Politics in Alachua, Florida

I'm the author of the novel Tortoise Stew that Charlie Grapski wrote about in a blog a few days ago.

I wrote this novel about politics in a fictional small north Florida town after covering politics in the area for several years. I began writing it three days after someone left a live bomb at the weekly newspaper where I was covering controversial growth issues (can you say Dollar General and Wal-Mart?). Fortunately no one was hurt so the FBI moved onto more important crimes.

I tried to make the novel as crazy as possible, exaggerating real life events and characters, but in Alachua they continue to write my sequel for me and how do I get crazier than what is happening there right now?

The City Manager/Police Commissioner tricked a citizen into city hall on a public records request and then had him arrested by two officers and the police chief on the charge of illegally tape recording a conversation between the city manager and the citizen the previous week.

The city manager has been quoted in the local press that he was making a statement that the city of Alachua will not be intimidated.

I remember countless phone conversations held with officials in that city over the years where I heard a steady and rhythmic tick in the background. No one told me I was being taped, but no one will convince me that I was not. Intimidating? It's all right as long as they are the ones doing it.


Patricia Camburn Behnke
Writer/Editor
P.O. Box 512
St. Augustine, FL 32085
pcbwrites at bellsouth.net
www.authorsden.com/patriciacbehnke


The following are screen captures from the slideshow at the High Springs Herald.







Alternate link for comments