Good evening:
Thank you for your patience! Excellent questions.
Questionnaire to Candidates for St. Johns County
County Commission 2024
Please provide answers to the following questions below, or on a separate sheet:
1. On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being the least important and 10 being the most important), where do
environmental issues rate when compared to other critical issues facing St. Johns County and
Northeast Florida? Please include a brief explanation of your rating.
Most important: 10. Our frail planet, our city, county, state and nation are all threatened by pollution and climate change. Overdevelopment is destroying our quality of life.
2. What are the most significant environmental issues and challenges in St. Johns County?
* Developers demanding to be free of fair impact fees.
* Secretive PACs and campaign contributions, corruption and conflict of interest. Corruption, as Al Gore wrote in 1992, in Earth in the Balance, often leads to environmental devastation.
| | County Commission has STILL not responded to 25 suggestions on governmen...Our County Commissioners lack a welcoming spirit. Developers rule. Citizen concerns are ignored. That's why Kri... |
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+ Support meritocracy amidst one-party rule by mediocrities in St. Johns County Commission
| | Don't Be Discouraged by Yul Nivver, Spouting "You'll Never" -- American ...Updated January 27, 2024: Developer puppets, unjust stewards and corporate cat's paws voted 3-2 against stopp... |
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3. What actions have you taken in the past to demonstrate your concern or interest regarding our environment?
- Helping end pelagic whaling of endangered sperm whales by promoting development of jojoba oil seed crops, an exact duplicate for the oil of the sperm whale. The market system worked. (Working as intern and staffer for Senator Ted Kennedy, 1974-76).
- Helping defeat coal slurry pipeline eminent domain legislation in U.S House of Representatives, helping preserve and protect precious scarce water from Madison Formation aquifer. (11,500 word Crossroads Magazine (formerly Coal Patrol) investigative article, inserted into Congressional Record by U.S. Rep. Joe Skubitz, Republican of Kansas, except for parts on campaign finance). July 19, 1978: House Defeated Coal Slurry Pipeline Eminent Domain Legislation
| | July 19, 1978: House Defeated Coal Slurry Pipeline Eminent Domain Legisl...It was 44 years ago: activists defeated coal slurry pipeline eminent domain legislation in the U.S. House of Rep... |
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- Exposing U.S. Tennessee Valley Authority purchasing and policies that encouraged steep slope strip-mining, corruption, coal quality fraud, antitrust violations and and conflicts of interest. With support from Fund for Investigative Journalism, helped secure GAO investigation verifying concerns of Appalachian activists, led by Save Our Cumberland Mountains. TVA's Coal Procurement Practices--More Effective Management Needed
| | TVA's Coal Procurement Practices--More Effective Management NeededBecause the coal purchases of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) have a major impact on its costs and power ra... |
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- Winning declassification of world's largest mercury pollution event (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) and testifying about it in Congressional investigation. July 11, 1983: Al Gore's Mercury Pollution Hearing in Oak Ridge, Tennessee -- Largest Mercury Pollution Event in World History (4.2 Million Pounds).
| | July 11, 1983: Al Gore's Mercury Pollution Hearing in Oak Ridge, Tenness...40 years ago today. Members of Congress wanted answers, or at least then-Rep. Al Gore and some others acted like... |
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- Security clearance reforms protecting environmental, nuclear anjd other whistleblowers, and LGBTQ, people working for federal agencies and government contractors. Helped win American Bar Association House of Delegates vote in February 1990, endorsing security clearance reforms that were implemented under President Clinton, halting a proposed Bush Executive Order that would have erased rights to fair hearings and due process.
- Environmental whistleblower law victories and precedents at U.S.Department of Labor, including landmark whistleblower case protecting federal environmental crimes investigators against retaliation for recusals or refusing to coverup wrongdoing. FBI, HUD, EPA Senior Special Agent Robert E. Tyndall (Ret.), R.I.P.
| | FBI, HUD, EPA Senior Special Agent Robert E. Tyndall (Ret.), R.I.P.1. I am heartbroken. My heart goes out to the entire Tyndall family and to all of Bob's many friends and former ... |
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- Exposed intimidation of nuclear weapons plant whistleblowers. February 5, 1992
| | February 5, 1992Time flies. It was 32 years ago: On February 5, 1992, I was up early in the Northeast Washington, D.C. arctic co... |
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- Questioned aerial pesticide spraying program and winning reversal of illegal, no-bid SJC Mosquito Control Board purchase of $1.8 million luxury Bell Jet helicopter unadorned by nozzles, tanks, pilots, hangar or any plans for aerial spraying, winning 100% refund of deposit.
- Defeat of multiple unwise development projects in St. Augustine and St. Johns County,
- Adoption of employee whistleblower policy and sexual orientation nondiscrimination policies for Anastasia Mosquito Control District of St. Johns County.
- Successfully reported City of St. Augustine illegally dumping a landfill in a lake to National Response Center, resulting in fines and consent decree, after City Manager William B. Harriss had said he would not agree to put the contaminated solid waste in a Class I landfill without a court order. 2008 Folio Weekly cover story by Anne Schindler called me an "environmental hero."
- Reported City of St. Augustine illegal sewage pollution to National Response Center, resulting in fines and consent decree.
- Helped elect Nancy Shaver as in St. Augustine Mayor and Krista Keating-Joseph as County Commissioner, defeating pro-developer incumbents.
- Helping secure preservation of historic iconic Fish Island as city park with state funds, rejecting proposed ruinous development by D.R. Horton, with fifty (50) witnesses, including former St. Augustine Beach Mayor Sherman Gary Snodgrass.
4. What organizations do you belong to?
1000 Friends of Florida
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Democratic Party
St. Augustine Historical Society
Fort Mose Historic Society
Florida Historical Society
Sierra Club
Investigative Reporters and Editors
American Assn. For Advancement of Science
Florida Adventures in Railroading
WJCT
5. What is your position and suggested solution on these key issues affecting our county?
- Climate change and sea level rise
+ Support federal, state and local legislation to preserve and protect us from carbon and methane pollution, protect our coasts and wetlands, promote biodiversity, restore balance,
+ Support County's acceptance of federal grants on climate change.
+ Oppose Florida Governors' attacks on environmental protection, with frequent blog posts.
www,cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com
+ Support a St. Augustine National Historical Park and National Seashore. Spoke to every St. Johns County Legislative Delegation meeting since 2006 on National Park and Seashore.
- Growth management and development
+ Strongly support reform of our Land Development Code as we know it.
+ We must have fair hearings, with full disclosures, lobbyist registration, expert testimony, cross-examination of all witnesses and background investigations of developers.
+ Are our current local and state procedures are a honky-tonk medley of "regulatory capture," farce and kabuki dance?
+ James Madison wrote, "A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives. "
+ Affordable housing: we must reject "snob zoning," and allow duplexes and other auziliary dwellling units, preserving land and advancing affordable housing.
+ We must adopt a Public Housing Agency.
+ We must comply with Fair Housing Act.
+ Let's start by re-writing our LDC and quasi-judicial hearing procedures.
+ For transparency, Commissioners must never meet with zoning applicants ex parte.
+ St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Shaver refused such meetings during her 1550 days as Mayor (making an exception when an applicant was allegedly being treated unfairly).
+ What kind of administrative judicial system lets zoning applicants meet secretly with elected officials?
+ Reject this corrupt system and will not be embroiled by it.
+ We must require fuller corporate disclosure and better data.
+ Require background investigations on zoning applicants -- know your customer!
+ Are any zoning applicants involved in money-laundering,
+ Environmental violations by zoning applicants must be researched by County staff and discussed publly in hearings.
+ We need full information on ex parte contacts with Commissioners, disclosed before hearings.
+ All ex parte meetings with Commissioners and staff must be videotaped and made a public record.
+ As Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, "Secrey is for losers, for people who don't understand the value of the information.
- Trees and the proposed 14 point tree ordinance
+ Support proposed tree protection ordinance and spoke in favor of it, as did dozens of residents.
+ I objected to four Commissioners' harsh response to First Amendment protected activity, evident retaliation against reform Commissioner Krista Joseph..
- Management of traffic and infrastructure
+ Support transit, impact fees and reform of zoning and planning as we know it.
- Septic tanks
+ Explore ban on new septic tanks in new construction
+ Monitor septic tank inspections and code enforcement.
6. What is your motivation for running to be a County Commissioner?
+ My first American ancestor escaped the British government-caused Irish potato famine in 1849, immigrating to Philadelphia with Irish neighbors at age six, the rest of her family died in famine. My father taught me, as JFK's father taught him, that "if you don't stand up to people in power, they walk all over you." JFK was killed 22 days after I proudly wore a JFK costume on Halloween, at age six. At age 17.5, I went to work for his brother, Sen. Ted Kennedy, the day before my first Georgetown class, inspired after hearing Ralph Nader speak on August 28, 1974 (Feast of St. Augustine).
Moved here November 5, 1999, after falling in love with St. Augustine when we visited in August 1992, right after first environmental whistleblower trial against Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Faster than a speeding dump truck, what we love about St. Johns County is being destroyed.
7. If you are elected or re-elected, what initiatives would you introduce or promote to protect the environment of St. Johns County?
* St. Augustine National Historical Park and National Seashore
* Environmental Regulatory Commission.
* Independent environmental impact statements for government project, as under NEPA.
* Lobbyist registration and background investigations.
* Video of every County Commissioner "ex parte' meeting with putative "developers."
* County whistleblower protection ordinance
* Reform zoning and planning as we know it.
Thank you.
