By Bill Stone
PoHo correspondent

As towns, cities and municipalities scramble to cut budgets, St. Petersburg continues to spend unnecessarily. For example, former Police Chief Goliath Davis makes more than $152,000 per year (just a few years ago the post paid $118,000) in his position as “Deputy Mayor of Midtown Economic Development” and continues to drive a car provided for by the city just as he did when he served as police chief.

This arrangement is troubling for several reasons. Why is Davis the only deputy mayor (there are four … and since we’re on the subject, WHY does the city require four deputy mayors?) provided a vehicle paid for by the city, and why are his auto expenses (gas, across the state and out of state expenses and more) funneled and invoiced through the police department and paid for by funds earmarked for undercover police work? Especially since First Deputy Mayor Tish Elston is on record saying Davis’ use of the vehicle has nothing to do with police functions.

Davis is the city’s top liaison to the African-American community, but his tenure has been marked by a very quiet dissent from some civic leaders who question his role and effectiveness. One mayoral candidate, Scott Wagman, has even said he likely wouldn’t keep Davis in his job, calling it a luxury the city likely can’t afford.

I inquired as to the timing of Davis’ employment since it appears he held two city positions for at least several months in 2001, a violation of city rules. According to St. Petersburg’s Personnel Management Rules and Regulations, “No City employee may engage in or have employment involving more than one full-time position of St. Petersburg.” The rules also provide that all possessions including books, records, uniforms, keys and other items should be returned to the city before departing from a position. So why did Davis not return the vehicle after his stint as chief ended?

City Clerk Cathy Davis forwarded my inquiry to Director of Human Resources Gary Cornwell. Cornwell responded with the following statement: “Davis retired as Chief of Police in October of 2001, was separated from employment, and then was re-employed as the Deputy Mayor. As such he never held more than one position at any time.”

In contrast, an inter-office memorandum from Mayor Rick Baker to City Council dated April 19, 2001, provides that Davis would begin work as deputy mayor for Midtown Economic Development on April 23, 2001 while the mayor searched for a police chief slated to assume the position later that year. Davis appears to have fulfilled dual roles, that of deputy mayor and that of chief of police, until Chuck Harmon was appointed in December of that year.

Baker and Cornwell can’t both be right. Who’s blowing smoke here?

In response to the inquiry regarding Davis’ alleged dual employment with the city, the city forwarded an e-mail citing a 1993 ruling from then Attorney General Bob Butterworth. Butterworth’s ruling addresses dual office-holding by city employees and specifically focuses on the city of Apopka regarding the merged duties of the fire chief with those of the community development director and those of the assistant city administrator with the city finance director. Nevertheless, in his sum of the ruling, Butterworth wrote, “The positions of fire chief of the city of Apopka and community development director are not legally incompatible and may be merged into one position by appropriate legislative action by the city.”

Fine. Where is St. Petersburg’s legislative action addressing such?

It’s time for a regime change, and when we meet the new boss, he/she should not be the same as the old boss.

Cross-posted from The Farm Report

I noticed it 30 years ago, when I began teaching. In my history class, students seemed to have little interest in the cast of characters until photography came along. Pictures changed the way we looked at history. We were never as interested in George Washington as were in Abraham Lincoln. It was because of those portraits of Lincoln, where we could look into his haunted eyes.

You can’t hide from pictures. The horrific video of a young woman, Neda Agha-Soltan, bleeding out on a Tehran street not only makes the political upheaval in Iran more tangible, it also shows the power of new media. We don’t turn to television, toward any immaculately dressed network news anchor, to see these images. We click on YouTube and get handheld cell phone video from a helpless bystander.

The photographer was a doctor, not a journalist. But the new media have changed the way we regard journalism and changed the very nature of the game. That journalists are bitching about this is somewhat hypocritical. Journalists have always bowed and scraped before the gods of competition. We believe that competitive journalism is better journalism. And as newspapers folded or were gobbled up by chains, we lamented at the cost of competition. If you wanted to create a competitor in a one-newspaper town, you were out of luck unless you have a couple billion for start-up cash.

Now all it takes is a kid with a keyboard or a bystander with a cell phone. The citizen journalist is all around us. It’s taken us back to the days of colonial journalism in America when a kid with a printing press could make a difference. So why should we – i.e., journalists – bitch about this?

Because we can. As Morley Safer said this week, “I would trust a citizen journalist as much as I would trust a citizen surgeon.” Agreed, big guy.

There are still a number of questions to be raised about how new media have democratized journalism. I go into detail about this in my new piece for The Florida Engineer. In the piece, I chat with Tom Wolfe about his concerns about how new media and all of our cool new time-saving toys are eating all of the precious hours from our too-brief lives on this planet.

But if we raise issues about any of this, we’re put down as Luddite assholes for even asking questions. (Odd … that would seem to make them the small-minded ones.)

Certainly, information posted on The New York Times website carries with it the credibility of that magnificent franchise. Maybe JoeBobsDailyNews.com can’t complete with that. (Don’t Google that. To the best of my knowledge, there is no JoeBobsDailyNews.com.)

The arrogance of now – whatever generation sits in the throne room – is that what we have achieved is it. But we need to see that we are always in transition. The over-used buzz phrase on campuses these days is that “change is the only constant.” Like all clichés, it suffers from truth.

Newspapers and news organizations are evolving. The public now has tools to rival a reporter’s toys. We’re coming together and something new is emerging. It’s fun to watch and it’s scary. We teeter on the precipice of trivialization. If you don’t believe me, ponder the media attention this week given to Perez Hilton’s face cut and resulting rant.

Yet on the other side of the precipice is a new world order of information sharing. It continues to make this — despite the media saturation of “Jon and Kate Plus 8” — a fascinating time to be a media watcher.

Sometimes, my friends in the newspaper business tell me they’re baffled that our journalism enrollments are through the roof at the University of Florida. We are more than 100 students above our enrollment cap in journalism. Despite bad news in the news business, students still  line up to petition to get into our program.

“Don’t they read newspapers?” my friends ask. “Don’t they realize what’s happening to our business?”

Of course they do. But I have some good news.  The best of today’s students still have the same convictions about public service and the people’s right to know as any newspaper journalist. They are committed to strong and accurate storytelling.

They’re just not so sure that these functions require newsprint.

I tell my friends that today’s journalism students have “faith in the function, if not the form” of journalism. No matter how it’s delivered, there will always be a demand for news and information.

No, you don’t. And that’s exactly what Kevin Beckner’s campaign manager, Mitch Kates, predicted. He’s currently slightly ahead of incumbent Brian Blair, who has yet to concede as early votes are still being counted.

Check out Kates’ prescient concerns from this video, shot at 10:30 p.m. on Election Night at Gaspar’s Grotto in Ybor City:

From Chris Ingram, a former Capitol Hill staffer and Republican consultant in Tampa:

Get Ready for Obamalism
I want to puke, but at least HRC isn’t the president-elect.

My friends, George W. Bush has left our Republican Party in disarray. Make no mistake, John McCain ran a lousy campaign, but McCain could have run a lousy campaign and won had it not been for the pathetic eight years of the Bush presidency. Bush I believe will go down in modern history as our worst president — even worse than Carter.

Despite being outspent by hundreds of millions of dollars, and taking bad advice by a bunch of (Bush) people who never had his interest at heart, John McCain’s numbers on Election Night were actually respectable. Had George W. Bush been on the ballot for re-election to a third term, I’m not sure he would have even carried Texas. McCain for his part put up a good fight and managed to win enough states to show this wasn’t a clear mandate on Obamalism. But in the long run, McCain was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or as my friend and noted political scientist Darryl Paulson likes to say, George W. Bush defeated John McCain not once, but twice.

So where do we go from here? I can tell you one thing, as sick as I am that Barack Obama (a man with no experience leading anything other than a bunch of little old ladies as a community organizer), is our next president, I am thankful every time I get ready to puke about that fact, that it is not Hillary “Rob’em” Clinton who is our president-elect. Yeah, Obama sucks. He’s a socialist. He cavorts with terrorists. He has no spine. He’s untested. He has no record. But he’s not a Clinton.

And for that, I am thankful.

The Democrats will do their damage to our country, and it will take a few years to fix things. We’ll survive. And something good may come of all this. Perhaps our (GOP) faithful will wake up and smell the coffee and quit defending the losers in our party that have created the mess we’re in. The same people many in our party see fit to want to protect instead of forsaking for no other reason than “they’re our morons/losers.”

To all my Republican friends I challenge you: let’s quit electing people because they have an “R” after their name. Let’s start electing people because we believe that “R” represents “responsible,” “conservative,” “leader,” “freedom,” “entrepreneurial,” and all the other things our party stood for when Ronald Reagan was president.

Justin York Florida Students for McCain on Facebook:

My friends,

I know this will be a rough day for many of us. I know for many of us it will be a day of rest as well. But for all us, it is a day of historic significance.

We can be proud to have supported an extraordinary American hero in John McCain. His call of service to a cause greater than our self-interest has been the cause of our organization, our party and ourselves for the past seven months. I thank all who came out, made phone calls, walked door-to-door, manned the offices across Florida, and worked your hearts out for the campaign and for this great man. You will always hold a special place of honor in my eyes.

Issues and parties aside, we can be enormously proud as Americans. The election the first African-American president is the culmination of a long journey from slavery to abolition; from segregation to civil rights. And now, an African-American will lead this nation during these challenging times.

Today is not a day to point to the flaws of Barack Obama. Today is a day of national unity. Today we can celebrate the successful practice of democracy and renew our shared dedication to self-government.

For too long, opposition partisans railed against our president. We challenged them and called them out on their irrational disdain for George W. Bush. We cannot fall into the same trap: no matter what happens, we must earnestly wish for the success of the new president. His success is intertwined with that of our country.

There will be many times we oppose President-elect Obama, but for now, let’s embrace a patriotic grace and wish him well.

I encourage you all to pray with me for the safety and success of the new president.

Thank you, and God bless you all.

Justin York

From Jim Johnson, State of Sunshine blogger, on the GOP holding serve in the Fla. Legislature:

Here is something amazing:

Florida voted for Barack Obama for president – the first Democrat to win since Bill Clinton in 1996 and the first northern Democrat since FDR in 1994.

Florida also ousted two Republican Congressmen: Tom Feeney and Rick Keller.

Hillsborough County voters sent Republican incumbent County Commissioner Brian Blair packing.

The mood was anti-incumbent, and anti-Republican.

Except on the state legislative races. Going into election night, the Republicans held a 77-43 edge in the State House and 26-14 edge in the State Senate. Coming out, the numbers are the same.

Florida House of Represenatives
Two districts switched in the House: District 32 saw incumbent Democrat Tony Sasso (who won in a special election) ousted by Republican Steve Crisafully. To be sure, the Republican Party of Florida had this seat as target number one. Surprisingly, District 81 – an open seat held by term-limited Republican Gayle Harrell – was carried by Democrat Adam Fetterman over Republican Michael DiTerlizzi.

Locally, almost all incumbent legislators won big – and none of them lost. The closest races were in House District 48 where Republican Representative Peter Nehr beat Democrat Carl Zimmerman by 2% in a rematch of 2006. In House Distrct 69, Democratic Representative Keith Fitzgerald won by 5% in another 2006 rematch over Republican Laura Benson. The rest of the incumbents all won by double-digits.

Florida Senate
On the other side of the Capitol, the Senate races were just as predictable. The only close race was in Orlando’s District 19 where incumbent Democrat Gary Siplin held off Republican challenger Belinda Ortiz by 1%. The next closest race was 16% (58-42). That is a strong incumbent advantage.

Interesting Results
In all, these numbers are fairly surprising. Given the general environment, the fact we had so few upsets has two factors: undervoting and lack of competitive races — even in open seats. Until the Democrats can (or perhaps if they ever can) field viable candidates in more races, the Florida Legislature will continue to be very Republican.

PEER Review:

VICTORY!

What?  Surprised to see a claim of victory on a Conservative blog after an election night where the most liberal candidate for president ever claimed the White House?  Don’t despair, my friends!  Though the Republican party suffered many defeats last night, True Conservatism scored some major victories, in our own state and some other unlikely places.

The State of Florida passed a Marriage Amendment.

The State of Arizona passed a Marriage Amendment.

And while the votes are still being gathered in California, their Marriage Amendment is ahead as well!  And with over 96% of precincts there reporting, signs are good that it will pass.

So what is the count?  As of now, 29 states have passed marriage amendments, with California pending, it could be 30.  Arizona, the one state to ever actually fail to pass a marriage amendment (in 2006), now has a marriage amendment.

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Texas
Utah
Idaho
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Virginia
Wisconsin
Colorado

We’ve already stared to hear, and will continue to hear the word “mandate” thrown around frequently.  Many are suggesting that this election broke the back of the Republican party.  Some are claiming this election was a referendum on Conservatism and that our ideology is on its way out.

But consider the fact that this year, when the democrat voting presence was stronger than ever, Marriage Amendments passed.  In our own state which went to Obama, it passed with more than 62%.  That tells me that traditional family values and True Conservative social values are both alive and well and there is indeed Hope for the future.  That gives us a reason to celebrate.

Driving into work today, I decided to switch on a conservative radio show and see how the other side was reacting to Obama’s win. I ended up at 970 AM and Glenn Beck.

I listened to him speak for more than 20 minutes straight — about how McCain was not the right guy, how it’s no time for a Republican pity party, how it’s the perfect opportunity for the Republicans to redefine themselves, how Sarah Palin was not the reason McCain lost; and then he segued into love for the founding fathers and the people of America (well, certain people).

Beck actually soft-pedaled — as much as a conservative pundit could — the doom-and-gloom that’s coming under Obama.

It was an impressive performance. Didn’t sound scripted. I actually agreed with bits and pieces of it.

Then, at the end of the segment, Beck said, “Tonight I’m going to celebrate with a [Brand name, something like AG] steak.” I thought he was talking about his favorite steakhouse.

And then … he flowed right into a pitch for this brand of mail-order steaks that he endorses. They’re yummy, and good for you too, kind of thing.

I laughed out loud. The world had righted itself.