Category — Mike Wiggins

We have a few members of Council who have put in years of service, have reached that retirement age, but they just keep on going.

I can only assume they are workaholics and they need our help to retire.

Let’s help these Council members out:

Mike DeSorbo, District 3
Age: 71
Years of service on Council: 20

Ronald Townsend, District 7
Age: 75
Years of service on Council: 6

Jack Nobles, District 8 (At-Large)
Age: 56
Years of service on Council: 14

Mike Wiggins, District 9 (At-Large)
Age: 63
Years of service on Council: 14

My favourite do-nothing, 13-year member of City Council (isn’t it great that we have more than one to choose from?) is 63 today!

This year, the Realtors PAC of Florida has given $7,000 to candidates for local office, comprised of $500 donations to 14 different candidates. Who do they like? Who likes their money?

• Joe Buehler
  for Pensacola City Council, At-Large 8
• Megan Benson Pratt
  for Pensacola City Council, At-Large 9
• Malcolm Thomas
  for Escambia Superintendent of Schools
• LuTimothy May
  for Escambia County School Board, District 3
• Bill Slayton
  for Escambia County School Board, District 5
• Ronald Townsend (incumbent)
  for Pensacola City Council, District 7
• Mike DeSorbo (incumbent)
  for Pensacola City Council, District 3
• Sam Hall (incumbent)
  for Pensacola City Council, District 2
• Marty Donovan (incumbent)
  for Pensacola City Council, District 4
• Kevin White (R, incumbent)
  for Escambia County Commission, District 5
• Mike Wiggins
  for Mayor of Pensacola
• Marie Young (D, incumbent)
  for Escambia County Commission, District 3
• Wilson Robertson (R)
  for Escambia County Commission, District 1
• Ron McNesby (R, incumbent)
  for Escambia County Sheriff

When you go to the polls this month and in November, think about how long some of our elected officials have been around, and think about whether or not they’ve really done things to make your life better:

• Jeff Miller, our representative in U.S. Congress for the past 7 years. What has he really done for Northwest Florida? Consider Jim Bryan.
• Dave Murzin, District 2 rep in the Florida House for the past 6 years. All he’s done for us lately is cut education and healthcare and try to establish a second state song. Consider Greg Fink.
• Clay Ford, freshman District 3 rep in the Florida House. Has Ford done anything at all in the last 2 years? Surely the people of District 3 haven’t seen it, if so. Consider Lumon May.
• Ron McNesby, Escambia County Sheriff for 8 years. Do I have to say anything? Consider anyone else.
• Mike Whitehead, Escambia BOCC commissioner for District 1 for the last 4 years, with 12 total years on the BOCC. Arrogant, embarrassing, and worst of all, in the pocket of special interests. Consider anyone else.
• Mike Wiggins, running for Mayor of Pensacola, has served on Pensacola City Council for 13 years. 13 years! He might not be the most obstructionist member on Council, but he does his share to stifle progress. Consider C.J. Lewis.
• Jack Nobles, another 13-year member of Pensacola City Council. Nobles is so out-of-touch with the people he represents that I really don’t know how we’ve kept him around this long. Consider Diane Mack.
• Mike DeSorbo, has served that last 13 years, and a total of 20 years, on Pensacola City Council. Out of touch, obstructionist, underhanded. It’s way past time for him to go. Consider Maren Laycock DeWeese.

Mike Wiggins brought in $9,149 in the second quarter. Wondering who his friends are?

• $600 from Miller Caldwell’s family
• $500 from Greenhut Construction
• $500 from Robert L. Fair, of the Board of Directors of Bank of Pensacola
• $500 from Rodney Rich, of Rodney Rich & Co., and the man behind the recent “9 West DeSoto Street” fiasco
• $250 from everyone’s favourite former Escambia County Administrator, George Touart

Links
Wiggins’ full Q2 report
Financial reports for all candidates

J. D. Smith, former District 2 Councilman, has filed for the At-Large District 9 seat which Mike Wiggins will vacate to seek the mayoralty.

Smith is a clown who thought it was completely okay to represent District 2 while living in District 7. He was on Council for too many years the first time. We’ve got to resist the quest of the do-nothing, anti-progress seatwarmers to hold on to power. We’re finally making progress.

Also, Wiggins now has a challenger for mayor – an Eric Schmitz.  If I recall correctly, he’s a Ron Paul Republican.  Best of luck.

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 the title, even in an absence of power, is the symbolic leader of Pensacola.  Fogg has been a lackluster mayor at best, and Wiggins would surely be as bad or worse.

At the current time Wiggins is unopposed.

In filing to run for the mayoralty, Wiggins has left his Christopher J. Lewis as the only candidate for his current At-Large council seat.

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 unseat Nobles.

This year, Nobles will face Diane Mack, a small business owner who has shown a persistent and appreciated interest in City budget issues.  Last month, Mack formed the Pensacola Budget Study Group.  Wiggins will face Christopher J. Lewis.