My Primary Complaint

Over the past two days, more than a dozen people have asked me whether I dropped out of the Public Defender’s race. The answer is a resounding “NO!” Why are people asking this question? Tomorrow, August 26, is the primary election in the great State of Florida. Among the races that will be determined is the Republican nomination for the Office of Public Defender. Now by reading the local papers recently, it would be understandable if you thought that whoever prevails would have won the entire election. Unfortunately, the combination of headlines, signs, and advertising can leave you with that impression, ignoring the fact that I am the Democratic Party’s nominee. Let me assure you, I am in this race to win, and assuming that Tropical Storm Gustav stays away, we will start getting my signs up this weekend. With my opponent finally determined, I can now take the Public Defender race to the next level. I pledge, however, to run a positive campaign focused on my qualifications for the job.

Last week was a mixed bag thanks to the damper that tropical storm Fay threatened us with early in the week. I had three major events scheduled for Tuesday and they were all canceled. However, Senator Bill Nelson was able to make it to Bradenton on Wednesday and I was glad to hear him speak out forcefully against offshore drilling. My friends Elsa and Lenny Lentz threw a lovely reception for Florida House candidate Richard Jackson and myself that night. On Thursday evening, Manatee Glens invited their employees to meet the candidates, and about 150 of them turned out. Later that night I went to Cerviche to speak to a large and enthusiastic group of Young Democrats. On Friday night we had a great barbecue and rally in Newtown. And on Saturday Regina and I enjoyed celebrating the anniversary of women getting the right to vote at the Equity Day luncheon in Bradenton, before heading to the Venice YMCA to eat and drink at the annual luau.

While I am going to continue writing about some of the fun events we attend, I am also going to focus on the issues and differences between myself and my opponent (whoever that turns out to be). I am looking for help as we get into the final two months, so please keep up with the campaign on my web-page at www.Adam4pd.info, or at my Facebook group, Adam Tebrugge for Public Defender.

An Inspiration to us all

Dr. Kay Glasser continues to demonstrate the positive influence that one person can have upon an entire community. Last week she was one of the honorees at the Community Youth Development breakfast. CYD is a program designed to provide leadership training to our high school students and then allow them to put that training to work. Participating students can ultimately serve on the Board of Directors of area non-profits, providing valuable insights to the other members, while preparing themselves for future service. In her remarks, Dr. Glasser reflected upon her career of social service and volunteer activities. She described a formative experience she had with a mentor when she was a young woman, and how this inspired her to a lifetime of helping others. Her words resonated throughout the gym at the Boys and Girls Club in Sarasota, providing similar inspiration to both young and old in the audience.

Also on the agenda last week were a series of debates and joint candidate appearances in the Public Defender race. I appeared with one or both of my opponents at the West Manatee Rotary Club, Heron Creek Country Club in North Port, the Sarasota County Bar Association, and at Kaiser University at Lakewood Ranch. I fielded a variety of questions about the office and my qualifications that were thoughtful and challenging. Some of the toughest questions were posed at a forum sponsored by the NAACP youth council. The moderator, Ed James, and the rest of the council, had obviously worked hard to identify some of the pressing issues in each race. Unfortunately neither of my opponents joined me for that forum but I was grateful for the opportunity.

Tropical storm Fay may have fizzled but she still managed to cancel some of the events I was looking forward to this week. Today all the candidates were supposed to meet the employees of Sarasota Memorial Hospital and tonight was the Manatee NAACP banquet; both have been postponed. At least I didn't have to worry about my signs being launched by gale force winds as we are not putting them up until next weekend. Maybe this will be our only brush with hurricane season this year or at least I hope so! The campaign will provide enough excitement for the next few weeks as we push on to the finish line.

I Said Goodbye to my Dog Today

Grendel came into my life about ten years ago. She had been adopted from the pound by my step-son's girlfriend. They all moved in around the corner from us, and lived together three or four years. Grendel would roam the neighborhood, visiting different dogs and people from house to house. She was a frequent visitor to our home where her face would suddenly appear at our back door. She got along with our miniature dachshund, Nicki, and tolerated Georgie the cat. When her parents broke up and were not in a position to take care of her any longer, it was only natural that Regina and I would adopt her.

The first challenge was converting her from a street dog to a house dog. I was not about to allow her to roam free, as she was used to, so this meant long walks for us both. For several years we dominated our Indian Beach neighborhood in the early mornings and evenings. Grendel was a great dog to walk. She was purposeful and focused and kept a steady and limitless pace. Putting her on a leash seemed to make her more aggressive towards other dogs. Regina described her as an alpha dog and it was true that Grendel knew she was queen of the neighborhood.

Nicki died last February and not long afterwards Grendel began showing declining interest in longer walks. Soon it was apparent that she was having hip and leg problems. I met Dr. Mauricio Vargas of All Pets Mobile Clinic when I campaigned at Conexion Latina. Dr. Vargas began working with Grendel and she rallied a bit but her overall path was downhill. Folks say that you will know when it is time to put your dog down, and by this past weekend, it had become clear to me. Regina said goodbye before she left for work, stroking her head and promising her she would run free in the sky. I helped Grendel up and out into the sun where she lay for a half hour in a state of doggie contentment.

Later, Dr. Vargas came by and then took her away when she was gone. He was very kind and sympathetic and treated us both well. I now have no dog in the house for the first time in years and Georgie the cat is not much one for walking on a leash. Grendel joins the litany of Nicki and Frieda and Ralph and Crystal and all my other pets who have gone on before her.

I offer the only epitaph that is fitting for her: "She was a good dog."

A Day in DeSoto County

I am running to be the elected Public Defender of a three-county area: Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto. I grew up in Tampa and my grandparents lived in Fort Myers. For some reason we would always travel through Arcadia, the DeSoto County seat, and stop for an orange Fanta in town. Even as a child, the majestic courthouse made quite an impression upon me. Over the course of my career, I have been privileged to handle many cases in that courthouse. Judge Parker, Judge Hall, and the Clerk of the Court Mitzy McGavic have always treated me with courtesy and respect. Jurors in DeSoto are a great mix of ranchers, retirees, working folks, and people of all races, ages and beliefs. I really enjoy practicing law in DeSoto County.

I also like campaigning there. This past Saturday was the big political rally that had been planned for some time. I arrived in town early so that I could have breakfast at Wheeler's cafe which is owned by one of the candidates for Sheriff, Carl Willey. Carl is running against Will Wise and the incumbent Sheriff, Vernon Kean, in the Democratic primary. While this is the hottest race going, all of the candidates have conducted themselves in a civl manner as far as I can tell. There are also a couple of closely contested County Commission races as well.

The rally was scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. and at about 9:45 the skies opened up, the rain fell sideways, and lightning began crashing around the fairgrounds. After about a half hour though, it let up enough for people to start arriving and for the candidates to set up their tables. Ultimately there were nearly 200 people that braved the elements to come talk politics. The crowd responded positively to all the speeches and cheered their favorites with gusto. Afterwards I had lunch at Slim's barbecue and picked up three bottles of sauce for Regina, before heading home.

The rally culminated a busy and productive week. National Night Out Against Crime drew big crowds in North Port and in Sarasota and I was fortunate to attend both events. Jefferson Apartments, a beautiful building for lower income seniors near my house, hosted a great candidate debate for Sarasota County Commission that they graciously allowed me to crash. And I had an interesting debate with my opponents at the Manatee County Commission chambers that will be broadcast on METV over the next couple of weeks. We have several additional debates this week, and I will be at the NAACP youth forum for candidates on Saturday afternoon.

Thank You Beneva Flowers!

Yesterday was a low energy day. My dog is on her last legs, I was tired from campaigning all weekend, and I was paying bills. The phone rang and a very pleasant lady told me that her boss wanted to send me flowers. Turns out the business section of the Sarasota Herald Tribune had noted that I had won the Jim Slater award for professionalism in the practice of criminal law. I had completely missed the blurb when I read the paper in the morning, but Mr. Arthur Conforti had not. A few minutes ago the delivery man showed up with my flowers, and I decided to share them with you.

Thank you Beneva Flowers! You just made my day.

The Promise of Our Youth

Early in the week, I had a conversation with a voter. He asked a common question, “Why would you want to be Public Defender.” One of his points was that the youth of today are disrespectful, if not dangerous, and probably made up a great deal of our clients. He assumed that the work must be frustrating and perhaps counter-productive to our shared goal of creating a safe society.

On the other side of the ledger, I was privileged to experience portions of the “Greatness Beyond Measure” teen summit held in Sarasota this weekend. On Saturday night, I was a judge at a debate contest as ten teenagers addressed racial, gender and age stereotypes head-on. A crowd of over 100 mostly young people sat in the audience, fully engaged in the exchange of ideas on stage. The next day an even larger crowd gathered at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park for Gospel music, performances, and hot dogs. Spending time with these fine young men and women, primarily African-Americans, was just the antidote I needed to combat cynicism.

The rest of the week was inspiring as well. The Sun-House Restaurant on Bradenton Beach hosted a very enjoyable fundraiser to benefit the Manatee Red Cross. I won Chef Darryl’s cooking jacket in the silent auction. Also fun was the Selby Library’s 10th birthday bash on Saturday afternoon. In attendance were numerous families, Mote Marine, the Humane Society, and Marie Selby as portrayed by a wonderful actress. And I even took a day off to go fishing with my stepdaughter and her boyfriend. We hit a small school of jacks and of course had to have a photo memorializing out catch.

As busy as it has been, the next few weeks will be even crazier. You can come out and meet me between August 5-9 at any of the following. On Tuesday, August 5, I will attend the North Port Chamber of Commerce candidate mixer at the Olde World Restaurant, then head over to North Port High School for "National Night Out." On Wednesday, August 6, I will debate the other candidates in my race at the Manatee County Commission chambers at 6:30 p.m. Watch for later broadcasts on Manatee Educational Television. Thursday, August 7, I will attend the League of Women Voter's candidate fair at the Gulf Gate Library in Sarasota from 6-9 pm. Friday, August 8 I'll see you at the Sarasota Slam street party on Lemon Avenue in the evening. And finally, on Saturday, August 9, there will be a rally for all Democratic candidates at the DeSoto County fairgrounds, beginning at 10 a.m.