobee Blvd east to Flagler Drive. Turn right on Flagler Drive, church is about 1/4 mile down on the right.

 

Event Tracking

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John Thrasher highlights a very well attended luncheon

Over 100 people attended our luncheon this afternoon.  It was great to see a room full of energized Republicans, discussing the issues.  Melissa, club President, had to encourage the folks to enter the buffet lines so that we could begin the meeting!
(Text continues below the pictures.)

Sid Lanier led us in the Invocation and Pledge, followed by Lou Galterio doing his wonderful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.  Melissa pointed out many of the office-holders  and PBC GOP officers in our midst, after which State Committeeman, Peter Feaman teased his topic, Islamic Terrorism,  for tonight’s Right Nights meeting.   Melissa also made some announcements.

Dorothy Harper, Asst. Sec’y and Treasurer also served as our Scholarship Chair.  As such, she did a heartfelt biography of Anne Roberts, after whom our Anne Roberts Memorial Scholarship was named.    Dorothy then introduced our two scholarship winners – Cindy Morris and James Shackelford.  Cindy, a mother of 5 with a 3.6 GPA attends Palm Beach Atlantic University and hopes to graduate this year with a BS in Elementary Education.  James is attending FAU, with a 3.57 GPA.  He spoke to his interest in politics and the FAU online radio show Owls with Issues.  We congratulate both of our scholarship winners!

Anita Mitchell, 2nd VP, introduced our keynote speaker, Florida Senator  and RPOF Chairman John Thrasher.    John thanked many of the PBC GOP leaders in the audience as well as Senate President Jeff Atwater for their leadership this year.   Some key points that John made in his talk:

• RPOF will not be taking sides in the primaries!
• He summarized the legislative session – Florida is having a difficult year with 1.1 million unemployed and a record number of foreclosures.  So the key focus of the lawmakers was to “do no harm to the people and small business”.  They didn’t raise taxes and fees and also kept a focus on education.  Next year will be equally challenging if not more so as stimulus dollars will be fewer next year.
• John also focused on the legislative sessions focus on education.  An amendment will be on the ballot in November modifying the class size amendment from 2002.  He also mentioned that standards in Math and Science were increased.  Also increased were tax credits for businesses that provide scholarships.  And he mentioned Senate Bill 6 – which was vetoed by Governor Crist.
• 2010 Elections – John noted that as he travels the state, passions and concerns by Republicans were palpable.  The day to day assault on capitalism, the rising debt and deficits and the concerns about our countries future has more people involved than ever.  He was happy with the caliber of the candidates and quoted Jeb Bush as saying that ‘we need people who paint in bright colors’ – those with a passion for reform, low taxes and limited government.     Thrasher also predicted the Governor Crist will come in third in the Senate race (and challenged Palm Beach Post-on-Politics reporter, George Bennett to quote him!).  He also said that fund raising for the first quarter of 2010  was going well and that expenses were $1 million less than the prior year.

The talk was followed by a brief Q&A Session.  Francisco Rodriguez asked if John thought the Florida Healthcare Freedom Act was the right thing to do.  John replied positively.  Steve Rosenblum asked about release of the RPOF credit card statements.  Mr. Thrasher said that they had been released 3 weeks ago.  Peter Feaman asked about the Gulf oil spill crisis and the President’s response.  John replied that Obama didn’t create the spill nor would he be able to solve it.  While he feels that our Governor wants the special session to eliminate offshore-drilling off Florida shores, Thrasher feels that our Attorney General needs tools to go after BP and that the state should shore up its Recovery Fund in anticipation of damage to families and industry (eg tourism and fishing) from the impact of the spill.  John Parsons asked about the failure to pass any bill on illegal immigration.  Senator Thrasher wasn’t able to answer why the E-Verify bill was passed overwhelming by the House but not addressed at all by the Senate.  He felt, however, that Arizona had a right to pass its law and that we ought to take a look at doing something similar.

The meeting closed with short candidate talks by Joe Budd (CD19), Steve Rosenblum (FL H 89), Ellyn Bogdanoff (FL S 25), Lizbeth Benacquisto (FL S 27), Sharon Merchant (FL S 27), Carl Domino (FL S 25), Pat Rooney (FL H 83), Mike Lameyer (FL S 27) and Nancy Cardone (FL H 83), followed by raffle results.

Thanks to everyone who made this an exciting, successful luncheon!

Francisco Rodriguez Town Hall

This afternoon, in the picturesque seaside Palm Beach Shores Community Center, Francisco Rodriguez, candidate for Florida House District 83, held a town hall for members of that community.  Organized by Carol Hurst, a supporter and Palm Beach Shores community leader, the event was an opportunity for Francisco to give his views on a variety of issues facing Florida today.

When asked for his view of the Sunrail bill, passed by the legislature earlier in the year and sold as a way to bring federal stimulus dollars into the state, he was very clear.  It should not have been passed and he would have voted against it.  Accepting federal money now but obligating the state to provide significant funding for it in future years is a bad deal for Florida.

A common theme that pervades Francisco’s thinking on several subjects is the Constitution and the rights of states to determine their own destiny.  For example, the Federal Government is required to manage the border and control immigration – it is not a state responsibility.  That said, when the job is not being done it is acceptable for the states to see that federal law is enforced.  Arizona did not need to pass the controversial law, but by doing so it provides political cover for law enforcement.  In another example, states are free to adopt any fiscal model they wish – and spend and borrow as they see fit, but when the day comes that bad decisions lead to potential default, the other states (or their citizens through federal taxes) should not be asked to bail them out.  The time has come for states to stand up for their rights and start using the 10th amendment to push back against federal overreach.

The Health Care Freedom Act is one example of this, and Francisco would support a mechanism whereby the states could control the amount of taxes collected in the state that gets sent to the federal government.

On state taxes, Francisco is not a fan of property taxes – which he equates to “paying rent” on a property which you own, and instead prefers use-based taxes with defined purposes such as a gas tax to fund only roads.

Schools, he believes, should be controlled at the local level – including such things as curriculum content and testing approach.  He was not a fan of the recently vetoed education bill, saying it gave too much control over local decisions to the bureaucrats in Tallahassee.

Florida House district 83, currently held by Carl Domino who is running for Senate district 25, sits at the northeastern part of the county and includes parts of Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Juno Beach, North Palm Beach, along Singer Island and Palm Beach Island to just south of Southern Boulevard. ( Click HERE for map. ) In the Republican primary on August 24, Francisco faces Realtor Nancy Cardone and Palm Beach Kennel Club manager Pat Rooney.

A number of RCPB members were in attendance, including organizer Carol Hurst, Jim Vissi, Melissa Andrews,  Delia Garcia Menocal, Clair and Don Jones, Sue Varey, Bette Anne Starkey, Helen Wilkes, and Fred and Iris Scheibl. Following are a few pictures from the event.

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