Broward’s Political Hypocrites: DuBose, Edwards, Jenne, Jones, Moskowitz and Williams Vote To Gut Sunshine Law
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Bobby DuBose, Katie Edwards, Evan Jenne, Shevrin Jones, Jared Moskowitz and Patricia Williams – all from Broward – are state representatives of The People.
Apparently that label has a great big footnote.
They are representatives of The People only if The People don’t get too pushy and want to know what is happening with their government.
These six House members – all Democrats — voted this week to whittle away parts of the Sunshine Law.
Bobby DuBose: Voted Against Sunshine Law
They voted for HB 843, which would have allowed two government officials to meet and discuss public business in private.
Such discussions are currently only allowed at public meetings.
Luckily the bill failed, but not before these Broward politicians voted what is apparently their true belief: The public can’t be trusted to know about public business.
Electeds have been trying to gut the Government-in-the-Sunshine Law since it was first enacted in the late 1960s. Dozens of exemptions have passed. Yet few were as bold HB 843, which would have had far reaching negative effects on government transparency.
That six Broward House Democrats supported such an undemocratic bill is shocking.
The Florida Democratic Party website states:
“Democrats believe that changing politics in Tallahassee means ensuring that government is open, transparent, and responsive to the people. Democrats are committed to enacting sweeping ethics reform to limit the influence of special interests and lobbyists and ensure that government is accountable to the people — and only to the people.
“These days, it seems that special interests get all the attention of our state leaders, from favors dispensed in closed-door meetings to million-dollar taxpayer giveaways, while regular Floridians get shut out of the political process. Real accountability means abandoning the poll-tested gimmicks of the past, which have served as a smokescreen for politicians to keep on practicing business as usual.”
How could any righteous Democratic office holder vote for less transparency and more business behind closed doors?
Obviously DuBose, Edwards, Jenne, Jones, Moskowitz and Williams didn’t get the message.
Proving their membership in the Phonies-of-the-Year Club, Jenne and Moskowitz switched their vote after the final tally was counted. By then the measure had already gone down to defeat.
Jared Moskowitz: Phony
State Rep. Joseph Geller, a Dermocrat who represents southeast Broward, got it right when he told the Miami Herald about the bill’s defeat,“This is a tremendous victory for the public. Not every day we’re up here is it the public that wins, but on this occasion, the public won.”
Rep. Kristin Jacobs, D-Coconut Creek and a former Broward County commissioner of 16 years, also understands the importance of public participation in government.
Kristin Jacobs: Voted To Save Sunshine Law
“The public’s input matters and has the ability to change or alter the outcome of any item on their agenda,” Jacobs was quoted in the Herald.
DuBose, Edwards, Jenne, Jones, Moskowitz and Williams?
They call themselves state representatives upholding Democratic Party principals, but there is another more appropriate name for them:
Hypocrites.
May 3rd, 2017 at 1:20 pm
DOESNOT LIKE DOING BUSINESS IN THE SUNSHINE — Jack Seiler’s Fort Lauderdale is still trying to figure out who approved spending $8,000 in taxpayer’s funds on Bobby DuBois retirement party.
May 3rd, 2017 at 1:57 pm
Wow Buddy Nevins had something negative to say about Katie Edwards! Can you also give her grief for sponsoring a medical marijuana Bill that prohibits the smoking of marijuana? That is not what the people voted for.
May 3rd, 2017 at 2:44 pm
I doubt Fake Media could get anything done if they had to invite the public into every meeting they held. This bill would have still required a final vote in public allowing certain meetings between office holders to be private. It was a good compromise.
May 3rd, 2017 at 3:18 pm
http://dos.elections.myflorida.com/initiatives/fulltext/pdf/50438-3.pdf
This is what 71% of Floridians voted for.
May 3rd, 2017 at 3:31 pm
It gets worse, Buddy!
Joseph Geller did the right thing, as we would expect him to do. Geller is a founding member of Florida’s first-ever Legislative Progressive Caucus, a group dedicated to fighting for Democratic values and priorities.
But: Evan Jenne, one of the two spineless worms who betrayed Democratic values and then tried to cover it up by changing the vote after the fact, is also a founding member of that same group! This is how Evan Jenne stands up as a progressive lawmaker for Democratic values and priorities?!?
http://floridapolitics.com/archives/236725-legislative-progressive-caucus-formed-florida-house
May 3rd, 2017 at 3:50 pm
@ WOW … completely agree. Buddy has given Katie Edwards ridiculously positive coverage. This kind of unbridled political opportunism is just nauseating. Nice to see Buddy finally got it right on Ms. Edwards this time.
May 3rd, 2017 at 8:50 pm
Shame on them! Sunshine is the best disenfectant … let’s remember to clean house at the next election!
Buddy … be sure to remind your peeps at the right time.
May 3rd, 2017 at 8:52 pm
The real question is why aren’t the state legislators held to the same standards imposed on school boards and cities? The business of the people of the State of Florida should be conducted in the Sunshine regardless if you’re a state legislator, a city commissioner, or school board member!
May 4th, 2017 at 7:46 am
Their are few and far between in government The People can trust anymore. And these pompous pieces of trash keep getting reelected because of favors.
New blood? Rare….unless they commit to the devil too.
And we’re supposed to respect & trust them……HA!
May 4th, 2017 at 8:51 am
Look, in fairness, Florida statutues that govern HOA and condo associations allow less than a quorum to speak to one another about business without violating Sunshine. And in Broward, we have HOA’s and condo associations with larger budgets than some cities.
In Ohio and elsewhere, there are strong Sunshine laws that are not as stringent as those in Florida. Few would invest in any private company worth hundreds of millions or billions of dollars where the board of directors could not speak to one another. It would generate lack of confidence, even suspicion.
Sunshine limitations about what constitutes a “meeting” are outdated.
In counties with Inspectors General and other mechanisms to check ethical lapses. Not having the ability to speak to colleagues on boards at least on a 1:1 basis is harmful to the public they serve because it is the chief cause of local government dysfunction, and the rule is unevenly applied — our state or federal officials are exempt yet it applies to counties, cities, authorities and boards.
There are better controls that do not require vows of silence as if these officials were monks. It is just part of what makes Florida into Floriduh.
It bears mention that the State Senator who grandstanded this requirement into law years ago, later became a county commissioner. And the first jailed for violating the Sunshine provision he himself had championed. How’s that for chickens coming home to roost?
May 4th, 2017 at 9:51 am
Broward’s fairly un-American “urban Democrats” casting a vote for corruption and concealment? Why am I not surprised. This bunch is the worst of the worst. They make Fort Lauderdale’s “Crooked” Jack Seiler look like Thomas Jefferson.
May 4th, 2017 at 11:43 am
Oh course they did. It’s pretty common for reps from Broward to run for local office after they term out in the legislature. I’m sure that they were just looking out for their own futures.
May 4th, 2017 at 12:57 pm
To Sheila: Because the state legislators made the rules for everyone but themselves. The same is true in D.C. Congress which will give poor people poor health care, but we,taxpayers, pay for Congress to have excellent free lifetime health care!
May 4th, 2017 at 1:48 pm
@Read the fine print
I know how to read does your nitwit “lawyer” Rep. Edwards? Do you know what a parenthesis means? Grab a grammar book.
(4) “Marijuana” has the meaning given cannabis in Section 893.
02(3), Florida Statutes (2014), and, in addition, “Low-THC cannabis” as defined in Section 381.986(1)(b), Florida Statutes (2014), shall also be included
in the meaning of the term “marijuana.”
(5) “Medical Marijuana Treatment Center” (MMTC) means an entity that acquires, cultivates, possesses, processes (including development of related products such as food, tinctures, aerosols, oils, or ointments), transfers, transports, sells, distributes, dispenses, or
administers marijuana, products containing marijuana, related supplies, or educational materials to qualifying patients or their caregivers and is registered by the Department.
Unbelievable incompetence or a compromised politician.
May 4th, 2017 at 4:23 pm
How about tone deaf howdie doodie Marty Kiar posting a Star Wars salute on Facebook not long after Republicans in the House repeal the ACA.
How about less self aggrandizement on social media and more work.
May 5th, 2017 at 4:12 pm
I will weigh in with an unpopular, contrarian view. HB 843 was a pragmatic proposal to make local government more effective, and to encourage compromises that get things done. Bargaining, vote trading, negotiating, back room deals (whatever one wants to call it) — example: “If you help me on this project for my district, I’ll help you on one for your district” — would end the parochial stances and outcomes held by many local elected officials. The reality is this is how elected officials could get meaningful things accomplished more often and make city/county commissions more efficient. Sometimes it may be better not to see how the sausage gets made, if it produces better results for the residents.
May 6th, 2017 at 3:45 am
@16 – What it’s called is “corruption”. Ron Gunzberger is now on record as being in favor of corruption. Duly noted!
@8 – Sheila, you get exactly correct what Stacy Ritter completely failed to understand! Ritter actually thought the lameness & weakness of anti-corruption rules at the state level were a goal that local government should work toward!! And with her actions (like the infamous “Ritter Amendment”), Ritter personally worked to weaken Broward County’s defenses against corruption. It’s likely that Ritter knew far in advance about the corrupt practices at the Tourism office, and that Ritter decided on exactly that basis that taking Nikki Grossman’s place would be the perfect thing for Stacy Ritter to do!
May 6th, 2017 at 9:42 am
@ 16 … Now that I see Mr. Gunzberg’s post, I feel all the better about my position. Just incredible that he would out and out endorse the practices described in his post. Makes you wonder about the kind of advice the Sheriff is getting.
May 7th, 2017 at 12:45 pm
# 1 . I have been saying for months where’s the 8grand. I know its amazing what you can do w/ other people’s money(our tax dollars going for parties, I’ll say(8g)). This money should be returned to the city.As far as him and the others(katie who knew, very surprised). Did you hear baby Moskowicz. That he pressed the wrong lever,button etc.Sure. Now run,run to Daddy….
May 12th, 2017 at 11:49 am
@18 — The world has been this way since way before Julius Ceasar wore short pants. That is called compromise, politics, everyone has a thing to do for their own. If you want a group to cooperate with you then there must be reciprocation or it doesn’t work. Grow up.
May 13th, 2017 at 9:08 am
Why hide the conversation behind the scenes. Have the conversation or deal making in the public. Why hide like other higher elected posts? Hold your local officials to a higher standard. If a commission in Broward can not accept a bottle of water/box lunch at event without reporting it, why would we want officials to make back door deals. This policy would not make sausage, it creates an atmosphere ripe for criminal and unethical activity.