COMMENTARY
MILT THOMAS
At last week’s City Council meeting, Dan Stump, co-founder of Charlie Wilson’s Vero Beach Chamber of Commerce, announced they will hold a Vero Beach City Council Candidates Town Hall on September 9. Well, that’s a new angle — throw a candidate’s forum for yourself and hope that other candidates will attend. The 32963 candidate forum last fall didn’t attract any candidates (or audience, for the most part) whose views were opposed to their pro-sale-at-any-cost. Expect the same with this one.
After his 15-minute grandstand at the last City Council meeting, he could have announced the forum himself, but having Dan Stump do it separately is a way to avoid appearing to be self-serving. Sorry, Charlie, you are self-serving.
In an effort to enhance the Charlie Chamber’s credibility, Stump added that their new chamber is up to 100 members. A review of that chamber’s website this morning still only shows 71 members, but they will probably say it is in the process of being updated.
So, what is the precedent for a candidate staging a forum when he is one of the candidates? Let’s see, Saddam Hussein? Slobodan Milosevic? Huey Long? Just kidding about the last three. It is consistent though for a candidate who just had two election fraud suits filed against him and has only raised $350 for his campaign. He needs something to jump-start his campaign with the announced goal of being named mayor and it’s against the law to kill off his opposition. Stay tuned.
Indian River Guardian 
We should all go to the Wilson, Turner PEP RALLY .Make sure you bring your pompoms and megaphones. I hope they have an electric light show complete with a lasers. For the finale bring some confetti and garland so we can crown Charlie and Pilar king and queen of Vero Beach.
He’s not only running for City Council but also for the position of mayor? I thought he was running for King. Seriously, he can have his own candidate forum – but it won’t be on our schedule to attend.