Alachua Voter Guide

by Chris Smiley Candidate for School Board District 5

After the business coalition forum was over I was disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to bring up the issue of school uniforms especially after I witnessed the passion against new taxes from commission candidates and guests.  The school board recently mandated a uniform policy for all k-12 schools.  This policy is far worse than a tax though because not only is it putting an undue financial burden on families, it restricts freedom of speech and expression.

The policy was founded on misconceptions and false premises. The research (including studies from the Journal of Educational Research and a 4 year tracking study by the Miami-Dade school district) shows that uniforms do not lessen dress code violations, nor do they have a positive affect on attendance, behavior, performance, or substance use.  The main ‘issue’ as claimed by board members really comes down to enforcement of dress code standards already in place.

Some people say that uniforms aren’t that bad but for a public policy to be enacted that takes away rights, there has to be an overwhelming good to justify it.  In the case of uniforms there is none.  In fact there is no rational reason to have uniforms (and a million reasons against them but I’ll keep this post short).

In tough economic times parents will now have to buy a new wardrobe for their kids.  (Don’t believe the farce that uniforms save money, no student wears uniforms outside of school.  That means that the cost of uniforms is in addition to whatever regular clothes they buy.)

I couldn’t believe that the new policy was passed or that it was even brought up when there are pressing fundamental issues with education that actually affect performance in schools. (see my website)

There has been significant opposition to uniforms.  All 7 high school principals wrote a letter to the board urging them to not pass the policy and to let them continue to enforce the dress code already in place.  There have been a couple of protests already and a number of groups have been formed; legal action is anticipated.  Whether you have children or not we all need to fight injustice and I urge all of you to email the board, to join one of the groups via facebook, or to connect with parents and dissenters (you can email me at chris.smiley@gmx.com).

Elected or not I will continue to work to reverse this policy.

My website- Fleducationreform.com

Letter from principals-  http://notopolos.wordpress.com/2010/06/14/copy-of-the-letter-sent-to-school-board-from-alachua-county-school-principals/

On Friday morning at 9 AM in the Alachua County Courthouse, plaintiffs Mason Alley and Phil Courson prepared to make their case that there was voter fraud perpetrated by enough individuals to have effected the outcome of the April 13th run-off election. Also present were defendants Pam Carpenter, the Supervisor of Elections, Craig Lowe, the Mayor-elect, and yours truly, Don Marsh, the other candidate for Mayor. In addition, there were the attorneys for Lowe and Carpenter, and Ray Washingt0n, an attorney who was appearing on behalf of himself and his wife, Elizabeth Washington. In keeping with the spirit of Gainsville elections, the hearing was sparsely attended by the public.

Circuit Judge Victor Hulslander started things off by asking if the plaintiffs were being represented by counsel. Mason Alley responded that they were represented by Sarah Rumpf, and that she would be participating telephonically, since she was in Orlando at the time.  The judge allowed Ray Washington to participate as a voter with an interest in the election. This turned out to be a big deal, since we scarcely heard from Lowe’s attorney, Cherie Fine, and Carpenter’s attorney, Daniel Nee. Indeed, it seems that Ray Washington was here to do all the heavy lifting, as he did all the questioning. But this only got started after a brief recess from 9:40 until 10:00 while Rumpf got up to speed with her clients in a private call.

This hearing did not focus on evidence, so much as procedure. The original complaint filed by Courson and Alley was flawed in many ways since they are not attorneys. They had copied and pasted from a similar filing and included me as a defendant. One of the first tasks was removing me as a defendant since I hadn’t actually done anything. Washington spent the bulk of his time challenging the plaintiffs for taking so long to get a challenge underway while Lowe is expected to be sworn in only six days from now. The disembodied voice of Alley’s attorney would periodically object to questioning on various grounds, like Alley was not qualified to offer a legal opinion.  Each of her objections were sustained, and this took a lot of steam out of Washington’s charge.

Alley’s most compelling response to the questions of timing was his testimony of how he was denied the voter history data he needed until after the deadline to file a suit contesting the election. He had been forced to use data from the March general election to see if there were irregularities there, so he could only hypothesize about the April data. Since then he has had a group of volunteers reviewing the voter history data he needed two weeks earlier than Pam Carpenter could give it to him. This is a very serious impediment to any investigation, and this is built into the system, whether it is intentional or not.

Pam Carpenter was questioned by the judge about voter data, and she said that this data was publicly available. She further explained that there was a difference between voter registration data, which is constantly in flux, and voter history data. Voter history data is each voter’s record of when and where they voted, but not how they voted. This was the data Alley needed, but could not get for 15 days. Someone (I don’t remember who) wanted to know if her office could not have found voter irregularities. She said that her office was, “not an investigative office, but an administrative office.” This leaves it up to plaintiffs to take the initiative of investigating.

Ray Washington questioned Alley about what he was trying to prove. Alley responded that anecdotal evidence about people coming from Tampa to vote lead him to want to examine the actual voter data to see if this was true. His initial investigation found that it was. When Washington asked for names, Alley said he was not prepared to give them up at this time. It was after this that Judge Hulslander adjourned the court. This hearing will likely turn to the evidence on Tuesday, when the next hearing is scheduled at 3:30 PM.

At some of my events and interviews I have said that it is important for the city to cultivate a working relationship with the churches because they are the city’s natural allies in confronting homelessness and other societal ills. I recently said that, as Mayor, I would go to the churches to tell them that they are welcome and that their participation is needed to make Gainesville a better place. Although I have not yet been challenged on this, I will anticipate and answer two potential questions in this space.

1. Will churches respond to such a call? First, I want to tell you that this is not a setup. I have not held any meetings with pastors to formulate how they would respond to my election. My presumption upon their good works potential comes from my own three decades of ministry work as a volunteer. There are many people in the church who are motivated to feed, clothe and shelter the homeless, visit the sick and incarcerated, and mentor the fatherless. Some of that is already getting done at the expense of those who do the work. It is hard to say how much worse things would be if they weren’t. But I know they could do a lot more if it were not for the ambivalence of both church and civic leaders. The evolving ethos of “church-state separation” has created a hostile environment for people of faith who are told that their faith is not welcome. My opponent, City Commissioner Craig Lowe, has been quoted as saying, “ Our community cannot afford to discard any talent or intellect due to discrimination.” Yet, we discard the talent and intellect of a vast number of Gainesville residents. This must be actively challenged.
2. Is it appropriate to do so? It is unjust to tell people, “You cannot participate as fully as anyone else in civic life and discourse because of the beliefs you hold.” A part of the American experience throughout history has been the need to demand the rights that you possess only on paper. It took almost 200 years for African Americans to begin to possess the promises of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, and it did not happen because they waited patiently to be called on. It had to be demanded. Likewise, the men and women in our churches, who have become timid under the disapproving glare of the Statists who have come to power, must make their demand to be included. It will be much easier for them, however. All they have to do is vote on March 16. Then they have to follow through by living up to the things they believe in.

Do not confuse my call to action with a desire to Christianize the local government. I am just trying to desegregate it. Anyone should be able to take his faith, whether you are Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Wiccan or Atheist, with him into the service of his community. It’s also a good opportunity for us all to interact and learn from one another instead of isolating and writing each other off.

As I wrote in these pages on December 2nd, getting action on Koppers “will require a very organized citizenry (from the adjacent neighbors right up to a city-wide effort, given the potential harm to our entire community).”

The good news is that is exactly what is happening. Neighbors across the city (with leadership from neighbors most closely located to the Koppers site) are banding together to spread the word about Koppers–and to demand action from all involved. All the time involved in the organizing is volunteer but definitely skilled.

And so far, in a relatively short time, it has been effective.

If you would like to have a citizen presentation on Koppers at YOUR neighborhood association, your fellow citizens at Gainesville United Neighbors will come to you! Please contact me at conexos@gmail.com or 335-8874 for more information. I will happily connect you with the valiant neighbors who are putting this issue on the front burner.

I hope the first thing you will do then is thank them.

Randy Wells, Candidate for City Commission District 4

They did not come to protest anything, but to build an organization. That was the purpose of the Gainesville Tea Party, namesake of the nationwide movement of previously unaffiliated Americans who are revolting against our unprecedented deficits and policies that are perceived as wrong-headed and irresponsible. According to my head count, there were 87 people present, and the organizers told me that a lot of people who came to the first meeting were not here this time. And this meeting was twice as big.

The meeting was called to order by Karianne Wilkins, whose first order of business was to lay the framework of an orderly meeting, loosely based on Roberts Rules. Next was a reading of the mission statement: “To educate, organize and mobilize our fellow citizens so we can elect future representatives who will support and defend the US Constitution and secure public policy consistent with our core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Limited Government, and Free Markets.” Next, she presented a flow chart that described how this would be accomplished through community service, education, and events. The first special event is called “Kickoff to Judgment Day 2010″. This will take place on Saturday, February 6, and will be hosted by Gainesville Target Range. There will be more details as that time draws near. In the meantime, there is a Facebook page for the event, as well as for the Gainesville Tea party group, as well as a web site.

There was also a guest speaker, Tom Hayes-Morrison, who presented a preview of some material that would help arm people with information to share with friends and neighbors about the Health Care Plan in Congress and about Cap and Trade. At the end there was an initial installment of a DVD series to be used as part of a study group, but this followed some lively discussion that was both diverse and orderly.

There were Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and Independents at the meeting, and although there was some disagreement about the role of third parties, everyone seemed to just want to work together to accomplish the goals in the mission statement.

I had the opportunity to participate, and I did get to speak, but I was not the first person to urge this group to get involved in our local elections. Indeed, these people are pretty hot to do something, so if you are already a candidate for an upcoming election, want to be a candidate, or want to help a candidate, you should plan on being a part of this group. If you are in favor of Cap and Trade, the Health Care Plan, and bigger government and more spending, there are probably better uses of your time.

The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 30th, at the Tower Road Library from 10am to noon. Since the meeting room was overflowing, a larger site is being sought, so stay tuned to their website or this one for further information.

Randy Wells, Candidate for City Commission District 4

I am THE candidate for neighborhood revitalization, with 20 years experience working to make great city neighborhoods–6 years here in Gainesville & 14+ years prior to that in Washington DC. Here in Gainesville, I have zeroed in on the special issues that make city neighborhoods great places to raise a family–the parks, schools, local business, events & activities–in part because we are raising our own kids here, but mostly because a great neighborhood for kids is a great neighborhood for everyone. I will bring that vision, passion & focus to the city commission. Please join me, and share your own ideas, time & talent to help make Gainesville an even better place to live!

Join Team Randy now, or contact me with your question or suggestion. — Randy

Randy Wells, Candidate for City Commission District 4
telephone: 335-8874 home / 328-2997 cell
e-mail: conexos@gmail.com
Facebook: Randy Wells for City Commission District 4

Nathaniel Sperling, Candidate for Gainesville City Commission (District 4)

A hearty hello to all who peruse this website! Before introducing myself, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Don Marsh, the owner of Alachua Voter Guide, for allowing my fellow candidates and myself to post on his blog.

My name is Nathaniel Sperling and I am a candidate for Gainesville City Commission (District 4). I am a recent graduate of the University of Florida (BA in History) and, before that, Santa Fe College (when I attended, it was still Santa Fe Community College) and am currently discerning a calling to the Catholic Priesthood. I have lived in Gainesville virtually my entire life and, for me, this was a nice city to grow up in. When I was younger, my paternal grandparents moved here and, several years later, my father’s brother and sister-in-law moved up here with their two children. For my grandparents, may they rest in peace, they sought closeness with their family and a nice place to retire, while my aunt and uncle were looking for a nice place to raise young children. This city has been good to us, providing a wholesome and nice place to live for my family, and as a, electorate-willing, city commissioner, I would like to help make Gainesville a city we can all call a wonderful home.

Today, we live in troubling economic times. As a city commissioner, I would work hard to get people back to work at good pay and full hours and also to help those who have suffered the most in these hard times. In terms of addressing these two important issues, it is not so much about what our local government needs to do, but what it needs to stop doing. Instead of capriciously standing in the way of our business community and charitable organizations, we must cooperate with local businesses and charities to make Gainesville a more prosperous and compassionate city. It is shameful that a pregnant woman or a young child would be turned away hungry from St. Francis House because they happened to be unlucky number 131 under an arbitrary special-use permit that limits St. Francis House to serving 130 meals.

Our city government must be more fiscally responsible and generally more responsive to the needs and concerns of the community. In terms of the first issue, local families and individuals, myself definitely included, are having to tighten their belts in response to harsh economic times. Why should our local government be any different? We must go through the budget carefully and determine what this city really needs versus what it may want–in better economic times, we can seek to address these ‘wants’. Many would argue that it is this lack of fiscal responsibility that has led to a recent hike in property taxes at a time when people have less money to spend and homes are much harder to sell. It is shameful enough when a family must choose between putting food on the table and getting proper medical care, but it seems downright criminal to then tack on fears of losing their home or business on top of everything else.

Besides being more responsible in financial matters, local government must be more responsive to the populace. Sadly, much of the problem is due to low voter turnout; for instance, in the 2007 District 4 elections, only 9.2% of registered voters actually voted. Regardless of whether I win or lose the election, I really want to see more people get involved in local issues: learn about the candidates, mark your calendars (March 16th, 2010) and go vote (or get an absentee ballot and vote that way). Obviously, I would prefer that people vote for me, but in the end, I think it is important that people just actually vote. I would rather lose the election because a well-informed majority of the electorate has examined the issues and the candidates and decided that one of my opponents would do a better job serving this city than win the election due to majority apathy. The city commission can do its part to promote greater involvement by being open and willing to listen fairly to all viewpoints. My door will always be open. During the campaign and, if granted a victory by the voters, future term as city commissioner, I look forward to getting to know my fellow citizens, to hearing their concerns, issues and desires, and working towards solutions that benefit as many people as possible but are fair to all. Deep down, I think most of us want what is best for the community, although we may have different conceptualizations of the ideal.

For more information on my candidacy, please check out my campaign website (www.nathanielsperling.com) and my Facebook group (Nathaniel Sperling for Gainesville City Commission (District 4)). Also, if you have not gotten a chance to read it, you can find the Gainesville Sun article on my candidacy (special thanks to Megan Rolland for taking the time to meet with and interview me) here: Recent UF grad runs for City Commission.

If you wish to contact me, I can reached by phone at 352-214-3170 (if I do not answer, leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible) or by e-mail at nathanielsperling@yahoo.com (this e-mail is checked multiple times per day). If you wish to mail me anything the old-fashioned way, my address is 405 NW 19th ST, Gainesville, FL 32603. I look forward to hearing from you. As I said, my door is always open (please call first if you wish to meet with me in person though, but I would greatly welcome such personal meetings).

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Randy Wells announces run for City Commission District 4

Hello Alachua Voter Guide Readers! Thank you for the opportunity to discuss my candidacy for City Commission District 4.

What can we as citizens AND as city government do to make our city neighborhoods even better places to live and work? As candidate for city commissioner, I bring 20 years experience working on this very question (more than 6 years here in Gainesville, and nearly 15 years previously in Washington DC). I am a part-time stay-at-home dad, small business owner, and active in my neighborhood & the city. I welcome your ideas, and invite you to join me in making Gainesville an even better place to live & raise a family.

Please visit RandyWells.org to learn more about me, and if you use Facebook Randy Wells for City Commission District 4. And if you missed it, please check out my interview in the Gainesville Sun: “The 42-year-old father of two said that it boils down to listening to the concerns and priorities of neighbors and then figuring out a way to address those issues.”

Thank you! –Randy

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Randy Wells for City Commission District 4

RandyWells.org

Twitter.com/RandyWells

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Randy-Wells-for-City-Commission-District-4/180244078245?ref=ts

conexos@gmail.com

352-335-8874 / 352-328-2997

More and more, national issues are encroaching on our local politics. When Washington creates economic disasters, it all rolls downhill to the rest of us. Part of that is because we have let ourselves become so dependent on the federal government. The other part is that our local politicians copy Washington’s behavior. In this video I use a simple candy bar to show how higher taxes and the high cost of government gets paid by even the least of us!

Robert Woody, guest, Master of Ceremonies Jeff McAdams

Local party chairman Stafford Jones had yet another successful event out at the Canterberry Equestrian Center. This year’s headliner was Conservative radio talk show host and Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham.  She is heard locally on The Star FM 99.5 from 9am til noon every weekday.

This annual event, known officially as the Ronald Reagan Black Tie and Blue Jeans BBQ, is the Alachua County Republican Executive Committee’s annual fundraiser that is used to help support local candidates and other party functions. It’s what has helped them outraise the Democrats in recent years, but it has become more important to Republican candidates as a must-attend event. This year drew US Senate candidates Charlie Crist, who is presently Governor of Florida, and his Primary opponent, rising star Marco Rubio.

Governor Crist posing with guests

The Governor was given a chance to speak at this event, just ahead of Laura Ingraham. It was a good stump speech, designed to appeal to the recently energized conservatives. He invoked the name of Reagan and trotted out all his conservative street creds and got a good reception from the crowd. But earlier in the program his US Senate Primary opponent, Marco Rubio,  gave the invocation which included a brief appeal to conservative values and a short prayer. He got a standing ovation that was several notches higher on the applause meeter than what Crist was to receive.

Marco Rubio posing with guests

Laura Ingraham wrapped it up with short speech on the need to continue to fight the Democrat agenda. She was armed with plenty of humorous barbs, as well as a litany of dangers that we currently face from Congress. She did not fail to include some “Tough Love” items for Republicans in Congress who have rolled over for the liberals in the past, hitting John McCain especially hard.

Laura Ingraham hammered away at Nancy Pelosi

Before the program began, there were some local candidates meeting potential supporters. Among those that I saw were Keith Perry And Remzey Samarrai, both running for the State House, District 22. Jodi Wood, who is still unopposed in his race for the School Board, was there and had a booth. I also saw Speaker of the Florida House Larry Cretul, former Gainesville City Commissioner Ed Braddy, State Senator Steve Oelrich, and perennial challenger Ward Scott. Altogether, I was told there were about 700 people present, although it could have been more.