INSIDE THE DUCKS CASE KWTN`s Election Endorsements

Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page www.kwtn.com
KEY WEST THE NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 17, 2008
INSIDE THE DUCKS CASE
Back in 1995, the City
Commission illegally put Duck
Tours Seafari out of business.
The company was conducting tours of Key West harbor,
using brightly-painted World
War II amphibious vessels.
The same vehicles were then
used to take passengers back
to pick-up points on land. The
Commission said that violated
the City’s exclusive contract
with the Conch Tour Train and
Trollys.
Ten years later, in 2005, a
jury determined that the City
must pay the owners of Duck
tours more than $13 million
in damages, representing lost
profits.
The City appealed. But
last year, an appellate court
upheld the lower court ruling that the City had, indeed,
acted illegally and is liable for
damages, attorneys’ fees and
costs. But the appellate court
did send the case back to trial
to recalculate the amount of
damages.
Mediation is set for later
this month to see if an outof-court agreement can be
reached. If not, a new trial to
allow another jury to determine the amount of damages
is expected to be set for early
next year.
In the meantime, City officials agreed last week to pay
the Ducks’ attorneys $300,000,
which covers only fees associated with the appeal— not work
associated with the previous 13
13 YEARS AFTER THE CITY
ILLEGALLY PUT DUCK TOURS
SEAFARI OUT OF BUSINESS, AND
THREE YEARS AFTER A JURY
SAID THE CITY HAD TO PAY $13.5
MILLION IN DAMAGES, THE CASE
IS STILL DRAGGING ON.
RICHARD FRENCH, A FORMER
OWNER OF SOLARES HILL AND
ONE OF THE DUCKS’ MAJOR
STOCKHOLDERS TALKS ABOUT
WHAT’S GOING ON
years of litigation.
To get an insiders’ perspective on this case, KWTN
talked with Richard French,
one of the Ducks’ major stockholders.
KWTN: Richard, we understand that you used to live in
Key West and have been a key
KWTN’s Election
Endorsements
Early voting starts Monday, so it’s about time that we tell
you about our endorsements, for your consideration.
STATE ATTORNEY— MARK KOHL
This one is a no-brainer. Incumbent Mark Kohl has been
State Attorney for two terms. Eight years ago, as an underdog
candidate, he defeated Kirk Zuelch, who had been in office for
20 years.
Kohl has lived in the Keys for more than 20 years and, for
16 of those years he has been associated with the State Attorney’s
Office, eight years as an Assistant State Attorney and eight years
as the State Attorney.
Kohl oversees 58 employees, including 18 lawyers in three
offices in the Keys. They handle 10,000 cases a year.
Let’s contrast that to Dennis Ward, Kohl’s opponent.
Although he did work here as an Assistant State Attorney for
less than two years and is currently a public defender, his legal
residence was in Miami Beach for most of that time. He didn’t
change his legal residence or his voting registration to Monroe
County until one day before filing to run for State Attorney here
last December.
In fact, in 2005, he ran unsuccessfully for city commissioner
in Miami Beach.
Finally, we need to report to you that Mr. Ward has never
defended or prosecuted a felony case in his entire legal career!
When he worked briefly for Mark Kohl, he handled only misdemeanors. Dennis Ward might be able to talk the talk. After
all, he is the former head of a police union. But he simply is not
ready to become our State Attorney. We recommend a vote for
Mark Kohl.
SHERIFF— KEN DAVIS
Why don’t good candidates run for public office? We ask
that question a lot during every election season. But this year, we
member of the Ducks team all have an outstanding candidate in the race for Monroe County
Sheriff— Ken Davis.
from the beginning.
He is a 28-year veteran of law enforcement, as an agent
RF: True. I spent some
with
the
federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and
happy years here in the midas
a
Coast
Guard investigator. Most recently, he headed the DEA
nineties and with the Ducks
operation
here in the Keys.
long before matters came to
We
believe
that Ken Davis can and will clean up the Sheriff’s
Court. I have been associated
Office.
with the Ducks from the origin
See PICKS, page 4
See DUCKS, page 21
THE ISLAND’S OLDEST INDEPENDENT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page GUEST commentary
Assisted Living Facility:
$1 Per-Year Vote Was Wrong
by Christine Russell
As we all grow older,
housing in our senior years is
a consideration or worry for all
of us. With retirement savings
and funds having lost up to 40
percent of their value in the past
year, and as we look ahead to
living on fixed incomes, the
vast majority of us need to be
concerned about how we will
live and how we will pay for
housing in our senior years.
A week ago last Tuesday,
I happened to be at the City
Commission meeting when
the Commissioners, as the
Naval Properties Local Redevelopment Authority, voted
on “Implementing referendum
approval of a 99 year lease of
Truman Waterfront Property
for an Assisted Living and Independent Living Facility for
Senior Citizens”. Sounds good
doesn’t it? Who would not be
for senior housing? One by
one’ board members from the
Florida Keys Assisted Care
Coalition came up and sang the
praises of this project, and told
the Commissioners about the
need for this type of housing.
Did you vote for the referendum? Did you attend any
of the forums held to inform
the public about the project?
Did you receive and read any
literature on the project? With
people busy working two and
three jobs, raising kids and doing all the day-to-day activities
life and families require, I don’t
blame you if you didn’t have
time to investigate the project.
After all, the wording of
the referendum didn‘t seem to
indicate any red flags, in fact
it seemed like a good idea: “To
encourage housing for senior
citizens, shall the naval Properties Local Redevelopment
Authority of the City of Key
West be authorized to lease real
property of approximately four
acres at the Truman Waterfront,
to a qualified operator or management company that has not
yet been selected for a period
of 99 years for exclusive use as
a mixed-income senior citizens
assisted living and independent
living facility?”
You voted either YES or
NO. Unfortunately the referendum did not mention the lease
was for $1 a year! It should
also be noted that Coalition
literature said ”Keys Energy
Services will make available
an adjoining property consisting of 1 2/3 acres” for a total
of 5.3 acres.
Assisted Care Coalition
literature states “None of the
directors has a financial interest in the project; nor will any
director benefit in any way
in its construction or operation. Each director has voted
to affirm a resolution citing
this criterion.” I would expect
this non-involvement clause
would include families and
business partners. Let’s keep
a close eye on this one. Our
Commissioners also need to
keep watch of this project and
who‘s invovled.
We were told by Ed Swift,
John Dolan-Heitlinger, and
other members of the Florida
Keys Assisted Care Coalition
Board how the referendum was
passed overwhelmingly by a
two-thirds vote— the people of
Key West were for this project
they said!
Well, here’s what you may
not have known! There will be
40 assisted care units. Of these
10 would be studios (400 s.f.)
with monthly fees of $1000, and
prices on units go up to $4800
monthly for 10 one bedroom
plus units (600 s.f.). Of these
40 units, half (20) would be
subsidized.
Then’ there are 95 independent living units starting at $1700 (600 s.f.) and go
up to $2995 for “1 bedroom
with premium views” (700 s.f).
Only 8 of the 95 independent
living units will be subsidized.
So, of 135 proposed units, only
28 would be subsidized.
If you think that’s a lot
of money just wait. Literature
I received from the Coalition
stated “How much will the
units cost? The community
is being planned as a mixed
income community with units
running at or about $200,000 to
$1.5 million. And rental units
from $1,000 to $4900 monthly.”
Literature went on to answer
the question: “Will residents
be able to own their own apartments? No. The units cannot
be owned fee-simple. But for
See VOTE, page 8
www.kwtn.com
news briefs
Nutcracker Tickets
On Sale
Tickets are now on sale for the 2008 production of Nutcracker
Key West, scheduled to open November 28 at the Tennessee Williams Theatre. There will be 13 performances through December
7. This is one of the largest productions to ever play on a Key
West stage. Tickets are available on line at www.keystix.com or
by calling the box office at 295-7676.
Mayor McPherson
Will Walk the Plank
Mayor Morgan McPherson and radio personality Bill Hoebee will walk the plank into the Key West Bight next Wednesday
evening, October 22, at 7pm, during a pirate theme party at the
Schooner Wharf Bar. But it’s all in the name of charity. The event
will benefit the Schooner Western Union Preservation Society
and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Florida Keys. Raffle tickets
are available for $5 each, or three for $10, at the Western Union
or the Schooner Wharf Bar
Pet Masquerade Set
for Wednesday
Pets in costume. Imagine that concept in Key West. This
year’s Pet Masquerade and Parade is set for next Wednesday,
October 22, at 5:30 pm. Registration starts at 4. Prizes will be
awarded in four categories, plus the grand prize for best in show.
There is a $25 registration fee which will benefit the Lower Keys
Friends of Animals. Info: Nancy D’Amato at 296-7511 X 104.
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page Kohl for State Attorney;
Davis for Sheriff
PICKS, from page 1
Davis’ primary opponent
in the race is Capt. Bob Peryam,
who has been with the sheriff’s
office for 27 years. In our opinion, he is part of the problem. In
fact, if you are a regular reader
of this newspaper, you know
that we have repeatedly labeled
Peryam as a near-criminal.
Most recently, a Big Pine
Key woman says she caught
Peryam­— a married man with
children— having sex with her
young daughter in her house.
After that, she said, Peryam
ordered his deputies to harass
her husband and son. Sheriff
Roth conducted an investigation but that investigation was
closed without a finding of fact.
Peryam says he was cleared
“by investigation,” but that is
not true. If you want to see the
official documents, including
the mother’s hand-written complaint, check last week’s edition
of Key West The Newspaper at
kwtn.com.
Several years ago, an official report from the Florida
Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) suggested that
Peryam tipped off one of his
deputies about questions the
deputy was going to be asked
during the FDLE investigation.
The deputy, reportedly a longtime friend of Peryam, had
been caught sexually molesting
a 13-year-old girl. Peryam has
never denied that he leaked information about a confidential
investigation to his pal— even
when we asked him about it.
Other allegations have
surfaced from more than one
source that Peryam’s wife
and others did many of his
homework assignments for his
on-line college degree. He has
never denied this— even when
we asked him about it.
Another candidate in this
race, Sandra Downs, has added
a lot of color and truth-telling
to the dialogue. She has been a
critic of the sheriff’s office for
years, but only after she summoned up the gumption to run
for the office did she get the
platform to tell her story and
express her opinions. She has
not had the finances to compete
with the big boys, but we admire
her courage.
Perennial candidate Bob
Horan is also running again.
For Sheriff of Monroe
County, we enthusiastically
recommend a vote for Ken
Davis.
CONTINUED on page 5
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Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page www.kwtn.com
Estes, Carruthers and Murphy
for County Commission; Sawyer
for Elections Supervisor
FROM page 4
COUNTY COMMISSION,
DIST. 1— BILL ESTES
Two candidates are vying
to replace Dixie Spehar in the
District 1 County Commission
seat— Bill Estes and Kim Wiggington. Neither are what you
might call super candidates,
however.
We have had more exposure to Estes, in the community and when he has been a
candidate for other offices. He
seems to be passionate about his
politics, but he has a history of
being unable or unwilling to run
serious political campaigns.
Wiggington almost defeated Spehar in the 2004 election and she did beat her in the
Republican primary election
last August. And she is continuing to run hard. A problem we
have with Wiggington is that
she might be too close to bad boy
County Commissioner George
Neugent. If elected will she and
Neugent form a new Gang of
Two or team up with another
Commissioner to create a new
Gang of Three?
We recommend a vote for
Bill Estes for County Commissioner District 1.
COUNTY COMMISSION,
DIST. 3— HEATHER
CARRUTHERS
In last August’s Republican Primary election, Carlos
Rojas did what many other
candidates over the years were
never able to do— defeat Sonny
McCoy, a two-term County
Commissioner and a former
five-term Mayor of Key West.
And he did it without hardly
running any campaign at all.
But in the upcoming November 4 election, he is facing
Heather Carruthers, who is
running a professional, well-fi-
nanced campaign. Rojas is still
hardly running any campaign
at all.
Perennial candidate
Sloan Bashinsky, also a candidate in this race, has said
publicly more than once that
he doesn’t really want to be
a county commissioner and,
in fact, has endorsed Heather
Carruthers. But now, he says
he is in it to win it.
Our vote in this race goes
to Heather Carruthers.
COUNTY COMMISSION,
DIST. 5— SYLVIA
MURPHY
Incumbent Sylvia Murphy is being challenged by
Sal Gutierrez, whose primary
claim to fame is his colorful and
irreverent website.
We recommend a vote for
Sylvia Murphy.
SUPERVISOR OF
ELECTIONS—
HARRY SAWYER JR.
While it is impossible to
get inside the minds of political candidates who challenge
popular incumbents, we sometimes suspect that they’re just
running to try to get a good
job. We suspect that’s the case
in the race for Supervisor of
Elections.
Incumbent Harry Sawyer
Jr. and his staff do such a good
job that this office is a model for
other election officials across
the state and across the nation.
Not a hint of scandal here.
‘Nuff said?
We enthusiastically recommend a vote for Harry
Sawyer Jr.
PROPERTY APPRAISER—
ERVIN HIGGS
This is another one of
those “if it ain’t broke don’t fix
it” endorsements. Ervin Higgs
has been the property appraiser
here for a long time— and he
has done a good job for a long
time.
He does have an opponent
this year— Chris Sante, who
is in the mortgage business in
Islamorada. Sante says it’s time
for a change. And he says he has
taken some courses in property
appraising and that he is now a
“property appraisal trainee.”
We recommend a vote for
Irvin Higgs.
CONTINUED on page 6
www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page Acevedo for School
Superintendent;
Slaton for Judge
FROM page 5
SUPERINTENDENT OF
SCHOOLS— RANDY
ACEVEDO
We are endorsing incumbent Randy Acevedo for Superintendent of Schools. Despite
spirited attempts by challenger,
Fred Colvard, to discredit the
accomplishments of the school
district under Acevedo’s leadership, the fact remains that we
have the highest percentage of A
rated schools in the state (92%).
Since Acevedo took over as
Superintendent, the number of
students achieving at their grade
level has improved and graduation rates have increased.
Acevedo and the current
school board were able to reduce
the district’s 2008-09 budget to
a level below the rollback rate
without eliminating teaching
positions. In fact, while teachers
in other districts are still working
without a contract, our teachers
received a raise that keeps them
the highest paid in the state,
which lends to our increasing
ability to attract and retain the
best teachers.
Acevedo’s challenger, Fred
Colvard, has a resume that is less
impressive than he touts, if you
consider the brevity of the many
positions he’s held in districts
across the country.
We do like Colvard’s apparent desire to reduce standardized testing, but in Florida,
money for schools is tightly tied
to measurable achievement.
Colvard is promising many
changes if elected, but he would
be required to operate under the
same restraints that Acevedo
must.
A common perception at
Marathon High School, where
Colvard served briefly as principal, is that he made promises
he could not keep. We have seen
no credible reason to believe it
would be any different at the
level of Superintendent. We are
concerned that his perceived inability to connect with students,
parents, and staff will hinder
further progress in the district.
We recommend a vote to
retain Randy Acevedo as superintendent of the Monroe County
School District.
CIRCUIT JUDGE—
TEAGAN SLATON
We are fortunate that two
excellent candidates are vying
for the seat on the 16th Judicial
Circuit bench being vacated by
Judge Sandra Taylor— Tegan
Slaton and Mary Vanden Brook.
In the primary election in August, Slaton was the top vote-getter, with Vanden Brook coming
in second.
As we did before the primary, we are endorsing Tegan
Slaton. We have had the opportunity to watch him perform
over the years as a magistrate
(appointed by Judge Taylor) in
traffic court and as a hearing
officer and special master in
civil court, family court, mental
health proceedings and probate
court. He has also handled numerous final hearings, motions
and evidentiary hearings in family court. He is also the conflict
of interest special magistrate for
the City of Key West.
But experience on the
bench is not the only reason we
recommend a vote for Tegan
Slaton. The other reason is demeanor. We have seen him in
action. The citizens who come
before him are treated with
courtesy and respect.
CONTINUED on next page
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page www.kwtn.com
Papy and Shaw for
Mosquito Board
FROM page 6
MOSQUITO CONTROL
BOARD— JOAN LORD
PAPY AND BILL SHAW
Two of the five commissioners on the Mosquito Control
Board are up for reelection this
year— Joan Lord Papy and Bill
Shaw. We are lumping our recommendation that both of these
incumbents be reelected into one
endorsement because they were
both instrumental in cleaning
up the worst case of political
corruption in the history of that
board. In the political world,
they should be considered heroes. If you’ve lived here long
enough, you know the story. If
you are new here, you should
know the story.
Back in the early 1990s,
the word went out that Key
West Mayor Dennis Wardlow
needed a job. And in Bubbaland,
that means a government job, if
possible. So some of Wardlow’s
influential supporters were
able to convince a majority of
the members of the Mosquito
Control Board (MCB) to create a
new assistant director job there.
They went through the motions
to “search” for candidates, but it
was obvious from the beginning
that the job had been created and
fixed for Wardlow.
At that time, Joan Lord
Papy was a newly-elected
member of the board. She, along
with the chairman of the board,
protested. But to no avail.
And so it came to pass.
Dennis Wardlow became an assistant director of the Mosquito
Control Board. He came and
went as he pleased and spent
much of the time he was in the
office working on City business.
A City courier would deliver a
package of City documents in
the morning and pick it up later
in the day.
When longtime MCB Director Lois Ryan protested, she
See PICKS, page 23
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www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page City Commission Should
Reconsider $1-Per-year Vote
On Land for Assisted Living Facility
VOTE, from page 2
residents who elect to pay an
upfront entrance fee, they will
be guaranteed use of their unit
for as long they are physically
and mentally capable. Rentals will be governed by leases
of appropriate duration. The
land will always be owned by
the City of Key West as well
as Keys Energy Services. The
buildings will be owned by the
provider.”
We do have some senior
housing in Key West, but there is
a 1-2 year wait to get in. Rent is
30 percent of your income, and
over a certain income, your rent
tops out at somewhere between
$550- $600 per month. Now
that’s affordable.
Last week the City Commissioners voted 5 to 2 in sup-
port of leasing this extremely
valuable piece of land to the
Florida Keys Assisted Care Coalition for 99 years for $1 a year.
Only Commissioners Johnston
and Gibson voted against what
sounds like another sweetheart
of a deal like the Yacht Club.
One speaker at the Commission meeting suggested that
the only portion of land that
should be rented for $1 a year
would be land that is used for
lower or moderate income seniors, and not used to subsidize
expensive waterfront living for
the wealthy. One dollar a year.
Where in Key West can you go
to find a land deal like that?
I probably attend more
Commission meetings than
the average person and I did
not know the Naval Properties Local Redevelopment
Authority only considered
and voted one time on issues
of such importance. Usually
for City Commission business
there is a second reading following two weeks after the first
reading. I know at least one
Commissioner believed there
would be a second meeting or
reading in which to vote on this
land lease, I wonder how many
other Commissioners thought
the same way?
So, how do you feel about
this affordable housing project
now? Will you be able to afford to live here? If you voted
today would you vote for or
against the referendum? In an
informal poll of about 50 seniors
following the City Commis-
sion vote, less than 10 percent
of the seniors I questioned
indicated they voted FOR the
referendum.
When asked if they had
attended any of the presentations by the Florida Keys
Assisted Care Coalition or understood the costs mentioned
in this commentary, 15 percent
responded with a YES. When
asked if they could afford to live
in this project 100 percent said
THEY COULD NOT AFFORD
TO LIVE IN THIS DEVELOPMENT.
Lastly, when asked, with
this information, do you support the dollar a year lease
for this project? 98 percent
responded NO THEY DO NOT
SUPPORT THIS LEASE.
There is a need for AFFORDABLE housing for seniors. BUT THIS IS NOT IT.
Let the Mayor and the Commissioners know how you feel
about the way they voted on
this important issue.
The Mayor and Commissioners can emailed or called at:
mayor@keywestcity.com 8093844, bverge@keywestcity.com
809-3844, mrossi@keywestcity.
com 296-7050, dkolhage@keywestcity.com 296-4066, bfgibson@keywestcity.com 809-3841,
Johnston@keywestcity.com
809-3841, clopez@keywestcity.
com 294-8729.
Christine Russell is a
longtime resident of Key West.
She calls herself a community
and political activist.
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page www.kwtn.com
letters
Key West May Be Long on Courage
but Short on Valuable Knowledge
about Hurricane Safety
I’d like to thank Bob
Rowley for writing the letter
(published in KWTN on October 3) about why he doesnt
evacuate. He described exactly what is required to stay
for a hurricane. He lives in
a strong house in Old Town,
and it sounds like it’s on high
ground. He’s got water storage
and food supplies. I bet he’s
even got tools and protective
gear to use while cleaning up
debris after the storm, and may
even be willing to help his less
fortunate neighbors. I would
probably stay for most storms
if I were in his situation.
What about the rest of us,
though? Where do people who
live on streets that are 10 feet
or lower elevation go? That’s
probably at least 2/3rds of us
in Key West, and everyone on
all the other islands up until
Islamorada.
Next, there’s people who
live in mid-rise condos. Some
older ones don’t have full
protection on their glass. For
example, I have hurricane shutters, but the people across the
hall do not. I’ve seen plenty of
wind damage pictures where
the wind goes in one side of
a building and out the other,
carrying the contents with it.
The interior walls aren’t strong
enough to stop it. The wind
is always stronger as you go
higher, and I live on the 4th
floor. Should I feel safe staying in my condo? I once heard
that around 15% of our island
lives in those mid-rise condos
and apartments around the Salt
Ponds. Should they stay? I used
to own one of those things, and
no...don’t stay in it. They only
look like the exterior walls are
concrete. You can poke a hole
through them with a broom
handle. I know, I did it while
fixing Wilma damage.
These old time locals
should feel some responsibility to the new comers who live
in less secure housing, and tell
everyone else what it takes to
stay here. Folks who feel comfortable staying should explain
why, like that guy did. Hopefully people will read between
the lines and compare their
situation to his. I also hope they
look at claims about never being damaged from a historical
vantage point. If they do, they’ll
realize that their houses have
never been tested by a major
hurricane.
Finally, people should
look into the aftermath of a
storm, when they may have
no shelter, food, water, sewers,
medical care, police protection
or transportation out. Once they
have all the facts, they can make
that very personal decision to
stay or evacuate.
Matt Strahan
Meteorologist
Key West National
Weather Service
www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 10
Rick boettger
rhonda
Oksana, Will You
Marry Me? And Yes, I
Want My Sub Toasted
by Rhonda Linseman-Saunders
Some people have Yahoo e-mail accounts. I
had one for several years and liked it well enough.
Others use Bellsouth or the e-mail that comes with a
Comcast internet service subscription. Those are fine,
too, from what I’ve heard. And some people still pay
for AOL e-mail. I can only imagine it’s because they
don’t realize they don’t have to.
I prefer Google’s Gmail as my primary e-mail
account. For one thing, they’re constantly giving me
reasons to fall in love with it all over again—like my
husband, minus the snoring.
Google employs a bunch of young people who
aren’t afraid, yet, of having their stupid suggestions
judged harshly. As such, they come up with radical
ideas that no self-respecting grown up with a reputation to protect would speak of out loud at a meeting.
For example, last week the child engineers at Google
gave us Gmail Goggles to help Gmail users save
themselves from those “Ohshit please tell me I didn’t
really send that” moments upon realizing they’d sent
an e-mail that ought not to have made it out of the
drafts folder.
Calling it “Goggles” is apparently some sort of
play on the old “beer goggles” that people speak of
having worn when they’d gone too far with somebody
who seemed much more attractive in the dark last
night after a few too many Pabst Blue Ribbons.
It works like this: While sober, the Gmail user
can enable the “Goggles” filter so that the sender will
need to answer a series of math questions that only
a reasonably sober and sane person could answer
correctly in the same sitting in which the e-mail was
written. After hitting “send” the goggles kick in before
the e-mail is actually sent. If the user passes the short
test, the message can be sent for real.
If enabled, the default is for the filter to kick in
late at night and on weekends—just when most of us
need to be saved from ourselves. Seasoned functional
alcoholics may not benefit from the service as much
as the twenty-something who stumbles home from
Rick’s and finds himself with the courage to finally
send a 4 a.m. marriage proposal to the hot Ukrainian
girl from the sandwich shop, but it’s a start.
Once the filter is enabled, the user can even
choose to adjust the time it is active. So if you’re a
shift worker and your sappy, drunken e-mail sending time varies with your work schedule, you can set
your goggles filter accordingly.
And as if protecting drunken morons from
themselves isn’t reason enough to give the kids at
Google the Nobel Prize for physics (or to create a
new category entirely), think of the sober but really,
really pissed off people who can also benefit from
the Goggles filter.
I am one of them. As an example, I recently sent
an e-mail to the hospital’s PR guy and called him an
asshole, and I copied the CEO on the correspondence.
While I still believe it to be true, if given the opportunity to rethink it via my Google Goggles filter, I’d
have clarified with the qualification of “insensitive.”
“Insensitive asshole” has an entirely different connotation than just plain “asshole.” Don’t you think?
It sounds stupid, at first, but it’s not such a bad
idea when you consider all of the e-mails you’ve sent
that were better left in drafts, at least overnight, so
you could delete or rework them in the morning when
you have a slightly sunnier outlook on life.
It’s ingenious, really. Continuous kudos to the
Google nuts who are never afraid of turning stupid
ideas into real options for Gmail users. Now we just
need to come up with a similar stop-loss method for
drunk dialing and texting.
Rhonda@kwtn.com
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?
Send us a Letter
To the Editor
TheBluePaper@kwtn.com
Racist
Surprise!
As you read this I am in Raja Ampat, an archipelago west of Papua New Guinea. It’s renowned
for the most extravagant reef life in the world. We’re
here during the most critical U.S. and county elections
in my life, and while my Goddaughter Jenny’s life
hangs in the balance, because we planned this trip
two years ago, when Jenny ran free and Obama was
a “who?” I feel guilty.
I don’t feel guilty about my racism. As we left
on October 8th, it seemed Barack Obama could lose
only if one of two disasters occurred. The first cause
could be the closeted, ashamed racism that doesn’t
show up in polls, but seeps out like oozing pus in the
privacy of the voting booth.
Racism has been very good to me. Not the slavery,
lynching, Ku Klux Klan, segregated buses, n-word-atrednecks-gatherings kinds of racism. Those have disgusted and embarrassed me for as long as I remember.
No, the kind of racism that has greased my path in life
and which may rob the best presidential candidate in
my lifetime of the presidency is much more subtle,
even acceptable to discuss in polite society.
The most insidious racism in this election is not
against African Americans. It is an enduring prejudice
See BOETTGER page 25
Key West
Key
T H E
N E W S P A P E R
Key West The Newspaper is published every
Friday, all year 'round, 52 weeks a year.
Free distribution weekly: 9,000
News tips and letters to the editor are welcome.
Editorial and advertising office:
422 Fleming Street
Mail: P.O. Box 567, Key West FL 33041
Phone: (305) 292-2108. Fax: (305) 292-1882.
E-mail: TheBluePaper@kwtn.com
Website: kwtn.com
Subscriptions: $40 for six months
Editor/Publisher Dennis Reeves Cooper, Ph.D.
Associate Editor Rhonda Linseman-Saunders
Photography Richard Watherwax
Art Director Art Winstanley
Contributors Michael Barnes, Hal O’Boyle,
Barbara Bowers, Jeni Alterman,
Harry Skevington, Rick Boettger
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 11
www.kwtn.com
ENTERTAINMENT • EATING & DRINKING • NIGHTLIFE • ATTRACTIONS • EVENTS • ARTS • SHOPPING • MAP
Eleven-Eleven at
Sloppy Joe’s
Huge Music Week
At the Green Parrot
FRIDAY AFTERNOON— Red
Riddum Posse, featuring Keith
Ricks, above, kick off Goombay
weekend at the Parrot with a FRIDAY AND SATURDAY— The Spam Allstars are in the house
special 5:30 “sound check” this Friday and Saturday nights, October 17-18, starting at 10 both
afternoon, Friday, October 17. nights.
ELEVEN-ELEVEN is on the big stage at Sloppy Joe’s every night
through Sunday, starting at 10
Music On the Rock
Listings & Info
Pages 11-19
SUNDAY AFTERNOON— The
Muse Gurus, featuring Larry
Bader, above, Dora G and
Francois Gahin, are at the Parrot
Sunday afternoon for a special three-hour “super sound
check,” starting at 5:30
TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY— The Siberian surf
rockers, the Red Elvises, will be back at the Parrot for three
nights, Wednesday through Thursday, October 21-23, starting
at 10 nightly— plus 5:30 “sound checks” on Wednesday and
Thursday afternoons.
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 12
www.kwtn.com
more entertainment
more entertainment
Scarekrow Back
At Cowboy Bill’s
SCAREKROW returns to Cowboy Bill’s tonight and tomorrow
night, Friday and Saturday, October 17-18, starting at 6 for
happy hour; then they return at 10 for a full gig. They’re also in
the house Wednesday and Thursday. Get-R-Wet t-shirt contest
Thursday night at 10.
Caffeine Carl
At the Schooner
CAFFEINE CARL & THE BUZZ are back at the Schooner Wharf
Bar tonight and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday, October
17-18, 7 ‘til midnight.
www.kwtn.com
more entertainment
Party Week at
Finnegan’s Wake!
JOE DOUGHERTY, top, retuns to Finnegan’s Wake tonight
and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday, October 17-18. The
STUMBLEBUM BRASS BAND moves in Tuesday and stays
through Saturday night. This Tuesday night, October 21, is the
Green Party, an official Fantasy Fest event. Wear green and get
in free.
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 13
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 14
www.kwtn.com
www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 15
www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 16
MUSIC on the rock
Live Music on the Island
KEY WEST IS FAMOUS FOR ITS LIVE
MUSIC. HERE’S A LISTING OF SOME
OF THE TOP MUSIC VENUES IN THE
SOUTHERNMOST CITY
EDITOR’S NOTE: Music
schedules are subject to change
without notice. To be included
in this listing, venues may email
music schedules to entertainment@kwtn.com by end of day
Monday.
Big Uns Sports Bar Right
in the middle of the action at 218
Duval Street. Matt Avery entertains
Friday and Saturday 9-1 and on
Sundays 8-12. Paul Rader plays
Monday through Wednesday 7-11
and Thursday and Friday 4-8.
B.O.’s Fish Wagon Locals
know this funky place on the corner of Caroline and William. But if
you’re from out of town, you gotta
go here just to say you’ve been.
B.O.’s square grouper sandwich
is famous around the world. On
most Friday nights. Barry Cuda
rolls in his piano about 6, invites
a few musical friends and boogies
for a couple of hours.
BottleCap Lounge One
of the oldest and most famous
watering holes on the island. A
block off Duval at 1128 Simonton
Street. DJs and karaoke on the
weekends. Acoustic musicians
on the front porch on Sundays,
6-10pm. This Sunday, October 19:
Twysted Sisterz.
The Bull One of Duval
Street’s last open-air bars— actually
three bars: The Bull on the first floor,
the Whistle on the second floor
and the clothing-optional Garden
of Eden on the roof. Live music all
day and late into the night.
Wed thru Sat, Oct. 22 - 25,
1 - 4 pm • Come Meet
THE BULL
CAPT. TONY’S SALOON
Capt. Tony’s Saloon A
Key West landmark at 428 Greene
Street, just off Duval. Since the
1850s, the building has been an ice
house, a telegraph station, a cigar
CONTINUED on next page
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 17
www.kwtn.com
Behind Bars
RICHARD WATHERWAX
BARTENDER OF
THE WEEK
PHIL tends bar at El Meson
de Pepe. His specialty drink
is a World Famous Mojito.
Tell us who your favorite
drink server is:
TheBluePaper@kwtn.com
music on the rock
FROM previous page
factory, a bordello and a series of
bars, including the original Sloppy
Joe’s. This is where Hemingway
drank 1933-37. The legendary
Capt. Tony Tarrecino, a charterboat
captain and a former gunrunner,
bought the place in 1958. Tony
was the Mayor of Key West 19891991. Live music every day from
noon. The Carl Peachey Band is
BIKINI BULL RIDING
AT COWBOY BILL’S
the house band.
Conch Republic Seafood Company On the water at
Key West’s Historic Seaport. Probably one of the biggest bars in town.
Live music from early afternoon
on the weekends and from 6pm
Monday through Thursday.
Cowboy Bill’s Honky
Tonk Saloon Duval Street’s only
Country Bar. 610 Duval Street.
Live music Wednesday through
Saturday nights from 10. Ladies
drink free Wednesdays 9-11. Sports
venue, too. Come ride the bull. Live
music this weekend: Scarekrow
returns for shows both Friday and
Saturday, October 17-18, starting at
6 for Happy Hour; then they return
at 10 for full gigs.
Finnegan’s Wake Joe
Dougherty returns tonight and
tomorrow night, Friday and
Saturday, October 17-18. The
CONTINUED on next page
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 18
www.kwtn.com
FROM previous page
FINNEGAN’S WAKE
Stumblebum Brass Band is in the
house Tuesday through Saturday,
October 21-26. The Green Party is
Tuesday night. this is an official
Fantasy Fest event. Wear green
and get in free.
GREEN PARROT
Green Parrot Bar A Key
West landmark since 1890. A favorite of locals and visitors alike. But
even regulars were mystified when,
in May 2000, Playboy magazine
named the Parrot one of the 24 Best
Bars in America. We don’t make this
stuff up. Located on Whitehead at
Southard, just a block off Duval,
this is the home of great drinks and
bad art— and one of the top venues
for live music on the island. Red
Riddum Posse kicks off Goombay
weekend this afternoon, Friday,
October 17, with one of the Parrot’s
CONTINUED on next page
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 19
www.kwtn.com
music on the rock
FROM previous page
famous “sound checks” at 5:30pm.
Then, the Spam Allstars take over
the joint for shows on both Friday
and Saturday nights, starting at 10.
Then, there’s a three-hour “super
sound check” starting at 5:30 on
Sunday afternoon featuring the
Muse Gurus, with Larry Baeder,
Dora G and Francois Gahin. But
that ain’t all! The famed Red
Elvises will be in the house Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,
October 21-23, starting at 10 every
night— plus 5:30 “sound checks”
on Wednesday and Thursday.
Hog’s Breath Saloon
Another top music venue here. Live
music every day from 1pm. Duval
and Front Street.
Hurricane Hole, just on the
other side of the Cow Key Channel
Bridge. Caffeine Carl & the Buzz
every Thursday, 5-9pm.
La Te Da Famous Duval
Street music and show venue. Live
music nightly, except Monday and
Tuesday.
Margaritaville Jimmy
Buffett’s place, but he doesn’t hang
out here much any more. Live
music nightly except Monday. 500
Duval Street.
Rum Barrel A popular restaurant, bar and music venue at the
corner of Front and Simonton.
Schooner Wharf Bar
Another top music venue. Famous
mostly-outdoor bar located right
WANNA GET YOUR
PICTURE TAKEN WITH A
PLAYBOY MODEL?
Amber Michelle Soberon
will be at Willie T’s on Duval
Street Wednesday through
Saturday afternoons,
October 22-25, 1 ‘til 4.
Bring your camera.
SCHOONER WHARF
on the water at Key West’s Historic
Seaport at the foot of William Street.
“This must be the center of the
universe,” wrote newsman Charles
Kurault. Voted Best Locals Bar six
years in a row. The irreverent Michael McCloud is on stage every
afternoon except Tuesday, noon ‘til
5. This weekend: Caffeine Carl &
the Buzz will be on stage tonight
and tomorrow night, Friday and
Saturday, October 17-18, 7 ‘til midnight. Biscuit Miller moves in on
Wednesday for a four-night gig.
Sloppy Joe’s One of the
most famous bars in the world. This
was Heminway’s favorite bar in the
1930s. Right in the heart of the Duval Street action, at Greene Street.
Live music every day from noon ‘til
late. This weekend, Eleven-Eleven
will be on the big stage every night
through Sunday, starting at 10.
Willy T’s An open air music
venue on Duval Street. Afternoon
and nighttime entertainment all
this week. Playboy model Amber Michelle Soberon will be in
the house Friday and Saturday
afternoon.
Sunset Pier Talk about “on
the water!” This venue, part of the
Ocean Key Resort at Zero Duval,
is actually on a big pier that sticks
right out into the ocean. Live music
nightly, starting at 6:30.
www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 20
FILM
What’s on at the Tropic
by Phil Mann
It isn’t often that you’ll see
Queen Latifah at the Tropic. But
the “First Lady of Hip-Hop,”
strides with gusto into the lead
role in THE SECRET LIFE OF
BEES. She already has one Oscar nomination, for her supporting role in the musical Chicago.
But Secret Life is a very different
pot of honey. Though blessed
with a triumvirate of songsters
-- Alicia Keys and Oscar-winner
Jennifer Hudson, along with
Ms. Latifah -- Secret Life is not a
musical, but a black-dominated
drama set in South Carolina in
1964. The main white character
is fourteen-year-old Dakota
Fanning.
Based on the bestselling
novel by Sue Monk Kidd, it’s the
story of Lily (Fanning), who is
running from an abusive father,
accompanied by her caregiver
(Hudson). She seeks out the
hometown of her deceased
mother, where she is taken in by
the Boatwright sisters -- Latifah,
Keys and Sophie Okonedo (Oscar nominee for Hotal Rwanda)
-- who raise bees and, despite
the time and place, dominate
their landscape. Through them
Lily learns the meaning of love.
The civil rights issues are there,
earning the novel a place on
many school reading lists next
to To Kill A Mockingbird, but
the message about what it takes
to make a family is universal.
The Oscar buzz has already started for several of
the film’s cast. The director
Gina Prince-Bythewood is also
young and African-American,
following up her Independent
Spirit Award winning Love
and Basketball. In interviews
cast members talk about how
Prince-Bythewood brought
them together out of devotion to
the novel, getting them to slash
their salaries to make it happen.
The director describes their feeling when Obama won the South
THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES
Carolina primary while they
were in the midst of filming in
North Carolina. They realized,
she says, that they “weren’t just
making a movie about a girl
and the nurturing women who
aided her,” they were “making
a film about a time when the
world was changing, at a time
when the world is changing.”
Maybe it’s time now for
all of us to go see it. Race is also
at the core of the documentary,
TROUBLE THE WATER.
Amateur videographers Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her
husband Scott covered Hurricane Katrina with a cheap
camera bought on the street,
and a sensibility bred from
watching TV news shows. With
this pair and their footage at the
center, documentarians Carl
Deal and Tia Lessin (Fahrenheit
911) have fashioned a movie
that Salon.com says “captures
a tale of courage, heroism and
tragedy more thrilling than any
Hollywood spectacle.” Some
of the Wilma-esque hurricane
footage will be all-to-familiar
to Key Westers. The movie
however is also about the aftermath and resurgence in the
black Ninth Ward, making it “a
powerful political argument,
backed by evidence provided
by the shaming indifference
of the government, that to be
poor and black in America is
to be an exile,” according to
the New York Times. It’s like
“we lost our citizenship,” Ms.
Roberts says.
On the Special Events
calendar, Hitchcock’s NOTORIOUS is the Monday night
classic. And the GLCC is conducting a free Breast Cancer
Awareness Forum on Wednesday night. THE DUCHESS also
continues her crowd pleasing
run for those hooked on British
historical drama.
Full details at TropicCinema.com.
Comments to pmann99@
gmail.com.
Free Movies
Frequent movie-goers can get free admission to
any movie at the Tropic Cinema by joining the “Summer
Sizzle” appreciation program this summer. For every
paid admission, a special card is punched. After ten paid
admissions the 11th movie is free! The punch card may
be picked up at the Tropic Cinema boxoffice at 416 Eaton
Street . The program goes until November 1st.
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 21
www.kwtn.com
Inside the Ducks Case
FROM page 1
of the very idea until the present day.
KWTN: How did you
become involved?
RF: Well, I heard about
the Branson Ducks and how
successful they were— that was
back in 1992— and clearly it was
a natural for Key West with its
harbor, its history, and its yearround weather. I just loved the
land-sea splash-down concept
with an amphibious vehicle.
KWTN: And your involvement with John Murphy,
who has been the Ducks’ front
man here?
RF: We were buddies
shooting the breeze on my
veranda on Dey Street when
John raised similar thoughts.
From that day on we were in
business.
KWTN: What is your
share of the business?
RF: Let us say it is significant. After the Murphy family,
the French family holdings are
the second biggest.
KWTN: Are there other
investors?
RF: There certainly are.
There are a total of 14 shareholders in Duck Tours Seafari. A
majority of them are residents,
past and present, of Key West.
For example, Al Rahming, an
investor, drives his independent taxi in Key West. Sadly, the
litigation has taken so long that
another shareholder, Emma
Cates did not live long enough
to see the Ducks prevail or share
in the Duck’s success.
KWTN: Tell us about
your role in the company.
RF: Most important
was my previous business
career experience. I was— and
am— director of marketing for
the Ducks and was involved
throughout in the development
of the marketing package. This
meant the naming, the distinctive styling, and the creation of
an identity with a cartoon character Captain Mallory Duck,
merchandise design— in fact
the whole branding package.
KWTN: Few know that
you were once a competitor of
Key West the Newspaper. Tell
us about that.
RF: That is correct. I
owned Solares Hill newspaper
for some years before I sold it
to the Key West Citizen. I also
held half the equity in Nellie
and Joe’s Lime Juice. Being a
newspaper proprietor, as you
know, gives one a great insight
into the local market and its
conditions. This experience
underscored my confidence
that the Duck’s operation could
not fail in Key West. And, as has
now been decided by the courts,
the City was liable on all counts
for illegally creating conditions
which made it impossible for
the Ducks to operate or stay in
business.
KWTN: What else did
you bring to the Ducks?
RF: My real qualification
for getting on board with the
Ducks was that I had 30 years of
front-end successful experience
in marketing tourism and fun
products with a solid track record on an international scale.
KWTN: Tell us about
that.
RF: Oh, well that’s a bit
involved, but here it is in brief.
I owned and managed two
important advertising agencies
in London, England. I produced
award-winning advertising
for Club Méditerranée, commonly known as Club Med, a
French corporation of vacation
resorts found in many parts of
the world. I also captured and
ran accounts like Air France,
Cunard Line, famous for the
ocean liner the QE2 and more
recently the QM2. My most
exciting client of all was Nike.
I started, owned and later sold
these businesses profitably in
the heady years of British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher.
KWTN: Would we recognize the names of other
clients?
RF: We also had such major corporate clients, as Heinz,
Panasonic, and Guinness. With
clients like these you must understand how business works.
A superficial understanding of
what makes a business great or
questionable judgment won’t
wash. Finally, I was Chairman
of the international advertising
firm of Young and Rubicam in
London. Y and R was— and
is— a major Madison Avenue
global advertising player. Today it has 182 offices in more
than 80 countries around the
world.
KWTN: That sounds like
you were certainly qualified
to guide the Ducks marketing.
Let’s get back to the Court case.
What next?
RF: It should be pretty
clear that we’re not prone to
give up or quit. I have been
involved with this since 1995.
Hardly a day has passed when
John and I have not talked. We
should, however, remember
that this City administration
is not the one that caused the
problem— but they are the ones
who are saddled with sorting it
out. That should make it easier
to have sensible discourse.
Because of this, I think the
appeal costs settlement was
well handled by both sides.
The Ducks have always been
prepared for a fair settlement
and there is no change in this
attitude. However, there are 14
shareholders of record and lawyers do not come for free. And
without doubt, had the City not
wrongfully run the Ducks out of
business, we would all be owners of a very successful business
that would be almost 15 years
old by today— no lawyer’s fees,
no legal aggravation, which to
say the least, is expensive and
stressful.
KWTN: You seem sure
the Ducks would have been
successful. Why so?
RF: Because there are
many, many amphibious tour
businesses running world-wide
today. Most started after we did.
In London, in season, there is a
one week waiting list for a trip
on the Thames. In Boston they
queue round-the-block from
first light and they have 25 vehiCONTINUED on next page
www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 22
Inside the Ducks Case
DUCKS, from page 21
cles and a season only half a year
long. By the way, Boston Ducks
is a Harvard Business School
case history. They started with
four vehicles at the same time
as us. You can’t be more proven
successful than that.
KWTN: Will the City
settle?
RF: Ultimately, that’s a
question better asked of the
City. You might say I’m cautiously optimistic. Maybe the
City would like this out of the
way. We’ll see. Thirteen years
really is too long for us all. We
all have better things to do than
continue to squabble. All we are
asking is for a fair settlement.
But we must be recompensed for the serious damage to our investors and their
family’s financial situations.
You must remember that for
these past 13 years, the City
has been paid 5 percent of the
gross turnover of the Train and
Trolley for a granting them a
monopoly that has twice been
ruled illegal— at jury trial and
subsequent appeal. That’s
rather a significant amount of
dollars that the City has enjoyed
for doing something illegal.
It puts our settlement into
perspective. We have two outstanding matters to settle,— the
major one of damages and a
lesser, but important one, of legal fees for the main trial. These
have been found in our favor by
the Court. The City well knows
that the bill for what was done
to the Ducks is coming due and
that it won’t be cheap.
KWTN: So, if no settlement . . .?
RF: Like I said before, if
we were soft or timid, we’ve had
numerous chances to quit when
times were tough. We haven’t
and we’re still here. The Court
is currently looking at dates for
another trial in January or February. We estimate that the trial
will take a week or more to put
all of the Duck’s evidence before
the judge and jury. Although
the 3rd DCA required a different
method of damage calculation,
the damage done to the Ducks
was exactly the same. We expect
to prove about the same amount
of injury or slightly more, no
matter which way the damage
calculation is made.
KWTN: The previous Key
West jury award was more than
$13.45 million, right?
RF: Yes ,but of course
there is now an added interest
factor as well. It has been three
and a half years since the first
award was made.
KWTN: What’s in store
for Richard French after, the
Ducks?
RF: Well, we’ve all lived
with the Ducks and our fight
for so long, we’ll have to adjust. My life will go on where
we have homes. I have other
business matters to address.
More time in Key West. That
would be good. It really is one
of my favorite places. I’d like to
be here for more reasons than
giving testimony and evidence.
I came here to fish and have fun.
I’d like to spend a day or two
with some ice, beer and bait off
Sand Key. For me, that is really
what life here is about. If you
have to relax, it’s a great place.
If you have to fight the good
fight, it’s still a great place.
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 23
www.kwtn.com
Trauma Star, State
Judges
PICKS, from page 7
was forced into early retirement
by the same three members of
the board who voted to create
the job for Wardlow.
But in 1996, two of those
members were up for reelection— and they were being
challenged by Bill Shaw, a
former pilot for the MCB, and
Steve Smith. They promised, if
elected, to unfix the Wardlow
job. And they were elected and,
with Joan Lord Papy as the
third vote, they were able to unfix the job— even though they
were sued by Wardlow and
smeared by his supporters.
Our opinion is that Papy
and Shaw should be rewarded
for their courage and integrity.
We recommend votes for Bill
Shaw and Joan Lord Papy.
PS: Did we happen to
mention that Commissioner
Papy’s opponent, Andy Williams, just got out of jail? He
had been in the slammer for
violating his drug-related
probation.
SPECIAL REFERENDUM
ON TRAUMA STAR
There is a non-binding
referendum on the ballot— the
last item on the back of the
second page— to see if you
would favor legislation to set
up a special taxing district here
to continue to finance Trauma
Star, the government-owned
air ambulance. Such legislation could add $15 for every
$100,000 in taxable property
value annually. The Trauma
Star helicopter is operated by
the sheriff’s office at an annual
cost of $2.4 million to county
taxpayers.
Some have questioned
the need for local taxpayers to
have to bear this expense— especially in view of the county’s
multi-million-dollar budget
shortfall— and since there is
a private company, LifeNet,
currently providing this service
for the Lower Keys.
But those pushing for
passage of the referendum
point out that LifeNet could
pull out of the Keys at any
time if the service becomes unprofitable. On the other hand,
County Administrator Roman
Gastesi says that company officials have assured him that
they would give the County a
seven-year commitment.
Air ambulance service to
Miami is essential for the Lower
Keys. Few would disagree with
that. But that service is now
being handled efficiently and
professionally by LifeNet. If
the County can get a longterm
commitment from LifeNet or
another private air ambulance
company, we wonder why
taxpayers here should have to
absorb an additional tax burden
to provide redundant service
“just in case” the private company might pull out.
We recommend a “no”
vote on the special referendum.
STATE JUDGES
Once again, you will find
a list of State judges on your
ballot that will allow you to
vote on whether or not to “retain” these judges on the bench.
We have written here in past
years how silly we think this
procedure is.
A State judge is appointed
by the governor for a six-year
term. At the end of that term, he
or she must go before the voters
for a retention vote. No one is
allowed to run against them.
So it should not be surprising
that no State judge has ever
been removed from the bench
because voters voted not to
retain him or her.
We love democracy and
the one person, one vote concept. But we gotta tell you that,
in the case of voting to retain
or not retain State judges, your
vote is virtually meaningless.
So, when you get to that section
on the ballot (the back of the
first page), you’re on your own.
Vote “yes” to retain or “no” not
to retain, or leave those little
CONTINUED on next page
www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 24
Amendments
FROM page 23
elongated circles blank. It just
doesn’t make any difference.
But do note that, at the
end of the list of State judges,
at the very bottom of the page,
is where you can vote for Slaton
or Vanden Brook for our local
Circuit Judge. Don’t miss that
opportunity to vote.
PROPOSED
AMENDMENTS TO THE
STATE CONSTITUTION
Your ballot will also
include six proposed amendments to the State Constitution.
Here are our recommendations.
AMENDMENT 1: Declaration of Rights.
If passed, this amendment would remove any power
by the legislature provided by
the state constitution to regulate inheritance or ownership of
real property by people who are
not eligible for citizenship. Opponents say it is unnecessary
because they believe there is no
current statute addressing this
50% OFF
ALL
Halloween
suplies
issue directly. But proponents
believe passage of the amendment would remove outdated
and discriminatory wording
from our Declaration of Rights.
We recommend a vote of YES
on amendment 1.
AMENDMENT 2:
Florida Marriage Protection
Amendment.
Passage of this amendment is portrayed by proponents as a protective measure
ensuring that the legal union of
marriage remains between one
man and one woman. But that
is already the legal definition of
marriage, and passage of this
vaguely worded amendment
could result in interpretations
of the law that adversely affects domestic partnership
benefits—including heterosexual domestic partners. We
recommend a vote of NO on
amendment 2.
AMENDMENT 3:
Changes and Improvements
Not Affecting the Assessed Value of Residential Real Property.
Passage of this amendment
would essentially encourage
homeowners to make improvements to their properties that
would increase wind resistance
to homes and encourage alternative energy usage by prohibiting these changes as factors in
assessing the property’s value
for taxation purposes. Basically,
passage would help ensure that
homeowners would not be
punished with higher property
taxes for making safe and green
improvements to their homes.
We recommend a vote of YES
on amendment 3.
AMENDMENT 4:
Property Tax Exemption of
Perpetually Conserved Land;
Classification and Assessment
of Land Used for Conservation.
If passed, this amendment will
provide a property tax exemption for owners of property that
has restricted uses because of
perpetual conservation easements. Essentially, it encourages continued land conservation. We recommend a vote of
YES on amendment 4.
NOTE: There is no
amendment 5.
AMENDMENT 6: Assessment of Working Waterfront Property Based Upon
Current Use. Passage of this
amendment offers some measure of protection for owners of
working waterfront properties
in terms of assessing the taxable value of their property
based on current use, as opposed to highest and best use.
It would encourage owners of
small businesses on working
waterfront (e.g. family fish
houses and small marinas) to
keep doing what they’re doing.
Developers would also have
some incentive to keep some
of their shoreline as working
waterfront instead of developing every inch to high end. We
recommend a vote of YES on
amendment 6.
NOTE: There is no amendment 7.
AMENDMENT 8: Local Option Community College Funding. Passage of this
amendment would shift some
of the burden of community
college funding from the state
level to the local level by giving counties the authorization
to levy a local option sales tax
to supplement community college funding. It could increase
funding to community colleges,
but perhaps most importantly,
it could improve local accountability and give community colleges more incentive to be very
proactive in communicating
with and meeting the needs of
the communities they serve. It
is important to note that, even
if the amendment is passed,
voters would have the option
of denying any proposed localoption sales tax increase. We
recommend a vote of YES on
amendment 8.
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 25
www.kwtn.com
Rick
FROM page 10
on behalf of people just like me:
senior white males. Oh, yes, the
weaker of my ilk will whine
“Reverse racism!” whenever
another group gets thrown a
bone. But we know that when
power and trust selections are
made, when an executive is
hired, a jury foreman chosen,
a doctor/lawyer/professor
selected, a trustee or personal
representative appointed, a
minister called, we old white
males are the safe choice, the
default option, the usual suspects, all in all, thank you—the
favored elite.
It would be wonderfully
convenient if we indeed were
the best at holding power, but
sadly we ourselves have proven
that pale skin and testicles are
no longer the assets they used
to be at solving the problems of
the world. But boy, do we have
momentum on our side. We’ve
been running the big show for
so long people are used to us.
It’s more comforting, if you’re
going to get mismanaged or
screwed, to suffer from one of
us. After all, that’s NORMAL.
It’s not your fault if you choose
one of us to remove the wrong
organ, mangle a war, or implode the economy. At least you
stayed in your comfort zone.
You didn’t risk anything new
or different.
The acceptable code
words against Obama are
vague: he’s not trustworthy
or dependable, he makes me
uneasy, he’s different, there’s
something about him, I don’t
understand him. Yes, he’s different, he’s BLACK. People
know they can’t say it’s his
different skin color they don’t
like, so they instead describe
the feelings they have because
of that difference. That’s acceptable.
They’re not completely
crazy, perversely enough. We
senior white males are the
devil you know. And we’ve had
some success—think Founding
Fathers, no mothers or minorities among them—while, at our
worst, we haven’t yet led us into
Roman Empire-like oblivion.
Even more subtle is the
reason I think minorities and
women don’t band together
to vote us white guys out. All
of them would like to be the
first to crack the highest ceiling. They are used to losing
to senior white males, no big
deal as it happens all of the
time. Losing to another of the
unfavored classes, letting one
of them surge to parity with the
elite white males, while those
of your ilk stayed on the back
of the bus—that’s what would
really hurt.
So hey, thanks, for always
putting me on the Board of Directors, of listening to me when
I speak up while talking over
an impertinent woman with
something important to say,
for hiring me instead of that
more-qualified minority. And I
hope you are glad to watch nice
safe white John McCain lead us
through economic minefields
as Bush the Third.
The second disaster could
be an October surprise. Georgia
provoking Russia was good for
McCain, because despite all
of the evidence of hilariously
tragic bumbling by Cheney,
Rumsfeld, Bush, and McCain
himself in losing Bin Laden
and Afghanistan, landing and
keeping us in Iraq, tolerating
genocide in Darfur, letting renegades North Korea and Iran
develop nuclear bombs, and
provoking Russia to restrengthen its military—yes, despite the
appalling Republican record
on national insecurity, many
Americans inexplicably incline
towards them when they get
scared. The only explanation
that seems to fit the facts is that
Republicans sound more like a
mean angry Dad to the sort of
people who equate bluster and
threats with their own personal
safety.
So what worries me is
any kind of “terrorist attack”
between now and election day. I
put the attack in quotes because
it wouldn’t have to be a real terrorist attack. I am desperately
worried that some deranged
slimeball who would really
like to lynch Obama decides
to throttle back to merely pouring rat poison in a small-town
water supply and phoning it
is as the work of Al Qaeda. I
truly fear that such a small act
so easily accomplished would
be all that it takes. Even a small
number of deaths and vivid illnesses reported 7/24 on all the
news stations could scare those
who wallow in their fears, enhanced by video replays of the
towers falling and Bin Laden
smirking. Homeland Security
would overreact pointlessly,
closing down water supplies
and confiscating everyone’s rat
poison. Our CIA and FBI would
take years to find the slimeballs,
as with the anthrax scientist
right under their noses, so
they’ll be of absolutely no immediate help.
Even a real terrorist attack
would of course be no reason to
run to the Republicans, given
their record above. But to think
how easily it could be done
makes it impossible for me to
be happy about the way the
polls are going now.
I am optimistic about
Barack surviving. A number
of my friends are amazed he
hasn’t been assassinated already, and morosely feel it is
only a matter of time, and not
a long time, before some John
Hinckley type—or worse, a
real conspiratorially driven
Lee Harvey Oswald with top
ordnance—takes him down.
But I have enjoyed watching
Barack’s Secret Service detail in
action on TV. These guys look
better than central casting. No
actors could imitate the focus,
concentration, wide scanning
vision, and physical blocking
these guys employ. And they’re
just the ones I can see. My
soul is pleased to believe that,
despite all of the bureaucratic
ineptitude ruining our intelligence and security services, the
people who guard our political
leaders learned something in
the 60’s.
Of course, softy that I
am, my mind and heart refuse
to contemplate a world in
which what happened to John,
Bobby, and Martin could happen again, just when an even
more world-renewing election
promises to occur.
And I hope my little
scenario above has jinxed the
slimeballs, so that their rat
poison has gone bad.
Rick Boettger has experimented with a new sort of
title, “Racist Surprise!”, which,
strictly speaking, makes no
sense. He took the two most
vivid descriptive words from
the two main options the piece
discusses and put them together as the title. In that way the
title does the main job of a title,
which is to tell you what the
article is about while provoking
you to read it. But there is the
problem of it not quite making
sense. Please complain to Dennis if it irritated you.
www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 26
the community
MILITARIA WANTED
Civil War, Spanish American,
WW1 & 2, swords, medals,
helmets, daggers, uniforms,
old guns, flags, hats, rifles,
any country. Cash, Collector.
Contact John 296-9899.
If your club or organization has something
special happening, let us know:
• community@kwtn.com
• PO box 567, Key West FL 33041
• Fax 305-292-1882
To help us help you, try to get the
information to us by noon on Tuesday before
Friday publication.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH KEY WEST
HOSTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY
SUNDAY--Sun. Oct. 19, 10am. All
are welcome to hear accounts of
what family, love, and home means
in its many diverse forms.
OLD ISLAND RESTORA-
Paradise
or Paradox
It always depends
on how you
look at it.
KEY WEST
THE BLOG
Expires 10/31/08
keywesttheblog.
blogspot.com
TION FOUNDATION PRESENTS FANTASY FEST FUNDRAISING VIEWING PARTY-Sat., Oct. 25 at the Oldest House
& Garden, 322 Duval St. $100 per
person, general admission. Proceeds will benefit Historic Sites,
education and historic preservation grants, and the scholarship
programs of the Old Island Res-
toration Foundation.
CRANE POINT SCIENCE
SATURDAY CLASSES--Great
for children between age 6-11
interested in science, nature, and
the world around them. Classes
run 9am-11am every Saturday
through March 28. Topics will include Global Changes, Astronomy,
History of the Keys, Butterfly
Migration, and more. Members
$10, non-members $15. Info and
registration: (305) 743-3900 or
seascience@bellsouth.net.
BENEFIT FUND FOR BRIAN MILLS--An account has been
set up at First State Bank to assist
with medical expenses incurred
after Brain Mills was seriously
injured in a moped/auto accident.
He is expected to spend 11 months
in aMemorial Regional Hospital in
Broward County. Those who wish
to help with expenses can contact
Roy Chavez at 305-395-0330.
NEW PATIENT ADVOCACY DIRECTOR AT LOWER
KEYS MEDICAL CENTER-LKMC strives to provide
better services by offering patient
advocacy. Contact Mary Jackson
with hospital praises or concerns
at 305-294-5531.
GLEE LAUNCHES ONLINE CARPOOL WEBSITE-www.carpoolworld.com/keysglee. Save gas, money, and the
environment by registering for
this FREE service. Log on to check
it out.
FREE MOVIE NIGHT FOR
TEENS--Free teen-friendly movies, burgers, hot dogs, and sodas for
teens of any or no denomination,
every Wednesday at 7:30pm at St.
Columba Episcopal Church. Info:
305-743-6412.
DONATIONS NEEDED
AT ST. MARY’S STAR OF THE
SEA OUTREACH MISSION-Please deliver any unused food
and other basic survival items
to the mission location at 5640
MacDonald Avenue on Stock
Island, Monday through Friday,
10am-5pm. The mission serves
needy families in the Key West
area and assists over 1,000 people
per month. Info: 292-3013.
THE TRAVELING VIETNAM VETERANS WALL is
coming to Key West in December.
We need donations and volunteers.
Info: Mike Driscoll at 305-293-2861
or bringthewallback@hotmail.
com.
VIETNAM VETERANS
TRAVELING WALL--Any organization that would like a power
point brief and discussion on the
project to bring the traveling Vietnam wall to Key West this Dec.
2008 should contact Mike Driscoll
at 305-293-2861.
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF KEY
WEST, SPECIAL EVENTS-ONGOING MEETINGS: Free HIV
testing every Tues. from 11am-2pm
at Frantz Fellowship Hall. KISS
A.A. meetings 6 evenings each
week: Sun @ 5:30pm, Mon., Thurs.,
Fri., Sat. @ 8pm. COOKING WITH
LOVE program serves 120 meals
to inbound seniors every Sat.,
10am-1pm. Contact church office
for more info. 305-294-8912. www.
mcckeywest.com
CHILDREN’S MEMORIAL TREE GARDEN--At Crane
CONTINUED on next page
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 27
www.kwtn.com
the community
FROM previous page
Point. Loved ones wishing to plant
a tree in memory of a child of any
age may contact Donna Farmer at
305-743-3297.
HOST FAMILIES NEEDED
FOR EXCHANGE STUDENTS-Share your home and change the
world. More info: 1-866-493-8872
or www.yfu-usa.org.
FLORIDA KEYS DRAGON
BOAT CLUB--meets every Sun. at
6pm. See www.floridakeysdragonboat.com Info: 305-304-5100.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
AT TROPIC CINEMA—All areas
of operation. Flexible schedules,
free passes, pop-corn, and t-shirts.
Info: Lori Reid, 305-433-4183 or
volunteer@keywestfilm.org
CITIZENSHIP CLASSES-Literacy Volunteers offers free
Citizenship classes for intermediate English as a Second Language
students. Info: 294-4352.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
AT WILDLIFE CENTER--Key
West Wildlife Center has reopened to accept injured animals.
Volunteers and donations are
needed. Questions and info: 305292-1008.
WANT TO BE A LITERACY VOLUNTEER? More than
100 students waiting to be tutored.
You do not have to speak another
language to be a tutor. Info: Mary
at 305-294-4352.
GRANTS AVAILABLE
TO WRITERS, MUSICIANS,
ACTORS, ARTISTS--Contact the
Florida Keys Council of the Arts,
305-295-4369.
LOW COST SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS--The Florida Keys
SPCA spay/neuter clinics are held
at the FKSPCA Animal Shelter,
5230 College Road , Stock Island.
Microchips for $5 and $10 rabies
vaccinations are available for all
pets. Appointments are required
for rabies and for spay/neuter.
Call 292-4600 to register.
FKSPCA PIT-FIX--Offering free spay or neuter for PIT
BULLS at their regular spay/neuter clininc. Info: (305) 294-4857
BOATING COURSES--The
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary conducts boating courses throughout
the year. Info: 1-888-470-5566
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED-AIDS HELP, INC. needs volunteers to help with transportation,
office work, special events, etc.
Call 296-6196.
LA LECHE LEAGUE—
Free monthly meeting for pregnant and breastfeeding moms;
mother to mother support and
current info. Non-denominational,
Smoker
non-profit. Held 5 - 6 p.m. the
second Tuesday of the month in
the auditorium at the Key West
Library, 700 Fleming Street. Info:
Liz 294-4463 or Eva 295-8597.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED-The local unit of the American
Cancer Society seeks volunteer
drivers to provide transportation
for cancer patients to treatments
and licensed cosmetologists, or
hairdressers, to help cancer patients
feel good about their appearance
while undergoing cancer treatment. Info: 292-2333 x 112.
GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE-To find out when the bloodmobile
will be at a location near you, call
your Community Blood Center at
305-294-7668.
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS--on Tuesdays at 6pm ‘til 7
and Saturdays 10-11am, at United
Methodist Church (Old Stone),
600 Eaton Street. Info: Mary at
305-294-6931.
Key West THE NEWSPAPER October 17, 2008 Page 28
www.kwtn.com