…and fixating on the sale of the electric system is poor leadership
COMMENTARY
“It is time for city leaders to shift their focus to the issues and challenges that matter most: Keeping Vero Vero, joining with other governing bodies and agencies to help save the Lagoon, and mitigating the impact of All Aboard Florida.”
MARK SCHUMANN
When Mayor Richard Winger, Vice Mayor Jay Kramer and Councilwoman Amelia Graves began pursuing meaningful electric rate reductions earlier this year, Councilwoman Pilar Turner, who is now running for re-election, dismissed their efforts as “just a distraction.”
Turner, along with her virtual running mates, Harry Howle III and Charlie Wilson, seems to believe Vero Beach voters are more interested in waiting years and spending million of dollars on long-shot lawsuits than they are in seeing city leaders make every effort to lower electric rates now. On Nov. 4, we will learn whether Turner, Howle and Wilson are on the wrong side of public opinion.
In the constricted circles of influence and privilege from which Turner, Howle and Wilson receive support, builders and developers are fixated on “liberating the waterfront” for development. Out on main street, though, the “silent majority” of Vero Beach residents are far more interested in preserving a quality of life made possible by a vibrant and healthy city government able to maintain amenities and provide a level of municipal services that, from its founding, has set Vero Beach apart.
Beyond “Keeping Vero Vero” — to borrow a phrase coined by Mayor Richard Winger — Vero Beach voters want to see their city government effectively address the Indian River Lagoon crisis, as well as doing what can be done to mitigate the impacts of All Aboard Florida, which plans to run 18 high speed trains a day through Vero Beach.
Candidates Brian Heady, Jay Kramer, Randy Old and Jack Shupe will join InsideVero associate editor, Milt Thomas, and myself Tuesday evening at the Heritage Center for a two-hour roundtable discussion. Twenty minutes near the end of the evening will be reserved for the candidates to address the proposed power sale and electric rates. The remainder of the discussion will focus on several other pressing issues that seem to matter most to Vero Beach voters.
Candidates Howle, Turner and Wilson declined to respond to several invitations to participate in the roundtable discussion. Anyone who read Wilson’s recent campaign letter, or who received a slick post card supporting Howle and Turner, will understand why these three candidates would want to avoid engaging in a broad-ranging, thoughtful discussion about what Vero Beach’s city government can and should do to preserve quality of life, help save the Lagoon and mitigate the impact of All Aboard Florida.
Wilson, Turner and Howle seem void of constructive ideas for addressing the issues the people of Vero Beach most want resolved.
When the three speak of “forcing the Florida Municipal Power Agency to let Vero Beach out of its contracts,” they make no mention of the fact those contracts have been validated by the Florida Supreme Court.
When the new troika offers their plan to appeal to the Governor and the Florida Legislature to obviate existing contracts, they never reveal the source of their fantastical ideas. My hunch is utility activist and Florida Power & Light apologist Glenn Heran has their ear.
To listen to Wilson, none of the other pressing challenges facing the city can be addresses until the electric utility is sold to FPL. Wilson’s assertion suggests he has worn a deep, deep grove in his one-track mind. Vero Beach voters need not join Wilson in the self-created rut in which he finds himself.
Though Turner does not see it, the truth is the proposed sale of Vero Electric has been the real distraction. It is time for city leaders to shift their focus to the issues and challenges that matter most: Keeping Vero Vero, joining with other governing bodies and agencies to help save the Lagoon, and mitigating the impact of All Aboard Florida.
Candidates Heady, Kramer, Old and Shupe will meet Tuesday evening at the Heritage Center in downtown Vero Beach. The candidates will be available to speak with members of the public from 5 to 6, with their roundtable discussion to follow from 6 to 8.
Indian River Guardian 
All the money that has been wasted on hiring legal “experts” these last few years would have paid the unfunded pension liabilities that the City of Vero Beach owes its former employees.
Mark, I agree with you that fixating on the sale of the electrical system is “poor leadership”. Other signs to consider of poor leadership is that Harry Howle is inconsiderate of anyone on present council and how he badgered some of them at the Press Journals’ endorsement discussions. Howle also believes that the local Crestlawn Cemetery should be sold. He believes most of the city services should be put up for bids, taking jobs away from our local city workers. He believes that we should sell our Water & Sewer System to IR County. He doesn’t believe in the dog park. He goes on record ( his political advertisements with Pilar Turner ) as saying they want to Unite Indian River County to fight to lower electric bills, Force FMPA to let Vero out of their contracts, and Sell Vero electric system to PFL.” What he means is that he is ok with spending more ratepayers money on more attorneys to sue the FMPA, he is ok with joining the lawsuits with Indian River County and Indian River Shores against the City of Vero Beach, and is willing to cut more city jobs and services to the taxpayers by selling off our Historical Cemetery and putting our services up for bid to out of town vendors. What he is saying is that he will not treat the city voters whom appear in front of council with respect ( he may even take up his own form of “eye rolling” ) especially if they make comments against his beliefs or talk on subjects he disagrees with. The post card flyer says to ” call Harry Howle and Pilar Turner and thank them”….for WHAT??? Thank them for voting down the dog park, and Cemetery? Thank Pilar Turner for not appearing at 5 FMPA meetings where she was SUPPOSED to represent the city of Vero Beach? Thank him and Pilar for voting “no” against short term rentals? Maybe objecting to our special attorneys to get public records request from Indian River Shores and IR County? Wonder what she has hiding in those public records?Maybe we should thank them both for trying to convince the ratepayers to pay $26 million to FPL to help them buy our electrical system. Think of how ludicrous that is……why would we, the ratepayers pay FPL $26 million for a system that according to Glenn Heran, Charlie Wilson, and Steve Faherty, and Pilar Turner was suppose to give the City of Vero Beach $90 million dollars according to their models of the original sale. No Mark….what we need is a council that will “represent” the taxpayers, a council that will be civil to each other and to the taxpayers. We don’t need compativeness. What we need is a council that will concentrate on lower electric rates (although Pilar Turner stated that was a ploy, a way to derail the real problem ), we need a council that wants to keep our services intact, preserve our history, mitigate the high speed rail impacts, keeping out height limits where they are, and preserving and saving our lagoon. What we need are all the VOTERS of Vero Beach to realize that FPL is still trying to buy certain council members and her running mates….as taxpayers we really need to let FPL know once and for all that this is “our” city…not IR County, not Indian River Shores, this is the city of Vero Beach and we can not be bought.
Vote Randy Old, Jay Kramer, Jack Shupe on November 4th…save our precious city.