More Coverage of Wakulla Springs Issue

Today's Tallahassee Democrat (1/27/2006) featured another article exploring the potential effect of the Southeast Spray field's impact on the regional natural treasure Wakulla Springs. More than $600,000.00 is being spent to explore the suggested link between the spray field and Wakulla Springs.

"We don't know very much about the direction or velocity of flow in this groundwater region," said [Dr.] Todd Kincaid, a hydrogeologist from Reno, Nev., who is involved in [the current] dye study.

For the full article click the title bar.

LCDEC gets mentioned in the news

Article published Jan 26, 2006

Open meetings don't guarantee information

By Bill Cotterell CAPITAL CURMUDGEON


The Democratic and Republican parties have different attitudes about open meetings, but they have a couple of things in common.
Both parties are legally right and politically unwise, when deciding whether to let the public watch them celebrating the glories of the recent past and predicting great victories in the near future.
The Republicans are reflexively secretive, but they don't need to be. The Democrats should be, but aren't.
Oh, sure, they all have private things to discuss. Any self-respecting political organization, big-business conglomerate or organized-crime family does. But nobody thinks what happens in a ballroom full of people is the important story.
The Democrats are justifiably proud of opening almost everything. Under their party bylaws, they have to. But as much as I like open meetings, they really ought to keep some of their more bizarre members and peculiar ideas out of sight.
You can almost hear the jaws tightening as the party flaks struggle to keep smiling during some Democratic debates.
Take last Monday night in the Tallahassee City Commission chamber. Members of the Leon County Democratic Executive Committee argued over accepting the minutes from the December meeting, how many vacancies were available for at-large appointments to their committee, approval of the treasurer's report and whether to continue talking or move on.
That's right: They actually argued about whether to argue.
And that's just a mid-sized county confab with a routine agenda. At the state level, a Democratic conference can resemble pro wrestling, but with fewer men wearing makeup.
The Republicans tend to be serenely like-minded, even monolithic. By the time they convene an official meeting, the leadership has made all the important decisions and the membership enthusiastically endorses them.
GOP delegates then hurry out to the lobby in hopes of having their pictures made with Jeb Bush or Katherine Harris before they get away. At Democratic meetings, the halls and lobbies are filled with merchants hawking T-shirts and bumper stickers proclaiming President Bush a dolt, a criminal, or both, along with souvenirs of the 1972 George McGovern campaign.
Republican business sessions are often closed, like they were handing out checks from Jack Abramoff as door prizes. For some reason, the GOP doesn't want people to know about all that solidarity.
At Walt Disney World last weekend, Florida Republican Chairman Carole Jean Jordan reported that the party is in terrific financial shape, has trounced the Democrats in voter registration and is ready for a tough campaign year. Then the governor came to lunch and urged everybody to stay unified and run on the record of his administration.
Hot stuff. If that information fell into the wrong hands, it could mean - well, nothing.
The Democrats sometimes close meetings, or parts of them. In Orlando last year, candidates for the Democratic National Committee chairmanship made public speeches to Florida party officers, followed by a private question-and-answer session.
A party that elects Howard Dean as its national chairman makes a strong argument for closing more meetings. But the great gaffe meisters of our time have been Republicans - Vice President Spiro Agnew, Interior Secretary James Watt, Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz, a handful of mostly Southern senators and congressmen.
That may be why the Republicans like to discuss the public's business in private. Rank-and-file Republicans, speaking unscripted, are statistically more likely to say something insensitive - and the GOP knows it won't get the media free pass that Democrats enjoy.
With Democrats, it's usually not a slip of the tongue but something they say on purpose that raises eyebrows. Sen. Hillary Clinton's recent "plantation" remark at a Martin Luther King Day observance, for instance, was no gaffe - it was said in a public meeting for a tactical purpose.
The media play a role in this open-or-closed Kabuki, whenever politicians get together. It's no coincidence that the open-meeting requirement in government, as well as in party rules, grew more pervasive as television gained importance. TV needs pictures, not documents or dozens of discrete lobby conversations.
If it weren't for media pressure to open things, the government and political parties would close every meeting and hand out sanitized official announcements afterward. But we in the media often show a naive belief that important decisions get made at meetings rather than well beforehand -and that if we somehow force our way into a meeting, we'll still see the real thing.

Leon County DEC Meeting News Coverage

The title bar links to a story that for the first 3/4 spins will for the local DEC, and the last 1/4 discusses the problems with last night's meeting. Chair Rick Minor's first meeting went well and hopefully his next few will go a little smoother as everyone adjust to the changes.

Here are the closing remarks to today's Tallahassee Democrat article that provide a little insight into some of the issues with last night's meeting:

"We have to stop fighting each other," Minor said. "While we're here, fighting among each other, I guarantee you the Republicans out there are thinking of how they're going to beat us."

Ausman called out at one point, "I'm disappointed that the 'new' Democratic Party, that you purport to represent, is running over the rights of the membership and ignoring them."

Progressive Jobs Available!

Kimberly Fountain called me yesterday to tell me that the company she works with is looking to hire people to work on campaigns! Here is an excerpt from the email she sent me following our conversation:

"(here are) the job descriptions for both Field Organizers (MoveOn.org) and Canvass Directors (Environmental Action). I have also included "A day in the life" for both jobs, so people know what the jobs truly entail. We are looking to hire over 300 people this spring in order to really Take Back Congress!"

What was attached to the email is now in the comments of this post. Good luck to all interested parties!

Local Resolution Reached for Wakulla Springs

City of Tallahassee and Wakulla County officials recently worked together to protect Water Quality at Wakulla Springs. There has been friction between the two local governments regarding the Southeast Sprayfield's (SESF) role in the recent decline of water quality at Wakulla Springs.

Some points of contention have been the presence of cattle and the use of fertilizer on the SESF, and the spreading of residual sewage sludge at the Tallahassee Regional Airport. The recent agreement was regarding the City's announcement they would discontinue the use of fertilizer and remove all cattle from the SESF. "The purpose of the proposed city action is to be proactive and in the best interests of the region- and specifically our friends in Wakulla County," Said City Commissioner Debbie Lightsey, "The city is taking due diligence with this proposal despite the Florida Department of Environmental Protection not requiring such action."* The City stopped the spreading of sludge at the airport some time ago.

Over $800,000 has been spent researching the change in water quality at Wakulla Springs. The City of Tallahassee is currently funding an over $300,000 study to map the flow of groundwater in Southern Leon County. Unmentioned septic tanks in our region may contribute to the woes of Wakulla Springs, but no studies have been proposed to explore that source. Septic Tank studies are very difficult and costly to conduct because of the dispersed nature of septic tanks.
*quote taken from "The Wakulla News" Jan 11th 2006 issue

Our Logo, Their Logo

Last week, the Leon County Young Democrats (LCYD) Executive Board voted unanimously to allow the Leon County Democratic Executive Committee (DEC) to borrow design elements from the LCYD logo for the development of a new DEC logo. This process has been in conjunction with the development of a new website for the DEC.

It is rumored that the new DEC webpage will be presented for the first time at tonight's DEC meeting. As one of Minor's campaign promises, the development of a webpage will receive attention from parties interested in the DEC. Check this Blog for continuing updates.

Chair's Race Contested

Article published Jan 20, 2006
Party leader post in dispute
Bloc of Democrats want Ausman back
By Bill Cotterell
DEMOCRAT POLITICAL EDITOR

Just when he thought it was safe to take over the Leon County Democratic Party, newly elected Chairman Rick Minor faces a palace coup by backers of veteran political strategist Jon Ausman.

Minor would rather talk about rebuilding the once-dominant party, which fell on hard times after Ausman ended his 20-year stint as county chairman six years ago. But his 66-59 victory over Ausman on Dec. 15 is being punted to the Florida Democratic Party on parliamentary points by nearly two-dozen members of the Leon County Democratic Executive Committee.

"It seemed to me to be a God-awful, confused mess," Richard Merrick, who joined the protest, said Thursday. "Jon called and asked me to sign on, and it seemed to me that there were several issues involved, the biggest being whether people who had legitimate proxies should have been allowed to vote and whether people whose terms had expired should still be allowed to vote."

Minor, who will preside over his first county party meeting on Monday, called the complaint a distraction from his work setting up the county party's first Web site, moving into an office, raising money and recruiting Democratic activists for the coming elections.

"I was elected by the Leon Democratic Executive Committee to produce results," he said. "Frankly, we haven't got time to fight among ourselves."

Ausman said he didn't think the protest would further splinter the struggling party - that he could be an effective chairman if he ousts Minor. He compared last month's party vote to the 2000 presidential race between President Bush and Al Gore in Florida.

"At least 22 members of the committee think the election for chair was stolen," said Ausman. "Just as Bush stole the election from Gore, Rick wants to pretend the improper and extra-legal events that occurred on election night are in the past. The Florida Democratic Party has a process to review tainted elections, and we are in that process."

Ausman and Minor, a former state party field organizer, were the only candidates for the county post. But the protest said procedural rules still required a call for nominations from the floor and three-minute statements by each candidate, which didn't happen.

"Appointed at-large members, the terms of which expired on Dec. 1, 2005, were improperly allowed to vote and voted overwhelmingly for Rick Minor," said the letter to State Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman. "The appointed at-large members do not represent the demographics of Democrats in Leon County, as they are all white and more than two-to-one male over female."

The complaint said Thurman has several options, ranging from just admonishing the county party to ordering a new election. Thurman said she had received the letter and referred it to her judicial panel.

Ausman ran the party from 1980 to 2000, when he stepped aside in favor of former chairman Rick Eggers - who yielded to then-Mayor Scott Maddox in 2003. When Maddox ran for governor last year, he passed the county chairmanship to his longtime aide, Paige Carter Smith, but she quit after Maddox dropped his state campaign.

In the past few years, the Democrats have lost two county commission seats and have not fielded viable candidates for two Republican-held legislative seats. The county party was also fined $10,500 last year for improper filing of a financial report.

While Ausman campaigned on a promise of bringing back happier days, Minor said "a whole new day" has already dawned.

"The word around town is: 'It's a new DEC,' " said Minor. "We're moving forward, not looking back."

Vampire for Governor of Minnesota

Jonathan "The Impaler" Sharkey Jonathan Sharkey is running for Governor of Minnesota and he is a vampire, and a Satanist.

Until August of last year Jonathan was very active with the Republican Party in New Jersey and Florida, including running against Jim Davis for Congress in 2002. He has been elected in Florida:

"From July 1992 until April 1996, I was very active in Hillsborough County (FL) Republican Party. I was elected as City Chairman for Temple Terrace in November 1992. In 1994, I was blessed to work on Jeb Bush's first campaign for Governor. Though Jeb did not win, he showed me the true meaning of a man of character."

You can read his interesting political life here. He is now running with his own party, theVWP Party. VWP stands for: Vampyres, Witches and Pagans.

The title bar links to an MSN clips of him on the Tucker Carlson Show.

What a world we live in.

LCYD Member's Letter to Editor published today

Use science research toprotect Wakulla Springs
Re: “Changes to come to spray fields” (news article, Jan. 4).

It's great to see the city of Tallahassee and Wakulla County are communicating about the spray field. I hope the recent announcement is a sign of more and better thought out changes to come soon.

Suspending fertilizer application seems to be a step in the right direction, but there is no evidence to support that the removal of cattle will reduce the total nitrogen loading to the groundwater below the spray field.

Cattle will always defecate less nitrogen than they ate. Additionally, as nitrogen travels through the cattle's medley of stomachs, greater than half of it is converted into a volatile form, which means that more than half the nitrogen plopped down as cowpies won't enter the ground water.
Cattle were an effective and inexpensive way to move nitrogen completely out of the Wakulla springshed. Mechanical harvesting will be more expensive, which takes money away from other potential treatment options. Let's start really protecting Wakulla Springs by using science research instead of "common sense" notions.

THURE CAIRE

EVENT THIS THURSDAY

Dear Leon County Young Democrats:

You are cordially invited to attend the Democratic Law Student Association presentation of:


Alito Nomination: What’s at Stake?

Featuring:
Guest Speaker: Dan Tokaji
&
Prof. Steve Gey

Thursday, January 12th
7:00-8:30

Florida State University College of Law
425 West Jefferson St. Tallahasse FL 32306
B.K. Roberts Hall, Room 101

Refreshments (FOOD!!) served at 6:30

This event will feature Dan Tokaji, Assistant Professor of Law at the Ohio State University Mortitz College of a Law and the Associate Director of Election Law at Mortitz. His areas of expertise include election law, civil rights, freedom of speech, disability rights, federal courts and civil procedure. His writings address question of racial justice and political equality. His most recent publication addresses the controversy over voter technology and the issue of whether to require a contemporaneous “paper trail” for electronic voting.

Professor Gey is the David and Deborah Fonvielle & Donald and Janet Hinkle Professor at Florida State University College of Law. He has been widely published in leading law reviews and edited volumes and is regarded as one of the nation’s foremost Constitutional theorists. He is considered one of the country’s leading scholars on religious liberties and free speech.

The Democratic Law Student Association hopes you will be able to attend this enriching and informative event. There will be time for questions and answers. I look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely Yours,

Doris Galindo
Vice-President
Democratic Law Students Association ,
FSU College of Law Chapter

PS---Feel free to forward this invitation to anyone who might be interested

Tallahassee's Leaders Forum

As of today, nearly a quarter million people have joined the "Stop Global Warming Virtual March on Washington," which ends on Earth Day, this April. Add your name and help the numbers grow to a million. This is one of the most important issues of our generation. Visit www.stopglobalwarming.org

Amend This

Changing the rules

(Friday,01/06/2006 © Orlando Sentinel)

The clock is ticking for groups that want ballot amendments.

Jason Garcia
Tallahassee Bureau

January 6, 2006

TALLAHASSEE --

A group that would force the Legislature to spend more money fighting smoking among young people and another that would change the way political districts are drawn both said Thursday they have collected enough signatures to get their proposals on the November ballot.

But the leader of a third high-profile petition drive, which aims to close many of the state's corporate-friendly sales-tax loopholes, said his group would likely fall short.

A fourth group sponsoring an amendment to ban same-sex marriage remains well short of the 611,009 signatures needed to put measures to a vote in a statewide referendum.

The news comes as a state-imposed deadline for citizen initiatives is bearing down. Groups must collect all the necessary signatures -- and have them certified by local elections offices -- by Feb. 1.

"I don't think we're going to make it by that deadline," said former Senate President John McKay, the chairman of the group sponsoring amendments that would force state lawmakers to justify sales-tax breaks for everything from skyboxes in sports stadiums to limousine rides. "I think it'll be very difficult based on the last report we have."

McKay and other supporters have been fighting for several years to eliminate many of the hundreds of exemptions and loopholes that dot Florida's sales tax, breaks they say mostly benefit narrow special interests but which drain more than $20 billion from the state budget. Opponents argue that it could upset the state's economy and hurt efforts to recruit more businesses.

But McKay said Thursday that his group, Floridians Against Inequities in Rates, has nearly abandoned hope of getting the amendments on this year's ballot. Instead, he said, supporters would likely soon shift their focus to the 2008 elections.

"Anyone that offers the opinion that it's too easy to amend the constitution has never tried to do it," McKay said, though he added, "I've still got folks out there working on it."

Anti-smoking activists, however, were buoyant Thursday, as the group Floridians for Youth Tobacco Education Inc. announced that it had submitted more than 830,000 signatures. The roughly 220,000 extra signatures mean backers should have enough wiggle room if election officials are unable to verify some during the next few weeks.

The amendment would require that the state spend 15 percent of the annual payment Florida receives from cigarette companies as part of a 1997 lawsuit settlement on its youth tobacco-control program.

Supporters say the amendment would have generated $56 million this year for the program -- once a national model which has been cut back to $1 million annually. Opponents point out that smoking rates in Florida have continued to drop despite the cuts.

"We will immediately begin a broad, statewide effort to educate voters about this amendment and build on the public support we've already garnered," said Cheryl Forchilli, the group's campaign manager.

The Committee for Fair Elections, meanwhile, said it has turned in even more signatures -- close to 870,000 so far, said campaign manager Paul Dunn. That group is sponsoring an amendment that would strip the power to draw to political districts from lawmakers and give it to an independent commission appointed by lawmakers from both political parties and the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.

Amendment backers contend that self-interested lawmakers, using sophisticated computer and voter databases, tailor districts to favor incumbents and the party in power. Opponents counter that drawing district maps is better left to elected officials who answer to voters and that creating a commission would not make the process less partisan.

But Dunn said his group has decided to set aside a second amendment for which it had also been collecting signatures. That measure would have forced the state to draw new maps almost immediately, instead of waiting until the next regularly scheduled round of redistricting after the 2010 census.

Dunn said supporters don't want to risk allowing opponents to seize on that amendment as evidence that redistricting changes are merely an attempted power grab by Florida Democrats, who currently hold far fewer seats in the Legislature and the state's congressional delegation.

"I think we decided, at the end of the day, that we didn't want any distractions," Dunn said.

Perhaps the highest-profile petition drive is racing the clock.

Supporters of the amendment to prohibit same-sex marriages remain short of the required signatures, said John Stemberger, chairman of florida4 marriage.org, which is sponsoring the measure. Dubbed the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, the proposal would also ban civil unions that offer identical rights and benefits to those of marriage.

Supporters say the amendment is necessary in case a court strikes down an existing state law that already bars gay marriage. But opponents warn that it could cut off other rights for gay couples, such as health-care benefits.

Stemberger estimated his group has collected between 200,000 and 250,000 signatures so far. But he also said the total is growing by tens of thousands of signatures each day.

Backers have ramped up their efforts, he said, making frequent appearances on local talk-radio shows and sending word to churches that they have only three Sundays remaining to gather petitions.

"It's a tough goal," Stemberger said. "But it's a goal that we think we're going to be able to make."

Collecting the necessary signatures does not guarantee any amendment will appear on the ballot. Each must still survive scrutiny from the state Supreme Court, which evaluates proposed amendments to ensure that they are limited to a single subject and that the ballot summaries are clear and accurate. Those hearings begin next month.

Claudia Zequeira of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 850-222-5564.

Florida's Rising Stars

I usually try to comment on stuff I copy and paste, but the NJ did a good job. A great look at those who we should keep an eye on....From the Hotline:



FLORIDA: Speed Demons
Several sources we talked to in FL emphasized the speed with which state legislators move through the ranks, thanks to term limits. That certainly holds true, as one of the stars to watch is already in line (albeit six years down the road) to be Speaker of the State House -- just one session into his first term.
The stars we've been watching since '03:

• State Sen. Jeff Atwater (R): Considered a strong candidate for Senate Pres.
• State Sen. Paula Dockery (R): FL's GOP is said to lack strong female candidates. "If she makes some right moves," she could see her stock rising.
• State Sen. Mike Haridopolos (R): We met him in the State House. Right after we mentioned him, he was elected in a special election to the Sen. A staunch conservative, Haridopolos is one of the leaders of the fiscal conservative wing of the party.
• U.S. Rep. Connie Mack (R): Just a State Rep. when we first laid eyes on him, Mack beat out a crowded primary field in '04 to win election to the House. "I think he's going to be" running for U.S. Senate "down the road."
• State Sen. Ken Pruitt (R): Incoming Senate Pres. "Rapidly rising star."
• State Rep. Marco Rubio (R): Incoming House Speaker, first Cuban-American speaker in FL.
• South Bay Mayor Clarence Anthony (D): "It's not a name that bounces up as much anymore."
• State Rep. Loranne Ausley (D): A new mother, Ausley is considered "a rising star, but she may choose to put family before politics."
• State Sen. Dave Aronberg (D): "He's on everybody's short list" for LG. May also run for Congress or State's Atty in S. Florida. Aronberg founded the Mainstream FL Dems, which recruits Dem candidates in rural counties. He's "already building himself a statewide base."
• Ex-FL Dem Chair/Ex-Tallahassee Mayor Scott Maddox (D): His aborted Gov bid this year reminded people that "he just can't get away from fumbling the ball." "He's done."

And the stars to watch in the future:

• State Rep. Joe Negron (R): Running for AG. If he makes it out of the primary with ex-Rep. Bill McCollum (R), "he'll be on his way."
• State Sen. Pres. Tom Lee (R): Running for CFO in '06. "Could be a real up-and-comer."
• State Rep. Andy Gardiner (R): The House Maj Leader. "He's in the right part of the state to make a real impact."
• State Rep. Dean Cannon (R): A freshman, Cannon is already in line to be Speaker of the State House in 6 years.
• State Rep. Dan Gelber (D): The new House Min Leader and former CoS to Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA), Gelber is "on the escalator."
• Hillsboro Co. Commissioner Kathy Castor (D): "Assuming she puts together a good Congressional effort," she'll have a strong future, though "at this point her campaign is a little sketchy."
• Ex-FL Bank of America Pres. Alex Sink (D): Running for CFO in '06, her husband is '02 Dem GOV nominee Bill McBride. She "may be our best statewide chance this time" because "there's no part of the state where she doesn't have friends."
• Mike Scionti (D): Running for State Rep. in West Tampa. An Iraq war veteran and former prosecutor, Scionti inspires some Dems to get very excited. People are already talking about his future as a statewide candidate.