Santamaria a 2010 mystery; Plus: Slosberg comeback? Crist-Rubio straw poll, Weisman’s revelation
by George Bennett | August 2nd, 2009
Santamaria
“I don’t like politics. Running for a second term is politics. … I’m only interested in serving for four solid years of public service,” Santamaria said in 2007.
But that wasn’t a flat declaration against running again.
A few days later, Santamaria added: “I didn’t say I’m 100 percent positively not going to consider running for office. … As of today, I’m only interested in my four years.”
Santamaria still hasn’t announced his 2010 plans, saying he’s focused on doing his job rather than campaigning.
Pearl
“I’m going to assume, if I take him at his word, that he’s not going to run again,” said Pearl.
Pearl’s adviser, attorney/lobbyist/political consultant Neil Schiller, said Santamaria’s past words and the fact he hasn’t opened a 2010 campaign make District 6 “essentially … an open seat.”
Schiller
“Where we don’t even know if the incumbent’s running for reelection, it’s hard to have a single word of criticism against somebody who may be running for an open seat,” Siegel said.
Santamaria reacted to Pearl’s announcement by reiterating his distaste for lengthy campaigns:
“Let an elected official do his job and let the people decide on his or her performance. There’s no need to be campaigning all the time.”
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Slosberg
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Underdog Marco Rubio has thumped his Republican Senate primary rival, Gov. Charlie Crist, in straw polls of Republican activists in Pasco, Lee, Monroe and Highlands counties. Palm Beach County’s approximately 120 Republican Executive Committee members next week will consider scheduling an October Crist-Rubio straw poll.
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Longtime close-to-the-vest Palm Beach County Administrator Bob Weisman revealed last week that he has battled cancer.
“I personally suffer from cancer. I had surgery last year. I’m in testing right now,” said Weisman. He went public at a meeting where some Acreage residents criticized the county’s response to their fears that a “cancer cluster” exists in their community.
Staff writer Jennifer Sorentrue contributed to this column.
Tags: Bob Weisman, Elissa Pearl, Irving Slosberg, Jess Santamaria, Mark Alan Siegel, Neil Schiller
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August 2nd, 2009 at 9:15 pm
No way for Slosberg…We want Laxer.
There is no way that Wexler or Aaronson would endorse that guy. They know the district loves Deuthc’s aide
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Wexler, Aaronson and the rest of the Democrats will not back that crazy guy. There is no way they are that stupid after they showed all of us his voting record as a Republican.
Especially Wexler..unless Wexler has really lost his mind
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Go Tara Go, Put Irv in permanent retirement from politics.
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Run Tara Run!
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Regarding Ms. Pearl: You can’t make this stuff up. Palm Beach County is finally in the process of cleaning-up the criminal and unethical county commission and reducing government decisions based on favoritism and cronyism, and Ms. Pearl is going to retain Neil Schiller!? He’s with Becker & Poliakoff, a law firm that has dozens of clients they represent before local governments.
They have a contract with the Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority, for which Schiller is listed as a lobbyist so Pearl will have the ability to vote him a pay raise!!
Her candidacy already smells worse than a SWA dump site.
The Becker & Poliakoff tenacles dig deep. I’ve s seen them in action. Unfortunately , a complete lobbyist client list for the Firm is not available. However, clients for whom Schiller is listed as a lobbyist include:
- Oracle USA, Inc.
- Avalon Estates of Boynton Beach
- Mobile, USA, Inc.
- Gulfstream Atlantic Development LLC
- Biscayne Housing Group
- KLAS Management LLC
- Equa Terra, Inc.
- Shiraz Management
- Westchester Square, LLC
- Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority
Ms. Pearl should go back to the planet she came from. She’s trying to re-infect ours with the type of politics we’re trying to eradicate.
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Three former county commissioners are in prison for public corruption and Ms. Pearl has hired a county lobbyist to run her campaign. How cozy. The lobbyist gets her elected and she votes in favor of his clients. So much for the new state attorney’s pledge to crack down on corruption. It’s business as usual in Palm Beach County.
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:33 am
No offense Rep. Slosberg, but you had your time and now it’s time for you to move on. Where were you in the 6 years you served in the legislature while the economy started to slide? You were handing out corned beef sandwiches and changing remote control batteries via SEMA. Sorry Irv, your time has passed and it’s time to get some new blood in the legislature….
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 am
MARCO IS BEATTING CRIST UP! AND EVERYONE I TALK TO LOVE’S MARCO RUBIO! THIS IS GREAT TO SEE! CRIST HAS BECOME TOO LIBERAL! THERE IS GONNA BE A STRAW POLL AT THE BREC AUG.24th 2009. 6:00 PM.
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:24 am
The BCC is supposed to be a non partisan board to serve the best interests of all Palm Beach County citizens. Somehow it always gets back to money and power instead of what’s best for the citizens. The only way citizens will have a fighting chance at a quality local government is to elect independents with no strings attached to the machine that has run over the citizens and now wants to back up and do it again. Nothing short of a complete R&D cleansing will give the government back to the people. Special interest, developers, lobbyists and other greed mongers, you’re time is up!
Pearl’s last campaign for Florida House District 89 lasted about a month and is still posted on her website. Now she wants the BCC position. How long will this run last? She hasn’t changed her website yet. Maybe she’ll flip flop and go back to the House race. Is this the type of leadership we want? It is time to elect a person of merit and not a person with a political affiliation.
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:55 am
If the cornbeef guy thinks he can get support go for it from the other two jokers who are already in trouble for Obama and whatever the checking out. What are they going to tell people they changed their mind on his voting record or just give them more beef? Tara who works for Deutch scares them both because not only is she smart she is hot. That Pearl woman…who are the hell are you? Did you cut a deal. I hope that girl that works for Deutch does not cut a deal or is she too going to jump somewhere?
August 3rd, 2009 at 8:09 am
LET IRV SERVE!!!!!!
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:22 am
Irv did serve and then he tried to serve some more and lost. His time has come and gone. It’s time for some new blood in the Democratic party. Additionally, I guess now that Rep. Wexler is living in the district he wants to stay out of local politics. Seems odd doesn’t it?
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:28 am
If Ms. Pearl were to run and lose, it would confirm that a structural change has occurred in Palm Beach County politics. Should she win, it will demonstrate that the Hugo Unruh campaign model still works.
Ms. Pearl assumes that retaining a lobbyist/lawyer as a campaign consultant will attract support and campaign contributions from lobbyists and their clients. For the most part she’s wrong.
Ms. Pearl and Schiller underestimate the disdain that many lobbyists and other insiders had towards McCarty, Masilotti and Newell, and our desire to avoid repeats of these commissioners. Did we help elect these scum? Yes, but only because they were sure to win.
Ms. Pearl might not behave in the manner of Masilotti, McCarty and Newell. But it’s not encouraging that her initial actions demonstrate that she’s a political prostitute, and Schiller’s involvement in Pearl’s campaign is reminiscent of Hugo Unruh. He was extensively involved in the campaigns of Masilotti, Newell, McCarty and Aaronson. He was the go-to-guy for their votes, and he made a fortune on contingency fees for their votes.
Of course there will be some lobbyists who will support Pearl. Likely examples are the law firms of Greenberg-Traurig and Lewis, Longman and Walker. Both firms were involved with the Callery-Judge development proposal that Santamaria helped defeat.
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:53 am
Pearl and her sidekick Schiller are amusing. They’re taking Santamaria’s musings about politics and re-election and twisting them into a pledge to not seek re-election.
I don’t know nor have I heard of Pearl or Schiller, but it seems to me I should have given that she wants to represent Wellington residents and the Wellington equestrian community. What’s she been doing for the Western Communities?
I agree with Insider, we don’t need Masilotti/Unruh wannabes.
August 3rd, 2009 at 10:28 am
Insider had some interesting comments, and I’d like to expand on his observation about Lewis, Longman & Walker.
Note that Mark Alan Siegal seems eager to push Santamaria off the cliff. It wouldn’t surprise me that Bob Diffenderfer, who is treasurer of Siegal’s Executive Committee, has his hand in this. Remember that Callery-Judge has been a long-time client of Diffenderfer’s law firm, Lewis-Longman, and Santamaria fought hard to defeat their original development proposal. And it was a very bitter loss for both Diffenderder and his client who had worked for over a decade lining up political muscle to get it approved.
Lewis-Longman and Diffenderfer are VERY tenacious. Remebmer that it was Diffenderfer who hired the private detective to find dirt on commissioners to coerce them into voting for the Callery-Judge project.
It’s becoming clear that Pearl is the likely candidate of the democratic establishment, while Santamaria (who will hopefully run) will again be the candidate of the people. It will be interesting to see who else among the political establishment will work against Santamaria. Diffenderfer has many allies within the party, especially Jeff Koons and Susan Bucher. Will they work against Santamaria?
Stay tuned.
August 3rd, 2009 at 11:27 am
Check out the connection between Schiller and Eric Johnson. Wexler doesn’t know how to stay out of things.
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Johnson (aid to Wexler) has stated his support of Pearl. He would not do so without the endorsement or approval of Aaronson, who has repeatedly shown his disdain of Santamaria.
And it is amusing how this cabal is trying to twist Santamaria’s remarks. Even if he had stated that he planned to not seek re-election, he has the right to change his mind. Didn’t Pearl change her mind when she dropped out of the house race after raising money?
The democratic establishment has targeted Santamaria, but that won’t sell well in District 6. With enemies like Aaronson, Wexler, Siegal and Diffenderfer, Santamaria won’t need any friends.
September 1st, 2009 at 10:04 pm
As a Newbie, I am always searching online for articles that can help me like this. Thank you
October 16th, 2009 at 3:33 am
are we kidding??? Irv running for district 90? In all seriousness, does he even have enough money to fund himself for another race? Of all candidates, my bets are with Sachs- she’s articulate, she knows that district, she put in her time at the House. And she’d be a formidable opponent against Irv. He can try to buy his way with sandwiches, but its a different climate this time around.