Political consultant Jim Oddie: Unless governor consents to usage, it's misleading
DAYTONA BEACH -- The head of the Republican Party of Volusia County is using Gov. Rick Scott's photo on his exceutive committee's Facebook page as if the governor's speaking for that organization.
And the county's lead office holder and Republican thinks it's improper.
"It's definitely something that can be misconstrued," Volusia County Chair and Republican Jason Davis told Headline Surfer®, when he was contacted and asked to comment.
"Perhaps it's something you need to bring to the attention of the state RPOF," Davis said, referring to acronym for the Republican Party of Florida. "I don't have time for Facebook and Tony Ledbetter. I'm too busy running the county."
"It's definitely something that can be misconstrued," Volusia County Chair and Republican Jason Davis told Headline Surfer®, when he was contacted and asked to comment. "Perhaps it's something you need to bring to the attention of the state RPOF," Davis said, referring to acronym for the Republican Party of Florida. "I don't have time for Facebook and Tony Ledbetter. I'm too busy running the county."
Tony Ledbetter, chairman of the Republican Party of Volusia County, shown here, is using Gov. Rick Scott's face on his organization's Facebook page instead of his own or the symbol of the elephant with podts like the one at left.
When Headline Surfer® came across an Aug. 5 posting on the Republican Party of Volusia County Facebook page promoting a District 3 County Council debate by the Daytona Beach News-Journal and inquired of Ledbetter as to whether this was proper, he didn't respond.
Instead, the posting was removed from the "Volusia County Republican Party" page on Facebook.
But not before Headline Surfer® was able to make snapshots of the postings and post them on its own pages as well as include them with this published story.
When Headline Surfer® came across an Aug. 5 posting on the Republican Party of Volusia County Facebook page promoting a District 3 County Council debate by the Daytona Beach News-Journal and inquired of Tony Ledbetter as to whether this was proper as shown here with a posting in writing on the Repyublican Party of Volusia County Facebook page, he didn't respond.
Instead, the initial posting was removed from the "Volusia County Republican Party" page on Facebook. But not before Headline Surfer® was able to make snapshots of the postings and putting them on its own pages and include them with this published story.
The posting was directed at Justin Kennedy, who along with fellow challenger David Machuga, squared off against incumbent Deb Denys at the News-Journal Center-sponsored debate that night moderated by Editor Pat Rice, in front of about 200 people, most of them Denys supporters, including dozens of GOPers from outside the district brought by Ledbetter's predecessor, Stanley Escudero.
Though the race is non-partisan, Ledbetter & Company pulled out all the stops with campaign signs, curbside greeters and even volunteers waving to passing motorists.
Headline Surfer® held its own debate for district 3 County Council six days earlier at the same location and time, and drew 40 people. Denys was a no show and none of her apparent supporters were there either.
And Denys skipped the first debate of the election cycle Headline Surfer® held in the Oak Hill City Hall the previous month, which drew 45 citizens.
But it was the Aug. 5 post on the Volusia County Republican Facebook page that Headline Surfer® came across this afternoon that was an eye-opener, especially since State Attorney R.J. Larizza earlier in the week closed his investigation, exonerating all those who accepted Waverly Media in-kind campaign contributions.
And on Friday, the county's investigator, Jonathan Kaney, Jr., appeared in Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano's courtroom at the Volusia County Courthouse and announced that he was ending his legal fight against several individuals fighting his subpoenas, including Kennedy, who also ran against Denys in the 2012 primary, and Ted Doran, the private attorney, who lost in the primary for the county chairmanship that year as well.
And while Kennedy explained during that night's News-Journal debate as he had during the two previous Headline Surfer® debates that he cooperated fully with the State Attorney's investigation and felt the county investigation was politically motivated and illegal, the latter shared by County Attorney Dan Eckert, Denys and her supporters were trying to paint him as being corrupt.
The Facebook post led with the following comment next to the photo of Rick Scott: Question to Pat Rice for Justin Kennedy at tonight's Journal debate: Why can't you just come clean with your records in the waverly investigation if you did not take illegal campaign contributions instead of costing the taxpayers more money to fight you in court for those records?"
The post then went on to add that "the FBI is also investigating these possible Waverly illegal campaign contributions to Justin Kennedy who wants to be elected to County Council..."
Kennedy, a Democrat, said he thinks it reflects poorly on Ledbetter himself, and his decision-making. And it sends a bad message to all voters, regardless of party affiliation. "It's stupid of Ledbetter, but you can't fix stupid," Kennedy said.
Machuga, the Republican left off the Republican Party of Volusia County voter's guide, said he's s not bothered by the use of the governor's photo on the Volusia County GOP page.
"It's their Facebook page, right?" Machuga, asked rhetorically. "They can do what they want as long as it's not illegal what they're doing.
"Facebook is Facebook," Machuga said stoically; having had his own personal page on the social media network created on July 3.
The Republican Party organizations in Palm Beach and Pasco conties with the symbol of the elephant as shown here are the norm while Volusia County's Republican Party aoppears to be the exception to the rule throughout the Sunshine State.