RWCDF October Luncheon/Meeting

DATE: Thursday, October 8th

Social Gathering: 11:30 Meeting: Noon

Speaker: Candidate Forum

 River City Brewing Company

COST: $25.00 with a reservation
  $30.00 at the Door 
 
Please RSVP By Monday, October 5th reservations@rwcdf.org

Bring a friend and show them that
“Republican Women are the Life of the Party”

Lieutenant Colonel Frances Rice is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and retired from the Army in 1984 after 20 years of active service.  She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Drury College in 1973, a Masters of Business Administration from Golden Gate University in 1976, and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1977.

While on active duty, Frances served in a variety of positions, including commander of a WAC company, adjutant of a basic combat training brigade, a prosecuting attorney, and chief of the administrative law division.  She also served as a special assistant to the Army Judge Advocate General and an adviser to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Equal Opportunity.

Subsequent to her military career, Frances Rice worked for the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, serving first as a member of that company’s "think tank," and then as a government contract advisor.  She later taught Business Law for the European Division of the University of Maryland in Brussels, Belgium.

Frances became politically active in 1982 and served as a member of President Ronald Reagan's Private Sector Initiatives Task Force. She worked as a volunteer in the campaigns of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush, as well as Governor Jeb Bush and Governor Charlie Crist.

Frances is active in the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, serving as a committeewoman for precinct 96. In 2005, she became a co-founder and Chairman of the National Black Republican Association, an organization that is committed to returning African Americans to their Republican Party roots.  Recently she was honored as the Volunteer of the Year by the Republican Party of Sarasota County.

Among the awards she received during her military career is the Legion of Merit, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a non-combatant. In 1987, she was accorded the distinction of being one of Americas top 100 Black Business and Professional Women by the editorial board of Dollars and Sense magazine.

http://www.redcounty.com/culinary-school-orlando-florida

Marco Rubio was born on May 28, 1971 in Miami, Florida. He is the third of four children of Mario and Oria Rubio, Cuban exiles who arrived in the U.S. in the late 1950’s. In 1979 the family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they lived until 1985.

Upon returning to Miami, Marco attended South Miami Senior High, graduating in 1989. He received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida in 1993, and his J.D., Cum Laude, from the University of Miami School of Law in 1996.

Marco started his political career right after Law School. He first worked as a floor manager at the 1996 Republican convention in San Diego, California. Later he was hired as the South Florida coordinator of the Dole for President Campaign. 

In April of 1998, Marco was elected to the West Miami City Commission. He served on the City Commission until January of 2000, when he was elected in a special election to fill a vacancy in House District 111.  He was subsequently re-elected to the House by his constituents in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Marco has enjoyed remarkable success in his political career, which many attribute to his hard work, bipartisanship, and strong leadership abilities. In 2000, Rubio was selected to serve as the House Majority Whip.  During the 2002 regular session, he played a major role in the Legislative Re-Districting Process. 

In 2003, then Speaker Johnnie Byrd named Marco to serve as the House Majority Leader, and in 2004 then Speaker Allan Bense appointed Marco to Chair the Procedures and Policy Committee, which had him representing the Speaker in dealings with members, senators, and other parties.

In November of 2006, Marco became Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. He was the first Hispanic and second youngest person in Florida’s history to preside over a legislative body. The Speaker of the House is a constitutional office regarded by many as the second most powerful post in state government.

In March of this year, Marco formed a U.S. Senate Exploratory Committee as he explores a 2010 Senate run. You can visit his web site at http://MarcoRubio.com

Marco is married to Jeanette Dousdebes. They have two daughters, Amanda &Daniella, and two sons, Anthony & Dominick. You can follow him on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/MarcoRubio.

JOHN PEMBERTON/ The Times-Union
Mayor John Peyton asked his former aide, Susie Wiles (both shown in this 2006 photo) to stop lobbying against his proposal allowing Waste Management to continue operating the city's landfill.

Who to contact

This month, the Jacksonville City Council will get a chance to weigh in on Mayor John Peyton's proposal to award Waste Management a $750 million contract extension to operate the Trail Ridge landfill.

Peyton says the deal, which will allow Waste Management to continue operating the landfill for roughly 35 more years, is best because the city will instantly begin saving money compared to the current contract and will no longer be responsible for maintaining the landfill once it's closed.

Opponents say the contract should be put out to bid to ensure the city receives the best deal possible. They say the agreement with Waste Management will award the company too much money and is too long-term.

Here is how you can weigh in:

Mayor John Peyton

Phone: (904) 630-1776

E-mail: JPeyton@coj.net

Council President Ronnie Fussell

Phone: (904) 630-1393

E-mail: RonnieF@coj.net

Related Stories

• » Contract time on Trail Ridge running out?
• » Landfill contract under review
• » Council balks at waste contract

Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton asked a former top aide to stop lobbying against him as he tries to sell a proposal to pay Waste Management $750 million to continue operating the city's landfill.

Susie Wiles, who resigned as the mayor's spokeswoman in June, said Peyton asked her last week to stop working for Republic Services, a Waste Management competitor that opposes Peyton's proposal. Wiles said she spent months lobbying against the deal because she believes it should be put out to bid.

"He said, 'I'd like you not to help anymore,' " Wiles said, "so I agreed to step away from it."

She said she granted Peyton's request based on her regard for him and his position as the city's leader.

"I told him clearly at lunch my view about the public policy involved," she said, "but he is the mayor and I respect the request."

Peyton said Wednesday it was Wiles who came to him.

Most of their meeting, he said, was "using the opportunity to walk her through the whole business deal."

Peyton said he even used a white board to draw Wiles a clear picture of why she should support the contract extension with Waste Management to operate Trail Ridge landfill.

"It was like a light bulb went off," he said. "She said, 'What do you want me to do?' "

He said he asked for her support, the same thing he asks of everyone after he speaks to them about the deal. Peyton said Wiles told him she couldn't join him because she worked for Republic.

"I said, 'well, then can you at least be neutral' because I didn't want her moving around town not being fully informed as to the facts of this situation," he said.

Peyton said he did not pressure Wiles to step aside. However, he admitted he was disappointed when he learned she was working for the other side.

"Here was a former member of my staff on my senior team working against a deal I was promoting," he said.

When told later Wednesday of Peyton's version of their meeting, Wiles said she didn't want to get into a he-said-she-said debate about the conversation.

"I respect his position," she said. "I respect him as a friend. I did what I did for those reasons."

Wiles said she is not the only person who has been asked to stop working against the mayor. She told the Times-Union's editorial board late last month that Jim Gilmore, a Jacksonville lobbyist who has worked with the city on behalf of several independent agencies, also was asked to step down from his work with Republic.

Paul McCormick, who has been working as Republic's spokesman, said Gilmore never fully explained why he abruptly stopped working with the company roughly two weeks after he began.

"We agreed on a fee, and when his check came and was delivered to him he sent it back uncashed," McCormick said. "Simultaneously, he informed us he could no longer work with us."

Gilmore did not return calls made to his cell phone. Peyton denied that he or anyone on his staff had asked Gilmore to step away from working with Republic.

The mayor said he is focused on increasing support for the Trail Ridge contract extension, which he said is bargain for the city.

"If we stick to the facts and the business case, this deal will be approved," he said. "We've got to keep personalities and politics out of the deal."

Peyton and members of his staff have met individually with council members. He also used the city's massive e-mail distribution list to send a letter to constituents outlining his reasons for advocating for Waste Management.

His support grew Wednesday when the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce announced that its board of directors unanimously approved a resolution urging City Council members to support the proposal. Peyton recently presented his case to the board. The chamber has not heard from Republic.

Council President Ronnie Fussell remains opposed to the deal.

He said his position that the city would be better served if the contract was put out to bid has not changed, even after a full day Tuesday of meetings on Trail Ridge.

"Some facts are becoming clearer," Fussell said, "but I'm still in the same place I was."

He said the full council will meet as a committee, along with its auditor, in about two weeks to discuss the agreement. But Fussell said it could take more than one committee meeting before a recommendation is made. The council will have to give final approval or denial at an official meeting.

On the other side of the table, Republic has been working hard to spread its message that the agreement with Waste Management is bad for the city. Last month, the company published results of a poll it financed that determined 87 percent of respondents felt the contract should be put out to bid.

Republic's representatives have also been meeting with council members.