Well, the truth for one thing. But, more specifically, the community newspaper owned by big Bush family backer David Eller was akeert to print the following letter from town activist and attorney Tom Connick.
The letter -- and Connick's preamble -- speak for themselves.
Enjoy. -------------------------------------------------- David Eller is a bully who likes to dish it out, but a coward who cannot take it. Below is a letter that I wrote and was advised would appear in the Observer (the actual letter was ever softer in that I used the description "the Observer Publisher" instead of David Eller's name specifically). That was before David Eller pulled the letter, refusing to allow it to appear. Since David Eller owns the Observer, he has the dictatorial power to put whatever he wants in the Observer, and can keep out any challenge to his unacceptable behavior. I challenge David Eller to engage in a discussion concerning the contents of this letter, but David Eller, like all bully/
cowards, will not do so. This is the letter submitted (except for the use of the description "the Observer Publisher"):
Request for Guest Editorial or Letter to the Editor:
March 19, 2007
David Eller, stop using the name "Save Our Beach." David Eller is deceiving the public by resurrecting his misleading use of the name "Save Our Beach."
In 1998, a grass roots committee headed by Marge Hilton and Mary Beiriger was formed, and it was named "Save Our Beach." This committee advocated the protection of most Deerfield Beach public property from being sold, leased or transferred without the citizen's approval through a Referendum. At that time, former City Manager Deetjen was advocating giving a Canadian developer the Deerfield Beach main beach parking area for development as a hotel and commercial area. It is because of that 1998 Referendum that the citizens had the absolute right to vote concerning the publicly owned fire stations in this most recent March 13, 2007 election. David Eller never supported this 1998 Referendum.
In 2000, David Eller, former City Manager Deetjen and others aggressively pushed a Referendum which would commercially develop the main beach parking area. In a dirty trick, David Eller and his attorney took the name "Save Our Beach" in order to utilize the good name of the grass roots organization that had been involved in protecting the City's publicly owned property through the 1998 Referendum. Because of this dirty tactic of David Eller through his attorney taking the "Save Our Beach" name, grass root citizens then had to change their name to "Original Save Our Beach." Original Save Our Beach fought alongside other citizens to defeat the 2000 Referendum which would have led to commercial development of the main beach parking area.
In 2002, Original Save Our Beach prepared two additional referenda to protect the beach area from the continued overdevelopment. The voters overwhelmingly approved those Referenda.
After the voters approved the 2002 Referenda, City Manager Deetjen, in total disrespect of the Deerfield Beach citizens' vote, secretly worked with the attorney suing the City to have the 2002 Referenda declared invalid. Original Save Our Beach, along with the City Attorney, defended the 2002 Referenda in that lawsuit, and the 2002 Referenda were upheld.
In the March 13, 2007 election, instead of dealing with Ballot Item #3 on the issues alone, David Eller and his attorney unfortunately resurrected the confusion that they attempted to create in 2000 by once again using the name "Save Our Beach." This "Save Our Beach" committee is a sham shell committee of just David Eller's money and his attorney. It is not to be confused with Original Save Our Beach, which is a grass roots organization that works to protect the public.
David Eller has a long history of not protecting the Beach area and green space in Deerfield Beach, as shown by:
-- David Eller did not support the 1998 Referendum or the 2002 Referenda
-- David Eller supported commercial development of the main beach parking area in the 2000 Referendum
-- David Eller has never condemned the overdevelopment of the Beach area, never condemned the overuse by the previous City Commission in granting of variances that allowed more intense development, and never condemned the Code changes that allowed for more intense development in the Beach area
-- David Eller never condemned City Manager Deetjen's secret support of a lawsuit to defeat the will of the voters in the 2002 Referenda and never condemned Mayor Capellini's betrayal of the people of Crystal Lake by being paid by Lanzo Construction while at the same time promising the Crystal Lake residents to protect the Lake
The one item where David Eller did support the Beach area was in condemning the Boinis' Pier Restaurant deal. So, for Observer Publisher to use the name Save Our Beach, is misleading to the public.
Original Save Our Beach has been advocating the protection of the public in fighting to preserve green spaces represented by golf courses at Tam O'Shanter and at the Deerfield Beach Country Club. It is our understanding that David Eller has a financial interest in the issue of any land use change concerning the Deerfield Beach Country Club. That makes Original Save Our Beach especially wary now that David Eller has shown the propensity to attempt to deceive the public by his use of the name "Save Our Beach."
— Tom Connick Deerfield Beach
