Commission endorsement emails raise questions

These endorsements shouldn’t come as a surprise:

Bob White, Islandside Property Owners Coalition president, has endorsed Longboat Key Town Commission candidate Ray Rajewski, who has described the Key Club’s project as “overdevelopment.” Michael Welly, general manager of the Longboat Key Club and Resort, has endorsed incumbent Vice Mayor David Brenner, who supported the Key Club’s project.

But a recent email from White that endorses Rajewski drew the ire of some Windward Bay residents when management sent it last Monday to residents. Windward Bay Manager Fred Gholson, whom the Longboat Observer was unable to reach Friday afternoon, apologized to residents in a March 14 email:

“Several days ago, you received a communication from Windward Bay that was sent to us from Mr. Bob White who is associated with the Federation of Longboat Key. The email was intended for informational purposes only and was not intended to appear that Windward Bay was endorsing any candidate or influence voting in the local elections of Longboat Key. Even though this communication was considered to be information that would prove valuable to our residents, it was not appreciated by all. Therefore, please accept our apology and rest assured there will be no further communications (email) of this nature in the future.”

But George Spoll, president of the Federation of Longboat Key Condominium Association, the group referred to in Gholson’s email, criticized the description of White as being involved with the group and wrote in an email to Condo Fed’s directors that management was “wrong in circulating such propaganda through their office … ”

Windward Bay resident Beverly Shapiro, a Condo Fed board member, criticized the forwarding of the email to residents.

“It was intrusive and they should refrain from using our private emails to spread lies and poison to the voters against David Brenner,” she said.

White said that the email wasn’t targeted at Condo Fed members. He said that he sent the email to a list that numbers in the hundreds and includes Key residents, associations and property managers and that Windward Bay was the only condominium he knew of in which management forwarded the email to owners.

The association at L’Ambiance, where White lives, is a member of Condo Fed, but White is not personally affiliated, although he was listed as Condo Fed’s delegate for his association approximately five years ago, he said. Spoll contacted the 10 directors of Condo Fed, some of whom represented multiple associations, and found that none of their managers had forwarded White’s email. Spoll said that Condo Fed is apolitical and provides informational presentation to condominium candidates.

“If commissioners or candidates come to our programs, we’ll introduce them as a commissioner or a candidate,” Spoll said. “But we never give endorsements. That would be fatal to us if we did.”

Residents and managers at about a half-dozen other Key condominiums told the Longboat Observer that management of their communities hadn’t forwarded the email.

White said that he didn’t ask managers to forward his email, although he signed off on a subsequent email, writing:

“P.S. Please forward this email to your friends and encourage them to vote for Ray Rajewski!”

But White questioned Welly’s endorsement of Brenner, including a statement about IPOC supporting Rajewski’s candidacy. He said that he made the endorsement personally, not as an IPOC representative and questioned Welly’s placement of the endorsement with the Key Club’s logo underneath and planned to have IPOC’s attorney look into the issue.

“He’s entitled to endorse whomever he wants but the way you used to do it was, you didn’t put it on company letterhead,” White said.

Welly said that he made the endorsement as an individual and not as a representative of the Key Club and that he has written columns in the club’s magazine “Club Reflections” about what issues voters should consider in the election — but has avoided endorsing a candidate in that forum.

Still, Key Club attorney John Patterson questioned the relevance of White’s statements and planned to look into whether endorsements were made on IPOC letterhead.

“There’s no legal prohibition with a for-profit corporation endorsing candidates,” he said. “There is a very big problem with condominium associations endorsing candidates.”

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].