Florida Repug-Thug Michael Ertel Tries to Violate Voting Rights – It Didn’t Work

Florida Repug-Thug Michael Ertel Tries to Violate Voting Rights – It Didn’t Work

Yesterday, March 31, 2008, is a date that will live in infamy in Florida’s gerrymandered Seventh Congressional District. Please see the Orlando Sentinel story below, for which five reporters shared the byline.

In 2005, Michael Ertel was appointed by tatterdemalion Governor Jeb Bush.to be Seminole County’s Election Supervisor. In 2007, Ertel was named by Governor Charles Crist to the St. Johns River Water Management District. Yesterday, Michael Ertel pulled a typical Republican dirty trick by lying about the time of day, claiming that Democrat Faye Armitage was two minutes late in delivering her petitions to run against controversial Big Oil Congressman John Mica (R-7^th Congressional District).

In fact, it strongly appears that Democratic Congressional candidate Faye Armitage arrived at 11:59 – as verified by two people (one Democrat, one Republican) to whom she was talking on her cellular telephone when she arrived.

Republican apparatchik Michael Ertel was triumphant in holding up a piece of paper claiming it was a timestamp from a timeclock.

Michael Ertel admitted to Channel 13 that he had worked on reconfiguring the timeclock. This admitted resetting and material alteration of a timeclock may constitute election fraud and requires investigation.

Michael Ertel denied to me yesterday that he has ever met John Mica.

Michael Ertel deserves to be investigated by federal prosecutors for violating voting rights.

Anti-democratic energumen Michael Ertel deserves to be thrown out of office by the electorate and indicted by a Grand Jury for election fraud. He is represented by the same lawyer and law firm that has represented Governor Jeb Bush and other Republicans, including those who have gerrymandered legislative and Congressional District. Are attorney Trevor Michael and the law firm of Gray Robinson guilty of a conflict of interest in representing both Republicans and the Seminole County Election Superviserr? What do you reckon?.

Adolescent Michael Ertel deserves voters’ scorn and mockery, because despite his Republican dirty trick, Faye Armitage has more than enough signatures to be on the ballot – nearly 6000, when only 4800 were required (and 214 were at issue in Seminole County) Ertel was crestfallen and disappointed when Ms. Armitage told him that.she did not need the 214 petitions to be on the ballot. How sad when the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee can’t raise any money. How said when Republican dirty tricks don’t work any more because of the outpouring of voters who wanted to see Faye Armitage on the ballot. Faye was able to get 20% more than the required number of signatures – despite the corrupt restrictions on petitioning by the likes of Post Offices, gated communities and shopping malls – even the St. Johns County Farmers’ Market (the latter was rightly overruled by our county officials.

Hint: This is a very corrupt city and state with a snobbish Republican Congressman (John Mica), who acts like an enabler for oligopolists and the oleaginous, especially Big Oil..

With your help, we’re going to clean up the City of St. Augustine and we’ll soon have a new Congressman and state representatives who won’t be protecting City of St. Augustine political boss WILLIAM B. HARRISS and his crummy cronies.

Noted for corrupt politics, Florida Republicans are desperate to hold on to Rep. John Mica’s seat. Ranking member of the House Transportation Committee, Mica is the king of sleaze and pork, dispensing earmarks to his campaign contributors while voting against higher federal minimum wages (even after Floridians raised ours in 2004 by constitutional amendment). Ex-Senator Paula Hawkins’ erstwhile Chief of Staff, Mica is the only Florida Congressman who supports offshore oil drilling, which would destroy Florida’s tourism economy and beaches. Mica once called President Clinton a “little bugger” on the House Floor, ruled out of order. Mica once compared welfare recipients to alligators (as in “do not feed the alligators”). The Washington Post reported Mica’s loutish behavior after Democrats took the House, pouting and leaving a meeting because his chair wasn’t fancy enough (even after he was brought another chair).

Republican punk Michael Ertel appears guilty of the same kind of flummery and dupery that led to Florida’s 2000 stolen election. He needs a Grand Jury subpoena. He must no longer be represented by Gray Robinson, which has a conflict of interest.

We will be watching the likes of miscreant Michael Ertel. Democrats need to be all over Ertel like a chicken on a junebug. Please fax reports to 904-471-9918 or call 904-471-7023. Again, please see the Orlando Sentinel story below, for which five reporters shared the byline.

Ed Slavin

Clean Up City of St. Augustine

Box 3084

St. Augustine, Florida 32085-3084

904-471-7023

904-471-9918 (fax)