My personal voting guide — and you too if you wish to follow along

The following is my personal opinion and not that of any organization in which I may have an affiliation.

Being a Libertarian in Palm Beach County affords me the ability to not be pressured by conservatives or liberals / Republicans or Democrats to vote a certain way. In other words, I feel zero obligation to simply go down my ballot and vote for all the Republicans or all the Democrats. And, sadly, this election season, there are no Libertarians for whom to vote. I vote for maximum freedom of the individual regardless of political party, which makes this year one of the hardest since 1983 when I first had the ability to vote, as the bulk of the candidates are anti-freedom — no matter their rhetoric.

So, we’ll start off with some links to a few orgs I tend to like with their voter guides though I do not agree with each and every assessment. It should also be noted, some of the amendments on the ballot should NOT be in the Florida Constitution but should be in Florida Statute. Similarly, this bundling of different issues within one amendment is tragic and should never happen again.

Libertarian Party of Palm Beach County

Libertarian Party of Florida

James Madison Institute

Countywide School Question: I will be voting NO on this effort to quadruple the school tax on Palm Beach County property owners and indirectly to renters. The reason is basic, the school board does not need the money. It has $3 billion at its disposal already and can easily reduce some of its administrative costs to afford the $150 million they say they need. It is awful that teachers are not paid more and students in our county do not feel safe while on school property because of the mismanagement of the school district.

Amendment 1: I will be voting YES even though I struggled with this one because, like the Libertarians have said, it does not address the core problem with property taxes. The only reason I am voting YES is to help reign in government spending which continues to be bloated. If passed, this amendment will save the average Florida homeowner $240 per year on their property taxes.

Amendment 2: Similar in scope is Amendment 2 which I will be voting YES. The reservations I have about it are similar to those of Amendment 1, but it will help property owners who are not protected by the “Save Our Homes” law and will limit the property tax increases for non-homesteaded properties to no more than 10%.

Amendment 3: This may seem counterintuitive for a Libertarian to vote NO on a question of gambling; however, I am voting NO. This amendment is a protectionist sham. While I am in favor of casino gambling and the Florida government has done a miserable job from a free market perspective, any expansion of gambling would require a 60 percent approval from the voters—a difficult threshold to overcome. This is not the answer to an already broken system and would not likely result in an expansion gambling put would likely protect those already in the business from encountering additional competition.

Amendment 4: I have been a long-time supporter of restoring one’s rights after they have served their time. I will be voting YES to automatically restore the rights of those who have completed their obligations to society after committing a criminal offense. I would suggest this amendment does not go far enough; however, it is better than what we have today. The process a felon needs to go through to restore their rights in Florida is horrible and must be corrected or, as with Amendment 4, improved.

Amendment 5: I will absolutely positively be voting YES on this amendment! It is telling how Governor Rick Scott, when he was running for governor stated repeatedly how bloated the state government budget was at the time. Now that he’s been governor it has the largest budget ever! So no matter who is in charge, Democrat or Republican we never have reduced government spending. We need the financial constraints Amendment 5 offers to control government spending. We have plenty of reserves and backup resources so that if something truly disastrous happened, we could weather the storm and the amendment still affords a vote of 2/3 of the legislature to handle extraordinary events.

Amendment 6: This is one of those HORRIBLE bundled amendments where a voter will be strongly in support of one aspect, yet is strongly against another aspect. This amendment bundles three different issues! I will be voting NO even though I agree with part of the amendment, the rest of the amendment, not so much.

Amendment 7: Like Amendment 6, this is a bundled amendment and I will be voting NO. My NO vote is not a vote against first responders!!

Amendment 8: This amendment was removed from the ballot.

Amendment 9: I will be voting NO. Again, this is another bundled amendment, this time dealing with offshore drilling and vaping inside businesses which have nothing to do with one another. I will be voting NO because businesses have a right to decide whether or not to allow vaping (it is none of the government’s business) and we already have laws heavily regulating natural gas production and offshore drilling in the state.

Amendment 10: Yet another bundled amendment which is highly unfortunate as I am forced to vote NO. If enacted, this amendment would cause duplication of bureaucracies between state and federal government agencies which is not needed. The amendment would also eliminate a county’s ability to abolish constitutional offices and make them permanent. This amendment could have easily been four separate amendments, debated on their own criterium.

Amendment 11: I will be voting YES as this amendment removes obsolete language while enabling foreign-born non-citizens to own real estate in Florida. Basically, this will right some wrongs and, hopefully, offer better property rights to Floridians.

Amendment 12: I will be voting NO on this issue even though I have some strong reservations in doing so. While lobbying is rife with abuse in the Florida legislature (and that alone would lead me to a YES vote) it does not trump one’s right to free speech and their ability to earn a living. I do not have the full answer to solving the lobbying problem in Tallahassee and even here in Palm Beach County, I just know Amendment 12 is not the answer.

Amendment 13: I will be voting YES to ban gambling on the racing of dogs. As with a few of the other amendments, I have serious problems with such a thing being in our Florida Constitution, but sadly, this is one of those few moments I could be somewhat accused of being hypocritical. Just like with the “pregnant pigs” amendment and medical marijuana, it is sad we are here putting something like this in our constitution (if it passes). While I am on the side of gamblers and para-mutuals, when it comes to animals, especially when I personally have seen the abuse some of these animals have had to endure, you get little sympathy from me. Gamble on anything you want so long as it is voluntary in nature; I can guarantee you that the bulk of these dogs are not doing it voluntarily.

As for the Justices and Judges, I have no opinion to offer.

Florida Representative District 89: I do not like either of them. Neither is closer than the other to being considered a “freedom-based” candidate. Worst case scenario, I’d go with the underdog Bonfiglio as it is clear to me Caruso will win by a landslide. And who knows, there’s still quite some time between now and election day, perhaps things could turn around.

Florida Representative District 87: I have met both and though I like both candidates, I cannot recommend one over the other. If pushed into a corner, I guess I’d go with LeBeu, the underdog third party candidate as we do agree on a few issues.

Florida Representative District 86: Oh my, just NO on both. If you live in this district, my sympathies are with you. Again, if pushed into a corner, I guess you could with Willhite, who is a good guy, but there is little to like from a Florida legislature standpoint.

Florida Representative District 85: Rick Roth is the clear choice for freedom-loving voters. He’s not perfect, but he is far better than his opponent.

Florida Representative District 82: MaryLynn Magar is the clear choice for North County voters.

Florida State Senator District 30: This is another pointless exercise as Powell will win, but I would be writing in Josh Santos.

Florida State Senator District 25: While not on board 100% with Gayle Harrell, she would have a strong lead in my book over her opponent.

Commissioner of Agriculture: Skip this race, they are both terrible. Actually, that may be an overstatement, but I would not vote for either as their negatives outweigh any positives they have. And they both have positives, it’s just a shame we can’t mesh them both into one candidate.

Chief Financial Officer: Undecided. For me, it’s a tossup between Ring, Petronis and writing in Dembinsky. I likely will not decide until I am in the voting booth, quite frankly.

Florida Attorney General: I will be voting for Jeff Siskind. Moody and Shaw seem to be the opposite of freedom lovers while Siskind is — at least as best one can be as attorney general.

Florida Governor: Another tough race for a Libertarian to decide for whom to vote. Ultimately, I would go with Darcy Richardson. Like most candidates this year, he is not perfect from a Libertarian standpoint but seems to be the closest in the race.

U.S. Congress District 22: Tough choice and this would be another I would have to bow out. I can’t agree with either candidate on the bulk of the issues and certainly would never label either as a freedom-lover, unfortunately. While I have a deep respect for Deutch and he’s a good guy, he’s a no-vote. I could be wrong, but unlike Deutch, Kimaz’s campaign seems to be ego-driven rather than issue driven.

U.S. Congress District 20: Well, this is a no-brainer. First, whether you like him or not, Hastings will win. And for that reason alone, I would write-in Jay Alan Bonner.

U.S. Congress District 18: Brian Mast and Lauren Baer, what an awesome race. It is a shame neither is about freedom. They both want to take away your AR-15 while espousing all other types of government force onto our lives. No thank you, skip it!

U.S. Senator from Florida: Again, similar to above, neither the Republican or the Democrat are very good choices. It pains me to say that I am not able to vote for either the Republican or the Democrat and may have to sit this one out. Scott supports gun control while picking winners and losers with the unprovable strategy of corporate welfare, while Nelson is an empty suit, only showing up around election time. Nelson is another picker of winners and losers. He supports exempting my much-loved premium cigars from federal regulation which I appreciate, but he does so not out of principle which is rather pathetic. This is a link to all the candidates for U.S. Senate in Florida, pick a write-in candidate that seems the least crazy and write their name in correctly on the ballot so it gets counted or sit this one out. This is a sad election season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ted, where were you and your friends while this was happening under Obama?

Now that Donald Trump is President of the United States some of my Democratic Party political friends have suddenly woken up to the horrors that have continued from the Barack Obama administration. This past year, Democratic leaders have put forth their political theater shenanigans by displaying feigned outrage over government spending, loss of freedoms, and loss of privacy protections for their American brethren. Where were you over the last several years? Why did you not voice this outrage while your party leader was our President?

Most Dems remained silent as Obama’s administration bombed the hell out of various countries around the world, killing and maiming countless innocent lives. Most Democrats remained silent as their leaders have caused our nation to rack up crippling debt and our privacy protections have eroded. Most Democrats championed Obama when he simply wrote a “memo” which they thought was going to end the “War on Drugs.” Obama could have easily gone much farther to end the pain, suffering, and increased the freedom of millions of Americas by truly ending the “War on Drugs” but stood by as its Commander in Chief.

For the few that remained vigilant, I applaud you. For those who ignored the travesties, I welcome you to the Libertarian mission to maximize the freedom of Americans and hope you are not just acting because someone you dislike or hate is occupying the White House.  As a Libertarian, it does not matter to me if a Democrat, Republican, or Libertarian is our president. If freedoms are lost, then we cannot stand by and let them be taken. We must fight back regardless of our political affiliation, regardless of which “team” has control of Congress. If you are sick of the political theater put on by your political party, perhaps it is time to change your voter registration to Libertarian and vote for Libertarian Party candidates. It is within the Libertarian Party where you will find the true #Resistance movement.

So, pardon me if I seem a bit cynical by this most recent statement from our Democratic Party leaders who have recently “discovered” the abuses of our federal government on innocent Americans. You see, all of Florida is within a 100-mile immigration inspection zone. There was an incident last week in Fort Lauderdale which got nationwide attention and properly enraged many Americans. It involves innocent Americans being questioned on a bus about their citizenship by federal authorities. But this has been going on for years — literally. Started in 2006 as a small program, it ballooned over the Obama administration. Not only have federal officers been boarding buses and trains en masse we now have “do nothing” immigration checkpoints well over 50 miles inside our borders. Libertarians have been voicing our opposition to this practice for years which fell on deaf ears.

This week, Ted Deutch and a long list of Dems issued the following statement:

“We were appalled to see U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents abusing their mandate and authority to arbitrarily board a bus to demand that all passengers produce identification and documentation.

“We support strengthening our border protections against external threats and bolstering our officials in their work to keep Americans safe. However, arbitrary and disruptive enforcement actions like this do not make our communities safer. Rather, they waste taxpayer resources, cruelly dehumanize people who have not committed any crimes, and erode our fundamental rights. Identification is not required to ride a bus from one Florida city to another.

“While the law gives U.S. CBP officials the authority to conduct transportation checks within a reasonable distance from the border, this event and others like it across the country show that Congress must conduct a comprehensive review of what ‘reasonable distance’ means. The 100-mile border zone established by U.S. regulations arbitrarily extends CBP jurisdiction and undercuts the rights for citizens and legal residents to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. In Florida, this arbitrary zone puts everyone in the state under constant threat of stops, interrogations, and searches without even the most basic due process protections.

“We regret that visitors to Fort Lauderdale were subjected to this raid, and will work together to push for reasonable limits on border agent authority that protect our civil liberties.”

Palm Beach County’s Primary Elections – how would a Libertarian vote?

Although we will not see Libertarian-branded candidates on the ballot on August 26, 2014, there are some candidates of interest as well as questions to answer. So, even if you’re not affiliated with a political party, or the party you belong does not have a candidate in the race, then you should vote. I will voice my opinion on the general election in October, so if you haven’t already subscribed to this blog’s postings, then do so on the right of this column.

I am focusing on Palm Beach County, because that is where I live in Florida and there are some interesting races happening. I do this before most elections, because I often get asked through phone calls, emails and social media postings, my advice for whom to vote – and why.

The following is my own personal opinion and NOT that of any political party, committee or candidate.

Florida Governor – Democratic Primary

Although you would not know it by listening or reading information from the general media, there is a race between Charlie Crist and Nan Rich. Crist has shown he cannot be trusted, paling around with Ponzi-schemer Scott Rothstein, changing his strong convictions from week to week. He’s a mess, but a media darling. Nan Rich on the other hand is a steadfast, serious liberal Democrat. If you’re a Democrat, your choice is clear with a vote for Nan Rich.

The winner will face the Republican Primary winner, Libertarian Adrian Wyllie , along with the following NPA qualified candidates: Joe Allen, Glenn Burkett and Farid Khavari.

Florida Governor – Republican Primary

Similarly, by listening or reading the mainstream media, Republicans would be shocked to learn Rick Scott is being challenged in the primary tomorrow.  The race is between Yinka Abosede Adeshina, Elizabeth Cuevas-Neunder and Rick Scott. I do not have a dog in this race and Scott will easily win, but a contrarian may want to consider Cuevas-Neunder.

The winner will face the Democratic Primary winner, Libertarian Adrian Wyllie, along with the following NPA qualified candidates: Joe Allen, Glenn Burkett and Farid Khavari.

Florida Attorney General – Democratic Primary

This is a race between George Sheldon and Perry Thurston. Go with Thurston if you’re a Democrat. The winner will face Republican Pam Bondi and Libertarian Bill Wohlsifer in the November General Election.

U.S. Congress District 22

Andrea Leigh McGee, U.S. Congress District 22

Besides incumbent Lois Frankel, who is unopposed in the primary, there are three Republicans vying to run against her (and the write-in candidate) come November. They are David Wagie, Andrea Leigh McGee and Paul Spain. I agree with all three on a long list of issues and have met all three. Like most people, all are very likable when you meet them in person. I can personally relate to all three candidates and their life stories; however, my choice has been between McGee and Spain for a long time. McGee seems very libertarian; however, lacks experience. Spain is a strong free market guy, signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge and has vast experience.  He seems out-of-place at candidate forums, which I actually like – he’s not playing the politician role and reminds me of myself in many ways. Unfortunately, I cannot say Spain is the most libertarian in the race, otherwise I would vote for him in a heartbeat. If I was a libertarian-leaning Republican, I would consider the three in this order: 1st McGee, 2nd Spain and 3rd Wagie.

U.S. Congress District 21

There is a Democratic primary between incumbent Ted Deutch and Emmanuel Morel. As with the District 22 race, I do not have a dog in this race because I am not a registered Democrat; however, I would be tempted to go with the underdog,  Morel – though I likely would not vote. From a political point of view, I do not agree with either’s positions on most issues. I know Deutch well, and he’s a great guy, overall – however he is not someone I would want representing me in D.C.

U.S. Congress District 20

There is a Democratic primary between three candidates, one of which is Alcee Hastings. If you’re a Democrat, vote for either of the other two and remove Hastings from office – he’s not helping you, he’s hurting you. Ugh!

U.S. Congress District 18

Calvin Turnquest – photo credit wptv.com

What an interesting race between 6 (count them SIX!) Republican candidates seeking to oust Democratic incumbent Patrick Murphy in the November General Election – Beverly Hires, Carl Domino, Calvin Turnquest, Brian Lara, Alan Schlesinger, Nick Wukoson. Admittingly, I have not followed these candidates closely enough to offer an opinion, though I know Domino and Turnquest. I will take this moment to say to the liberals out there that think Tea Partiers are racist: I know several tea partiers that are supporting Calvin Turnquest and he’s black – just like they supported Allen West. Tea Partiers ARE NOT racists! Are there some that are, I am sure – just like I am sure there are some hardcore liberals that are racists. I am tired of hearing on the television and in person, uninformed ignorant statements saying Tea Party supporters are all racists – that is B.S. Wish I could be of better help on this one.

A WORD ABOUT JUDGES

For me, and most ‘regular folks’ in the county, voting for judges can always be a challenge, because we are not in front of judges very often. Though we all may know one or many attorneys in our personal lives, any running for judge we likely will not know well. For this reason I often rely on attorney or judge friends to tell me the merits of the candidates. It is through this lens I offer the following opinions on the races for the two that are running tomorrow in Palm Beach County. One thing that will be interesting to see on Tuesday evening is how close each of the two races are.

Circuit Judge 15th Judicial Circuit Group 14

Normally judge races are not very exciting; however, the fight between Jessica Ticktin and Diana Lewis (incumbent) is interesting. I have consulted with at least 9 attorneys or friends that know each well. Normally such races are a slam dunk – whereas it is heavily weighted from one to the other. Lewis was recently in the news as ruling Florida’s gay marriage ban is unconstitutional, which got me to wondering why many of my conservative friends are supporting her. The irony. Apparently Ticktin would have ruled similarly. This race is the closest I have seen with those I spoke with, and it tipped in Ticktin’s favor by one.

Circuit Judge 15th Judicial Circuit Group 30

This is a race between Jamie Goodman, Maxine Cheeseman and Peggy Rowe-Linn. I wish I could offer a reasonable opinion on this race; however, the opinion of those I spoke with about each was split. So, you are on your own with this one.

School Board District 3

This is a race between David Mech, Karen Brill and John Hartman. I have met all three at candidate forums – again, all three are very likable people. As I wrote in a previous article about this race and a few others, Mech states he’s a libertarian, but then says some things that are not libertarian. I have friends voting for Brill and Hartman, while I haven’t heard anyone voting for Mech. I do not know if that is due to his arriving in shorts and flip-flops at candidate forums (which I like) while other candidates are in suits, or if they do not like his lifestyle. Regardless, he is clearly the smartest and reasonable person in the race, so being a contrarian, it would be interesting to see Mech on the School Board.

Delray Beach – Charter Amendment: Removal of City Manager

The city has had its share of problems hiring and keeping a city manager the commission can get along with. This question on the August 26th ballot is asking voters to change the ability of the commission to remove a city manager with a vote of at least 3 instead of the current 4. Personally, I will be voting “NO” as I feel, long-term, it is a mistake to change the vote to a simple majority from a super majority as it is now.

Lake Worth – 2020 Bonds

The City of Lake Worth is posing a question to its city voters on August 26th, and that is whether to issue $63,500,000 in bonds to raise money in an effort to “acquire and improve roadway, sidewalk, street light, streetscape, drainage and water and sewer facilities located within the City.” It is strongly likely a libertarian, or even a libertarian-leaning voter would vote “NO” to this bond. There is little accountability and there is no clear path to paying back this bond. Lake Worth does suffer from a prior regimes poor management of the city; however, this bond is not the answer.

 

Palm Beach County's Primary Elections – how would a Libertarian vote?

Although we will not see Libertarian-branded candidates on the ballot on August 26, 2014, there are some candidates of interest as well as questions to answer. So, even if you’re not affiliated with a political party, or the party you belong does not have a candidate in the race, then you should vote. I will voice my opinion on the general election in October, so if you haven’t already subscribed to this blog’s postings, then do so on the right of this column.

I am focusing on Palm Beach County, because that is where I live in Florida and there are some interesting races happening. I do this before most elections, because I often get asked through phone calls, emails and social media postings, my advice for whom to vote – and why.

The following is my own personal opinion and NOT that of any political party, committee or candidate.

Florida Governor – Democratic Primary

Although you would not know it by listening or reading information from the general media, there is a race between Charlie Crist and Nan Rich. Crist has shown he cannot be trusted, paling around with Ponzi-schemer Scott Rothstein, changing his strong convictions from week to week. He’s a mess, but a media darling. Nan Rich on the other hand is a steadfast, serious liberal Democrat. If you’re a Democrat, your choice is clear with a vote for Nan Rich.

The winner will face the Republican Primary winner, Libertarian Adrian Wyllie , along with the following NPA qualified candidates: Joe Allen, Glenn Burkett and Farid Khavari.

Florida Governor – Republican Primary

Similarly, by listening or reading the mainstream media, Republicans would be shocked to learn Rick Scott is being challenged in the primary tomorrow.  The race is between Yinka Abosede Adeshina, Elizabeth Cuevas-Neunder and Rick Scott. I do not have a dog in this race and Scott will easily win, but a contrarian may want to consider Cuevas-Neunder.

The winner will face the Democratic Primary winner, Libertarian Adrian Wyllie, along with the following NPA qualified candidates: Joe Allen, Glenn Burkett and Farid Khavari.

Florida Attorney General – Democratic Primary

This is a race between George Sheldon and Perry Thurston. Go with Thurston if you’re a Democrat. The winner will face Republican Pam Bondi and Libertarian Bill Wohlsifer in the November General Election.

U.S. Congress District 22

Andrea Leigh McGee, U.S. Congress District 22

Besides incumbent Lois Frankel, who is unopposed in the primary, there are three Republicans vying to run against her (and the write-in candidate) come November. They are David Wagie, Andrea Leigh McGee and Paul Spain. I agree with all three on a long list of issues and have met all three. Like most people, all are very likable when you meet them in person. I can personally relate to all three candidates and their life stories; however, my choice has been between McGee and Spain for a long time. McGee seems very libertarian; however, lacks experience. Spain is a strong free market guy, signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge and has vast experience.  He seems out-of-place at candidate forums, which I actually like – he’s not playing the politician role and reminds me of myself in many ways. Unfortunately, I cannot say Spain is the most libertarian in the race, otherwise I would vote for him in a heartbeat. If I was a libertarian-leaning Republican, I would consider the three in this order: 1st McGee, 2nd Spain and 3rd Wagie.

U.S. Congress District 21

There is a Democratic primary between incumbent Ted Deutch and Emmanuel Morel. As with the District 22 race, I do not have a dog in this race because I am not a registered Democrat; however, I would be tempted to go with the underdog,  Morel – though I likely would not vote. From a political point of view, I do not agree with either’s positions on most issues. I know Deutch well, and he’s a great guy, overall – however he is not someone I would want representing me in D.C.

U.S. Congress District 20

There is a Democratic primary between three candidates, one of which is Alcee Hastings. If you’re a Democrat, vote for either of the other two and remove Hastings from office – he’s not helping you, he’s hurting you. Ugh!

U.S. Congress District 18

Calvin Turnquest – photo credit wptv.com

What an interesting race between 6 (count them SIX!) Republican candidates seeking to oust Democratic incumbent Patrick Murphy in the November General Election – Beverly Hires, Carl Domino, Calvin Turnquest, Brian Lara, Alan Schlesinger, Nick Wukoson. Admittingly, I have not followed these candidates closely enough to offer an opinion, though I know Domino and Turnquest. I will take this moment to say to the liberals out there that think Tea Partiers are racist: I know several tea partiers that are supporting Calvin Turnquest and he’s black – just like they supported Allen West. Tea Partiers ARE NOT racists! Are there some that are, I am sure – just like I am sure there are some hardcore liberals that are racists. I am tired of hearing on the television and in person, uninformed ignorant statements saying Tea Party supporters are all racists – that is B.S. Wish I could be of better help on this one.

A WORD ABOUT JUDGES

For me, and most ‘regular folks’ in the county, voting for judges can always be a challenge, because we are not in front of judges very often. Though we all may know one or many attorneys in our personal lives, any running for judge we likely will not know well. For this reason I often rely on attorney or judge friends to tell me the merits of the candidates. It is through this lens I offer the following opinions on the races for the two that are running tomorrow in Palm Beach County. One thing that will be interesting to see on Tuesday evening is how close each of the two races are.

Circuit Judge 15th Judicial Circuit Group 14

Normally judge races are not very exciting; however, the fight between Jessica Ticktin and Diana Lewis (incumbent) is interesting. I have consulted with at least 9 attorneys or friends that know each well. Normally such races are a slam dunk – whereas it is heavily weighted from one to the other. Lewis was recently in the news as ruling Florida’s gay marriage ban is unconstitutional, which got me to wondering why many of my conservative friends are supporting her. The irony. Apparently Ticktin would have ruled similarly. This race is the closest I have seen with those I spoke with, and it tipped in Ticktin’s favor by one.

Circuit Judge 15th Judicial Circuit Group 30

This is a race between Jamie Goodman, Maxine Cheeseman and Peggy Rowe-Linn. I wish I could offer a reasonable opinion on this race; however, the opinion of those I spoke with about each was split. So, you are on your own with this one.

School Board District 3

This is a race between David Mech, Karen Brill and John Hartman. I ha
ve met all three at candidate forums – again, all three are very likable people. As I wrote in a previous article about this race and a few others, Mech states he’s a libertarian, but then says some things that are not libertarian. I have friends voting for Brill and Hartman, while I haven’t heard anyone voting for Mech. I do not know if that is due to his arriving in shorts and flip-flops at candidate forums (which I like) while other candidates are in suits, or if they do not like his lifestyle. Regardless, he is clearly the smartest and reasonable person in the race, so being a contrarian, it would be interesting to see Mech on the School Board.

Delray Beach – Charter Amendment: Removal of City Manager

The city has had its share of problems hiring and keeping a city manager the commission can get along with. This question on the August 26th ballot is asking voters to change the ability of the commission to remove a city manager with a vote of at least 3 instead of the current 4. Personally, I will be voting “NO” as I feel, long-term, it is a mistake to change the vote to a simple majority from a super majority as it is now.

Lake Worth – 2020 Bonds

The City of Lake Worth is posing a question to its city voters on August 26th, and that is whether to issue $63,500,000 in bonds to raise money in an effort to “acquire and improve roadway, sidewalk, street light, streetscape, drainage and water and sewer facilities located within the City.” It is strongly likely a libertarian, or even a libertarian-leaning voter would vote “NO” to this bond. There is little accountability and there is no clear path to paying back this bond. Lake Worth does suffer from a prior regimes poor management of the city; however, this bond is not the answer.