Indian River Shores and Vero Beach set to lock horns in court
“Stradley chairs the City of Vero Beach Utilities Commission and Stump sits on the Finance Commission. Though they serve as volunteers, Stradley and Stump are officials of the City of Vero Beach. Yet, they seem to be enabling Indian River Shores residents and other non-city residents to interfere in a City Council election. That Stradley and Stump are collaborating with an official of a neighboring municipality that has taken legal action against the city, gives one pause.”
NEWS ANALYSIS
MARK SCHUMANN
Indian River Shores Vice Mayor, Gerry Weick, and Shores resident, James King, gave the initial contributions to form the Committee to Change Vero Electric, a political action committee responsible for a post card mailed last week to local Democrats urging them not to support Vero Beach Vice Mayor Jay Kramer in his bid for re-election to the City Council.
According to a report filed with the City Clerk’s office, the PAC funded by Shores residents is supporting Harry Howle, III, Pilar Turner and Charlie Wilson.
In addition to using an altered image of Kramer standing next to Gov. Rick Scott, the mailer attacking Kramer for his loyalty to the Republican Party included the Republican Party logo. The Town of Indian River Shores is suing the City of Vero Beach, seeking to force the City to abandon its customers and utility infrastructure with in the Town, when the current franchise agreement between the two municipalities expires in 2016.
Local attorney Dan Stump and accountant Scott Stradley serve as the PAC’s chairman and treasurer, but the money behind the mailer was contributed by Weick and King. Stradley, Stump, Weick and King are all also registered Republicans, according the the Supervisor of Elections’ Office. Stump, Stradley, and Weick also serve with Kramer on the local Republican Executive Committee.
Stradley chairs the City of Vero Beach Utilities Commission and Stump sits on the Finance Commission. Thought they serve as volunteers, Stradley and Stump are officials of the City of Vero Beach. Yet, hey seem to be enabling Indian River Shores residents and other non-city residents to interfere in a City Council election. That Stradley and Stump are collaborating with an official of a neighboring municipality that has taken legal action against the city, gives one pause.
In addition to contributing to the Committee to Change Vero Electric, Weick has also made donations to the campaigns of Pilar Turner and Charlie Wilson.
Indian River Guardian 
This outside meddling is beginning to get under my skin. Gerry Weick has done a disservice to the governor and Jay Kramer.
I feel sorry for these guys. They must be very lonely because I can’t imagine having friends and business acquaintances who would stoop so low. Jay Kramer is definitely one of the most honest and honorable men I’ve met in my many years.
And these are supposed to be honorable, educated mature men. What are they thinking. Makes you wonder what they did for a living. Indian River Shores residents you must be so, so proud of your leaders.
You would have thought the Republican Executive Committee would have brought this out to their membership at the meeting last week when it happened, especially since Jay Kramer is the State Committeeman for the party and he was definitely attacked but….mum’s the word. It would not surprise me in the least if these three guys who sit on the REC are asked to resign but it will be done so quietly that you will probably never know. The REC should have used them as an example of what the Oath means.
And, the same thing holds true of the City of Vero Beach elected officials. If the REC asks Stradley, Stump and Weick to resign, (better late than never) I would hope that the Vero Beach Council would also tender their resignation from the boards they serve on. It takes a certain amount of courage to get rid of the rotten apples and it needs to be done swiftly. I don’t see the swiftly part happening. Just saying.
First of all you have to be completely out of touch if you think any Democrat would vote for cut-and-slash Turner. I have never seen a layoff of government employees that I did not like Howle. Or turn the electric company over to FP&L Wilson. These two guys are definetly out of touch with the Democrat Party platforms.
I think Howle is out of touch with most Republicans too. Howle has little if any regard for city workers, and Turner wants to get rid of more, if she could. She won’t be cutting road department workers until her roadway is widened. What kind of a city will we have if they got their way. Remember disincorporation is always in the back of some commissioners minds and certain council people. Keep Vero Vero .
What kind of city will you have? There won’t be a City of Vero Beach, not if Howle, Turner and Wilson have their way. This assertion is not exaggeration, or hyperbole. It is the plain truth.
Fortunately of the people of Vero Beach, Tracy Carroll has been reassigned. Craig Fletcher has withdrawn into his shell. Yet, Harry Howle, III, Pilar Turner and Charlie Wilson loom as threats to the future of Vero Beach. Make no mistake about, their loyalties are somewhere else. Just look at their campaign contribution. For all three of them, more than half of their money is coming from outside the city. If elected, how in the world they will take the oath of office with a straight face and a clear conscience?
I am always suspicious when developers give big amounts of money to any candidate. All Wilson , Turner and Howle need is to get a majority on the city council and we will see the a systematic disintegration of the city and the absorption into the hands of the county. Developers are waiting to change Vero. The Turner,Howle ,Wilson plan to sell our Water and sewer is but one step in that direction. The Turner,Howle plan to sell the dog park and develope it is another. The big question is this, Why was Turner and Howle out campaigning with the All Aboard Florida Lobbyist ? You be the judge.
These supposedly great men of IR Shores and their money contributions to our “local” elections are helping the voters of Vero Beach see the real truth about the three ( another Troika ) that are running to ruin the city of Vero Beach. Once again I say…vote accordingly…TOT..Turn Off Turner and her duo of Howle and Wilson. ABC…Anybody But Charlie and the “moon man” Howle…
well. now with an election complaint against Howel to elect either one of them with FDLE investigating Wilson, if the voters choose to elect either one of them, the voters get what they deserve. What happened to the honest people running for election ? What have we come to? What happened to the people that are willing to give their lives for free elections. I am still here, but where is our justice system that doesn’t stand by us any more. The question is whether Ed Arens conducts a thorough investigation of Charlie Wilson and puts him in jail which he has deserved for many years—-we will see. His lies have consequences and maybe this time if the legal system works likes it should, maybe Kay Clem can rest easy that justice has been served.
Only in your world can the truth be considered an attack. I have seen the postcard. What is not true? If it is true, how can it be an attack?
Let’s be clear, the photo was downloaded from InsideVero.com, altered, and used without permission. The Republican Party logo was also used without permission. Most importantly, though, the two men who serve as the chair and treasure of this PAC, Dan Stump and Scott Stradley, as well as one of its two contributors, Indian River Shores Vice Mayor Gerry Weick, are also members of the Republican Executive Committee and have themselves taken the same loyalty oath of which they were critical.
Just as an example, when we reported the fact that Tracy Carroll and Craig Fletcher refused to sign a proclamation for Humanist Recognition Week, and when we reported that Fletcher said he would not support a group that does not confess Jesus Christ as its Lord and Savior, and when we reported that Carroll said Humanists are atheists, you said we were “attacking” Carroll and Fletcher because of their position on the electric sale.
Trust me, Charlie, you would not want the public record reviewed on this point. You have often dismissed factual stories as “attacks.”
Dear Charlie, Thank you for letting us know you don’t know election law. City council is a non-partisan race. Candidates are not allowed to announce their party affiliation.–only in Charlie Wilson’s world………I challenge you to a psych eval, you probably should hesitate in saying yes.
And remember folks, this is the same Charlie Wilson who will be running a few more campaigns in the county and making money doing so with his Media Arts company that has been put aside for now in order not to call it inactive. Surely Wilson is joking and it is obvious he is trying to cover for his few supporters who will continue to be loyal to him till the end. And, for the sake of the community I hope the end for Charlie Wilson in politics is near.