We’ve published the email in which Commissioner Gene Valentino cursed his fellow commissioners Grover Robinson and Kevin White and said he wanted to garner support to run a candidate against them (Read email).
Commissioner Valentino told PNJ columnist Mark O’Brien: “”I regret those comments” and told Moby that he planned to personally apologize to White and Robinson.
Well, Valentino went further that just sending an ill-advised email in the heat of the moment. He actively recruited Karen Sindel, executive director of the Florida Association of Local Housing Finance Authorities, to run against Commissioner Robinson. Sindel talked with community leaders and decided to not run against Grover in 2010.
Ironically, Sindel is now being mentioned as a possible candidate against Valentino.
Popularity: 18% [?]
[...] through with his threats and had actually approached Karen Sindel to run against Grover (Read more). Ms. Sindel confirmed that Valentino did indeed try to talk her into running against [...]
The engineering rfp was a joke.
Talk about obvious. When if ever has the commish rerun an rfp because one firm couldn’t get their application in while 11 others did.
Couple of interesting articles on Valentino’s PR powerhouse. Birds of a Feather…
http://www.nashvillescene.com/1999-07-08/stories/publishing-weakly/
http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2001/01/08/tidbits.html
How is this any different from Sam Hall recruiting people to run against the council members he didn’t like? I didn’t see you highlighting Hall for doing this so why are you highlighting Valentino? Frankly, I think the actions by both of them are deplorable. However, it seems that you are ok with Hall doing what you condemn from Valentino.
“I got ****ed again by Commissioner Grover Robinson and Kevin White…”
Oh dear God, get that image out of my head!!!!!!
[...] Rick’s Blog: “Valentino recruited Sindel to run against Grover” [...]
Raad is a great conduit.
Gene doesnt make it easy on people who disagree with him and thats a big part of the problem.
Robert,
I think Gene is talking about Raad Cawthon, who Cy Keefer approached to help with the roll-out of the casino, but Keefer never followed through with Cawthon or paid him for the work. Gene has a tendency to overstate relationships and assumes most people agree with him after he talks to them. I have followed up on several of the commissioner’s claims and found oftentimes the parties that he was talking with have a much different version of the conversation. However, few people disagree with a commissioner to his/her face.
Does Valentino listen to anyone? Other than Birdwell, Nodine and rich developers like Julian McQueen and the bingo guy.
I went to the town hall meeting held for those of us who live off Barrancas a couple of months ago. Sheriff Morgan spoke direct and to the point. Valentino was all over the place. He never answered any of the questions. Finally people started walking out.
What a blowhard!
This post isn’t any surprise. Another Valentino lie. My, My.
Unless the commissioners vote tonight on this tonight, Valentino will drag this out forever. Have you noticed that every time that he is asked questions in the meetings, he attacks the questioner. He jumped all over Diane Mack.
His other trick is to eat up all the allotted time so no one else can speak. Tuesday was suppose to be a workshop. Instead Valentino made it a one-man show. HE gave the commissioners no new information or offered any recommendations for a compromise. He will do the same thing at the PEDC meeting, which he chairs.
Valentino is a bully, delusional ego maniac. He makes Whitehead look good.
Hasn’t Escambia County had its fill of these type of “behind the scenes wheeling and dealing”? Guess GV takes us all as “backwood hicks.” Best he go back up north from whence he came.
Ironic indeed. So any idea who that important contact is that was mentioned in the email?
Time for Valentino and his cronies to go! He sent this email to Phil Kittel who was introduced to me as the “head of his economic development team”. This tells me that Valentino planned to build Indian Casino’s all over town and that is what his real economic plan was. When it came crashing down around him (since electronic bingo is illegal), he recruited Jane Birdwell to come up with a new plan and fast!
This email is very telling as Valentino is directing the developer to pad the budget for certain charities that will win him influence for his casino projects by feeding the hungry and the poor.
We don’t need this political maneuvering in Escambia County! Out with the corrupt!