Sunday, June 15, 2014

Flag Day; Ineptitude and Decrepitude

There was a lovely patriotic event yesterday in front of City Hall, with the St. Augustine Community Chorus. the Daughters of the American Revolution and Limelight Theater joining a group of 150 residents singing the National Anthem, in tandem with people around the Nation doing it at the same time. I was there. It was fun.
Our City Manager, John Regan, was there, along with his wife, Felicia.
Most regrettably, not one (1) current elected official was present.
Not one of our three dozen elected officials in St. Johns County bothered to show up.
Not one.
Pitiful.
I reckon they were all out doing whatever it is that dull Republicans do on Saturday afternoon.
Golfing.
Drinking.
Plotting how to issue no-bid contracts or get no-bid leases for them and their contributors (or as George W. Bush called them, their "investors")?
What do you reckon?
Meanwhile, our inept City of St. Augustine Public Affairs Director, PAUL WILLIAMSON, repeatedly refused and failed to return many telephone calls from the organizer (former City Commissioner and former County Commissioner John Reardon).
Finally, WILLIAMSON belatedly issued a release that did not include the correct time. One Commissioner posted on Facebook with the incorrect tme of 4 PM, based on WILLIAMSON's error. It was actually a 2:30 to 4:00 PM event. When I arrived at 2:30, only a handful of us were there.
Meanwhile the St. Augustine Record did not publicize the event yesterday or today.
Today's Record website has a photograph of rebarbative Republican apparatchik ROBERT T. SMITH, who was wearing a t-shirt with a Hate Obama message on the back.
No other persons were shown in photographs-- not the Community Chorus, DAR or Limelight Theater.
(The Record later added a video).
The St. Augustine Record is no longer a viable, meaningful home town newspaper.
The St. Augustine Record is sorrier than ever under new mismanagement.
The St. Augustine Record is run by people who don' understand or appreciate our community.
And $91,000/year CITY OF ST. AUGUSTINE PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR PAUL WILLIAMSON is one sorry PR man.
Inept.
Ineffectual.
Incompetent.
Overpaid.
Underworked.
Snooty, and with nothing to be snooty about.
Dour.
Stolid.
Uncreative.
As worthless a cuss as ever made a chair squeak.
PAUL WILLIAMSON was not there yesterday.
Thus, when the Record didn't show, it was left to print a contributed photo of the aforementioned apparathcik ROBERT T. SMITH, and no one else, on its website.
Pitiful PR man PAUL WILLIAMSON often provides the wrong dates, or no information at all.
When our City enacts reforms, as with the sexual orientation nondiscrimination amendment to the Fair Housing ordinance or the pension nondiscrimination ordinance, WILLIAMSON is AWOL. He does not issue press releases about positive progressive achievements in our City of St. Augustine.
Meanwhile, one year an Orlando high school band played alone in our slave market square on Easter Monday because WILLIAMSON gave it the wrong day for the Easter Parade. One Christmas season, WILLIAMSON had posters for the British Night Watch distributed, listing three dates. Only one of them was the actual date. We and others were disappointed.
PAUL WILLIAMSON was hired because the Chamber of Commerce and former City Manager WILLIAM BRUCE HARRISS liked him -- he campaigned against the artists and entertainers on St. George Street.
PAUL WILLIAMSON's annual Public Affairs budget is some $500,000.
It's time for PAUL WILLIAMSON to go.
PAUL WILLIAMSON must retire or be fired.
The PR disaster of the Flag Day event is but the latest evidence that PAUL WILLIAMSON has delusions of adequacy.
He is a PR disaster.
We can't afford to have him in charge of PR when Pope Francis visits next year.
It's time for PAUL WILLIAMSON to go.
Now.
Go on, git!

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