PAGE ONE COMMENTARY: Fired Whistleblower Will Sue School Board

KATHY REITZEL SHOULD BE
HONORED AND REWARDED, NOT
PUNISHED. A GOOD START MIGHT
BE TO JUST OFFER TO GIVE HER
BACK HER JOB WITH BACK WAGES

by Dennis Reeves Cooper

Kathy Reitzel, the former
finance director for the Monroe
County School District— the
woman who was forced to
resign after she uncovered and
exposed the Acevedo scandal—
has retained an attorney
and says she will sue the school
board.

“We will sue under the
state whistleblower statute,”
Attorney Brandon Dimando
told Key West The Newspaper
Tuesday. “We are also exploring
other remedies.”

All we here at KWTN
can say about that is that it is
about time! Reitzel not only
uncovered and reported that
Monique Acevedo— the former
coordinator of the school
district’s adult education program
and the wife of former
School Superintendent Randy
Acevedo— had used her school
district credit card to make
thousands of dollars of personal
purchases— Reitzel also uncovered
and reported that Randy
Acevedo was trying to cover up
his wife’s illegal actions.

• Last February 12, Reitzel
gave Superintendent Acevedo
a 43-page report to support
suspicion that his wife had been
using her district credit card for
personal purchases.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus!

One hundred and twelve
years ago, in the fall of 1897,
an eight-year-old girl wrote a
letter to the editor of the New
York Sun newspaper. Some of
her friends had told her, “There
is no Santa Claus.” She asked
of the Sun editor, “Please tell
me the truth. Is there a Santa
Clause?” That letter and the
published response of Editor
Frances P. Church are a worthy
part of the holiday tradition we
call Christmas.

More than a century
after those words were written,
the world has changed
physically, beyond the wildest
imaginations of that time: We
travel further in an hour than
you could travel in a week in
those days; we’ve endured two
World Wars and countless lesser
wars; more new knowledge is
developed every week, now,
than existed altogether then;
we’ve gone to the moon, and
look beyond— but Church’s
words are every bit as true,
and as valuable, today as when
written.

Cop Who Ran Down Pedestrian in a Crosswalk Is Disciplined: He Can’t Drive his Patrol Car Home for 14 Days

KWTN Team Report

The Key West police officer who
inadvertently ran down a pedestrian in a
crosswalk last month has been disciplined
by the Key West Police Traffic Review Board.
Officer Nick Revoredo has received a letter
of reprimand and has to attend remedial
driving classes. Also, he will not be allowed
to drive his patrol car to and from home
for 14 days.

Last November 24, about 7pm, Officer
Revoredo was turning left off of White Street
onto Southard and he apparently did not see
David Denton, 65, walking across the street.
Revoredo’s patrol struck Denton, knocking
him to the pavement.

He was transported to Lower Keys Medical Center where he reportedly received about 30 staples
to close a laceration in his right leg and stitches to close a head
laceration.

Denton called Key West The Newspaper a few days after
the accident. “I’m in constant pain,” he said. He also said that
his right leg was already his “bad leg.” He said that he had been
shot in the knee in 1968 during his service in Vietnam.
According to the crash report, Revoredo’s car was only
traveling about 10 miles per hour when the accident occurred.
Even so, according to the police report, the damage to Revoredo’s
patrol car was estimated at $450.

BITCHIN' PARADISE: A Few of My Favorite Things

by Kimberley Denney

Last year was the first
Christmas that family came to
me— but it was only because I
had a broken wrist and couldn’t
travel. This is the first Christmas
of my entire life that I won’t be
traveling to spend the holidays
with family.

I don’t know why anyone
would pass up an opportunity
to spend Christmas on an island,
with a free place to stay. Maybe
it’s a reflection on me. Or just
maybe none of us is really feeling
it this year. I was feeling bah
humbug until I walked down
Duval the other evening and
the man on his lighted tricycle
who plays those funky tunes
(I’m told his name is Mr. Chapman
but haven’t been able to
confirm) biked by, and I couldn’t
help myself— I was the idiot
dancing down the street.

He bikes down my street
almost every night, and I’m
always compelled to run outside
and watch him, inevitably
breaking out into dance moves
that are best kept hidden behind
my gate. But no matter how
I feel before I hear him or see
him, my mood is always lifted
afterwards.

Dachshund Walk December 31

The 5th Annual Key West Dachshund Walk will be held,
as usual, on New Year’s Eve Day, Thursday, December 31 at
12 noon. All dachshunds and their people are asked to gather
at the corner of Whitehead and Fleming for a brief sniff and
greet. The parade then proceeds over to Duval Street for a brief
stroll down to Southard and then back to the beginning.

This
is a free event, just for fun. It is kid-friendly. Costumes are not
required, although always enjoyed. The Key West Dachshund
Walk is a quirky Key West tradition with 168 wiener dogs in
attendance last year! Info: Ruth Reiter at rlreiter@earthlink.net
or (305) 293-8019.

Holiday Advertising Deadlines

Next week, Key West The Newspaper will be going to press
a day early— on Wednesday rather than Thursday. Ad deadline
will be noon Tuesday, December 29. Questions: (305) 292-2108.

RHONDA: Lazy Tramp

by Rhonda Linseman-Saunders

This column started as sort of an impromptu
space-filler a while back. Shocking, I know. Running
late on deadline day of the first week the column
ran, my boss had not slept in approximately 36 hours
(his weekly self-torture ritual) so he was completely
spent and simply plugged my first name at the top.
Just temporarily.

That temporary banner at the top of this column—
the one that says Rhonda—has now been there
for nearly three years. At some point, it just seems lazy,
doesn’t it? But it stopped being the boss’s responsibility
after that first week.

I don’t want to rush, but it may be time to consider
a column name. You know, something catchy. It’s
tough, though. I’ve been thinking about it off and on
for a couple years and nothing works quite right.
While I still don’t have a name for the column,
I think I’ve at least figured out what part of my
problem is. I don’t like being pinned down. Even the
mere thought of giving this column a name feels so
confining.

RICK BOETTGER: Heroes and Villains

by Rick Boettger

I have just seen the effects of our nation’s Great
Recession up close and personal, and I am in turns
saddened, inspired, and so pissed off I could spit hot
coals.

We made our yearly road trip off island last
week, for the usual problem shopping and mainland
diversions. Most importantly, we went to visit and
comfort a great friend who has had to retreat from
Key West to Venice. In a single month, her business
here folded, she got her condo foreclosed, lost her
main job, and received a diagnosis of a long-term
debilitating illness.

Wow. There’s a book in the Old Testament about
someone like her. When she came down recently to
clean out her condo, I didn’t know how we could
interact with her when we met for dinner. Just hold
her and cry?

Wow again, but the amazed kind. Her response
still makes my heart gulp with wonder. After our
greeting hug broke I said maybe we could cover the
$13k to keep the business afloat, but she cut me off
with a smile. “Thanks, but it’s all over. I decided it
was not worth it anymore, in money and the stress
to my health.” If she wouldn’t put any more of her
own credit into it, she wouldn’t take a friend’s. And I agreed that a business that
opened ten minutes before the
Great Recession began was essentially
doomed, and that the
level of recovery that would
help her was at least six months
down the road. Too long.

Twelve Angry Men at Waterfront Playhouse

Twelve men. Twelve walks
of life. And only one possible
decision: Guilty or Not Guilty.
The Waterfront Playhouse presents
“Twelve Angry Men” by
Reginald Rose, arguably the best
courtroom drama ever written.
This productions runs through
January 9.

This gripping tale of the
emotional fireworks that take
place in the jury room of a murder
trial has local audiences standing
and cheering. “Stunning…
we leave the theater a bit better
than we entered it.” – New York
Magazine.

Directed by artistic director
Danny Weathers, the production
features a top notch ensemble of
Key West actors. The production
is sponsored by Rudy Molinet
and Marquis Properties Realty.
The 70th Platinum Season sponsors
of the Waterfront are El Meson
de Pepe and Comcast.

Key West Pops Concert Set for Wednesday

The Key West Pops Orchestra
kicks off its 2009 – 2010
concert season with Home for
the Holidays on Wednesday,
December 30 at 7:30 p.m. at
St. Paul’s Church at 401 Duval
Street in Key West.

Soloists, both vocal and
instrumental, will include
former Pops alumni who have
continued with their performance
studies in college and
beyond and who literally are
home for the Holidays. Starring
Carmen Rodriguez, Ralph Garcia,
Clinton Curtis, Elizabeth
Halbe, Earl Halbe, Lina Robles
and Stephanie Leone. Special
Guest appearance by Michael
Leslie.

Featuring soloist musicians
Deborah Fleisher, Donna
Dallas as well as Joe Lowe on
the magnificent St. Paul’s pipe
organ. With guest conductor
Daniel Curtis. An orchestra
complements the evening’s
mix if styles from Baroque to
Pop to The Great American
Songbook.

Tickets are $20, $15 for
students and active military
with ID. No charge for kids
under 12. Tickets are available
online at http://www.keystix.com or
by calling the Tennessee Williams
Theatre box office at (305)
295-7676. Tickets will also be
sold at the door the evening of
the performance.

For more information on
the Pops’ concert season, please
go to http://www.keywestpops.org