COMMENTARY
MARK SCHUMANN
Presiding over last Tuesday’s City Council meeting, it didn’t take Vice Mayor Tracy Carroll long to threaten a member of the public with removal from the Council chambers.
“Sir, I am standing in as the Mayor today,” Carroll reminded Joseph Guffanti, after he objected to her interrupting his comments.
Carroll, who just about goes ballistic when she is interrupted, seemed to think her position as “mayor for the moment” gave her the right to interrupt Guffanti.
“Sir, if you would like to be out of order, it’s your choice,” Carroll added.
Then, “Officer, would you please make sure he (Guffanti) doesn’t get out of order.”
Guffanti, who filed yesterday to run for one of two open seats on the City Council, stood at the podium clearly amazed, if not dazed. “Unbelievable,” he said.
The tiff began when Carroll corrected Guffanti, who said animal control officer Bruce Dangerfield had been let go and then rehired. In fact, with Carroll in the majority, the Council voted to remove Dangerfield’s position from the 2013/2014 budget, but then reversed it’s decision at a later meeting.
Guffanti later explained that he was trying to point to the toll erratic personnel decisions have on the city’s staff.
At best, Carroll, who made it clear she was “standing in as Mayor,” was drawing a distinction without a difference when she interrupted Guffanti.
Earlier in the meeting, when Linda Hillman reported on her recall petition effort, Carroll insisted Hillman’s comments not be personal in nature.
After Hillman spoke, though, Carroll let Charlie Wilson go on for some six minutes criticizing one person after another, whom he described as “name callers, and mud throwers,” among other choice phrases. Ironically, by the time he was done with his six minutes on television, Wilson was up to his ears in mud, which did not seem to trouble Carroll in the least.
Unlike other citizens who state their residential address when they speak before the Council, Wilson again gave a post office box, because, he said, he does not want “some of these people” to know where he lives. It is probably more likely that Wilson does not want anyone to know where he lives.
It was a busy Tuesday for Wilson, who went from slinging mud in the Council chambers to the County Commission meeting, where he was chastised by County Commissioner Bob Solari and told to stop lying on the Bob Soos radio show. Wilson is a regular on Soos’ Tuesday morning program, where he is given 12 free minutes to act like Karl Rove’s “Mini-Me.”
Apparently forgetting he had previously instructed that all correspondence go through his attorney, Wilson sent an email on August 7 “alerting” me that he would be performing before the County Commission on the 20th. “Sorry. I forgot. Correspondence should be directed to mr Vocelle,” Wilson wrote in concluding our dialogue.
Indian River Guardian 
Not surprised. Carroll comes across as entitled, and seems happy for that perception. The title “Mayor” in this city is mainly to identify a figurehead, and it is, at most, to designate a signatory. Most councilmembers don’t know the charter and feel that the title “Mayor” elevates one councilmember over the others. Not so. So predictable that she quickly identified herself as Mayor pro tem.
Buzzy clearly had Ms. Carroll’s number and was quite effective in pushing the right buttons to reveal her true colors. He had the upper hand in spite of her rude intolerance of any opinion that differs with hers.
If I were a city voter, he would get my vote over her without a stutter. I will urge my numerous family members who reside in the city to vote the Guffanti/Winger tag team.
I don’t know if the tv-viewing audience (all 12 of them) heard the gasps from the small group of us attending the meeting (everyone was over at the County meeting pretty much). Fortunately, I don’t think anyone heard the word that escaped me when Mrs. Carroll attempted to push Mr. Guffanti around – verbally. (smile) Am so glad to have seen this show. Am advising everyone to check out the video of that meeting for a glimpse into the character of the Vice Mayor. Mr. Guffanti has my respect – not quite sure yet about my vote. But he’s earned an extra look.
Thanks, Cathy.
Lets look at each candidate on his own.
When I saw the interaction between Mrs. Carroll & Mr. Guffanti it reminded me of a saying I often use…”Please forgive me for speaking while you are interrupting.” Decorum is lacking at COVB council meetings.
Did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?
Poor Charlie Wilson must be feeling the pressure. He doesn’t like to be called names, but he certainly does a lot of name calling himself.
Tracy Carroll is out of control; she too must be feeling pressure. A few bad days over her short term rentals. She now has finally been exposed as a charlatan when it comes to city ordinances. Her mayor for a moment really went to her head with her threat to Mr Guffanti, who did not back down . Also remember she was the only one to vote against continuing any further discourse on ways to improve the aesthetics of various locations around the city. Worst of all ,it looks like 32963 has begun to scrutinize her more closely. Could there be trouble ahead for her candidacy and her short term rentals ? Finally, Charlie you are giving yourself too much importance with your mysterious refusal to state where you live . What are you really hiding?
Charlie Wilson did not really have an address to give until later that afternoon when he was going to close on his new piece of property. I guess we will have to wade through 12 hours of video to hear what he had to say on this matter, however, he did say he was leaving early to close on the property. Question: Does a post office box number pose as an address in order to establish residency? Hmmm.
Buzzy Guffanti would be a great addition to the VB City Council. I have known him for years. He would get my vote!
It’s Saturday morning and the 8/20 meeting video is not online yet. I suppose that’s normal – but several people have expressed interest in seeing it – including my hubby who was out of town Tuesday morning. And, frankly, if we wanted to find out where Charlie Wilson lived, it wouldn’t be that difficult. The real issue is why is he (and a few others) allowed to omit this information when they get up to comment? How about we all just plead the 5th Amendment when we step up to the podium from now on. My name is _______ and I refuse to answer the question of where I live on the grounds it may incriminate me.
I can get the afternoon portion of the meeting but not the morning part of the VBCC meeting. of 8/20. Isn’t that a little odd?
Remember that Judge Kanarek ruled that Wilson was not a City resident when he ran for City Council. He simply used an address that was not his homestead.
As a prosecutor, would you kindly opine as to any law Charlie Wilson may have broken when he fraudulently ran for City Council and used a City address which was not his residence (Wilson, in fact, homesteaded in the county)?
There was enough ambiguity in the city’s candidate residential requirements to create a need for a judicial interpretation. If there is an ambiguity it will work against the party trying to enforce it, especially in a criminal context,
In my opinion, the crime most applicable would be: Florida Statute 837.06.
False official statements.—Whoever knowingly makes a false statement in writing with the intent to mislead a public servant in the performance of his or her official duty shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
In an elections context, a case could be initiated by filing the form at the website provided below:
Click to access dsde34.pdf
Even if there were not a statute of limitations issue, I don’t believe a criminal case would succeed based upon the multiple interpretations of the city code on that issue which it took Judge Kanarek to resolve. The city code has since been modified toward specificity, at least to my limited understanding.
Just to clarify, I retired as a state prosecutor a few months ago after 25 years so anything I write should not be considered as anything other than my own personal opinion.
Thank you, Mr. Taylor, for taking the time to provide a very cogent response. I finally have an answer to a question that has been on my mind since the hearing.
Congratulations on your retirement. Enjoy.