Archive for the ‘Gene Valentino’ Category
Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino can breathe easier today, as Judge James Ward has decided to grant a motion to dismiss the misdemeanor charge Mr. Valentino was facing. Commissioner Valentino was accused of soliciting or accepting a contribution in a government-owned building.
The State Attorney’s office had alleged that Commissioner Valentino had solicited a campaign contribution from developer Dan Gilmore in the Commissioner’s government office…
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A few items we wanted to highlight today:
Old Stinky shutting down soon. Jamie Page of the News Journal reports that ECUA’s new Central Water Reclamation Facility will come on at the end of August and the Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant will be gradually shut down over the next 90 days. That day will surely be an occasion for celebration.
DeLuna Fest adds third day. After securing…
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A bribe wasn’t the only thing former County Administrator offered in a 2007 call with County Commissioner Gene Valentino. He appears to also have acted as a conduit for a sunshine violation between County Commissioners.
At one point, Mr. Touart tells Mr. Valentino that fellow Commissioners Mike Whitehead and Grover Robinson will support the purchase of a certain parcel of land, indicating that he has spoken with each of them. Florida’s Sunshine Law prohibits individual from acting as conduits…
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In the wake of Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino’s indictment, the rumor mill is spinning. Rick’s Blog is reporting one or more sources as saying Governor Charlie Crist will suspend Commissioner Valentino from office, even going so far as to discuss potential replacements. Florida law allows the governor to suspend or remove from office any public official indicted or convicted of a crime.
We hope there’s some truth to the rumour. Mr. Valentino, put simply, lacks the integrity we should demand of our elected officials…
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This afternoon, a grand jury indicted Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino on one count of soliciting or accepting a contribution in a government-owned building. Florida’s campaign finance laws make it a crime for any person to solicit, accept, or make a political contribution inside a government building.
Mr. Valentino is alleged to have solicited a campaign contribution from businessman Dan Gilmore in his County Commission office last November 5….
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Here are a few things we missed while offline:
Promise presentation video. Rick’s Blog has the video from Monday’s presentation of the Pensacola Promise proposal to the City Council.
“How to kill an idea.” Rick Outzen criticises Pensacola City Council members for “destroying innovative ideas.” According to Mr. Outzen, “Instead of figuring out how to make the Pensacola Promise proposal better and make it work, they shred it apart.”
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A few items we wanted to highlight today:
Commissioners’ phone records in Maplewood bid. The News Journal’s Jamie Page continues his excellent reporting on the continuing saga of the County Commission’s botched bid process on a Maplewood drainage project. Mr. Page obtained Commissioners’ phone records, including several previously-undisclosed calls from contractor Roads Inc. to Commissioner Gene Valentino. What was discussed in the calls? “I don’t recall,” says Valentino…
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Recent controversy over the bid process for a County drainage project has led to concerns that Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino may have violated state campaign finance law by soliciting political contributions from his Commission office. The State Attorney’s office is now investigating the bid process as well as the November 24 meeting between Commissioner Valentino and Cody Rawson of contractor Roads, Inc.
Commissioner Valentino initially told Pensacola News Journal reporter Jamie Page…
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Last week, Jamie Page of the Pensacola News Journal reported that Escambia County Commissioner met with Roads, Inc. owner Cody Rawson in his Escambia County Government Center office. Though the revelation came about through a recent controversy over a bid process involving Roads, Inc., Commissioner Valentino told Mr. Page that the meeting wasn’t about the bid, but rather about getting Mr. Rawson’s political support.
Mr. Page’s first report on Thursday raised concerns that Commissioner Valentino…
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Candidates for the District 2 and District 4 seats have filed their Q4 2009 campaign finance reports.
The fundraising leader is District 2 incumbent Gene Valentino with $14,310 in contributions. District 4 incumbent Grover C. Robinson IV raised $6,760. District 2 challenger Robert Kelley raised $100, while two other District 2 challengers, Andy Kowalski and Scott Gauvin, reported no contributions. Reports for District 2 challengers George Touart and Karen Sindel are not yet available…
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Here’s a list of websites for candidates for local or regional offices:
State Senate District 2
Greg Evers (R): http://gregevers.com/
Mike Hill (R): http://mikehill4senate.com/
Dave Murzin (R): http://www.davemurzin.com/
State Representative…
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A few items we wanted to highlight today:
Valentino files. Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino has filed to run for reelection to his District 2 seat. Two challengers have already filed, and Rick’s Blog is reporting that former County Administrator George Touart will file within the next week.
PNJ building sold. Rick’s Blog is reporting that the Pensacola News Journal has sold its building…
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Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino has plead no contest to a noncriminal violation of Florida’s Sunshine laws, for which he will pay a $500 fine. State Attorney Bill Eddins determined earlier this month that Commissioner Valentino had withheld public records requested by Perdido Key residents.
Commissioner Valentino issued a statement earlier this month stating he “strongly disputed” that a civil infraction occured, going on to say that “there is factually no evidence and factually no truth…”
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Rick Outzen, the publisher of the Independent News and Rick’s Blog, has called for Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino to resign.
Mr. Outzen has in recent weeks and months published many emails related to Commissioner Valentino’s violation(s) of Sunshine law and has been increasingly critical of Mr. Valentino’s backroom dealings with casino developer Cy Keefer and others.
It is indeed very clear that Commissioner…
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State attorney Bill Eddins has found that Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall and Escambia County Commissioner did not violate Florida Sunshine laws at a meeting in April of this year. Commissioner Valentino, however, did violate Sunshine laws by withholding public records requested by Perdido Key residents. Mr. Valentino will appear in court on August 27; he faces a $500 maximum fine.
Commissioner Valentino refutes the charge, releasing the following statement:
“I am pleased the State Attorney’s Office found…”
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Embattled Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino has drawn his first partisan challenger for next year’s District 2 race. Perdido Key resident Robert Kelley has filed to challenge Commissioner Valentino in the Republican primary.
Mr. Kelley, 28, is an associate at Whitesand Investments and a 2005 graduate of the University of West Florida.
At present, Mr. Kelley has a primitive website up, as well as a Twitter presence.
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As many of you know, Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino and Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall are being investigated by the State Attorney’s office for a possible Sunshine violation. The investigation centers on a meeting the two had on April 28. Rick Outzen and Co. have covered the details, so I won’t rehash them here.
Councilman Hall made some newsworthy comments at yesterday’s meeting of the PEDC. News Journal reporter Jamie Page quoted Hall as saying during the meeting that he had “unwittingly broken the Sunshine law.”
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A few items I wanted to highlight today:
Pensacola News Journal:
“Charter review panel hears from public”
Rick’s Blog:
“Valentino recruited Sindel to run against Grover”
Independent News: “A Port Hole”
Jamie Page’s Notebook:
“Consolidation group has questions for itself”
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Our friends at the Independent News have been publishing pages and pages of Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino’s emails, and there are some real gems. The emails paint a picture of an angry, resentful man prone to throwing temper tantrums when things don’t go his way. He rails against everyone from constituent groups to reporters to fellow commissioners, at one point plotting to run a candidate against one of them. He peppers his emails with shifty phrases such as “you are protected” and “you guys put up the cash.”
Oh, Gene…
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The presentation yesterday of Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino’s long-awaited economic development plan appeared to fall flat, with few elected officials or audience members voicing enthusiasm for Commissioner Valentino’s proposed “Pensacola Economic Development Authority.”
The presentation, made before a joint meeting of the Escambia County Commission and the Pensacola City Council, outlined Commissioner Valentino’s proposed structure for such an authority, as well as a proposed increase in utility franchise fees…
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Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino is set to unveil his “economic development plan” at next week’s joint City/County meeting. The plan calls for the formation of a 15-member “Pensacola Escambia Development Authority” which would independently oversee and pursue economic development efforts.
Whatever the merits of the proposal, Progressive Pensacola is compelled at present to reject it out-of-hand due to the City’s insufficient representation on Commissioner Valentino’s proposed authority…
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There are a bunch of important local government meetings this week:
Monday
Pensacola City Council committee meetings. 3:15 PM, Hagler/Mason Conference Room, second floor, City Hall, 222 West Main Street. See Progressive Pensacola’s “The coming week in City government” for details.
Tuesday
CMPA Board special meeting. 1:00 PM, Hagler/Mason Conference Room, second floor, City Hall, 222 West Main Street. The board of trustees…
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Progressive Pensacola has confirmed through public records requests that it was Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino who requested that the Escambia All for One consolidation bill be amended to strip residency requirements for those who could serve on the consolidation commission.
Before the bill was filed, Commissioner Valentino asked that the requirement that Commission appointees live in the appointing Commissioner’s district be changed to “live, work, or own property” in the district(s), thus allowing County Commissioners to appoint people who don’t even live in Escambia County to help decide its fate…
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A few things I wanted to highlight today:
Pensacola News Journal:
“County officials get catty”
Read Jamie Page’s entertaining story of Escambia County Commissioner Gene Valentino acting like a clown…
Pensacola News Journal:
“Sheriff’s chopper could be grounded”
Joe Scarborough:
“History will treat Bush kindly”
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If you weren’t aware, the Escambia County Commission recently sent Escambia County Administrator Bob McLaughlin out to Colorado to attend a leadership program at the “Center for Creative Leadership”. The cost of the seminar? A cool $10,000. Is that a waste of taxpayer money? Of course it is. I don’t think there’s anyone in the [...]
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Valentino, now my least favourite Commissioner after Whitehead’s fall from grace, is 55 today. His birthday isn’t starting out too well, as his plan to remove building caps on Perdido Key is running into some roadblocks, according to the PNJ. That can’t make Valentino too happy, as he wants giant wall-to-wall condos on Perdido Key [...]
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A roundup of events for this week: Monday, August 4 Independent News Birthday Party for Barack Obama 5:30-7:00 PM, Lili Marlene’s in Seville Quarter Tuesday, August 5 Kevin White District 5 Town Hall Meeting 6:30 PM, Escambia County Extension, 3740 Stefani Road Wednesday, August 6 Gene Valentino’s “Coffee with a Commissioner” 7:30-9:00 AM, Crema Coffee, [...]
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