Join Us For Our Boca Raton Election Night Party!!

ATTENTION!!!  UPDATE AS OF NOVEMBER 4TH, 2012: CHANGE OF VENUE!!!  THIS EVENT WILL NOW BE HELD AT MILLER’S ALE HOUSE ON 1200 YAMATO ROAD IN BOCA RATON (JUST WEST OF I-95, AND ADMISSION IS FREE!!!  EAT AND DRINK AS YOU WISH ON YOUR OWN TAB FROM 7PM- ???

November 6^th, 2012 will surely go down as one of the most important dates of the 21^st Century in history books of the future.  It has been said many times, “This is the most important election of our lifetime”, and that has never rung more true when one considers the principles at stake at this election.  Our deep involvement in attempting to steer our voting populace towards all the principles and founding history of this country will ultimately have their collective effect on this great night.  All the hard work, the personal and professional sacrifices that we make, the time and energy commitment in an increasingly liberal public, and the risk of voicing your opinion publicly will definitely prevail in the long run.  On this night, we will get to witness “real time” results on all the monitors that will be on display, NOW AT MILLER’S ALE HOUSE IN BOCA RATON!!  Map is HERE.

This evening promises to be one that you will remember for years to come, and is definitely NOT to be missed!  The Palm Beach Tea Party will be joining up with several other individuals and organizations of like mind to make this night one “for the books”!

Admission is FREE, and we will be gathering starting at 7:00pm.  Eat and drink as you choose on your own tab!  Full coverage of election results will be seen on the many monitors placed throughout Miller’s Ale House.

PLEASE RSVP HERE so we can get an idea of a head count– knowing that the button for “buffet” is irrelevant, based on our venue change to Miller’s Ale House):

Candidate Forum In Boca Raton Encourages Voters

Moving closer to the critical national election next month, our Boca Chapter of the Palm Beach County Tea Party held another great night of discourse on the local level that certainly took into account what is happening to our country nationally by hosting another local candidate forum.  A palpable sense of excitement filled the air, as over 100 people filed in to hear how candidates from both sides would address key Tea Party issues.  While we had a full quiver of candidates from both the Republican AND Democratic sides slated to address those who would be on the ballot for November in Boca, the end result of those candidates who showed, versus those who elected not to appear was quite revealing…

Slated to appear were State Senate Candidates Melanie Peterson (District 25), her opponent Joe Abruzzo, James Ryan O’Hara (State House District 81), Cesar Henao (Congress District 21), Tom Gustafson (State House District 89), and Sean Kasper (State House District 90).  David Lutrin and Pat Rooney, opponents for State House District 83 were also invited, but that district was ultimately deemed not applicable for the geographic area that Boca Raton audiences would be voting for (it should be noted that David Lutrin accepted our initial invitation, but that Pat Rooney did not).  In the end, Tom Gustafson and Joe Abruzzo cancelled, leaving us with a still compelling field of O’Hara, Peterson, Kasper, and Henao.

Boca Chapter Coordinator Alex Berry began the proceedings at 7:00pm with the Pledge of Allegiance. Carlos Manuel Santana then regaled us with his impassioned version of the National Anthem, which was terrific!  After the usual protocol of explaining what the PBCTP is, and what it stands for, Alex made the usual announcements of upcoming events.  He introduced Pam Wohlschlegel, who announced the Precinct Walk Initiative to sway independents in our county.

Alex then introduced David DiCresenzo, who moderated the discussion for the evening with carefully prepared questions regarding how each candidate would address issues ranging from insurance to energy- and many other topics—and how those positions would relate to the core Tea Party issues of Limited Government, Free Markets, and Fiscal Responsibility.  The questions were excellent, and the answers truly helped our voters decide on who would best represent those principles we hold so dear to our hearts.  There was even time for an interactive audience “Question and Answer” time, which was edifying and worthwhile for all those in attendance.

Overall, it was a spectacular night that was full of fun and well received. I encourage everyone to get involved in the political process, by joining us for our events in Boca, which meet the first Tuesday of every month.  Get ready NOW for a HUGE “Election Day” victory celebration on November 6^th, which happens to be the first Tuesday of the month for next month!  It will be a gala affair with monitors to watch election results, food and bar, entertainment, and speeches!  You will DEFINITELY want to mark your calendars for this one!!!  Time is drawing to a close to make a difference for the next election, so please get involved if you aren’t yet, and STAY involved if you already are!

For more information and video of the event, please CLICK HERE.

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Commission and School Board Forum

On October 1, TAB, along with the South Florida 912 and the Palm Beach County Tea Party, hosted a candidate forum for County Commission district 1 and School Board district 1. Moderated by Steve Rosenblum of the blogTalkRadio show “CRF Radio with Steve and Daria”, the candidates were asked a set of questions about current issues facing their respective bodies, some of which proved to offer a real choice between the candidates. Present for the forum (and keeping them honest) was outgoing Commissioner Karen Marcus, who we thank for her service, and several of Mayor Levy’s councilmen, Bert Premuroso and Eric Jablin.

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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Boca Chapter and SF912 Present: October Candidate Forum!

Please join us for our OCTOBER CANDIDATE FORUM, on Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012.  It will be held at the Boca Greens Country Club (Map HERE), and the doors will be open at 5:30pm for a cash bar, and dinner will follow from 6pm to 7pm (as usual, the cost is $15, which includes tax and gratuity).  This as an ideal opportunity to learn about our local and state candidates in a safe and fair environment which our leadership ensures will be the model of civility.  Since the Tea Party represents a powerful and influential voting base, combined with the fact that we can present candidates in a NON PARTISAN manner, this event is sure to be an influential and substantive endeavor to learn about how the candidates stack up.

The format will be simple:  After  the National Anthem, sung by Carlos Manuel Santana, Alex Berry will make announcements, and then introduce our moderator, David DiCrescenzo.  He will ask the field  candidates (to date: Tom Gustafson, James Ryan O’Hara, David Lutrin, Cesar Henao, Melanie Peterson, and Joe Abruzzo— check back here for regular updates) a question, and each candidate will receive 3 minutes to answer.  In the event that an opponent is mentioned in a response, that opponent will receive :30 to rebut or address the answer which mentioned his/her name.   The questions will not be a surprise to anyone, as they will center around many of the top issues facing your district.  Further, the question will address one or more of the Tea Party’s 3 tenets: Fiscal Responsibility, Free Markets, or Limited Government, and how they will be manifested in your approach towards the office.  We will have a volunteer timer, who will hold up cards letting each candidate know when they have 1:00 and :30 seconds remaining.  A bell will ring to stop anyone who goes over time allotted.

This should be a VERY positive, enlightening and exciting evening for all of us!!!  All we ask is that you RSVP immediately by clicking the RSVP button below!

Phone Bank Prizes: From Gift Cards to a Free Trip to Tallahassee!

Hours and Locations

Boca Raton: 3200 N Federal Highway, Suite 215, Boca Raton, FL
Monday, Tuesday, Saturday: 10am – 7pm
Friday: 10am – 3pm
(Located across the street from a Denny’s)

Palm Beach Gardens: 3970 RCA Blvd Suite 7003, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Wednesday & Thursday: 2pm – 8pm
(We are across the street from the Hampton Inn.  Our office is tucked behind in the corner behind the American Flag.)

We have two competitions for phone banking and canvassing.

1. Weekly Competition

• See me for a personal PIN to compete
• Scores reset to zero each Monday at 9am
• Top 3 phone bankers will receive: 1st place: $25; 2nd place: $10; 3rd place: $5 to the restaurant or gas station of their choice.
• Past winners include: Mel and Barbara Grossman, Ed and Anna Lee Wolff, & Tom Miller.  YOU could be next!

2. Win a FREE trip to Tallahassee

• Win a free trip to attend AFP’s Tallahassee Days: March 19 – 20, 2013
• Prize includes bus transportation to and from Tallahassee, lunch on the bus, hotel accommodations at a Marriott hotel, entry into the “Patriot Dinner” at University Club Center located in FSU’s Doak Campbell Stadium
• 2 ways to win: Phone Banking and Door Knocking

Contest #1: Freedom Phones – In order to be eligible to win in this category, you must make a minimum of five hours of phone calls for AFP. The prize will be awarded to the individual who makes the most total calls after calling for at least five hours. The Field Coordinator will award one phone banking champion per week. An individual is only eligible to win two times in the eight remaining weeks. This enables you to win a trip for yourself and a spouse or friend (double occupancy).

Contest #2: Door Knocking – In order to be eligible to win in this category, you must spend a minimum of two hours knocking on doors for AFP. For every two hours spent walking and knocking, your name will be entered into a fishbowl. The more hours spent, the higher the chances your name will be drawn. On November 6^th, your Field Coordinator will draw four names from the fishbowl to determine the contest winners (limit two per person).

*Please note, the limit is two wins per person per category. Therefore, an individual could potentially win a total of FOUR trips. Additional trips won can be transferred to your spouse and/or friend(s). Once an individual has won a trip, he/she may also purchase an additional trip for a spouse or friend at the discounted rate of $150.00.

Please contact Kathy Salerno with questions at 954-815-4307 or KSalerno@afphq.org.

October 1 Forum for County Commission and School Board

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Candidate Biographies

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Florida native David Levy was born in 1960 and is the owner of environmental engineering firm Southeast Remediation Technnology, and an adjunct professor in environmental geology at Palm Beach State College. He received a B.S in Geology from Florida State University, and a M.S. in Geological Services from Virginia Polytech.

He is currently Mayor of Palm Beach Gardens, and has been a City Councilman since 2004. County-wide, he chairs the League of Cities Environmental Committee, the Regional Hazardous Material Oversight Committee and the Water Resources Task Force, as well as participating with Workforce Alliance, the Biotech Land Advisory Board, and the Loxahatchee River Management Coordinating Council.

David’s campaign issues are streamlining the county permitting process, creating an attractive environment for new businesses, supporting FAU Research Park and additional biotech startups, and protecting the environment, particularly water resources.

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Hal Valeche was born in 1948, grew up in New York and received a degree in American Studies from Yale. Joining the Navy flight program during the Vietnam era, he flew 85 combat missions as a fighter pilot off the carrier USS Oriskany. After the Navy, Hal received an MBA in Finance from Wharton and returned to NYC to work as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch. Hal has been a Palm Beach County resident since the early ’90s, and works in venture capital for Carl Domino, Inc.

In 2002 he was elected to the Board of the Northern PBC Improvement District and won a seat on the Palm Beach Gardens City Council in 2004, serving two terms. He also served on the board of the League of Cities, chaired the Consumer Affairs Hearing Board and was active in philanthropic endeavors. In 2008, He ran for Congress in District 16, losing to Tom Rooney in the Republican primary.

Hal is a fiscal conservative and founded the Taxpayer Action Network, a budget watchdog, and has been a participant in the Taxpayer Action Board.

In the 2012 Republican primary, Hal won 67% of the vote, defeating Dan Amero (27%) and Harry Gaboian (6%).

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Christine Jax was born in 1959 and lives in West Palm Beach’s Osprey Isles. She has a PhD in Education policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota, an MA in Public Administration from Hamline University, and a BA in child Psychology, also from U. Minnesota.

She was Minnesota Commissioner of Education under Governor Jesse Ventura and briefly ran for Governor of that state as an Independent Party candidate. She is currently listed on the staff roster of Walden University in Minneapolis, an online university, as Associate Dean, Doctoral Programs.

Ms. Jax has been endorsed by both the PBA and BizPAC. She was the only candidate of the original five to support high stakes testing and believes schools and teachers should be measured.

Her bio is quite extensive, with a significant array of awards won, papers written, and she is nationally known as an education expert.

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Bio provided by candidate:

Mike Murgio was born in 1950 and has been a Palm Beach county resident for 39 years. He has a Masters Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Florida Atlantic University and a BA in Education from William Paterson University in New Jersey. He was a teacher, then a school principal for 20 years. Because of his extensive business expertise as a general and roofing contractor he was called on to solve overcrowding in our Schools in the mid 1990’s. As Principal on Special Assignment he managed the departments of Planning & Real Estate, Architect Services, and Facilities & Construction Management with budgets in excess of $170 million and 120 employees. Mike retired from the School District in 2007.

Mike has been endorsed by Palm Beach County’s most highly respected leaders who have worked closely with him for over three decades. To name a few: County Commissioner Karen Marcus; former principal of Suncoast High School, Kay Carnes; David Talley, former Chairman of the North Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce; former principal of Bak Middle School of the Arts and Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Amelia Ostrosky; and former school superintendents Tom Mills and Bill Malone. They know first hand the expertise, quality and commitment he will bring to the school board. When elected Mike will ensure students are the priority.

Two Candidates and an Empty Chair

On Monday at the meeting of the Palm Beach County Tea Party in Wellington, two of the three candidates for State Attorney answered questions posed by moderator David DiCrescenzo and described themselves as professional prosecutors – not politicians lacking relevant skills in the courtroom. The empty chair, intended to be occupied by former State Senator Dave Aronberg (the “politician” to which the others referred on occasion), did not have a lot to say. Even Clint Eastwood would have had a hard time with that one.

The candidates, Republican Dina Keever and Independent Robert Gershman sounded similar themes. Neither had a political axe to grind and would enter the office without strings. They considered protecting the community and obtaining fair and just outcomes as the primary role of the office. Both highlighted their extensive courtroom experience on high profile cases – Keever as a federal prosecutor in Florida and Pennsylvania, Gershman as both a prosecutor in the SA office as well as a defense attorney. They distanced themselves from Aronberg who has described himself as a “CEO” who “doesn’t have to know how to make coffee to run Starbucks”.

They were asked about 12 questions, on topics ranging from their approach to corruption fighting, relationship to the Sheriff’s office, attitudes towards the death penalty, low conviction rates in the county, and their attitude towards the Constitution.

On the issue of qualifications for the office (CEO vs experienced prosecutor), Dina Keever said flat out that “Dave Aronberg is not qualified” for the office. They both thought that political experience (although necessary to obtain the office) would not be the tool of choice while on the job.

Each was asked what was the most difficult or memorable case in their experience. Robert Gershman listed his role as the defense on the Dunbar Village rape case and the turnpike killings. In each case, although the defense lost, a fair and just verdict was reached and the trial was fair. Dina Keever listed her work on the prosecution of a bank robber in Philadelphia who had escaped justice twice before. She was able to get a conviction mainly based on a witness identification of the defendant’s voice.

This race has received a lot of media attention in the past few months given the allegations of behind the scenes activities by Mr. Aronberg and his party, raised by the Palm Beach Post and others. Given the importance of the State Attorney’s Office in fighting corruption in the county, any suggestion of impropriety that is not immediately answered should be disqualifying. Either of these two candidate would pass muster in that regard.

For the Post view of the event, see: Keever, Gershman debate issues, experience at forum on State Attorney’s Office race; Aronberg a no-show
Some pictures from the event:

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Dina Keever Brings a Refreshing Voice to the Boca Raton Chapter!

As many of you may have noticed, the PBCTP has elected to utilize it’s significant power to best inform and educate our county from the perspective of not only the national election coming in November, but local elections, too.  As a result, we have attempted to shift from having a “Dinner/Speaker” type of event for our monthly chapter meetings, to creating actual “Candidate Forums” or “Debates”, so that our attendees can better know the candidates.  As the Boca Chapter Coordinator, I can tell you it is no small effort to pull these events off successfully!  Of course, the closer we get to the elections in November, the more busy and active the candidates are as it comes close to “crunch time”.  This has made the challenge of setting these events up that much more interesting.

This month, we went through any number of combinations of candidates for a host of different offices, but there was conflict in every case of having the candidate AND their opponents appear on the same stage.  Ultimately, time became the biggest factor.  We have always wanted to have Dina Keever, who is running for State Attorney appear in Boca, but asked for her patience as we explored the “debate” route.  Since that wasn’t happening in time, Dina graciously accepted our offer to have her speak to our group.

The fact that we didn’t begin promoting it until just a few days before the event, coupled with the fact that we had just hosted a HUGE Labor Day picnic in Carlin Park with Allen West the day before our event, and the fact that everyone was just coming off a major holiday, and the fact that the weather turned ugly just before our event, the attendance was lower than our usual banner crowd in Boca.  The meeting, however, was excellent, and Dina Keever was really a terrific speaker.  Meanwhile, the food at Boca Greens Country Club just seems to get better and better—we thank Roger Anderson and his staff for rolling out the red carpet for us yet again.

Boca Chapter Coordinator Alex Berry began the proceedings at 7:00pm with the Pledge of Allegiance. Carlos Manuel Santana then regaled us with his impassioned version of the National Anthem- truly exhilarating!  After the usual protocol of explaining what the PBCTP is, and what it stands for, Alex introduced Pam Wohlschlegel, PBCTP Founder and County Coordinator.  Pam announced several items of interest to our group, including her experience at the recent Republican National Convention in Tampa.  It was really quite interesting, because she interacted with our crowd in terms of questions, and discussed topics like how the delegates were chosen—and how that changed—at the convention.

Current and former local candidates Joe Talley (County Sheriff) and Cesar Haneo made appearances, and introduced themselves before the main speaker was introduced.

Alex then introduced Dina Keever, who discussed her personal journey to run for State Attorney.  I think what struck everyone in attendance was the sheer sincerity, honesty, and genuine-ness of her presentation.  If there were ever a candidate for office whose attitude was one of being “driven” to serve the public in a sacrificial way, Dina Keever is just that one.  There appeared to be no self-serving element to her at all—quite a refreshing change from the “career politician” types who we have all seen and heard.  Her motivation comes from the exact right place, and she shared in such a personal way that it almost defied the notion that she was at a podium, giving a speech.  It almost felt like a normal living room conversation (and, given our crowd size that evening, was not far from it, ha-ha!).  I believe many others running for office can take a page from her book by personalizing their story in a sincere and straightforward way.  The big “platform” issue if she were to take office?  CORRUPTION.  She left little doubt in anyone’s mind that she would clean up those corridors in our county that feed off corruption.  All in all, it was a short speech, but it was no-nonsense and packed a good punch.  Dina then took questions from the crowd, and most were simply follow-up questions from her speech.

It was a great night that was full of fun and well received. I encourage everyone to get involved in the political process, by joining us for our events in Boca, which meet the first Tuesday of every month.  Stay tuned for announcements on our October 2nd meeting, and get ready NOW for a HUGE “Election Day” victory celebration on November 6^th, which happens to be the first Tuesday of the month!  It will be a gala affair with monitors to watch election results, food and bar, entertainment, and speeches!  You will DEFINITELY want to mark your calendars for this one!!!  Time is drawing to a close to make a difference for the next election, so please get involved if you aren’t yet, and STAY involved if you already are!

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Second Annual Labor Day Barbeque – A Great Time Was Had By All !

Beautiful skies, no rain, a gentle breeze, great friends, food and celebration of those values that make America an exceptional Nation were enjoyed by all Monday afternoon. Speakers as well as the afternoon’s music emphasized the good and exceptional qualities of America and her people while we were also cautioned by the speakers of the current administration’s disregard of the Constitution and separation of powers between the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches, the negative impact of over-regulation and the soon to be stifling tax increases, already enacted. Looming deadlines of the American Affordable (Un-Affordable) Health Care Act, aka Obama Care and Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act are set to trigger primarily after the November election, saving the worst impacts until the Presidential and Congressional elections are history – thus our only hope is to “repeal and replace”.

Requests were made for Poll Watcher volunteers and were referred to Mr. Joe Madej who has been successful in signing up volunteers to date – let’s cover all the polling sites in Palm Beach County ! Further announcements were made of the upcoming Freedom from the UN Rally to be held Saturday, October 20, 2012 in Tallahassee, and that Lynne Sherrer is available to help with new voter registration, address changes, party change and card replacements. See or contact Lynne.

Karen and Billy Vaughn, parents of Aaron Carson Vaughn, Special Warfare Operator First Class,U.S. Navy, one of thirty US Military personnel who died in the crash of their Chinook helicopter in Wardak Province of Afghanistan spoke of their son’s steadfast Christian faith and commitment to America, fellow Seal Team members and family. The enormously-increased frequency of missions by Special Forces coupled with restrictive Rules Of Engagement and shortage of current technology transport aircraft are contributing to heavy loss of American military personnel; additionally, critical injuries to American service personnel have greatly increased over the past several years. Our prayers are with all family members, Aaron’s wife Kimberly, three year old son Reagan and fifteen month old daughter Chamberlyn. (See Mother of SEAL Criticizes Obama Ad)

Pam Wohlschlegel, co-founder of and the county coordinator for Palm Beach County Tea Party (and Florida State Coordinator for Tea Party Patriots) recapped impressions of the Tampa RNC and stated several very anti-business and negative “ObamaCare” impacts to our liberties slated for the next four years, lest we retire our sitting President. Pam then introduced Congressman Allen West.

Congressman West spoke of service to country and the need to have leadership in Washington DC. Amid escalating and thunderous applause, Congressman West pointed out each of the “Gang Patches” as referred to by his opponent Patrick Murphy. Each patch had to do with LtCol (Ret) West’s military service, and of course, not “gangs” as implied by Murphy. West also explained the enormous increases to income, dividend and capital gains taxes that are already-enacted by the Obama administration to begin next year. Dividend taxes will explode from 15 percent to 39.6 percent, capital gains from 15 to 20 percent.

NOTE: In addition to the above increases stated by Congressman West, with payroll tax rate cuts likely to expire and personal income, payroll taxes and other “Affordable Care” taxes, real increases in tax burden will range from 25 to 40 percent INCREASE for under $250K and over $250K joint income categories. These are capital-consuming social program-absorbed dollars and leave nothing to pay off the current and escalating national debt / unfunded liabilities. If $1 Billion were paid EACH DAY toward the US Unfunded Liabilities, it will require over 329 years to repay – only that which is currently due at present. For a dizzying “financial statement” and summary of this very real and virus-like problem, go to usdebtclock.org.

Additional Pictures
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