Police Union Caught Fibbing to Candidates

Transcription

Key West THE NEWSPAPER September 21, 2007 Page www.kwtn.com
KEY WEST THE NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 21, 2007
PAGE ONE COMMENTARY
KWTN’S POLITICAL PICKS
HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULD
VOTE FOR McPHERSON,
ROSSI, GIBSON, JOHNSTON,
LEE, CLARK AND MILONE
by Dennis Reeves Cooper
Until recent years, newspaper endorsements
were not published until the last minute, just before
election day. But in today’s world, we are told by
elections officials, about one-third of all voters
here vote before election day, either with absentee
ballots or through the Early Voting program at the
Supervisor of Election Offices. In fact, as you read
these endorsements, although election day is officially on October
2, Key West voters have been voting for more than a week.
Having said that, why do newspapers endorse candidates
at all? Here at Key West The Newspaper, we ask ourselves that
question every year as we sit down to write our endorsements.
The best answer comes from our readers. You have told
us that you expect us to endorse candidates for local office.The
assumption is that those of us who put out newspapers spend
more time than most citizens paying attention to the issues and to
how current and would-be elected officials address those issues.
And we can remind you of history associated with candidates
and issues that you may have forgotten about. And then, you
are in a better position to make up your own mind.
Here is a little pearl from the academic literature: The mass
media is not very effective in telling people what to think; but
the media does appear to be effective in telling people what to
think about. With that in mind, here are some opinions we would
like you to think about.
MAYOR
There are six candidates running for the office of Mayor of
Key West, but there are only two major candidates— incumbent
Mayor Morgan McPherson and former Mayor Jimmy Weekley.
We address only the major candidates here. This is not meant
to be disrespectful of the other candidates. One of the really
cool things about the United States of America is that, with few
restrictions, any citizen can run for any office. But the reality is
that the candidates who are able and willing to mount the most
effective, visible campaigns are the candidates most likely to be
elected.
Here is why we think that Morgan McPherson should be
Police Union
Caught Fibbing to
Candidates
PBA APPARENTLY ATTEMPTING
TO UNDERMINE CRB WITH
POTENTIAL OFFICE HOLDERS
reelected Mayor:
• JIMMY IS PART OF
THE PROBLEM. Jimmy Weekley was on the City Commission
for 20 years, six of those years
as Mayor. He was defeated
by McPherson two years ago.
Simple question: What could
he possibly promise us that he
would or could do now that
he couldn’t have done during
the 20 years he was on the City
Commission? The reason the
voters threw him out of office
is that he was perceived as being part of the problem, not the
solution.
• McPHERSON GOT
RID OF AVAEL. During his
first two years in office, Morgan
McPherson did something that
Weekley never had the courage
to do: He provided the leadership to remove the insidious Julio Avael from the office of City
Manager. Not only did Weekley
not take action to remove Avael,
See ELECTION, page 4
KWTN Team Report
Officials of the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the
police union, have apparently been caught fibbing— or at least
misrepresenting the truth.
As part of a questionnaire PBA officials sent to City Commission candidates, a question about the Citizen Review Board
(CRB) is prefaced by this statement: “The Florida Legislature
recently passed legislation eliminating the ability of Civilian Review boards to investigate. Key West has a review board.” Then,
this question was asked of candidates: “How do you propose
to resolve the conflicting situation and make sure that the City
complies with State Law?”
“There has been no legislation that eliminates the ability of
the CRB to investigate,” said CRB Attorney Robert Cintron.
A 2002 amendment to the Key West City Charter gave Key
West one of the strongest Citizen Review Boards in the nation:
“The CRB is an independent board with authority to review
and/or investigate complaints involving Key West police officers
and forward findings and/or recommendations to City management, the Chief of Police, State Attorney, other state or federal
law enforcement agencies and/or Grand Juries.”
Key West the Newspaper contacted several of the candidates who received the PBA questionnaire. None took the PBA
statement at face value. Attorney Robert Klitenick, a candidate
See PBA, page 22
Candidate Financials
On the Web
If you’re curious about who is giving money to
candidates running for City offices and how the candidates are spending that money, it’s all on line, courtesy
of political consultant Brooks White. Simply got to www.
WinTuesday.com.
THE ISLAND’S OLDEST INDEPENDENT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Rhonda
Chicky Bites in
20 Shades
by Rhonda Linseman
Nothing has made me appreciate my family more than
moving out of my hometown.
I was recently reminded of this
when we flew to Michigan for
my mom’s surprise birthday
party. She knew nothing about
the party and she had no idea
we were even in town. Overwhelmed with shock and joy,
she cried that really uncontrollable, ugly, face-contorting sobbing sort of cry. And just when
she’d begin to regain some
composure, another friend or
relative would approach and
hug, and the blubbering would
recommence. You see, her com-
pletely unwarranted humility
genuinely prevents her from
grasping why anybody would
make such a fuss over her.
My mom has a gift. She
sees the best in everybody
without even trying, and knows
how to keep a family together.
Nothing means more to her
than family. Nothing. And until
recently, I feared the gift may
have skipped a generation, but
the weekend trip back home
gave me hope. The first indication of this was the fact that
I enjoyed having my cheeks
kissed by 20 different aunts,
leaving remnant smudges of
20 different shades of lipstick
on both sides of my face. In my
family, we refer to these smooch
stains as “chicky bites.”
Like a baby that had been
passed around at a family
gathering, I smelled like breath
and spit. But for the first time
in my life, it didn’t bother me
a bit. In fact, I enjoyed it. Gross
but true.
My boyfriend, Bobby,
flew home with me, and weathered the lipstick pelting by
my female relatives very well.
He even manned the grill
and graciously took “burn it
black” commands from the
pushier, fussier hotdog-eating
relatives.
Perhaps his most uncomfortable moment occurred
when he and my mom were
discussing the variations on
rules for Mancala, an ancient
counting game played with
stones and a wooden board.
Bobby had only ever played by
moving the stones in a single
direction, but my mom was
more interested in the variation
in which players may move the
stones in both directions during
the game. So, naturally, mom
asked in her thick, innocent
Midwestern accent, “Bobby, do
you go both ways?”
Ten full seconds of deafening silence was followed by
an outburst of deep belly laughSee RHONDA, page 3
Key West THE NEWSPAPER September 21, 2007 Page NEWS BRIEFS
Cable Service Will Be
Interrupted Wednesday
Comcast Cable Communications in the Florida Keys
has announced that there will be a cable and internet service
interruption affecting customers throughout the Florida Keys
on Wednesday, September 26, from 12:01am (midnight) until
6am. The temporary service outage is necessary as aerial cable
lines are relocated to underground utility conduits in the area
of the Channel 5 Bridge at MM 72. Company officials said this
construction is part of an ongoing effort to “harden” Keys cable
infrastructure against future severe weather events.
City Manager Will
Speak at Church Event
Key West City Manager Jim Scholl will be the keynote
speaker at the Cornish Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church’s annual
Friends and Family Day Saturday, September 22. The event starts
at 5pm. The public is welcome.
Rhonda
FROM page 2
ter from everybody within ear shot. “Um, no.” he replied.
Well, it took 30 years, but I think I understand now that
those repulsive chicky bites and the relatives who insist on them,
are really precious. Before our weekend trip back home, it had
never occurred to me quite so clearly that the number of chicky
bites I’ll receive from my grandma, aunts, and mom is very, very
finite. Say it with me: Adoring relatives are a blessing.
I appreciate the chicky bites in 20 shades because I know
their numbers will dwindle. And there will come a time when
I’ll miss them, and won’t be able to get a single one, even if I fly
home for the weekend.
www.kwtn.com
Jimmy Is TAMPOA’s Boy
ELECTIONS, from page 1
he was often Avael’s apologist!
It is likely that, if Weekley were
still Mayor, Avael would still be
the City Manager. For some voters, this may be the only reason
you need to vote for McPherson
and against Weekley.
• JIMMY IS TAMPOA’S
BOY. Do you need another reason? How about TAMPOA, the
Truman Annex Master Property
Owners Association? Jimmy
Weekley is TAMPOA’s boy.
Morgan McPherson is not.
Back in 2000, when the
Navy was preparing to give the
City 33 acres of prime waterfront property on the western
tip of the island to use as a
park, TAMPOA officials saw
an opportunity to take control
of Southard Street, the only
public street that runs through
the posh Truman Annex residential development. They told
Mayor Weekley and the City
Commissioners that, unless
they would agree to dramati-
cally reduce traffic on Southard
Street— including allowing
them to put up a gate— and
open up several streets in Bahama Village to carry most of
the traffic into and out of the
park, they would go to the Navy
and try to quash the land deal.
In other words, unless Weekley
and the Commissioners caved
in to their blackmail tactics,
TAMPOA officials were ready
to try to deprive the people of
Key West of a spectacular waterfront park.
Weekley and the Commissioners capitulated, signing
an agreement giving TAMPOA
officials everything they were
demanding.
But when Weekley and
others on the Commission
“owned” by TAMPOA were
swept out of office in 2005,
one of the first actions of the
new City Commission was to
repudiate the 2000 agreement,
signed under duress. Mayor
McPherson was a primary sup-
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porter of that action.
But, as you might imagine, TAMPOA officials are
determined to overturn that
action. And they appear to have
a slate in the upcoming election
they hope will make that happen: Jimmy Weekley and City
Commission candidates Todd
German and Richard Klitenick
have all accepted $500 contributions from the TAMPOA
Attorney Bill Andersen.
Now we understand that
simply accepting a contribution from any source does not
make a candidate beholden to
that source. But in this case, it
seems apparent that Andersen
feels that Weekley, German
and Klitenick may at least be
more receptive to the desires
of TAMPOA than McPherson,
City Commissioner Mark Rossi
(who is being challenged by
German) and Barry Gibson
(who is competing for the District 4 Commission seat against
Klitenick).
Of interest, when Jimmy
Weekley was first running for
Mayor in 1999, he happily accepted thousands of dollars in
contributions from transient
rental landlords in Truman Annex. He is TAMPOA’s boy.
See ELECTIONS, next page
Weekley Cannot Escape
Responsibility for Millions of
Dollars in Legal Judgments
Against the City
• GRINDING THE
DUCKS INTO THE DIRT.
Jimmy Weekley cannot escape
some of the ownership of the
multi-million-dollar Ducks
verdict still hanging over the
City. In 1995, when City Attorney Diane Covan asked the
City Commission if she should
continue to grind Duck Tours
Seafaris “into the dirt,” Weekley
was sitting on that Commission.
And the result was that the
Ducks were illegally driven out
of business and the resulting
lawsuit produced a jury verdict
of $13.5 million in damages
against the City.
Did Weekley jump to his
feet in reaction to Covan’s proposal and protest that “we can’t
treat our citizens like that!”? No
he didn’t.
The City’s appeal of that
verdict is still working its way
through the courts. And it is true
that our current City officials do
not seem to have a clue what to
do other than just wait to see
what the courts decide. But this
is the legacy of Jimmy Weekley
and others on that Commission
who approved the decision to
grind the Ducks into the dirt.
• JIMMY OPPOSES
THE CRB. You need to recall,
too, that Jimmy Weekley was
one of the most outspoken
opponents of the referendum
that created a Citizen Review
Board (CRB) here in 2002 to
oversee an out-of-control Police
Department. But more than 60
percent of the voters who went
to the polls that year said “yes”
to a CRB. Even so, Weekley
vowed to continue working
to undermine the CRB. While
he probably does not have the
courage to publicly list that as
one of his objectives if elected,
he is saying that to the police
union, the Police Benevolent
Association (PBA), to try to get
the PBA endorsement. Morgan
McPherson supports the CRB.
So, if you support the idea
of a civilian oversight board to
watch over the Police Department here, you may not want to
vote for Jimmy Weekley.
• JIMMY AND THE
FIRST AMENDMENT. On a
related but more personal note:
You may recall that when thenPolice Chief Buz Dillon arrested
a newspaper publisher here for
exposing corruption within
the Police Department, Jimmy
Weekley not only supported
the arrest, he celebrated it. And
he has never apologized, even
after a panel of federal judges
ruled that the law Dillon used
to make the arrest was unconstitutional. And he has never
accepted any responsibility
for the $300,000 the City had to
pay because of Dillon’s illegal
action. Why should he care? It’s
See ELECTIONS, next page
And There’s That Little Thing About
Cheating On His Wife. But Some Say That
Was Just a Little Moral Glitch
not his money.
Furthermore. Weekley
misused the office of Mayor by
making more than one speech at
the City Commission meetings
about how advertisers should
not support the “tabloid” newspapers.
And he continues to ban
the distribution of Key West
The Newspaper at Fausto’s.
That is his privilege, of course.
Fausto’s is private property. But
it tells us that we must be doing
something right.
• WATERFRONT MARKET. Are you one of those
people who were mad as hell
when Buco Pantelis announced
that we was being forced out
of business because he could
no longer afford to pay the
high rent being imposed upon
him at the City-owned Key
West Bight? Well, by now you
may know that Mayor Morgan
McPherson has reportedly
brokered a deal that may mean
that Waterfront market will
continue to exist.
And if you are a regular
reader of Key West The Newspaper, you know that the seeds
for the destruction of Waterfront
Market were sown in the early
90s when then-City Commissioner Jimmy Weekley (whose
family just happens to own
Fausto’s Food Palace) handpicked a committee to meet for
months behind closed doors to
plan how the City could buy
and manage the Bight. And that
plan did not include a grocery
store on the waterfront. Let us
say that again: Jimmy Weekley’s
original “vision” of a Cityowned Key West Bight did not
include a grocery store on the
waterfront.
If you love Waterfront
Market, know that Mayor
McPherson, not Jimmy Weekley, played a pivotal role in
trying to save it.
INFIDELITY. And, oh
yeah, there’s that little thing
about Weekley getting caught
cheating on his wife. Some say
that should not be an issue in
a political campaign. Perhaps.
But we would simply suggest
that every voter to ask themselves this question: If Jimmy
Weekley would lie to his wife,
the person who is supposed to
be the most important person in
the world to him, what makes
you think he wouldn’t lie to you
in a heartbeat?!
Also running for Mayor:
Sloan Bashinsky, George Claing, Rolland Montefalcon and
Carie Noda.
CITY COMMISSION
DISTRICT 2
Banker Todd German is
challenging incumbent Commissioner Mark Rossi. Let us
tell you again about traditional
wisdom in politics: It is almost
impossible to beat an incumbent
unless there is a scandal. And
in this race, there is no scandal
CONTINUED on next page
Rossi Opposes Capitulation to TAMPOA;
He Opposed Annexation of Wisteria Island;
He Helped Oust Avael. ‘Nuff Said?
that we know about.
When longtime District
2 Commissioner Merili McCoy died in 2005, Rossi was
appointed by the other City
Commissioners to fill her chair
until the elections later that
year, when he was elected to
fill the remaining two years of
McCoy’s term.
He was not our candidate in 2005, but over the past
two years, he has grown on
us— if for no other reason, he
is a straight talker. And his actions as a Commissioner (and
his voting record) seem more
aligned with the concerns of
average voters that with many
of the more “connected” politicians. For example, he played a
pivotal role in taking sleezeball
City Manager Julio Avael out of
that chair.
Also, recall that Rossi opposed the knee-jerk effort to annex Wisteria Island when some
other Commissioners were falling all over themselves kissing
the asses of the rich folk.
Rossi opposes the City’s
capitulation to TAMPOA.
When asked what he thought
about TAMPOA’s plans to restrict traffic on Southard Street,
Todd German said he didn’t
have a yes or no answer on
that. So we don’t know if German is one of TAMPOA’s boys
or not, but we do know that
TAMPOA’s attorney gave him
a $500 contribution. Needless to
say, TAMPOA is not supporting
the reelection of Mark Rossi.
We asked Todd why he
was running against Rossi. He
said, “Because I don’t believe
that any incumbent should run
unopposed.” That may be a
noble reason to run, but it may
not be reason enough to vote
for him.
We know Todd German
pretty well. He is a nice man.
And he makes all the generic
promises that candidates running for office are supposed
to make. But we don’t know
what he would do if he were
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$27.0 e
rs
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ig
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elected to the City Commission.
We think we know what Mark
Rossi would do because we’ve
seen him do it over the past two
years. And we like his style.
We recommend a vote to
reelect Mark Rossi.
CITY COMMISSION
DISTRICT 4
This is the seat that longtime Commissioner Harry
Bethel is giving up to run for
Utility Board. The two major
candidates in this race are
businessman Barry Gibson and
Attorney Richard Klitenick.
Semi-retired attorney George
Maurer is also running for this
seat.
Gibson is our choice in this
race. He is a former banker. In
fact, he was our banker when
we first started this newspaper
more than 13 years ago. He is
another straight-talker. And he
understands the concerns of the
average voter. When a group
of citizens recently banded
together to get signatures on a
petition to force a referendum
to ensure that the City Commission would have to call for a vote
of the people before annexing
any property, Gibson was right
out there on the street gathering
signatures.
And he has certainly been
Klitenick Is More Connected to the
Movers and Shakers; Gibson Is
More in Tune with Average Citizen
FROM previous page
involved in more than his share
of community activities and organizations, including serving
as president of Big Brothers/Big
Sisters, the local Chapter of the
American Red Cross and the
Jaycees.
Klitenick is the smoothtalking Chairman of the Key
West Planning Board. And he
says he stands by all the votes
he has cast in that capacity.
But one single vote he says he
is standing by could sink his
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candidacy: He voted in favor
of the controversial Watermark
condominium complex.
The law says that new
construction in Old Town can’t
be taller than 2 1/2 stories. But
the developers somehow convinced Klitenick to approve a
project that, if it had been built,
would have been 2 1/2 stories
over parking— four stories tall!
Parking doesn’t count, the developers said, presumably with
straight faces. And Klitenick
(and others) bought it.
But Judge Richard Payne
didn’t buy it. “You simply invented the ‘over parking’ part
of the law,” he told the developers. Duh! Why did Klitenick,
an attorney, need a judge to tell
him that?
Former City Commissioner Tom Oosterhoudt apparently
couldn’t count to 2 1/2 either.
He voted for the Watermark
project and was beaten in the
2005 election by Bill Verge, who
voted “no” on the Watermark
project when he was on the
Planning Board.
Can you judge a candidate
by his friends? Well, Klitenick
admits to being a really good
friend of local attorney and
power broker Michael Halpern,
who— as you read this— is in
the process of attempting to virtually destroy a historical Key
West neighborhood by using
all kinds of tricks to try to turn
the Southernmost Hoax, uh,
House into a 150-seat outdoor
restaurant.
As Planning Board Chairman or as a City Commissioner,
Klitenick will get to vote to
approve or disapprove this
project. Will he vote in favor of
the neighbors or his friend, the
developer, in this case? We don’t
know. But we do know that
when he voted on Watermark,
he ignored the protests of the
neighbors and voted in favor
of the developers.
Klitenick also says he is
friends with TAMPOA Attorney Bill Andersen, who gave
him a $500 contribution. That,
of course, does not make him
See ELECTIONS, page 24
Key West THE NEWSPAPER September 21, 2007 Page LETTERS
Reader Comments
On Rhonda’s Beauty
Pageant Column
In the September 14th edition of KWTN, Rhonda Linseman’s column on the candidates for City offices made me spit
coffee out my nose . . . three times! That was, hands down, the
funniest commentary on our little town’s warped politics that
I have ever read. I have seen the commission and mayoral race
candidates debate and she could not be more accurate with her
descriptions and pageant title assignments.
Thank you for the laughs. I needed it. Each time I see Jose
Menendez, I get angry because he, above all the others, (even
more so than the theiving, conniving egocentrics that have held
seats in city government,) makes the biggest mockery of public
office. I have grown tired of the sighs, the hemming and hawing, “Oh, he’s just a sweet, stupid, old man.” He won by fraud
and doesn’t even have the decency to stay informed on any issues at all. Hell, he doesn’t even speak friggin’ English! It was
such a joy to see in Rhonda’s column a jibberish, word-for-word
quotation from that jackass. Perhaps it will inspire his district’s
previously uninformed constituents to get off their butts and
make sure Teri Johnston unseats him.
Please be sure to listen to Sloan Bashinsky sometime soon,
for I would hate for you to miss any fodder that this Einstein
could provide. At the Business Guild luncheon he answered the
“If elected, what would you do about the vagrancy problem,”
question with a killer quote: “Jesus walked amongst the lepers
and whores and so should we.”
I look forward to Rhonda Linseman’s future writings!
Leigh Pujado
Key West
www.kwtn.com
Key West THE NEWSPAPER September 21, 2007 Page 10
www.kwtn.com
OPINION
hal o'boyle
Our New Terminal
Newton
Wouldn’t Buy It
ON THE SONNY SIDE
by Charles “Sonny” McCoy
In the summer of 1996, the Board of County
Commissioners, meeting in Key Largo, voted to
reject bids for the construction of the new Key West
International Airport Terminal. For reasons unknown,
there was no further action on building a complete
terminal complex, but some modifications and additions were made to the existing structure. After NineEleven and the new concern for Air Service Security,
it became apparent that the Key West International
Airport Terminal was not adequate in several areas.
In an effort to bring the Terminal Complex current
with our new security criteria and the twenty first
century airport needs, a fresh dialogue was initiated
with the FAA and FDOT to construct a terminal that
would meet existing and future needs. A major delay
in this project was the decision to utilize a bidding
and construction system called “CM-at Risk” which
is different from the more common contracts where
the contract award is made to one General Contactor
and all dealings are made through that one source.
Fortunately, the costs incurred in Airport work
are borne by monies collected by the sale of passenger tickets on the Airlines. The County constructed
an attractive terminal in Marathon that should serve
the Middle Keys for now and in the future. But the
volume of traffic was more than the Key West terminal could safely accommodate and the consensus
was there to construct the terminal and several other
airport deficiencies. The FAA was still unhappy about
the County aborting the Airport improvements and
had a few questions about assurances that the project would be followed through and that the County
would not repeat the 1996 fiasco of scuttling the Key
West project at a Key Largo meeting. The new termi-
nal costs are more than triple the costs of the earlier
terminal project.
Air service traffic keeps increasing and the need
to accommodate this growth and provide for this new
safety has the Federal and State agencies following
their mandates to provide an Airport Facility that will
meet the present and future needs of a semi-remote
Island. Many other locations for this Historical Airport
had in the past been proposed and while there were
attractive alternatives; each of the proposals contained
objectionable features that prevented implementation.
So, for better or for worse, this Airport will continue
to serve Key West and the Lower Keys. This New
Airport Terminal will not only facilitate passenger
service, It will have features intended to make the
arrival and departure a pleasant one.
There are those that have done everything in
their power to hinder progress and may try to repeat
that 1996 experience when we wasted opportunities
and money. But despite all the efforts to retard safety
and progress, it appears sanity will prevail and the
needs of our future Airport are secure.
Sonny McCoy is a County Commissioner and
a former five-term Key West mayor.
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?
Send us a Letter
To the Editor
TheBluePaper@kwtn.com
by Hal O’Boyle
Whether the pitcher hits the stone, or the stone
hits the pitcher, it is bad for the pitcher. — Sancho
Panza in The Man of La Mancha
Despite a knee-jerk mistrust of any official story
and an often self-destructive inclination to question
authority, at first I accepted without question our
government’s explanation of the wreck of the Twin
Towers. Eventually, however, my trust in physics
aligned with my mistrust of politicians to cast doubt
on the official story.
The 18th century mathematician, Sir Isaac
Newton, explained much about the world. His ideas
have been so thoroughly tested that we now call them
“Newton’s Laws.” At sizes above the subatomic and at
speeds below that of light, those laws offer immutable,
easily applied rules for predicting and analyzing the
physical world. Since I’m about to dip you lightly
into the bubbling vat of high school physics, you’ll be
pleased to know there are only three laws of motion.
I’ll paraphrase the textbook.
One: Moving stuff keeps moving until forced
to stop.
Two: The force necessary to stop stuff on the
move is represented by F=ma, where “F” is the force,
“m” is the weight of the stuff, and “a” is how fast you
want to stop it. Three: Every force creates an equal
and opposite force.
See O'BOYLE, page 21
Key West
West
Key
T H E
N E W S P A P E R
Key West The Newspaper is published every
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Editor/Publisher Dennis Reeves Cooper, Ph.D.
Associate Editor Rhonda Linseman
Entertainment Valerie Ridenour
Photography Richard Watherwax
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Advertising Darlene Ashcroft
Contributors Michael Barnes, Hal O’Boyle,
Sonny McCoy, Barbara Bowers, Meryl Berman,
Jeni Alterman, Harry Skevington
www.kwtn.com
ENTERTAINMENT • EATING & DRINKING • NIGHTLIFE • ATTRACTIONS • EVENTS • ARTS • SHOPPING • MAP
Abdul Mateen
At the Parrot
Mile Marker 24 At
Sloppy Joe’s Saturday
HOWARD LIVINGSTON
and Mile Marker 24 will be
on stage at Sloppy Joe’s this
Saturday, September 22,
5:30- 9:30pm.
Black & Skabuddah
At La Te Da’s Piano Bar
TWICE GRAMMY-NOMINATED Reggae artist Abdul Mateen is
back at the Green Parrot Bar tonight and tomorrow night, Friday
and Saturday, September 21-22, starting at 10— with a special
5:30 “sound check” Friday.
Live Music On the
Island! Complete
Listings & Info
Pages 11-20
BLACK & SKABUDDAH
are at the By George Piano
Bar at la Te Dh every
Saturday night starting at
9:30.
www.kwtn.com
more
more entertainment
entertainment
Scarekrow Back at
Cowboy Bill’s
SCAREKROW is back at Cowboy Bill’s tonight and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday, September 21-22, starting at 10.
Free Concert at Guy Harvey’s
THE LEGENDARY FOLK/ROCK
STAR AL STEWART will be at Guy
Harbey’s Island Grill this Saturday
night, September 22. Larry Baeder
and his band will kick off this free
concert at 7pm.
www.kwtn.com
more entertainment
Caffeine and McCloud
at Schooner Wharf
CAFFEINE CARL &
the Buzz, above, are at
the Schooner Wharf Bar
tonight and tomorrow
night, Friday and
Saturday, September 2122, 7 ‘til midnight.
MICHAEL McCLOUD,
left, is in the house every
afternoon except
Tuesday, noon’til 5
www.kwtn.com
www.kwtn.com
www.kwtn.com
what’s hot
The Dave Aaron Band
by Valerie Ridenour
I have what’s known in the
music business as a commercial
ear. I can tell which acts can hit
the big time. Two acts I picked
before they had record deals
were Alabama and No Doubt.
I know Dave Aaron will be a
star. He only needs to make the
right connections. He’s a magical singer, a good guitarist, and
an excellent song writer. I saw
him at the Sugarloaf Lodge Tiki
Bar Saturday night, and he was
wonderful, as usual.
Dave had two friends with
him, harmonica player Wally
Hill, from Louisville, Kentucky,
and bass man Rick Stewart who
comes to us from Cincinnati, a
great music town. First up was
a Kenny Chesney tune that
proclaimed, “I’m gonna sit right
here and have another beer in
Mexico”.
Next came two of my favorites, Toby Keith’s marvelous
“I Ain’t As Good As I Once Was”
(but I’m as good once as I ever
was). Now a song by Rodney
Adkins whom Dave opened
for recently, “If You’re Going
Through Hell, Keep On Going”.
Wally played great harp solos,
and Rick kept the rhythm tight
as spandex. Now we hear from
George Straight, who happens
to be in town recording at
Buffett’s studio. Dave ran into
him and had a chat.”Check Yes
Or No” was fine.
We get into originals now
with “You Won’t Find Nobody
Else Like Me”, followed by “You
Can Always Come Back”. As I
Said, Dave is an excellent writer.
Dierks Bentley was next with
“Got a Lot Of Leaving Left To
Do”. Wally gave us excellent
harp. Blake Shelton’s “Some
Beach” was a delight. Now we
get to hear another excellent
original recorded live at Sloppy
Joe’s, “Prince Charming”. Dave
Aaron has energy to go with his
fine vocals. He’s fun to watch.
Brad Paisley’s “Baby,
You Are the World” was a
winner.Rick is excellent. Now
another original comes our
way, one written for his wife
titled “Spend My Life With
You”. “Saving Up My Love”
follows. Now Dave sings an ‘off
the wall’ Brad Paisley number
that ends “I’d Like To Check
You For Ticks”. Kenny Chesney
mentioned most of his friends
in the next song, “Now I Know
How It Feels”, and they were
Jimmy Buffett and others. The
set ended with an original,
“Second Chances”. You may
wonder why I’ve mentioned
no ‘ask for its’. That’s because
every single tune was worth
hearing again. Like I said, Dave
Aaron is a future star. Count on
it! Stay cool.
www.kwtn.com
RIDENOUR REPORT
by Valerie Ridenour
There wil be a memorial
for Lou Feinberg at Mallory
Square on September 17. It will
be followed by a jam by Lou’s
friends at Finnegan’s Wake. At
that time we will be auctioning
off Lou’s musical equipment,
guitars and such. Come on out
to pick up a bargain, play with
us, or just have a good time
partying. Lou would love it! T.J.
McGann has put it all together.
He’ll be back for it. He’s been
in New York with Les Paul,
who at ninety one still plays
every night.
The Bear Bottom Beach
Club is no more. It is now the
Big’uns’ Sports Bar. The popular Matt Avery will play there
Fridays and Saturdays and
Wednesdays and Thursdays.
This will be the place to watchyour favorite events.
We now have a five star
hotel in Cayo Hueso, the Beachside. It is elegant beyond your
expectations and will feature
the marvelous Bobby Nesbitt,
possibly the most loved musician in the Keys. He will be back
from Europe in time for the
opening. This goes far beyond
upscale. i can hardly wait!
Dan Crandall Smith is
back in town. He has been
through some horrific surgery
on his hand, which fortunately
is healing. He’s only able to play
for an hour at a time, so he’s
doing jams and lunch gigs. He
played today at the Big Pine
Senior Center where I work part
time. They loved him. His wonderful voice is even better. I am
frequently asked what activities
we have for seniors. We have
lots, line dancing, excercise
classes, quilting, bingo, crafts,
bowling, glee club, computer
club, and we serve lunch five
days a week.
There’s more good news.
Mark Peterson is redoing the
Big Pine House Of Music. He
will reopen it around Fantasy
Fest. He will have music. You
may remember him as the guitarist with Angus Bangus.
Michelle Dravis has put
together a duo with Dora. They
alternate with the 40 ft. Sharpie
Band. Michelle sounds marvelous. She comes by her musical
talent honestly. Her mom is the
fantastic violinist/fiddle player
Kay Janeka. I went to review
her, but a member of my party
got sick and we had to leave.
I’ll catch up to her later. There’s
been a virus attacking us. Brian
Roberts caught it and had to
cancel several gigs. He sounded
like a sandpapered frog. Get
well soon, Brian.
Didn’t I tell You Dave
Aaron will Be a star? He is
in a contest that takes him to
Nashville for the finals. He’s
won so far, and I’m sure he’ll
go all the way.
If you love the sound of
the islands, don’t miss Maasai
at he Green Parrot this weekend. They will play Friday and
Saturday nights with sound
checks Friday and Sunday at
five thirty. This is great for us
working folks who can’t stay
upaslate as we used to. Now we
get to hear the great bands who
play there. Once again, thanks,
John Vagnoni.
Skarekrow, the wonderful
country band that plays at Cowboy Bill’s has signed a recording
deal! I’ll tell you more soon!
More news, Mel McDaniel will
be appearing there soon.
Rick Stewart, Dave Aaron’s bass player wore a T shirt
that read on the back, printed
upside down,”If you can read
this, put me back on my barstool”. When he bent over to
pick something up, there it
was.
www.kwtn.com
NOW PLAYING
AQUA: theAquanettes
BAYSIDE BAR & GRILL:
FRI, Adrienne * SAT, Yvan Agbo *
SUN, Carlon Lyons
BEAR BOTTOM BEACH
CLUB: FRI & SAT, 6 - 10, Randy
Mac; 10 - 2, Matt Avery * MON,
& TUBS, 5 - 9, Acoustic Johnson *
WED, 5-9, Taz ; 9-I, Matt Avery
BLUE HEAVEN: closed
until dinner, October 12
B.O. ‘s FISH WAGON: FRI,
6pm, Barry Cuda & the Sharks
BOONDOCKS: FRI, 7 pm, 40
ft Sharpie * SAT, 7pm, Mile Marker
24 * SUN, Quintessense, Gordy
Michael & Mike Gillis * MON,
Barry Cuda
BOTTLECAP: TBA
THE BULL: FRI, I - 5, Elvis;
PLEASE NOTE: Entertainment schedules are always subject to last-minute changes and, sometimes, club schedules are
not available at press time. TBA stands for To Be Announced.
NAPT stands for Not Available At Press Time. Band times are
noted before the names of the bands in each listing. Please tell
us about errors and/or schedule changes: entertainment@kwtn.
com NOTE: Schedules are subject to change without notice. To
be sure the band of your choice is playing, you may want to call
the venue before you go.
6 - 12, Dawn Wilder; 10 - 2:30,
Caffeine Carl * SAT, I 5, Elvis; 6
- 12, Dawn Wilder; 10 - 2:30, 40 ft.
Sharpie * SUN, I - 5, Elvis; 8 - 12, 40
ft. Sharpie * MON, I - 5, Elvis 8 - 12,
Baby T * TUES, I - 5, Dora; 8 - 12,
Dawn Wilder * WED, I - 5, Elvis; 8
- 12 Dawn Wilder * THURS, I - 5,
Dora; 8 - 12, Dawn Wilder
CAPTAIN TONY’S: FRI &
SAT, noon, Rob Sweet; 4:30, Gary
Hempsey; 9 - 2, Carl Peachy Band
* SUN, noon, Ben Taddiken;4:30,
Tim Bender; 8”30 - 12, Gary Hempsey * MON, noon, Liz O’Connor;
4:30, ob Sweet; 8:30 - 12:30, Carl
Peachy Band * TUES, noon, Rob
Sweet;4:0, Gary Hempsey; 8:30 12:30, Gary Hempsey * WED, noon,
Ben Taddiken; 4:30, Tim Bender;
8:30 - 12:30, Carl Peachy Band *
THURS, noon Liz O’Connor; 4:30,
Gary Hempsey; 8:30 - 12:30, Carl
Peachy Band
CHEESEBURGER: SAT,
Hershel Lester * SUN, Alphonse *
TUES, Jim Wist * THURS, Jim Wist,
Rob & Tom
CONCH REPUBLIC SEAFOOD RESTAURANT: FRI, 2 - 6,
Joel Nelson; 7 - II, Chris Cook* SAT,
2 - 6, Joel Nelson; 7 - II, Zack Seemiller * SUN, 6 - 10, Melvin Newton *
MON, 6 - 10, Zack Seemiler * TUES,
6 - 10, Melvin Newton * WED, 6
- 10, Din Alien * THURS, 6 - 10
Chris Cook
COWBOY BILL’S:FRI &
SAT,Tim Cooper & the Midnight
Ride * WED & THURS, Chad
Bradford
DANTE’S: FRI, 3-6, Yvan
Agbo* SAT, 1.30 - 5:30, The Monks
Of Funk * SUN, 1:30 - 5:30, Fremont
John
DURTY HARRY’S: FRI
& SAT, 8:30, Durty Rita * MON
& TUES, Duo * WED & THURS,
Duty Rita
EIGHT O’ONE: Drag Shows
Nightly
FINNEGAN’S WAKE: FRI
& SAT, Taz
GARDEN OF EDEN: FRI
- THURS, DJ’s Timber & Lars
GEIGER KEY MARINA:
SUN, Dave Aaron
GRAND KEY: FRI, Bobby
Pazo * SAT, Donna Schaffer * weekends on the deck Jim Wist
GREEN PARROT: FRI &
SAT, 10 - 2, Tony O, 5:30 sound
check Friday.
GUY HARVEY’S ISLAND
GRILL: FRI & SAT, 6 - 9, Michael
McCloud; 9 - 1, Prime Movers *
SUN, 7pm Larry Baeder opens for
Al Stewart * THURS, 6 - 9, Michael
McCloud; 9 - 1, Larry Baeder
www.kwtn.com
NOW PLAYING
FROM previous page
HALF SHELL RAW BAR:
FRI & WED, 5 - 7, Caffeine Carl
HOG’S BREATH: FRI &
SAT, 1`- 5, Kenny & Cuda Show; 5
- 9, Jen; 10 - 2, Hugo Duarte & Full
Sail * SUN, 1 - 5, TBA;5 - 9, Jen; 10
- 2, Hugo Duarte & Full Sail * MON
& TUES, 1 - 5, Cory & Jeff; 5 - 9,
Jen; 10 - 2, The Coal Men * WED
& THURS, 1 - 5, Joel Nelson, 5 - 9,
Jen; 10 - 2, The Coal Men
IRISH KEVIN’S: FRIGerd
Rube; 10 - 2, Bobby Donaldson &
Friends
HOGFISH: FRI, Larry Baeder SAT, Mike Gillis * SUN, Fremont
John
ISLAND DOG: 11 - 3, Dan
Ligouri, 3 - 7, John Solinski; 7-11,
Matt Quinton; 11 - close, N.Y. Pauly
* SAT, 11-3, George Victory; 3 - 7,
Nick Norman; 7-II, N.. Pauly; II close, Matt Quinton * SUN, 12 - 3:30,
Zack Seemiller; 3:30 - 7, Nick Norman* ; 7 - 10:30, N.Y.Pauly; 10:30
- close, JoTUBS, noon - 5, Cory &
Jeff; 5 - 9, Gerd Rube; 10 - 2, Bobby
Donaldson & Friends*i WED&
THURS, noon - 5, Joe Nelson; 5
- 9, OG: FRI & SAT, Brad & Sean *
SUN, Patrick hn Solinski * MON,
10:30 - 2:30, TBA; 2:30 - 6:30, Nick
Norman; 6:30 - 10:30, John Solinski; 10:30 - close, Matt Quenton *
TUES, 10:30 - 2:30, Reddawg; 2:30
- 6:30, Nick Norman; 6:30 - 10:30,
N.Y . Pauly
LA TE DA: Cabaret, FRI &
SAT, Broadway Three Ways * Piano
Bar, FRI - SUN, Pat & Debra * MON,
Bbby Nesbitt * TUES & WED, Black
& Skabuddah
LAZY GECKO: Fri, 7 - 11,
Parachute Adams * SAT, 7 - 11,Nick
Norman * 7 - 11, Zack Seemiller *
WED, 7 - 11, Parachute Adams *
THURS, Nick Norman
MARGARITAVILLE: FRI, SUN, Johnny Dred* TUES -THURS,
Zack Seemiller
REDFISH/ BLUEFISH:
SAT, Brian Paul * THURS, Tony
Roberts on the back patio RICK’S:
FRI, II - 3, Pete Frazier; 4-8, Ben
Taddiken; 8 - 12, Uncle Bob * SAT,
12 - 4, Alphose; 4-8 Ben Taddiken;
8 - 12, Uncle Bob * SUN, 8 - 12, Ben
Taddiken * MON, II - 8, Pete Frazier;
8 -12, Ben Taddiken * TUES II - 4,
Alphonse;4 - 8, Uncle Bob * WED,
8 -12, Uncle Bob * THURS, noon,
Alphonse; 8 -12, Uncle Bob * Every
night, Karoake
www.kwtn.com
Behind Bars
RICHARD WATHERWAX
BARTENDER
OF THE WEEK
DIANE is a caffeine dealer
at the Coffee Plantation. Her
specialty drink is an Almond
Cappuccino.
Tell us who your favorite
drink server is. PO Box 567,
KW 33041. Fax 292-2108. Email: TheBluePaper@kwtn.
com
now playing
FROM previous page
RUM BARREL: NAPT
SCHOONER WHARF:
FRI , noon - 5, Michael bMcCloud
& Friends;7 - 12, Mile Marker 24;
9 -1, Magic of Frank Everhart *
SAT, noon - 5, Michael McCloud,
7 - 1`2, Moose & the Bulletproof
Blues Band; 9 - 1, Magic of Frank
Everhart * SUN, noon - 5, Michael
McCloud & Friends; 7-11, Calypso
Latin Party; 9 -1, Magic of Frank
Everhart * MON, noon - 5, Michael
McCloud & Friends, 7 - II, Caffine
& Pepper, 9 -1, Magic of Frank
Everhart * TUES, noon - 5, Raven
& Bubba; 7 - II, Cory Heydon; 9 -1,
Magic of Frank Everhart * WED,
Michael McCloud & Friends; 7-11,
Gary Hempsey & Russ Skavelli
; 9 - I, Magic of Frank Everhart *
THURS, noon - 5, Michael McCloud
& Friends; 7-11, Unpaid Bartabs, 9
-1, - Magic of Frank Everhart
SLOPPY JOE’S: FRI, 12
- 4:45, Dave Aaron live recording;
5:30 - 9:30, Pete & Wayne; 10 - 2,
Echoburn * SAT, 12 - 4:45, Zack
Seemiller; 5:30 - 9:30, Pete & Wayne;
102, Echoburn * SUN, 12 - 4:45,
Barry Cuda; 5:30 - 9:30, Bubba
System; 10 - 2, Echoburn * MON,
12 - 4:45 Barry Cuda; 5:30 - 9:30,
Pete & Wayne; 10 - 2, Bobby Friss
* TUES, 12 - 4:45, Brian Roberts; 5:0
- 9:30, Barry Cuda & the Sharks,
10 - 2, Bobby Friss * WED, Terry
Cassidy; 5:30 - 9:30, Pete & Wayne;
10 - 2, Bobby Friss * THURS, Terry
Cassid5:30 - 9:30, Pete & Wayne; 10
- 2, Bobby Friss
WILLIE T’S: TBA
www.kwtn.com
Don’t Try this with Your Hummer
O’BOYLE, from page 10
Not complicated. The
third is most important to us
here. Sancho Panza summarized it nicely in his remark
about the pitcher. The collision
of a stone and a pitcher produces a force that acts equally
but in opposite directions on the
two colliding objects. Stones being tougher than pitchers tend
to survive larger forces.
The laws are the same for
all moving objects. Any high
school physics student can
calculate the forces that affect
colliding stones and pitchers,
bugs and windshields, or airliners and skyscrapers. All he
needs to know is the weight of
both items and their relative
speed.
Of course, it’s skyscrapers
and airplanes that interest us
here. In my customary fashion,
I will oversimplify the tragic,
historic event for you using
figures I found on the excellently researched website of
Dr. Morgan Reynolds, www.
nomoregames.net.
Dr. Reynolds tells us the
Twin Towers weighed something like 500,000 tons and a
Boeing 767 weighs around 140
tons. The weight of the plane
was .028% of that of the building. There is no great precision
necessary in numbers this large.
A few hundred tons one way
or the other won’t change the
ratio much.
Equally important is that
the plane was made of soft, light
aluminum while the building
was made of hard, heavy steel
and concrete. The pitcher and
the stone. For an example of just
how fragile airplanes are, by the
way, I recommend some of Dr.
Reynolds’ photos of airplane
damage caused by collisions
with birds.
Skyscrapers and airliners
are big objects to try to wrap
your mind around. The scale is
hard to grasp. To better understand the situation I had to reduce it to more familiar objects
while maintaining comparable
ratios of mass.
By a lucky coincidence
the ratio of the weight of a fully
loaded Hummer and a six-pack
of cold beer in aluminum cans
is not unlike that of our plane
and building example. There is
also a happy similarity in their
construction, aluminum v. steel.
A frosty sixer of Bud tallboys is
about .069% of the weight of a
Hummer. The higher ratio gives
us a margin of error. It’s as if the
plane were over twice as heavy
as it really was and allows us to
use the entire six-pack, which I
always recommend.
Imagine now, as unlikely
as it may seem, that I suspend
a perfectly good six-pack above
a highway at the grille height of
the Hummer. Let’s even imagine that the cans are filled with
jet fuel instead of beer. Let’s
also put an Arab who has never
driven before in the Hummer
bearing down on the six-pack
at 500 miles an hour. (Do not try
this with your Hummer.)
If we believe the U.S.
government’s explanation of
the collapse of the World Trade
Center, the following is what
we would have to believe happened next to our Hummer.
The Hummer hits the
six-pack, which, according to
Newton’s third law is exactly
the same as the six-pack hitting
the Hummer. The jet fuel ignites
in a spectacular fireball which
engulfs the Hummer and burns
furiously for a while. The sixpack passes through the grille,
the motor, the firewall, and the
seats and shoots out through
the back door. All traces of the
six-pack vanish. No sign of
aluminum is found anywhere
on the grille or inside the Hummer. Nor are there any pieces of
beer can on the road around the
point of impact. Even the pull
tabs are gone.
The Hummer careens
forward in a billowing cloud
of smoke for about another half
hour when suddenly disintegrates into a pile of nuts, bolts
and smoldering dust that you
could hide under a beach umbrella. No piece of the wreckage
is larger than a door knob.
Officials find the Arab’s
undamaged driver’s license on
top of the pile.
Do you think Newton
would buy this story?
Hal O’Boyle writes from
the suburbs of San Jose, Costa
Rica. His articles are archived
at www.the-extremist.com. He
answers email at hal@kwtn.
com.
Local Favorites
www.kwtn.com
FILM
What’s on at the Tropic
Opens Friday! The first
“must-see” film of the fall.
EASTERN PROMISES
Viggo Mortensen rules, in
another powerful collaboration
with David Cronenberg (History of Violence). Mortensen
plays the mysterious and charismatic Nikolai, a Russian-born
driver for the leader of one of
London’s most notorious Russian mafia families, the Vory V
Zakone criminal brotherhood.
Headed by Semyon (Armin
Mueller-Stahl)--whose courtly
charm as the welcoming proprietor of the plush Trans-Siberian
restaurant impeccably masks
a cold, brutal core. The family
is tested by Semyon’s volatile
son and enforcer, Kirill (Vincent
Cassel). Nikolai’s carefully
maintained existence is jarred
when he crosses paths with
Anna (Naomi Watts), a midwife
from a North London hospital
trying to right a wrong, who
accidentally uncovers potential
evidence against the family.
Written by Steve Knight (Dirty
Pretty Things). Salon.com calls
it “a dark and mesmerizing
immersion into a distinctive
world.” And the Wall St. Jour-
nal acknowledges that “Viggo
Mortensen’s performance is
flat-out brilliant, and this
relentlessly dramatic thriller
represents a mid-life growth
spurt for its director”
“A superbly wrought
yarn set in the milieu of firstgeneration Russian mobsters in
London that is simultaneously
tough-minded and compassionate about the human condition, Eastern Promises instantly
takes its place among David
Cronenberg’s very best films.”
- Variety
Did PBA Try To Dupe Candidates?
PBA, from page 1
for the District 4 Commission
seat, said he researched the
question and sent the PBA this
response:
“I have reviewed the most
recent legislative changes I
could find relating to Chapter
112, the ‘Police Officer’s Bill of
Rights’, and I have been unable
to locate legislation specifically
eliminating the Civilian Review
Board’s ability to investigate . . .
I do not think there is a conflict
requiring resolution.”
Barry Gibson, also a candidate for the District 4 seat is
married to an attorney. “I asked
my wife to pull up recent legislation and all she found was
a new law that says that Police
Internal Affairs investigators
who lie on their reports can
be prosecuted,” Gibson said.
“I didn’t realize that was a
problem.”
KWTN also emailed Police Lt. Jim Benkoczy, reportedly one of the local PBA representatives, and asked him to
provide copies of the legislation
referenced in the PBA questionnaire. He had not responded at
presstime.
It is no secret that the
police union opposes the idea
of a civilian board overseeing
the Police Department, even if
that board’s powers are limited
to making recommendations.
Before the vote on the 2002
referendum, police officers
reportedly openly campaigned
in uniform and on City time.
Benkoczy spoke out at one of
the public forums, predicting,
“There will never be a Citizen
Review Board here! The people
will never vote for it!”
But on election day, more
than 60 percent of those who
went to the polls voted “yes”
for a CRB.
CRB Executive Director
Amanda Willet told KWTN this
week that she will recommend
that the PBA questionnaire be
put on the agenda for discussion at the next CRB meeting.
Ironically, Lt. Benkoczy is the
Police Department liaison to
the CRB and attends most of
the meetings.
www.kwtn.com
What’s On At the Tropic
FROM page 22
“puts [Mortensen] in line
with the greats” Boston Globe
“worthy of serious awards
consideration” NY Post
“expertly realized and
gunmetal slick” L.A. Times
“the first must-see film
of the young fall” NY Daily
News
“engrossing” New York
Magazine
Rated R. Runtime 1hr
40min
Showtimes (in Carper):
Friday/Sunday/Wednesday/
Thursday at (3:00), 5:00, 7:00,
9:00; Saturday/Monday/Tuesday at (3:00), 5:00, and 9:00
* * *
Opens Friday!
2 DAYS IN PARIS
A Parisian getaway becomes anything but romantic
for a high-strung New York
couple in writer/director Julie
Delpy’s smart, sexy comedy
about how opposites attract—
and then slowly drive each
other crazy. Marion (Delpy)
is a French photographer and
Jack (Adam Goldberg) is an
American interior designer.
After a less than idyllic vacation
in Italy, they stop off in Paris for
two days, where Jack has to deal
with a new language, a crazily
unfamiliar culture, meeting
Marion’s sexually frank and
permissive family and a bevy
of flirtatious ex-boyfriends.
In the city of lights, Jack and
Marion begin to see each other
in a different, less appealing
light as the cultural divide between them grows. Will these
two days in Paris be Jack and
Marion’s last days as a couple,
or will they be the beginning of
a new, richer life together? It’s a
“smart film with an edge to it”
says Roger Ebert, and “amusingly raunchy” according to the
Miami Herald.
“fearlessly original and
laugh-out-loud funny” Elle
“quirky, fresh and sharply
intelligent” Empire
“sharply observed and
often hilarious” Salon.com
Rated R. Runtime 1hr
36min. (This film is in English.)
Showtimes (in Taylor):
Daily at (2:30), 4:30, 6:30, 8:30
* * *
Opens Friday!
VITUS
By the age of 12, Vitus
(real-life piano prodigy Teo
Gheorghiu) is a highly gifted
musician with a bright future.
But the daily pressure of hours
of musical practice, his overprotective though well-meaning mother (Julika Jenkins),
and his father’s (Urs Jucker)
precarious financial situation
lead the boy to seek refuge at
the home of his eccentric grandfather (Bruno Ganz). Vitus and
his grandfather’s shared love of
flying, mischief and adventure
offers Vitus an opportunity at
a normal childhood, something the burden of his talent
had previously prevented
him from enjoying. A moving
and humorous coming-of-age
story directed and co-written
by Fredi Murer. It’s “a touching and inspirational fantasy,
buoyed by splendid music and
considerable humor” (Christian Science Monitor), and a
“celebratory, family-friendly
fable.” (Chicago Reader)
Swiss Entry for 2007
Foreign Language Academy
Award
Rated PG. Runtime 2hrs
3min. In Swiss-German with
subtitles.
Showtimes (in The
George): Friday/Saturday/
Sunday/Monday/Tuesday at
(2:45), 5:15, 7:45; Wednesday/
Thursday at (2:45) and 5:15
www.kwtn.com
Teri Is the Smart Choice to Replace
Jose. Check Bethel’s Record with
Electric Company Before Putting
Him on the Board. Covan Walked off
Her Last City Job
one of TAMPOA’s boys, but
Anderson apparently thinks
he might be. He didn’t give
Gibson $500.
And Klitenick is also
friends with Richard Tallmadge, the Chairman of the
Culinary Arts Advisory Committee who recently got caught
trying to undermine the employment of Holly Bell, the
popular culinary arts teacher
(and Teacher of the Year) at
Key West High School. In fact,
Klitenick and Tallmadge are apparently really good friends. He
made Tallmadge his campaign
manager.
CITY COMMISSION
DISTRICT 5
Incumbent Jose Menendez is being challenged by Teri
Johnston. Who is one of the
founders of FIRM, Fair Insurance Rates in Monroe. This one
is a no-brainer. Teri Johnston is
a serious, exciting candidate.
If you are a voter in District 5,
she should be your candidate.
Jose Menendez is a nice
elderly gentleman— but he
has got to be the dumbest
Commissioner in the history of
the City. Not long ago, he said
that he couldn’t support allowing the people to vote on the
annexation of Wisteria Island
because he had seen pictures
in a magazine that showed
trash on the island. That was
the reason he gave. We don’t
make this kind of stuff up. One
of Jose’s fellow Commissioners
told us that Jose later admitted
that he really didn’t know what
he was voting on.
More recently, he got
caught stealing City envelopes
to send out a campaign letter.
He said he didn’t realize that
was wrong.
Former City Code Enforcement officer and HARC
member Vince Mancini is also
running for this seat.
UTILITY BOARD GROUP 1
For some reason, Harry
Bethel is giving up his seat on
the City Commission to run for
the Utility Board. His primary
opponent is Realtor Charles
Lee, a former chairman of
the Key West Citizen Review
Board.
Nobody we’ve talked to
knows why Harry is doing this.
He was employed at City Electric System (CES), the predecessor of Keys Energy Services
for 29 years. But his record as
an employee during his early
years with that company can
only be described as horrendous— letters in his file document poor work performance,
insubordination and abuse of
sick leave. He was even fired
and then reinstated.
He says he was just “full
of piss and vinegar” when
he was young. So are a lot of
people; but most don’t have a
records like that.
We have always personally liked Harry as a news
source. He has been, to say
the least, an interesting City
Commissioner. But we can’t
go along with him here. Let us
just give you the recommendation of Robert Padron, the
current chairman of the Utility
Board and the former General
Manager of CES. Bethel used
to work for him. In an open
letter addressed to the voters of
Key West, Padron said that the
election of Harry Bethel to the
Utility Board “would not be in
the best interests of the taxpayers of the community.”
Padron endorsed Charles
Lee for the seat. We do, too.
Former Key West City
Planner Ty Symroski is also
running for this seat.
Attorney Diane Covan is
challenging incumbent Mona
Clark in this race. Just as many
voters are wondering why
Harry Bethel is running for
the Utility Board, many are
also wondering why Covan
is doing this. The last government job she had was Key West
City Attorney back in the mid90s— and she simply walked
off and left it in a huff. And then
tried to sue the City.
And by now, you and
probably everybody else in
town has heard what she asked
the City Commission in 1995:
“Do you want me to continue
to grind the Ducks into the
dirt?” The Commission, which
included Commissioner Jimmy
Weekley, told her to “grind
on”— and, subsequently, a jury
ruled that the City had illegally
put Duck Tours Seafaris out
of business and awarded that
little company $13.5 million in
damages.
Mona Clark, who has
been on the Utility Board
since 2004, is assistant principal at both Glynn Archer and
Sigsbee Elementary Schools.
We recommend a vote for her
reelection.
There is no real incumbent in this race. Charlie Bradford was appointed to the board
last year to fill a vacancy.
Bradford is being challenged by Tom Milone. Since
retiring as the clerk of the
New York Supreme Court and
moving here a number of years
ago, Milone has been active in
Key West politics. And in this
race, we have been impressed
with how he has studied the
issues and some of his creative
ideas.
As far as we can tell, Mr.
Bradford is not running very
hard for reelection.
We recommend a vote
for Milone.
www.kwtn.com
BARNES LAW: Q&A
Whistleblower Lawsuits— Part 4
by Michael Barnes
Last week, we continued
our series on “Whistleblower”
lawsuits and got ready to go to
Court on our Whistleblower action. Ready? Let’s get started.
The preparation. Before
any lawsuit is filed it is not
only important but ethically
required for the attorney, in
conjunction with his client, to
be sure that the facts and the
law come together to justify a
Whistleblower lawsuit.
In our scenario here with
the police and in other similar
ones, it is also important to try,
in good faith, to exhaust your
“administrative remedies,”
whether they be in your chain
of command or through your
superiors.
This preparation also
helps guarantee your success.
If you have the plan worked
out before you start, you are
unlikely to be derailed by surprises. Additionally, those on
the other side of the lawsuit,
frequently have to play serious
“catch up” to be as prepared as
you already are.
The complaint. The complaint is the document that your
attorney files to begin the suit.
Any amount of serious detail
on this subject is beyond the
scope of this series of articles.
Your lawyer should be the architect of this document. The
facts justifying relief under the
Whistleblower statutes should
be clearly set out. All of the elements required by the statute
should be present.
The discovery. The “discovery” phase of a lawsuit is to
many good lawyers, the most
important. Discovery means
what it says. This is were each
side learns or discovers the facts
of the case. Some will support
the whistleblower and others
may not.
Discovery includes such
things as depositions under
oath. In a deposition, for example, witnesses to the retaliation or the wrongful acts are
called and asked questions.
Their answers are taken down
by a court reporter.
With multiple witnesses
and good lawyering, it is
difficult to successfully lie
about what has happened.
Nevertheless, many people try.
Fortunately, when the events
are clearly presented, many
people are unwilling to risk
their jobs and careers by denying the truth.
Additionally there is
always the “encouragement”
of perjury. In short, perjury is
lying under oath. Perjury is
a criminal offense. It is more
serious if it takes place in an
official proceeding. Perjury is
also an offense that can ruin
careers.
Before trial, cases are
frequently “mediated.” Mediation is a process in which a
neutral third party attempts to
assist the parties in reaching a
voluntary agreement to a settlement of the case. Frequently it
is successful. Mediation should
always be considered as an
alternative to a trial. When all
the discover is complete we are
ready for trial.
The trial We’ve all seen
trials on television. Fewer of
us have seen them in person,
with lawyers, judges and court
personnel being the exceptions.
First the jury is selected. Next,
the Plaintiff, here the Whistleblower, starts the case by putting on his or her evidence.
The Defendant’s lawyer gets to
cross examine each witness.
In our scenario, the whistle blower, through his lawyer,
his own testimony, and the evidence and testimony of others,
puts on his case. He proves to
the jury the events of wrongdoing and the events of retaliation.
He puts on evidence about his
damages.
After the Plaintiff’s case,
the Defendant puts on their
case seeking to avoid or refute
the allegations of the whistleblower.
A unique part of a jury
trial is that the ultimate decision will be made, usually by
six, people and not the judge.
The judge decides the issues
of law and instructs the jury.
The jury decides the issues of
fact and with the law, decides
the case.
Jurors bring together a
fine sense of justice. They are
good at watching the demeanor
of witnesses, the parties to the
lawsuit and the attorneys. For
the most part, they are difficult
to fool. As they say, “The Truth
will Out” in most of the cases.
After listening to all the
evidence, the jury listens to
closing arguments by the attorneys, the instructions of
the judge, and then retires to
consider the verdict.
The jury verdict Although
there are instances of a “hung
jury” where the jury cannot
reach a unanimous decision,
such instances are fairly rare.
In the majority of instances,
a jury will come back with
a verdict for the Plaintiff or
the Defendant. The jury will
award damages that have been
proven.
The aftermath. Unfortunately, many times is seems
to take a lawsuit for change to
occur. People and institutions
who have been doing things a
certain way for a long period,
even if it is wrong seem to feel
that their success in wrongdoing conveys some invulnerability. They think that they’re
“bullet-proof.” They’re not.
This is the area of a
Whistleblower suit where the
whistleblower is returned to his
job with full pay and an order of
the court that the wrongdoing
and retaliation stops. In such
a case, the wrongdoing and
retaliation change the lives and
careers of the wrongdoers for
the worse. And . . . that’s the
way it should be.
Michael R. Barnes is an
attorney practicing in Key West,
Florida. His comments are not
intended as legal advice but
rather as a pro bono public
service. If you are concerned
about your rights, you should
contact an attorney and follow
his or her advice.
www.kwtn.com
MILITARIA WANTED
Civil War, Spanish American,
WW1 & 2, swords, medals,
helmets, daggers, uniforms,
old guns, any country. Silver
dollars, too. Cash, Collector.
Contact John 296-9899.
Help Wanted For
Busy Kitchen
OILY’S AUTO REPAIR
MIKE YOUNG, CERTIFIED ASE TECHNICIAN
5669 5th AVE, STOCK ISLAND• 296-6656
Line Experience with
Knowledge of Grill
& Sautee.
Apply at Finnegan’s Wake
320 Grinnell St.
the community
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.
DISCOUNTED MAMOGRAMS IN OCTOBER--at Lower
Keys Medical Center. $100. Schedule now through Oct. 31. Info:
292-9353
PASTA IN THE PARK,
CALL FOR VENDORS AND
NON-PROFITS--Will be held Sat.
Oct. 6, Bayview Park, noon-6pm.
Info: Keysk8e@aol.com.
JUST 4 KIDS COLLECTING SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR
AREA KIDS--In need backpacks,
colored pencils, calculators, binders, ruled notebook paper, highlighers. All donations are tax
deductable. Monetary donations
can be sent to: Just 4 Kids c/o HOB
Middle School, 1105 Leon St., Key
West. or call 305-292-6873.
MARATHON JAYCEES
RALPH E. CUNNINGHAM
MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT--rescheduled for Oct.
13 at Sombrero Country Club.
Tournament benefits Take Stock
in Children. Info: 743-3433.
CALL TO ARTISTS--submit portfolios for the Natural
Inpsiration Educational Art Wall
located inside the National Key
Deer Wildlife Refuge.. Info www.
FavorFloridaKeys.com or 8720774.
THE BOOT KEY BIVOUAC--Oct. 7, 10am-10pm at
the Marathon Community Park
Amphitheatre.
CRANE POINT MUSEUM
& NATURE CENTER WILL BE
CLOSED FOR CLEANUP--Sept.
16-30. Science Saturday Classes
will not be cancelled.
CRANE POINT SCIENCE
SATURDAY CLASSES--every
Sat. Sept. 8 through Mar. 8. 911am for kids age 6-11. Members
$10, non-members $15. More info:
Elizabeth 743-3900 or seascience@
bellsouth.net
DOCTORAL STUDENT
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS TO
COMPLETE SURVEY--Share
your thoughts on evacuation at
www.keywestevacuation.com
KEYS CHORALE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE
TO SING--Register through
Florida Keys Community College,
either for credit or as Continuing
Education.
BIG BROTHERS/BIG SISTERS--Mentor a child by becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister. With
a little spare time, you can make a
big difference. Info: 305-294-9891
or bbbsadmin@bellsouth.net
HOSTFAMILIESNEEDED
FOR EXCHANGE STUDENTS-Share your home and change the
world. More info: 1-866-493-8872
or www.yfu-usa.org.
SURVEY SEEKING
HEALTH CARE ANSWERS—
WomanKind is seeking volunteer
to log on to www.womankindkeywest.org to complete a brief survey
that will help determine ways to
design diagnostic and wellness
programs to benefit employees
of businesses and individuals
without health insurance. Survey
takers’ identity will remain confidential.
FLORIDAKEYSDRAGON
BOAT CLUB--meets every Sun. at
6pm. See www.floridakeysdragonboat.com Info: 305-304-5100.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
www.kwtn.com
the community
FROM previous page
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.
BOATING COURSES--The
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary conducts boating courses throughout
the year. Info: 1-888-470-5566
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. The clinic is
sponsored by Key West Critter Pa-
trol and the Florida Keys SPCA.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED-AIDS HELP, INC. needs volunteers to help with transportation,
office work, special events, etc.
Call 296-6196.
THE YMCA of Key West
offers a variety of programs for children, adults and families, including
skating, bocce, computer classes
and more: The YMCA Center is
located at 1011 Virginia Street .
Call for info: 305-295-YMCA.
LA LECHE LEAGUE—
Free monthly meeting for pregnant and breastfeeding moms;
mother to mother support with
accredited volunteers who give
current information and encouragement in the art of breastfeeding.
Non-denominational, 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.
WOMEN’S SUPPORT
GROUP--Facilitated by counselors
in confidential, safe environment.
Relax with a cup of tea while helping yourself and others with problem solving stress reduction. Free,
5:30 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday;
for location and information, call
WomanKind, 305-294-4004.
LOCALS SONGWRITERS
NIGHT—every Wednesday 7pm,
upstairs lounge at Hard Rock Café.
Open to all ages. Free admission.
Info: 305-360-2398.
AT THE RECEPTION. . .
Damn Red Wine!
www.kwtn.com

Police Union Caught Fibbing to Candidates

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