COMMENTARY
MILT THOMAS
Congratulations to John Kistler, new president of the local Taxpayer’s Association. He is a fine gentleman and we wish him well. But there a few issues left over from the previous president that need to be addressed.
First of all, in Kistler’s guest column in the Treasure Coast daily this past Saturday he stated that the Taxpayer’s Association has a 56-year history, to quote him, “…it has been looking out for the residents by providing them with in-depth research and information regarding local government…,” which was true, up until last year. The long-time mission of the TPA was as follows:
1. The objective of the Association is to obtain timely information on matters concerning the properties of its members, particularly matters involving taxes, assessments, improvements and developments in Indian River County.
2. A further objective of the Association is to cooperate with National, State, County and Municipal Governments, and with all public officials, boards and commissions toward mutual understanding between officials and taxpayers on matters of common interest, and to promote efficiency and economy in the operation of public agencies.
Unfortunately, that mission changed a year ago when utility and Tea Party activist, Glenn Heran, changed it to conform more to a Tea Party point of view as follows:
The great mission of The Taxpayers’ Association of Indian River Country is to secure those principles which allow liberty to flourish. Chief among these is limited government (emphasis theirs). The best way to accomplish this mission is to limit government to the efficient delivery of essential government services. This will reduce the tax burden of all citizens. Through member activism, we drive this mission and serve our community. Though adherence to principles designed to limit the size, scope and spending profile of government we build a stronger democratic republic.
Glenn Heran told Inside Vero that he didn’t think the mission changed significantly. However, many long-time members of the TPA dropped out because they felt the new direction did not reflect the long time role of their organization. Apparently, they disagreed with Heran’s assessment.
You can judge for yourself, but shifting from an organization that communicates to taxpayers about how their money is being spent to one who espouses limited government and somehow equates that to allowing liberty to flourish, seems like a major change.
“Limited government” and “essential services” are slippery terms in that their elected “disciples” advocated selling Crestlawn cemetery along with other city-owned properties, eliminating the Vero Beach Police Department dispatchers, pulling out of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council and Seven50 regional planning project, drastically reducing the Recreation Department budget, eliminating lifeguard positions and most famously, selling Vero Electric, apparently at all costs.
The question is whether this new vision for the TPA reflects the wishes of all Indian River County taxpayers or that of a few who stand ready to eliminate the very programs that represent our unique quality of life.
Yes, we need to keep our financial house in order, and the TPA has served as our watchdog for half a century investigating, presenting factual information to taxpayers and at times advocating for or against budget items. If the mission now is simply to slash and burn through government departments to achieve an ill-defined level of “limited government,” providing as-yet undefined “essential services,” is showing a certain contempt for government, as if it is some sort of monolith that must be destroyed so the TPA can “allow liberty to flourish.”
The second issue, which may seem insignificant to some, but is misleading and violates the most basic principles of legal identity. The new Taxpayer’s Association website and business cards both feature the Indian River County seal. That is not the TPA logo. It belongs to the citizens of Indian River County.
It is not there by accident. Misappropriating the county’s legal identity gives the impression that the TPA is a function of county government. It no more represents our county government than if that logo appeared on Piper’s business cards, or Rotary. If the TPA had placed a Disney logo on their website, they would be hearing from Disney attorneys within one day with a cease and desist order.
If Indian River County officials do not see the damage that can occur to its identity by allowing this to continue, it is only because no one has ever tried to misuse the seal before. Apparently, it was done to create the illusion that the TPA represents Indian River County and all its citizens. This is far from the case.
Related to that issue, the TPA refers to itself as “Ombudsman for taxpayers.” That is only possible if the Indian River County Commission authorized the TPA to act as a referee between citizens and their government. That is clearly not the case.
So, for John Kistler, the TPA’s new president, we would like to see his organization return to its roots, informing taxpayers and not advocating an extreme, politically charged points of view. Also, please stop misappropriating county identity for your organization’s benefit and to the detriment of taxpayers and all citizens.
For more information on the history of the Taxpayer’s Association visit our link:
http://insidevero.com/2013/09/16/the-indian-river-county-taxpayers-association-has-a-long-history/
And for more about misuse of the county seal
Indian River Guardian 
Milt, in a comment posted on TCPalm.com yesterday, I put at least two of the questions raise in your your column to Mr. Kistler. What followed was a long back-and-forth with Mark Mucher that ultimately proved to be fruitless. It occurred to me this morning that I might as well have tried to carry on a dialogue with a coconut as to have attempted to elicit specific, thoughtful ideas about how the TPA or the local Tea Party would propose to cut local government services.
You will remember that we published a guest commentary from the current head the Indian River Tea Party that was equally generic and nonspecific. Both the local TPA and the local TP espouse the same platform as national level Tea Party politicians, who are willing to shut the government down, if necessary, to protecting individual liberties from government intrusion.
All of that talk about limiting government to the delivery of essential services is fine, but at some point the organizations who object to the current size of local government need to be specific about what services they want to see reduced or eliminated. Other than urging the Indian River County Commission to refuse to participate in a seven-county regional planning effort, I have yet to hear a TPA or TP spokesperson put forth a single specific suggestion for cutting the size and scope of local government.
It sounds as though the Taxpayers’ Assoc. has provided a good service to us in the past. I don’t understand why Mr. Heran chose to turn it into something beyond its original purpose. We already have a Tea Party group here – don’t need another one. And I plan to complain to County government about the Taxpayers’ group using the County’s logo. That is simply not right. Maybe Mr. Kistler will resolve these issues, and we can rest easy again.
The Taxpayer’s Association is alive and well, growing it’s membership, striving to inform membership of local concerns and in general, pleasing its members. Our leadership is and has been honorable, intelligent and trustworthy.
Glenn Heran has qualities you will never be able emulate.
Where is the honor in constantly attacking and casting stones?
Seeing that the local tea party was a joke to begin with, I can logistically see how this group was able to take over a once-credible watchdog group and turn it into a PAC.
And seeing that Indian River County is a “Republican-laden” community filled with *cough* Republicans, it certainly would make sense that like-minded activists would cobble together not on their own merits (ie:tea party party) but the merits of a “no-longer-existing-but-at-one-time-a-credible-source-of-authority” to have their voice heard.
So now the local “tea party” has a “Cowbird” as it’s mascot.
Nice.