Napkin Man Part IV

The infamous "Napkin Man" has struck again, sending me the below screed lionizing soon to be former county commissioner doug underhill.  Interesting what he, napkin man, thinks is a victory--he (napkin man) obviously must not know that currently the soon to be former commissioner is #1.) under threat of removal by the governor any day now, #2.) is defending multiple lawsuits simultaneously ( including one in his state case where he (underhill) was ordered to provide discovery within one week and also to pay all court costs associated with his rejected motion for continuance), #3.) is accruing tens of thousands in ethics fine penalties and legal fees associated with appealing the recent decsion where the non-partisan Florida Commission on Ethics recommended a $35,000.00 fine and his (underhill's) removal from office, and #4.) sweating out also what could be an forthcoming indictment for perjury according to some familiar with the lies he told under oath during a deposition.  Whew--that's a mouthful--but like Vince from Shamwow used to say "But wait, there's more!"   In addition to living in what could be described as a human-sized crucible/pressure cooker turned up to full blast--he also is coming to grips with reality of loss over his epic failures one after another as a commissioner which led to him not bothering to run again--a good decision for him to make.  All of this following his (underhill's) devastatingly lackluster--actually failed-- legacy as a commissioner where he lost all working ability with his peers, lost all his committee assignments, lost most of his district in the latest re-districting, and lost all ability to be effective.  No wonder he decided to blow off so many meetings and leave an empty chair on the dais to represent his constituents?  And to further solidify his legacy of failure--he ran not one but two opponents against another sitting commissioner in 2016 and 2020 where both of those candidates failed in epic fashion--in large part due to his (underhill's) lack of any coattails whatsoever for them to ride.  He actually hurt both of those candidates' chances, LOL.  Now, as he leaves the commission wounded and with a whimper limping out the door, with no fanfare or sendoff whatsoever for his 8 years of failure,  after libeling and slandering his peers on the board, family members of some members of the board (including me, my brother and my wife), average ordinary citizens and even former and current employees of the county--after all of these machinations he, underhill,  (Like Charlie Crist, apparently) even switches party allegiance by supporting a Democrat in the D4 election for the county commissioner!!!  Wow, what a desperado--switching party allegiance after all that failure, an avalanch of failure, in a desperate attempt at renewed relevance.  But then the failure continues:  He chose, unwisely, to publicly support the Democrat over a Republican and he RAILED against the county's very wise EDATE ballot initiative in last night's election.  He even got about a dozen minions on one chat site to support him in this.  Unsuprisingly given his 0 batting average, non-existent ability to lead,  and utter and total legacy of defeat---his (underhill's) advocacy held no weight whatsoever---Robert Bender beat doug underhill's girl #MyraVanWho? by a healthy double digit smackdown, and the county's EDATE sailed to victory by nearly a 10-point margin.  Beat down central.  Ugly beat down of the sort that you see at some football games.

So I say all that to say--I don't know what weird metaverse reality in which "napkin-man" resides--and I don't know what he considers a brilliant victory--but he (napkin man) is either delusional, off his meds, or hallucinating and  very badly mistaken if he somehow thinks underhill was a victor in any way whatsoever.  As Private Hudson stated bluntly in Aliens and might point out to "napkin man" "I don't know if you are keeping up with current events pal--but he just got his A$$ kicked in there!

"Napkin -man must also think Monty Python's flesh wound = a victory.

Napkin man is a strange bird......I hope he keeps sending me his thoughts.  They are amusing.  I wonder if napkin man's real fake identity is Tallman?

Everyone Brings Joy

Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain both had famous quotes that essentially said the same thing.  A positive way to look at things related to human interaction is to say EVERYONE brings joy--people we like, and also people we dislike.  The trope goes like this--"Everyone brings joy--some as they arrive, others when they leave."

Thursday marked the last meeting for one of the Escambia County Commissioners, Doug Underhill. 

That brought joy to many.  Champaigne corks were popping all over town I am certain.

 But his last meeting was uneventful, nobody gave any speeches or accolades, he didn't give a soliloqy, and the meeting ended with very little fanfare. in  my 16 years in public office locally watching a lot of last meetings--that really was a first.  Most often--in my experience serving for a decade and a half-- when an elected official or long term employee leaves a board or organization after serving multiple terms--there is a strong turnout for the last meeting--with family,  anecdotes, standing ovations, and multiple speakers lauding such a person's accomplishment(s).  I saw it on the School Board, and we've seen it on the BCC.  Not so Thursday.  

Commissioner Underhill even had an agenda item to present multiple plaques to all of his board appointees most probably in anticipation of such a sendoff.  He only presented one however---because only one appointee showed up.  So the rest of his plaques remained stacked in a bag behind the dais.  He didn't even think to recognize his most loyal, most ardent supporter and lifelong best friend and ally (and secretary) Jonathan Owens.  He must have really been discombobulated due to nobody showing up to his last meeting.  But failing to recognize his best buddy and out of town meeting attendee travel companion Jonathan Owens was a spectacular faux-pas.

Why are you always after Doug Underhill some might ask?  

Answer--I'm not.  I'm just playing defense against this guy and his lies, libels, and slanders hurled my direction over the last 6 years.  He not only attacks me, but he lies about my family members to include my wife and slanders and libels her, me, and even my brother.  He calls Commissioner Barry a thief, and says the most horrible things online about Commissioner Bender and May as well.  Lies, lies, lies.  He calls constituents "PuS*y" he calls students "miscreants and insurgents" and he is the commissioner who has had more public records complaints, federal and state lawsuits, ethics violations, and censures than any other commissioner in the history of the county.  Now, the Florida commission on ethics have recommended he be fined $35K and REMOVED FROM OFFICE for 5 sustained violations.

So yes, his departure is just in time and brought joy to many.  For my part, I actually felt sorry for him in a way.  And the day of his last meeting I actually said a prayer for a peaceful day and I prayed for his family.

That was hard for me to do, I admit that, but I did it.

One of his most ardent, loyal, obsequious and vituperative supporters from about 12 that bee-hive online on a facebook chat site few look at even sent an email to me stating her displeasure about some picture she saw online that she felt was "Tacky, unclassy, and embarrasing"  --she also included her number which to me illustrated she wanted to discuss it.  So I called her back yesterday and explained why so many people were happy--and her response to me was "It's my birthday today-you're not going to ruin it, you are full of SHI#!  FU@% you! she screamed as she hung up on me!  Then she went online and said I was "stalking her" LOL.  And then subsequently only printed a snippet of the email I sent back to her after she attempted to Dog-Cuss me out for having the audicity to return her call and speak truth to her.  She posted a snippet--but no mention of her cursing, F-bombs,  and histrionics--so it was totally non-contextualized and inaccurate.  Not surprising.  So I'm going to post my full response to her for posterity, right here.  I tell you, some of these Underhill die-hards just can't see the forest for the trees...they would have been among the first to follow Marshall Applewhite on his magic starship meteor journey.   But I'll never be anyone's pinata--I'll always defend myself and my actions, even as some may not like this.  Too bad.  My letter to this individual, after she said to me "You're full of SH!&!!!!  FU#K  You!!!--is below:

"Your opinion means nothing to me or anyone else.  You are irrelevant.  You sent a BS email with an attack and I responded. Period.  Because I’ll always stand up for myself and repel BS attacks from the likes of you.  Remember, what is truly “tacky” and an embarrassment is someone like you banging away on the keyboard all day long in support of your God and hero Doug Underhill while lying about the other four of us that do our jobs and get things done.  Remember, your hero Doug has more ethics complaints, lawsuits (federal and state) and censures than any other commissioner in the history of the county—and now a non-partisan board of impartial ethics commissioners has recommended he be removed from office and fined $35K for 5 violations of ethics statutes.  I guess all those folks just “had it in” for Doug LOL.  No, it’s him and his conduct only.  And now he is gone and spontaneous celebrations and champagne corks were popping all over town after his last meeting on the 3^rd.  Understand that.  Now, run along and post this to ECW so you and about 12 others just like you can have it rattle around your heads.  And, remember, you contacted me with a BS email and your phone number meaning you obviously wanted a call back—which I did.  You just didn’t want to hear the reality of the situation when I called you.

 

 

Jeff Bergosh

Chairman of the Board

 & District 1 Commissioner,

Escambia Board of County Commissioners"

Read the Final Order from the Ethics Commission on Commissioner Doug Underhill

 

The Florida Ethics Commission, as of late yesterday afternoon, sent to the Governor their final order in the Doug Underhill investigation, where they recommend a punishment of $35,000.00 dollars, public censure and reprimand, and removal from office for his five violations of Florida statutes related to ethics.  

Read the final order and public report,  hot off the press,  here.

It is my understanding that Commissioner Underhill's attorney, Mark Herron, has already filed a notice of appeal.

Ethics Commission Sends Recommendation to Governor Regarding Commissioner Doug Underhill.....

 The Florida Commission on Ethics has now, as of late yesterday afternoon, sent a letter to Governor DeSantis reducing their recent decision on Escambia County Commissioner Doug Underhill to writing, memorializing their recommendation that Commissioner Underhill be fined $35,000.00 Dollars, publicly reprimanded and censured, and removed from office.  Read the letter, below.

"Your Honor....I Recommend a Censure and Public Reprimand......for My Client in this Case" (Paraphrased)

In the ongoing, ugly saga of one sitting Escambia County Commissioner's continuing, seemingly never-ending legal battles and ethics hearings comes now an interesting turn of events.

No, this is not his federal nor his state court case on withholding public records/violation of civil rights.

No, this has nothing to do with his previous cases where he was defending against allegations he libeled a local businessman.

No this isn't about his previous public censure by his counterparts on the Board

Nope--not those cases, not those issues.  

This is an ethics case where he, this one commissioner on the Escambia Board of County Commissioners,  is alleged to have violated a host of Florida Statutes regarding ethics.

In the current case before the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings--which is rapidly coming to a conclusion-- two recommended orders were filed yesterday.

For the State, the order submitted seeks to make the case that the commissioner committed multiple violations and as a penalty recommends this particular commissioner, Doug Underhill, be removed from office.

But the truly surreal thing is that the defense's recommended order, while seeking to disprove a majority of the charges---actually acknowledges that the state proved, to a clear and convincing standard, that Underhill did violate at least two Florida statutes.  This order (from Underhill's own lawyer) goes on to recommend to the Judge that Underhill be publicly censured and reprimanded.  

Wow.  

Read the advocate's proposed recommended order.

Read Underhill's attorney's proposed recommended order.

Ultimately it will be up to the Judge to decide, and it is anticipated this ruling will occur in early August.

Should Doug Underhill be Censured---Again?

At least one angry citizen believes he needs to be---- based upon some misinformation that was put out by the District 2 office in last week's sparsely attended town halls... Read the email we all received, below:

"Dear Commissioners,

During the last three town halls your fellow colleague on the board put out false information on the record on video and it is now posted on your website about the redistricting process and the laws and requirement you are to follow.

As a citizen it is my belief, for you to allow that behavior to stand without a public reprimand is very poor practice for the Board of County Commissioners to allow especially at the juncture of the ten year redistricting process.

It needs to be clearly, documented in writing and in the record of what was false info and what is the truth and available to be reported in local media, published n the agenda and subsequent minutes.

It is my suggestion that you review those recordings and document, in a more concise fashion. what was said to the constituents that is untrue, write in clear language what is in fact true, put it on the agenda and up for a vote prior to the December 2 vote to adopt the published maps.

Otherwise you just have these falsehoods hanging in the public domain.

I believe the chairman viewed the videos and documented some of the outright blatant information that was put out but not yet in an official capacity, only on his blog, and he also posted the letter the attorney sent to you.

It is my thought you should not allow that to stand because it foments division and unnecessary unrest and problems for good governance in a professional manner in Escambia County. The Censure motion is appropriate because it is your duty as a government body to correct bad behavior of another member.

We are governed by rule of law and specific guidelines, not propaganda and falsehoods so please add this to the agenda ahead of time, fully documented, take the vote to Censure, then vote to adopt the map that was settled upon by the joint bodies of local government in the time frame specified by the county attorney.

To let that hang out there unchallenged should not be condoned. 

Of course some is gobbly gook rhetoric but especially that the redistricting does not have to be done or that McMillan being followed is racism by the board.

Are you really going to allow that to stand?

 Sincerely

XXXX  XXXXXXX

Escambia County Citizen"

On WCOA This Morning at 7:15 To Discuss the Censure of Doug Underhill

 Last night the Board of County Commissioners voted 4-1 to publicly censure Commissioner Doug Underhill.  It happened at the end of the meeting, after the revelation by the attorney that Doug had threatened her.  Another high-ranking employee corroborated this story, telling me "He told me the same thing, that he was going to continue to attack her reputation until she resigns"

So after the written account of this behavior was circulated by the attorney, I made the motion to censure Doug.  I do not take this action lightly, and this sort of a vote does not occur frequently.

In fact, I cannot recall locally the last time in the past decade any elected official has been censured locally.

13 years ago, when I was on the School Board, we publicly censured Superintendent of Schools Jim Paul for his DUI arrest that was a disruption within the school district.

That might have been the last time a censure of a locally elected official occurred.

So while it is largely ceremonial with no real ramifications--It's not something that happens every day.

But it is a stinging, public rebuke that draws immediate press coverage.

PNJ has already covered it, and it led the 10:00 news on WEAR last night.

Some of the conduct coming out of the D2 office is nothing sort of reprehensible and unacceptable, this censure was a long time coming.  Although Underhill, his secretary John Owens, and office intern Conor Mann can run us down online--nobody cares and even fewer pay any attention, outside of about a dozen or so keyboard warriors on a facebook chat site.

So Underhill and his aide John Owens can meet up with cartoonist Andy Marlette over Schlitz Beers and Crackaroni and Cheese at the Elbow room to conspire to do cartoons and unflattering PNJ editorials on members of the board and the county attorney---none of that will be remembered in the long run.  Dumb cartoons that nobody cares about will fade away into the noise of the internet...

What will be remembered, what will always show up top of the page on Google, is a stinging, public rebuke like the censure we issued last night to Underhill,  dutifully covered by the very press Underhill had previously, apparently, been protected from.

We will discuss this and more later this morning on Rick's show at 7:15