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The Poison People

January 21, 2012

Must we be continually disappointed by the negative and misleading communications we all receive when there is a Winter Park election?

One Steve Lester recently sent around an email claiming he is the holder of “facts” about Ken Bradley and Florida Hospital. Dr. Lester conveniently and intentionally left out the fact that he is a radiologist who has been upset over contract disputes with Florida Hospital for years. One lawsuit he was involved in with Florida Hospital goes back to 2002 (go to the Orange County Clerk’s web site and look up case # 2002-CA-006670-O). That Dr. Lester has business differences with Florida Hospital and that Ken Bradley was involved in these disputes as an employee of Florida Hospital is not relevant to Ken Bradley’s service as Mayor of Winter Park. Dr. Lester’s efforts to harm Ken Bradley personally by attacking his role as mayor are nothing more than the pursuit of retribution.

Dr. Lester’s misguided attacks are only outdone by the negative, misleading, and fabricated attacks by Mayor Bradley’s opponent in the January 31, 2012 election, Nancy Miles.

That Ms. Miles describes herself as “fair and balanced” rivals the hypocrisy of Beth Dillaha (Exhibit A, Exhibit B, and Exhibit C).

Ms. Miles fails to offer any policy proposals to distinguish herself and she fails to offer any qualifications worthy of overseeing Winter Park’s $150,000,000 general fund and utility operations. Fair and balanced? About what?

Instead, her campaign consists only of negative unsupported attacks on Ken Bradley’s well-earned and well-deserved reputation as an effective, professional leader.

Ms. Miles’ claims about her opponent are simply false and supported only by a few audio snippets taken out of context.

While I trust Winter Park voters to see through this campaign of lies and distortion, I am dismayed at the people who use the Winter Park political process like Steve Lester, in personal pursuit of retribution over votes they did not agree with and elections they lost. Winter Park deserves so much better.

Ms. Miles appears to have been brainwashed into believing Ken Bradley is some evil gnome by those who flatter her and encouraged her to run for office.

Ms. Miles has not attended more than a hand full of city commission meetings since she arrived here ten years ago and she has never sat down with Ken Bradley to discuss anything, let alone the issues she rails on about. It is also curious that Ms. Miles has had discussions with Commissioners Cooper and McMacken but has not met Commissioners Sprinkle and Leary to discuss Winter Park issues. Fair and balanced?

The candidate financial reports as of January 12, 2012 show Ms. Miles has received almost 20% of her campaign contributions from former Mayor David Strong and entities he controls. David Strong lost the last mayoral election to Ken Bradley. Fair and balanced?

Ms. Miles attacks Ken Bradley for his vote on the Denning land swap deal but fails to mention that people with a vested interest in an earlier deal proposed for this property are supporting her campaign, and that these same vested interests also supported the campaigns of the two commissioners who voted for the earlier deal. The earlier deal failed in a 3-2 vote of the commission. But, if the earlier deal had been approved 3-2, would Ms. Miles accuse herself of being supported by those who used their political influence to ram through their “sweetheart” deal? Fair and balanced? Even remotely true?

The hypocrisy, negativity, and lack of substance of Ms. Miles’ campaign reflect the character of the people who recruited her to run and who do the dirty work behind the scenes, writing the fabrications in her communications and spreading these fabrications door to door; not to convince us of Nancy Miles’ qualities, qualifications, and positive policy offerings; but to destroy the reputation of her opponent.

We can all send a message that the people of Winter Park respect proven, positive, professional, experienced leadership and reject negativity, lies, distortions, and hypocrisy by voting for Ken Bradley on January 31, 2012.

Maybe the poison people will finally get the message.

Regards, Pete Weldon

Posted in Election 2012, Elections, Ethics.


3 Responses

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  1. T. Kitchin says

    1. You do not know that Dr Lester’s comments are related to his supposed problems with Florida Hospital.
    2. You interject hatred and nastiness into our WP election when you call people liars and distorters. In an incident of playground justice (which many believe trumps legal justice) I got my teeth knocked out years ago for calling someone a liar. I deserved it.
    3. You are correct in your “liars and distortions” paragraph when you say “Winter Park deserves better than this”. WP deserves a more classy debate and discussion of issues – such as Steve Leary’s clear, detailed and “stick to the issue” nature of his discussion of the real estate deal.
    4. Maybe you can consider devoting your vast energies toward debating the issues and leave out the nastiness and personal attacks/name calling.

    • Pete Weldon says

      T –

      Thank-you for your comment.

      1. Please re-read the paragraph about Steve Lester. My point is that he excoriates Florida Hospital and Ken Bradley without disclosing his long history of business disputes with Florida Hospital. I will leave it to you to judge whether this is a lie or a distortion. If you want a copy of the email he sent around town just ask.

      2. I am not the one interjecting hatred and nastiness. It is because of those who actually do that I write in the first place. I assert again that Nancy Mile’s campaign is one of “lies and distortions.” I know this because I attended almost every city commission meeting from which she takes her audio snippets and I know that Ms. Miles did not attend these meetings and uses these audio snippets out of context. I know this because I talked with Ms. Miles about the “issues” she raised on her web site and she confirmed the names of some of the people who helped her write that stuff. The people involved routinely appear at commission meetings attacking Ken Bradley with innuendo and falsehoods without a shred of evidence documenting their case. These people know who they are. They know they speak falsely in an effort to discredit anyone who disagrees with them. These people undermine responsible discussion of the issues and then tell Ms. Miles to claim she is “fair and balanced.” Here is a primer on the larger problem that will hopefully motivate you to get more involved.

      3. I agree completely and an overwhelming mandate for Ken Bradley will move us even further in that positive direction.

      4. The issue in this election IS Ms. Miles negative campaign. My critique is supported by the facts of her campaign communications and my personal discussions with her, as well as my attendance at numerous city commission meetings and study of the actual issues. A careful reading will, I believe, lead you to the conclusion that it is Ms. Miles who engages in personal attacks and name calling. Here is a selection of the lies and distortions attacking her opponent (not a word of this is supported by evidence or even thoughtful argument): bad temperament, poor judgment, wheeling and dealing, sweet heart deal, bail out, closed the doors of city government to its citizens. Exactly who is engaging in “nastiness and personal attacks/name calling?”

      You are correct to applaud Steve Leary’s letter detailing the breadth of thoughtful considerations that went into the eventual approval of the swap deal. Please compare that with Ms. Miles’ description of the swap deal and comment below.

  2. Pete Weldon says

    T – Please add Miles’ tree scare mail piece to the list of lies and distortion.



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