Muchisimas Gracias!: Alcaldetta Nancy Shaver Opens 450th to Thunderous Applause

Welcoming three Spanish bands in Spanish, Mayor Nancy Shaver wowed the capacity crowd at the opening of the St. Augustine 450th September 3rd, speaking in flawless Spanish and English to introduce and thank the bands and the crowd in Flagler College's Lewis Auditorium.  There was thunderous applause from the bands and the audience.  Mayor Shaver began the 450th with class and panache.

The cultural exchange was  Spanish-American on one level, and Bolesian-Shaverian on the other.  Mayor Shaver charmed audience members, including some present who now might not easily admit that they ever voted for the ancien regime of JOE BOLES and LEN WEEKS.  The torch has been passed to a new generation of St. Augustine, and Mayor Shaver has made us all proud of her.

The Spanish bands evening was chaired by the leader-for-life of the all-white St. Augustine Sister Cities Association (SASCA) Chair, Ex-Mayor LEN WEEKS, a/k/a CLAUDE LEONARD WEEKS, JR.

St. Augustine's Code Enforcement Board fined WEEKS $3600 for destroying 62A Spanish Street (Don Pedro Fornells House) without proper City permits, ignoring urgent instructions from LEN WEEKS' architect, engineer and the late City Building Inspector Will Franke, et al. not to excavate all around the 211-year old Spanish colonial building, but to dig and pour a cement collar in four foot segments.  Temple Destroyer and SASCA Chair  LEN WEEKS is still apparently under state and federal investigation.

One audience member called out, "Demolition man!"  LEN WEEKS could not see his critic, but reacted indignantly, saying he "cannot see" the person.   Philistine LEN WEEKS is the Scrooge most associated with the effort to ban street artists and musicians from our City's historic area.  how gauche and louche for him to preside at a musical evening.

The unpopular LEN WEEKS was also reportedly booed again when he said that water was being sold in the lobby for $1.  That's chintzy.  (Water was also sold for $1 at Governor Scott's cabinet meeting at The Treasury on September 1, but will be handed out free during the 450th, I am assured).

In addition to Mayor Shaver and the ever-despicable LEN WEEKS, also present were "The Gang of Four," four sulking City Commissioners: TODD (TOAD) NEVILLE (R-Proctorville and conflict-of-interest ridden DOW PUD supporter), NANCY SIKES-KLINE (R-DOW PUD supporter), Vice Mayor ROXANNE HORVATH (R-DOW PUD supporter) and LEANNA FREEMAN (DOW PUD supporter).

The graceless "Gang of Four" appeared snooty and unfriendly and said nary a word in any language. Commissioner LEANNA FREEMAN (R-Weeks Construction), was one of four gargoyles at the door, checking to see if people's names were on "the list," with good seats reserved for rich guys, including 450th sponsors like Florida Power & Light and Sheriff DAVID BERNARD SHOAR.

Ex-Mayor JOSEPH LESTER BOLES, JR. was nowhere to be seen (sulking perhaps).

Defeated for re-election last year by Nancy Shaver, ex-Mayor BOLES remains LEN WEEKS' equally controversial business partner in the no-bid, below market rate rental of city property at 81 St. George Street (Florida Cracker Cafe),

Due to short notice and the odd, elitist requirement to call in advance to reserve a seat for non-sponsors, the Spanish bands event sponsored by the all-white St. Augustine Sisters Association long chaired by LEN WEEKS lacked diversity. 

It also seemingly lacked sensitivity, with our elders and other persons with disabilities told that ADA seats were reserved for swells (hundreds of "Very Important People," upon whom money was squandered for "Reserved" signs).  

As my Irish-Bavarian grandmother once said, "Some people want to be somebody --  ANYBODY!"