Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler tries to muzzle the Press!
Posted Under: Important Issues for Fort Lauderdale
(Note: Our Email notifications are now going out to over 10,000 Fort Lauderdale residents, and our numbers are growing! We’ll soon be on Facebook and Twitter as well! Forward our emails to your friends in Fort Lauderdale and ask them to subscribe. An informed public is the best way to improve our local government.)
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler tries to muzzle the Press!
According to the Sun Sentinel last week, Mayor Jack Seiler is trying to keep that paper from posting any information about my blog (www.abetterftlauderdale.com).
This censorship effort on the part of Jack certainly goes against the “open and transparent” philosophy he keeps touting as Mayor. Instead, it looks like he’s taken a page from the George Gretsas handbook on “How to threaten, intimidate and isolate those you don’t like”.
Here’s the recent Sun Sentinel article:
Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler calls ex-opponent a “fool”
> Posted by Brittany Wallman on December 9, 2009 11:30 AM
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler didn’t exactly shake hands and make up with his competitor, Earl Rynerson, after the election. In fact, he called Rynerson a “fool” in this e-mail we obtained under the public records law. The e-mail was about City Manager George Gretsas’s contract:
“Thanks for your input. I did not automatically renew his contract and that is why it is coming up for discussion and a vote. Best wishes.
p.s. However, please don’t ever send me an email from Earl — the guy is a fool who doesn’t even try to find or print the truth. You are the first reasonable person to send me his trash — everybody else has removed themselves from his email list.”
The “reasonable person” who had sent the e-mail was Robert Hoysgaard. He had forwarded an anti-Gretsas argument that Rynerson offered on his website .
Hoysgaard replied: “ok…but i agree with him about the SALARIES we are paying…i.e. parks & rec director making over $200,000 per year…thanks for the reply…bob”
Rynerson ran on a platform of getting rid of Gretsas, in the spring elections. He came in third out of four, with 15 percent of the vote. (Complete results here.)
Seiler is sensitive about his former opponent. When I posted Rynerson’s report card of the City Commission, on which he graded Seiler an “F,” Seiler called in outrage that I was giving Rynerson publicity, and implying legitimacy, and he threatened to go to the publisher with his complaint.
(end of blog)
And what follows is part of a recent email from Jack to a private citizen who questioned Jack’s motives regarding the Sun Sentinel item above:
—– Original Message —–
From: “Jack Seiler” <Jack.Seiler@Fortlauderdale.Gov>
Sent: Friday, December 11, 2009 7:21:58 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: Open Government that Welcomes Debate and Engagement
“As you and most people know, Earl has spent the last year publishing false and misleading statements about the City, about past and present members of the City Commission, about my family, and about me. Since 2008, Earl has repeatedly ignored the facts and avoided the truth in order to promote and publicize his campaign for mayor and/or in order to promote and publicize his personal blog. I have been told by numerous people that when they attempted to correct, rebut, dispute or respond to his false, misleading, and inaccurate statements, Earl refused to post their comments. Is this the type of debate and engagement you are referring to and encouraging? ”
Jack: I don’t engage in personal attacks on my web site, and I will not allow personal attacks from anyone who attempts to post them. I will however, criticize or compliment you in your role as Mayor, (along with any other public official), and encourage others to do the same.
I asked Jack to be specific. Show me and my readers where I have ever published false or misleading statements. And here was Jack’s reply to me….
|
|
“……I am not going to waste any more of my time emailing about the past, about the election, or about your well known unsupported and unsubstantiated attacks.”
Be forewarned. Jack does not take criticism well. He “flies off the handle” with those who disagree with him.
But don’t worry. I fully intend to continue to point out areas where Jack (or any other public official) has failed the voter here in Fort Lauderdale.
Earl Rynerson
Reader Comments
Good. Glad to know there’s somebody in the political scene that is still on the citizen’s side.
Gladys
People are the same wherever you go; whether guilty or innocent their response is predictable. Judging by Seiler’s actions he has plenty to avoid talking about with Fort Lauderdale voters. (Non-voters don’t count except as a renewable, tax-paying labor force.)
It’s amazing you have 10,000 people on your list. That’s more than half the 19,376 ballots cast for Mayor - you’ll win easily next time around, if they’re reading! That’s the $64,000 dollar question, David. We are going to that many email addresses; Just don’t know what percentage of these people are taking the time to read and understand. Earl
Well, let’s see if Mayor Seiler is correct.
The tone of your blog comes off as disrespectful — with some comments (especially during the Gretsas vote) directed at personal, rather than political, considerations.
I feel that you (like the city manager) have good ideas to improve the city and the courage to follow through on your convictions — but lack the decorum to build concensus and actually move the city forward.
You bring a lot of worthy issues to light — but I wonder if you are simply interested in stirring the pot, rather than cooking up an edible meal. To mix metaphors: you’d catch more flies with sugar than vinegar.
A good first step would be to refer to city officials by their titles. You can respect the office, if not the man (or woman).
I voted for you, Earl, because I thought you brought a fresh outlook to our city — but it appears to be the same stale, unproductive, pettiness that has infected this city for years.I think you are right, Bob. I should probably start to address Seiler (or “Jack”) as Mayor Seiler when I’m referring to him. It might be tough for me to do, but I’ll try to do that in the future…. Earl
Earl, Your energy level, your focused concern for the city is admirable, keep it up. However, personal messages between city officials and private citizens should, I think, be respected as private.
Regardless of the “Public Records Law”, I feel you (and we as a culture) are going to too far by opening and broadcasting messages that were sent in the spirit of a private communication. What is the next step, put a 24 hour “bug” on every word uttered by every political or public figure? Obviously that would chill every conversation - and be grossly unfair, and rude.
Fred- Thanks for your reply. Point taken. I think we often need to be able to cut through the “smiling politician” to see what he or she is really thinking. We live in an era when it’s too easy to build a false image for the public and then hide behind that image. Anytime a politician tries to censor the press and cast dispertions on others using his public office as Mayor, then that’s when the public needs to know. Mayor Seiler may be a nice guy in most respects, but these actions indicate a character flaw, in my opinion. Earl Rynerson
Earl -
I see here, that I am not the only person who becomes unable to hear your message because of its tone. Its for the same reasons, that I have become unable to hear much of what gets spewed on Fox “News”. You or Fox may certainly express some truthful and valid points, but that combative, spiteful and disrespectful tone distracts much from the message. I suspect that most intellegent persons prefer to have facts presented to them without interpretation or calls to arms. Your opinion becomes obvious enough by the topics you choose to editorialize. The tone of personal animosity that seems obvious in your pursuit of City Manager Gretsas, takes much away from any valid points you may make. It’s not much better here in this piece about Mayor Jack Seiler. How about some focus from you on the positive? Without defaming anyone’s character, much better to be presenting fresh ideas and solutions, vs your more usual proposal to tar and feather those who may currently hold office. Lee: It’s perfectly appropriate to (as you say) “tar and feather” a public official when that public official uses their position as Mayor to denigrate private citizens. It’s also perfectly appropriate to tar and feather any public official when they try to tell the press to “not report” on a subject. It’s also perfectly appropriate to go after any public official when they waste taxpayer money. This has been done FOR YEARS by Gretsas. This was also done this year by Seiler, when he promised during the campaign to have a zero-based budget, yet approvd the same swollen budget we had last year.
I will continue to go after any public official who mis-states the truth. If you feel I am unfair, I am sorry. But that’s what I will continue to do. If you don’t like that, then please unsubscribe.
Interesting to note that Seiler and all the Commissioners still get my emails. They could unsubscribe too, but they haven’t….. Earl
Earl a fool?!?!? It looks to me like our Mayor is the fool for writing such hateful things about anyone! Shame on you, Mayor Seiler, you’re a disgrace! And lose some weight! My god, you’re fat!
After reading our Mayor’s email, I am appalled. Calling someone names is something that children are known for. And trying to tell the Sun Sentinel what to print is reminiscent of a schoolyard bully.
What’s gotten into you, Mayor Seiler? I voted for you, thinking you were a professional, above the fray. If Brittany Wallman is correct in this report, you are definitely not who I thought I was voting for.
It shouldn’t matter whether what Mr Rynerson posts is accurate from your perspective or not; he is entitled to voice his opinion. Besides your bad behavior, what I can’t understand is how the rest of the people who review the web site are so silent on this issue. Am I the only one who is disappointed by you?