Incumbent R.J. Larizza is challenged by long-time Volusia County Judge Stasia Warren in the race for State Attorney for the 7th Judicial Circuit, which covers Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam. All registered voters in all four counties are eligible to cast a vote on Aug. 14 regardless of party affiliation.
Constitutionals
Early Voting Is On for the Primary. Go Vote.
Early voting for the Aug. 14 primary is on at the Flagler County Public Library on belle Terre and at the elections office at the Government Services Building, through Aug. 11. A full schedule, sample ballot and more.
Flagler Tea Party Straw Poll Winners: Stevens, Westbrook, Warren, Meeker, But Not Schools
The Flagler County Tea Party’s straw poll included 14 races on the Aug. 14 ballot, plus the school board’s half-penny sales tax referendum, which drew 67 percent against, a worrisome sign for the school board.
When Even Sheriff Fleming Is a Bystander to Rumors’ Wreckage
A verbal altercation involving Sheriff Don Fleming’s step-daughter and another woman at European Village began a series of events that caused the firing of the woman and her boyfriend, both waiters at Mazzaluna. Charges that Fleming had retaliated are unsubstantiated.
Ray Stevens Assault on John Pollinger Mutates, This Time Invoking 9/11 Decisions
Fresh from losing a suit attempting to boot John Pollinger from the Republican ballot for sheriff on Aug. 14 (the decision is on appeal), the Ray Stevens camp is criticizing a Pollinger decision to keep officers from going to Ground Zero after 9/11, though the record overwhelmingly supports Pollinger’s decision.
John Pollinger Responds to His Critics
John Pollinger, a candidate for Flagler County Sheriff, has been criticized over his last months as Middletown, N.J., police chief and his tenure as post commander of the American Legion in Palm Coast. He tells his side.
Drug War Collusion: Top Cops, Lapdog Press, And the Art of Tax-Funded Campaigning
With State Attorney R.J. Larizza, Flagler Sheriff Don Fleming and Putnam Sheriff Jeff Hardy in starring roles (all three are running for re-election next month), Wednesday was the latest shameless example of local and state police using a minor drug sweep for maximum political effect, at taxpayers’ expense.
Editor’s Note: When Comments Are Swift Boats’ Docking Hooks
I’ve been asked why certain comments in the John Pollinger-Anne-Marie Shaffer case were approved, considering their lavish innuendoes and borderline slanders. The decision bears explaining in light of this year’s distinctly foul election season.
Pollinger Will Remain on Aug. 14 Ballot as a Republican as Judge Craig Denies Challenge
John Pollinger will remain on the Aug. 14 ballot as a Republican candidate for Flager County Sheriff, Circuit Court Judge Dennis Craig ruled Tuesday afternoon, denying a challenge by Anne-Marie Shaffer, a supporter of candidate Ray Stevens, to bar him from the Republican ballot.
Charging “Political Assassination,” Pollinger Seeks Court to Reveal Shaffer’s Backers
John Pollinger, a Republican candidate for sheriff, is asking Judge Dennis Craig to compel Anne-Marie Shaffer to answer whether the Republican Club of Flagler County or the Ronald Reagan Republican Assembly of Flagler County–in which Shaffer is an officer–are helping to fund the lawsuit she filed against Pollinger to boot him from the Republican ballot.
Flagler’s Sheriff and Judge Candidates Rub Elbows Raw at Long NAACP Forum
The revealing moments were less in what the candidates said than in how they said it, or in how they waited to say something. The crowd of 200 was relaxed and riveted. Many of the candidates were stiff, fidgety and tense.
Invoking Conspiracies and ‘Party Purity,’ Pollinger’s Opponents Proceed With Suit
Court documents show that Sheriff’s candidate Ray Stevens and county commission candidate Dennis McDonald were involved in efforts to battle John Pollinger’s qualifications as a Republican candidate for sheriff as the case against Pollinger proceeds.
Democrats Outpacing Republicans In Florida Registrations, But Not in Flagler
More Democrats than Republicans registered to vote in Florida in May, driven by women and Hispanics, but Independents continue to make the biggest gains, and in Flagler County, Republicans have widened their registration lead to a full percentage point.
Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Roster, Accused By His Own Men, Is Demoted Over Falsifying Records
An internal affairs investigation of Jamie Roster found he’d falsified time sheets by booking at least $8,406.26 he’d not worked for. The investigation was triggered by complaints from men under his supervision, and reveals strains and morale issues at the sheriff’s office. Roster, demoted to deputy, is appealing.
Calling Their Tactic “Legal but Immoral,” Jim O’Connell Asks Flagler’s Write-Ins to Withdraw
In an open letter to write-in candidates in coming elections, Jim O’Connell, the former Flagler County Commissioner tells the write-ins their presence on the ballot will deny 40,000 voters their right to vote.
Judge Rules Flagler Sheriff Candidate John Pollinger Can Run as a Republican
Flagler County Circuit Judge Dennis Craig ruled today that John Pollinger, the candidate for Flagler County Sheriff, has been legally a member of the Republican Party in Flagler County since August 2009, and therefore can remain on the Aug. 14 primary ballot as a Republican.
Barbara Revels, Suzanne Johnston and Jay Gardner Are Re-Elected As Qualifying Ends
The 2012 primary and general elections will be heavily contested in all but a handful of local and judicial district races. County Commissioner Revels, Tax Collector Johnston and Property Appraiser Gardner are among the automatic winners who faced no opposition.
No Ruling on John Pollinger Case Friday
Flagler County Circuit Judge Dennis Craig’s ruling on whether sheriff candidate John Pollinger can remain on the Aug. 14 primary ballot as a Republican will be handed down on Monday at the earliest.
Pollingergate: In Motor Voter Registrations, An Applicant’s Former State Is Barely Relevant
When John Pollinger, the embattled Republican candidate for Flagler County Sheriff, first registered as a Florida voter in 2008 through motor voter, his previous registration status in New Jersey would not have come up, according to the motor voter process.
Write-In Sham: How an Obscure GOP Group Is Disenfranchising 40,000 Voters in Local Races
Democrats and Independents would normally be allowed to vote in primaries featuring only Republican candidates. By fielding write-ins who have no chance or intention of winning, the Ronald Reagan group is locking out those Democrats and Independents by creating the artifice of a contested general election.
Circuit Judge May Rule by Week’s End on Pollinger’s Eligibility as GOP Sheriff’s Candidate
Flagler County Sheriff Candidate John Pollinger was a registered Democrat in New Jersey, but registered as a Republican when he moved to Flagler County several years ago. An ally of Ray Stevens, another sheriff’s candidate, is challenging Pollinger’s qualification to be on the primary ballot as a Republican.
Upset That Trey Corbett Had Cut Him Off at the Gym, 65-Year-Old Defaces His Campaign Sign
Steven Paskewich was apparently upset that Trey Corbett, a candidate for Flagler County Supervisor of Elections, allegedly cut him off at the weight machine at Thriv, the Palm Coast fitness center–a machine Corbett says he doesn’t use. So Paskewich defaced three Corbett signs with mild obscenities–and was arrested.
Sheriff Candidate Ray Stevens’s Ex-Aide Files Suit Against Rival Pollinger Over GOP Status
Anne-Marie Shaffer was GOP Sheriff’s candidate Ray Stevens’s campaign manager until two weeks ago, when she opted to legally challenge John Pollinger’s status as a Republican on the Aug. 14 primary election for Flagler County Sheriff.
Early Voting and Cost Pressures Cut Flagler Voting Locations By Almost Half From 2008
Supervisor of Elections Kimberle Weeks submitted a plan to the Flagler County Commission Monday that reduces voting locations to 22, from 38 in 2008, as more people are voting early. A few concerns about elderly voters and turnout were raised.
John Pollinger’s GOP Ballot Status In Question Over Dual Registration
John Pollinger, a Democrat in New Jersey until his move to Palm Coast, blames a small cabal of local Republicans for attempting to derail his candidacy for Flagler County Sheriff, but Florida law appears to support the claim that his previous registration disqualified his bid as a Republican.
Flagler Supervisor of Elections Office Tops State Performance Rankings That Anger Others
Other supervisors of elections are angry over the nature of the survey, calling it inaccurate, but Weeks is almost certain to use the results as vindication of her tenure after nearly four years of conflict with the Flagler County Commission over her budget and confrontational style.
Loans and Self-Contributions Swell Big Money Pots in Flagler Sheriff’s and County Judge Races
John Pollinger in the Flagler sheriff’s race and Melissa Moore Stens in the county judge race are leading in money raised so far, but largely on the strength of their own contributions. Almost $117,000 was raised by all candidates in 11 Flagler County races as of March 31.
Acknowledging Membership to Hammock Resort, Sheriff Says It Has “No Dollar Value”
Flagler County Sheriff Don Fleming said Hammock Beach Resort gave him a membership card years ago, but that he pays for all services and is not in breach of state ethics rules, though the membership is the subject of an ethics complaint.
In Flagler County, a Reflection of Democrats’ Lost Promise as GOP Regains Registration Lead
Democrats’ voter-registration advantage vanished in Flagler County after a three-and-a-half-years, reflecting surging Republican activity and diminished Democratic excitement, but also the consequences of onerous voter-registration laws that disproportionately affect Democrats.
Allen Whetsell, Craig Funeral’s GM, Latest Of 4 GOP Candidates Vying to Oust Weeks
Democrats are not fielding a candidate to challenge fellow-Democrat and Supervisor of Elections incumbent Kimberle Weeks as Allen Whetsell becomes the fourth candidate in the Republican primary for that seat.
Citing Fleming-Larizza Conflicts of Interest, Gov. Scott Orders Fischer Case Out of Flagler
Scott issued the order after State Attorney R.J. Larizza voluntarily withdrew from prosecuting the case, “to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest or impropriety” with Sheriff Don Fleming, now a witness in the Jamesine Fischer case–and vulnerable politically.
Sheriff Fleming, Under Oath, Contradicts His Own Records in Hit-and-Run Case
Sheriff Fleming followed his under-oath interview with the Florida Highway Patrol with a written statement the next day that changed his story for a fourth time regarding his phone calls to and from John Fischer, the school board member and husband of the woman charged in a hit-and-run fatality on Nov. 10.
He’s Back: Sensing a Weakened Don Fleming, Jim Manfre Is Running for Sheriff a 4th Time
Jim Manfre was Flagler County sheriff from 2001 to 2005, and lost to Sheriff Fleming in 2008 by a thin margin. The recent controversy over Fleming’s handling of a fatal road accident spurred Manfre to become the fourth candidate against the incumbent.
Ex-Cops Begin Lineup To Challenge Sheriff Don Fleming, Who’s Declaring for a 3rd Term
Ray Stevens, an Ossining, N.Y. cop, and John Pollinger, a Jersey cop (like Fleming) before their retirements to Palm Coast, are the early filers in what promises to be a crowded field for the $120,000-a-year job.