Wellington Candidate Forum on Monday, October 8th

The elections in November are critical to our nation and to Florida! On your ballot, there will be some key seats up for grabs.  The winners of these seats will work hard to change the course of our federal and state governments — one way or the other.  You must meet and hear them firsthand!

David DiCrescenzo will moderate our last PBCTP candidate forum of the 2012 elections season on Columbus Day, October 8th in Wellington.   The confirmed candidates are:

US Congress:  Cesar Henao (District 21)

FL Senate:  Melanie Peterson (District 25)

FL House of Representatives:  James O’Hara (District 81) and Tami Donnally (District 86).

Place:  Binks Forest Country Club

Time:  Doors open at 5:30 p.m.  An all inclusive buffet for $15 will be served from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.  The candidate forum will begin at 7:00 p.m. and end no later than 8:30 p.m.

Address:  400 Binks Forest Drive, Wellington.

Directions and map:  Click here

We anticipate a full house so be sure to RSVP by clicking the link below.

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Wellington Chapter Meeting with State Attorney Candidates

Join us for a candidates forum with Dave Aronberg, Robert S. Gershman and Dina Keever.  Learn their qualifications and why they want to  be your next State Attorney.   Doors open at 5:30 p.m.  Dinner price is $15, includes full meal, coffee, tea, tax, and gratuity, and is from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The meeting starts promptly at 7:00 p.m.   BE THERE!

DATE:	Monday, September 10, 2012
TIME:	Doors open 5:30pm. Buffet at 6pm. Meeting starts at 7pm, $15 per person (tax and gratuity included)
PLACE:	Binks Forest Golf Club, 400 Binks Forest Drive, Wellington, FL 33414, Click HERE for Directions

Candidate Biographies

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Dave Aronberg was born in 1971 in Miami and grew up in North Miami. He attended Harvard College and Harvard Law School, receiving his Law degree in 1996.

As an attorney for a large South Florida law firm, Dave was involved with then Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson, investigating European Insurance companies that refused to honor World War II-era policies sold to victims of the Holocaust. In 1999, he became a Florida Assistant Attorney General for economic crimes, investigating Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the prescription drug Oxycontin, for its marketing practices and led the State’s lawsuit against “Miss Cleo,” the “Jamaican Shango Shaman Psychic,” who had become an international celebrity. In 2000, Dave served as a White House Fellow and later served in two presidential administrations as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury for international money laundering.

Elected to the 5-county Florida Senate District 27 in 2002, with 69% against Republican Frank Mann, he was re-elected with little opposition by 86% in 2004 and 71% in 2008, and served until term-limited in 2010. As a Senator he worked to secure federal funding for Everglades restoration, worked on consumer protection legislation and restrictions on the diversion of perscription drugs.

In 2009, he ran for Attorney General, losing the Democrat primary to Dan Gelber with slightly under 41% of the vote, but going on to work for the winner in the race, Pam Bondi, as Special Prosecutor for Prescription Drug Trafficking, where he worked against pill mills.

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Robert Gershman was born in 1966 and lives in Boca Raton. He received a BA in Accounting from George Washington University in 1988 and a law degree from Nova Southeastern Law School in 1991. In his final year, he interned at the PBC State Attorney’s office and was then hired by then SA David Bludworth as a full time prosecutor, and he served as assistant State Attorney under both Bludworth and Barry Krischer.

During his tenure, he prosecuted all types of crimes, up to and including death penalty cases, and served as a division chief, managing high profile cases. Upon leaving the State Attorney’s office, he entered private practice in criminal defense litigation, and has managed his practice for the last 15 years. He is one of a small group of attorneys certified under Florida State Statute to serve as lead trial counsel in death penalty cases, and has contributed many hours in pro bono work in the community.

Robert is running as a Non Party Affiliate because he believes the Office of Palm Beach County State Attorney should be fair and independant, without favoritism to any person or entity. As the next State Attorney for Palm Beach County, Robert intends to enforce the law, end corruption, prevent crime, and be an effective voice for the victims of crime. As the highest ranking law enforcement officer for Palm Beach County, he will represent the residents of Palm Beach County with zeal and integrity and will focus his efforts on ensuring justice for all.

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Dina Keever was born in Danville, Illinois in 1962. After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Journalism, she worked in advertising at the St. Petersburg Times prior to earning a law degree at Florida State University where she was editor-in-chief of the Law Review.

After law school she served as a law clerk for Peter T. Fay of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Miami, then as a prosecutor in the US Attorney’s office in Miami, where whe worked on drug trafficking cases and later in Philadelphia where she prosecuted corruption, fraud, immigration, narcotics and violent crimes.

Dina has prosecuted over 250 federal cases and has extensive courtroom experience. She has written over forty federal appellate briefs and successfully argued numerous appeals in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Third Circuit. Dina has received awards from both the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Customs Service for her courtroom contributions to federal law enforcement.

In 2009, Dina joined other former federal prosecutors at the law firm Lewis Tein, P.L., as of Counsel. Dina took an indefinite leave of absence from Lewis Tein on April 20, 2012, in order to concentrate full-time on her campaign for Palm Beach County State Attorney. If elected, Dina will be the first female to serve as State Attorney in Palm Beach County.

August Meeting for Wellington Chapter- Be There!

Did you know that in November you will be voting on changes to the homestead exemption and allowing tax increase caps on commercial property? Want to know how Amendment 4 will effect you, your homestead and your business?  Elected Constitutional Officer, Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, Gary Nikolits,  will give us an informative, interactive, educational presentation on Monday, August 13th  at Bink’s Forest Country Club.  In addition,   Marion Frank will also present a follow-up to the Supreme Court’s decision on Obamacare.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Buffet is served from 6-7 and is only $15.00 all inclusive.   Come enjoy the company of some great patriots, help support the club and enjoy a delicious meal, get informed and get ready to make a difference in November.  Click on the RSVP below so we can ensure we have enough seating. 

• As always, volunteers are needed to sign in guests and sell raffle tickets and t-shirts. Please call Gina Rascati at 561-798-5498 if you can help.

Wellington Chapter Meeting for June 11 – Ethics and oversight of PBC Governments

Palm Beach County Inspector General, Sheryl Steckler, along with Ethics Commission Executive  Director, Alan Johnson, will be our guest speakers.  Come and learn about why these positions were created and why some are opposing them.  Doors open at 5:30, buffet dinner from 6:00 to 7:00, $15 all inclusive, meeting start at 7:00 p.m. sharp. As always at the beautiful Binks Forest Country Club.  Bring a friend, spread the word, be there!

Click here for more information on the Office of the Inspector General and the Commission on Ethics for Palm Beach County.

Bios for our guest speakers:

Sheryl Steckler: 

Sheryl G. Steckler is the Inspector General for the Office of Inspector General (OIG), Palm Beach County (PBC).  The Office opened its doors on June 28, 2010.  The office consists of three services: Investigations, Audit, and Contract Oversight.  Ms. Steckler’s jurisdiction includes all elected and appointed county and municipal officials and employees, county and municipal agencies and instrumentalities, contractors, their subcontractors and lower tier subcontractors, and other parities doing business with the county or a municipality and/or receiving county or municipal funds.  In total, there are 38 municipalities within PBC.  In addition, the Solid Waste Authority, Health Care District, and Children’s Services Council have voluntarily contracted with the OIG for their services. 

Ms. Steckler has worked in law enforcement and criminal justice related positions for 27 years.  Prior to her arrival in Palm Beach in June 2010, she was the Inspector General for the State of Florida, Department of Children & Families for just under 8 years.  She also spent 8 years as the Director for Pinellas County, Florida Consumer Protection which included Mediation, Criminal Investigations, and Regulatory Oversight.  Ms. Steckler was also with the Florida Auditor General’s office in Performance Auditing and Public Assistance Fraud for over 9 years.  Ms. Steckler is currently a Certified Inspector General, Certified Inspector General Investigator and formerly a certified law enforcement officer.

In her role as Inspector General at the Department of Children & Families, Ms. Steckler led the way for her office to become the first accredited Inspector General’s office by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation and her new office in Palm Beach County just received accreditation status February 23, 2012.  Ms. Steckler holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Criminology from Florida State University.  She is currently an Executive Board member for the National Association of Inspectors General and former President for the Florida Chapter of the Association of Inspectors General.  Ms. Steckler has held elected positions as President and Vice President of Conferences for the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators and has also served as a member (appointed by the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services) of the Florida’s Consumer Council.

Alan Johnson: 

Prior to his selection as Executive Director, Mr. Johnson was a 17 year state prosecutor for the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County. As an Assistant State Attorney Mr. Johnson has tried numerous high profile felony cases and in 2001 became Chief of the Felony Division. In 2005 Mr. Johnson took over the role of Chief Assistant State Attorney until 2009 when he became Senior Counsel for a newly established State Attorney Public Integrity Unit. Mr. Johnson has also served in various capacities as a member and chairman of the Florida Bar Grievance Committee and the Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee as well as regularly serving as a volunteer youth court judge. Since 2000, Mr. Johnson has been a frequent instructor for the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association in areas including ethics for prosecutors, victim rights, homicide prosecution, evidence and jury selection.

Mr. Johnson graduated from Columbia University in 1973 and obtained his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1976.

Wellington Wrap Up

Great meeting last night.  Our fearless leader, Pam Wohlschlegel, urged us all to join in helping  to defeat the recall election movement in Wisconsin because as Wisconsin goes, so goes Florida.   Vice President, Mel Grossman, just returned from Tampa where he and wife Barbara, were the local reps standing in opposition to a well-organized and supported Muslim Brotherhood demonstration. Thank you Mel and Barbara-God Bless You.  The President of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Alex Domb, alerted us to the petition drive in Wellington to make land use changes requiring unanimous approval. The beautiful, witty and knowledgeable Marion Frank, our new co-cordinator, delighted us with her presentation on the Unaffordable Health Care Act.  We must do everything we can to defeat the current administration come November, who has foisted this ‘obamanation’ on us.

Wellington Chapter: Affordable Care Act-Fact v. Fiction

Join us for a riveting discussion led by our own member Marion Frank,  the National Alliance Coordinator for a non-political grass roots organization of doctors who are seeking to preserve the doctor-patient relationship in health care,  Docs4PatientCare.org. 

Marion has a wealth of knowledge honed by her own research on how we will be paying for this act.  The purpose of her presentation is to arm us with the facts as they relate to the future of health care come June when the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling will be revealed.  Knowledge is Power and WE MEAN TO BE A POWERFUL FORCE IN THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY!  Be there.

DATE	Monday, May 14th, 2012
TIME	Doors open 5:30pm. Buffet at 6pm. Meeting starts at 7pm, $15 per person (tax and gratuity included)
PLACE	Binks Forest Country Club CLICK HERE for directions.
RSVP	Call 561-302-1479 or click on the “RSVP” button below.

Wellington’s April Meeting Features GOP Political Director Mark Hoch

DATE	Monday, April 9th, 2012
TIME	Doors open 5:30pm. Buffet at 6pm. Meeting starts at 7pm, $15 per person (tax and gratuity included)
PLACE	Binks Forest Country Club CLICK HERE for directions.
RSVP	Call 561-302-1479 or click on the “RSVP” button below.

In preparation for achieving a success come the November elections, we’ve invited  the political director of the Palm Beach Republican Party, Mark Hoch.  His areas of expertise are grass roots politics, campaigns, demographic research and analysis and political party development.  This is an important meeting for members to attend who are interested in joining the team of poll watchers that we are forming. 

As always, doors open at 5:30 p.m. An all inclusive dinner buffet for $15 will be served from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with our meeting starting at 7:00 p.m. sharp.  Plan to have a nice meal, meet some great patriots, learn something you didn’t know, all while helping the cause- preserving and protecting the nation that our founding fathers created, One Nation Under God, Indivisible with Liberty and Justice for All! 

February meeting in Wellington recap

Pam Wohlschlegel, Leader of  the Tea Party Patriots in this area, shared some of her activities including traveling around Florida with Jenny Beth Martin, national Tea Party Patriot leader, visiting other Tea Party Patriots.  Pam commented that the Patriots are like sleeping tigers ready to re-emerge and assume a much more active role as they did four years ago.  We were reminded to keep the focus on our three principles:  fiscal responsibility, constitutionality, and free markets.  There are a number of tea parties in our country; unlike some others, the Patriots do not endorse candidates.  Pam noted that the Hispanic vote, a major block, is being indoctrinated by the left.  What is it we can do to counter their influence?  Progressives are using the approach of having home meetings.  We need to do the same.

On March 22, a rally will be held on the Supreme Court lawn in D.C.  Florida needs to be there!  Busses will be leaving on February 21, for Tallahassee in preparation for a meeting with our legislators.  Pam emphasized the need for poll watchers.  Irregularities apparently occur when members of our group are not present.

Sharon Bock, Comptroller and Clerk, was the main speaker for the evening.  An attorney, Sharon has been in her elected position for 14 years.  She employs 750 individuals, none of whom make policy.  All county funds, amounting to well over a billion dollars, must go through Ms. Bock’s office in order to be spent.  She is an auditor and a watchdog who signs all checks.  Before checks are signed three criteria must be satisfied:  is there a public good involved, is the expenditure legal, and is it in the budget?  Ms. Bock’s speech was an impassioned one in which she gave many examples of how she functions and how she is constantly confronted with obstacles.  Her talk was very educational since many of us were not aware of how the individual in this position operates nor how important her position is to the well being of Palm Beach County.

Pictures by Boris Balaban.

Cake, Coffee and the Candidates for March Meeting in Wellington

Join us for a delicious buffet dinner and a chance to  meet and greet the Wellington candidates for municipal office on the night BEFORE the municipal elections.  All all six candidates for Wellington Village Council and Mayoral seats will be here to meet you!.  Come hear them and let them know your concerns.  Monday, March 12th, Binks Forest Country Club.  Doors open at 5:30 p.m.  All inclusive buffet, $15, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.  Informal meet and greet from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Candidates expected include:

For Mayor, Bob Margolis and Darell Bowen
For Seat 1, John Greene and Shauna Hostetler
For Seat 4, Al Paglia and Matt Willhite

Wellington Chapter Meeting in February

Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller Sharon Bock will be our guest speaker.  Hear how this constitutional officer serves her constituents.   Questions that relate to our three tenets: fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets will be addressed. 

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., buffet dinner from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. for $15 all inclusive, meeting from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, February 13th at the Binks Forest Country Club. For directions Click: HERE

RSVP by clicking the button below:

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