3-2 Vote for Costly Ballot Initiative to Raise Your Sales Taxes Nearly 17%

County Commissioners JEB SMITH, JOHN H. "JAY" MORRIS and PRISCILLA BENNETT A/K/A "RACHAEL BENNETT provided the 3-2 margin yesterday seeking to schedule an expensive off-year special election to raise our sales taxes -- hundreds of thousands of dollars for one proposition. Commissioners William McClure and James Johns voted against. SMITH voted with the County Administrator and the machine, disappointing supporters who thought he would be a fresh voice -- he is yet another Judas Goat. There will be two public hearings in June.

As long as we're voting, let's vote to install an independent Inspector General and an Ombuds and an elected County Attorney to speak for us.

Let's end the oppression of the all-Republican political machine in St. Johns County, which perpetrates waste, fraud, abuse, misfeasance, malfeasance, nonfeasance, flummery, dupery and nincompoopery -- not to mention covering up for rebarbative Sheriff DAVID BERNARD SHOAR, perpetrator of civil rights violations, e.g., First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Amendment violations, including the coverup of the Michelle O'Connell shooting.  As LBJ said after Selma, "We SHALL overcome!"