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A mailing to absentee ballot voters by Volusia County Council candidate Deb Denys dismisses her two opponents as Obama clones and sets the stage for what's expected to be a lively series of debates Saturday in New Smyrna Beach, eight in all, sponsored by Headline Surfer.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- There's no love lost between the candidates for the Volusia County Council dist. 3 race and that may be just the warm-up act for Saturday's big debates at the Brannon Center.
The race for county council, supervisor of elections, clerk of the circuit court and possibly the biggest of them all for state attorney, are not going to be a cake walk for any of the candidates.
In all, Headline Surfer, the New Smyrna Beach-based 24/7 Internet newspaper, has eight debates set to go from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with citizen participation a key component in holding the candidates accountable to the voters.
The debates will be videotaped and posted on HeadlineSurfer.com so that a much greater audience will have the benefit of seeing how the candidates hold up to a media-style debate moderated by the Internet newspaper's editor/publisher. Then the audience will have its turn to grill the candidates before the moderator has them give closing arguments justifying their own candidacies.
The arguments may begin sooner than that with the district 3 county council seat up for grabs between former elected Volusia County School Board member Denys, New Smyrna Beach City Commissioner Jim Hathaway and Edgewater Councilman Justin Kennedy.
Hathaway and Kennedy, Democrats in this non-partisan race, were less than pleased by the latest mailer by Denys, a Republican, that has her opponents lumped in with President Obama in a murky spread, complete with one-liner zingers.
Hathaway posted a copy of the mailing on his Facebook page and wrote: "Desperate negative campaigning from a perennial candidate. Always a bridesmaid and never a bride, eh Deb?"
Hathaway posted a copy of the mailing on his Facebook page and wrote: "Desperate negative campaigning from a perennial candidate. Always a bridesmaid and never a bride, eh Deb?"
Kennedy told Headline Surfer this morning, "If that's all she's got, it's obvious she doesn't do her homework. This isn't about Democrat or Republican. It's about the future of Volusia County."
Denys, a registered Republican said the Southeast Volusia council seat may be non-partisan, but the issues are no different from a race pitting Republicans and Democrats. The tax and spend label she's placing on her two opponents, both registered Democrats, sends a clear message to the voters: "Taxpayers are demanding accountability. We need someone who is going to take a critical look and ask the hard questions about spending."
"We can't afford to pay a local attorney more than what a Supreme Court justice is paid or even what our own governor is receiving," Denys said of Hathaway's vote in 2004 in support of a contract that last year paid City Attorney Frank Gummey $216,390.
"We can't afford to pay a local attorney more than what a Supreme Court justice is paid or even what our own governor is receiving," Denys said of Hathaway's vote in 2004 in support of a contract that last year paid City Attorney Frank Gummey $216,390.
A clause in the contract states that if the city commission even entertains a motion on terminating Gummey other than for cause such as a criminal offense, he gets a half million dollars in one lump sum.
By comparison, a US Supreme Court justice makes $213,900 and the chief judge, $223,500. Florida allotted salary for the governor is $132,932, but Gov. Rick Scott refuses to take a salary.
Hathaway agreed Gummey hasn't come cheap, but his expertise in the law saved the city big bucks such as the city's planning department fiasco three years ago, when a slew of major projects, including the Walmart Supercenter and the beachside Hampton Inn came to a grinding halt because then-city planners Mark Rakowski and Chad Liegenfelter sat on projects for as many as five years when all they had to do was send final paperwork to the state.
"Mr. Gummey knew knew who to contact and what we got this resolved without major litigation from the developers whose projects were stalled," Hathaway said.
Denys said Kennedy lacks experiernce as he's only midway through his first term on the Edgewater City Council. But Kennedy said he'll bring fresh ideas to a larger government entity like has done in his own city.
Kennedy dismissed Hathaway as long in the tooth and Denys as a candidate whose time in elective office has long since faded. She was elected in 1994 to the then-countywide partisan school board as a Republican.
"If that's all she's got," Kennedy said of Denys' criticism of his neweness to political office, she's grasping at straws.
Denys said the bottom line is neither of her opponents have brought anything of substance to the table. "One's a status quo politician and the other has no experience."
Here is the line-up for Saturday's Brannon Center debates, including approximate times:
1st debate: 9 to 9:40 a.m. Office: New Smyrna Beach City Commission, zone 4 Candidates: Ed Bidault Jr., Steve Casserly and Kirk Jones
2nd debate: 9:50 to 11:20 a.m. Office: Volusia County Council, dist. 3 Candidates: Deb Denys, Jim Hathaway and Justin Kennedy
3rd debate: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Office: Volusia County Chair Candidates: Jason Davis, Ted Doran and Carl Persis
4th debate: 1:10 to 2 p.m. Office: Supervisor of Elections Candidates: Teresa Apgar, Beaulah Blanks, Andy Kelly and incumbent Ann McFall
* McFall has informed Headline Surfer she will not participate in the debate, stating she has to attend to her official duties
5th debate: 2:10 to 2:25 p.m. Office: group 4 County Judge Candidates: incumbent Bryan A. Feigenbaum and Michael McDermott
6th debate: 2:30 to 2:50 p.m. Office: County Judge, group 8 Candidates: Steven R. Burk, Dustin M. Havens, Alan Holt, Christopher Kelly and Adam Warren
7th debate: 2:55 to 3:50 p.m. Office: Clerk of the Circuit Court Candidates: Steve deLaroche and incumbent Diane Matousek
8th debate: 4 to 5 p.m. Office: State Attorney Candidates: incumbent R.J. Larizza and Stasia Warren