At Tuesday’s Palm Coast City Council meeting, the Council members were presented with a proposal to sign an ethical campaign pledge. Among other things, by signing on they’d be affirming that they’d refrain from falsehoods, allusions to opponents’ personal lives, and vandalism of opponents’ campaign materials.
While the subject matter of the proposal was mostly agreeable, Councilman Ed Danko voiced his opposition to it on the grounds that it could lead to more invasive policies than a mere pledge. Signing onto the non-law-binding statement could, he argued, be a preface for a legal code which would be difficult to enforce fairly.
“I would suggest you crumble it up and toss it in the garbage can,” Danko said. It appeared that his objection notwithstanding, the pledge would be approved on a 4-1 vote. But Mayor David Alfin decided to move toward a compromise that would address Councilman Danko’s concerns.
It’s looking likely that in a future Council meeting, a statement of ethical campaigning will be presented as a proclamation, one which the Council members wouldn’t have to sign their name to.
One point which came up in discourse surrounding the pledge was that candidates were presented a similar statement in the 2020 and 2022 elections. It was an optional part of registering to run, with some signing and some not. AskFlagler reached out to the Supervisor of Elections Office and obtained the names of the candidates who signed the pledge in the two prior elections.
It should be noted that only County races were presented with this pledge. Palm Coast City Council and other city candidates were not, due to their city government handling that part of the administrative role in their elections. The information provided by the Supervisor of Elections Office read as follows:
2020 Election
Candidates Who Signed an Ethical Campaign Pledge (election winners in italics):
- Andy Dance (County Commission, District 1)
- Leslie Giscombe (County Commission, District 1)
- Thomas LeGault (County Commission, District 1)
- David Sullivan (i) (County Commission, District 3)
- Kim Carney (County Commission, District 3)
- Bob Jones (County Commission, District 5)
- Jill Woolbright (School Board, District 1)
- Vincent Lyon (School Board, District 1)
- Carol ‘Mother Elizabeth’ Bacha (School Board, District 3)
- Cheryl Massaro (School Board, District 5)
- Joseph Wright (School Board, District 5)
- Maria Barbosa (i) (School Board, District 5)
- Larry Jones (Flagler County Sheriff)
(i) = incumbent
Candidates Who Did Not Sign an Ethical Campaign Pledge (election winners in italics):
- Rick Staly (i) (Flagler County Sheriff)
- Corrinne Hermle (County Commission, District 1)
- Paul Anderson (County Commission, District 5)*
- Denise Calderwood (County Commission, District 5)
- Donald O’Brien (i) (County Commission, District 5)
- Colleen Conklin (i) (School Board, District 3)
- Paul Mucciolo (School Board, District 3)
(i) = incumbent
*: Paul Anderson has stated he’d have signed the petition, but it was not communicated expressly to him during the candidacy process.
2022 Election
Candidates Who Have Signed an Ethical Campaign Pledge So Far:
- Greg Hansen (i) (County Commission, District 2)
- Leann Pennington (County Commission, District 4)
- Sally Hunt (School Board, District 1)
- Courtney VandeBunte (School Board, District 2)
- Kevin Foley (Grand Haven CDD Seat 3)
- Nancy Crouch (Grand Haven CDD Seat 5)
(i) = incumbent
Candidates Who Have Not Signed an Ethical Campaign Pledge So Far:
- Denise Calderwood (County Commission, District 2)
- Jane Gentile-Youd (County Commission, District 4)
- Joe Mullins (i) (County Commission, District 4)
- Jill Woolbright (i) (School Board, District 1)
- Lance Alred (School Board, District 2)*
- Will Furry (School Board, District 2)
- Randall Bertrand (School Board, District 4)
- Christy Chong (School Board, District 4)
- Trevor Tucker (i) (School Board, District 4)
(i) = incumbent
*: Lance Alred has stated he’d have signed the petition, but it was not communicated expressly to him during the candidacy process.
If signed, the pledge applies only to campaigning and not to conduct if elected to office. 2022 candidates could theoretically still add their names to the list of those who’ve signed, they just haven’t done so as of May 12th.
No big surprises there… all the incumbents are so assured that all the Flagler county rubes and dullards will vote for them regardless of how unethical they are, that they don’t feel the need to be bothered with simply stating they’ll not act unethically.
Not a single person on that “not signed” list will get a vote from me.