Editor, The Beacon:
John Flemm, candidate for Clerk of Court, has irreparably damaged the validity of young Volusia leaders in a disgraceful act of dirty politics. What he and his friends have done can only be described as a selfish, disingenuous attempt to undermine a respected Clerk of Court.
As a City Council member elected in 2020, I had fewer conversations with voters about my ballot-box opponent and more about their perceived similarities between me, at age 29, and a former 28-year-old DeBary mayor. Readers may recall the mayor’s extracurricular activities and may recognize the bad taste he left in DeBaryites’ mouths; a taste that I had to compete with and overcome.
That mayor was ruled by a Volusia Circuit Court judge to have to forfeit his office via a city-charter violation and vacate the office after fewer than 29 months on the dais. His actions set back younger political candidates, just as Flemm’s are set to.
Generational-reputation tarnishing is real, and what 22-year-old Flemm has done not only puts a new bad taste in Volusians’ mouths, but it sets his peer group’s genuine candidates behind the eight ball before they even file to run. His hyper-partisanship is a detriment to the office he sought; and his accusations against the incumbent of “mismanagement” were misleading and inaccurate.
Fellow genuine candidates who invest in their communities by dedicating time to citizen advisory boards, charter review committees, and local nonprofits now risk their reputations being damaged by Flemm’s stunt.
For tomorrow’s young leaders, we cannot allow this circus act to dissuade anyone from becoming involved in the community, or voters from trusting that the younger generations have good intentions. We need the next generation of civic leaders to start learning community involvement and civil political skills and processes today — and it takes time!
As an elected official, I leave you with this charge: Check out your local government’s openings on advisory boards; some cities have many! Join organizations like Rotary, the Chamber of Commerce, or young professionals’ groups. Attend council meetings and candidate hob nobs. Run local 5Ks, socialize widely at these events, and talk to candidates.
Participation at this level along with voting goes a long way, and it helps officeholders develop their strategies and goals. Most of all, it restores faith between generations. We need to run campaigns on sincere platforms that can reassure the older generations that they can pass the torch because we are ready to lead.
Jim Pappalardo
City of DeBary
Council Member, Seat 2
