Archive for the ‘C. J. Lewis’ Category
Independent News publisher/editor Rick Outzen is almost breathlessly reporting on his blog that Panama City is looking to build a Minor League Baseball stadium. Mr. Outzen is now urging Pensacola Proper taxpayers to build the Pelicans an even bigger stadium, in the $20-25 million range, or be sure the current design can later be expanded, presumably at taxpayer expense. For the record, no one is talking about putting a baseball stadium in “downtown” or any part of Panama City. I used to live there. Long ago the population…
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The PNJ’s Louis Cooper optimistically writes this morning, “Currently, the Pelicans draw about 1,500 people per game, but Studer expects that to grow.” Don’t they even have a fact-checking section at the PNJ? Here’s the truth Quint Studer doesn’t want you to know. The Pelicans are last in their league with an average team reported – “Announced” – attendance of 1,031. Last night the Announced Attendance was only 551. That is not the number of fans actually present at the game, i.e. “butts in seats.” Last year I went to a game…
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I appreciate the Pensacola Police Department’s ironic symbolism putting the first high-crime area camera atop City Hall facing the Community Maritime Park. In the city council’s concerted effort to reduce public safety the department’s Thin Blue Line just keeps getting thinner. The department staff has been reduced from 232 (Fiscal Year 2002) to either 204 or 205 starting in October. The council’s own budget documents give two conflicting numbers. The council’s FY2011 General Fund Program Detail document ominously warns…
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Councilman Sam Hall has famously said, “All politics is theater!” He’s right in a local sense. Some Thursday night Pensacola City Council meetings do resemble a comedic tragedy. At-home Channel 4 viewers may sometimes feel like screaming back at the council through their innocent television sets. Few people show up in person and fewer speak because they know their input rarely matters. The council’s “No Food or Drink” sign outside chambers cautions visitors to do as the council says and not as they do.
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A few items we wanted to highlight today:
No charges over Consolidation Commission emails. NorthEscambia.com reports that the State Attorney’s office has completed a probe into emails between members of the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission, which Progressive Pensacola brought to light. The emails contained potential Sunshine violations, but the State Attorney’s office has opted not to prosecute. Big surprise there!
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Over the past few days, allegations have been made, both on Rick’s Blog and in the comments here at Progressive Pensacola, that C. J. Lewis, an activist and former mayoral candidate, broke Florida election laws with his recent apparently self-funded mailer opposing the proposed new City charter.
The two-page flyer, which Mr. Lewis mailed to approximately 5,000 City voters, does not explicitly encourage recipients to vote against the proposed charter, but is critical of…
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A few items we wanted to highlight today:
Lewis-Hall-Wu drama. Jamie Page of the News Journal reports on his blog that Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall asked past mayoral candidate C. J. Lewis to run against District 1 Councilman P. C. Wu instead of for mayor. Mr. Lewis claims that Councilman Hall wanted to clear the field in the mayor’s race for Brian Spencer to run. Mr. Spencer, who is the husband of Charter Review Commission chair Crystal Spencer, recently told Jamie…
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If you watch Pensacola City Council meetings alternate Thursdays at 7 pm on Channel 4 you’ve recently seen former Pensacola Charter Review Commission (CRC) Chairwoman Crystal Spencer lecture the council, “The people want change!” She’s right in a sense. People always want change for the better. But they usually don’t want it just for the sake of doing something different.
When you strip the CRC recommendations down…
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At its committee meetings yesterday, the Pensacola City Council made its two appointments to the Escambia All For One consolidation study commission. Council chose financial advisor Clarry Ellis and retired Marine Corps colonel (and past Progressive Pensacola contributor) C. J. Lewis from a pool of six nominees.
Progressive Pensacola congratulates both men on their appointments, and trusts that Messrs. Ellis and Lewis will for the duration of their service safeguard the interests of the City of Pensacola and its residents…
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A few items I wanted to highlight today:
Pensacola News Journal:
“CMPA lawsuit was the result of years of frustration”
Megan Pratt:
“City pensions—a couple of quick fixes”
Larry B. Johnson:
“Pace Boulevard school site”
St. Petersburg Times:
“Little cheer for Florida legislators…”
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Unfortunately, voters only retired one City Council incumbent on Tuesday — but it was a good one. Congratulations to Maren DeWeese for ousting 20-year incumbent Mike DeSorbo. I can’t tell you how satisfied I am that our City government is rid of him. Congratulations also to Megan Benson Pratt for her sound victory in the [...]
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We received today the following letter from C. J. Lewis, candidate for mayor of Pensacola: With November 4 almost here I’m writing to thank you for the endorsement of Progressive Pensacola. It more than counterbalances the non-endorsements of the Pensacola News Journal and the Independent Weekly. Both dismissals worked to my favor according to voters [...]
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Dr. Martin Luther King said in 1967: We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. His words, as they so often do, ring so clear and so true forty years later. I feel that fierce urgency. We can’t wait two or [...]
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Progressive Pensacola endorses Christopher “C. J.” Lewis for Mayor of Pensacola. We could present a glowing piece about Lewis, his great common-sense ideas, his refreshingly strategic way of analysing our City’s problems; but, as is usually the case with Lewis, he does a better job of saying it himself. Go to his website. Seriously. Read [...]
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I just saw my first campaign signs for J. D. Smith, the former City Councilman who once represented north Pensacola’s District 2 from downtown’s Port Royal condos, and whom is running again for Council, this time in an at-large race. Smith faces an uphill battle against Megan Benson Pratt and Wendell Rich, who both have [...]
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The Pensacola City Council will convene a special meeting today at 4:30 PM to discuss the City Manager’s job, which is to be vacated by current City Manager Tom Bonfield upon the completion of negotiations with his new employers in Durham, North Carolina. Presumably Council members want to start the ball rolling on the selection [...]
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Important day in City politics. This morning, Pensacola mayor John Fogg announced he will not seek re-election, and a few hours later, At-Large councilman Mike Wiggins filed for the office. Pensacola has a weak mayor system, and the mayor is essentially merely a third at-large council member. However, there’s about a $9300 salary bump and [...]
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Jack Nobles and Mike Wiggins, the Pensacola City Council’s two at-large members, and perhaps its two most do-nothing and anti-progress members, now have challengers in this fall’s elections. Both candidates have been on the City Council since 1995. The last serious challenge to either was in 2004, when Ray Russenberger failed in his bid to [...]
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