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RELATED: Incumbent John Moore vs. nobody Moore's name will not appear on the ballot.
Incumbent Rick Tacy vs. Gary A. Anderson It has never been the policy of this site to delve into the private lives of politicians and public figures. However when problems in private lives affect their public performance, we would be remiss in avoiding discussion. Councilman Rick Tacy is seeking a third term on the Venice City Council. In his last bid, he ran unopposed. Gary A. Anderson is opposing Tacy in the race, this in his third attempt to gain a seat on the council dais. Anderson lost against Dean Calamaras in a mayoral race last year and he lost to John Simmonds in a council race in 2003.
Rick Tacy As to the first part, the rumor was confirmed by our own eyes at a public event last year. This web site was a guest at the event. Tacy was mingling, tootling around in his battery-operated wheelchair, and he appeared to be already a bit tipsy. He had a beer in his hand. Over the course of the next hour and a half, Tacy consumed at least four beers (counting the first one). Big ones. Tacy then wheeled his wheelchair into his van to drive home. Late last year, Tacy was cited and convicted of careless driving after being involved in a single car accident. This, we are told, was a warning shot fired by frustrated VPD officers across Tacy's bow. Tacy "...should have been given a breath test," one police officer has told us. As to how many more one-car accidents Tacy was in, who knows? Over the past few years, his van was increasingly getting more and more banged up -- at one point, duct tape was holding a front quarter panel together. Then there's the joystick on his electric wheelchair. This is used to steer, accelerate and brake. For many years, even on the council dais, it was a Budweiser eagle keg-tap handle which gave the wheelchair a kind of frat-party feel to it. About two years back (or so), the eagle disappeared from public view. Accidents seem to follow Tacy around. Tacy attended a Superbowl party earlier this year where he failed to notice that he was sitting too close to the fireplace. According to Tacy, the severe burns he received on his hand and arm posed a serious infection threat during his recovery. Within the past week, Tacy took a fall that reportedly caused a spiral fracture in one leg. According to reports, this happened when Tacy was dropped by a caregiver while trying to get into a shower. We have been able to confirm that the police department did have an unspoken habit of making non-arrests in suspected cases of DUIs and other offenses, not only with Tacy but with other elected officials and highly visible members of the community. Very highly visible members. "It was an unwritten policy but it has been stopped" one cop told us. According to some anecdotal information, Tacy was likely not the worst offender. So, to summarize. Does Tacy drink and drive? Yes, it's been witnessed by this web site and it is common knowledge within political circles in this town. Has he received a free ride from the cops on DUIs? According to any documented information, no; according to numerous stories circulating within and without the police department, yes, although it's a highly qualified yes. There wasn't a department-wide hands off policy on Tacy and others, but there was an untouchable nature to a select number of residents on certain types of offenses on a case-by-case basis for the reasons of deep fear and job security: no cop wants to be the one who arrests a public figure, it just isn't worth the unwanted attention within and without the department, not to mention the potential of losing retirement benefits from the long fallout of such an arrest. In Venice, no good deed goes unpunished. Alright, so what? So Tacy has been drunk behind the wheel? So what? What has that got to do with his performance on Venice City Council? Here's what. Suppose Tacy is involved in an accident that injures someone. Suppose that person gets an attorney and decides to sue the city. Even if we hadn't reported it here, Tacy has made enough political enemies that it's a sure bet that somebody would have tipped off the attorney to take a deeper look into Tacy. Depositions would follow and somebody would talk. Want to take a guess at the size of the judgment payout that the city (i.e., you) will have to pay? That's so what. That is more than enough for us to indicate that Tacy is politically and ethically compromised, at least for the time being, compromised enough that we feel he has lost the right at this time to represent us, the citizens of Venice. Tacy's use of office to avoid the consequences of his actions is nothing more than an abuse of office. It is exactly this kind of behavior that a retired Venice police officer was obliquely referring to in a recent letter to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune when he blamed city hall for many of the problems within the police department as cited in the recent Matrix Report. Ultimately, this is a shame. Tacy is bright, articulate and has often voted against his own party line, enough times to show that he is no puppet. On the other hand, Tacy was in support of the ill-fated, Boone-sponsored storage facility that was proposed to be constructed near Capri Isles a few years back -- "This is an outrage!" was Tacy's loud response from the dais upon learning that the proposal had been bazookaed by citizen outcry and the rest of council. More recently, Tacy's proposed skateboard ban nearly caused him to spontaneously combust from the heated glare of nearly every parent and teen in and around the city. Tacy's argument was that skateboarders were a safety hazard to the drivers of automobiles in Venice, a not entirely untrue statement but one that appears to be more than slightly hypocritical under the circumstances (in retrospect, one quote that Tacy gave to the papers where he complained that skateboarders believe that they are above the law seems particularly ironic). Our advice to Tacy: drop out of the race and go into rehab. Run again in a year or two after your head has had time to clear -- you still have some valuable things to contribute and the people in this community will support and nurture you. It is no shame to have personal problems. It is a shame, however, to make the rest of us suffer through them with you like we are family members being held hostage in an alcoholic home, only able to talk about it in hushed voices behind your back. Do not consider this a condemnation, rather think of it as an unfortunately public but long overdue intervention. Then take it as a challenge, one that you will be gladly rooted on in. And one more thing, Rick: This is a major hit, we acknowledge that. Take it, roll with it and come out victorious on the other side of a dark, personal battle. You have a lot of friends, this site included, who will exhort and support you through this fight, but you have to put the gloves on first. Nobody else can do that for you.
Gary A. Anderson The two-time candidate for public office had hinted and vacillated about running for office throughout the past year. Finally, after pressure from this site to make a decision, any decision, Anderson did exactly that at literally the very last minute. On the very last day that candidate papers could be filed, Anderson plopped his completed packet on the desk of City Clerk Lori Stelzer. And he hasn't been seen since. At least if you believe the papers. Anderson did not accept invites to two political functions -- the Rotary Club luncheon, which tends to be a shooting gallery for any non-CQG* candidate, and the Venice pilots club VASI, which is loaded with members who don't live within the city limits anyway. A Venice Chamber of Commerce Hob Nob event was missed due to a severe sinus infection that landed Anderson in the emergency room. The first all-resident candidate forum that was held was the Eastgate Homeowners Association forum. Anderson was there. Tacy, the Gondolier Sun and the Herald-Tribune were not, and this was prior to Tacy's recent accident that has put him out of action. Anderson's recent community endeavor has been the formation and organization of the Island Anglers, a non-profit that is tying in Big Brothers and fishing at the pier into a fishing education program. While that may not sound like much, the project has received cooperation and a thumb's up from state and county officials while the city has seemingly deliberately ignored the organization as much as possible. For a number of reasons, Anderson has never been able to connect with the press and the public. Part of that stems from the massive amounts of money pumped into local elections by big-business supporters of his opponents. Another part stems from Anderson's own personality and his inability to understand what it is that mainstream media is looking for in an endorsable candidate. While he may very well make a good city councilman, he is a terrible campaigner. When present and former public officials like Jim Myers and Burt Brown can get good press despite serious failings, one wonders why Anderson can't. One more thing: Anderson doesn't drink. At all. Actually that's not entirely true. He does have a fondness for non-alcoholic beer. St. Pauli Girl non-alcoholic is his favorite.
Finally Both Tacy and Anderson have voiced opinions that a CMU is a good idea but that this CMU needs to be seriously adjusted. Tacy is perceived to be the swing vote on the CMU. The Boones and the CQG want the CMU passed in as close to its original wording as possible. The CQG is spending a small fortune promoting Tacy's re-election. They will want a return on their investment. Think not? Here's what C.J. Fishman, the CQG's new figurehead, stated before council on September 13:
We repeat: the CQG will want a return on their investment. You do the math.
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First off, former Virginia
judge and
current Vice Mayor John Moore is running for election unopposed. Nobody on
either side of the political fence could possibly come up with a better
candidate that would be more suited to the position, so Moore is coasting into
another three years. That's a good thing. Moore's thoughtful analysis of the
issues and his inherent fairness have been the best thing that has happened to
council since... since... (can anyone come up with something to finish this
sentence?).
As to Gary A. Anderson, as he has chosen to call himself this year (the A is for
Arthur), one can only ask: What the hell is going on?
