Mount Dora Politics #3 - Sunday October 27th

You may have read my post of last week on the Medallion Homes campaign contributions issue, and here is the link for that if you want to refresh your memory......it first looks at the response from Randy Wiseman to Mel DeMarco's piece of investigative reporting....

The basic facts are that Medallion, the developer of the Lakes Of Mount Dora subdivision, has given campaign contributions in the thousands to four candidates for Mount Dora City Council and Mayoral election coming on Nov. 5th -  Wiseman, Wood, Canas and Payne. This is a matter of public record.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5325201314447990793#editor/target=post;postID=335391620078408522;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname

Lauren Ritchie had an excellent column in the Orlando Sentinel Friday on our Mount Dora political goings on......

As for the third paragraph of her column, do you think the fact a large corporation was trying to influence the City Council to vote in their favour by contributing to certain candidates would have come to light without DeMarco's investigation? Of course not......

Mount Dora candidates take developer money

• 
• Comments

  8

• Email

  Share 37

Lauren RitchieCOMMENTARY

4:53 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2013

Four of Mount Dora's nine candidates for public office accepted money from an out-of-town developer who likely stands to make profits off 54 more houses if City Council members approve a request he has pending before them.

The vote on Medallion Home's application to kill requirements for a park, fire-station site and open space for endangered birds and turn those 35 acres into more houses at the Lakes of Mount Dora could come before the council just weeks after the Nov. 5 vote, when the mayor's chair and three council seats are up for grabs. The same company also has an open code-enforcement complaint for conducting an agricultural operation inside the city, where that use is prohibited.

Three of the candidates now are saying that they'll either return the cash or donate it to a charity. The fourth, mayoral candidate Randy Wiseman, said, "You should stay out of this race" before hanging up. Later, he termed an email asking why he took the money as "harassing" and "insulting," and he said he'd sent it to legal counsel.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/os-lk-lauren-ritchie-mount-dora-election-20131025,0,849496.column

Live in The Lakes Of Mount Dora?

For residents of the Lakes, you might want to think about this - if the candidates who took Medallion Home's campaign contributions vote to sell the City's land to the developer, you will have years of construction traffic, noise and general mess as they build their 54 houses - concrete trucks at 7am, nail guns and dirt. 

In addition, every brand new house they build drops the value of YOUR home if you need to sell it. Loans are easier to get for new construction, and most buyers like the thought of brand new houses, and your home is pre-owned..

Live in Loch Leven?

From DeMarco's original piece.

Medallion Homes sued the City of Mount Dora because the developer was allowing construction, delivery and resident traffic to use a neighborhood next door to theirs as their own short-cut toward Highway 441. The police and the council determined the practice was dangerous so the City stopped them.  Medallion Home lost the lawsuit, but informed sources report they are still trying to gain access to that neighborhood’s streets for their convenience.

If Wiseman, Wood, Canas and Payne are elected and vote to sell the city property for more construction, and Medallion brings the issue of construction traffic taking a short cut through Loch Leven's streets up again, guess which way the vote will go? In Loch Leven's favour, or Medallion Home's?

To all residents of Mount Dora

If the issue of the agricultural exemption resurfaces, do you think Medallion Homes will be granted their totally bogus request? 

And guess who will have to make up for these taxes? All of us......

Medallion Home applied for an agricultural exemption to lower their taxes - agriculture right there, in amongst where there are homes at the Lakes of Mount Dora, Lancaster at Loch Leven, the Country Club of Mount Dora and Loch Leven. Follow the money - the South Gulf Coast developer would save over $40,000 a year in taxes that we - the local residents - would have to make up for and pay. If that sounds ridiculous to you - as it did to me - you should know that though this request was denied by the City more than once, the developer has ignored what the residents and their representatives here want and they went to the County Appraiser's office to apply for the exemption anyway.

This election - Tuesday November 5th 2013 - Vote wisely

I agree with Mel DeMarco's recommendations below.....

I am supporting:

 Ryan Donovan in District 1 - he lives and works here in Lake County, father of 2 kids, uses common sense, independent thinker, experience on council.  

Michael Tedder, At-Large - Michael has lived here a long time, raised a daughter, now has a grandchild.  His business is here, he supports downtown businesses.  He is an active boater and advocate for our docks and waterfront. 

Carla Pepperman District 4, also has lived in Mount Dora for decades. She is a lawyer, a mom, an active citizen in our community who has the talent, education and smarts to make a difference. 

Cathy Hoechst for Mayor, she's a champion for downtown vitality, volunteers endlessly with children and our local food pantry, has worked for the interests of small business tirelessly, has had a corporate career, remains objective and she works to build consensus among her peers.