Howle, Turner, Wilson financed by powerful Indian River Shores residents

COMMENTARY

“…if Howle, Turner and Wilson are elected, the Vero Beach City Council might as well hold its meeting in the Indian River Shores Town Hall, because there is where the important decision about the future of Vero Beach will be made.”

MARK SCHUMANN

Borrowing Charlie Wilson’s campaign colors and campaign theme, the Committee to Change Vero Electric sent out another mailer urging Vero Beach voters to elect three candidates the PAC claims will, come hell or hight water, sell Vero Electric.

Their Strategy? Force the Florida Municipal Power Agency to set aside contracts already validated by the Florida Supreme Court.

According to the latest financial reports filed Oct. 3, all of the group’s contributions have come from Indian River Shores residents, including Shores Vice Mayor Gerry Weick.

Vero Beach residents, Dan Stump and Scott Stradley, serve as the PAC’s chairman and treasurer. Stump is a member of Vero Beach’s Finance Commission. Stradley chairs the Utilities Commission.

As a backdrop to all this political activity, the Shores Town Council filed suit to force Vero Beach to abandon electric utility customers and to abandon or remove its utility infrastructure from within the Town. Given the Shores’ legal action against Vero Beach, that Stump and Stradley appear to be collaborating with powerful Shores residents seeking to influence Vero Beach’s municipal election raises questions. Namely, which city do they serve?

In what may well be a coordinated effort, the Indian River County Commission is at the same time working through the Florida Public Service Commission to take Vero Beach out-of-city customers.

According to City Manager Jim O’Connor, the forced partitioning of Vero Electric could cost Vero Beach residents and taxpayers $14 million a year.

The three candidates supported by the Shores-funded PAC, Harry Howle, III, Pilar Turner and Charlie Wilson, have all expressed support for the Shores and the County.  According to their latest financial reports, Howle, Turner and Wilson have received more than half their campaign contributions from outside Vero Beach.  Wilson has received 75 percent of his financial support from outside the city, Howle 54 percent and Turner 52 percent.

That Howle, Turner and Wilson have turned to out-of-city contributors for so much of their campaign money just might give Vero Beach voters pause.  If elected, whose interests will they serve, the people of Vero Beach, or supporters and contributors in the Shores to whom they may feel beholden? In fact, if Howle, Turner and Wilson are elected, the Vero Beach City Council might as well hold its meeting in the Indian River Shores Town Hall, because there is where the important decision about the future of Vero Beach will be made.