Monday, April 19, 2010

Democracy Works! CITY MANAGER WILLIAM B. HARRISS RETIRES UNDER PRESSURE



Photo credit: J.D. Pleasant (and a cast of thousands)

Americans hate tyrants.
Americans hate bullies,
Americans defeat tyrants and bullies all the time.
Americans stood up to King George III and the British throne. Americans had a revolution heard ‘round the world.
Americans defeated slavery.
Americans defeated segregation.
Americans defeated fascism.
Americans defeated Communism.
Americans ended the Cold War.
Americans defeated Saddam Hussein.
Americans are defeating terrorism and extremism.
And Americans defeated St. Augustine City Manager WILLIAM B. HARRISS.
It took five years.
It took a village.
It took every person in our City who cares to work together to defeat the tyrant HARRISS.
We defeated him in federal court on the Bridge of Lions Rainbow flags case.
We defeated HARRISS in federal court in multiple First Amendment cases.
We caught HARRISS dumping 40,000 cubic yards of contamined solid waste in our Old City Reservoir.
We taught HARRISS some manners.
We stopped HARRISS from bringing 40,000 cubic yards of contaminated solid waste back to Lincolnville.
We forced the City and State to put the 40,000 cubic yards of contaminated solid waste in a Class I landfill.
We defeated HARRISS and got the City of St. Augustine fined for environmental pollution. (HARRISS should pay such fines personally).
We exposed HARRISS’ dumping semi-treated sewage effluent in our saltwater marsh. The state fined the City.
We exposed HARRISS’ irresponsible refusal to act on sewage pollution, resulting in a massive 611,000 gallon sewage pollution of our Old City Reservoir.
We filed Environmental Justice complaints with EPA.
We defeated WILLIAM B. HARRISS, just as Americans defeated King George III, slavery, segregation, fascism and Communism.
Every good and decent person in St. Augustine, Florida is happy to see HARRISS go.
Tonight, let's sing "We shall overcome."
Let us work to reunite our City behind democratic principles, resolving never again to let a tyrant take over as City Manager.

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