Why is Navy Federal Credit Union--Through Spokesman Bill Pearson--Working with our DPZ Communications Consultant AGAINST the County's Economic Development Strategy?

As I continue to go through dozens and dozens of emails that were dumped last night--I keep finding indications that the Escambia Board of County Commissioners has been purposely undermined.

A few weeks back--a flyer with misinformation/disinformation began making the rounds in "chain-style" emails.  I figured it was a disgruntled resident perhaps.  Maybe it was one of the folks that want us to build thousands of residential housing units on OLF-8 (A concept I have opposed from day 1).

NFCU Public Affairs Manager Bill Pearson
sent this unflattering email --above--to our alleged 
consultant team's communications
director--who then spread it to those in the
community who are most vitriolically opposed
to any commerce on OLF 8

Now-it appears as if the mystery has been solved.  The individual who wrote the talking points, according to this email trail, is a gentleman named George Stephenson.  I don't know him, wouldn't be able to recognize him if he walked by me in a room.

As a citizen he is entitled to his opinion and to say whatever he wants about the project.  He has the freedom of speech.  This is America--not Myanmar or China.

But here is where the story goes sideways....

It looks as though Travis Peterson (one of our supposed team members at DPZ that is making $200 per hour working "for" the county)  has fed his distilled talking points  on our economic development strategies--commerce parks in particular--to NFCU executives and these "No Commerce Park on OLF-8" individuals--including George Stephenson.

And the spin on what was sent was unmistakably negative.  For instance, a recent unsuccessful bid to offer 10 acres of our Technology park was spotlighted by Peterson.  But wait--- Travis Peterson was alerted to the Tech Park issue via an apparently unsolicited email from NFCU Communications Director Bill Pearson! (above, right screen capture)

And as if all of this isn't bad enough---then I find this email document where Navy Federal Credit Union spokesman Bill Pearson is editing the bullet points of the "No Commerce Park on OLF-8" groups position paper.

And I am seeing various other emails where NFCU brass like Bill Dagnal are brought into the loop.

I am also seeing LOTS of emails where a loose Navy Federal Credit Union led "confederation" is meeting on topics that appear to be highly negative on the county's commerce parks in general and a commerce park at all on OLF-8 in particular.  Interestingly--I do not see any county staff--you know, the client--copied on any of these meeting announcements/calendar dates.  Was the county represented there?

Here's a couple of questions:   I thought we were doing a plan that was supposed to be fair, balanced, and unbiased, taking all citizens into account and all concepts into account.  A compromise.

What I am reading in these emails looks nothing like a compromise.  It looks like a conspiracy between and among some citizens actively opposed to the commerce project at OLF-8, Navy Federal Credit Union senior employees, AND the communications director for the County's Consultant--DPZ!

I am going to ask a lot of questions today and request every public record email in DPZ's possession at today's meeting.  I need to know how/why this was allowed to happen, this apparent undermining of arguably the most important economic development project in our area in generations.

And if NFCU is simply "on the sidelines and impartial"  as their president Keith Hoskins proclaims in this article linked above, working with the county on a good plan--Why the heck is NFCU, through spokesman Bill Pearson--working against the county's economic development strategy?

More importantly--Was Bill directed to do this, and if so, by whom?