Clearly unaware of or oblivious to the facts, Vice Mayor Tracy Carroll wrote Inside Vero publisher, Mark Schumann, this afternoon, chiding the newspaper for creating a candidate forum scheduling conflict. Schumann replied, “Frankly, I do not appreciate your assertion that we are intentionally holding our event at the same times as the VeroNews.com forum.”
This afternoon, in informing Schumann she was already committed to the island weekly’s forum Carroll wrote, “Why are you having yours at the same time this seems silly to me.”
In truth, the candidate roundtable to be hosted by Inside Vero at the Heritage Center the evening of Oct. 3 was announced more than a day before a reporter for the island weekly began calling candidates late yesterday afternoon to invite them to an event to be held on the barrier island that same evening.
In a follow up email, Carroll blasted Schumann for taking exception to her assertion that Inside Vero created the scheduling conflict. “Mark, I asserted nothing… I have no idea why or who , nor do I care, who planned theirs first and to be frank your email to me is petty and childish. Grow up.”
Candidates Amelia Graves, Warren Winchester and Richard Winger has agreed to join in a round table discussion focused on quality of life issues. Joseph Guffanti will be out of town on Oct. 3, and Brian Heady is considering his options.
“At least two traditional forums are planned at which the candidates will likely debate the sale of Vero Electric. We have chosen to invite the candidates to join in a thoughtful discussion about other matters that will continue to be important to the community well after Vero Beach is out of the electric power business,” said Schumann.
“Beyond the sale of the electric system, voters want to know what each candidates believes is important about the quality of life in the community, and they want to know what the candidate think local government can and should do to preserve quality of life,” Schumann added.
Inside Vero associate editor, Milt Thomas. will participate in moderating the candidate roundtable. The Heritage Center is located at 2140 14th Avenue in downtown Vero Beach.
Indian River Guardian 
It is understandable why Carroll would avoid any legitimate forum and then attempt to shift the blame to the person who created it (denial of the acceptance of any responsibility for her decisions). The strategy of 32963 to shelter their candidate from the mainland riff raff is apparent. Although it would be enlightening and entertaining to see a one-on-one with Carroll and Heady, I imagine the format will be very tightly regulated to protect Carroll from any legitimate questioning regarding her record or usefulness as a council member.
I would like to ask questions to determine Carroll’s actual relationship with FPL as well as some of the motivations behind some of her “projects”. We know, with the short term rental issue, she is willing to sacrifice her constituent’s quality of life to pad her pockets. How does that attitude reflect on her other endeavors. I don’t believe, however, that she will participate in any forum that does not give her the ability to tell anyone who may question her to sit down and shut up (consistent with her council attitude of arrogance and rudeness).
Her behavior is consistent with a cowardly attempt to avoid any venue where a citizen can attempt to hold her accountable . . . and she has good reason to avoid such a situation.
If Vero Beach 32963 endorses Carroll it will be the umpteenth time the newspaper’s editors will have found a way to rise above principle.
About Richard Winger, the island tabloid editorialized, “Winger, who has expressed reservations about the sale to FPL, has generally acquitted himself well in his first term in office, and seems likely to easily win re-election. But were he to join council member Jay Kramer, whose term also is not up until November 2014, in voting to kill the sale, Tracy Carroll or the person filling her seat would wind up as the key third vote on an issue of critical importance.”
As Inside Vero reported earlier this week, according to transactional attorney John Igoe, neither Vero Beach nor FPL has the option to simply “kill” the sale. “There is no ‘opt out’ for $5 million on either side of the Agreement between the City of Vero Beach and FP&L,” wrote transactional attorney John Igoe in response to an inquiry from Inside Vero. “The City cannot vote to pay FP&L $5 million to terminate the Agreement. Each side has the remedy of specific performance, meaning either party could get a court to require the other party to perform its obligations under the Agreement,” Igoe added.
In addressing the Indian River County Commission recently, FPL spokesperson Amy Brunjes, wife of Scripps Treasure Coast Newspaper Papers publisher Bob Brunjes, confirmed that the sale of Vero Electric is all but a done deal. “We expect to complete the sale in late 2014,” Brunjes said.
On August 8, 32963’s editorial page carried the following: “Frankly, we don’t see how Tracy Carroll winds re-election. We backed her for her first run for office in 2009, when she championed getting Vero Beach out of the electric business, and supported her re-election bid in 2011…But she has a variety of other problems of her own making. Like many others, we are troubled by the sight of a Vero elected official in effect thumbing her nose at city employees attempting to enforce a municipal ordinance against rending out a home she owned in a residential neighborhood by the week. Our preference would be to see Carroll announce her intention to retire from the Council at the end of her current term, and make way for a strong electable pro-sale candidate to take her place.”
Whether the sale of Vero Electric can be concluded is a matter now in the hands of third parties such as the Florida Municipal Power Agency, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Florida Public Service Commission. As Igoe has made clear, Vero Beach has a signed, binding contract with FPL. Along a few militant utility activists, the island weekly is seems addicted to confrontation. Though they have prevailed in the public debate over selling the electric system, they seem intent on continuing to fight a battle they have already won.
At the semi-forum held last Thursday evening, the one at which Amelia Graves was not allowed to speak, the candidates were asked if the would put a “YES” or a “NO” sign in their yard, if the referendum were held today. This is like asking someone if they would vote for John Kennedy or Richard Nixon. For heaven’s sake, the election is over. Why can’t those in the pro-sell crowd graciously accept their victory and move on? Their behavior smacks of McCarthyism. Either you see it their way, or you are evil or incapable of making an intelligent decision.
Since the sale of the electric system is out of the hands of the Vero Beach City Council, there must be something else behind the switch in the island tabloid’s tone toward Carroll since their August 8 call for her to step aside. Only time will tell.
Perhaps Petty Heady thinks his only chance of winning this election is to knock out the blond “Hen”. He certainly will not have that opportunity by sitting in on the Round-table Discussion so – if he is thinking that way, my guess is he will say…”six three for me”.
Or he might choose to go the “63” route and do a nicely – nicely with the “Hen” while trying to hitch on to her bandwagon. That’s the beauty of the Petty Heady. You never know which side he will take. Whatever side he takes I suspect he will wear his American Shirt.
Sometimes you can judge a person by the company they keep. Read my article on
Bea-isms called City Council Candidate Forum 9/19.
http://beagardner.com/2013/09/city-council-candidate-forum-919/
The Petty One clearly sat conspicuously at a table with his buds Marc Mucher, Glenn Herran, Charlie Wilson and with the 32963 reporter,Lisa Zahner. Hmmm.
Oh, BTW, whatever happened to the 32963 position when they said that under the circumstances, they would not be able to support Tracy Carroll in this election? Since I do not live on the Island, I do not read the “63” rag on a regular basis but, If someone out there has that link you may post it on Bea-isms or here or both. Just Saying.
Most recent “32963” has a front page story “Mayfield, Negron backed law enabling short-term rentals”. Next year, Florida municipalities are hoping to overturn the State’s law regarding short-term rentals. What I don’t understand is why (according to the article) such short-term vacation lodging providers as Disney would be throwing out money to Mayfield and Negron to protect that State law. I don’t care what the county does, but our municipalities, in my opinion, have the right to protect its neighborhoods. In this article Mrs. Mayfield is quoted as saying, “People should have the right to use their property as they wish”.. Well, I don’t know where she lives but I’ll bet a pig farm right next door would not be what she’d like to have. Nor, I suspect, a noisy night club. My list of people (all levels) I’ll never vote for again is getting longer and longer.
Mayfield’s statement on private property rights is shocking. It is frightening to see that elected officials at her level are capable of thinking in such exceedingly simplistic terms. Taken at her word, Mayfield would do away with all zoning laws.
First, it is not the least bit surprising that Vice Mayor Tracy Carroll would try to shift the blame. This has been her modus operandi as an elected official.
Second, there is nothing shocking about Debbie Mayfield’s statement.. Her whole tenure in the Florida legislature is to go along to get along. It is obvious that she has no interest in doing anything beneficial for the constitutents that she is alleged to represent. Her proposed legislation to remove Common Core Standards is a prime example. She would rather side with the conspiracy theorists than do what is right for the students of Florida.