What is to be done about the St. Johns County League of Women Voters?
I've been watching the League of Women Voters' election fora since 2000.
They're dull.
Controversy is avoided.
Citizens' questions are censored.
Politicians' canned answers are tolerated.
They're awful, taking place in the County Auditorium, using county staff and county government television (GTV), inflicting a smug pseudo-sophistication while imparting almost no information.
Tough questions about developers and corruption were censored for years, with then-Record Editor Peter Ellis long co-chairing the debates and secretly rejecting meaningful public questions in favor of misguided, meaningless education questions, of interest to his late wife, a schoolteacher, in election races with no influence or control over education or education funding.
A few years ago, one county-wide elected official was told by the League of Women Voters not to "say anything controversial" at the League of Women Voters' irrelevant dull-as-dishwater, soporific, vapid voter indoctrination team. The candidate complied, and won anyway, but is still shocked that anyone would presume to tell a political candidate what to say.
It's our County Auditorium.
It's our money.
We have the right to "rock the boat" -- it's our boat. We have the indefeasible right to ask questions, to demand answers and to expect democracy.
LWV was founded by suffragettes who were arrested, beaten, jailed and tortured for working to give women the right to vote (19th Amendment).
To whom does the St. Johns County League of Women Voters think it's talking?
After eight (8) years of raising my concerns patiently, and my concerns falling on uncaring ears of local LWV officers, I complained to the national and state LWV organization in 2014.
Result: one fair forum: the debate between Nancy Shaver and then-Mayor JOSEPH LESTER BOLES, JR. in October 2014. Nancy Shaver won by 119 votes. Information is power. Suppression of information is just wrong.
But once again, the League of Women Voters in St. Johns County is up to its old dirty tricks, depriving citizens of fair debates. This time, the St. Augustine Record is no longer participating, after fired Director of Audience/Editor KATHY NELSON showed her animus, and her assinity, in smirking and laughing during the 2014 fora. The St. Augustine Record is no longer participating in the LWV fora. Fired, tired or quit?
At the 2016 St. Johns County Sheriff's forum, written questions were collected and disposed of, at the behest of agents of Sheriff DAVID SHOAR f/k/a HOAR.
LWV board member Ann Palmquist apologized in-person to Sheriff's candidate Debra Maynard, running a spirited race against three-term incumbent SHOAR.
But no response since August 7th from LWV's St. Johns County chair, Dr. PATRICIA GILL, Ed.D., or the Florida League of Women Voters or the U.S. League of Women Voters:
-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Slavin
To: pgill70
Sent: Wed, Aug 24, 2016 12:18 pm
Subject: Re: LWV Forum August 3, 2016 -- Citizen Questions Seized and Trashed by Sheriff's Deputies at St. Johns County Administration Building Auditorium
Dear Dr. Gill:
1. I am both mystified and disappointed by the St. Johns County League of Women Voters' flawed election fora, eschewing citizens' questions, and by LWV's refusal to communicate with me about reported seizure, censorship, disposal and destruction of meaningful citizen questions at the August 3, 2016 Sheriff's forum -- a fraud upon our democracy the people of St. Johns County.
2. Habitual St. Johns County LWV censorship of citizen questions would appear to be both a crime against democracy and possible theft under Florida law.
3. Censorship and disposal of citizen questions at LWV fora is indefensible, and must be ended at once. May I please have the League's word on this?
4. Please respond to my prior e-mails about the badly botched August 3, 2016 Sheriff's forum, held in the St. Johns County Administration Building Auditorium and broadcast and archived on St. Johns County Government TV (GTV).
5. One former elected official told me that LWV advised candidates not to "say anything controversial" at its fora.
6. Since St. Johns County government resources are involved, this may constitute an actionable federal civil rights violation under the First Amendment and 42 U.S.C. 1983, violating our known rights.
7. Please call me this afternoon to discuss.
Thank you.
With kindest regards, I am,
 | ||||
-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Slavin <easlavin@aol.com>
To: pgill70 <pgill70@gmail.com>
Sent: Tue, Aug 9, 2016 1:44 pm
Subject: Re: LWV Forum August 3, 2016 -- Citizen Questions Seized and Trashed by Sheriff's Deputies at St. Johns County Administration Building Auditorium
Dear Dr. Gill:
From: Ed Slavin <easlavin@aol.com>
To: pgill70 <pgill70@gmail.com>
Sent: Tue, Aug 9, 2016 1:44 pm
Subject: Re: LWV Forum August 3, 2016 -- Citizen Questions Seized and Trashed by Sheriff's Deputies at St. Johns County Administration Building Auditorium
Dear Dr. Gill:
Please respond today.
Thank you.
Thank you.
With kindest regards, I am,
| ||||
-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Slavin <easlavin@aol.com>
To: pgill70 <pgill70@gmail.com>
Sent: Sun, Aug 7, 2016 1:10 pm
Subject: LWV Forum August 3, 2016 -- Citizen Questions Seized and Trashed by Sheriff's Deputies at St. Johns County Administration Building Auditorium
From: Ed Slavin <easlavin@aol.com>
To: pgill70 <pgill70@gmail.com>
Sent: Sun, Aug 7, 2016 1:10 pm
Subject: LWV Forum August 3, 2016 -- Citizen Questions Seized and Trashed by Sheriff's Deputies at St. Johns County Administration Building Auditorium
Dear Dr. Gill:
1. I am writing you in your capacity as the leader of the League of Women Voters in St Johns County, Florida.
2. This message will confirm LWV's sincere apology, through Ms. Ann Palmquist in a telephone call, to Sheriff's candidate Debra Maynard for the official oppression that took place at the League of Women Voters forum for St. Johns County Sheriff's candidates on Wednesday, August 3, 2016 at the St. Johns County Administration Building Auditorium. Thank you for apologizing for the illegal unAmerican activities of armed, uninformed sheriff's deputies, who allegedly stole, intercepted, seized and threw away cards with citizen questions for Sheriff's candidates, throwing them in the trash. The League of Women Voters did not authorize this theft. Who did? Please help investigate.
3. I have requested the County Administrator to preserve and protect the surveillance video to document possible federal civil rights violations and possible state law theft crimes. F.S. 812.014.
4. Please convene a special LWV meeting, consult with legal counsel and kindly consider filing a federal civil rights action action for injunctive relief against Sheriff David Shoar, et al.
5. Please vote to issue a public statement denouncing the deputies' possible illegal, tortious, criminal interference with our right to ask questions of candidates.
6. Please vote to invite Sheriff David Shoar and Ms. Debra Maynard to return for another LWV forum, with public questions asked and answered -- not trashed.
6. Please vote to invite Sheriff David Shoar and Ms. Debra Maynard to return for another LWV forum, with public questions asked and answered -- not trashed.
7. Please vote to request a federal investigation of possible violations of civil rights by the deputies in quo.
8. Please vote to request that Florida Governor Richard Lynn Scott appoint a special prosecutor, because 7th Judicial Circuit State's Attorney Ralph Joseph Larizza is a close friend, ally and contributor to Sheriff David Shoar.
9. I hereby volunteer to help LWV and you to assure the integrity of the process and to sit with you at the table at future fora.
Thank you.
With kindest regards, I am,
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