 |
| Here's the context and the missing puzzle pieces to Thursday's political stunt that turned what should have been a congenial, Christmas themed final BCC meeting of the year into one of the worst spectacles any of us have seen in decades on a public dais. |
Since the absolutely cringeworthy disaster of a BCC meeting last Thursday "happened"--I have been inundated with well wishes and curious questions from friends, supporters, and family alike--the jist of which has been "What the heck was that all about."
The public is genuinely puzzled by that embarrasing, unprofessional, rustic, inartful, and utterly bush-league display at public forum and subsequently at the commissioner's forum at the follow-on regular meeting. In answering an intelligent, reasoned comment to an earlier blog post--I felt it might be instructive to put a stand-alone post up with my answer to that poster's comment and request for the basis for that attack----in order to add some real, factual context that today's front-page hit piece conveniently left out.
And to add the missing pieces to the puzzle.
Thursday's meeting spectacle was a calculated, coordinated hit on me by one commissioner, his secretary (who's currently running a shadow campaign for my seat), and one citizen (who himself is a rabid acolyte of disgraced formercounty commissioner Doug Underhill and ally of Stroberger and Kohler).
Three people.
Out of 340,000 citizens in Escambia County.
Ho hum.
Meanwhile the D2 commissioner, Mike Kohler, is very well aware (as is most of the 4th floor) that County Employee Steve Stroberger is running for my seat, because Steve Stroberger himself (Kohler's Secretary) has widely made it known he intends to run against me for the D1 commission seat; he's been making the rounds on the fourth floor, he's asked attorneys in the County Attorney's office if he "really has to resign to sign up to run against Jeff Bergosh", to which he was told, "Yes." I'm also told Stroberger has made inquiries of local campaign check writers downtown about their level of potential support for his candidacy, to which I'm told he received a tepid, flaccid response.
I've heard anecdotally Stroberger had a lunch in the IPC with Clerk of the Court Pam Childers who was encouraging Steve to run against me. "You can do it, Steve!" was the flavor I'm told. Good for him! He should immediately sign up and run against me. I welcome that!
So yes, he's currently making feeble attempts at running a shadow campaign for D1 commissioner--Encouraged, condoned, and with complete support from his boss "Pious" Mike Kohler. Perhaps Kohler should demand an investigation of that?? Last time I checked---- you must register at the SOE's office to start fundraising and campaigning for office? I wonder if the new "paragon of virtue," "Pious" Mike Kohler will be so discriminating, demanding, and hypercritical about what's happening in his own office currently? Probably not.
Meanwhile, "Pious" Mike speaks for himself only, not for the board, with his outrageous, embarrassing spectacle of a "demand" for an investigation.
One administrative employee said to me, after that spectacle, that he was personally embarrassed for the county and had never seen such a disgusting stunt pulled in a public meeting by a sitting board member or a board employee in decades. Decades. Others have expressed the same disgust.
So here are the FACTS that are the missing "puzzle pieces":
First off: D2 Secretary Steve Stroberger speaks for himself only, not for the county and not for the Republican Executive Committee or the Republican Party--when for his personal political expediency only he blabbers and stammers at the podium with outlandish allegations which are baseless followed by calls for my removal from office. It's all an attempt at a political hit, designed to gin up a hatchet piece in the PNJ which they knew would follow, to potentially score a right cross to my face politically, metaphorically speaking, in the court of public opinion. (Interesting only PNJ did a piece on this, no WEAR story as of today, no NorthEscambia story, and No Rick's Blog story. It seems to me these other, legitimate local news sources--- by their not covering this mess--- are telling the PNJ, overtly, "Quiet, the adults are talking")
So it's an orchestrated attack by Kohler, Stroberger, one citizen and the PNJ. Nothing more.
That's what this is, was, and will probably be up until August 20th. So be it.
Meanwhile, I continue to find it fascinating that suddenly "pious" Mike Kohler (Has a ring to it, "Pious"
