News and Notes + Ya Gotta Love Michelle Patty

Last year, the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Department booked over 75,000 people into detention facilities. Holy moly… that must cost a lot of somolees. Who’d a thought that many people are arrested in this county each year.

Now I’m thinking, how much do I pay in tax dollars each year to support law enforcement, the court system, jails, etc. How much more do I pay in auto and homeowners insurance because people break the law? How much more do I pay at stores because people shoplift?

Recently, speed humps were installed on our street. The street is a long straight-a-way and the 30 mph speed limit slowed very few. Many, many neighborhoods in this county have speed humps. Wonder what that costs each of us each year because people refuse to drive safely and obey speed limits?

On Another Note:

Speaking of spending our money, the Times reported that Buddy Johnson hired “activist” Michelle Patty last fall to help him campaign in urban areas. Since he called it “voter education,” Johnson paid her $16,000 out of Elections Office funds, not from his re-election campaign account. Prior to being hired by Johnson, Patty was a huge supporter of Phyllis Busansky. How quickly cash can turn someone around.

If you’ve ever driven down 22nd Street or on MLK east of Florida Avenue, then you have seen Michelle Patty’s name and face on many bus benches. She operates a “referral” service where she gets kick-backs from lawyers and doctors by referring folks involved in auto accidents. Maybe those ads on those benches help the people sitting there pass gas. After all, Patty’s business always smells a bit fishy.

Someone told me that years ago Patty worked as a courier for a local travel agency, hand delivering airline tickets to clients. She drove the agency vehicle all day and responded to page messages for pick-ups and deliveries. When business slowed, she was laid off. Immediately, she filed a suit against the agency for not allowing her two 15-minute breaks a day.

Businesswoman Patty is also Minister Patty. According to a 2005 St Pete Times story, Patty holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from Blessed Hope School of Bible in Seminole Heights. (Is this an accredited institution of higher learning?) And, in her dining room, she displays a picture of the Last Supper featuring Bob Marley, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Nation of Islam founder Elijah Mohammed.

Remember Jennifer Porter, the teacher who killed two young children in a hit-and-run case in North Tampa? Patty became the spiritual advisor to the mother of those children. As a local lawyer told the Times, “She had a Bible in her hand and rushed to that lady’s home and took her to a lawyer. She was there before the ambulance left.”

At the funeral of those children, the Times also reported that Patty handed out fans with a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. on one side and an advertisement for her business on the other.

Someone made a comment that Michelle Patty might be a feather-weight Al Sharpton wannabe. I said no, Al mainly griffs from the liberal media. Patty exploits the poor in her own urban neighborhoods.

Lastly:

At the February 24th school board meeting, member Susan Valdes praised the district’s adult technical centers, saying the training is superior to private schools and the tuition costs remain a third less. I think her comments were great and on target.

Why then, during her re-election campaign last August, did she accept $500 from the Manhattan Hair Academy, a private and direct competitor to district vocational schools?

posted by admin @ 6:03 PM