Candidates for Sheriff

Debate Need for Citizen Review Board

DOWNS CHARGES THAT, SINCE PERYAM’S WIFE CONTROLS THE MCSO INTERNAL AFFAIRS BUREAU, SHE HAS BEEN ABLE TO PROTECT PERYAM AND HIS CRONIES

KWTN Team Report

In 2002, more than 60 percent of the voters who went to the polls in Key West voted to amend the City Charter to create a Citizen Review Board (CRB) to oversee the Key West Police Department (KWPD).

The CRB was set up as an independent agency with the authority to hear complaints from citizens about Key West police officers and forward findings and recommendations to city management, the state attorney, state and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as grand juries.

But the Key West CRB only oversees the KWPD. There is no citizen oversight over the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO). Two candidates for sheriff this year say they would change that— Phil Mandina and Sandy Downs.

“Citizens pay the salaries of the MCSO and have the right to question conduct of deputies and the use of tasers and guns,” Downs said in a response to a questionnaire from the Hometown Political Action Committee. “The CRB should also be empowered to investigate the sheriff and his top staff as well.”

Battle of the Bars

Sunday Afternoon

James Lann

at Cowboy Bill’s

JAMES LANN & HIS BAND will be at Cowboy Bill’s tonight and tomorrow night, Friday and Saturday, August 1-2, starting at 6 for Happy Hour, and then they’ll be back at 10 for full gigs.

PAGE ONE COMMENTARY

Jammed Meter Parking Policy Is Stupid

CITY COMMISSIONER LOPEZ SAYS HE WANTS TO CHANGE “RIDICULOUS” POLICY

BUT CITY MANAGER SCHOLL COULD CHANGE THE POLICY TODAY

by Dennis Reeves Cooper

You may have seen the big page one story in the daily paper last Tuesday headlined, “City Commissioner Blasts Jammed Meter Policy.” The policy in question is the policy that says if you park in a space that has a broken meter, you risk getting a ticket.

City Commissioner Clayton Lopez called that policy “ridiculous.” We agree. In fact, back in July 1994, in a page one commentary headlined “City Punishes All for Actions of a Few,” we called that policy “stupid.”

A few days after we published our commentary, the editors of the Key West Citizen published their own: “Don’t Penalize Citizens for City’s Broken Meters.” We still think the policy is stupid and we applaud Lopez’ promise to change it and we hope the mayor and other commissioners join him to make that happen.

Caffeine Carl and Raven

at the Parrot

CAFFEINE CARL (above) & the Buzz have three gigs in two days at the Parrot, starting with a 5:30 “sound check” this afternoon, Friday, August 1.

Then, they’ll be back for two rockin’ nights, both Friday and Saturday, August 1-2, starting at 10. RAVEN (right) and Friends will be back in the house Sunday afternoon, August 3, for a 3-hour ““super sound check,” starting at 5:30.

Going Wireless

by Rhonda Linesman-Saunders

You can tell I was raised Catholic by the way I frequently begin writing with an admission of guilt — a confession of sorts. Sometimes I admittedly exaggerate for effect, but sometimes I feel genuinely crappy about something.

I feel genuinely crappy about not reading to my children often enough lately. I feel guilty about knowingly and willfully robbing them of this important component of their development, with the intention of getting back to it, but failing to make it a priority.

My mom had twice the responsibilities and half the formal education that I have, yet she made a priority of reading to me at night before bed. As my eyes fell shut, I’d ask her not to stop reading. “I’m not falling asleep,” I’d say. “Just listening with my eyes closed.” She obliged even though we both knew I was lying.

KWHS Band

Invited to Perform in Italy

The Key West High School Band has been invited to perform in Italy for 2008/2009 New Year’s Eve ‘American Bands in Rome Music Festival’. Each year a team of highly regarded music educators from the United States recommends North American performing groups to attend the annual event. The KWHS band is the only band from Florida invited to participate.

During the visit the band will perform in the hilltop town of Frascati, overlooking Rome, on the 30th of December and at the center of Rome on January 1st, 2009. The band students will also enjoy guided tours of the city of Rome plus a full day tour of the excavated ruin city of Pompeii.

Elvis Lives

at the Bull

BOBBY J IS ELVIS and, this week, he’s at the Bull Bar from 6 ‘til 9 on Sunday night, August 3.

Walk on

Caroline Street Thursday

Caroline Street Art and Design District, a neighborhood of galleries, shops and design studios, invite you to join them for their “First Thursday” art & design walk, Thursday, August 7th from 6 – 9 p.m.

Enjoy the summer evening open-houses in this historic Key West community strolling through some of the finest art galleries, specialty clothing and home furnishing boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants that Key West has to offer. “First Thursday” is a reoccurring event held on the first Thursday of each month.

OPINION

A Lawyer Lecturing the Press on Credibility?

by Dennis Reeves Cooper

Key West Citizen Editor Tom Tuell seems to be taking more than his share of abuse these days from the local bloggers— but I did have to laugh when I saw a letter to the editor in the Citizen Wednesday in which Tuell is being lectured on credibility— by a lawyer! How bizarre!

Journalists are not perfect, of course. But most of us try to get it right every time. And I assume that includes Tuell. But lawyers lie for a living! They get paid to lie! And most of you know what I mean by that. Lawyers are paid by clients to try to manipulate the facts to get favorable outcome for those clients. And those lawyers who are the most skilled in manipulating the facts (and the judges)— and, therefore, the outcome of their cases— typically become wealthy and, then, can be referred to by journalists in news stories as “prominent.”

In his letter to Tuell, Horan wrote: “The recent survey of 400 registered voters found that only 28 percent of our citizens ranked the Key West Citizen as ‘very credible.’ Perhaps the newspaper’s credibility rating will improve when errors and omissions are promptly acknowledged and corrected.”

That’s exactly what I mean by manipulating facts. What survey are you talking about, Mr. Horan? If you’re going to hold up the so-called findings as “truth,” you need to tell the readers of your letter more about it. Who conducted it and when? What was the methodology? What was the “universe” of the sample? What other questions were asked? Who paid for it and why?

In other words, how “credible” are the results of the survey?

Maybe Mr. Horan will send a copy over to us. We would like to see it.