No previous slate of Fernandina Beach City Commissioners has been vilified, despised or mocked more than the current Gang of Four (Genece Minshew, Joyce Tuten, Tim Poynter, and James Antun).
The crushing rejection of Paid Parking by 75 percent of voters in the August 18 election branded the quartet so unpopular they now feel it’s safer for them to go out in public in Dr. Anthony Fauci disguises. Their approval ratings are below those of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse of Pestilence, War, Famine and Death.
The 25 percent of voters that approved of the paid parking fiasco apparently failed remedial English in grade school and didn’t understand the blithering piffle on the ballot confusingly explaining that “Yes” meant give paid parking the boot and “No” meant keeping it.
Had the “No” voting block received their GEDs it probably would have been 100 percent against it.
This dim Commission quartet never learned, never gave up, and never apologized for their Paid Parking blundering despite the thundering warning shots of street protests, petitions, and City Hall “Get-Outta Here with your stupid paid parking crap and stick it where the sun don’t shine” warning shots. It took shots fired directly into the ballot box to convince them, or at least three of them.
Commissioner Tuten, the tree-hugging wooden Indian, further varnished her splintery reputation as completely tone deaf and blind to public sentiment, by being the lone Commissioner to say, “It ain’t over yet”, as she cast the dissenting vote in a 4-1 Commission meeting where three of the battered Horsemen and the grinning White Knight, Darron Ayscue, voted to terminate the city’s paid parking contract
Tuten said: “Not so fast here, let’s see what the lawyers, consultants, the lunch room ladies, and Flossie the Wonder Chicken have to say about this.”
After this is all over all she will have left in her quiver is a shrieking spittle-flecked tantrum until she finally realizes that Fernandina residents have no interest in listening to her efforts to lead us out of the mud of our ignorance and backwardness.
If she runs again she has as much a chance of being reelected as Sophie Cunningham does of being picked by a Pride team in a pickup basketball game at the Y.
This crowd won’t give up attempting to milk taxpayers so residents need to brace themselves for the next cockamamie scheme they’ll concoct. Cutting budgets and trimming bloated staffs are foreign concepts to them.
Hopefully newly elected Commissioner Scott Inglis will hop on a white horse alongside Ayscue and dash any future super majority voting craziness.
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How Did We Get Here? A local guy whose opinions and analysis I respect and knows more about local politics than most explains how we got where we are today with these four city commissioners who have caused so much angst and waste.
Here’s his take:
Start with the 2022 city election, where turnout was 38% (out of 11,400 voters):
- Darron Ayscue beat Genece Minshew by 211 votes—with 52%
- James Antun beat Mike Lednovich by 323 votes—with 54%
Then came the 2024 general election, where turnout was 85% (Trump on the ballot):
- Minshew beat David Sturges by only 21 votes—with 50%
- Tuten beat Bradley Bean by 804 votes—with 54%
- Poynter beat Kelly by 412 votes—with 52%
Bean (who would still be on the Commission if he could have made up his mind whether to recuse himself or not on the ethanol issue) and Mike (“Black Lives Matter”) Lednovich were under a cloud and vulnerable, as shown by the numbers, So we got Antun, the chamber’s potted plant, as commissioner/mayor and Tuten the anti-growth tree-hugging stump.
Poynter ran against a mystery candidate so earned round three, and Minshew just plain lucked out.
None of these elected officials have a mandate, yet they govern as if they do.
He concluded observing: “We put them in place because those were the only choices at hand—sometimes ‘The devil you know is better than the one you don’t.’ ”
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Even The Left Concedes: Mike Lednovich, a former City Commissioner and mayor who once marched through town wearing a “Black Lives Matter” sandwich board couldn’t defend remnants of the paid parking wreckage, writing the following in the online city newsletter and pretend news outlet, the Observer:
“The voters did not whisper. They shouted,” he wrote.
“Nearly 75% of those casting ballots — 3 out of every 4 voters — approved the citizen-initiated restriction on paid parking. A total of 5,183 city voters participated in the referendum. That is not a narrow victory open to competing interpretations. It is an unmistakable public mandate.
“The City Commission must now honor it.”
It might be the most honest and accurate piece Lednovich, who has been attempting to rearrange the community’s mental furniture, has ever penned since he lost his reelection bid.
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How High and Fast Can You Count? As a kid were you ever challenged to count to 100 out loud in front of friends or stand around listening while one of them did? It was boring, tiring, and a waste of time. I did it once but never again.
According to the book “Huge Numbers” by Richard Elwes, the biggest number ever counted to by a human is one million.
It was accomplished in 2007 by a guy in Alabama named Jeremy Harper and it took him 80 days.
That’s 80 days Jeremy will never get back.
The only reason Minshew made it to the city commission is her lying to the voters that she was a DemoTARD, became a Republican just to get the seat, then switched back become a DemoRAT. I hope the voters remember this fiasco and turn the remaining three out to pasture before they can do more harm to the city. Thankfully Tuten took care of the issue by chickening out and not running.
Poynter claimed it worked – I guess “worked ” means revenues 20% under projection n devastation of numerous centre street businesses -the city has added over 60 full time jobs past 8 years ( who knows part time n consultants ) even a broad topside staff reduction ( e.g. 15 positions ) would cover revenue the 4 morons claim they need for the city to “exist” – all four are communist based liars
Dave, I’m sure you are right about a majority of the minority of 25% being befuddled by the “vote YES on Proposition NO” construction of the referendum. Nevertheless, a win is definitely a win – so much so that even BLM sign-wearing fool Lednovitch recognizes a landslide victory when it appears right under his Red Nose Day nose.
What happens next is unclear to me (a referendum on the referendum? a vote to abolish voting?) but if, in the fullness of time, it all shakes out to turn the city’s parking meters into anachronistic oddities like London’s phone ☎️ booths, it will be a war well waged and well won.
(Incidentally, England’s phone booths have all been repurposed as defibrillation stations. Perhaps Amelia Island’s parking meters can be wired to provide a similar service.)
Great news about the demise of paid parking, and even better that the vote to kill it was so loud.
This debacle demonstrates the essential value of professional media that can inform voters of the important facts; and when necessary do a deep dive into the moving parts of a bad idea… or a good one.
** At the national level, there’s a focus on making sure that people have access to voting and are U.S. citizens. That’s the foundation of any legitimate election. But it’s only the first step. The next step is making sure the voter has access to accurate information – and this step requires an active professional media that informs these aspiring voters.
** These days, we are bathed in messages that are heavily biased, and often poorly researched if not biased. “News” has been largely replaced by ad hominem attacks against candidates, businesses, organizations the poor, the wealthy and any other target that can draw eyes, ears, or clicks.
** There are many impediments to informing voters. But if we don’t do it, there will be parking meters everywhere.
Now we regroup to argue the enormous growth of staff hires and maxed out tax increases the clownsel has approved. Personally witnessing 7 city employees watch one working in a manhole is enough to convince me the bloat is real.
I thought we voted to stop the advance of more paid parking? Not sure the wording included stopping the current paid parking?
Bob – the commissioners ( based on the vote ) voted to rescind the parking contract
Dave, I lean socially Liberal but fiscally Conservative (fiscal conservatism is dominant). I have to comment on your reference to Sophie Cunningham. Geez!! The woman was answering a question put to her by ESPN. She is (as many are) supportive of the LGBTQ+ community but falls back on the science that undergoing male puberty conveys a lifelong physical advantage. As disapointing as some may view this, it is inappropriate for males to compete in female sports, which is actually occurring at the youth level, where some girls are either edged out of competition or unable to overcome that advantage conveyed by male puberty. The result in girls’ sports is that girls are missing out on record-setting, on medals, on scholarships, on achievement, and many are simply dropping out. One does not need to be hateful to the LGBTQ+ community to consider that (considering the ramifications on both sides) supporting girls’ sports and Title IX is the choice with the most logic. And, fwiw, Sophie Cunningham is a bad#ss Defensive player (nicknamed “The Enforcer”). 🙂
The mayor’s body language and actual language provided a glimpse into just how much contempt he has for the citizens and Darron Ayscue. His “Grandstanding” comment was met with grace from Mr. Ayscue. I couldn’t have sat there and taken it. Some facts about funding… The Deputy City Manager is the one that does the work. Get rid of the position above him. Consolidate police and fire services with the county and get rid of the bureaucracy above them. The tiny town with a city commission that seems to think they are Naple, Fl North are living in a fantasy world. The mayor should be the next one voted off the Island and I still refuse to spend money at middle of the road mediocre restaurants owned by the Gargoyle again ever, parking or no parking.
Listening and watching the video of the Commission meeting – I never once heard them mention “maybe cutting waste and staff, or turning down unnecessary projects to reduce expenses”. It was always “how do we raise money”. I witnessed arrogance and vindictiveness. Get ready for higher taxes.
On the subject of the elections of Minshew and Tuten and Poynter – the analysis in spot on. I would add that Bean was the main promotor of building the waterfront park. Another project that was not needed. That, and the Ethanol issue doomed him.
All of these recreation perks that people want cost money. They have to be maintained and repaired – more staff, trucks, tools, uniforms, benefits – your taxes just went up. We’ve got a 13 mile long beach, a huge State Park, a couple of recreation centers, ball fields, multiple parks with playgrounds, a Greenway, miles of sidewalks, bike paths, rivers to boat and fish in – how many more recreation facilities do we need? Good gosh amighty, if you can’t “recreate” with all that you’ve got troubles!
Dave,
Good blog post as usual. One comment which you left out regarding Minshew – she started as a Democrat, but when it looked like her chances for election weren’t as good as she thought, she “changed” to Republican. Anyone with half a brain could see through that. But those who vote without educating themselves just saw that she was a “Republican” and she was elected. No sooner had she been sworn in than she reverted back to her Democrat true identity. Frankly, I don’t know how anyone can believe anything she says or why she isn’t taken to task at every council meeting for doing this bait and switch!
Re: Poynter, he ran against a “mystery candidate” and could only muster 52%.
Doesn’t say much for his popularity then, much less now. Re-electing the same people just means we repeat the old cycle tax-pause-tax endlessly. The idea to “tax” visitors is good, since we are a tourism-based city, someone just needs to find an acceptable way–a tourism visitors fee (not a tax). Ideas??
For Clarification the state maintains the state park and the city has about 6 miles of beach –
Yes, the city commissioners never bring up reducing the bloated staff ; roughly a 10% staff reduction saves +- $2.5m…. and 10% is not an aggressive number
Just to echo Jen’s answer to Bob…….yes, we were told by the City Attorney that the referendum on Paid Parking was not retroactive. However, if the vote was overwhelming (and it was), it would be obvious it had to be repealed. A guy I know said the vote wouldn’t matter. He was wrong…..
This was an unusually large turnout for a Primary “off year” election. That didn’t happen because of the one Commissioner seat available. People came out to have a say on the Parking issue. And man, did they ever! The definition of a landslide is 60/40……75/25? That is a butt whipping!!!!