Bagman In Jack London

Bribery Case Now a Suspect
In Miami Beach Election
“Dirty Tricks” Scandal

POLITICAL CONSULTANT RANDY
HILLIARD WAS THE KEY WITNESS
IN JIM HENDRICK’S TRIAL LAST
FEBRUARY. HE ALSO WORKED IN
MANY CAMPAIGNS IN THE KEYS

by Dennis Reeves Cooper

The bagman in the Jack
London bribery case is in the
news again. Miami political
consultant Randy Hilliard is
reportedly suspected of involvement
in the publication of
an illegal attack flyer and a fake
poll that smear three candidates
running for the Miami Beach
City Commission, according to
an article that appeared in the
Miami Herald last Monday.

Hilliard is reportedly
named in a complaint sent to
the Miami-Dade Commission
on Ethics and Public Trust. He is
denying that he had anything to
do with the flyer or the poll, according
to the Herald report.

PROFILE: Cal Sutphin

Reelin’ in the Keys

by Rhonda Linseman

Cal Sutphin. You
know the name and you
recognize the face, but
why? He’s that complete
squirrel who hosts the
Florida Keys fishingthemed
TV and radio
show, Reelin’ in the Keys,
on both Comcast channel
19 and AM 1300 WFFG.

Our KWTN Community
Profile Selection
Committee chose to
spotlight Cal this week
both because he gives
tirelessly to the community
and because we
just had to find out if he
really acts that way all
the time, or if it’s just his nutty on-air persona.

Page One Commentary

Is Police Chief Mauldin in over His Head?

THE CHIEF MAY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO LEAD,
BUT MANY ARE BEGINNING TO WONDER IF HE HAS
THE GUTS TO USE IT

by Rhonda Linseman

Thinking about abuse of
power and outright corruption
in the police department
makes me feel yucky inside. I
don’t even like writing about
it because I know reading
about it makes other people
feel equally yucky. It makes most of us so uncomfortable,
in fact, that we’d rather just
pretend it isn’t so. It doesn’t
feel natural to suspect police
officers of extremely unethical behavior— that’s not how we
were raised. It doesn’t fit in
with our childhood perception
of police. It feels bad— a little
like the insinuation that we hate
old people if we have questions
about an assisted living facility
in Key West.

But why does it feel so unnatural
to believe the continuous
acts of brutality and misuse
of authority by the police could
be a reality, and not just a sales
tactic by the (free) Blue Paper?
After all, the notion that power
corrupts is neither new nor under-
explored. History tells us,
with great certainty, that abuse of unchecked power by human
beings over other human beings
is inevitable.

Peter Diamond

at the Pier House

PETER DIAMOND performs
with Skipper and Larry in the
Wine Galley at the Pier House
this Saturday night, October
27, starting at 9

OPINION

KWTN’S PICKS:
MAYOR
McPHERSON, BARRY
GIBSON AND CHARLES LEE

by Dennis Reeves Cooper

By the time Election Day rolls around on Tuesday,
November 6, perhaps a third of those who are going
to vote will have already voted, using absentee ballots
or by voting early at the Supervisor of Elections
office. In Key West, that office is located at 530 Whitehead
Street and registered voters can vote there now,
8:30am until 4:30pm, every day, including Saturdays,
through November 3. The elections office staff does
get Sunday off.

There are three runoff elections which should
attract Key West voters to the polls.
Former Mayor Jimmy Weekley is challenging
incumbent Mayor Morgan McPherson. Our choice
is McPherson. We just can’t figure out what Jimmy
could promise to do now that he couldn’t have done
during those 20 years when he was on the City Commission
before.

No Rules?

Fantasy Fest:

Yes, There Are Some Rules

Photo: FORMER MAYOR JIMMY WEEKLEY out on the town with unidentified friend.

The Key West Police
Department (KWPD) reminds
revelers that there are some
rules and commonsense safeguards
during Fantasy Fest.

The KWPD will have extra
officers on-duty to heighten
its security efforts during the
various events, especially in
the party zone on Friday and
Saturday nights.

Officers from the Florida
Highway Patrol, the Florida
Division of Alcoholic Beverages
and Tobacco, the Florida
Department of Law Enforcement
and the Monroe County
Sheriff’s Office will also be onhand
to ensure public safety.

ON THE SONNY SIDE

Key West’s Place in History

by Charles “Sonny” McCoy

There’s a small Island in the Gulf Stream that is a
treasure trove of history and from the time I was born,
I was told of the many extraordinary and sometimes
bizarre happenings that took place on this unique Island.
This Island has always attracted famous writers
and as a child I played in Ernest Hemingway’s yard
with his two sons. I was very young at the time, but I
do seem to remember a bearded old man that would
entertain everyone by boxing with two or three men
in a row and sometimes just being angry and chasing
us kids out of the yard. It wasn’t until I was in
college and was required to read the greats authors
that I knew that the old man who yelled at us kids
was The Hemingway.

Michelle At the BottleCap

MICHELLE DRAVIS performs at the Bottle
Cap Lounge Every
Wednesday night, starting at 9

Fighting The Drug War

For Fun & Profit

by Hal O’Boyle
This is a reprint of an article from 2004…

A recent Key West Police Department (KWPD) SWAT team incident is the inspiration for today’s musing on man’s proclivity for destructive silliness in pursuit of noble ends.

The most heavily armed of Key West’s Finest recently had the job of “taking down” victims of a KWPD “reverse sting.” The operation took place in the usual neighborhood for that curious “law enforcement” activity, Bahama Village. I know this not because it was reported anywhere, but because I know an unlucky victim of the operation.