Local Republi-Con Fiscal Conservative Hypocrisy

UPDATE III: Read the Pensacola New Journal, Commissioners vote for investigation; Gibbs to be removed from job.


UPDATE II: Our own local 'I am not a crook' moment. Read the Pensacola News Journal, County Commissioner Robertson: 'I am a man of ethics'.

As I said earlier, Commissioner Robertson should resign and save the voters the trouble of voting him out of office.


UPDATE: More stores. Read the Pensacola News Journal, Wilson Robertson, partner hit with code violations for land used by Forrest Gibbs, Escambia Commissioner Robertson in on internal meeting, and Grover Robinson: Gibbs' hiring 'invalid', which includes this backstory:

"In April, county commissioners created an Equestrian Center marketing and promotions coordinator position with hopes of eliminating the subsidy of the facility.

The job was publicly advertised online from May 27 to June 30, with a salary range of $44,803 to $51,521. The lower amount was more than people in eight other comparable jobs across the state earn, according to the county's survey.

Applicant Forrest Gibbs listed County Commissioner Wilson Robertson as a reference. Gibbs' work background is in road construction and heavy equipment sales; he has virtually no marketing or promotions experience. . .

Assistant County Administrator Larry Newsom, one of three selection committee members, said Robertson contacted him to advocate for Gibbs while applications were still being received. . .

The committee interviewed the candidates during the last two weeks of July, then on Aug. 2 notified Gibbs that he was the No. 1 choice.

Gibbs said the salary range was too low and asked to be paid $75,000. During August and part of September, the committee haggled over how much to pay him and whether it was legal to go over the advertised range.

On Sept. 12, Gibbs was offered the job for $63,000, plus $17,000 in benefits. Newsom made the final decision. . .

Robertson and a real estate partner, Lamar Brazwell, own an undeveloped piece of land on Nine Mile Road from which a pile of milled asphalt is being sold. The asphalt is owned by Brazwell and Gibbs; a sign on the property gives Gibbs' cellphone number for delivery of the asphalt. Robertson and Brazwell are paid $1,250 per month in recent by Gibbs to store the asphalt on their land.

On Sept. 20, County Code Enforcement cited Brazwell and Robertson with code violations because the pile must be screened with a 6-foot, opaque fence or vegetative buffering."

Do Republi-con politicians go to the same school for corrupt stupidness? You may remember this:

In Wisconsin, Republi-con Gov. Scott Walker says that "the state is broke and public employees are overpaid." So what does he do, hire a 20-something year old with "no college degree, very little management experience and two drunken-driving convictions" as the Department of Commerce bureau director of board services, a job that paid $64,728 a year.

Next convert the Department of Commerce to a public-private hybrid and give the young man a pay raise of more than $16,500 a year after only a couple of months with the state.

But this was no 'ordinary' young man, he is the son of an important campaign donor.

Now here locally, we have reports of similar nepotism. Read the Pensacola News Journal, County's new hire for Equestrian Center rides high, Ties to commissioner bring Equestrian Center pick -- and his high salary -- into question and Commissioner Robertson's push for Gibbs not new, Robertson lobbied for Gibbs in 2009, county staff member says.

More proof that "the instinct to favor family [and friends] never disappears and will reassert itself whenever possible."

Be that as it may, Commissioner Robertson should resign and save the voters the trouble of voting him out of office.