$1250/Month to GEORGE R. GARDNER As "Independent Contractor" Writing Propaganda Newsletter for the City of St. Augustine

It started on his own hook, when he was still a Commissioner.

Now ex-Mayor GEORGE GARDNER is getting $1250/month (no benefits) as a putative independent contractor to write his newsletter.

Since he's been back on the City's teat, GARDNER's newsletter is less independent and more biting, attacking me by name, attempting to chill free speech rights (just as GARDNER did on November 13, 2006, after I first proposed the St. Augustine National Historical Park, National Seashore and National Scenic Coastal Highway Act). See St. Augustine Record's November 19, 2006 editorial, "Always Important to Stick to Your Guns" (reprinted elsehwhere on the this blog, defending my First Amendment protected activity against Gardner and his buddies (Commissioners, Yacht Club Commodore RANDY BRUNSON and assembled Yacht Clubbers, who all lustily cheered his venomous attack).

GARDNER was on the wrong side of history repeatedly, as thrice in four years progressives have won victories, from the Rainbow flags (2005) to Old City Reservoir and Riberia Street pollution (2008) to the City's pollution of our saltwater marsh (2008. GARDNER started as a progressive and like SUSAN BURK was quickly co-opted, compromised and all but blackmailed by City Manager WILLIAM B. HARRISS, who knows more about Commissioners than President Lyndon Johnson and FBI Director John Edgar Hoover knew about Senators.

Speaking of history, on the Rainbow flags, GARDNER said in 2005 that our City only wanted to celebrate "positive history." Last Friday, at a showing of the movie on the life of the late Harry T. Moore (murdered by KKK), GEORGE and SALLY GARDNER sat in front of me. I wanted to ask GARDNER about "positive history."

Query: is GARDNER really an independent contractor? If not, the City will owe back taxes.