Jono Truth Squad #2: Rude Awakenings -- Campaign Ad Error

Sometime in February I concluded it would be a smart move to advertise my candidacy in the Green Pages -- a great way to reach citizens interested in more sustainable approaches and a venue my opposition would be unlikely to take advantage of.

So I designed an ad (including the requisite political disclaimer language) and found that, in addition to my half page ad, I would get four 'listings' of 25 words each that would be placed elsewhere in the Green Pages. Since the political disclaimer language itself is fifteen words long and would need to appear in each listing if it were political, that wouldn't leave me much of a message (just ten words) in the listings, so I decided to make the listings non-political public service type messages with no reference to political party, office sought, etc.

Months passed. I lost track of the status of the Green Pages directory and kept meaning to check up on its progress. I was a little disgruntled because I thought it was supposed to be out by now and yet I hadn't even seen page proofs -- a fairly standard printing practice or courtesy in my experience. 

But as I eased out of Whole Foods  just before the 4th of July holiday I saw a rack-full of Green Pages and grabbed a copy. Apparently it has been out for awhile.

To my surprise 1) my ad had been reproduced without the disclaimer language and 2) the listings (I could only find three) had morphed into mini political ads without my knowledge or consent. Ack and double Ack!

That afternoon I contacted the publishers and the Supervisor of Elections office. According to the publisher the ad disclaimer language didn't show because of the way the pdf file was created -- something like it was clearly there for all human eyeballs to see in what I sent, but the printer technology couldn't recognize it --an arcane software error that  (for instance) would not have happened in glossy magazine format but did in newsprint format. Go figure.

And, according to the publishers, the listing glitch was added by a third party -- in other words, my listing submission instructions were clear enough and apolitical, but the listings were actually formatted by an intermediary who changed what I requested and the publisher ran with what they were provided. :::sigh:::

The Natural Awakenings Publishers have assured me they would communicate with the Supervisor of Elections to clarify that I had submitted my material in good faith, which had it ran as I submitted, would not have been problematic. 

I'm still awaiting word confirming that communication took place. 

POSTCRIPT

On July 7th, the publisher sent the following text to the Supervisor of Elections:

It has come to our attention that advertisements for Jono Miller in our Green Pages were submitted incorrectly from a third party. Mr. Jono's ads were submitted in an improper format by this third party which caused the necessary disclaimer to be dropped in the printing process of the ad. Given issues with time constraints we were unable to supply Mr. Miller with a proper proof before printing. We reviewed the original submission by Jono Miller and the original ad had the required disclaimer.

It was also brought to our attention that his listing was added to by the third party un-benounced to Mr. Miller and with-out his or our approval.

The added text "Democrat for Sarasota County Commission" was not submitted by Jono Miller.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if there are any questions regarding this matter.

We Deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and I can assure you measures have been taken to ensure future issues like this will not arise in the future.

Historic, Crowded Contest Defines Sarasota County's First District Commission Race

Four first district county commission candidates have qualified to run: myself (Jono Miller), John Mullarkey (no party affiliation) and two Republicans, Carolyn Mason and Richard Redding. That's more candidates than qualified in the two other commission races combined!

This is a situation that no one anticipated late last year when incumbent Paul Mercier and challenger Kirk Reid were the only candidates. Both men, Republicans, are no longer running. 

Instead voters will be confronted with a diverse group that ensures this will be a truly historic election. At this point citizens are guaranteed a significant political milestone in Sarasota County. Any of the possible outcomes would constitute a significant 'first':

• The first Democrat elected to the County Commission since 1966

• The first Afro-American elected to the County Commission

• The first NPA (no party affiliation) candidate elected to the County Commission

Mason and Redding will participate in a Republican primary and join Miller and Mullarkey on the November ballot. 

Sarasota County's Coastal Challenges

The big difference between DeSoto County and Sarasota County is not that DeSoto County is roughly 13% bigger or that DeSoto is rectangular and we are not. The big difference is our Gulf Coast, with its bays, barrier beaches and tidal creeks. To the extent we lose or compromise our coastal assets, we render our county more like an inland, land-locked county.

Our coastal resources used to be free services that we paid nothing for and benefited directly from. But times have changed. Pollution and other forms of mismanagement have resulted in declining resources that, without attention, could degrade further, endangering these assets, our quality of life, and our local economy. As a result, Sarasota County has a significant number of coastal challenges that require resources and expenditures that in many cases are different from managing inland areas away from the coast.

Here's my list (with some of the dimensions for each):

Barrier Beaches: Erosion, Nourishment, Public Access

Inlets: Migration, Channels, Management (Includes New, Big, Midnight, Venice)

Rising Sea Level: Will affect over 100 miles of coastal shoreline, historic and accelerated rates need to be considered: armoring, nourishment, strategic retreat, etc.

Bay Shoreline: Mangrove loss, replacement, restoration, intertidal habitat

Tidal Creeks: Water quality, balancing public and private use

Public Bay Access: Includes boat access, trailer parking, waterfront views, and restaurants

Dredged Channels/Canals: Maintenance, depths, who pays, spoil disposal sites

Seagrasses: Restoration, coping with algae

Fisheries: Nursery Habitat, Stocking, Artificial Reefs

Shellfish: Oysters, Shrimp, Clams, Scallops

Listed Species: Manatees, Sea Turtles (see beaches) Bird Rookeries

Stormwater/non-point pollution: Timing and quality (nitrogen in particular)

Septic and Sewage Pollution: (coliform bacteria)

Red Tide & other HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms): Research and management

Hurricane Issues: Flood and storm surge effects, reshaped coastline, evacuation, repair

Right now the state and county are no doubt spending at least some money on each of these topics. And some, like beach nourishment or rejiggering stormwater, can be very expensive. The possible expenditures range from zero to whatever number of millions you want to pick. If we had an infinite supply of money we could simply tell managers and researchers to 'take a number' and the Commission could take proposals up one at a time, approve what was needed and move on to the next. If we had unlimited funds.

The risk in a time of limited funds is that we'll splurge on the items first in line and then, when we get to a needed project further down the list, we'll either be flat out of money or we'll go ahead, spring for it, and bust our budget in the process.

Put another way, some early projects would be well-funded, while others may get nothing, or at least a lot less than they would have had they been near the front of the line. In my opinion this is not a very sensible approach to managing our coastal assets.

Because we do not have an infinite supply of money to direct to our coastal challenges, I believe a less reckless, more conservative approach is called for. In the past I've argued that we can do anything we want with our coast, but not everything. Now I'm reaffirming that by stating that some hard, deliberate choice-making is needed.

I think we should set a target spending limit on coastal assets and then compare possible projects to determine the appropriate level of expenditure in each category. How (as a friend of mine used to say) 'we can get the most toast for the least bread'. The cap on expenditures combined with implicit comparisons of project value would push the commission towards optimizing scarce dollars, rather than running the risk of funding early projects too rich and later projects too lean.

My inspiration for this approach comes from our Environmentally Sensitive Lands and Neighborhood Parkland programs. Voters authorized a certain level of expenditure and the respective committees that consider proposals end up deciding more on a basis of value to the county than their first-come, first served order in line. 

Before we had an environmentally sensitive lands program with a committee, individual landowners or agents were free to pitch their projects to previous commissions - the result was an approach that did not consider if we could be spending county tax dollars in more effective ways. Now we have harnessed the power of comparison and relative value to make better decisions about how land acquisition dollars are spent.

Likewise the available tourist development dollars are determined and choices are made, year by year, to optimize their expenditure.

I don't see why coastal projects and expenditures might not benefit from a similar approach.

Fourth Republican Enters Sarasota's District One Commission Race

It's official. Richard Redding has filed as the fourth Republican to enter the District One Contest. He will join Carolyn Mason and, if both qualify, will create a Republican primary race. Two other Republicans, Kirk Reid, and the incumbent, Paul Mercier, have left the race. 

Let's review. Mr. Reid filed November 16th of last year. If Commissioner Mercier were to have announced that he was not running, Mr. Reid would have been the leading Republican candidate, an advantage of some sort. But Paul filed last December 3rd, presumably to signal that the seat was his and he would be defending it.  A month elapsed and during that time no other Republican stepped forward. If others had been planning to challenge Paul they probably would have been advised to do so as quickly as possible since waiting to challenge an incumbent just puts one further behind as the incumbent solidifies support.

By the time I entered the race on January 4th, Mr. Reid had withdrawn (I can't find a withdrawal date on the Supervisor of Elections website). Since no one challenged Paul in December (and Mr. Reid dropped out) I interpret that to mean that had I not stepped forward, Commissioner Mercier would have been unchallenged for a third term. 

I decided to run in no small part because I believe Sarasota voters deserve choices on the general election ballot when it comes to selecting their county commissioners. And I was flummoxed during the two weeks I had no opposition because my quest to provide choice was possibly in jeopardy. 

Now, if nothing else, all Sarasota voters will have choices here in the first District contest. I welcome Mr. Redding, just as I welcomed Ms. Mason and note that we all have careers focused on serving the community. In a little more than a week we'll know if any others are entering this race. This, I would argue, is more like it. 

[And this blog may have scooped the local press.]

Jono Truth Squad #1: Campaign Inaccuracy Corrected

Somehow an inaccuracy has crept into my campaign and I'm doing what I can to root it out and correct the record.  It showed up in a WMNF news story, but I think it somehow had an independent existence that predates the radio story. 

I don't think repeating an inaccuracy is a good way to let it die, but I will say that more than a half dozen Democrats have run for a seat on the Sarasota County Commission since 1970. I'm trying to be the first to be elected. 

I plan to continue to correct factual errors as I detect them, both in my own campaign and any found in my opponents. 

Sarasota County 2009: Getting By on $43 million less

While I was at the County Commission meeting today Chief Financial Planning Officer Jeff  Seward showed up with some projections about revenue shortfalls anticipated in the coming year. Turns out Mr. Todora is projecting a 17% lower initial assessment on real property. The combined effects of tax cut legislation and these declining property values is estimated to carve $33 million out of next year's budget ( and another $6 million less when you factor in Emergency Management Services -- a fact had a big effect on me even though I didn't fully understand it). They are also projecting about $4 million less in sales tax revenue. So the best guess now is that the County will have $43 million less revenue next year. 

I think that may mean for every eight dollars the county had from property and other taxes last year, it may only have seven this year. That's significant.

People talk about the fat and I suppose there may be some incredible waste and inefficiency somewhere in county government (and I would encourage people that have an eye on some to write to me at jonosarasota@gmail.com).

But my guess is that next year's budget is going way beyond fat to muscle and in some cases, vital organs and bone.  Our local economy is suffering and we need come together and revive it -- not going back to old patterns that made our economy brittle, but forwards towards economic solutions that facilitate watching out for each other: buying locally, building on local strengths, investing locally, and moving towards resilience and sustainability. 

PS When I first drafted this I added wrong and came up with $41 million. It didn't take long to catch that, but the blog had already been posted and I think Sarasota Speaks may stick with the initial filing and not update blog changes. 

Competing Models for the Sarasota County Commission: Balancing Board Members or Balanced Board Members?

I don't really think today's Sarasota Herald -Tribune captured my views regarding how the Sarasota County Commission will change as a result of this year's switches to the increased need for 4-1 and unanimous votes. 

I believe the old model of two 'sides' vying for swing votes (where you only needed three commission votes to move forward) will be replaced with a new model that will require developers to come forward with better plans (probably through increased use of charrettes or other techniques that involve citizens earlier). Commissioners will not be so pigeonholed and polarized and consequently can be more balanced in their decision-making. 

The spirit and community convergence that led to alternative Urban Service Boundary approach is evidence of the potential for this approach. 

Let's not backslide into 'us' versus 'them' thinking that involves trying to elect candidates to "balance slow growth forces". That is a perilous path that will set us backwards (and, incidentally, is not likely to work).

Instead we need all commissioners to recognize the public's frustration with how things were growing and chose a better course towards a new, more diversified and sustainable economy that provides jobs, restores home values, involves neighborhoods earlier and more sincerely, and protects Sarasota's special places; whether they are natural or cultural treasures. 

We can do better.