Final on Larry Byrnes

In what several of our Club members feel is yet another example of the Republican controlled dirty politics in Florida, Larry Byrnes's suit to have his name listed on the 14th Congressional District ballot for the August primary ended in failure.

You may remember that despite having gathered the 5,400 signatures necessary to have his name listed, the Florida Division of Elections in Tallahassee issued unclear instructions regarding additional requirements, including a loyalty oath, which is clearly a flag-waving reminder of the right wing Republican party of the 60's and beyond.

The judge's decision in his case which was handed down on June 11 smacks of earlier Republican efforts to manipulate the law, including the judiciary, for its own purposes. Larry Byrnes was undoubtedly the stronger candidate of the Democratic Party to oppose Connie Mack III, who is a tool of the developers and other wealthy constituents of our congressional district. Rather than lose an election, the easiest course of action is to deny the stronger candidate the right to run.

We have learned that since this decision was announced Larry has suffered a heart attack and is hospitalized. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope that next time around he will be available to run for this office which has been occupied for too long by a Republican.

The Three J's: Jane, James, and Joe

No, they're not a rap trio! We hit it big at our May 24 meeting with three guest speakers. Jane Kuckel, who is running for re-election to the Lee County School Board in District 3 , is the only Democrat currently on the Board. Jane gave some eye opening statistics about the school system in the County, which contains 12 high schools. There are currently eighty thousand students and the budget for running the schools is over $1.7 billion, which makes the system the largest employer in the County. We are ranked 46th nationally in budget, not in achievement, as is widely believed. There is a 40% mobility of student population meaning that out of 10 who begin school here only 6 will remain to graduate. Sadly the other 4 are more than likely to end up in the prison system or on the welfare rolls. She prefers that voting for the School Board be based on a mix of single district votes and at-large votes.

James Middlebrooks (yes, people, it ends with an "s") who has a long history of involvement in education, is seeking to become the second Democrat to be seated on the School Board. Our biggest problem now are the low teacher salaries in the County, he says. $36,800 is the beginning salary for a teacher and even after receiving a masters degree and ten years of experience the salary rises to only $45,000. Is there any wonder that we have a 50% turnover among our teacher population? As an at-large member of the School Board he promises to investigate problems that exist throughout the system, not just in his District 2.

Joe Rinella, Attorney, was our third speaker. He is running as an uncontested Democrat for House District 74 in the Florida House in Tallahassee. He claims that there are thousands of RINOS (Republicans in name only) who have chosen to register and vote as Republicans because there are rarely qualified Democrats running for office. But now even they are so disgusted with the Republican leadership in Tallahassee that they are more than ready to vote Democratic. He said also that our state policies favor only two classes of people: developers and tourism operators. He will be running against a Republican who is a builder and also a state representative. Enough said?

Though she is not a guest speaker, Sallie Soule, is head of our Club's Charter Revision Committee. She reported on their attendance at a recent hearing in Cape Coral at which the Committee advocated single member district voting as the only way to get Democrats elected to the County Commission and the County School Board. It was a nice tie-in to the remarks of our earlier speakers and ended our meeting as we take a two-month hiatus, certainly not from pursuing our Democratic agenda individually but from our monthly meetings together.

Update on Larry Byrnes

In a report to his supporters today Larry announced that the judge who is handling his suit against the Florida Division of Elections has agreed to expedite his case. He will make his decision on June 11 as to whether or not Larry's name will appear on the ballot as a Democrat on the Primary Ballot in August and the National Ballot in November. Stay tuned!

Blocking Larry Byrnes

How come the specter of Kathryn Harris raises its Republican head as every Florida election approaches? Now it's Larry Byrnes, seeking to unseat Connie Mack III in Florida's 14th Congressional District, who has borne the brunt of Tallahassee's trickery. Mr. Byrnes submitted over 5,400 petition signatures to qualify for placement of his name on the August Primary and November General Election ballots as a Democratic candidate for election to the U.S. Congress'a Congressional District. On April 15, 2008 he received a letter from the Florida Division of Elections indicating that the signatures were certified, but it did not provide any additional forms or state any additional qualification requirements in that letter.

On May 1, 2008, the day before the end of the qualifying period, Byrnes noticed on the Division website that he was still not on the ballot, despite the fact that he qualified by petitions. He phoned the Division and was told that he needed to submit a loyalty oath form from the Division's website, sign it, and have it notarized. He did these things and sent it by overnight courier to the Division.

On May 2, 2008 at 4:50 p.m. Byrnes was notified that the loyalty oath form he submitted was the one for write-in candidates, not for partisan candidates. Therefore, stated the Division, despite submitting 5,400 signatures, Byrnes would not appear on the ballot, either in the August 26 Democratic Primary or the November 4 General Election. Although Byrnes informed them that the choice of form was his error and offered to send the correct form immediately, the Division of Elections rejected his attempt and stated that there was no recourse or appeal.

The Byrnes Campaign has filed suit against the Florida Division of Elections to have his name listed on the ballots of both elections charging that it is using a technicality to thwart the will of the people. Further developments on this issue will be reported here as they occur.

What is your opinion? Is Tallahassee worried about the tide of change that is sweeping the country, where Democratic congressional candidates have defied the odds and won recent elections, so worried, in fact, that they will use any means to bar qualified Democratic candidates from appearing on election ballots? It looks like that to me.

DCSP DIRECTORY CHANGES

We told you that changes to our recently published Directory will be made on our blog as often as necessary, but usually once a month. So here is the first installment and I hope you note these changes in your own copy of the Directory, so that we can keep closer tabs on each other.

Other Leaders Add VAN Database Harriet Reece, 489-1637, Junonia,
harriet4700@embarqmail.com

Ways and Means Delete Harriet Reece

Democratic Court Reps Change Eagles Preserve Eliot Sugarman from Elliot Sugarman

Shell Point Democrats Delete Christy, Ian Michael
Change Fritz, Lucille M. to Larsen Pavilion
Delete Graham, Linda
Change Kaufman, Kurt Dunn to Larsen Pavilion
Delete Lewin, Evelyn L. (Deceased)
Delete Lewis, Verna Aline
Change Maass, Sarajane to 10406 Rosemont Ct.
Change Nelson, Lucille to 8420 Arbor Ct.
Change Richardson, Jean M. to 8313 Arbor Ct.
Delete Stinson, Dana
Delete Temm, Angela M.
Change Vassamillet, Edie & Larry larrynedie@gmail.com

Smart Growth & Developers

Wayne Daltry, Director of Lee County's Smart Growth program, was the featured speaker at our April 26 meeting, but if you thought instead that you were watching a hilarious episode of Saturday Night Live you are not alone. This guy belongs on TV or at least on radio. A native of Lee County, he ran through a laugh-inducing history of the county beginning in the early 1950s when it was still part of the Old South though not the romantic South that we may think of as depicted in Gone With the Wind, but instead the un-romantic South as depicted in Tobacco Road. A time of rural poverty, poor health care, and social injustice did change with the coming of World War II, though Lee County was the least advanced of all the surrounding counties, which meant a little farming, gladiolus fields, and a few tourists. Gradually the officials saw what was occurring around them and decided to try to emulate these nearby efforts to change the county environment. People did arrive from the north, chiefly due to the TV ads by the performer Arthur Godfrey who urged northerners to come on down, buy a parcel of swamp land called a homesite, and stop shoveling snow every winter. They did come down in droves and the county grew 150% by 1960, though services to the population lagged. For instance, 70% of high school students did not graduate. So it dawned on the officials that more services were necessary, more teachers, firemen, police, but how to afford them? The only idea they could think of was to sell even more swamp land to the Yankees. And they did! And still do! The county now is home to 1.5 million people and services still lag.


Smart Growth has as its mission to deal with (a) climate change which requires that homes not be built on the shore line or hurricane surge line, (b) energy and the rising cost of fuel and electricity, (c) national and international debt since debt load forces cuts in dealing with issues like services, (d) globalization which in its good aspect has prevented another major war and created a middle class worldwide, and finally (e) the baby boom from the end of World War II to now. Smart Growth seeks to sustain our sense of community. It requires the efforts of all its citizens. Chief among these efforts is to encourage elected officials, to show them how proud we are of our community and how proud we are of their cooperation. Why? Because now the only people our elected officials see on a daily basis are developers!

Lee County Planner to Speak

The Director of Lee County Smart Growth, Wayne Daltry, will be the featured speaker at our April meeting of the Club. Mr. Daltry has been Director since 2002 and prior to his appointment he was Executive Director of the Regional Planning Council for 20 years. He was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners in 2004, the highest national honor for a planner.

The Smart Growth mission is to shape the future growth of Lee County through a proactive, inclusive community effort that continuously improves the quality of life by reaching a harmonious balance between economic development, environmental sustainability, and community livability to provide a legacy for future generations.

If you are driving to Shell Point drive west on Summerlin Road toward Sanibel. After passing the intersection of Summerlin and McGregor Blvd. stay in the right lane and exit at the next traffic light (Shell Point Boulevard). Proceed past the Comfort Inn and Suites and Golf Course entrances and turn right at the Woodlands guard station. Tell the guard that you are going to a meeting in the Grand Cypress Room in the Commons. He will direct you where to park.