GEORGE GARDNER'S E-mAIL ANNOUNCES HE WON'T SEEK RE-ELECTION, MAYOR-ELECT CHASES VANDALS

Editorial: News flash!
From Staff
Publication Date: 12/02/06

News flash!

You heard it here first! George Gardner, who won a two-year term last month on the St. Augustine Commission, will not run again in two years.

Here's what he said in a confidential e-mail to 29 of his closest advisors, three of whom forwarded it to us, explaining why he decided not to run for mayor and instead went for the two-year commission seat:

"Bowing out, satisfied with what progress we've made this past four years, was a sensible decision. Turning it over to Joe (Boles, the mayor-elect), who's been active in our community, who's easy going, who's promised to bring everyone to the table, was sensible. Staying on the commission two more years, just to make sure, was sensible."

He then went on to urge people who want to run that they should start getting active now. He pointed that his seat and those now held by Susan Burk and Errol Jones will be up for election in 2008.

We like George even though we don't always agree with him, and wish him the best in his last two years on the City Commission.

Congrats to our Pee Wee champs Two First Coast teams will be representing the state of Florida in National Championships.

One is the Ponte Vedra Pee Wees, who won the SE Region Championship in Orlando on Thanksgiving weekend.

The other is the Junior Pee Wee Flagler PAL, which won the SE Region Championship in its division.

They have both advanced to the national Pop Warner Superbowl at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

That's great! Congratulations to both teams. We're proud of you.

Hizzoner is off and running!

We were sitting around the newsroom recently not doing much of anything when over the police scanner came a breaking news report that led us to the conclusion that Mayor-elect Joe Boles is off to a running start.

The cop on the squawk box said the mayor was running after some kids who had been throwing glass onto the street.

At first, we thought it was Mayor Gardner doing the running, one of his last acts as mayor.

We checked it out to discover it was Boles who was running after some vandals.

Needless to say the vandals, who were kids, ran faster than the soon-to-be hizzoner.

We guess the message here is that Boles' legs are not as fast as his tongue.

Doing good for the city

A seedy-looking man was sitting in the first row at a town meeting, heckling the mayor as he delivered a lengthy speech.

Finally the mayor pointed to the heckler and said, "Will that gentleman who differs with me please stand up and tell the audience what he has ever done for the good of the city?"

"Well, Mr. Mayor," the man said in a firm voice. "I voted against you in the last election."


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