In a sharp exchange reminiscent of Craig Fletcher’s first term as mayor, he and former councilman Brian Heady squared off Tuesday evening over Fletcher’s having earlier accused Phyllis Frey of “getting personal” in her comments before Council.
“You just might have me thrown out like you’ve done before,” Heady said. Fletcher told Heady he did, in fact, have the authority to have him removed from the meeting. “You should remember that,” Fletcher said.
Outside the council chambers, Frey explained that she had wanted to correct four “misstatements” made by Councilwoman Tracy Carroll during a recent meeting two weeks ago in which the Council voted 4-1 to withdraw from participation in a regional planning effort known as Seven/50. In explaining her vote against leaving the seven-county planning project, Carroll had made a number of comments about Frey and other opponents of Seven/50 seen by Frey and others as “inaccurate and disparaging.”
Frey said that she wanted the record set straight. Because she was referring to statements Carroll had made in a televised, public meeting, it hardly seems that she was “getting personal.” Frey said.
Indian River Guardian 
It seems rather odd that Mayor Fletcher would want someone removed from any meeting where misstatements about the Seven50 regional planning intiative were exchanged. It was Mr. Fletcher himself who made the misstatement that the Seven50 project would make Vero Beach like Miam in another public meeting. Misstatements about the common sense Seven50 project have become the norm in Vero Beach. Discussion of comparable problems with other local government entities facing the same hurdles is nothing more than 21st century thinking.
The Council meetings about the Seven50 project elicited an abundance of misstatements. Both the City Council and the County Commissioners on this issue have all the credibiity of the accusers in the Salem Witch trials.
It was the Council vote itself of 4-1 against the inclusion of Vero Beach in the Seven50 project that was the biggest mistake. Indian River County by participating in the Seven50 project has the potential to retain that charm of a small city while also meeting 21st century challenges. Those opposed to participation have yet to provide a cogent argument against joining our surrounding communities that are dealing with issues in a 21st century manner.. Rumors and innuendo have instead been allowed to obliterate reality.
The baseless attack on Ms. Frey by Tracy Carroll must not go unanswered. Notwithstanding the correct and appropriate 4 to 1 vote to bow out of Seven 50 for its ties to government money and the promised return of our own recycled tax dollars IF we comply with all the “social equity” and myriad other government mandates, there seems to be a “God complex” among certain members of the city council. Using one’s position of authority to malign and defame the character of his/her own citizens and threatening to have someone ejected for simply engaging in proper public discourse, is both condescending and abuse of power, which seems to be epidemic in our “21st century” America.
What is the source of their authority, if not the people who elected them and to whom they have promised representation of their ideas and values? It is despicable behavior and belies a hidden agenda of their own, which is precisely the unfounded accusation Ms. Carroll has leveled against Ms. Frey. I submit to the citizens of Indian River County and the City of Vero Beach, that it is Ms. Carroll who stands to gain from implementing the Seven 50 initiatives.
It should be obvious to anyone who has lived in or visited our unique town/city/county, that we have a vast treasure in unlimited sun and surf, some of the top golf courses in the country, low density housing, pristine shorelines, fishing, hunting, low crime rate, and other blessings that are too numerous to mention. It is a “no-brainer” to recognize that developers and planners to want to capitalize on our wealth, mine our gold and throw us a few nuggets for the favor!
To call Seven 50 anything other than an exercise in socialism, government micro-management and social engineering is false, misleading, and reprehensible. We intend to do everything in our power to take the window dressing off of Seven 50/ICLEI/Regional Planning organizations/PPP (Public/Private/Partnerships)/”Sustainable Communities initiatives”/NGOs and any other nice sounding, misleading titles that enable already bloated and heavy-handed government organizations to implement hundreds of draconian regulations that crush private property rights and private enterprise, the bedrocks of a free society.
I applaud the courage of Ms. Frey to stand up to government bureaucracy and advocate for the citizens of Indian River County. We need more people of courage to take a stand for private property and private enterprise. The insatiable government appetite for “more revenue”, must be reined in until it is answerable to the people, from whom their power is derived. We must drive a stake into the heart of tyranny, in whatever form we encounter it. Long live the Constitutional Republic of the United States of America!
I support Phyllis Frey wholeheartedly. I was shocked at the treatment she received. After a long day of concerned citizens revealing their concerns about the community they love, it was more than obvious that she was uneducated as to the Seven50 plan. She referred to the quick research she conducted on the internet regarding only two sources she found and dismissed them as “only selling books.” She missed the voices of the people, which would have been enlightening. What was of most concern was her admission that she put in the Seven50 Plan through “consensus” in 2010. Others on the Council were not aware of Seven50 or how it became law to start. She made this comment shortly after it was brought to her attention through a quote from Canadian Free Press when they outlined how these programs were taking over in the US through “consensus votes.” Obviously, outside of the democratic process. Citizens deserve to be heard — especially when coming to the rescue of our community and country. Governor Scott saw the UN threat and apparently Ms. Carroll was unaware of our governor’s position to protect our state! It’s extremely simple to find thousands of pages on this topic and how many other communities trying to REMOVE themselves from this nightmare!
There is nothing in the Seven50 agenda that validates the false claim that “its ties to government money and the promised return of our own recycled tax dollars.” Nor is there any mechanism for “social equity” associated with exercising common sense and routinely communicating with others who face similar problems.
All the residents of Indian River County will gain by participating in the Seven50 initiative. Doing so is amplification of Mitt Romney’s theme in the 2012 campaign that government should operate more like a business. All businesses operate within a strategic long-term planning agenda. There is no logical reason why Indian River County should not do likewise.
None of the positive attributes of Indian River County would change by participating in the Seven50 initiative. In fact participation will provide the opportunity to maintain and enhance those very attributes.
The Seven50 agenda has absolutely nothing to do with any potential developer who might want to exploit the unique aspects of the community. Developers have no role in the Seven50 organization. Nor is Indian River County obligated to implement al of the recommendations that are developed after extensive study of the issues by talented people from a diverse variety of Florida counties.
Anyone who makes the assertion that the Seven50 initiative is socialism is only documenting that they know nothing about socialism or the Seven50 project goals and objectives. Therefore, it is essential to go on-line and study their web site at: http://www.Seven50.org.
Since there is nothing negative about that Seven50 goals and objectives, stating that it ‘window dressing” for another agenda only documents a lack of awareness of the real issues.
The Seven50 project has no authority or provision for proposing “dracionian regulations that crush private property rights and private enterprise.” Nor is there any evidence that such a thing exists anywhere in the USA. .
There is nothing courageous about perpetuating false claims. Nor does it take courage to not be willing to apply 21st thinking to issues that impact more than one county in Florida.
There is no evidence that any government has a “insatiable government appetite for more revenue.” It is important to always remember that taxes are the price that we pay to live in a civilized society.
The will of the people is NOT being exercised when a small minority use coercion and intimidation to thwart progress. The governmental process should never allow the false beliefs of a very small minority to destroy the opportunity for essential improvements that could enhance the quality of life for all citizens. This nation has never tolerated such behavior in the past. There is no reason that we should do so now.
There is no tryanny present in the USA today. Making such a claim only validates that the person making such a claim has no factual basis of their view of the issues.
Those who are opposed to the Seven50 project represent a very small minority in the county and in this nation we do not allow small minorities to dictate our course of action. This has never been done in the history of this nation and it should not be done now.
Dear Ms. Lavins, you doing your homework? Read about SF One Bay Plan, hundreds of cities and counties in America fighting to desparately get out of carbon copy plans. Why would our city want anyone from another city, that we don’t know, call the shots for our community — where we all pay taxes. You need to watch Agenda 21 for Dummies on You Tube … as a start. Ignorance is not bliss!
Anyone who” remotely” knows Phyllis Frey knows she is well educated, well prepared, articulate and has a strong following of people who are honest caring citizens. To suggest anything else or that she and others are a minority is flatly a lie. Seven50 continues to argue that getting in bed with HUD AND THE USDOT is a reasonable request with no strings attached is almost laughable. You play on words like 21st Century planning as if the entire community and its council are little ants to be distributed into their rail hubs. The 21st Century planning is for its people not a third party entity. You all site hundreds of cities and counties in America. You do not site the hundreds of cities that have been destroyed and the plethora of regrets. Seven50 keeps smiling, stays focused, is persistent and never gets angry. It also never admits the truth and tries to take down the honest patriots as in Phyllis Frey. Shame on you. As a side note: check out the balance sheets for Seven50 then tell me there is nothing to worry about.