PBCTP and SF912 Jointly Host State Senate Forum
Full Video
by Boris Balaban
On July 10, the Palm Beach County Tea Party and South Florida 912 jointly sponsored a candidate forum for the State Senate Republican primary candidates in district 25 and 34. (click for district description.) Moderated by local radio personality Joyce Kaufman, the three candidates were asked ten questions of state-wide interest. Unlike our similar forum for the County Commission, the candidates were not given the questions to ponder in advance. The result was answers with less depth, but it did differentiate the candidates on their familiarity and grasp of the issues. Below you will find a summary of the event, with the questions, their answers, and a link to a video of that section of the forum.
 Melanie Peterson District 25 |
 Geoff Sommers District 25 |
 Mike Lameyer District 34 |
| Click on the candidate’s picture for a short Bio | ||
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With three candidates participating, it was easy to lose sight of the fact that Melanie Peterson and Geoff Sommers are direct competitors and Mike Lameyer is in a different race against incumbent Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff who was unable to attend the event because of scheduling conflicts. So let’s first stipulate that Mike did a solid job. His answers were on point and he demonstrated a good grasp of the issues. Senator Bogdanoff is an excellent debater and a policy insider, but one could imagine Mike holding his own in a one-on-one if she had been able to attend. He had many facts and figures at his fingertips, and showed his passion for hot-button issues like e-Verify. The experience he gained in his 2010 run for S27 was evident in his confidence and command of the facts. Some notable answers were in prison privatization (“send them back to road patrol”) and FRS reform (“state workers should pay their own way”).
In the S25 contest, it will be an uphill battle for either of the contenders to best Joe Abruzzo in this D+12 district. Joe is an experienced legislator, with support on both sides of the aisle. It will take polish and depth to compete effectively.
On that basis, this was Melanie Peterson’s night to shine. She answered the questions directly with no attempt at deflection, and drew from her experience to add depth and real context to the answers. On the gambling question, she related her time managing Indian gaming as part of a family business to the more subtle aspects of the issue like crime and security. On the Energy bill question, she jumped from crony capitalism to a discussion of incentives for all businesses, not just those favored by certain legislators. And then she hit a home run by deflecting what was a zinger by Geoff Sommers on her support for a wind farm in the Glades (“where there is no wind”), by pointing out that it was a private sector project, with private funding and she would always be in favor of businesses coming to the Glades to spend money, even if the project was a risk to the private investors.
Geoff Sommers did a credible job. On most of the issues he had similar positions to the other two – supporting the Governor on fighting Obamacare, against crony capitalism, and supporting school choice. One interesting answer was that gambling should be expanded within the framework of existing licenses. Geoff, who has less campaigning experience than the other two, came across earnest and sincere, and he held his own. He gave conservative answers to the questions, which pleased the audience, and would likely represent us well if elected.
The event at Boca Greens Country Club was well attended, and quite a few other candidates joined us, including: Cesar Henao (Congressional district 21 Independent), Joe Talley (County Sheriff), Fran Hancock and Cindy Tindell (State Committeewoman), and James O’Hara (State House district 81).
| Question 1: Governor Scott has reacted to the loopholes introduced by the Supreme Court decision to announce that the state will not participate in the Medicaid expansion estimated to cost the state close to $2B a year, or implement the exchanges. He will need the Legislature behind him to win this fight – how will you approach this issue if you are elected, and how should the Governor counter the drumbeat to accept the “free” federal funding associated with Obamacare? | |
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Melanie Peterson: I stand with the Governor, willing to go door to door to convince other legislators why it is the best for Florida, it is an egregious attack on our civil liberties Geoff Sommers: Of course I stand with the Governor, medicaid expansion would go from $3M in 2012 to $5M in 2016, support free market in insurance. Mike Lameyer: Agree with the Governor – taxpayer would be on the hook for over $1B just in the first year, need to educate the public on just how expensive this legislation is. |
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| Question 2: In the 2011 session, the Governor proposed raising the amount that participants in the state pension system pay to 5% from 0, ending cost of living adjustments of 3% / year, raising the retirement age, and reducing the rate that benefits accumulate. Under great pressure from the unions, the legislature passed a watered-down bill which only requires 3% contributions and minimizes other changes. The system is still not 100% funded, and is a long term problem for the state, and union lawsuits may rollback even these modest changes. What would you propose to put the Florida Retirement System on a sustainable path? | |
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Melanie Peterson: $300M was added this year to the pension fund, $120M for actuarial funding, disappointed that 3% contribution was rejected by the Supreme Court, would like to resurface that in some way, appreciates public service of employees but they should not get better benefits than private sector. (Editors Note – Actually, only a circuit court invalidated the 3% contribution, the Supreme court will take it up in September) Geoff Sommers: Supports private accounts, state workers should not be paid more than private sector, retirements should not be paid by taxpayers, private accounts only way consistent with free markets. Mike Lameyer: State workers should pay for their own pensions like in the private sector, we were misled, state pension system is broke, taxpayers should not have the responsiblity to pay for 100% of someone elses retirement. |
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| Question 3: The Governor and Senate Leaders proposed a major privatization of the Florida prison system this year, expecting long term savings, but the bill was defeated in the Senate 21-17 as several Republicans voted against it. The concept is likely to return in the next session – how will you approach the issue? | |
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Melanie Peterson: Crime is now at an all time low, no excuse not to defund our prisons and privatize what we can – behind this issue 100% Geoff Sommers: State should privatize anything the private sector can do better than government. Mike Lameyer: Support the Governor, those working in the prisons can go back to road patrol where many came from, also should privatize anything that can be done cheaper and more efficiently by private industry. |
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| Question 4: HB7117 became law earlier this year, giving state tax credits to green energy companies. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam pushed the bill, saying it was a step toward “smart, long-term energy policy”, but the Heartland Institute and Americans for Prosperity called it a “crony energy bill”, which has the government picking winners and losers. The entire Palm Beach delegation except for Joe Negron voted for this bill. What would you have done? | |
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Melanie Peterson: We should be promoting energy independence here in Florida, but shouldn’t single out single industry for tax incentives – have them for all industries Geoff Sommers: My opponent supported a wind turbine project in the Glades (where there is no wind) -that’s crony capitalism.Melanie responds: Proud of that resolution – its private land, private enterprise, company investing $350M in the western county where we have 40% poverty levels, don’t care if they lose their money because there is no wind, they are making the investment. Mike Lameyer: Studies say if we fully exploited our natural resources in Florida it wold create 250K high paying jobs in the first 24 months, should not pick winners and losers like Obama did with Solyndra. |
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| Question 5: SB1550, the “vouchers for all” plan for education savings accounts sponsored by Senator Joe Negron, would provide a pot of public school money that parents could use to pay for private schools, homeschooling, or pre-paid college plans. It died in committee this year but may return in a future session. Would you support this or a similar bill? | |
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Melanie Peterson: Education system is broken, keep trying the same ideas, supports vouchers, charter schools are successful because they are privately administered – should we privatize our department of education? Try localizing our school systems because like politics, education is local. Geoff Sommers: Parents should have the choice of how to educate their children, supports charter schools, we should not change the bar when schools are failing but fix the schools. Mike Lameyer: Only way to correct education in the state is with a voucher program – let every parent send a child to the school of their choice, better than passing or failing teachers and students based on once a year test. |
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| Question 6: In the last session, a bill to expand casino gambling in the state was defeated in committee. Some would say it would have been the “largest gambling expansion in Florida history” and bring in the wrong kind of tourism. Others saw it as a way to expand convention business in South Florida and elsewhere, competing with Orlando, whose legislators strongly opposed the move. How did you view the proposal and how would you approach it if it comes back in a future session? | |
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Melanie Peterson: Managed casino operation for family business, providing equipment to Indian casinos, they do it well and pay taxes on their operations even though they don’t have to, they handle crime better on reservation land because they have different laws, would support if constituents want it. Geoff Sommers: Opposed to gambling personally, but don’t like the way current law favors one group over another – not good for business, could expand gambling in a moderate way through existing licenses. Mike Lameyer: Against gambling personally, but should be local issue. Nationwide, gambling is also associated with higher levels of all types of crime, every job a casino creates, loses 1.8 in the surounding community, make sure constituents educated on all aspects before voting on gambling. |
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| Question 7: Do you support e-Verify? Yes or No. | |
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Melanie Peterson: Against illegal immigration, but we can’t put Florida at a disadvantage compared to other states, rather have guest worker program after closing our borders, push federal government to do its job, stop providing state benefits to illegals Geoff Sommers: If e-Verify is the option given to us by the federal government, then we must use it. Mike Lameyer: Federal immigration code allows local law enforcement to ask for status, e-Verify works, without it will spend $5M to support illegals each year, need proof of citizenship for food stamps, housing or medicare. |
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| Question 8: American’s for Prosperity, in their “Five for Florida” program, proposes eliminating the corporate income tax and all targeted tax credits and exemptions to get government out of the business of picking winners and losers in the marketplace. Is this a workable approach? Would you make any exceptions to the plan? | |
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Melanie Peterson: Agree, and need to hold down spending, support amendment 4 (Smart cap), need to eliminate waste Geoff Sommers: It is a workable approach, have signed the pledge, corporate tax is about $2B out of $70B budget – can make up by attracting new businesses, Mike Lameyer: Auto companies have come to US states with favorable tax climates and Florida wasn’t in the discussion, would change that |
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| Question 9: The Governor vetoed $143M in this year’s $70M budget of projects that he said did not benefit the state as a whole or weren’t worth the money. They included a Bay of Pigs museum in Miami, the Florida Aquarium in Tampa and other projects favored by local legislators. Was this appropriate? Shouldn’t a legislator be able to spend state money on favored projects in their district? | |
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Melanie Peterson: Some of these projects are ridiculous, shouldn’t be asking the legislature for that kind of money when people are suffering, Geoff Sommers: Cut fraud waste and abuse, not the time for “bringing home the bacon”, lower taxes and send back to the people Mike Lameyer: Government shouldn’t be taking your or my tax dollars and giving it to others for any reason, no more government financing of private industry – they can stand on their own. |
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| Question 10: Citizens Insurance, once the insurer of last resort for those in coastal communities, has greatly expanded inland and is now the largest home insurer in the state, crowding out private insurance. Since Citizen’s liabilities fall back on the taxpayer in a catastrophic claim event like a major hurricane, the Governor would like to reduce its size and exposure. What is the proper role for Citizen’s in the state and what should be its future? | |
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Melanie Peterson: Last year Citizens paid $2.4B in litigation alone, main problem is our risk mitigation model, rate modeling is ridiculous – most of claims are in the north part of state but highest premiums are in south, companies are undercapitalized, need tort reform to reduce litigation. Geoff Sommers: Support the de-population of Citizens, bring back private insurance by encouraging them to write policies, get the state off the hook for a catastrophic event. Mike Lameyer: Citizens was bad idea when began, now and in the future, companies should be made to provide full range of insurance to operate, Citizens is example of what happens when government takes over industry |
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Some pictures from the event.
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July 4th Mall “Meet-ups”, in Boca, Wellington, and Palm Beach Gardens!
This past Memorial Day, Monday, May 28th, nearly 30 patriots from the Boca Chapter met up at Town Center Mall in Boca Raton. Dressed in full Patriotic regalia, our group met to honor those who served this great country in our armed services. We met quite early, before there were a lot of people there at the mall, but we definitely left an impression on those who were there.
The purpose of meeting up was to take a stand for our country in a very public way, to simply express our love for our country. Clearly, we had gathered intentionally—dressed patriotically, holding flags, and enjoying fellowship with one another. We gathered in a very open and conspicuous area, which was in the foyer area from the main entrance to the mall on the north side. Loosely organized, there was no official “format” or “program” that we followed. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance, sang the National Anthem, and Al Raden read a list of names- the names of every soldier from Florida who was killed in action since the previous Memorial Day. Ron Gaynor read an excellent short speech from Abraham Lincoln. We closed by singing God Bless America.
As we disbanded, a number of people inquired about our group, and we were equipped with Palm Beach County Tea Party business cards, as well as flyers for our upcoming meeting with Slade O’Brien that we just had in June. In all, we were at the mall for just about an hour.
We greatly encourage everyone who can, to JOIN US to do the very same thing on July 4th! Our respective chapter groups will gather at 10:30 am at Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, The Mall at Wellington Green in Wellington, and Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens. Pick the one closest to you, and let your voice be heard! Let us demonstrate solidarity for the future of this country—that there are people who still care—and that the Tea Party is alive and well, and present and accounted for in our communities!!!
Boca Chapter and SF912 Host Florida Senate Candidate Forum with Joyce Kaufman!
The Palm Beach County Tea Party Boca Raton Chapter and the South Florida 912 are joining forces on July 10th for another spectacular evening of like-minded fellowship through the three core principles of the Tea Party. Joyce Kaufman will moderate this FL Senate Candidate Forum with candidates Melanie Peterson, Mike Lameyer, and Geoff Sommers at Boca Greens Country Club (19642 Trophy Drive ). Ellyn Bogdanoff, who will be facing Lameyer for FL Senate District 34 in the GOP Primary on August 14th, was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. Peterson and Sommers will square off for an August 14th GOP primary for District 25.
This forum is being held in lieu of our normal monthly Dinner/Speaker Event (and we pushed it back one week, to July TENTH, instead of the THIRD, to avoid conflicting with holiday plans for July 4th).
We are fortunate to have local veteran conservative talk show host Joyce Kaufman join us as the moderator, and Lou Galterio will sing the National Anthem. She will be asking the candidates a number of questions put together by our respective leadership teams, and the questions will involve local policy issues, and how the candidates’ positions on those issues might be viewed from the perspective of our three core principles.
As usual, doors will open at 5:30pm and the Cash Bar will be open. Dinner ($15 includes tea, coffee, dinner, dessert, tax and gratuity) will be from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. We will make announcements for the Palm Beach County Tea Party and South Florida 912, and the Candidate forum will commence around 7:15. People are welcome to attend the Forum, at no charge and simply skip the dinner portion. Either way, we still need a head count, and will ask you to click on the RSVP button below.
This event promises to be an exciting evening of getting to know our local candidates, and to get involved in the political process right here, where we live!
Please RSVP now on the button here, and see you on Tuesday!
A Call To Action – Phone banking with Americans For Prosperity
Hello Fellow Patriots,
The Palm Beach County Tea Party is joining forces with Americans for Prosperity in the effort to motivate voters to vote conservatively in the August primaries and in the November elections.
To this end, we will start a phone banking program next Wednesday, June 27th. Once you have trained on the simple phone calling process you can make the phone calls from home or join us every Wednesday evening for a group phone banking session. We will continue to do this throughout the election season.
The Jupiter/PBG chapter will be conducting the Wednesday telephone banking sessions from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM. You can join us at any time during this time period. Phones and refreshments will be provided!
Location: 3970 RCA Blvd Suite # 7003, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Click here for directions. Note that the office is on the north side of the building directly across from the Hampton Inn. The office is in the same building as the WPBF25 TV studio (go down the hallway just west of the studio entrance).
We are asking all conservatives who would like to help us in this essential effort, to volunteer to assist during these sessions. Please notify us by telephone at (561) 444-8086 or by E mail info@palmbeachcountyteaparty if you will be willing to help us. Terri Gallaher or Joe Burge will be leading this telephoning work and they will provide any necessary telephone system explanations and directions to the office.
Remember, this is the same type of Tea Party effort that was an essential factor in Wisconsin Governor Walker’s great recall victory!
Similar phone banking programs are being developed in our Wellington and Boca Raton Chapters.
County Commission Forum – District 1 Primary Candidates
The Palm Beach County Tea Party, a TAB coalition partner, was a co-sponsor of this event.
Slade O’Brien Educates and Inspires Boca Chapter Crowd
The Palm Beach County Tea Party’s Boca Chapter had their monthly Dinner/Speaker Event on the first Tuesday of the month—as usual—at Boca Greens Country Club on June 5th. This would turn out to be a very special and exhilarating evening- not just because of our meeting, but because just after it, the news reported that Scott Walker had won his battle against those who would attempt a recall. Turnout was about as expected, as we will attract a total of about 80 people at every event, no matter what. Many of our patriotic supporters are “snowbirds”, and are gone for the season, and there were several regulars who were not in attendance on this night. Nevertheless, it was a respectable showing for our speaker Slade O’Brien—the Florida Director of Americans For Prosperity. With November on the almost immediate horizon, Slade’s expertise on the political machinations within our state is truly invaluable.
The main dining room at Boca Greens Country Club was closed for maintenance, but Roger and his gang did a great job setting us up in the private meeting room, with a panoramic view of the beautiful golf course. The food was as good as ever—and all went quite smoothly, despite the minor change in venue. We really appreciate the local restaurants’ involvement in that they provide us with gift certificates to auction off for our silent auction. There were SO MANY great restaurants to choose from! We also had a crystal bowl, as well as two Palm Beach County Tea Party polo shirts up on the block, all for the taking.
In a break from our normal protocol, we elected to ask Tyce Fitzmorris to present his specially created DVD on the peril that our country is really in—from both an ideological standpoint, as well as a DEBT standpoint. He set up his projector in front of the podium, and began at 6:30. You could hear the sound of forks hitting plates slow down, as Tyce delved deeper and deeper into these solemn issues. He was clearly a “hit”, and many people wanted both the DVD he created, as well as asking him to deliver the same presentation to other gatherings. Please contact us if you would like Tyce to do this for your group.
Boca Chapter Coordinator Alex Berry began the proceedings at 7:00pm with the Pledge of Allegiance. We were fortunate enough to have Lou Galterio, “The Golden Voice”, sing the National Anthem for us, which was met with thunderous applause! After the usual protocol of explaining what the PBCTP is, and what it stands for, Alex presented his usual recent email fare- this time with a takeoff of the “You Know You Might Be A Redneck If…” series by Jeff Foxworthy. This was titled, “You Know You Live In ‘Upside Down Land’ If…”. It pointed out, in a humorous way, how the poison of liberalism has literally turned our world upside down. Local event announcements were made, as well as a “teaser” for our new Plaque Program, more of which will be revealed next month. We had at least 6 different candidates, officeholders, or candidate representatives announce themselves during the announcements, and they were certainly welcomed in kind.
Alex then introduced Slade O’Brien, who emphasized the importance of GETTING INVOLVED—and mobilizing our efforts to create a maximum effect. His speech was quite illuminating, as Slade and his team truly have their fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in Tallahassee, as well as in Washington, DC. It is hard to imagine having a better ally in our cause for Liberty than groups like AFP, and the people like Slade who passionately run their regional chapters. As a conservative grassroots organizer since the mid-90’s, Slade observed that, “Compromise got us $15 Trillion in debt. We don’t need to compromise. We need to win.” He had great information on judges in Florida, and how none have ever lost a reelection based on “merit retention”. His group will be educating Floridians on this process. He further criticized the Florida Legislature as not being proactive enough in helping Gov. Rick Scott in his program to create jobs, and gave several illustrations of how tax credits were being misused amongst a type of “crony” crowd, much like what’s happening in Washington on a much bigger scale. There were even examples of contracts with the state that were so vague, that the only clear stipulation was that an invoice would be rendered once a quarter! Understandably, Slade was for reducing the extreme amount of regulation that currently exists to bolster new business development in Florida, while increasing transparency with existing contracts with the state.
The crowd had several great questions for Slade. There was a clear sense of frustration within our audience in terms of the existing levels of fraud and corruption already rampant in our system, and what we can do to thwart any further growth of this cancer within our governing bodies. How encouraging it was to see our group engaged in the dialogue, and taking part in the process! There really is no substitute for that kind of fellowship and camaraderie, and I am, as always, happy to see our chapter express their patriotism through having their voices heard in our group. Having said that, I encourage everyone to get involved in our Boca Chapter, and join us for future events to take part in having your voice heard with like-minded folk from all over Palm Beach County.
We look forward to more great meetings in 2012 for our Boca Chapter—please INVITE YOUR FRIENDS to our next event, which will be July 3rd, 2012, with speaker Kris-Anne Hall. PLEASE NOTE: THIS MEETING HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO IT’S DATE FALLING TOO CLOSE TO A MAJOR HOLIDAY (JULY 4TH), SO WE REPLACED IT WITH THE FLORIDA SENATE CANDIDATE FORUM, WHICH WILL OCCUR ON JULY 10TH. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO RSVP TO THAT EVENT!!!
Otherwise, we always have our Boca Chapter Dinner/Speaker event on the FIRST TUESDAY of every month, so mark your calendars! 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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The Need for Action highlighted in the Jupiter/PBG Chapter’s June Meeting
June Clarke did a fantastic job serving as our PBCTP leader for the evening. She ran a ‘tight ship’ keeping the meeting flowing and espousing the tenets of the Tea Party. Thanks to June for stepping in for absent Gary Summers and Pam Wohlschlegel.
Prior to the meeting, member Tyce Fitzmorris ran a copy of one of his two Miracle Nation presentations on the issues facing our country and the upcoming election. Tyce is selling copies of his dvd’s to recover costs and is also willing to present at any group. He can be contacted at 561 248 2295, or via his Facebook or Twitter accounts.
June kicked off the meeting and led us in the Pledge. Lindsey Tremble, a winner of Palm Beach’s Got Talent, and upcoming eleventh grader at Jupiter High, sang the National Anthem beautifully, and June led us in prayer. She also pointed out that the agenda on each table had place for people to commit to their own personal action plans to aid in the various efforts. It isn’t enough to just listen – it’s time to act. June then let elected officials, candidates for office and their surrogates introduce themselves.
Next, we heard a message from Pam and watched 3 videos from the Tea Party Patriots efforts to battle the recall election. Tyce added his impressions as he too had volunteered in Wisconsin along with members Mary Adams and Barbara Grossman.
Mel Grossman, Treasurer and co-founder, talked about fund-raising, donating and the need for volunteers to assist in the effort to sell acknowledment placques.
Ed Wolff gave a legislative update – describing the types of articles he posts and where they can be found on the website.
Fred Scheibl, co-founder, showed members where they could find the Voter’s Guide on the website. He pointed out the levels of information that can be found in both the guide and the website. He also announced three opportunities for action – attending the first PBC Budget hearing on Tuesday June 12th, the County Commission District 1 Forum. He and Iris Scheibl, co-founder, also mentioned an issue/call for action on Ordinance 20, 2012 which would put on the November ballot a referendum replacing the Palm Beach Gardens City Charter. This item is on the agenda at the PBG City Council meeting on Thursday, June 7th.
Terry Gallagher, co-founder, mentioned an upcoming organizational meeting on Religious Freedom.
June then introduced our keynote speaker, Jim Kuretski – Jupiter Town Council member. Jim described his engineering background and his goals and reasons for being on the City Council. He then covered examples of the types of fiscal issues that come before the Town Council and the types of votes and questions that he asks and feels should be asked in approving various budget issues. He strongly urged participation on the local level – because one can really have an impact. During the Qs and As, hot topics arose – such as El Sol and Jupiter’s participation in the lawsuit against Palm Beach County for funding of the Inspector General. Mr. Kuretski answered with his rationale for his positions; the askers were not mollified – but all was civil.
Terry Gallagher concluded the meeting with a drawing for the tickets.
Some pictures from Anna:
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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.
Slade O’Brien, Florida Director for AFP, To Address Boca Chapter June 5th!
Slade O’Brien is an accomplished grassroots organizer and public affairs professional with more than 15 years of demonstrated success in public policy communications, project, campaign & issue management, media relations, community outreach, coalition building, fundraising, event staging & management, grassroots advocacy and third party recruitment.
A third generation Floridian; Slade double majored in college receiving both a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
After spending 7 years in advertising and marketing, Slade began his political career working for the Republican Party of Florida where he served as Special Assistant to the Chairman for Victory ‘94.
An early leader within the conservative grassroots movement, Mr. O’Brien was tapped to be the first ever Florida Director of Citizens for a Sound Economy in 1998. Long before there ever was a Tea Party Slade built the grassroots organization from scratch and turned it into a 45,000 member grassroots powerhouse, with clubs in 11 local markets which played a key role in passing such issues as tort reform, educational choice, and reducing the intangibles tax in Florida.
Mr. O’Brien also served as the Executive Director of Florida Stop Lawsuit Abuse, a grassroots organization dedicated to challenging those who abuse our legal system and educating the public about the costs and consequences of lawsuit abuse.
Most recently, Slade worked in the private sector as the President of the Florida Strategies Group where he specialized in public opinion strategies, campaign and coalition management, strategic consulting and grassroots organizing.
| DATE: | Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 |
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| TIME: | Doors open 5:30pm. Buffet at 6pm. Meeting starts at 7pm, $15 per person (tax and gratuity included) |
| PLACE: | Boca Greens Country Club, 19642 Trophy Drive, Boca Raton, FL 33498, Click HERE for Map |
Memorial Day Meet-ups at Three Malls
This is a difficult time politically for all of us. Many of us are discouraged. . . but we do have two very patriotic days coming up, Memorial Day and Independence Day. On Memorial Day, meet up with like-minded people between 9am and 10:30 for java and fellowship at the mall nearest you. We will be meeting in the food courts at these three malls:
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Wear red, white, and blue, your tea party shirt, and/or carry a small flag so that we can recognize each other. Who knows, we might even break into song (flash mob style) like we did last year. This is truly a fun experience. Don’t miss it if you are in town for the holiday!
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