Jay Wheeler and Donna Hart failed to attend the latest OCBTA Political Forum. Not a surprise and actually, neither one was missed. Those in attendance were treated to a couple of informed candidates who simply want to represent their districts.

[More:]

Nancy Gemskie, candidate for School Board District 1, spoke about respect and how there should be an equal amount of respect for ALL school board employees and how all should receive support from their school board. She listed several goals including, making sure students are prepared for the next level of education and future careers. She also believes school board members should follow their rules, set policy and provide a reasonable direction. She fielded several questions from the audience and satisfied most with her answers. She also spoke in favor of the school board having a buy/hire local policy and believes that will happen and be supported.
Her web page, gogemskie.com , should be up and running in a week and you’ll be able to check her background and credentials.

John Cortes, also a District 1 candidate, spoke about charter schools and his disagreement with needing them, or vouchers. He believes Osceola simply needs good teachers and that they should be allowed to teach. Mr. Cortes said that someone had accused him of running only because he was concentrating on the Hispanics and their votes, something he denied at the forum. He said he would represent everyone equally and race shouldn’t play into the position.

We were told school board member David Stone never returned phone messages left for him (something not new for this guy) so he also was not there.

For District 4 Commission, Donald “Don” Miers spoke and described his background in Osceola County, and his employment with the county, his latest position being the Sports Development Coordinator. In his description of his work, it was easy to see how well he understands many of the issues, particularly when it comes to the TDC and Convention Visitors Bureau. He disagrees with any more layoffs and believes the county will make it through these hard, financial times. *He said a whole lot more clearly showing himself as a well informed candidate.

Mel Welch spoke again, (he spoke at the first forum) and he continues to show his intelligence and capability of doing a great job!

Jose Colon also briefly spoke again, and said he believes changes are needed at the commission level and higher.

Jay Polachek, the only candidate for Mayor of Saint Cloud, at this time, briefly spoke and described his history with the city, and his return and how much he cared about Saint Cloud.
His main theme is Accountability and he believes that being held accountable for everything associated with the job as Mayor & Council member is key to being successful.

All in all it was a good night for politics and there were many new faces in the audience. Something EVERYONE should be aware of is on Friday, April 9th, at 6PM, candidate for Florida Governor, Paula Dockery, will be at Suhl’s Kissimmee Sports Arena. The OCBTA was able to arrange for her to appear and they’re trying to get other candidates to attend as well. Who says the OCBTA isn’t for real?

**NEW candidates who have registered are:

Melani Jane Davis, wife of Jr. Davis who owns and operates a very large construction company in Osceola County, has entered the race for District 4 County Commission. As of now, there’s no web site for her, but we hope to hear from her when/if she gets one.

Stacy Anderson McCland has officially entered the race for District 5 School Board. This is the young lady we mentioned shortly after the first forum. The daughter of former school board member Martha Anderson, McCland brings her own thoughts and plans to the district race.
Right now, the only other candidate is Wade Davis, a school board employee, who recently lost a couple attempts to be elected to the St. Cloud Council.

As the election dates draw near, it’s obvious that some names that were dropped early, like Attkisson and Owen, are having no effect on the single member district races. Perhaps peopl are just finally tired of the same old names appearing and trying to run OUR county. Let’s hope the election vote goes the same way.

That’s it for now, but we are looking in to a couple items you will find interesting when we finish the next blog. Until then, God Bless. Be healthy and always be safe.
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Saint Cloud’s purchasing division hosts open house at City Hall

St. Cloud, Fla. – City of St. Cloud’s Division of Purchasing and Materials Management is hosting its 4th Annual Open House Thursday, March 25, from 9-11 a.m., at City Hall, Building B, third floor.
Last year, more than 60 guests attended and everyone is invited to attend this year’s event. The open house offers the opportunity for the community to meet the purchasing division staff and discuss purchasing procedures, tour the purchasing facility, and participate in drawings for door prizes. Refreshments will be served.
The purchasing division staff will meet and greet visitors, have display boards showing some of the various products and services they provide, and brochures will be available.
The Division of Purchasing and Materials Management’s mission is to:
· Preserve the public trust
· Adhere to integral ethical behavior, appropriate laws, regulations, and procedures
· Achieve excellent procurement services while maintaining adequate support of the City’s needs for materials and services by meeting performance and delivery requirements at the most cost-effective price

For more information, call (407) 957-7212 or e-mail purchasing@stcloud.org.
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City of St. Cloud’s end of year report now available online

St. Cloud, Fla. – The City of St. Cloud has completed its Community Report – an end of year report for calendar year 2009. The report is now available online on the City’s Web page, www.stcloud.org > Document Center > Public Information Office > Surveys and Reports > End of Year 2009.
The end of year report offers details from every City department for calendar year 2009. In it, departments list their top accomplishments, statistics, and upcoming projects. It is posted online as a public service. A public copy of the report is available for viewing at the City Clerk’s Office (City Hall, Building A, third floor). Paper copies are available upon request. To request paper copies of the end of year report, call (407) 957-7320.
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