Nasty, Negative Lies Will NOT Win Elections... Don't Believe the LIES by a Losing Candidate

This authentic looking document is a fake that is actually a campaign advertisement (devoid of facts and without legally required campaign disclaimer) for one of my opponents in this Republican primary election.  Don't believe it because it does not represent the truth.

I have been contacted by multiple constituents about a fake, doctored "document" being circulated by one of my opponents in this Republican primary--- purportedly showing I have raised tax rates.

It is a LIE, don't buy it.      Use your logic and discernment to personally debunk this garbage--look at your own tax bills over the last 7 years.....ZERO chance the millage rate has changed.  ZERO!!

Desperate opponents ALWAYS go to the "Lie about your opponent" playbook when they FAIL to get traction and they know they are losing badly.

We have NEVER, in my 7 years on the BCC,   EVER raised tax rates.

 We grow the economy, grow the tax roll, apply a STATIC millage rate, and grow revenue yearly that way--- which we subsequently re-invest in infrastructure, services, and higher pay for first responders and employees. In addition to this, any homesteaded property in Florida and here in Escambia  is protected by the Save Our Homes CAP on assessed value--keeping year over year assessments at no greater than 3% yearly--meaning a 55% increase over 7 years is IMPOSSIBLE!  It is a lie.  (Check the official county budget site and see for yourself.  Our year over year millage tax rate has not changed ONCE since I joined the board.)

Don't believe the lies of a desperate campaign.

In six days this all ends for this candidate and his sign-defacing, sign smashing minions...... tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock,  6 days....

What do Desperate Campaigns Do When They Are Losing?

Political minions are systematically destroying our campaign's signs, defacing our signs, and stealing them.  This is typical, and for every one they break, I fix them promptly and install two additional signs.  They never win this game with me.  And they know it.

One of the greatest US Presidents of all time, Ronald Reagan, believed in an "11th Commandment"--A Republican shalt not attack a fellow Republican.  He said, "If we are aligned 85%-90% of the time--we're allies--not ENEMIES!"  He was right then, and this is still true today.  Regrettably, the political climate has devolved and sadly it has now become a free for all.  Among some candidates, but not all. 

You see---desperate campaigns and desperate candidates that are losing do desperate things.  They lie, cheat, and steal.  It is a disgusting reality at the national, state, and local level.

It is why most folks will never enter the political arena.  

It is hard on candidates, and it is hard on families, too.  But the work is important, and it has to get done, so thank God so many good people do step up and run for offices from the School Board to Congress to City Council, to State Senate, to US President.

I have run in a number of local races and I thank the Good Lord for being successful.  As a candidate, and as an officeholder.

But one unescapable reality of local politics is the negativity.  

Desperate opponents will do anything, say anything, lie, cheat, and steal to win.  

Negative politics can be effective at the state and national level.  In my experience, it does not work in local elections.  In fact, it is off-putting and actually works against a candidate who attempts it in local races.  I've actually been the beneficiary of opponents' dirty tricks, attacks, and lies in the past as these histrionics turned off the voters and pushed more supporters my way.

And I am proud of the fact that I have never once--- in any race I have ever competed in---not once have I ever gone negative or attacked an opponent in my political advertisements.  Not once, not ever.

Nevertheless, I have been on the receiving end of unfair, dishonest, and deplorable attacks in every race I have run (and won) in Escambia County from School Board to County Commissioner.

Sadly, this race will be no exception.

Fast forward to this race for D1 County Commissioner and I now have an opponent, via his wife, sending out texts and mail pieces full of lies about my record.  In addition to this, this same opponent through his supporters and political minions are systematically destroying our campaign's signs, defacing our signs, and stealing them.  This is typical, and for every one they break, I fix them promptly and install two additional signs.  They never win this game with me.  And they know it.

But now comes the lies via texts and mailers.  I'm not going to engage in negativity toward my opponent.  Voters have a way of sorting this out for themselves locally.  They will look at the platforms of each candidate, they will look at the resumes side by side, and THEY, the VOTERS, will make the choice of who to believe, and who is best for the job.  So let me take this opportunity to go through the lies and correct the record.  And by all means, fact-check everything I say, below.

Lie #1:  Jeff Bergosh used the government to punish his political opponents.  This is a lie on multiple levels.  Individual commissioners are unable to compel board or county action--it takes a public vote of the board to do anything.  In this instance--sensitve, confidential, privileged information was stolen from the county and is unlawfully in the possession of multiple entities and individuals.  The full board voted 4-1 to seek the return of this stolen county information (2:13 of this video), the Ethics Commission in Tallahassee is moving ahead with a disciplinary hearing for one former county employee who has this data, and the state attorney is reviewing this stolen data issue and contemplating criminal charges.  I never "used the government" to "punish" anyone and I never "admitted" doing this in a text message, because it never happened.  The individual who admits possessing this information is facing a $20,000 sanction at the Ethics Commission for what he did and he is a former political opponent ----who I dispatched in the 2020 election by 17 percentage points. 

Lie #2:  Jeff Bergosh raised your taxes.  It is an outright, bald-faced lie.  I have never once in my time in office voted to raise year-over-year millage rates.  NEVER.  We grow the economy, grow the tax roll, apply a STATIC millage rate, and grow revenue yearly that way--- which we subsequently re-invest in infrastructure, services, and higher pay for first responders and employees. In addition to this, any homesteaded property in Florida and here in Escambia  is protected by the Save Our Homes CAP on assessed value--keeping year over year assessments at no greater than 3% yearly--meaning a 55% increase over 7 years is IMPOSSIBLE!  It is a lie.  (Check the official county budget site and see for yourself.  Our year over year millage tax rate has not changed ONCE since I joined the board.)

Lie #3: Jeff Bergosh is in the pocket of big developers that want to change our way of life without political input.  This is another lie and simply an ad-hominem, baseless attack implying I am corrupt.  I am the candidate who will re-instate concurrency (which developers hate) I have made it publicly known I will demand a rewrite of our Land Development Code to be more modern and allowing for more public notice, and  I am the commissioner who will bring transportation mobility fees to our county.  All of these are in the works, and the developers DO NOT Want any of this.  I am my own man, I follow the rules, support impact fees publicly, and am in nobody's "pocket."

Lie #4:  Jeff Bergosh supported an illegal retirment plan, giving himself the option for up to an additional $57,000 per year in benefits.  This is a lie.  I never took the 401(a) plan, never was offered it once I became a commissioner, and would not have ever taken it because I am already vested in the traditional FRS Pension plan from my days on the School Board and to switch would not have been an option if I wanted to maintain the pension.  This 401(a) plan was in effect in the county and statewide for decades, and it was paid on locally, and "blessed" by Clerk Pam Childers every month from the date of her election in 2012 until 2021 when, after she got into a spat with several commissioners over hearsay and the board's firing of her "buddy" Janice Gilley, she suddenly, unilaterally declared it illegal.  Even though she had paid on it for ten years prior saying it was "legal."  Her lawyer questioned the legality, at her behest, our lawyer said it was legal, so litigation settled the question once and for all and the board has subsequently adjusted that plan accordingly and in adhearance to the court's ruling.  period, end of story.

Any candidate can lie to the people.  They can hide behind their prior record of military service as if it is some sort of sword and shield that allows them to say anything they want

Adding the Missing Pieces to the Puzzle for Context

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"

Retraction Requested of the PNJ

 

Important Facts Ignored in Latest PNJ Hit Piece that Attempts to Portray Me in a False Light with Actual Malice

I suppose I should not be surprised when a former employee of Gannett's PNJ called me yesterday and the conversation quickly went to the two recent PNJ articles that do not reflect reality and actually attempt to portray me in a false light deliberately.  Not the first time PNJ has done this to me, probably won't be the last.  Ironic that these antics always occur during campaign season......

"I'm sorry this happened and they did this to you, she stated.  When I was there, they had a strict policy of never printing anonymous documents they did not first independently verify"  said this former employee.  I guess they are justifying this publication by saying the "anonymous source" that provided them the stolen texts had a document that they verified with Jonathan Owens' copy.  Wait, though:  What if that copy was manipulated, and that  copy was provided to the PNJ's source  which matched up with Jonathan's--- but both of which are stolen and neither of which have actually been verified as accurate?  

Looks like journalistic integrity and standards have been lowered in the organization in light of poor economic performance, decrased relevancy (and subscriber numbers) and vanishing ad revnue coupled with higher costs.  Plus, it's easier to sell newspapers if the headlines are salacious, scandalous, and sensational.   Facts, who cares, right?

So in this morning's hard copy edition, they have once again published what is an outright falsehood, and did not bother to ask my side.  True, I said I would not comment on the ongoing federal investigation into how my data was stolen--- but I most certainly would have commented on this garbage quote.

"Using keyword searches related to public business, the News Journal reviewed the texts and reported that Bergosh referenced Edler more than 100 times in texts that seemingly should have been released as a matter of public record under Florida Sunshine Law, but were not." 

I have never once in 17 years as an elected offical failed to produce a public record, ever.  Not once, and I did not in this instance, either.  I'm not the disgraced former commissioner with more ethics violations, recommendations for removal from office, Federal and State lawsuits and continuing problems even after he left office than any other commissioner in the history of this county.  No, unlike that guy-- Doug Underhill----- and his acolyte, minion, secretary--- Jonathan Owens--------I follow the law to the letter even though I say things and do things the PNJ don't like.

So the fact is this.  I never received a request for public records related to these texts that I failed to produce, and I have never failed to produce any of my personal text messages regarding the Edler case. The county received voluminous requests for other emails and correspondence, and data requests, which the lawyers are working to fulfill via the discovery process.  Importantly:  The lawyers did not request these text messages under a PRR, nor did anyone else.  Had a request been made of me, I would have fulfilled it as I have always done and have a track record of doing.  But instead, my entire text file was stolen.  Mention of this was made by the lawyers for Edler via email on March 27th.  Attorneys for Edler sat on these purported text messages of mine for two months and did not provide them to the attorneys for the county until nearly two months later, on May 24th.  I was not notified until June that there was potentially a breach of my data, but I was concerned because I was never requested to provide my text messages relevant to this case because I was told the other side already had "all of them."

So instead of getting the facts from the source, PNJ runs with an article that intimates I failed to produce a record, which is a lie.  It is untrue. It is libel.

The truth of the matter is, this discovery process continues, and now we are working on a fair way to redact the files from my phone that were stolen in an attempt to protect attorney-client privileged communications, exempt records, and personally identifiable information that is contained within that stolen text file while simultaneously working to maintain our obligation to produce responsive records.  And no final decision has been made on what will be released because it is tied up in the courts.

First email notification March 27th, 2023

Escambia County finally  receives purported Bergosh text file, June 1

--Other notable falsehoods:  The "quote" the PNJ references about "no public data on private cell phones" is not the position of the county's attorneys, and that was noted by the magistrate judge herself during the hearing in a back and forth with county attorneys.  Why leave that quote in there when it is clearly not the position of the county's attorneys and that was acknowledged in court because it is an inaccurate, non-factual assertion?