Helen Voltz, the formal darling of Brevard County conservatives, is running for county Property Appraiser, jumping on the bandwagon of opportunity created by the FDLE’s (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) investigation into alleged misconduct by Jim Ford who has held the office for 20 years, according to a report by Florida Today.

Seeing her credibility diminish over the past five years, as Voltz drifted from right-wing to centrist/moderate positions, she knew her days on the County Commission were numbered. And what better opportunity than to use her name recognition in a race where the current contenders are not well-known.

As an added bonus, if she wins, she’ll more than double her salary. Her county commission job brings in less than $60,000/year and the current pay scale for the property appraiser’s office is almost $140,000.

As one commenter on Florida Today’s forum wrote:

Its not too hard to figure out Mrs. Voltz’s self serving agenda. Run for another office she is completely incapable of handling and more than double her pay!

Experience:
Arrow Electronics, 1979 – 1982, Operations Manager
Palm Bay City Council 1990 – 1993
Cornerstone Restaurant, Owner, 1987 – 1989
Holmes Regional Medical Center, R.N.1992 - 1994
Campaign Manager, Dave Weldon for Congress, 1994
Trico Home Health, Case Manager, 1994 – 1996
Brevard County Commissioner, D5, 1996 – 2000
Circles of Care, Community Liaison, R.N. at Harbor Pines
Brevard County Commissioner, D3, Currently

That’s a troubling job history when you consider the duties of the property appraiser’s office. According to the county’s property appraiser website:

The Property Appraiser’s primary job is to prepare an annual tax roll (assessment roll) which complies with Constitutional and specific State mandated standards in order that it will be approved each year by the Florida Department of Revenue. This is a very serious matter because the rejection of a county’s tax roll leads to many problems for the School Board, local governments, the taxpayers and the Property Appraiser.

To maintain an approvable tax roll, the Property Appraiser must estimate the current market value of all real and tangible property based upon data from real estate sales transactions and other current market data. This is done pursuant to the requirements of specific State laws. The tax roll is audited annually by the Florida Department of Revenue to ensure compliance.

The job description also explains at length that the property appraiser does not have the power to reduce property taxes:

As a result of some misconceptions, it is first important to explain what the Appraiser’s job does not involve. The Property Appraiser cannot lower your taxes because tax rates and tax levies are determined by the various taxing authorities which have discretion in those matters, such as the County Commission, School Board, Cities, etc. The Property Appraiser cannot reduce property values when the market supports the current level of assessment required by the Florida Department of Revenue. Even if market trends indicated a lower value, and the Property Appraiser was able to reduce the value assessed accordingly, the taxing authorities are authorized by State law to raise tax rates to get the same revenue they had the prior year without calling it a tax increase (Section 200.065, F.S. and Florida Administrative Code 12D-17.0035). So, the bottom line is the Property Appraiser does not have the authority to lower taxes and a lowering of value assessed would not ensure lower taxes even if justified from the market.

But, let me venture that it won’t be long before Voltz begins making hints and innuendos that she’ll bring “integrity” to the office - and not bother to explain to voters that she’ll have no more power than other county appraisers to reduce their property taxes. She’ll also be betting politically that the first few years of the recently passed Amendment One will reduce scrutiny into her role. So, while it is possible that a nurse could perform these duties with proper training and oversight, it hardly seems the time to subject our county (or really any county in Florida) to such a social experiment - at the potential risk to hundreds of thousands of county property owners.

It’s also troubling when you consider that the previously declared candidates seem far and away more qualified to hold the position just based on job titles alone: Steve Burdett, the current Brevard County Finance Director, and Robert VanVolkenburgh, an assistant state attorney and a management consultant for Deloitte & Touche. Mr. VanVolkenburgh was also previously a bank operations officer for the old Barnett Bank.

Voltz originally used local Christian groups and churches to support her when she first ran for county office - and still leans on some of that support today. Using the shoulders of congressman Dave Weldon in 1994 (whose campaign she helped manage), Voltz successfully convinced Brevard conservatives that she was a Newt Gingrich/Dave Weldon conservative and broke into county politics in 1996 with a narrow 1 percent win over radical liberal Diana Figueroa.

Though Ms. Voltz has since moved far from her political roots, the average conservative in Brevard still tends to think of her fondly - even though an even precursory glance at her record demonstrates her shift toward the left. Voltz will be counting on that conservative support to win the property appraiser’s office.

Florida Today summarized her comments on her centrist move: “She said her second term on the commission has been more effective since she became more open to opposing opinions and compromise.” By which she means, it became more effective for her because she didn’t have to expend much energy. Fighting for tough issues is a lot of hard work. But it becomes a lot easier when you compromise with your enemies.

Of course, the appraiser’s office isn’t as politically-charged as other public offices, which is largely why Voltz has targeted it. She’ll be able to keep her centrist views, avoid giving an account to her past supporters, and be able to leave her county commission seat with grace - rather than in a future election loss. Oh, and she’ll more than double her salary. One wonders if she would have targeted Ford’s office if his present salary was comparable to hers. Of course, Voltz would deny that, so let’s just go ahead and deny it for her here to save her the trouble. But, we’d all still think it and she can’t do much about that.

There is some good news in all this for Brevard County conservatives who think the county commissioners have grown egos bigger than our humble county can support (or should support). Quite possibly, Voltz will lose her campaign to become property appraiser, and having given up her seat on the commission to run, she’ll be gone there, too. Now might be an excellent time for a strong conservative to run for Voltz’s old seat.

For many, remembering Sept. 11, 2001, opens up wounds from the past that will last a lifetime.

I have a vivid recollection of the gut shot given to New York City and the rest of America on that clear morning in Manhattan. Living in Orlando, I kept my school-aged children home for two days. I genuinely worried about what might happen next.

Most of America remained glued to the television, watching as New York mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, helped the city that bore the brunt of the storm and sprang into action at its plight. Watching his confidence in the face of terror gave solace to many who had never imagined such an attack.

The embodiment of resistance in the face of fear brought Mayor Giuliani not only fame, but reportedly hundreds of millions of dollars through Giuliani Partners, his lobbying firm, and about $100,000 in speaking fees per speech.

When I heard “America’s Mayor” was visiting our county, I went to the Florida Institute of Technology hanger at Melbourne International Airport to get of glimpse of the man and the myth. Whether thought of as a shameless opportunist or a legitimate hero, he is surely destined to occupy a place in history.

More interestingly, Rudy’s risky strategy of running a minimalist campaign until hitting the Sunshine State–reportedly in order to save money, but also concurrent with the revelation of several embarrassing scandals–has kept him out of the campaign limelight. The Brevard visit may give telling signs on the future of his presidential run.

I approached the crowd of about 150 people on a balmy afternoon at the airport and noticed an odd mix.

I first observed a large security contingent of about 20 flanking the crowd. Most were heavyset, intimidating men all wearing dark glasses and suits. Their appearance and demeanor came across loud and clear to any would-be terrorist, “I have no problem with water boarding. Try me.”

Then I saw that some of the most vocal of the crowd were carrying signs for Republican hopeful Ron Paul.

Among the supporters was local resident James M. Ray.

“I’m out here to show my support for the only candidate that speaks for the things I believe in,” Ray said. “I’m for the Republican party now, but I was with the Libertarian Party originally. I last voted for Ron Paul in 1988. I‘m going to stab myself for how politically ineffective I‘ve been.”

Paul’s supporters seemed to be connected by a common bond that begins and ends on the personal side of the Internet. They all said they believed internet bloggers over the mainstream press.

The left-leaning “Brevard Patriots for Peace” also had a small contingent at the rally.

Sharan Miller from Melbourne Beach and Vicki Impoco, the current director of the group, said they attended the event to protest the loss of civil liberties U.S. citizens have been stripped of under the current Republican administration.

As time dragged on in the heat and humidity from the expected 12:45 p.m. scheduled start for the rally (later attributed to a bomb scare which kept Rudy hunkered down in FIT offices), I continued to mingle with the crowd.

There seemed to be a multitude of curvy, attractive college-aged girls swirling throughout the throng gathered. I decided to find out the source of what I began to think of as the “Rudy’s Cuties” phenomenon.

So I questioned one 22-year-old Jennifer Newman, a marketing major who had been bussed to Melbourne with a group of other mainly female students from the University of Central Florida. The Rudy rally promised curricular credit for a government class.

Newman, clad in a white “Rudy for President” t-shirt and carrying a campaign sign, said that in addition to the credits, she was there because she supported Rudy’s economic history.

“I’m here to support Rudy Giuliani, the next president of the United states. I love him. He is a fiscal conservative who is tuned into the dangers terrorism poses to this country,” Newman said. “He has also managed one of the largest cities in the world and he has the experience the country needs. He‘s shown that he‘s the man for any job.”

I couldn’t help but wonder what her response would be to the fact that Rudy’s campaign funds are dangerously low–so much so that a number of his top officials are reportedly foregoing their paychecks for January. Before I could ask, Newman had flitted away.

I next met another blonde-haired, buxom young handler for the Rudy campaign.

“I got called to work (for the Giuliani campaign) after my parents had gone to a fund-raiser,” the aide said. “I said okay because I thought it might be a good experience. It’s still early on so we’ll see.”

Overall, if people were for Rudy they seemed to be from out-of-town, part of some organized effort to artificially inflate the Brevard crowd. It seemed to me that most of the local faces were behind signs touting issues or supporting other candidates in the presidential race.

Finally, Amara Birman, Mayor Giuliani’s Florida political coordinator appeared to announce Rudy’s emergence from the hanger. He was flanked by local groupies Brevard County Commissioner Jackie Colon and Melbourne City Councilman John Thomas who smilingly chatted with the mayor seemingly eager for political attention.

“Are you ready to meet the next president of the United States?” Birman asked the crowd. She began encouraging the crowd to chant “Rudy.” If only this were Notre Dame and Sean Aston was nearby.

Some chanting did erupt for a few moments, then it dwindled and stopped. Clearly, the imported supporters couldn’t carry the whole crowd.

After the noise died, Birman seemed first perplexed, then displeased.

“Is this how you want to greet the next President of the United States?” she asked.

A wilted elderly couple behind me responded, “We would probably be more enthusiastic if we hadn’t had to wait out here in the hot sun for an hour and a half.”

Birman instructed her staff to leave the airport premises and to tell supporters that the site of an economic policy speech, originally scheduled to be stumped in Melbourne at a secure Harris Corp. facility, had been changed to the FIT hanger.

How much of the instructed exodus of the staff and the rerouting of the campaign event had to do with the reported “bomb threat”, I don’t know.

One thing is for sure, political agendas will always be argued. But, in politics, platforms are usually less important than perception.

What the visit of “America’s Mayor” revealed to me was that his support in Brevard, and possibly the rest of the state, seems to be, at best, tepid.

Rudy’s big plans to pick up steam by making a firm stand in Florida might go the way of the Alamo, and that’s good news for candidates McCain, Huckabee and Romney.

Custom Business Specialists, Inc., publisher of several business directories in Brevard County, FL announced that its two new coupon menus are Brevard’s 1st “Green Publications”, printed on environmentally friendly recycled paper and with bio-degradable, soy-based inks.

The announcement by CBS president Gary Kitchens comes as the company launches Seniors Love Coupons and Tourists Love Coupons, marketed to area seniors and visitors, respectively. Each of the coupon menus will have an initial run of 25,000 copies.

“We live in an environmentally sensitive and diverse region of Florida and feel it is our obligation to do what we can to lessen the impact on our natural resources, especially as we grow and produce more publications and copies for our clients and customer”, said Kitchens. “By printing on recycled paper and using soy-based inks we acknowledge our responsibility to our advertisers and our community to be good stewards of our environment.”

What started as an effort to support local beachside businesses that were affected by the closure of State Road A1A following September 11, 2001, CBS’s flagship publication, the Val-U Directory has expanded from the original Beach Val-U Directory, serving Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach, to include separate publications serving specific markets including Merritt Island, the city of Rockledge, and the Suntree/Viera area. Seniors Love Coupons and Tourists Love Coupons complement the Val-U directories and will be distributed to the markets for which they are named. Each of the publications is also available online at www.valudirectory.com.