evening of diamonds and ice...

Newsletter of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County—November 2015

Evening of Diamonds and Ice Gala

Something unique in Republican Party politics occurred

at PGA National, on Friday evening, November 6, that

has the potential to send shivers of fear up the spine of the

body politic of the national Democrat Party in the 2016

presidential election cycle. The occasion was the “Evening

of Diamonds and Ice Gala” brilliantly organized by Sean

Jackson, Chairman of the Black Republican Caucus of

Florida, before a capacity crowd of Republicans.

Having dinner last week with my mother-in-law, I

informed two of our dinner guests, both of them former

Howard University professors, who happened to be

African-American, about the upcoming Republican Party

outreach event. In return, one of them, trying to poke fun,

commented, “How many Blacks are attending, four?” Well,

sir, I hate to disappoint you, but I think the overflowing

crowd was about evenly split between blacks and whites,

but I dare say, I seriously doubt that those in attendance

were nearly as concerned with racial makeup as they were

with conservative principles of governance for which they

all shared an abiding affinity.

A number of Republican Party luminaries attended the

gala, including Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, County

Commissioner Hal Valeche, Boca Raton Mayor Susan

Haynie, Palm Beach Couty GOP Chairman Mike Barnett,

former Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, former Maryland GALA—continued on next page

Lt. Gov. and RNC Chair Michael Steele, actress and Fox

News contributor Stacey Dash, and even Rush Limbaugh’s

call screener Bo Snerdley.

But the star of the gala event was clearly the evening’s

keynote speaker, presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson, and

the speech he gave provided ample evidence as to why, of late,

he has risen so fast to challenge front-runner Donald Trump

on the leader board for the nomination. Dr. Carson rose to the

occasion, at least in this observer’s humble opinion, with what

was the best speech I have heard so far from any candidate in

the 2016 presidential cycle. His address provided a study in

contrasts that was absolutely fascinating to see.

The former head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hop-

kins Hospital spoke so softly and calmly that one had to lis-

ten closely to his words. But the content of his speech pro-

jected such power to persuade with its oh-so-obvious

common-sense nature and irresistible ring of truth, that the

spell-bound audience of 350 people was left listening with

such rapt undivided attention that one could have heard a

pin drop. His speech was a tour de force of what ails Amer-

ica today, and how liberal policies have created this state of

affairs in the economy and society in which people are losing

hope in the future. Anyone who heard his speech was equally

Dr. Ben Carson with Palm Beach County GOP Chairman MichaelA. Barnett.

Two former lieutenant governors: Michael Steele of Marylandand Jennifer Carroll of Florida.

Republican Party of Palm Beach County 2

awed by the power of Dr. Carson’s words emerging so force-

fully from such a calm demeanor, and knew that was the real

story of the evening, but one would never know it by the

front-page piece about the event in Saturday morning’s PalmBeach Post, which conveyed no such sense to their readers.

I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. Speaking

totally without notes, Dr. Carson described how he came to

the decision to run for president, although he had just ended

his medical career and was looking forward to a relaxing and

peaceful retirement. He remarked that he had become

alarmed by the realization that this country was headed down

the wrong path, and that our citizens were becoming discour-

aged and dispirited. He showed how this was hitting the

lower and middle classes in America harder than anyone else,

pointing out that where once they put their savings in banks,

acquired interest and slowly watched their money grow and

“get ahead,” this was no longer possible in today’s economy.

He spoke of his humble beginnings, growing up in

poverty in Detroit’s inner city in a single-parent home. He

related how his mother raised him and his brother to be self-

reliant and not to depend on government handouts, and he

described her insistence that her two sons read books and

submit book reports to her weekly—although it was years

later before he realized that she was illiterate and could not

read them. In an especially inspirational part of his speech,

he described the many significant technological inventions

we all take for granted that were developed by Black Amer-

icans, most of whom are unknown to the American public,

stating that this is the Black history that should be taught to

young Black children.

The Palm Beach County Republican Party is hoping to

increase the statewide share of Black voters in next year’s

election by a minimum of 5,000 with this single county out-

reach effort. If such efforts could be repeated in counties all

over the country, the results could be devastating for the

Democrats’ prospects in the 2016 presidential election and

beyond, and it is easy to see why they are eager to discredit

such efforts and to demonize a candidate like Dr. Ben Carson.

Chairman Mike Barnett summed up the evening’s event

with comments that perhaps explain why Democrats fear

such Republican grassroots outreach efforts in the hereto-

fore overwhelmingly Democrat-minded African-American

community: “It was stated that last night was historic in that

it was the first time so many notable Black Republican lead-

ers were together at the same event. You can see great

changes in the political landscape are taking place here at

home and across the country. And all of us, going back to

and beginning with chairman Sid Dinerstein’s invaluable

leadership, are the reason for it. Between now and Novem-

ber 2016 will be a fun ride.”

GALA—continued from preceding page

Sean Jackson, Chair of the Black Republican Caucus of Florida,presenting the Frederick Douglas Lifetime Achievement Awardto his grandfather, the Rev. Dr. Frank H. Walter, Jr.

Lieutenant Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera with National Com-mitteeman Peter Feaman and Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie.

Palm Beach County ladies enjoying the festivities.

Dr. Ben Carson and his wife Candy arriving at the gala.


It’s the Spring of 2014 and Gov-

ernor Rick Scott is trailing in his

reelection effort against Charlie

Crist. The Scott campaign decides

to run TV ads characterizing Char-

lie Crist as a flipflopper while

Charlie is still playing money

catchup. The inability of these ads

to “move the needle” in Governor

Scott's direction caused concern

for the campaign. A full campaign

staff meeting was called with a

“new ideas” theme. Curt Seig-

meister, Scott Campaign Director for Palm Beach County,

offered: “Sid has a Haitian Pastor. Why don't we go visit

him?” And they did.

Governor Scott and Campaign Director Melissa Sellers

showed up at the United Haitian Baptist Church in West

Palm Beach shortly thereafter. The first 45 minutes were

spent around the conference table at the little house next

door. There were about 25 of us: Governor Scott, Pastor

Mathieu Jean Baptiste, 20 other Haitian Pastors, Republican

Party of Palm Beach County Vice Chairman Michael Bar-

nett, me and my friend Kenny. Governor Scott turned to Pas-

tor Mathieu and asked: “How can I help?” Pastor Mathieu

replied: “We want access. We want a seat at the table.” Gov-

ernor Scott gave the best answer you will ever hear: “Take

down my cell number.” And everyone in the room scrambled

for pen and paper. What followed was a very friendly and

healthy discussion about respect, jobs (Governor Scott gave

them the Florida Jobs Bank number and website), zoning,

coming to the Crusade (more on that later) and ways to get

State legislators to help. When we got up one Pastor

approached the Governor, extended his hand, and said:

“Governor, I will do everything in my power to help you get

reelected.” And then we went to the parking lot.

We purposefully chose a Wednesday to visit because the

Church is a food distribution center and Wednesdays are

food distribution days. So now we had a parking lot full of

Haitian ladies coming for food packages. Governor Scott

was an instant rock star. They all wanted to hug him. The

thought of a sitting Governor honoring them by showing up

at their church made their day, week and year. Another 45

minutes of handshaking, photos and mostly good cheer left

a great feeling for everyone. Next up would be the annual

Haitian Crusade.

Every August the Haitian Evangelical Church runs a

Crusade in Palm Beach County. For eight straight nights

over 1000 Haitians occupy a high school auditorium. In

2014 it was at the John I. Leonard High School in

Greenacres. But 2014, the 29th Crusade year, was special.

Governor Scott was coming. For the prior 28 years the

biggest “celebrity” was me. The night started with Governor

Scott, Pastor Mathieu, Michael Barnett, me and numerous

Pastors in a separate classroom. The Governor did one hour

of Q and A; all respectful, no negativity. We then walked

down from the second floor balcony. It was standing room

only. Governor Scott and Pastor Mathieu led. Michael Bar-

nett and I followed. The Pastors followed us. Pastor Math-

ieu went up on stage to preside. He called up Governor

Scott who spoke mostly about his own faith and how central

these convictions are to his life. The Governor spoke for

about 15 minutes. And then, at a logical break, we filed out.

The media was fabulous; Haitian, Spanish and even a very

friendly Palm Beach Post. All pluses and no negatives; a

great night for the Haitian Community and the Republican

Party. Equal time for Charlie Crist, you ask? They never

responded to their invite.

And it didn't stop there. One week later the Scott cam-

paign put out a radio ad in Creole. They followed that with

Governor Scott interviews on Haitian radio. And just when

you thought the election was over and all was well with the

world, there was more. Pastor Mathieu (with 35 Pastors

supporting him) gave the Benediction at the Prayer Break-

fast immediately preceding the Inaugural. Then the Scott

Administration's Human Resource Director asked Pastor

Mathieu for resumes to help fill openings in the new

Administration. And to top it all off, recently Governor

Scott appointed Haitian born Ms. Nirlaine Tallandier Smart

to be a Circuit Court judge.

In summary, Governor Scott and his Campaign Manager

(and now Chief of Staff) Melissa Sellers threw away the

outdated Republican playbook and fully embraced a large

and growing community that had been mostly ignored by

both parties. Everyone won. Republicans got many new (2

for 1) voters. The Haitian Community truly got access and

recognition. And our political consultants hopefully got an

education.

Sid Dinerstein was the Chairman of the Palm Beach CountyRepublican Party for ten years.

Governor Scott Meets Pastor Mathieu

by Sid [email protected]

October 11, 2015


Two of the most important

things in life are family and

friends. When a family member

or friend needs something, they

ask and we provide. This very

basic human instinct is ingrained

in us and leads up to the third

most important thing in life, com-

munity. We sometimes forget,

however, that our community

also needs help, and that’s where

our job as Republicans begins.

And as Republicans, we understand that charity starts at

home. But, advocacy, too, starts at home. We can and should

be advocates for our community—by sitting on municipal

boards, attending school board meetings, helping local char-

ities, etc. These activities not only serve the community but

help your friends and family. They are intertwined, and are

the very thing that will lead to stronger schools, better prop-

erty values, and more efficient resource allocation. Getting

involved with local issues, and recruiting and supporting

the right candidates strengthen not only our communities

but also our country.

We know that the best government is government closest

to us. Bad government is contagious, but so is good gov-

ernment when we the citizens participate in government and

actively advocating for our local values. This is as American

as apple pie. By influencing our elected officials, neighbors

with our values build up our communities, impact those in

surrounding communities, and eventually encompass a

state. Eventually, our local values become state standards,

which then influence the national culture.

For this reason, when I hear politicians speaking in catch

phrases, I pause and wonder how many patriots are actually

voting in their local elections. How many of our good

Republicans understand that a more prosperous and thriving

local community and nation requires strong leaders not only

in Washington but also at home. The grassroots, the advo-

cates, the folks … this is where we take our first step. If we

do not, our communities will change without us even know-

ing about it.

With the March municipal elections coming up, take

time to know which elected official or candidate has your

values and your community’s best interest at heart. The only

way to protect your friends, family and community is to

remember … Advocacy starts at home.

Ryan C. Hnatiuk is the Executive Director of the RepublicanParty of Palm Beach County. Ryan has worked with variouscandidates, consultants and fundraisers primarily withinPalm Beach County, but has also consulted in the countiesof Martin, Broward, and St. Lucie. He has worked in vari-ous sized campaigns from town council to congressionaland county commission seats.

Message from the Political Director of the Palm Beach County GOP

Charity Starts at Home . . . So Does Advocacy

by Ryan C. Hnatiuk


In 2003, Palm Beach County citizens

took action to remove corruption

and unaccountability on the County

Commission by limiting the terms of

their commissioners with a 70% vote.

That followed similar 70%+ victories

in Clay and Polk counties in 2000, as

well as a term limits retention vote in

Tampa which won 68% of the vote that

year. Since then, numerous other jurisdictions—most

recently the city of Palm Beach Gardens—have limited

terms of their representatives and now enjoy a closer rela-

tionship with their elected officials. These citizen legislators

are more likely than their predecessors to make decisions

on their constituents’ behalf rather than on how it affects

their own reelection prospects. Term-limited politicians are

less dependent on special interests and that’s a good thing.

With each election we can expect higher quality candi-

dates—as we have experienced in our state legislature in

recent years.

The president of the United States is limited to two

terms. Thank you God, George Washington and the XXII

Amendment!

Term limits are designed to keep the political system

fresh and to ensure that politicians do not have an opportu-

nity to consolidate power. Governors can be tremendously

influential in their states as one may easily become more

like an emperor than an elected official if there are no limits

on tenure. This is especially true in the case of large and

powerful states such as New York, California, and Texas.

Two-thirds of states limit the terms of their governors.

The approval rate of the U.S. Congress is in single dig-

its—and rightly so! House members—regardless of party—

continue to approve runaway spending.The $18 trillion

national debt is clearly of little concern to the professional

politicians. They have no problem voting for deficit spend-

ing for their projects on behalf of their special interest sup-

porters which they happily pass on to the next generations.

Isn’t that taxation without representation?

But the U.S. Congress is not limited—yet! *TLC: Term

Limits Convention

That will change sooner rather than later as U.S. Term

Limits, the advocacy group that concentrates only on this

critically important reform, is poised to launch an Article V

Convention of States to reform the legislative branch of

government that has strayed so far from its Constitutional

duty. Our Palm Beach Republican Executive Committee

passed a Resolution 79-1 calling for an Article V term limits

convention to amend the U.S. Constitution. The convention

is part of a nationwide project—starting here in Florida—

that can finally achieve what 75% of Americans tell poll-

sters they want: legislators responsible to the people. For

those of us that want an end to profligate spending, unre-

strained unaccountable agencies like EPA, IRS, et al, crony-

ism, waste, corruption and a return to the Constitution and

the rule of law, that means term limits on congress.

The advantages of incumbency are so great—money

from special interests and name recognition—that the career

pols have a 93% reelection rate. Challengers to entrenched

incumbents have little chance of prevailing so they don’t

bother to spend the money and time to challenge them. With

the obstacles removed by term limits we get fresh ideas

from successful business and professional people willing to

apply their experience as a civic duty rather than a lifetime

at the trough.

George Blumel is a husband, father, grandfather; retiredentrepreneur; blogger www.posterchildrenfortermlimits.com; political activist—for freedom with responsibility.

Cure for Congress: TLC*

by George Blumel


Palm Beach County Republican Party Caucus Meetings

Please join us for our last Republican Party of Palm Beach County Caucus/Workgroup meeting, Wednesday, November

18, 2015 at 6:45 at the Palm Beach County Governmental Center, 301 N. Olive Ave, West Palm Beach – 6th Floor/Com-

mission Chambers.

Lourdes Aguirre, State Director of Faith Engagement for the Republican Party of Florida, will be our guest speaker.

After a short message from Lourdes, the caucuses and workgroups will have the opportunity to meet together discuss

plans for 2016. Lourdes will be available to meet with the Jewish, Christian, and Catholic caucuses.

We need all REC members to be working with at least one of these groups. Also, non-REC members are welcome to

join a group.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Tami Donnally, Vice Chair at 561-602-3777.

Tech/Social Media Caucus

Pam [email protected](561) 254-1036

Western Communities Caucus

Martha [email protected]

Black/African American Caucus

Calvin [email protected]

Haitian Community Caucus

Jean [email protected]

Boca Community Caucus

Sharon [email protected]

Republican Buisness Owners Caucus

Randy [email protected]

Caribbean Community Caucus

Carla [email protected]

Jewish Caucus

[email protected] [email protected]

Central Geographic Caucus

John [email protected]

Palm Beach Gardens Caucus

Linda [email protected]

Christian Caucus

Richard [email protected]

Catholic Caucus

Joseph [email protected]

Voter Fraud Caucus

Bill [email protected]

Boca Condo Community Caucus

Nancy [email protected]

Jupiter Caucus

Maryann [email protected](561) 744-7755

Veterans and Military Families

Outreach

Andrea [email protected]

The Republican Party of Palm Beach County Supports Our Veterans!

The Republican Party of Palm Beach County or clubs can host an ice cream social at the VA Nursing Home/Hospice.

This is a hands-on event with the nursing home and hospice veterans and families. Duties include: preparing ice cream

floats and serving them. Not required: going into the hospice unit and bringing veterans their ice cream (I can take care

of that if someone feels uncomfortable). Average cost of event is approximately $37-45. You will receive a letter of

acknowledgment from the VA. Length of event is approximately 2 hours if we incorporate a BINGO event. I already

have sponsors for BINGO so the party does not have to pay for the BINGO.

For additional information, please contact Andrea Plescia at [email protected], Chair, Vets and Military Fam-

ilies Outreach.


News from the Republican Clubs of Palm Beach County

Republican Club of Kings Point

Our October 7th meeting started with a minute of silent prayer for our club Vice president Jonathan Winson’s older

sister Bonnie Sue Winson who suddenly passed away at the young age of 63.

Our guest speaker, Alan Butterworth, provided a very interesting talk on “the persecution of Christians in the Middle

East and how it affects us here in America.” He shared stories of persecution by discrimination, rocks, swords, fire and

drowning in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Pakistan. We learned about verses in the Koran and some interesting facets of ISIS. There

was a spirited discussion with many in attendance participating.

We hope to see you all at our next Club meeting on Wednesday, November 4th at 7 PM., in the “Social Room” of Main

Clubhouse by the east End Café. Don’t forget everyone will have a free chance to win a $25.00 Publix gift card. We don’t

charge dues and there is no admission charge. We do accept donations.

We hope to see you all at our next Club meeting. We meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 PM in the “Social

Room” of Main Clubhouse by the east End Café. Donations are always welcome.

Please note our web site address: www.KingsPoint RepublicanClubDelray.com. You can request our newsletter at:

KingsPointRepublicanClubDelray.com.

Paul Tocker, President 561-235-0840

Jonathan Winson, Vice President 561-600-0416

Republican Federated Women of South Florida

The Republican Federated Women of South Florida met on

Thursday, October 22, at the Boca Country Club. Featured guest

speaker was Jennifer Carroll, Florida’s former Lieutenant Gov-

ernor, who gave an inspirational talk about how to overcome

obstacles to achieve your dream. She spoke about being adopted

as a young child and being brought to the United States at the age

of 8. She served 20 years in the U.S. Navy at a time when women

were not widely accepted, and then became Florida’s first black

female lieutenant governor. Insurance professional Jacqueline

d’Heere also spoke about the changes in healthcare coverage that

will be taking place soon, and advised everyone to stay aware.

On Saturday, October 24, members of the Republican Feder-

ated Women of South Florida participated in the American Cancer Society’s 5K Walk for Breast Cancer in downtown Boca

Raton.

On Sunday, November 1, the Republican Federated Women of South Florida were proud to host an ice cream social at

the Community Living Center and Hospice wing of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in West Palm Beach. The

group served root beer floats to the resident veterans and their guests, and led the veterans in a round of bingo.

On Friday, December 11, the Republican Federated Women of South Florida will join with the Boca Raton Regional

Republican Club to hold a holiday party. It will be held at the Boca Country Club and feature

a full holiday dinner and entertainment. More details to follow.

For information on the Republican Federated Women of South Florida, please contact Pres-

ident Rosemary O’Mara at [email protected].

Former Florida Lt. GovernorJennifer Carroll with Sean Jack-son, Chairman of the BlackRepublican Caucus of Florida.

RFW of South Florida members and supporters at the VA Hospital, hosting an ice cream social andBingo for the vets.

“Ladies in Pink”: Members of the RFW of South Floridaproudly participated in the Breast Cancer Walk in Boca Raton.


Juno/Jupiter/Tequesta Republican Organization

The Juno/Jupiter/Tequesta Republican Organization meets monthly on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the

Jupiter Branch of the PBC Library at 6:15 pm.

The following are dates of upcoming meetings thru February 2016:

November 10, December 7, January 12, February 9

Jupiter/Tequesta Republican Organization

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.jtro.org

Republican Club of the Palm Beaches, October 28 Meeting with Commissioner Abrams

A County Update – with Commissioner Steven Abrams

By Fred Scheibl on October 28, 2015

Appointed by Charlie Crist in 2009 and twice returned to office, Steven Abrams is currently our

longest serving Republican Commissioner, and one of only two out of seven (Hal Valeche is the

other, elected in 2012).

Speaking at our October lunch, Steve gave a relatively upbeat synopsis of the county economy,

describing the low unemployment and other official statistics, as well as anecdotal “unofficial”

measurements such as the uptick in traffic, tourism, and garbage collection.

The commission isn’t typically partisan he said, noting that they were in general agreement about

allowing Uber to operate in the county, but there are exceptions.

Next week for example (Tuesday at 5pm) Mayor Vana is holding a public hearing on a county

proclamation to support the Obama Executive Amnesty, and asking that the state of Florida with-

draw from the lawsuit opposing it. If you think such unilateral amnesty is unconstitutional, you

may want to attend the meeting and give them your thoughts.

In the Q&A, the commissioner was asked some substantive questions concerning the upcoming proposal for a 1 cent

sales tax to fund infrastructure, and Monday’s vote to allow more development in the Ag reserve.

The sales tax proposal, if approved, would appear on the November ballot, but because both Fire/Rescue and the School

System would also like to increase the sales tax, it may or may not happen. As you consider this possibility, remember that

this September, the county passed the largest budget, with the largest adopted tax in county history. The millage did not

increase, but the significant run up in property valuation produced a massive windfall. Steve spoke about the possibility, but

did not say one way or the other whether he supports the sales tax referendum. A voted General Obligation Bond issue is

also on the table to fund roads and bridges.

On the Ag Reserve (that area west of Boca, Delray and Boynton where the county bought $100M worth of land to keep

in agriculture), they just voted to ease the rules on selling development rights for small, non-contiguous parcels. This will

have the effect of increasing the number of houses that can be developed by about 1000, although Steve argued that the total

will not exceed the amount envisioned in the master plan in 1999 (which is about 14,000 homes). What he didn’t say is that

the way the land has been developed to date, the contiguity rules limited it to about 13,000. To his credit, Steve has a well

thought-out set of reasons for his yes vote, and it is a relatively complex issue pitting

developers and small landowners against environmentalists and groups like the League

of Woman Voters.

Several candidates or their surrogates were in attendance, including CD18 candidate

Rebecca Negron. Club VP Meg Shannon spoke for CD18 candidate Rick Kozell, and club

Treasurer Bette Anne Starkey spoke for Jeb Bush.

Join us for the next lunch on Wednesday, November 18th where we will present a

tribute to our troops and veterans with Colonel Arthur DeRuve.



Boca Raton Regional Republican Club

On Thursday, October 29, the Boca Raton Regional Republican Club held a membership social at the lovely home of Club

President Armand Grossman and his wife Gina. More than 150 people attended the event, which included brief talks by local

elected officials including Palm Beach County Commissioner Steven Abrams, Boca Raton City Councilmen Scott Singer

and Jeremy Rodgers, Florida’s National Committeeman Peter Feaman, and Palm Beach County GOP Chairman Michael A.

Barnett.

The Club’s next scheduled event is a Holiday Party on December 11 at the Boca Country Club, being held jointly with

the Republican Federated Women of South Florida. For information on the Boca Raton Regional Republican Club, please

contact Sue Snowden at [email protected].


Palms West Republican Club

The Palms West Republican Club's next meeting will be at:

Miguelito's Cancun Grille

11121 Southern Blvd.

Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411

On: Wednesday, November 18th.

We start gathering on the enclosed patio at 6:00pm. Meeting begins at 6:30pm.

The Palms West Republican Club is in a rebuilding mode and we're looking for new members.

We have new officers and a new attitude.

We invite Republicans from the Western Communities to join us.

Our goal is to help Republican candidates win elections in Wellington and the other Western communities.

If you would like to help, are just curious, or are interested in talking with like minded Republicans from the Western

Communities, we hope you'll join us.

Left to right: Larry Snowden, BRRRC Club President ArmandGrossman, Gina Grossman, and Brian Mast.

More than 150 guests attended the BRRRC membership socialat the home of Armand and Gina Grossman.


It may seem early to begin considering the municipal elec-

tions of Boca Raton in March 2017 but I assure you it is

not….

Please indulge me with pondering the possibilities raised

within this article below.

A bit of history…

In the 2014 City Council elections, residents had the

opportunity to replace four seats on the Council. Mayor

Whelchel was termed out and Deputy Mayor Haynie

elected to run for the Mayor’s spot; Councilman Majhess

vacated his council seat to run against Deputy Mayor

Haynie; Robert Weinroth ran for and was elected to the

remainder of the Majhess term; Scott Singer ran for the seat

Haynie vacated and was elected unopposed; Councilman

Mullaugh ran and was elected for his second and final term.

The outcome actually resulted in two new faces on the

Council, Councilmen Singer and Weinroth.

In 2015, two additional opportunities presented them-

selves. Councilwoman Constance Scott was termed limited

out and replaced by Councilman Jeremy Rodgers in a three

way contested election.

Councilman Weinroth ran and was elected unopposed to

a new full term in the previously-held Majhess seat.

At first, these changes seemed refreshing, yes… but not

nearly enough to have changed the inbred anti-resident atti-

tude which still, to this day, remains…

With no elections in March 2016, attitudes of contempt

and disdain for an involved electorate still carry the day.

Citizens can present sentiment by the volume and, even

when coupled with facts, still receive the proverbial ‘back

hand’ from City Staff as well as a collective nonresponsive

Council…

So what to do….

March, 2017 is but a mere 17 months away and cannot

come soon enough. That election cycle presents an even

greater moment than 2014 to change the status quo.

Three seats will be in play….

Mayor Haynie is expected to run for a second and final

term; Councilman Singer is also expected to run for his sec-

ond and final term; and the vacant seat of Councilman Mul-

laugh becomes an open seat as Mullaugh is termed out, and,

by City Charter, cannot run for a third term.

Qualifying for these three seats will open in December

2016, a mere 14 months from now. To date, one candidate

has announced for the open seat; Joe Panella, a longtime res-

ident of Boca Raton. Others are currently considering enter-

ing the race but are not ready to announce as of this time.

So why a “Shell Game”….

Outlined below is a summary of Boca Raton’s Municipal

Election events and a 5-year timeline chart from March

2015 to March 2020. The outline provides great cause for

concern if changing the insidious behavior towards resi-

dents from past and current Councils is to happen.

Summary of Municipal Events

Presented below is a flow chart that outlines the course

of events in Boca Raton over the next five years based on

the following assumptions:

1. Mayor Susan Haynie is reelected in March 2017 and

chooses to run for other office in November 2018.

2. Councilman Scott Singer is reelected in March 2017 and

chooses to run for other office in November 2018.

In Boca Raton, in the event of a vacancy in the of office

Mayor, the Deputy Mayor succeeds to the office of Mayor

until the last day of March following the next regular City

election.

In Boca Raton, in the event of a vacancy in the office of

City Council, the remaining Council members, including

the Mayor, will fill the vacancy by appointment by a major-

ity vote. The person appointed will hold office until the last

Boca Raton Elections—March 2017—A ‘Shell Game’ Maybe…

By Alfred ZucaroOctober 19th, 2015

City of Boca Raton Municipal Timeline

March March March March Nov. March March

Officials Up for Election 2015 2016 2017 2018 2018 2019 2020

No election No election

Mayor Susan Haynie Yes Yes, must resign to run Deputy Mayor would complete term

Jeremy Rodgers Yes Yes If Deputy Mayor Appointment until March 2020

Deputy Mayor Robert Weinroth Yes Yes If Deputy Mayor Appointment until March 2020

Scott Singer Yes Yes, must resign to run Appointee would complete term

Michael Mullaugh Term limited If Deputy Mayor Appointee would complete term

ELECTIONS—continued on next page


day of March following the next regular City election.

There is no provision in the City Charter to fill a vacancy

by special election.

Since there will be no City election in Boca Raton in

2019, any vacancy created by the resignation of the Mayor

in November 2018, regardless of what office she runs for,

would result in the Deputy Mayor completing the remainder

of her term.

Since there will be no City election in Boca Raton in 2019,

any vacancy created by the resignation of Scott Singer in

November 2018, regardless of what office he runs for, would

result in an appointment by the remaining Council members,

including the Mayor, for the remainder of his term.

Considering the above, let’s explore the possibilities that

exist. County Commissioner Steve Abrams is term limited

in November 2018. State Representative Bill Hager is also

termed out in November 2018. Both these seats are natural

political progressions for Boca Raton City Council mem-

bers. Residents have seen this progression in the past with

former Mayor Abrams now serving as County Commis-

sioner; and, former City Councilmember Hager serving as

State Representative

So if the Mayor and/or either of the two Councilmem-

bers elected in March 2017 were to ‘resign to run’ for these

available seats, the rules outlined above would prevail. The

unfilled Mayor’s term would be filled by the Deputy Mayor

and the unfilled Councilmember’s term would be filled by

appointment of the remaining four Councilmembers. This

is truly worrisome to those residents looking to change

overdevelopment as a continuing pattern.

The ‘resign to run’ law requires a sitting elected official

to irrevocably resign his/her elected position effective the

first day that elected official would take the oath of office

for the seat sought, win or lose.

As you can see, the stakes are even higher now than in

the March 2014 election cycle. Not only is the 2017

Mayor’s election result important for all the obvious reasons

but another item of import exists. The Council’s appoint-

ment to the Deputy Mayor slot is a significant item given

the method in which that seat is filled until the March 2020

election cycle ….

And since any vacancy to a City Council position is also

filled until March 2020 by appointment of the remaining

Council members, residents need to be extremely vigilant

in this election cycle or forfeit any ability to change the

course of events for years to come….

Perhaps ‘Shell Game” is a bit harsh but the political play-

ers are sure to be dancing to the music … and as for the

future of this city, the residents’ vision of what Boca Raton

is and will evolve to be is definitely at stake….

Alfred Zucaro is an attorney, practicing in the area of immigrationlaw for the majority of his career. Currently he is manager/memberof Palm Beach Investment and Finance LLC, a USCIS approvedregional center identifying foreign investment leading to perma-nent resident status. He served as a City Commissioner in WestPalm Beach from 1995 to 2002 and as the President of the CityCommission in 2000/2001. He has also been a member of and/orserved on the Economic Council, the Business DevelopmentBoard, the Film and Television Commission, the Tourist Develop-ment Council, the Workforce Alliance and the Palm Beach Inter-national Film Festival, and founded the World Trade Center PalmBeach, an organization that focuses on international economicdevelopment. He currently serves as Parliamentarian to the PalmBeach County Republican Party.

This article is reprinted courtesy of BocaWatch,www.bocawatch.org.

REPUBLICAN PARTY OFPALM BEACH COUNTY

November 2015 issue of the Newsletter, published monthly bythe Republican Party of Palm Beach County. The views andconclusions expressed herein are those of the authors and donot necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial staff, RECBoard of Directors, or the Palm Beach County RepublicanExecutive Committee. Letters to the editor are welcomed butshould be no longer than 500 words and may be edited forlength and content. All submissions are property of their respec-tive authors and may not be reproduced without prior permis-sion of the author. Any comments, questions, or other feedbackshould be directed to [email protected].

Mission Statement

The Republican Party of Palm Beach County is committed topromoting Republican ideals and principles; recruiting andelecting qualified candidates for public office; developing agrassroots organization that will motivate the electorate to vote;and raising the funds necessary to complete these objectives.

www.palmbeach.gop

OfficersMichael A. Barnett, Chairman

Tami Donnally, Vice Chair

Cheryl Mullings, Secretary

Jane Pike, Treasurer

Peter Feaman, State Committeeman

Cindy Tindell, State Committeewoman

Ryan Hnatiuk, Executive Director

ELECTIONS—continued from previous page


On Wednesday, November 4, 2015, a capacity crowd of

concerned South Florida residents gathered at the

South County Civic Center in Delray Beach to hear Mr. Ilya

Shapiro, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, speak. Mr.

Shapiro is a constitutional lawyer and he spoke and

answered questions from the audience for two hours. His

topic was the Constitution and how it is consistently being

violated by the Obama Administration.

“This [Obama Presidency] is the most unconstitutional

administration in history,” he declared. Proof of that claim

rests in the fact that White House lawyers win only 42% of

their cases brought before the Supreme Court, while the his-

torical average for previous administrations hovers around

the 70% mark. Despite widespread dissatisfaction among

Republicans over the persistent efforts of Obama to resort

to unconstitutional means to further his agenda, there is

good news in all of this for conservative voters concerned

with his lawless approach, since most of it can be over-

turned by a Republican president “with the stroke of a pen,”

according to Mr. Shapiro.

The real problem, however, is not so much with execu-

tive branch orders that can be easily overturned, but rather

with decrees issued by his agencies, such as the Environ-

mental Protection Agency.

Putting things in historical context, Mr. Shapiro

explained that all administrations try to grab as much power

as they can, and indeed, the Constitution was set up for the

three branches of the federal government to compete with

each other for power, with the idea being that they would

“check and balance” each other. That intended check on any

one branch gaining too much power is less effective because

of gridlock. The public is frustrated by this gridlock in their

government, but the reason for such gridlock is that the two

parties are lined up ideologically more now than ever before

in the history of our republic. For most of our history con-

servatives and liberals were well represented in both parties,

but today they are not, thus making it much harder for the

compromise necessary to get things done. As Mr. Shapiro

said, by not going through the normal constitutional process

of working with Congress to pass legislation and instead

resorting to fiat from executive branch orders and agency

regulations, the Obama Administration has ensured that the

things it does get done can be easily reversed by a more

conservative administration in the future. Unfortunately for

the President and his Democrats, so eager to do an end run

around the normal processes for change enshrined in the

Constitution of the United States, nowhere in that document

does it say that if the executive branch can’t get anything

done through the normally constitutionally-mandated

process of working with the legislative branch of govern-

ment should it resort to executive branch fiat to enact its

desired agenda.

Follow Mr. Shapiro’s talk, the answer to one question

from the audience was particularly interesting. The consti-

tutional expert from the Cato think tank in D.C. was asked

if Lois Lerner could still be prosecuted in the future, with a

new president and attorney general in place. Mr. Shapiro

said she could be, since no double jeopardy was involved,

because a jury had never been empanelled and charges have

never been brought. Although he was not asked, I’m sure

many in the audience were wondering if the same thing

might apply to presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

Senior Fellow from the Cato Institute Addresses Republican Jewish Coalition

in Delray Beach

Ilya Shapiro, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute.


As one of the three original incorporators of the Vietnam

Veteran's Memorial on the Mall in Washington DC, I

was particularly interested in visiting the “The Moving

Wall” during its recent appearance here in South Florida at

the Sportsplex Park in Coral Springs, October 22-26.

The Moving Wall is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Traveling half-sized replica of the original in Washington

and has been touring the country for almost thirty years. It

is the brainchild of John Devitt, who, upon attending the

1982 dedication in Washington, felt the positive power of

“The Wall” and vowed to share the experience with others

across the country who did not have the opportunity to see

the original memorial in D.C.

Mr. Devitt, Norris Shears, Gerry Haver, and other Viet-

nam veteran volunteers built The Moving Wall, and it was

put on display for the first time in Tyler, Texas in October

of 1984. Two structures of The Moving Wall now travel the

United States from April through November, spending

about a week at each site.

A sponsor is any organization or group of individuals

that wants The Moving Wall to visit their area and is willing

to do the work to make the local arrangements as described

in “Scheduling a Visit of the Moving Wall.” Sponsors are

frequently civic groups, schools, or veterans' organizations.

Sponsoring normally requires months of planning by

dozens of local volunteers.

Paper is provided at the site for visitors to take with them

a “rubbing” of one of the names on the wall of those brave

Americans who gave their lives in the Vietnam War in serv-

ice to their country. As I mentioned, “The Moving Wall” is

half the size of the original in DC and is a rewarding way

for one experience “The Wall” without having to make the

trek to our nation's capitol.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall Visits South Florida


Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and The War Years,

one-volume edition. By Carl Sandburg. New York:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co., 1954.

There have been thousands of biographies of Abraham

Lincoln written since his assassination in 1865 and at least

some of them have been worthy of this titan of American

history. Until recently I had read four of them, repeatedly

delving into another author’s take on the life of this great

man, never fully satisfied with what I was getting. At some

point, perhaps five years ago, I became convinced that Carl

Sandburg’s six-volume biography of Honest Abe was as

good a portrait of America’s martyred president as was

available and the one I needed to read. I have had it in the

“cart” at Amazon ever since, until recently, when I realized

there was a book now available that condensed the author’s

original six volumes into one. So I purchased the book and

read it, and I am pleased to report that the experience has

left me feeling quite vindicated in my research and choice.

This is truly a great book, by a gifted American writer

who is known to tens of millions of Americans and was

President John F. Kennedy’s favorite poet. Indeed his style

in writing this superb biography of Lincoln soars to such

heights at times that it almost sounds like great poetry.

In fairness, with the subject of the author’s biography

being someone like Abraham Lincoln, whose lofty rhetoric

was second to none in human history, it would be difficult

not to wax poetic at times, but Mr. Sandburg captures the

awesome stature of this greatest of men like no other. From

an early age Lincoln revealed his formidible humility, wit,

sense of humor, and perhaps feelings of great things to

come. He penned the following when he was nine years old:

Abraham Lincoln is my nam

And with my pen I wrote the same

I wrote in both hast and speed

and left it here for fools to read

Abraham Lincoln his hand and pen

he will be good but god knows when

Indeed, eventually, he was “good” and then some! He

had many fine qualities that impressed all those who

crossed paths with him. He was unusually persuasive when

he wanted to be, prompting one observer to say, “He can

pump a man dry on any subject he is interested in,” and a

lobbyist he served with in the legislature noted that he was,

“raw-boned, angular, ungraceful, almost uncouth . . . and

yet there was a magnetism and dash about the man that

made him a universal favorite.”

No one has ever spoken with more eloquence or crafted

language that soared higher than Lincoln did when he wrote

or spoke, especially about subjects of which he was partic-

ularly passionate. Like slavery, for example: “As a nation

we began by declaring ‘all men are created equal.’ We now

practically read it ‘all men are created equal, except

negroes.’” And this, perhaps his most often quoted words

railing against the abomination of the slave trade and the

mortal threat to the republic that it represented: “We are

now far into the fifth year, since a policy was initiated, with

the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end

to the slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy,

that agitation has not only, not ceased, but has constantly

augmented. In my opinion it will not cease, until a crisis

shall have been reached, and passed. A house divided

against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot

endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect

the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to

fall—but I do expect that it will cease to be divided. It will

become all one thing or all the other.”

One can’t help to wonder how a man like Abraham Lin-

coln would have done in this telegenic age in which appear-

ance and good looks count for so much, however unde-

servedly. Listen to how Sandburg describes him: “He looked

like an original plan for an extra-long horse or a lean tawny

buffalo, that a Changer had suddenly whisked into a man-

shape. He didn’t wear clothes. Rather clothes hung upon him

as if on a rack to dry, or a loose ladder up a windswept chim-

ney. His clothes, to keep the chill or the sun off seemed to

whisper, ‘He put us on when he was thinking about some-

thing else.’” Perhaps his soaring prose and wise and morally-

based prescriptions for the nation’s ills would have carried

him through even today, but it does leave one to wonder how

many potentially great men and women we leave out of pol-

itics in today’s good-looks-obsessed society.

When Lincoln took the oath of office in March of 1861,

he knew what was coming and rose to the occasion, with

rhetorical flourish during the closing lines of his Inaugural

Address that few, if any, have ever achieved in the history

of the spoken word, capturing the moment in a way that will

live forever in the hearts and minds of his countrymen. After

a long silent pause on the steps of the Capitol, he said: “I am

loathe to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must

not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must

not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of mem-

ory stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave, to

every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land,

will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched,

as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

Abraham Lincoln soars like a giant in the pantheon of

great Americans, at least in the opinion of yours truly, and

so does Carl Sandburg, bringing him to life for generations

of Americans in this biographical, Pulitzer Prize-winning

masterpiece. Read it and find out why we Republicans

should all be proud that in a sense, the leader of our Party

will always be Abraham Lincoln.

—Tom Mullings

Book Review


“It is up to us in our time to choose wisely, between the hardbut necessary task of preserving freedom, and the tempta-tion to ignore our duty and blindly hope for the best whilethe enemies of freedom grow stronger day by day.”

—President Ronald Reagan, March 23, 1983

“We should have across-the-board cuts in our budget[including defense].”

—Sen. Rand Paul

“We don’t have to be the world's policeman.”—Jeb Bush, presidential candidate

Any rational assessment of

potential threats to America’s

security today would identify

three key areas that have become

increasingly dangerous with

each passing year of the Obama

Administration, and those areas

will require immediate vigorous

reengagement on our part in a

post-Obama world.

These three regions of the

world are the Middle East,

where jihadists are rapidly gaining ground; Europe, where

Russia has invaded and annexed parts of Ukraine and Geor-

gia; and the ocean areas surrounding the eastern shores of

China in Asia, where China is claiming sovereignty over

thousands of square miles of international waters. In these

three regions, threats to our country have been metastasiz-

ing and are a direct result of President Obama’s own flawed

world view. Many on the right believe that the president has

no strategy abroad, but that is mistaken. He does have a

strategy, however misguided. Call it the “Obama Doctrine,”

and its central premise revolves around the naive belief that

American power abroad causes more harm than good and

if withdrawn will result in a more stable, ordered, peaceful

world. This neo-isolationist viewpoint would be better

suited to a much earlier time in American history and is all

but criminally irresponsible in the 21st century, when the

flight time of an ICBM with a nuclear warhead to an Amer-

ican city from any point on the globe is less than half an

hour. The president’s worldview reflects a complete lack of

understanding of how nation-states compete for power with

each other, and the vital necessity for the United States to

do so successfully on a global basis. Instead, focusing on

the obvious immorality of such a competition has filled him

with a desire to withdraw from it, while failing to realize it

is impossible to do so without increasing the danger to the

security of the free world. By promulgating his Obama Doc-

trine, he is naively setting an example for the rest of the

globe to follow, and, fervently convinced of the high-

minded morality of his cause, he actually believes that he

is leading mankind to a better world, when in fact what he

is actually doing is allowing the jihadists, Putin’s and Xi’s

of the planet to fill the three vacuums that he is creating as

fast as he is emptying them of American power.

There is a second element to our leader’s flawed strategy

that trespasses into the world of fantasy. The president actually

believes that the world has changed and the above age-old

power struggle between nation-states no longer exists. He has

given plenty of evidence of actually believing in this fantasy

as when he speaks of such a competition as “belonging to

past” or when he says things like “No nation can or should try

to dominate another nation.” He actually believes that kind of

thinking is the product of an earlier age and no longer in play.

This is naive utopian thinking of the worst kind for a president

of the United States to engage in, and has guaranteed that the

American ship of state is being captained by a man who hasn’t

a clue about human nature. He is, without a doubt, what the

KGB used to re fer to as a “useful idiot,” and his unsufferable

gullibility is being exploited to the max in three dangerous

regions by jihadist, Russian and Chinese leaders who possess

no such illusions about the nature of human power.

He would vociferously disagree with the above critique

of his policies, of course, pointing to his air strikes on ISIS

in the Middle East, his agreement to provide Ukrainians

with some military assistance, and his recent sending of an

American warship within 12 miles of a Spratly Island reef

being illegally reclaimed by the Chinese as evidence that

he is not “naively” withdrawing “American military power

abroad.” But these are but bandaids being placed on severed

arteries, designed to give political bragging rights to a pres-

ident determined to reassure millions of under-informed

American voters, while his Obama Doctrine proceeds

smoothly apace without so much as a ripple of hesitation.

What is needed now is to rebuild our military might since

our defense budget is too small to effectively counter the

growing threats we face in these three regions of the world.

Many may wonder about that claim, given the fact that U.S.

EAGLES RISING!—continued on next page

EAGLES RISING! United States Global Grand Strategy in the Ruinous Wake of the Obama Doctrine

by Tom Mullings

Editor’s Postscript


defense expenditures are larger than those of any other coun-

try. But there is a reason for that and it is critical for our secu-

rity. America has a vital interest in being able to project mil-

itary power far from her shores in order to provide for her

own security and that of her friends and allies around the

world, and it does this better than any other nation on earth.

Unfortunately, such capability does not come cheap and is

in fact the most expensive way to use one’s military.

In order to decide how much to spend on defense expen-

ditures, we first need to assess the threats we face from

abroad, and our defense outlays should be based on what is

needed to successfully meet those threats. The rest of Amer-

ica’s national budget should be based on what we can

afford. Most Democrats do not see defense spending this

way and neither do some Republicans, such as Sen. Rand

Paul, who thinks that cuts to rein in out-of-control federal

spending should be borne across the board.

Those who believe we should not be the world’s police-

man don’t really understand our country’s unique role. As

Lyndon Johnson once said, “We didn’t choose to be the

guardians at the gate, but there is just no one else around

capable of doing it.” And someone needs to. Twice before

EAGLES RISING!—continued from preceding page in the past 74 years the U.S. has provided humanity just

such a global policing role, rising up under the leadership

of two great presidents, one a Democrat—Franklin Delano

Roosevelt in 1941 and the other a Republican—Ronald

Reagan in 1980, to successfully remove a similar trio of

totalitarian threats to the cause of human liberty. Today, in

2015 it has become necessary to do so again, and we need

to reclaim our rightful leadership role among the nations

and rise to the challenge. Again as in the past a massive mil-

itary buildup and modernization program is needed to

increase the size of our armed forces to adequate levels to

defend against three growing threats to our security. When

fully reinforced, we should reassert our righteous place as

guardians at the gates of democracy, letting rise this mighty

host of eagles to defend the free world against a new unholy

trinity of callous monoliths, deterring where we can and

conquering where we must, because “the price of freedom

is” and always will be “eternal vigilance.”

Tom Mullings is a decorated Army infantry combat veteranof the Vietnam War, who served as a scout dog handler withthe 173rd Airborne Brigade. He was one of the three orig-inal incorporators of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial inWashington, DC, and is a long-time Republican ExecutiveCommitteeman from precinct 5154 in Palm Beach County.

Dear Palm Beach County Republicans,

You may now purchase tickets to the Sunshine Summit. For general information regarding the Sunshine Summit, please go

to: http://www.sunshinesummit.gop/

To purchase tickets, please go to the following link:

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/sunshine-summit-and-statesmans-dinner-registration-18637666763.

Please feel free to send these links to your friends, fellow activists, and anyone that may be interested in attending this event.

We want a big big turnout from Palm Beach County! If we get enough people to join us, we may charter a bus for a modest

cost, first come first serve. More details to come on that later. Thank you and please join us in Orlando this November!

Michael Barnett, Chairman

Republican Party of Florida (RPOF)Sunshine Summit and Statesman’s Dinner, November 12–14

Republican Party of Palm Beach County Page 14

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