An Update on LYONS vs CTLAC, et al from public records

It's great news that they've retained counsel but the battle is just beginning folks. Regardless of who wins at the local level this will go to the Appeals Court.  The CTLAC needs your financial support and will for awhile to defend your rights to petition your goverment.

Once again this isn't about just those three amendments, it's about your sovereign and inherent right to vote on them, for or against.  If they do not prevail then any citizens group for the rest of eternity is going to have to go to court to get anything done.

The CTLAC has worked for years to bring more accountability to the Charter, let them know you appreciate all their hard work with your donation.

 http://www.ctlac.com/

If Roy Lyons and his backers prevail then " home rule " charter is rendered pretty much useless. The proponents of the original charter and most review committees have talked for years about taking the politic's out. That means you and me.

Ex;

How right you are. I wish I had the money backing me that Roy does. I'd file a suit against the BoCC for that incomprehensible amendment about gambling. I guess the only thing for me to do is to vote against it because I can't understand what it is asking.

The biggest problem I see is that he has already accomplished a lot with this suit even if he doesn't win. From now on anyone that wants to do a petition drive will have to think long and hard about whether they want to chance being sued.

As OneMann said, that seems to be the whole point of this. The salary part is only a small part of the issue and the 60% is a throw away. The real meat is trying to save that Chair position.

And that folks scares the heck out of me. What is so important about that position that someone would go to those lengths to try to get that petition off the ballot?

For anyone that thinks this is about protecting your rights there's a tollway for sale right here in Clay County I'd like to offer up to you. It'll be cheap at twice the price because the Clay County tax payers will cover your losses when the endeavor fails and give you a great profit to boot.

Of course they'll be up to their neck in debt because of it but what the heck. You will have gotten yours and moved on to fleece some other sucker.

Every voter should ask themselves these questions and if it makes it to the ballot they should vote to do away the position if for no other reason than there are just too many unknowns in these actions.

Mike Heemer

Officially we'll never know, on a common sense level we already know. His good friend John Thrasher, and Harold Rutledge to name just a couple.  A good portion of the individuals on the last CRC that created the position including Rob Bradley.  Bill Garrison (Baxley) has said on these blogs he does not approve of the lawsuit so he can be excluded.  There are many more players in the background and most of them are tied to the beltway and those lands around it that will be developed. 

At the gate of the Ravines back in Jan/Feb when the last battle over the land use changes had been waged Roy and his wife were handing out flyers at the gate for a fund raiser for Rutledge that was to be held here in the subdivision. I will never forget Roy passing us a flyer and telling us that Rutledge had voted our way now we owed it to him to support his campaign.  That dog didn't hunt for us.

I appreciate that the BCC voted in our favor, but it was no "favor" in my mind, it was just them doing the right thing.  I don't figure I owe anyone financial support for just doing the right thing, and that one right thing doesn't undo what I see as a a pattern of the wrong thing.

http://www.ctlac.com/

At the Green Cove Springs Merchants Forum where I actually met Rob Bradley for the first time he gave me his business card.  It reads on the bottom left hand corner "Kopelousos & Bradley, P.A."

Is there not a woman at the State level that is involved with this Beltway that has that same name, "Kopelousos"?   Any relation?  Is this a coincidence or another connect the dots factoid?

http://www.ctlac.com/

Head of FDOT is niece of Kopelousos.

Six Degrees of Separation; Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon:  All true IMHO.  I believe recent documentation states 'proof' that everyone is connect by 6.65 degrees.

So, no surprise when adament supporters of the at-large Chair are also in favor of the beltway, aka tollway.  It's all connected folks - no matter which way the pendulum is swinging. This is all about the few vs. the many, and those that 'have', vs. the 'have nots'.  Money is power and money rules - the reason the US is in Iraq.  Nothing new here, just a repeat of history from when humans first walked upright.  It's an uphill battle, but we can prevail!  Sometimes we win, sometimes not.  But we keep up the good fight anyway, those of us who give a darn about our civil and human rights.

Support the CTLAC: www.CTLAC.com

OMG!!  You're right Marsha, I've never been a fan of suing anyone.  The word has a negative connotation to me, but I'm smart enough to understand the reality of life.  Only in America would you have commercials telling you to call a lawyer before you call for medical attention in case of an accident.  By God, somebody's gonna pay.  And the "counsel' gets their third+.  1-800-ASK-GARY.

Actually, as you will attest, sometimes the Court is the only place to resolve sometimes  controversial issues.  Re the CTLAC stuff, the suit seemed a tit-for-tat type of thing to me, but other than a Court, where do these questions re the Amendment get resolved?  What conspiracy was at work in Fred's recent tangle with the Court?

I really think you guys get a little carried away with the whole conspiracy theories.  You never did say what you thought of Rob?  Pretty nice guy huh?  Damn smart too.  I look forward to his becoming the Chair of the BCC and helping guide this County in a positive direction.

6 degrees?  Come on - you are kidding right?

Re the CTLAC stuff, the suit seemed a tit-for-tat type of thing to me, but other than a Court, where do these questions re the Amendment get resolved?

Bax;

The problem I have with this is not the suit itself so much as the hypocrisy behind it. Of all the thousands of people that signed these petitions (and I'm pretty sure Roy wasn't one of them) no one seemed to have a problem understanding what they said.

There were many that wouldn't sign because they did not agree with them and that was their right. But they did not opt not to sign because they couldn't understand them.

Roy was one of the founding members of the CPVR PAC, a group whose stated purpose was to keep the at-large etc. Why then when it came time to file this suit did he go behind closed doors and file as a private citizen? That way he doesn't have to reveal where his financing for the suit is coming from.

Yes that is his right to do so, but it seems a bit devious to me.

What is he saying? Hey look at me, I'm a complete idiot, I can't understand this so I am going to spend thousands of someone else's dollars to get a judge to explain it to me.

Something any 5th grader that reads at grade level could have done, or is he telling those thousands of voters that they were too stupid to understand what they were signing?

Just out of curiosity Bax, what questions do you have about the amendments? Can you read them and understand the concept of what they want to do? 

Mike Heemer

Actually I have commented on my impressions of Rob Bradley, you must have not read it.  He is everything you said, no doubt about that at all.

I have not one doubt that ALL of you believe you're doing the right thing, that there is no intent to "stick it to the citizens", but some of us citizens see that as the end result.  So long as it's legal it's ok.  I believe there is a wide space between what is legal and what is right and that is where I am coming from. 

Your implication that we're all just too paranoid for our own good ranks right up there with the voters being stupid. 

So far as Freds suit goes I'm not going to get into conspiracy theories on that too much.  Your buddy Roy Lyons told Fred and I both that the employee who accepted that check and then supposedly 36 days later brought it to Barbara Kirkmans attention is a "very good friend" of his just last night at the D5 debate.   

I can also tell you that my husband filed a Judicial Complaint against Judge Buttner three years ago so should he have heard the case at all? 

Will the CTLAC get a fair hearing or is their fate already sealed at the Circut Level with the same Judge hearing the case.  Either way it's going to the Appeals Court.

This much I do know, regardless of how he might have ruled on Freds case or how he rules on the suit Roy has brought I will NOT vote another Buttner into the Circut Court System. 

http://www.ctlac.com/

I don't know Bax, it is a real small world.  

Consider this one. I'm talking with Chris Chambless's wife at one of the forums when she happens to mention her Dad is retired Navy also. He used to work for me when we were both stationed at Cecil Field in the mid '70s.

That isn't too many degrees Bax.

Mike Heemer