PAGE 8 - March 11, 2009
THE NEWSCASTER-Nature Coast News
Yankeetown Election Board
Cab Driver Attack  - Continued from page 1
Disqualifies Candidate Over Residency
he had picked up a passenger in Crystal River's Copeland Park (Mr. Galarza). Mr. Frost said
that Galarza told him that he needed a ride to Beverly Hills, and there was no small talk during
the ride. He said that Galarza told him to pull into the gas station at Regina Blvd. and C.R. 491,
four members of the election board are in liti-
State’s Attorney Rules
and when the taxi came to a stop, Galarza struck him, numerous times, on the back of his head,
gation with Price in the Forum vs Candela et
No Basis For Complaint
with a brick. Then, both he and Galarza had gotten out of the taxi, and Galarza had snatched
al lawsuit. Price said that she's come to the
his fanny pack, which contained a small amout of cash and his cell phone, then had run off
realization, that in the past, she'd been part
into some bushes, heading north.
of a community mindset that shut down Izaak
Just days before the February 24 Yan-
Mr. Frost was transported to Citrus Memorial Hospital in Inverness, with multiple lac-
Walton Investors and feels that the members
keetown municipal election, a board of four
erations to the front and back of his head, along with lacerations to both forearms. He was
of the election board are angry with her be-
challenged the town council candidacy of
later airlifted to Tampa General Hospital for treatment of his injuries and released on Monday.
cause of this, that there is a conflict of inter-
Sally Price, who has voted for the last ten
Detectives with the Citrus County Sheriff's Office were able to identify Mr. Galarza and
est on the part of the board members, and
years in Yankeetown elections. When Price
secured a warrant for his arrest on charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm,
that the ruling of the board was in error.
qualified as a candidate, she listed her Fid-
attempted felony murder, attempted first-degree murder, and robbery with a deadly weapon.
Price said that that the one board mem-
dler Key Yankeetown property as her resi-
His bond was set at $200,000.
ber Kathleen Burke had been Sargeant-at-
dence. Price says the property has been in
Galarza was located, around 1:20 p.m., Monday, in Crystal River, on N.E. 2nd Street,
Arms during all the elections, when she had
her name for ten years, that she pays taxes
sitting in a chair on the side of the road. Deputies placed him under arrest and transported
voted in Yankeetown, and Burke had never
on the property, and it is homesteaded as her
him to the detention facility in Lecanto.
questioned Price's right to vote. Price said
domicile. According to Price, the property has
that two state elections attorneys had given
been in litigation for several years and is still
CFEC Announces Rate Hike
their approval for Price to vote in a recent
in the appeal process.
town election and that she rented a house in
High inflation and flat growth in the area have impacted the financial stance of Central
Price said, before she ran for office, she
Yankeetown, to use as a backup, in the event
Florida Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CFEC). Because of this, a rate change will go into effect
visited Levy County Supervisor of Elections,
that the election board denied her candidacy.
April 1, with a 5.27 percent increase to the total rate. Fees for some services will also increase,
Connie Asbell, to determine if she could
However, the election board ruled that Price's
which is considered part of the rate increase, and in the near future, a late fee will be imposed
qualify as a candidate for Yankeetown Town
water usage was not sufficient to support
on delinquent accounts.
Council, and that Asbell had given her a copy
her residency, although Price says that she
Ben Dawson, CFEC director of engineering, said “We look at our financial statements
of a recent ruling by Levy County 8th Judi-
slept at the residence, every night, since she
and our margins and see if we are collecting enough to meet our loan and loan contracts,
cial Circuit Court Judge David A. Glant, that
had qualified as a candidate.
which dictate the financial standards that we are obligated to meet,” Dawson says. “If it
allowed the owner of a Levy County news-
Price said that a canvassing board threw
looks like it is dropping below the standards we have to meet, then we have to do some-
paper to register to vote and to vote in
out her vote on election night, as well. The
thing.” Dawson says the rate increase is needed to cover expenses and the cost of doing
Chiefland, when he was homesteaded in
canvassing board members were Yankeetown
business.
Gainesville. The county lost this litigation
Town Councilman Norm Shanahan, Inglis Fire
“In previous years, when our expenses grew, our growth on the system covered those
which cost the county a goodly amount of
Chief Phil Sprinkle and Yankeetown Fire Chief
expenses. But now growth has flat-lined, and we have to pay for expenses that have in-
money. According to Price, Asbell said that
Paul Shearer. This board used what Price
creased with the same amount of customers,” he says.
she was not going to be caught up in an-
termed a "conflicted election board ruling"
other lawsuit over residency, because the law
to throw out her provisional vote. Price said
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, NATIONAL
does not clearly define residency.
that another citizen's vote was also provi-
According to a letter from State Attor-
INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE
sional, and the canvassing board opened his
ney William Cervone of the 8th Judicial Cir-
ballot and announced who the man had voted
cuit to Ed Candela, who had contacted
NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FINDING
for after they determined that he did, indeed,
Cervone's office "concerning the eligibility
live within the city limits. Price said she feels
of Sally Price to run for a position as a Yan-
OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
this is illegal.
keetown councilman," Cervone wrote Can-
Price said, in her opinion, the canvass-
dela that his office had reviewed documents
The Department of Justice has made available to interested governmental and
ing and election boards demonstrated an
and information accumulated regarding his
private bodies and individuals a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Applica-
agenda to remove both her candidacy and
complaint about Price's Yankeetown resi-
tion of Chemometrics and Fast GC-MS Analysis for the Identification of Ignitable Liquids
vote, and that Town Attorney Ken Warnstadt
dency. He wrote Candela,"Florida law is ex-
in Fire Debris Samples, in Orlando, Florida. The FONSI is supported by an Environmental
and Town Clerk Laura Coyle sided with the
tremely vague as to what constitutes a suffi-
Assessment (EA) which studied potential environmental impacts associated with estab-
boards against Price, and at the protest meet-
cient residence for purposes of voting, and
lishing mathematical approaches to the identification of ignitable liquid residue in fire
ing of the ballot counting, the board denied
by analogy, running for office. Likewise, the
debris samples by burning small amounts of common building materials with traces of
Price the right to present additional evidence
provisions of Yankeetown ordinances that I
ignitable liquids in a laboratory hood at the University of Central Florida and conducting
in her behalf and also denied her the right to
have looked at are likewise vague," and that
outside burns at the Florida Fire College in Ocala using transportation containers built out
speak, although her name was listed on the
Price's "Fiddler Key address is indicative of
to resemble single inhabitable rooms and use small amounts of ignitable liquid to ignite the
meeting agenda. She said that she was si-
an intent to reside in Yankeetown." The let-
fire, which is being funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, National Insti-
lenced and told to sit down when she pro-
ter also states that Price's rental property on
tute of Justice.
tested.
Hickory Avenue "is indicative of an intent to
The EA considered potential impacts to the natural and manmade environments
Price has already set a precedent, as she
reside in Yankeetown." Cervone gives his
including: geology, topography, and soils; water resources, biological resources; air qual-
was elected to the Yankeetown Town Council
opinion that his office would have no prob-
ity; noise; infrastructure/utilities; land use; transportation; socioeconomic resources; cul-
around 2000 using her Fiddler Key address. She
able cause to take any action as to the ques-
tural resources; and human health and safety, among other topics associated with the
served in office for about a month then resigned
tion of Price's residency, however the town
proposed action. Based on the information gathered during preparation of the EA, the
after a warming from a constituent about her
of Yankeetown did take issue as to Price's
County of Marion finds that the proposed actions at the Florida Fire College will not
voting, she says. Price received 93 votes in the
residency.
significantly impact the environment.
February, 2009 election. The top three elected
"I was tried and ruled out of the election
Copies of the EA and FONSI can be obtained from: Ms. Lori Brown 12201 Re-
to the council were: Doug Dame 190, Mike
by the town's first-ever election board that
search Parkway Orlando, FL 32826 (407) 882-1114. A limited number of copies of the EA are
Lineberger 189,and Jack Schofield 189. Jim
was appointed to rule on someone's election
available to fill single copy requests.
Petrovich received: 114, and Annie Rosario 97.
rights," said Price. Price said that three of the
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