Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson doesn’t lose his temper often, but Hawthorne’s letters pushed him over he edge:
George,
I am not surprised to get this from you the bastion of ethics. Do you understand Florida Statues or do you just make this up to fit your needs? Don’t answer it is rhetorical.
You are an applicant who did not get selected. Rule 1 of ethics is you can not be involved in decisions that will inure to your private benefit. It is called a conflict of interest. In plan language the fact that you want to get your hands on taxpayer money clouds your judgment.
Your prejudice has clearly influenced your logic based on your writing. Anyone is welcome to view the facts that surround this but no one has the ability to manufacture facts as you have.
First the minority tourism effort was initiated by one person me. Trust me, the dislike for me from the decision is the one thing that has bound the hoteliers and chamber together. Everyone hated this idea except for the 3 members who voted for it by a 3-2 vote. For the record, another fact, Denis was not there for the vote and Larry Johnson abstained.
Additionally, you really have to go back 2 TDC meetings to get to the genesis of the idea. It started when Cadillac Banks was first denied at the TDC meeting for BP money. After meeting I spent nearly an hour of my time with Reggie Dogan and Cadillac talking about minority tourism. It was expanded at the BP BCC meeting where you and Cadillac spoke and I talked again with him for more than an hour when I had a Fiesta function to attend. Again for me community is more important than my personal life.
At that meeting and my discussion with Cadillac, I was moved to make a motion at the next TDC to create the minority fund. I made the motion and in that motion I indicated I would meet with the minority presenters and seek consensus. Whether you like the motion or not or whether it could have been expressed better is irrelevant. It is the motion that passed, another fact.After that I did meet with the minority presenters involved including you. Ed came to one meeting at my insistence. Trust me, he did not want to be there. However, I thought it important for him to be there to talk to you about what was being done in minority marketing and more importantly to listen to the suggestions that were coming from minorities. Personally, I think that exchange was very beneficial for both sides (don’t forget Harlan was there as well, another fact you conveniently do not include). After that meeting neither Ed nor Harlan attended again as it was not something they wanted to be involved in. Finally Denis was never involved as by the original motion it was not directed to come to the TDC but go directly to the BCC.
As for the meetings themselves, I made my personal stance known that I would divide the money with some for concerts, sporting events and minority history, but I was clear I wanted the minority community to come up with their decision. At the second meeting, there were several members of the minority community, Jackie from the Voice and Mr. Hill and others and they thought the concert was what the local minority community wanted, their own DeLuna Fest. I hate it for you but you were shut out that day by your peers. Again all FACTS.
I took this decision to the BCC which was the motion. The BCC sent it back to open it up. The TDC openly took it as directed by the BCC. The BCC can legally do whatever it wants as it did, another fact.
Your story has NO facts, just unsupported speculation and innuendo concocted to make you feel good about being shut down by your peers and to hopefully find a way for you to get taxpayer money.
Nothing in your story is true including your assertion that I work for Denis. That comment displays your ignorance of the real estate industry. Denis is my broker. I work for my clients who hire me. I am an independent contractor that has to place my license with a broker. I do not get paid unless I create benefit for my clients not my broker. For a time, I was my own broker by now a place my license with Denis. First, Denis and Joe Endry pursued me long before I thought of running for office. Second they were a great residential brokerage with little experience and expertise in commercial, my primary business. If this was Clay Roesch who I share clients with or even Mike Mangrum who runs the commercial department I would say you have a point but Denis is irrelevant to me. He is a person behind a piece of paper I rarely interact with.
George your real problem is you are going after volunteers who sacrifice their own well being for the community without direct return except for a better community to live in. None of the people you slander gets any dime from this effort. However, you my friend are always looking for a way to get your hands on taxpayer money. You are just upset the leaders of this community recognize you as a parasite, someone who looks to take without contribution.
Your other problem is you made a bad choice in who you wanted to blackmail. My grandfather, past president of the Chamber, had himself and his family threatened because he defended African-Americans in the 1950’s. We did not scare then and we won’t now. I have facts and you have nothing but your petty jealousy and envy and those are not productive traits.
I see Kevin and the PNJ are on this list. I am glad they will get this as I told them innocent people constantly have the reputations attacked falsely if their focus was innuendo. As for Rick and the Independent, I told you their argument has no merit when they will not address it, but rather personally attack others who disagree.
Am I the only one who sees this a such an affront to free thought? That is really all that has been discussed. Is that what we are supposed to do in a free society? How could our Founding Fathers have created this great nation if thought and differences in it were attacked so easily?
In the end all of this would have had its day in public debate. It still will in a different way. I am all for transparency and there are still facts that need to come forward for the public. While the Press has not wanted to discuss the Chamber’s management fee, the public will be interested in the $200,000 that goes to the Chamber’s coffers. I did not know about that until this topic surfaced. Everything needs to be public.
It’s Sunday and confession always does the soul good. Maybe it is time the Chamber stepped in the box. Maybe George it is time you joined them. Trust me, ALL my stuff is public.
Grover