PAGE ONE COMMENTARY: Judge’s Race: Ptomey was the Judge who Threw the Controversial Ducks Case out of Court

ACCORDING TO THE THIRD DCA,
THAT WAS A BAD RULING.
IT ADDED YEARS TO THE
LITIGATION. CITY FINALLY HAD
TO PAY $8 MILLION IN DAMAGES

by Dennis Reeves Cooper

County Judge William
Reagan Ptomey is up for reelection
this year. He has held that
seat since 1987. He is being challenged
by Key West Attorney
Demetrios Efstratious.

Conventional wisdom
here in Monroe County— and
probably just about everywhere
in the country— is that it is
almost impossible to defeat
an incumbent unless there is a
scandal. And even when there
is a scandal, it is almost impossible
to defeat an incumbent.

And, as far as we know,
there is no scandal in this
judge’s race— so it is likely
that Ptomey will win reelection
without breaking a sweat.

But it’s not like Judge
Ptomey has never been involved
in controversy. You may
or may not recall that Ptomey
was one of the first judges in the
long-running Ducks lawsuit,
one of the most controversial
cases in recent years. His claim
to fame here is that he threw the
Ducks lawsuit out of court.

Event Will Show Off KWPD Mounted Patrol

BENEFIT FOR THE POLICE MOUNTED PATROL UNIT— Next
Friday, July 16, you will be able to meet the Key West Police
Department’s largest four-legged officers at the BottleCap Lounge
from 5 to 8 p.m. During this happy hour event, all tips will go to
help finance the mounted patrol— which is completely funded
with private donations.

BITCHIN’ PARADISE: Out on the Cheap

by Kimberley Denney

I don’t know anyone
these days who isn’t on a budget.
In the interest of keeping
our local servers and bartenders
employed, I feel it’s my duty
to share what I think are some
of the best deals around. Also, I
want to discourage my friends
from going on the wagon, at
least until season starts.

Besides, summer is the
best time of year to get sloshed
in Key West. Finally, there are
empty seats at all your favorite
places! We can actually afford
to eat and drink out on the
town again.

My favorite local’s spot
all year long is Grand Vin. You
can get a nice bottle of wine
or bubbly for around $20 for
yourself or to share with your
friends. If you don’t finish it
they’ll keep it for you or you
can take it to go. You can sit out
on the porch and play cards or a
board game. Call Franco’s Deli
or walk over to pick out a few
nice cheeses and some salami or
roasted tomatoes and caponata
for a little porch picnic. Have a
pizza delivered, or walk next
door to Flamingo Crossing and
pick up a quart of sorbet or ice
cream for $6.75, which includes
up to three flavors. My friends
and I just grab spoons and dig
in (which could be why we all
ended up with the same cold
last week, but that’s another
story).

RHONDA: Man Guts or Little Old Lady Pills?

by Rhonda Linseman-Saunders

I swear to you, I’m not writing this (only) for
the gross-out factor. I just really think people pretend
some things aren’t actually happening with their health
because they’re afraid of what it means. Or they’re
afraid of what they’ll have to say to the doctor. Or
they’re afraid of what the doctor will do to them after
they tell the doctor what hurts, like set up a scoping
encounter at the Surgery Center of Key West.

I complain a lot about having the guts of an
old man. But seriously, I’ve had increasingly wicked
heartburn and other stuff that I promise you don’t
want the deets on. It got so bad that I went to see Dr.
Jones.

Dr. Jones is the kind of doctor who deals with
the ins and outs of your digestive system. He’s tanned
and groomed and his office feels like a very expensive
spa in a shi-shi resort town that celebrities keep
secret from the rest of us. It’s so lovely and relaxing
that you’ll barely even notice the special examination
table (for special examinations) set up in the corner.
You should make an appointment for a consultation
just to see what I’m talking about.

BOETTGER: German Re-Baggers Kill U.S. Jobs!

by Rick Boettger

Before I scare the bejesus out of you with my
report of how foreign enemies abbetted by homegrown
traitors are right now destroying the U.S. economy, I’d
like to offer a hopeful update on last month’s expose
of BP’s multiple crimes in the Gulf.

The amazing good news is that while BP, the
Coast Guard, and President Obama have been criminally
negligent about letting millions of gallons of
oil fester in our waters, private enterprise and initiative
are racing to the rescue. A Taiwanese shipping
magnate gave up on waiting for BP or our retarded
government to respond to him and simply risked $1
million to retrofit a brand new supertanker to skim
oil, named the “A Whale” (optimistically hoping there
will be future “B” and “C Whale”s).

Without waiting for approvals that would never
come, he had the retrofitting done in Portugal and
sailed it down in time for the 4th of July. It’s been undergoing
“testing,” difficult in the weekend’s stormy
seas. I put testing in quotes, because of course the A
Whale has been tested and it works. The current “testing”
is a sham intended only for BP to seem reasonable while actually searching for any
nit-picky reason to deny the Gulf
its salvation.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Verbal Judo for the Citizen

by Dave Burns

Some years ago the Key
West Police Department advertised
that they were going to
require a “Verbal Judo” course
for their officers. The idea was
to teach officers how to diffuse
or de-escalate a potentially
dangerous confrontation when
dealing with people by means
of reason, the art of conversation,
or other techniques which
would use the soft way, which
is the literal translation of Judo,
of dealing with a problem.

Who knows what happened
to that idea. My guess
would be that not many officers
passed or even took the course.
What is important here is that
the concept of “verbal judo” is
one that should be understood
and practiced by any citizen
who, for any reason, may have
to interact with the police.

This was brought home to
me recently when I made the
mistake of calling the police
after having been hit by a bicyclist
who then fled the scene. I
was unable to catch up with the
guy so that we could discuss
the reason why he plowed into
me so foolishly, and knowing
better, I called the police to
file a report. A motorcycle cop
showed up at the scene and
asked me what happened. He
informed me right off the bat
that it was my fault and if I still
wanted him to do a report of the
incident, that he would do that
and then he would write me a
citation for failing to yield the
right of way to the cyclist. He
asked me what kind of report
I would like him to write.

Candidates Will Be Grilled at Political Forum July 19

A great political evening is in store for Key West voters
when Hometown PAC Board members and Key West/Monroe
County political pundits question candidates for Monroe County
School Board and the Monroe County Mosquito Control Board
on Monday, July 19, at the Tropic Cinema.

Doors open at 5 to provide time for a social period before
the forum starts at 5:30.

The candidates for the Mosquito Control Board will be first
to be questioned. Candidates for District 2 are: Dan Dombroski
(Dem); Howard Hubbard (Rep); James (Jay) Marzella (Dem); and
Richard Rudell (Rep)(Incumbent). The Candidates for District
5 are: Jack Bridges (Rep); Anthony Gibbons (Rep); Jose Peixoto
(NPA); and Bob Thomas (NPA).

This Month: Key West Celebrates the Legacies of Mel Fisher and Ernest Hemingway

MEL FISHER DAYS

The golden dream of treasure
hunter Mel Fisher is alive
and well and still celebrated in
Key West every July.

The Kick-Off Party for
Mel Fisher Days will happen
at the Schooner Wharf Bar
next Thursday, July 15, starting
at 6pm. Come celebrate the
day 25 years ago when Mel’s
crews found $400 million in
shipwrecked gold, silver and
emeralds that had been sitting
on the ocean floor for more than
300 years.

Throughout the night,
more than $4,500 in Spanish
Treasure Coins, Pearls and an
Emerald will be given away.
Anyone who remembers
Mel remembers his fondness
for beautiful women in minimal
clothing. So the Miss Atocha
Bikini Contest will be held in
honor of the man who would
most appreciate it.

ART: Rote Show at Wyland Galleries

COLLECTORS CAN MEET MODERN ROMANTICIST ADAM
ROTE and discover his latest artistry next Wednesday and Thursday,
July 14-15 at Wyland Galleries, 623 Duval Street. He will
appear daily and by appointment. Rote’s intriguing canvases
are influenced by classic film, fashion and architecture. Often
featuring a misty depiction of the human form set against a
vibrant-toned background, his pieces incorporate small inset
“uniques” that individualize the larger scenes.

IT'S THE LAW: Renting: What are my Rights and Obligations as a Tenant?

by S. Brandon Dimando &
Michael R. Barnes

PART 4 OF A SERIES

Your most important
right as a tenant is to what the
law calls quiet enjoyment of
the property you have leased
from the landlord. This means
that, with some exceptions, a
tenant has the same rights to
the house or apartment rented
as if it were owned.

Within the four walls
of your house, apartment or
on the surrounding grounds,
if they are part of the rented
property, you may invite
anyone you wish to come in
or carry on any activities that
are legal and not expressly
forbidden by law or by the
lease you have signed with
the landlord. If you live in an
apartment building, it is usually
understood that you have
the right to use the public areas
of the building, such as the
halls, vestibules, elevator and
basement laundry rooms.

One major difference
is that of course you do not
have the right to destroy or
radically alter rented property,
as you would if you owned
it. If you were to cut down
the landlord’s shade trees to
make room for a bocce court or
knock out the front wall of his
conch house to install a picture
window, any court would view
favorably his suit to evict you
and\or to recover damages.