COMMENTARY
MARK SCHUMANN
At the invitation of radio host Bob Soos, Charlie Wilson, the self-described “Professor of Political Baloney” was back on WTTB Tuesday spinning, twisting and contorting the truth. Almost weekly now, Wilson manages to mislead listeners who had come to expect better from a radio station with a proud tradition of responsible broadcast journalism.
This week, Wilson also proposed to the Taxpayers Association that the once proud and purposeful organization should form a “Truth Squad” to counter the “yellow journalism” practiced by InsideVero.com.
Nothing could be more oxymoronic than for Wilson to have anything to do with a “truth squad.”
On Dr. Soos’ show, Wilson said, “They question whether Pilar Turner took insurance. Well, yes, she did. So did a number of other people because it was offered to them, just like any other benefit. They neglected to say that so did Lynne Larkin, Tom White, Ken Daige, Caroline Gynn and a number of other people who are all opposed to the sale.”
For starters, it is Councilwoman Turner who has argued the city must trim its “overly generous” employee benefits. The question is not which Council remembers accepted the option of City health insurance coverage over the years. The question is, “Which Council members have insisted on keeping this benefit while at the same time pushing for steep cuts in staffing and services, and while telling city employees they must go a sixth year without pay raises?”
The answer to that question is simple: Pilar Turner and Craig Fletcher. These two Council members, along with Charlie Wilson, have no sense of fairness, and no concern for or appreciation of the hard work and dedication of men and women who just happen to be public employees.
In his “Truth Squad” presentation to the Taxpayers Association, Wilson wrote, “Articles written by Mark Schumann and several contributing writers (Milt Thomas) have expressed positions in opposition to the principles of the Indian River Taxpayers Association including advocating larger government, increased numbers of public employees, across the board raises for public employees, and opposition to the sale of Vero Electric resulting in higher rates.”
Wilson is simply wrong – again.
First, he seems incapable of comprehending the difference between maintaining existing services, as opposed to enlarging government.
To suggest it would be unwise for the city to layoff its animal control officer, or to cut back on lifeguard coverage, or to layoff public works employees who keep the city looking beautiful is not to “advocate for larger government.”
About these and other proposed cuts, Mayor Craig Fletcher himself said, “It seems like they are trying to run the City into the ground.”
We have pointed out that the “temporary” 4.6 percent pay cuts for city employees making more than $70,000 proved unnecessary to balance the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 budgets. With property value rising and the economy improving, it is time to reverse what were supposedly temporary pay cuts. If that is counter to the principles of the Indian River Taxpayers Association, then the members of that organization should be ashamed of themselves.
InsideVero.com has and will continue to report on the astronomical costs of letting FPL lead the city’s transactional attorneys around by a ring nose, as they chase down one dead end after another. If Wilson chooses to characterize these revelations as “opposition” to the sale of Vero Electric, so be it.
The fact remains that every month of delay is costing the customers of Vero Electric $2 million dollars. In now appears a sale of the full system will be virtually impossible before late 2016. In the mean time, the city could be pursuing a two-step sale, or a partial sale. Either of these options would set the 22,000 county customers free much sooner than late 2016.
Wilson summed up his time with Dr. Soos by accusing InsideVero.com of being “an organized fraud.” Now, fraud is a word Wilson may know something about, but that is a story for another day.
Indian River Guardian 
Keep up the good work Mark, sounds like this publication is just what we need to make people actually think for themselves for a change!
My Oh My – How the Taxpayers Association of Indian River County, (TPA), has changed since I served on it’s Board of Directors. I served for over five years on the Board of the TPA and at that time we prided ourselves on the fact that we were not a political organization…..We had members who became watchdogs for all governing bodies that dealt with taxpayer dollars such as the County Commission and the Hospital Board to name a few. These members reported to the TPA board at our monthly meetings in order to keep us all in the loop. I remember my dear belated friend, Jim Granse,, was the taxpayers representative to the county commission and as I recall, Mark Mucher’s area of expertise was the hospital board.
Because the TPA dealt with these kinds of entities that dealt in budgets the TPA bylaws stated that the board was not allowed to endorse candidates. I’m sure former Sheriff Roy Raymond will remember how the TPA inserted themselves into looking into his budget. Oh how well I remember those days….when the TPA meant something other than just being an FPL advocate.
Glenn Heran and his minions that are now in charge of the TPA sure have changed it’s flavor.
I don’t think it would matter if Charlie Wilson’s request for a Truth Squad were to take place or not because near as I can tell, most of the current batch of TPA board member’s would not know the “Truth” if it hit them in the eye.
Thank you Charlie for the free advertising or Inside Vero. Keep up the good work. You are sending them more and more readers.
Please Glenn and Charlie let us know if you are really city residents and taxpayers. You could bring in a copy of your latest electric bills that way we would at least know you are a Vero electric customer.