Response from Vero Beach Truth Squad:


Both are true!
 A member of the board immediately gave a report and a copy of CW’s handout to Inside Vero. And no one will admit it.
Mucher says he resigned because he won’t be part of an organization that won’t stand up to the lies that you (Schumann) tell at every opportunity about the Taxpayers’ Association.

He says you lump them together with the Tea Party like they are one and the same while they have nothing organizationally in common and that you made up the “fact” that they are both in favor of dissolution of the City of Vero while, in fact, neither organization has ever even suggested that.
If you have proof that they have, we would love to see it. Otherwise, it is an outright lie.

Original Fact Check Requests:

Two additional fact check requests were submitted this evening:

Did InsideVero.com accurately report that Charlie Wilson made a presentation to the board of directors of the Taxpayers Association of Indian River County proposing the group establish a Truth Squad?

As of today, Mark Mucher is not listed as a member of the Board of Directors of the Taxpayers Association of Indian River County.  Did InsideVero.com accurately report that Mucher had a falling out with the board over what measure, if any, to take after InsideVero.com reported on Wilson’s presentation?



Observations on “Truth Squad” rant about “outright” lies

MARK SCHUMANN

What they (the Taxpayers Association and Tea Party) advocate are policies that are sure to lead to the desolation of the city as an independent municipality.

For example, Glenn Heran, the president of the Taxpayers Association, is working hard to aid the County in its effort to wrest from the City 3,000 water and sewer customers on the south barrier island. Because the city has agreed to match county rates for these customers, there is no economic benefit to switching providers.

And yet, if the County is going to take over service to that area, the move will require a public investment is the millions if not tens of millions. Funding the County’s hostile takeover of the south barrier island is a waste of taxpayer/ratepayer dollars. Notice that there is objection from the Taxpayers Association, though.

Inside Vero will be publishing an extensive story on the Taxpayers Association in our mid September issue. We have interviewed former members of the Association who believe it’s mission has morphed with that of the Tea Party, with a focus on “limited” government, not on efficient government.
  Board member Alice Johnson said as much when she appeared before the City Council last week. She asserted the Taxpayers Association stands for efficient government that is “as small as possible.”

There was a day with the Taxpayers Association supported the objective of staffing the Vero Beach Police Department so that it could maintain response times of no more than two minutes. That level of service is certainly no longer a priority of the Taxpayers Association.

There is obviously a degree of cross pollination between the two groups. And so I would again suggest that if they are as interested in “efficacy” as they claim to be, then they might consider merging.

A Councilman Once Removed

By the way, has anyone noticed the photo Charlie Wilson uses on his Facebook page?  It is a picture of him standing at the dais in front of the seal of the City of Vero Beach.  You would think the “Truth Squad” would call Wilson to task for using this photo without including a disclaimer that after just one month he was removed from office by court order over residency requirements.