Folio Weekly's Dull "Best of St. Augustine" Categories Leave Much to Be Desired

"I hate shallowness," as Hal Holbrook's FBI whistleblower character said in All The President's Men.

I just examined and voted in Folio Weekly's "Best of St. Augustine" poll (online now).

Why this matters: FOLIO WEEKLY's "Best of St. Augustine" categories, nomination and voting process leave much to be desired.

The list of faux pas is longer than the list of Sheriff DAVID SHOAR's' sins, torts and crimes:

• Misspelling local beloved guitarist-songwriter Sam Pacetti's name 
• Listing Patrick Canan's law firm TWICE in several categories
• You can vote every day!
• Allowing business owners to nominate themselves
• Listing "Seaside Villas" as best in several categories, despite massive code violations reported by the St. Augustine Record for several years, and under administrative adjudication before  St. Augustine Beach
• Allowing the St. Augustine Beach Civic Association to make its putative martyrdom a thing -- chauvinists apparently had Folio's ear

Campaigns for advertising are the goal.  Make money to revive Folio, in hopes it starts covering St. Augustine and St. Johns County under new editorship. (We MISS Anne Schindler!)

There are a few serious categories, like environmental activists, with only two (2) options (no write-ins allowed) -- HARRUMPH, how haughty.

But there's "no there there" in its approach to St. Augustine.  The character of our town, its people, its characters and its history and nature and businesses are barely hinted at by this maladroit effort.

Most of the nominations involve places to spend your money, of which there is no shortage. Just five or fewer options, the wrong ones, in some cases (and no write-ins allowed -- how bossy is that?).

On Friday, December 21, 2018, I left a message about the pejorative category involving an attempted force vote for Tom Reynolds (since deleted -- good call). (Was Folio bamboozled by dodgy St. Augustine Beach Civic Association in its nomination process for "Best of St. Augustine" this year??)

On the lackluster list of dull nominations, it's much better than the St. Augustine Record's "Best of St. Augustine" list, which was unadorned by ANY categories not involving sales of goods or services.

On Saturday, December 22, 2018, I sent some suggestions for nominations to Folio Weekly, whose editor left me a nice message earlier today (we've not talked yet).

Here are my nominations, FYI:

Best Mayor:

• Nancy Shaver City of St. Augustine

Worst Mayor: 

• Undine George, City of St. Augustine Beach

Biggest Bloviating Developer Mouthpiece:

• Douglas Nelson Burnett, St. Johns Law Group
• Sidney Franklyn Ansbacher, Upchurch Bailey and Upchurch
• Ellen Avery Smith, Rogers Towers
• John Metcalf, Hutson Companies
• David Douglas Birchim, St. Augustine City Planning and Building Director
• Ronald Wayne Brown, former St. Augustine City Attorney

Best Government Attorney:

• Regina Ross, Assistant St. Johns County Attorney
• James Patrick Wilson, St. Augustine Beach City Attorney
• Henry Dean, St. Johns County Commissioner
• John Cary, Assistant St. Augustine City Attorney

Worst Government Attorney:

• Frank Upchurch, St. Johns County School Board attorney (falls asleep in meetings)
• Isabelle Christine Lopez, St. Augustine City Attorney
• Patrick Francis McCormack, St. Johns County Attorney
• Ronald Wayne Brown, former St. Augustine City Attorney

Whiniest political lawyers:

• Undine Celeste Pawlowski George, St. Augustine Beach Mayor
• Joseph Lester Boles, Jr., disgraced former St. Augustine Mayor

Best Consumer Lawyer: 

• Jack Spence, Naples and Spence

Best First Amendment Lawyer:

• Thomas Elihah Cushman
• William Sheppard
• Bryan DiMaggio

Best Patent Lawyer:

• Jamin Douglas Rubenstein

Best Public Interest Lawyer:

• Megan Wall

Best City Manager:

• John Patrick Regan, P.E., City of St. Augustine

Worst City Manager:

• Bruce Max Royle, City of St. Augustine Beach (falls asleep in meetings)

Best Lawman:

• Robert Hardwick, St. Augustine Beach Police Chief
• Barry Fox, St. Augustine Police Chief

Worst Lawman:

• Sheriff David Shoar, who legally changed his name from "Hoar" in 1994
• James Parker, former SABPD Commander, now back at State's Attorney office

Biggest Big-Shot Crook:

• Sheriff David Shoar, who legally changed his name from "Hoar" in 1994
• Ralph Joseph Larizza, 7th Circuit State's Attorney
• William Barry Harriss, Sheriff Shoar's $1500/month "independent contractor, runs St. Johns County Sheriff's Office Four Star Association, Inc., former St. Augustine City Manager, 1998-2010

Meanest Person In Town:

• Rev. Ronald Rawls, Jr.
• Virginia Whetstone
• Robert Keith Mathis
• William Barry Harriss
• Dr. William L. Proctor, Ed.D.
• Timothy Burchfield, St. Augustine Assistant City Manager
• Sheriff David Shoar, who legally changed his name from "Hoar" in 1994

Conscience of Our Community:

• Jeffrey Marcus Gray
• Capt. Lee Geanuleas, U.S.N. (Ret.)
• Tom Reynolds
• B.J. Kalaidi
• Kenneth McClain
• Jen Lomberk
• Susan Agresta

Lifetime Achievement Award for Activism:

• Tom Reynolds
• B.J. Kalaidi,
• Roger Jolley
• Diane Mills
• Judith Seraphin
• Gregory Travous
• Dr. Robert S. Hayling, D.D.S.
• Robin Nadeau
• Dr. Patricia Gill, Ed.D.

Best Elected Official:

• Jeanne Moeller, Anastasi Mosquito Control District of St. Johns County
• Nancy Shaver, Mayor, City of St. Augustine,
• Margaret England, Vice Mayor, St. Augustine Beach
• Maggie Kostka, Commissioner, City of St. Augustine Beach
• Henry Dean, Commissioner, St. Johns County (former Executive Director of St. Johns River Water Management District, South Florida Water Management District, former General Counsel of Florida Department of Natural Resources)

Best Former Elected Official:

• Sherman Gary Snodgrass, former St. Augustine Beach Mayor/Commissioner
• Ben Rich, Sr., former St. Johns County Commission Chair
• Joseph Kenneth Bryan, Former St. Johns County Commission Chair

Best Volunteer Government Board Member:

• Karen Zander, St. Augustine Planning and Zoning Board, former member of St. Augustine Beach PZB
• Carl Blow, St. Augustine Planning and Zoning Board
• Toni Wallace, St. Augustine Historic Architectural Review Board
• Kevin Sweeney, St. Augustine Beach Code Enforcement Board
• Susan Agresta, former PZB Chair, St. Augustine
• Matthew Shaffer, former PZB Chair, St Augustine
• Jerry Dixon, former PZB Chair, St. Augustine
• William Rosenstock, former St. Augustine Beach Code Enforcement Chair

Most Frequently Fined Local Elected Official

• Richard Burtt O'Brien, St. Augustine Beach City Commission. (by default -- there are no other nominees even possible)

Worst Elected Official:

• Sheriff David Shoar, who legally changed his name from "Hoar" in 1994
• Richard Burtt O'Brien, St. Augustine Beach City Commission
• Todd David Neville, C.P.A. St. Augustine Vice Mayor (chose not to run for re-election in 2018 -- We, the People ran him off)
• Jay Morris, former St. Johns County Commission Chair (chose not to run for re-election in 2018 -- We, the People ran him off, too.)
• Priscilla "Rachael" Bennett, former St. Johns County Commission Chair (chose not to run for re-election in 2016 -- We, the People ran her off, too.)

Biggest Nixonian Coverup Artist:

• St. Johns County Administrator Michael David Wanchick
• Sheriff David Shoar, who legally changed his name from "Hoar" in 1994,
• Richard Burtt O'Brien, St. Augustine Beach City Commission
• Bruce Max Royle, St. Augustine Beach City Manager (falls asleep in meetings)

Most responsive local agency on public records requests:

• City of St. Augustine
• City of St. Augustine Beach
• St. Johns County Property Appraiser
• St. Johns County Tax Collector
• St. Johns County Clerk of Courts and Comptroller

Least responsive/most obstinate local agency on public records requests:

• Sheriff David Shoar, who legally changed his name from "Hoar" in 1994
• Clerk of Courts and Comptroller Hunter S. Conrad
• Supervisor of Elections Vicki Oakes and her heyboy, Wayne Fusco

Biggest First Amendment Violator and Retaliator:

• Sheriff David Shoar, who legally changed his name from "Hoar" in 1994

Cheapest Philanthropist:

• Norbert Tuseo
• Farid Ashdji
• Joseph Lester Boles, Jr.
• Claude Leonard Weeks, Jr.

Best Non-profit group:

• St. Augustine Historical Society and its Research Library

Worst Putative Non-profit group:

• St. Augustine Beach Civic Association, Inc., dodgy 501c4 that once ran Wednesday Farmer's Market

Biggest Boondoggles:

• No-bid below-market lease for 81 St. George Street from City of St. Augustine to ex-Mayors Joseph Lester Boles, Jr. and Claude Leonard Weeks, Jr. (August 2014 Folio Weekly cover story)
• Sheriff David Shoar's $15 million training center proposal (come speak out January 15, 2019)
• St. Augustine Beach proposed parking app (continuing saga)
• Renaming of St. Augustine Airport without state legislature approval (Douglas Nelson Burnett, Airport Authority, bears blame)
• St. Augustine Beach Civic Association, Inc., dodgy 501c4 for: 
• No-bid contract from St. Johns County for Wednesday Concerts by the Sea
• No-bid contract (cancelled) from St. Johns County for St. Augustine Beach Wednesday Market

Worst Local Bus Company:

• Sunshine Bus Company

Worst Developments:

• Antigua
• Madeira
• Fish Island (proposed)
• The Collector Hotel, St. Augustine Beach (former Dow Museum of Historic Homes)
• Embassy Suites Hotel, St. Augustine Beach
• Nocatee (another Leviathan Levittown)

Dodgiest Developer:

• David Barton Corneal
• Hutson Companies
• D.R. Horton
• Anyone represented by Douglas Nelson Burnett and St. Johns Law Group

Best Judge:

• Howard O. McGillin, Circuit Court
• Charles Jay Tinlin, County Court
• J. Michael Traynor, Circuit Court. (retiring) 
• Henry Lee Adams, Jr., U.S. District Court
• Brian J. Davis, U.S. District Court
• Matthew Corrigan, U.S. District Court

Biggest Developer Doormats:

• St. Augustine Record newspaper
• St. Augustine City Commission
• St. Augustine Beach City Commission,
• St. Johns County Commission
• St. Johns River Water Management District
• St. Augustine Record "Development" beat reporter Stuart Korfhage
• St. Augustine Beach Civic Association, Inc.

Best Deceased Activists:

• Robin Nadeau
• David Thundershield Queen,
• Stetson Kennedy
• Carrie Johnson
• Gregory Travous
• Dr. Robert S. Hayling, D.D.S.

Best Local TV News

• New4Jax
• First Coast News

Best Local TV Internet News:

• First Coast TV. (not to be confused with First Coast News)

Best Newspaper:

• Folio Weekly

Worst Newspaper:

• St. Augustine Record
• St. Augustine Beaches News Journal
• Jacksonville, Florida Times-Union

Worst Employer:

• Sheriff David Shoar, who legally changed his name from "Hoar" in 1994
• St. Johns County School Board
• A number of labor-baiting tourist traps that underpay workers in cash under the table
• A Hastings potato farmer whose crew leaders were convicted of enslaving farmworkers

Worst Radio News:

• WFOY (Kris Phillips' Limbaugh-loving hate radio, 250 watts),
• WFCF (Flagler College, no news except City of St. Augustine weekly PR program),
• WJCT (mossback NPR affiliate, eschews coverage of St. Augustine and St. Johns County)

Biggest disappointments:

• Sheriff David Shoar, who legally changed his name from "Hoar" in 1994,
• St. Augustine Beach Mayor Undine Celeste Pawlowski George
• Andrea Samuels, disgraced former St. Augustine Beach Mayor and former President of the St. Augustine Beach Civic Association.
• Folio Weekly
• League of Women Voters,  moribund, which held NO local candidate election forum in 2018
• St. Augustine Record and its new corporate master, GateHouse, which refused to work with League of Women Voters on election fora, while repeatedly neglecting its watchdog function.

Any questions? Please call me.