Aide To Republican Running Pro-Crist Website
BY BUDDY NEVINS
An aide to the only Republican county commissioner and the vice president of the Broward Young Republicans is running a pro-Charlie Crist website.
Ryan Reiter, who is administrative coordinator to the GOP’s Commissioner Chip LaMarca, registered the pro-Crist “VoteCharlieCrist.com” website January 11.
Reiter is also listed as vice president of the Broward County Young Republicans on the group’s website.
Former governor Crist is a much-talked about potential Democratic candidate for governor.
“I don’t know anything about it,” LaMarca said.
LaMarca later called back to say he would “forbid” aides in the future from taking any role in politics.
He added that it was his understanding that Reiter developed the website “to sell it.” He said Reiter bought “VoteRickScott.com” also to sell it.
Unlike the Crist site, “VoteRickScott.com” currently has no content. It is apparently for sale.
“VoteRickScott” is currently operated by Domains By Proxy, LLC in Scottdale, AZ.. It was formed by Reiter in January 2013, according to ewhois. GoDaddy.com reports the information on its file about “VoteRickScott” was updated June 4, the day this story was posted.
The pro-Crist website website states (Link on the first sentence):
Florida needs a proven leader! Charlie Crist has shown in the past that he can lead Florida into prosperity, and we need your help to do it again!
You can help us move Florida forward by staying informed and we will keep you informed when events are happening, and action is needed!
Take a few seconds to fill out the contact form below, and together we can move Florida forward!
It states it was written by the administrator. The administrator of the website is Reiter, according to information from GoDaddy.com.
First Amendment rights aside, it is a major faux pas for an aide to an elected official to take political stands which appear to be at conflict with your boss.
Said one former aide:
“ It is assumed that you are always acting on behalf of your elected member, or are at least acting with their explicit acceptance of the action.”
He put his (boss) into a vulnerable situation, which is the absolute worst thing a political aide can do. Chip is really in a box. His choices are either look like he’s thrown his aide under the bus, a move the public generally hates, or stand by his aide and risk making alienating his base and Republican financial support.”
Here it is. Although the date is in 2012, it wasn’t registered until this year. Click to enlarge:
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, LLC
Domain Name: VOTECHARLIECRIST.COM
Created on: 11-Jan-13
Expires on: 11-Jan-14
Last Updated on: 29-Jan-13
Registrant:
Ryan Reiter
4613 N University Dr.
#481
Coral Springs, Florida 33067
United States
Administrative Contact:
Reiter, Ryan ryanmreiter@gmail.com
4613 N University Dr.
#481
Coral Springs, Florida 33067
United States
9546875266
Technical Contact:
Reiter, Ryan ryanmreiter@gmail.com
4613 N University Dr.
#481
Coral Springs, Florida 33067
United States
June 4th, 2013 at 8:44 am
Is this Lamarca guy for real? Thanks buddy for letting us know. The more I hear about him, the more disgusted I get.. Seems he has turned into a democrap.. We need a real Republican on the county commission. When is he up for re-election?
June 4th, 2013 at 9:35 am
To my knowledge, Ryan was not employed by Commissioner Lamarca in January. If this is the case the quote, “ It is assumed that you are always acting on behalf of your elected member, or are at least acting with their explicit acceptance of the action.” holds no ground. It’s impossible to act on behalf of your “elected member” if you are not at the time of website creation employed by one.
Since Ryan’s time of employment, he has not updated the site, as the last update listed was over 4 months ago.
What message about freedom of speech does this send?? If one day you may possibly be employed by a county official you better not express any type of political opinion “just in case”. Seems silly to me.
June 4th, 2013 at 9:39 am
And to add on, we should be thanking Ryan for his time dedicated to furthering the GOP cause! He has served the BCYR for a while now, and is a great asset to the parties youth.
Last time I checked, the GOP didn’t have the luxury of pushing away the youth vote because they disagree with one of their opinions. Isn’t that how Obama won in the first place????
GOP WAKE UP! Do you think you will win 2016 without garnering the under 30 vote??
June 4th, 2013 at 9:50 am
@Ashley. “The GOP didn’t have the luxury of pushing away the youth vote because they disagree with one of their opinions.” I guess the YRs stand for nothing and that their officers can work for Democrats in the future. Crist was already in the Democratic camp in January, having given a speech for Obama at their convention and having campaigned for him.
June 4th, 2013 at 9:53 am
Reiter should resign from the Young Republicans.
June 4th, 2013 at 10:02 am
To respond to the person who didn’t even leave a name for me to respond to:
I do not care for Charlie Crist, I care about the PRINCIPLE that people have a free right to support whoever they wish while not being employed by an elected official.
However, I would expect that someone like you who is too afraid of leaving a name by your comment would oppress the right to free speech.
You blanket statement that the YR’s stand for “nothing” is the EXACT reason why young people feel pushed away from the party. Thank you for proving my point, and I hope that you are willing to volunteer more and donate more of your money to compensate for the loss of new active GOP members.
June 4th, 2013 at 10:15 am
Please spend your time attacking the Young Democrats, not the YR’s. None of us want to work along side hypocrites. I’m sure you were one of the 30 plus who complained that young people are so blinded by the liberals, and that’s why Obama wins the under 30 by wide margins.
You have a group of young people working hard to push the GOP cause by volunteering, holding meetings, and donating money. Rather then helping them and supporting them, you have chosen to attack them and undermine them. SAD.
June 4th, 2013 at 12:01 pm
Ever wonder why the Republicans will never grow in Broward County: They eat their own, especially the young. That’s the reason they are mostly old, white and male in the GOP.
June 4th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
Ah to be a Young Republican in Broward County, FL, USA. It must be real confusing.
June 4th, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Ashley,
I like your attitude. The Republicans need more Ashley’s out there bringing in young Republicans. You are the only thing that will save your party. Too bad they don’t realize this.
@Juana: Brilliant.
June 4th, 2013 at 2:15 pm
Chip is going to have a lot of problems now that his long time aide Ryan Saunders has left his employ to become a priest. I knew Ryan from BREC, as President of Beach Republicans and from Chip’s office, there was not a better aide one could ask for. Ryan was so devoted to Chip, he attended events with Chip even on his own time. Ryan was a true Republcian through and through.
Between this Rieter fellow and Chip’s other aide John Newstreet this office is at best Repuboican lite or worse a stealth group hoping for a Crist come back.
Somehow despite Ryan Saunders working for Chip from the beginning Newstreet was hired with a higher title and more pay. Many of us in BREC thought this was very strange and disloyal considering Newstreet seemed very Crist like.
John Newstreet (former state director for George LeMieux) spent a whole day with leftist farm workers group
http://nfwm-yaya.org/2010/08/day-in-apopka-with-senator-lemieuxs-state-director-john-newstreet/
And he sounded pro-gay marriage too:
http://www2.orlandoweekly.com/news/story.asp?id=3414
June 4th, 2013 at 3:56 pm
If that is the case, and it was done prior to the employment, it is a failure of the employer/elected official, in this case Chip, to properly vet his aides. He failed to do so.
The article is not criticism of Mr. Reiter, its criticism of LaMarca for being so disconnected from what his staff is doing
The answer Mr. Reiter gave opens up a whole host of questions and makes it worse for chip. Is he using his public position to leverage his private political business? Was he approaching people on state time to sell these websites?
Why would Charlie or Rick Scott buy his website when they could get “ElectCrist2014″ or Elect-Crist” or “CristforGovernor” or “CharlieCrist.com” for the simple registration fee.
If chip is this disconnected from what’s going on in his own office, why should the taxpayers believe he knows what’s going on elsewhere?
June 4th, 2013 at 4:33 pm
So, Disappointing, you can’t be a Republican and be ok with same-sex marriage? If you are a Republican in this county, you best be a FISCAL conservative only or you wont get anywhere.
June 4th, 2013 at 4:36 pm
Is being a Republican and being a moderate (or even a liberal) an oxymoron? Well at one time, the party of Lincoln thru Theo. Roosevelt, Republicans were the liberals. The conservatives were the Democrats.
Republicans were anti-slavery, pro-reconstructionist, pro-civil voting rights, large purchasers of federal lands and large federal spenders, pro-funding of infrastructure improvements for cities and states, plus were anti-war and against spending money on the military.
Well, Republicans, while paying allegiance to Lincoln and other “Liberals” of their party, disavow anything that they stood for when the party was created.
How times have changed.
June 4th, 2013 at 4:37 pm
@2 – Awesome analysis! Great work, Ashley!!
But regarding your other posts: given the depth of the GOP’s emphatic rejection by young people (due largely to its Jurassic viewpoints on social issues such as gay marriage), exactly what makes you think that the GOP would be of interest to young people (other than those very few young people who seriously consider Gordon Gekko to be their role model)?
June 4th, 2013 at 4:40 pm
Well excuse me! I agree with my good friend Ashley. Ryan Reiter is a fine young moderate conservative Republican. Plenty of moderates gravitate to Governor Crist. So what??? Although Nick Stone the Broward YR president has always been a strong Crist supporter, he will keep Ryan on the straight and narrow. BREC members know Chip’s former aide Mr Saunders was always trying to keep him as a staunch Republican even if it hurt Chip. Saunders wanted him to endorse that fool Rick Perry. Reiter is a breath of fresh air. Moderate is not a dirty word. Tom Truex doesnt like it but the Broward YRs are carrying the moderate GOP banner into the 21st century! Excelsior!!!
June 4th, 2013 at 4:50 pm
Buddy
Please confirm since the website is now removed, the site not only had a picture of Crist (giving the appearance it was pro Crist) more importantly, it also solicited those who wanted to support Crist to give their personal contact information to the administrator of the site.
It is one thing to cybersquat and buy a website hoping it gets bought. It is another thing to be a Republican operative soliciting individuals to give their personal informtation to a web administrator under the lie it is a pro Crist website. This is called phishing.
Let us speculate, if the republcian party bought the site and the contact information it is not too much to speculate said information would have been used against the Crist supporters. Do we really believe this fine young republican would have sold out his party to give this to help Crist.
FROM BUDDY:
I put up a screen grab I made on my cell. Check it out. I think it will answer your questions.
June 4th, 2013 at 6:39 pm
I am not surprised to see this at all. LaMarca/Pozzouli and friends were McCollum fans four years ago and Rick Scott knows it. As a result, LaMarca/Pozzouli have no standing with the current Governor. Now, they are placing their bets on Crist because they know that is their only shot at regaining influence. Pathetic and sad, but true.
June 4th, 2013 at 7:23 pm
Reiter is a commission aide, not a campaign aide, at this time. What he does on his own time is his own business provided it is not illegal or unethical. It is not as if politicians are even allowed to ask a political registration when hiring so lay off.
June 4th, 2013 at 9:22 pm
What kind of disclaimer was on the site. Its obviously electioneering to collect peoples names that support a candidate.
June 4th, 2013 at 10:12 pm
I think the comments about John Newstreet are way out of line. I know John from his work with Gibbons alumni and I think he is great. As well he brought Chip LaMarca to our events, myself and many others have found Commissioner LaMarca to be a great guy and Gibbons supporter.
June 5th, 2013 at 9:05 am
I wish Saunders the best, he served this County and Commissioner LaMarca with dignity and respect. Ryan reminds me of my fellow cadets from the Citadel that I was very close with in my time there.
All the best in your pursuits.
June 5th, 2013 at 9:48 am
That’s the problem. Do you really believe that a commission aide isn’t using his position to further his private business?
June 5th, 2013 at 11:22 am
A Lamberti staffer is pro Charlie Crist? What a mind blower! A kid who uses “rational” ryan as his personal website likes Crist? No surprise. But I assumed LaMarca was a real Republican. Guess this proves otherwise. Tea Party needs a real candidate to back in 2014
June 5th, 2013 at 7:04 pm
If you go to Electcharliecrist.com
its a lot more accurate a website for Charlie!
June 5th, 2013 at 7:59 pm
So basiccly this guy Ryan who is Chip Larmarca’ aide, is pitching his video marketed to Charlie Christ. Ok so what is the big deal? If this was done on County time, if he was @ work, well then we have a proplem. If this was done on his own time then I don’t see anything wrong. Dumb though if he wanted to impress Comm.larmarca. Although if Ryan produced say a video w/ the Gov, then everything would be peachy. Lesson learned Comm.Larmarca you are a county comm. Poltical mumbo-jumpo. Be my commissioner. I could care less if you are a democrat, or Republican. Be careful you are up for election next year. You do not want to alienate any democraphic. Look @ it this way-“eveybody’s money is green”. Learn that & welcome to my world..Although I don’t have a wine celllar big boy…..
June 7th, 2013 at 2:25 pm
I hear Lamarca’s Aide Ryan Saunders “voluntarily” resigned in the wake of this article being posted. Now the whole LaMarca campaign team from 2010 is out. Come join your fellow former aides to Broward electeds who have been fired or who “voluntarily” resigned on the third Friday of each month at Cheers for karaoke. Please come by, I have been looking for a partner to do “Killing me softly”.
June 10th, 2013 at 7:18 pm
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/elections/fl-palm-beach-republicans-broke-20130610,0,5108376.story
4:29 p.m. EDT, June 10, 2013
Palm Beach County’s Republican Party is reeling from a falloff of financial support that’s so severe the party’s two professional staffers were laid off last week.
“It’s downsizing,” Ira Sabin, the county Republican chairman, said Monday in a telephone interview. Technically, he said, the party headquarters in West Palm Beach is still open — because there are two months remaining on the lease. […]
June 10th, 2013 at 11:27 pm
Rumor has it that Brec’s paid guy Michael de gruccio cant be let go because he reset all the computer passwords and only he know the passwords .smart guy if true