COMMENTARY

ED TAYLOR

The key issue in the upcoming Vero Beach City Council election will not be on the ballot. It will appear to the voter that he or she is selecting two people to sit on the council but it is bigger than that. This year we get to decide whether or not we want a corporate sponsored representative making decisions for the City of Vero Beach. This election is about corporate sponsorship and corporate loyalty that exceeds any duty a candidate might have to the people of Vero Beach.

The political action committee, Citizens for a Better Future, created by FPL promoter Glenn Heran appears to have the sole purpose of funneling money from FPL donations into advertisements to benefit the Tracy Carroll campaign.  This opinion is based upon numbers from the most recent expenditure and donation filing of October 11.  At one time, candidates would not accept contributions from a party with business before or with the council.  It was called a “conflict of interest” and created an appearance of impropriety Florida Power and Light (FPL) is trying to buy the city council. They have made that obvious with their words, actions and spending. This should be a real cause for concern because all five of the candidates are in favor of selling the Vero Beach electric plant to the utility giant. To me, this indicates that FPL is waiting for a second shoe to drop, of which the good people of Vero Beach are unaware, that could possibly be detrimental to the city and diminish the desire to complete the sale at any cost (remember the contract states that all costs associated with existing contracts, such as the agreement with Florida Municipal Power Agency, are the responsibility of the city).

Why is there such a sense of urgency bordering on desperation pushing FPL’s attempt to buy a seat on the council? What is going to happen that they seem to know that causes such panic and apprehension? Why are they so concerned that they have asked each candidate to sign a pledge that puts the interests of FPL over the proper and best representation of the citizens of our community?  The pledge demands unconditional support for FPL now and in the future.  With a signed sale contract and the issue being beyond the authority of the city council at this point, why is FPL making such a concerted effort to influence this election (if they are successful, they might have to buy two next year)?

Candidate and incumbent Tracy Carroll has signed this pledge. The other four candidates did not. She has made a written commitment to support FPL on the city council over the best interests of Vero Beach if necessary. It is incumbent for the future of our city that we do not allow a person with her appearance of divided and multiple loyalties to continue to sit as a representative of our city.  Our city government should not be for sale.

More about Ms. Carroll later; let’s talk about the other candidates. Dick Winger will get more votes than any other candidate. He will easily be re-elected and rightfully so. He gives an air of dignity and professionalism to the council and wisely voted “nay” on a contract he had not read back in February. Three council members chose to vote for the binding sale contract anyway, read or not. Mr. Winger deserves re-election.

Brian Heady and Joseph Guffanti will not get elected. A vote for either is a protest vote and will do nothing to benefit the city. Both serve the city well as students and critics of the council; we need and appreciate them in that role. However, Mr. Heady’s one term on the council was a disaster. He filed numerous lawsuits against the city costing untold thousands of dollars in legal fees with each suit being summarily dismissed by the courts as frivolous. His argumentative nature works well when confronting the council but not so well when he is part of it. His Wikipedia definition of the legal term “estoppel” was simply outrageous during the council’s attempt to fire then city attorney Charles Vitunac and is a perfect example that, at times, he just does not know what he is doing.

Mr. Guffanti, a.k.a. “Buzzy”, is also well positioned as a critic of the council. He admittedly does not know the details of city government and is honest enough to say it. Having seen and heard him at various forums prior to the election, Mr. Guffanti has earned my respect as a person but not as a potential member of the city council.

The election boils down to two candidates, Tracy Carroll and Amelia Graves. Tracy Carroll has indicated that she will support FPL no matter what.  Her devotion to an entity other than the people of Vero Beach alone makes her unworthy to be a member of the council. Her campaign signs are misleading at best. She states that she is fighting for lower electric bills. What she doesn’t say is that she voted five times as a member of the council to increase those same electric bills to city utility consumers. Calling her campaign signs misleading is an understatement.

Her demeanor, her tone of condescension, her willingness to give the appearance of a corporate shill, her advocacy of short-term rentals and garish advertising on public property, her willingness to give away valuable city land (a park no less) to a private club of her choosing (and I could go on with examples of her inability to govern) prominently display that her loyalties lie with herself and her major campaign contributor. Her outright rudeness to earnest citizens with legitimate questions along with the mocking and arrogant manner she displays when someone asks a question she doesn’t like (or know the answer to) is a clear demonstration of her inability to behave in a civil fashion. Ms. Carroll gives public service a bad name by turning an opportunity to serve the public into a mere opportunity to serve herself.

Amelia Graves is young, energetic, honest, well educated and portrays a legitimate love for Vero Beach. These are attributes not recognizable in Ms. Carroll. The only drawback to Ms. Grave’s candidacy, is her lack of experience due to her young age. This, however, is preferable to the type of service we have received from the incumbent Ms. Carroll. This is a vote for the future of our city. Unlike her opponent, Ms. Graves has shown herself to be a person of intelligence, unselfishness, honesty and character. She is a breath of fresh air in a room that stinks. Her integrity and loyalty to the city make her the obvious choice over the questionable division of loyalties shown by her opponent.

There is an old quote, and I don’t know who said it, that states; “youth and enthusiasm will never defeat old age and treachery”. I did a search for that quote so that I could attribute it properly. When I found it after a Google search the author was not cited. However, adjacent to the quote was an advertisement for Tracy Carroll sponsored by the political action committee funded by FPL. What more do I need to say? (Well, I could add that the next commercial in rotation was for a three ply toilet tissue and say “Strike three . . .you’re out!”).

This election is crucial to life in Vero Beach as we have known it; me for the past 55 years. Voter apathy, as demonstrated in prior municipal odd year elections, could result in keeping a person on the council whose loyalty is compromised as demonstrated by her own actions and words.

As a voter, it is your responsibility to make sure that doesn’t happen.  Sure we all want lower electric rates and we voted to sell the electric system to FPL.  Now they want our soul.