Seiler: Earl’s A “Fool” Who Didn’t Influence My Vote
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler said his vote against keeping City Manager George Gretsas was bolstered by a flood of e-mails opposed to the manager.
Yet just a week before the Gretsas vote, Seiler blasted the man responsible for almost two dozen of those e-mails â€â€Earl Rynerson.
He called him “a fool” yet used his e-mails?
Seiler said there is no contradiction.
Hmmmm.
In his e-mail to a constituent a week before the vote, Seiler called Rynerson “a fool who doesn’t even try to find or print the truth.
Not everybody agrees with the mayor about Rynerson. Residents who cut and pasted Rynerson’s screed against the city manager filled Seiler’s inbox.
Wasn’t the work of this “fool part of the mayor’s justification for voting against Gretsas?
Absolutely not, said Seiler.
Seiler said he only mentioned that there were many e-mails against Gretsas to give balance to the November 17 debate about the city manager’s fate.
The city commission audience consisted of mostly Gretsas fans.
“I bought up the e-mails to show that there were other opinions outside of the meeting, Seiler said.
One thing that hasn’t shifted is Seiler’s opinion of Rynerson:
“Earl Rynerson and his e-mails had absolutely nothing to do with my decision. Earl Rynerson is an individual who ran for office and other than running for office has had nothing to do with the City of Fort Lauderdale. I don’t read Earl Rynerson’s irresponsible blog because he makes no attempt to give both sides of the story. He is irrelevant.
Ouch.
Here is what Seiler wrote a resident about Rynerson one week before the Gretsas vote. I underlined the portion where Seiler attacks Rynerson:
From: Jack Seiler
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 4:59 PM
To:
Subject: Re: The ridiculous salary of City Manager George Gretsas: An update-
Thanks for your input. I did not automatically renew his contract and that is why it is coming up for discussion and a vote. Best wishes.
p.s. However, please don’t ever send me an email from Earl — the guy is a fool who doesn’t even try to find or print the truth. You are the first reasonable person to send me his trash — everybody else has removed themselves from his email list.
December 9th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Seiler was following the instructions of lobbyist Judy Stern when he voted because she wants Gretsas out of the way to make it easy for her clients to get work.
December 9th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Mayor Seiler was right that Gretsas has to go. Just ask if the city is better off now than it was when Gretsas arrived. The answer is NO and a new manager is obviously needed.
December 9th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I hope I am wrong but I am thinking maybe Mayor Seiler is someone that try’s to isolate people that He wants out of the Game. Shameful not All Inclusive as He preaches.
December 9th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
George Gretsas is an arrogant, manipulating little twerp. Seiler is a man who stands on his own two feet and owes nothing to anyone. That mix inevitably produced a no vote from Seiler and it was the right vote to make. New commission, new policies, new management. There’s nothing more to it than that, and it’s completely understandable.
December 9th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
When entering the Army many years ago my father gave me advice that I keep to this day:
1. Don’t volunteer; and
2. Don’t ever put anything in writing that if obtained by an adversary, you’d be screwed.
I don’t know Grestas or his salary or his job performance. I do know that the mayor needs to take my dad’s advice on #2 above.
December 9th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Gretsas tried to create an empire in Fort Lauderdale with at least 13 flunkies making way more than $100,000-a-year owing their lives to him. Seiler did what was right because when you have cancer, cut it out.
December 9th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
I’m not sure what the point of this post might be. Are you implying that Seiler was influenced by Rynerson even though he denied it?
If so, then connect the dots. If not, then this is meaningless.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
The mayor is right because Rynerson is a fool and a pervert.