Tonight is the official Candidates Forum for the City Commission hopefuls conducted by the city. The event begins at 7 p.m. in the City Council chambers in the Main Library at 100 N Osceola Ave. The city will broadcast the forum live on the streaming video page at http://bit.ly/ClearwaterCityCouncilMeetings and the city’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cityofclearwater/. It will also be shown on C-View TV, Clearwater’s cable access channel, on Spectrum (channel 638), Wow! (channel 15) and Frontier (channel 30). The election is a little more than one month away -- on March 17. F … [Read more...]
Elect Mark Bunker
Please watch this short, self-explanatory video. It is important for Clearwater citizens to know that one candidate for the City Council is on the ballot and he is not afraid of scientology. Mark Bunker will represent the interests of the citizens of Clearwater. He is a smart, kind man with a backbone of steel. He will not be intimidated or cowed by bullies of any sort. Please take a moment to do what you can to support him. You don't need to be a citizen of Clearwater. Scientology wants to make Clearwater the first scientology city. Note, they say "First". If they are not stopped in … [Read more...]
Elect Mark Bunker
A very simple message for Monday morning. If you live in the local area, these yard signs are now available. I put this one in front of our house yesterday even though we don't live in Clearwater. Perhaps someone who does live there and can vote will see it. If you want one, or you want to help get Mark Bunker elected to the Clearwater City Council, contact him at his website Mark Bunker for Clearwater City Council. Stand up to bullies. Support Mark Bunker. … [Read more...]
Mark Bunker’s New Scientology Hit Squad
Clearly scientology is worried that Mark Bunker is proving to be a viable candidate for the Clearwater City Council. They are now resorting to one of their tried and true tactics against those who worry them the most (see below in this blogpost for earlier examples of the same playbook). Following is a series of short videos of a recent candidates forum. Scientology sent along a gaggle of hecklers to disrupt Mark's statements -- pursuant to the policies of L. Ron Hubbard. Unfortunately, there is no video showing their faces -- perhaps next time when both Aaron Smith-Levin and I … [Read more...]
Where Clearwater Candidates Stand on Scientology
Tracey McManus published another of her uniformly excellent articles recently: Where every Clearwater City Council Candidate stands on Scientology I have excerpted most of the answers to her survey and offer my biased views on them. I believe there are just two reasons why scientology is actually being spoken about in this election. It has been a taboo subject for local politicians for decades. They have steered clear of this topic like it was the plague... Now for the first time in recent memory, it is something to be debated. The two factors are Tracey's bombshell article exp … [Read more...]
The Economic Impact of Scientology on Clearwater
Scientology spews out paid ads proclaiming their wondrous contributions to society, most especially to Clearwater. I see these things on Twitter and when I respond they delete my responses. So, in keeping with the time-honored solution of “doing what Ron says,” I am putting my response on my own channel of communication where it cannot be altered (or deleted). Their tweet above makes the bold claim that scientology paid $3.1 million in property and tourist taxes in 2018. And that they "generate $1 billion impact into the local economy." As for the first claim -- this may well be cor … [Read more...]
More on Miscavige and Clearwater
Further on the blog post from yesterday (Miscavige Schmoozing City Officials) -- some important points I omitted to mention and an update. First: Why were these 3 city officials at the meeting? As I said yesterday, Miscavige considers Bill Horne and Pam Aiken to be his buddies. But the real reason is that they are not ELECTED officials. If there were two ELECTED officials in the room it becomes a "public meeting" subject to the Sunshine Act laws. Bill Horne and Pam Aiken are very well aware of this. They were complicit in making sure this meeting was not one that had to be … [Read more...]
Miscavige Schmoozing City Officials
Tracey McManus is on the ball again. Reporting on the ongoing efforts of Miscavige and Co. to fulfill their plans to make Clearwater the “first scientology city”. Her latest story covers a recent meeting between scientology’s capo di tutti capi and three non-elected city officials. Miscavige has had a long term relationship with City Manager Bill Horne and City Attorney Pam Aiken. It seems they brought along Michael Delk so he could be introduced to the big cheese. Miscavige first began schmoozing Bill Horne and Pam Aiken when he was here trying to keep his ass out of a sling in the Lisa … [Read more...]
Why Clearwater is Losing to Scientology
Tracey McManus broke another story concerning downtown Clearwater and scientology on Friday. It speaks volumes about why scientology has been able to proceed unchecked with its announced plan of making Clearwater the "first scientology city." The elected officials of Clearwater are so intimidated by the organization, and so lacking in understanding of how it works, they stumble along "trying to get along." They are forever being quoted saying "you have to play the hand you deal" and other explanations/excuses for being outplayed, outsmarted and outwitted by scientology. David Miscavige … [Read more...]
Clearwater Politicians Weigh In
An interesting follow up piece by Tracey McManus quoting reaction from members of the Clearwater City Government to her bombshell expose from yesterday. Unsurprisingly, the Clearwater politicos don't have much to offer in terms of how this happened to their city, what they think it means or more importantly, what they are going to do about it. They have been overwhelmed by a far more sophisticated and well-funded opponent that doesn’t care whether they hurt anyone’s feelings as long as they get their way. Politicians in Clearwater in the last couple of decades have been more concerned about … [Read more...]