COMMENTARY

‘”Interestingly, ‘The Observer’ made no mention of the significant advertising investment FPL made and continues to make in the Press Journal and in the island weekly. In the most recent city election, both publications stridently supported candidates to whom FPL indirectly made significant financial contributions. Somehow, this inconvenient truth went unobserved by ‘The Observer.'”

MARK SCHUMANN

Recently, I was humored to read a blog post by some anonymous writer claiming to be “The Observer.”  Who knows for sure, but the post reeks of the kind of cowardly thing Charlie Wilson might do – perhaps with a little help.

I was most puzzled, though, not by the writer’s lack of courage to use his name, but by the writer’s assertion that one neighborhood organization has single handedly blocked the sale of Vero Electric to Florida Power & Light.

This accusation against the Indian River Neighborhood Association, a community organization which has never taken a position on the sale, along with personal attacks on one of its members, have long been a part of Wilson’s comedy routine.

According to the IRNA’s published statements, the organization endorses candidates with particular consideration for their position on quality of life issues. These are concerns about which Wilson appears to have no sensitivities.

Wilson, the court jester of local politics, frequently performed his comedy routine and leveled his attacks on the IRNA under the lights and before the cameras at city council meetings, as he sought free media exposure and attention in a failed bid for a seat on the council.

“The Observer,” whoever he or she may be, also accused the IRNA of essentially buying stories from InsideVero.com.  In truth, the IRNA bought advertising in our special election editions, which were mailed to every resident within the city limits.  The special print editions were an effective way to reach all potential voters in city elections.

Interestingly, “The Observer” made no mention of the significant advertising investment FPL made and continues to make in the Press Journal and in the island weekly. In the most recent city election, both publications stridently supported candidates to whom FPL indirectly made significant financial contributions. Somehow, this inconvenient truth went unobserved by “The Observer.”

Employing dimwitted illogic, the writer managed little more than to recycle the addlebrained, pointless points made by former city council candidate Harry Howle in a letter he recently submitted to the local daily “newspaper.”

Like Howle, Wilson is a former candidate for the Vero Beach City Council. Both men also share in common a complete misunderstanding of why the sale of Vero Electric has not gone forward.

The simple truth is that at this point even the fine folks at FPL have no ideas for how to offload Vero Beach’s power project support contracts and it’s commitments to buy wholesale power from those same FMPA projects.

No qualified buyer wants a piece on the action, and without a willing buyer there can be no sale. Period!

Editor’s note: A number of years ago, Wilson sent an email to several InsideVero advertisers urging them not to continue doing business with us. Soon thereafter, an unsigned letter repeating word for word the message in Wilson’s email was sent, absent a return address, to other InsideVero advertisers.

The address for “The Observer,” 900 20th Street, is certainly close to the published address for the offices of Wilson’s so-called chamber, which is located at 2001 9th Avenue.