Seascape forum

This is my first time posting yet I have been a long time reader. Now it's time to express my opinions.

A quick background, I have been a taxpayer in Walton County since 1975, and I have watched the county evolve to what it is today. I have experienced all of the good old boy politics and corruptness in the past. Consequently, when I express my opinion, I am speaking of years of experience in this county and looking forward to many more years of successful growth for all Walton County residents.

I attended the political form for the South Walton Republican Club held at Seascape this past Thursday. I believe this is one of the best attended so far, and I was very impressed with the turnout of candidates.

This is the third candidate form that I have attended, and I arrived early all of the candidates running for Sheriff were definitely criticizing our current Sheriff. It was very interesting though how their demeanor changed once Sheriff Johnson arrived. Talk about personality changes and bicycling backwards you could see it immediately. To include when they got up to speak, I believe three of them complemented the Sheriff, on his office. My first impression was of a child being caught with their hands in the cookie jar the way that they were very careful on how they addressed the Sheriff's Department. This was the first time to hear Sheriff Johnson in this campaign he stated facts and figures that cannot be disputed. It made you think of our past years and how much better off we are today.

I believe it would be safe to say that the race is ON!

County Commissioner District 5

Bob Hudson came across the strongest, Sid Braunstien was a strong second. I will elaborate more on a later date.

I was slightly impressed with Mr. Osborne's youth and enthusiasm, but I question his ability to perform. I was reading his advertisements today in the Sun and one of his statements under Enforcement is he will consistently hold people accountable for code compliance. Yet he is unable to control his own campaign on placing his political signs in their proper places. He's gone through subdivisions and randomly placed signs in the right away. While the other opponents have followed the guidelines outlined by the state. If you can't control your campaign team are you going to be able to enforce the county's rules just a question that crossed my mind.

County Commissioner District 3

I was very impressed with Johnny Smith, I believe Larry Jones will have a run for his money.

Well, I have rattled long enough for my first posting, and I look forward to expressing my opinions in the future.

I am a taxpayer too, have been since 1982 and I remember the good old boys. Johnson said nothing of a record, he mumbled through a speech that someone else wrote that was full of quotes from people that Johnson does not even know. He has been a public official for almost 8 years. You would think that he would be confident enough now to speak to a group of his constituents for 5 minutes without reading from a paper. And I dont recall any stated facts or figures from him. You claim the candidates demeanor changed? I personally witnessed 3 of them approach him and speak to him, of course THEY had to approach him, because he stood in a corner when he arrived and didnt speak to anyone but those who came with him.
I also disagree with you on the Dist 5 and in the Dist 3 race, Jones has that one locked up but just so you know, I am not a Jones (or Johnson) supporter

I think most have missed the point. That point is both of these candidates say one thing when the person is not around and then something else when they are around. In other words they talk out of both sides of their mouth and will do the same to you and me if elected. I understand they did not mention anything in particular just that Johnson has done a great job. These are the same folks that say they use conservative fiscal control when dealing with taxpayer dollars but yet raise their buget over 90% and then criticize someone else about their budget. The same folks that say they have 20 years law enforcement experience but in reality have maybe 10 as a full time law enforcement officer the rest as an auxiliary officer working fairs and football games. Just make sure that you check out all of what each candidate says and how he says it...some of it is misleading

Dear Johnson (or whoever) supporter
Thank you for this post and I went and checked out the facts. I assume the 90% Budget guy that you are targeting is Mr Adkinson and the Auxillary guy is Cooper (why not throw Cornman Macon and Wise in the mix? You must not think they have a chance?) Adkinson increased a budget becasue he was allowed to do so by his council to enhance the service to the city. Not a fan of higer taxes, but did the taxes of the residents of the city increase? And for Cooper, I believe your facts are not correct there either, as he as not an Auxillary Officer, yes Mr uninformed there is a difference, and regardless of what you claim he did while he was serving, he was serving in the capacity of a law enforcement officer, like it or not was that wrong? Have these two hidden anything?. I dont feel mislead at all, infact more informed so thank you for this information.
Fortunately (or unfortunately), I know some of the candidates and each of them (including Johnson) have both good qualities and bad. The problem is those of you who think you have a dog in the race that is lagging behind, want to get out there and stir the pot with your word spinning or counter misleading innuendos. I dont care one bit about what someone has done, (I keep an eye on what they have not done though) how long they have lived in the county (or not), who their wife is, or how much training they have. I look at the person and formulate my own opinion on whether they will be good on their word and do what they say as an elected official. If Donald Duck was running and could convince me he was the best for the job, I would vote for him. Maybe its time we got a Sheriff that was not a cop at all, and just moved to the county from some small town in Idaho and had the ability to make a decesion, hire intelligent people, and be available to the public.
And in closing, why dont you attend a forum on your own and get your own facts instead of being someones puppet? I have been to two of them now. They are interesting. Think I will go to the next one in South Walton just to check out the crowd, forget all the political stuff, I want to find the ones that are stiring the pots. If you are interested, its at South Walton High School I believe they said July 30 or 31 (could not understand the guy that was talking).

It is at SWHS on July 31st, and God williin' and the creek don't rise my wife and I will be there.

Dear Johnson (or whoever) supporter
Thank you for this post and I went and checked out the facts. I assume the 90% Budget guy that you are targeting is Mr Adkinson and the Auxillary guy is Cooper (why not throw Cornman Macon and Wise in the mix? You must not think they have a chance?) Adkinson increased a budget becasue he was allowed to do so by his council to enhance the service to the city. Not a fan of higer taxes, but did the taxes of the residents of the city increase? And for Cooper, I believe your facts are not correct there either, as he as not an Auxillary Officer, yes Mr uninformed there is a difference, and regardless of what you claim he did while he was serving, he was serving in the capacity of a law enforcement officer, like it or not was that wrong? Have these two hidden anything?. I dont feel mislead at all, infact more informed so thank you for this information.
Fortunately (or unfortunately), I know some of the candidates and each of them (including Johnson) have both good qualities and bad. The problem is those of you who think you have a dog in the race that is lagging behind, want to get out there and stir the pot with your word spinning or counter misleading innuendos. I dont care one bit about what someone has done, (I keep an eye on what they have not done though) how long they have lived in the county (or not), who their wife is, or how much training they have. I look at the person and formulate my own opinion on whether they will be good on their word and do what they say as an elected official. If Donald Duck was running and could convince me he was the best for the job, I would vote for him. Maybe its time we got a Sheriff that was not a cop at all, and just moved to the county from some small town in Idaho and had the ability to make a decesion, hire intelligent people, and be available to the public.
And in closing, why dont you attend a forum on your own and get your own facts instead of being someones puppet? I have been to two of them now. They are interesting. Think I will go to the next one in South Walton just to check out the crowd, forget all the political stuff, I want to find the ones that are stiring the pots. If you are interested, its at South Walton High School I believe they said July 30 or 31 (could not understand the guy that was talking).

All in all you raise some good points, although I thought maybe this person was a Brown or Cornman supporter (do Macon and Wise have any supporters?) since they took Adkinson and Cooper apart. One thing about Mr. Adkinson's record though, when a leader asks for a budget increase, it is somewhat disingenuous to "blame" the city council/board of commissioners for approving it. They may face their own political kudos/criticisms for the action but the agency leader is responsible for what he/she asks for. Second, if one particular budget was raised without increasing taxes, then services somewhere else had to have been cut. So it would be for the citizens to detirmine if the overall efect was good or bad. As to Mr. Cooper, part-time in any job is not the same as full-time. That said, you are on the money when you said that what we (citizens) should be looking for is the best leader and facilitator out of the field. Johnson is obviously not the best choice.:rofl:

well uhm...

I never stated he was "hiding behind a badge." Go back and slowly reread what I said.

Out of the three viable candidates, Cornman reminds me of a kid who got picked on, and is now trying to get even as an adult behind a badge. (gut feelings, with no factual evidence.)

What else can that mean then? Its exactly what you said.

not so wise one, I'd rather forget........

As for the wise one. He should not have used a fallen officers wake to campaign for sheriff. It was sickening and made people behind him step out of line. The few people in front of him that overheard him shook their heads in disbelief and came very close to asking him to leave.
AND, Mrs. Forgionne was already wearing the medal when he got there.
Shameful, shameful and embarassing behavior and he owes an apology. No excuses.

As for the wise one. He should not have used a fallen officers wake to campaign for sheriff. It was sickening and made people behind him step out of line. The few people in front of him that overheard him shook their heads in disbelief and came very close to asking him to leave.
AND, Mrs. Forgionne was already wearing the medal when he got there.
Shameful, shameful and embarassing behavior and he owes an apology. No excuses.

My husband refuses to lower himself to your level and I am sick to my stomach to think you would say this.......Dennis was never in a line, other than the viewing line, and certainly didn't say anything to anyone then and never campaigned as he didn't even speak to anyone other than Mrs. Forgione, Sheriff Morris and some BSO deputies! There is no way Mrs. Forgione could have received the Medal of Honor other than the President of the American Federation of Police and Concerned Citizens presenting it to her.......which he did! How dare you insinuate something like this about such a sensitive issue!!! He made sure all the campaign signs were removed from the car before leaving the house, so as not to offend!! You are outrageous and dispicable to insinuate this. Excuse me while I go throw up now!!!

If anyone doubts my husbands demeanor, check with Charlie Morris or Colonel Coup. Also, after the viewing, my husband had the honor of sitting with Mr. and Mrs. Altman whose son had also been killed in the line of duty!!! I am quite sure they would willingly attest to his professionalism also.

Mrs. Dennis Wise

Psych.

I believe that you have donned your "rose colored glasses" on this one.:shock: Mr. Adkinson is often personable, but does not react well to opposing viewpoints and does not stay in the conversation when someone questions him. :angry: Mr. Cooper is somewhat arrogant in groups but is engaging one on one and will tolerate disagreement. ;-) Mr. Cornman can be charming but is arrogant and does not like questioning. All three could use lessons in dealing with the public from what I have seen. And of course all three are a huge improvement over Ralph.

yes, all are HUGE improvements over Ralph...

However, from what basis do you base your assessment on? I agree with some of your review, but question others... Just asking?

Where's the trees?

Idlewind....hmmm......is that another name for fart?? Also, I am not familiar with the word kiding.....unless of course you mean kidding.....in which case I must inform you that undeserved criticism is hurtful, (to Charlie Morris too), as you probably gathered from my first and second sentence here, and that if you don't check out Dennis Wise thoroughly along with all the other candidates you are going to make a huge mistake in voting for someone else!!! Monumental......and I would say this even if I weren't just sentimental because I happen to be married to the most qualified MAN for the position of Sheriff of Walton Co. I repeat, you all need to open up your peepers and add... GET A CLUE! Anyone wishing to get first hand knowledge of what my husband is all about should contact him/me and we will surely arrange for you to find out exactly what I'm talking about! Either email, phone or pm us and we'll get together!!! Let's just say, "It's not going to be good for the wrong person to be elected, as I can only assume you have already noticed???" I suppose I should have said that Dennis is a politician in the sense that he is seeking an office, but as far as the negative aspect of politician goes........he is NOT. Seems some in Walton Co. cannot see the forest for the trees.

Sheila Wise

This is a fact that should have been realized long ago. Things are VERY different here... I know you and Dennis know this, I am not sure that now is the time for us to all realize it... Your phrasing of "some" should encompass more than what the word implies. I know that Dennis is doing what he believes in. It does not mean others c it that way...

w

I think this thread has convinced me Dennis Wise is the Wise choice. I've read his qualifications and backround and they are exemplary. While I'm at it, what is your opinion of the sheriff's race, Seeker1 and why? You obviosly have some stake in the game as your post regarding Dennis Wise's conduct at the wake of the fallen officer certainly indicates such. BTW, it was an obscene, malicious and unnecessary post under any circumstances. Also, I will believe Mrs. Wise's explaination of what transpired long before I believe yours. As SJ says, "just a gut feeling". The main drawback cited to the Dennis Wise campaign is his lack of a college degree. The amount of education and courses he has taken more than make up for this. College degrees, except for certain professions are highly over rated IMO. People can do quite nicely without them unless they are a physician, jurist or a few other professions. But, as a nation, we have grown to think that an intelligent person cannot evaluate, comprehend or react positively unless they have a college degree. It is my conclusion that we would all be much better balanced if not so much emphasis was put on what and how many degrees one has.

fact

Wise was in fact in the very long line for the viewing as you very well pointed out.

He introduced himself to the person in line standing behind him saying Im Dennis Wise, Im running for walton county sheriff.
The gentlemans response was thats nice, I dont know enough about your county or sheriff.
Dennis said we have fifity to sixty thousand people in walton county except when the south end is full of tourists, then population really grows. But thats not including what seems like 10,000 mexicans.
The two people now standing behind them left the line and went to the rear shaking their heads.
There was one person standing in front of Dennis, me.
I was really disappointed in him and partly in myself for not asking him to stop. The woman in front of me turned and "shushed" in his direction and he must have heard her because he went silent.

You say you have read his qualifications and backround and find him exemplary.
This site is a wonderful place to get and give information. Allow me to suggest something from one of the better recent posts.
"Read more than what is hand fed to you". I encourage you and others to keep checking. You may all be surprised sir.
As for my opinion of the sheriff race. I always enjoy a political race.
Do I have a stake in the race? Heck YEAH! I think the current sheriff stinks and is not much different than the one before him. I live here. Im invested here. My entire family is here. I plan on staying here. I hope Walton County grows enough to help keep everyones children here. Thats my "stake here". I have yet to make my mind up on who to vote for though.
My comment would have been the same for anyones behavior. Is he evil, no, not at all. Was it bad judgement, I think he got carried away. Your more upset by the fact I brought it up than the actions of a candidate seeking the most powerful position in the county. I dont care if you believe me or not. I was there. Others were there. You would argue with anyone else who was there and witnessed it too I suspect.
I agree on the education point you bring up. Charlie Morris was a school resource officer prior to being sheriff. Hes done a great job. Diplomas dont always indicate ability. Performance based evaluations carry more weight than acedemic diplomas. Though both are very close. Succesful experience is more valuable over a classroom.
My post is far larger than intended. Support who you wish. But I still encourage you and everyone to check, verify, validate, ask questions and demand answers.

Seeker1 part of verifying what someone states as fact in a situation as the one you describe is to have a second party verify what happened.

I'm not doubting you or what you are saying happened and it very well could be true, but until it is verified, it is hearsay. Right now it is very much a 50/50 split as to what happened. In my experience of a he said/she said (this is no indication of posters identity just a common term for example purposes) situation it is best to ignore the statement and focus on other verifiable issues.

Seeker 1, thanks for the civil response. We will just have to agree to disagree on this one, though we agree about education vs. experience.

good deal

Thank you for the kind response Andy A.. I will continue to enjoy exchanges in the future with all who participate.
SWGB, I can. I was not aware that I was able to until this evening reading my personal e-mail. But at this point it will serve no purpose.
I will try to be more sensitive to issues I bring forward. I'll make an effort to be more considerate to family members and others who may get too upset. If necessary I will pass on bringing things to light and leave it to others. Sometimes its not worth the cost, no matter what the issue.