COMMENTARY
“Limited business experience is arguably preferable to failed experience.”
MARK SCHUMANN
After reading Vero Beach 32963 reporter Lisa Zahner’s cruel and largely unsubstantiated attack on Vero Beach City Candidate Amelia Graves, I have taken the time to review Zahner’s earlier reporting on the city and especially on the proposed sale of Vero Electric.
The corpus of Zahner’s work seems to me to reveal a clear and persistant bias against the City and its employees. A cartoon Inside Vero published last week depecting a “gentlemen” drinking from a pitcher of Florida Power & Light Kool-Aid would have been equally accurate, if we had instead pictured Zahner cozening up to FPL External Affairs Manager Amy Brunjes.
Zahner’s biased reporting in favor of Tracy Carroll reads like propaganda coming straight from FPL and their local operatives, including Glenn Heran, head of Citizens for a Better Future. This group is a political action committee funded almost exclusively by FPL. Zahner’s latest attack on Graves suggests she and her editors consider the young, articulate, competent and well-liked fifth-generation native to be a serious contender to the Council’s most combative and in-battled incumbent.
It is almost as if Zahner and her editors are carrying water for FPL. Now I get it. Now I understand why, when I was working with Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers as the editor of the Newsweekly, Bob Brunjes, Amy Brunjes’ husband, encouraged me to consider his wife’s suggestion that I attempt to hire Zahner. What a mistake that would have been. In light of this week’s revelation of the lengths to which Zahner and her editors are willing to go to aid FPL’s candidate, that piece of the puzzle now fits as well.
Perhaps, at this point, it would be helpful to reiterate that I resigned from Scripps after Brunjes instructed me to no longer report on FPL’s effort to acquire Vero Electric.
Perhaps the only valid point made by Zahner, and by whoever penned 32963′s editorial this week, is that Amelia Graves does not have a deep resume. That may be true, but consider the alternative. Zahner made no effort to balance her story by also reporting that Tracy Carroll’s business has tumbled over some serious bumps in the road, including a foreclosure. Limited business experience is arguably preferable to failed experience.
Indian River Guardian 
I thought the most interestesting aspects of the Lisa Zahner hit piece were the details of the employment track record of Amelia Graves and the reporting on the FP&L bills at the Graves personal residence. This same level of scrunity has not been given to any other candidate in the November 2013 COVB election. Aren’t the voters entitled to make a comparison of the track record of other candidates?
I do not consider Amelia to have a thin resume, not when she has been in several courtries feeding the poor and helping to heal the sick. It takes a special person to do that. She knows lots about creating and living within budgets. Mark, you are correct as to why 32963 attacked her so viciously. She is a real threat to Tracy Carroll . Part of Carroll’s re-election problems were self inflicted by her actions and words. Short- term rentals are not popular in Vero, but Mrs Carroll is the number one champion of weekly rents, She practices what she preaches every time she collects these rents. She collects; we put up with the noise, over crowding and decreased property values. This must end .
Since Ms. Zahner has made this an issue, Can we see the payment histories on the Carroll’s rental properties. Have they ever been in arrears? Also, what is the nature of Mrs. Carroll’s succesful small buisness. How about a rundown of Mrs. Carroll’s life history. Any gaps in employment? What is the nature of her family’s buisness?
Its a 9,000 dollar a year, part-time deal, for Gods sake. The city has competent management,
How does job history factor into this. I appreciate a young person with the time to do this stepping forward. Should she have to apologize for comiing from a highly respected and successful local family who afforded her the opportunity to go change the workd just a little?
Mr. Winger will be re=elected. Brian and Buzzy will not br elected. That leaves two candidates.
Mrs. Carroll has been very active in the way the city is run, I’ll give you that. But that is not her job. And that is why employee morale is at an all time low. I beleive that Amelia wants to be a city council person, Not steer the ship.
Restore Civility to the council. Vote for Amelia Graves.
Mark, I remember reading your positions on the sale when you worked for scripps-howard. I felt that you were unbiased and honest.
Zahner’s attack is disgraceful and unworthy of publication. No one deserves to be the target of such vitriol and so many untruths and certainly not a young person seeking simply to serve her community – even if you oppose her election. I would like to believe that we in Vero Beach are above this. .
Mr. Lamson, I completely agree with you. I am shocked that someone like Milton Benjamin, who apparently enjoyed a successful career in journalism, has the 32963 publication as his legacy. I would imagine he would want to end his career on a note of higher quality and of greater integrity. I do believe his publication, though it has had some good articles about other subjects, has been very divisive for our town. I don’t enjoy being a party to tearing people down rather than of building them up.