Corruption, scandals, and cronyism.

It appears American politicians have lost their way and instead of representing the people they serve, they use their office for personal gains.

Patrick Henry wisely stated,  “The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.”

In other words, if we want to ensure our republic stands as it was intended, we can not and we must not abdicate our role as citizens.  We must demand and expect transparency and integrity from public servants.  And someone needs to keep an Eye on them to ensure they do not become corrupt or use cronyism to get their friends special deals with taxpayer money or special deals for themselves.

Eye has been carefully watching the Governor’s race between Andrew Gillum (D) and Ron DeSantis (R).  The latest scandal associated with Andrew Gillum is frightening.  Debbie G, Eye Writer and Researcher discovered the following:

  Andrew Gillum has been working for 40 hours a week for People for the American Way since 2002 as Director of Youth Outreach.  People for the American Way is a social justice organization based in Washington, DC. Funny thing is this:  He has ALSO held jobs with the City of Tallahassee since  – 2002-2018.  The most recent public service job:  Mayor of Tallahassee.  The taxpayers of Tallahassee are paying his salary AND  People for the American Way are as well.  The issue is this:  People for the American Way pay Andrew Gillum more than he makes as Mayor.  Since 2002 he has received more than $800,000 from this organization for his 40 hour a week job with them. 

• Why is this not big news? 
• Isn’t this a conflict of interest? 
• Shouldn’t the organization People for the American Way be investigated for paying someone for 40 hours of work yet he’s the Mayor of a major city? 
• Should a Mayor of a City be allowed to work for a social justice organization at the same time?
• If you are getting more money from a private organization than you do serving as Mayor, who do you think your allegiance is with?  

Good questions Debbie G and good research too!  Debbie discovered this information as she searched the 990 information for People for the American Way.  It’s right there in black and white and if Debbie can find this information – why didn’t the media?

Our founding fathers believed the media was important to sustain our republic and hold political servants accountable.  Unfortunately, the media has not done their job and has created a void in our Republic.  A big void.  The media hates it when Donald Trump calls them out and after seeing this glaring piece of evidence against a Democratic candidate for Governor of Florida, we tend to stand with our President on this matter.  Fake News is real.

The media is either choosing to not write these stories out of ignorance or they are a part of the left and falsifying truth to the American people.  Whatever the reason, it’s terribly disturbing.

That’s why it’s important for platforms such as Eye on Jacksonville and other watch dog groups to keep an Eye on what’s happening in our communities.   We all know that if no one is watching, good people can sometimes turn bad because there is no accountability or transparency.  Why let good people turn bad when we can do something about it?

We at Eye on Jacksonville urge you to help us by sharing our posts with your friends and joining us on social media.  We need to keep an Eye on our local public servants and hold them accountable to our Mission:

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://eyeonjacksonville.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Billie-Tucker-1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Billie Tucker has worked in the CEO world for more than 30 years and was the Chief Operating Officer of Vistage Florida, a think tank for CEOs. She started her own consulting practice, CEO Service Bureau, in 2001 and earned a reputation for her keen understanding of the motivations, challenges and goals of people and became a life-long student and teacher of leadership principles. She craved anything leadership related and enjoyed being around the world of entrepreneurial CEOs. She watched as they made decisions; pondered how they would make payroll when cash flow was tight; and appreciated how they created career opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people. Because of her experiences, she has emerged as a key resource for the media and others who want to understand important insights about executives, management teams and board dynamics. In 2008, Billie became discouraged as she watched some of her clients struggle with the political economic impacts on their businesses. The same CEOs who mortgaged their home and charged up their credit cards to make ends meet to build a business and keep others working, now watched as their government bailed out the big banks who had mismanaged their resources. She cringed as most of her clients laid off employees for the first time and she vowed she would help them… somehow…someway. That somehow…someway showed up in the Tea Party Movement in America. She formed one of the largest tea party group’s in America (more than 9,000 members strong) and helped bring attention to America’s debt problem, out of control spending, over taxation and regulation strangulation on companies. With her background in working with leaders and her influence in the political and leadership world, Billie has continued her dream to help CEOs navigate these troubling waters that permeate the world of capitalism in America. She has been an active participant in the media as a guest on CNN, Fox News, Fox Business, Bott Family Network Radio and co-hosts a political/financial radio show in the Northeast Florida market entitled, Smart Money. She was the first speaker at the House of Representatives Tea Party Caucus inaugural event and was invited by Heritage Foundation to speak at their prestigious annual Heritage Resource Bank, and on their National Security Panel live broadcasts. She spoke at the Congressional Republican House Retreat in Pennsylvania in 2012. She was also the co-host and co-producer of the CNN Tea Party Express Debate in the 2012 Presidential Election. She is a firm believer that America needs more entrepreneurs and more opportunities for people to use their God-given talents and passions to better themselves, their communities and America. Her favorite quote has become her mission to help CEOs succeed: “Vision without execution is hallucination.” – Thomas Edison[/author_info] [/author]