LOCAL REC ESTABLISHMENT UNDER BRILL/WAECHTER LEADERSHIP EDGES OUT BRUNNI REC GRASSROOTS SUPPORTERS
Jon Susce
"Jon uncovers local corruption you will read about nowhere else. Vital and important information." Dan Lobeck
"Jon is easily the very best investigative reporter to ever work this market" Don Schilke
"Jon follows local politics and reports on like nobody else in town." Charles Senf
BRILL LEADERSHIP CLAIMS OF VICTORIES OVER A TOTALLY INEPT LOCAL LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY WAS NOT LED BY BRILL/WAECHTER BUT A CONSERVATIVE GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION
NEAL'S "PAY TO PLAY" DEVELOPERS READY TO PLAY BALL WITH BRUNNI'S "GRASSROOTS" AFTER CLOSE RACE
NEAL'S RINO CONTROL OF LOCAL REC IN TROUBLE AS WHAT BRILL CALLS "RIFF/RAFF" CLOSE IN
Brill with Sarasota School Board member Jane Goodwin
In the contest for leadership of the Sarasota County Republican Executive Committee (REC) Longboat Key Republicans Jack Brill defeated Englewood Republican Connie Brunni by only 25 votes out of 301 votes cast by REC members.
BRUNNI WILL STAY ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN 2024 ELECTION CYCLE
Due to the close vote, Brunni has become a major player in local Republican politics. Brunni states she along with her grassroots supporters will stay actively involved in the REC bringing more members into organization at the precinct level and making the various Republican clubs self-sufficient.
Flynn and Brunni
Brill was supported by the major financial donor class led by Pat Neal, who is a supporter of Governor Ron DeSantis for President in 2024. Brunni was supported by the local REC grassroots and Michael Flynn, who is a supporter of Donald Trump for President in 2024. Brunni and her supporters believed those selected by Brill to lead the REC did not represent the views of the vast majority of local Conservative Republicans.
Marinelli and Kurnov
BRILL WANTED TO BACK OFF ON SUPPORT FOR MARINELLI
For example, Brunni and her supporters were appalled during the school board race that Brill wanted them to back off in support of Republica Robyn Marinelli in her race with Democrat Lauren Kurnov. Brill stated it was a waste of time and money to support Marinelli. Brill believed Kurnov's major support from local Community Foundations and the Democrat Party was too much to overcome.
BRILL'S ESTABLISHMENT VS. BRILL'S "RIFF/RAFF
Brunni and her followers believed they had been treated as second class members of the REC and were called "riff/raff" by Brill.
On election night--11/8/22 --Brill had a separate celebration party without the Brunni and her Brill's "riff/raff" grassroots supporters, who brought victory on 11/8/22.
Waechter
THE REC BASE VS. THE REC ESTABLISHMENT.
The meeting, which was closed to the media, was essentially a contest between the local Republican establishment and the REC grassroots. The REC Establishment was led by Brill and his nefarious local political operative Bob Waechter, and the REC grassroots led by Brunni.
Waechter for over the past 25 years has been actively involved in various Republican leadership positions as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the local Republican Party, while having a criminal record of being arrested and convicted of burglary and political fraud.
Gruters
Former REC Chairman Joe Gruters and Brill and other local REC officials for years have allowed Waechter to evolve from being a failed businessman, a local handyman and burglar to become a major part of the REC political power structure.
Waechter's fingerprints were all over an attack piece on Brunni calling her "Looney Brunni" among other comments. The attack on Brunni did not surprise local political observers considering Brill's long time close ties to Waechter and his dirt bag tactics.
BRUNNI: GRASSROOTS BACKBONE OF REC
Brunni and her followers believed that the strong grassroots REC organization under Gruters was discarded by Brill, who relied on financial backing of local major developer donors like Neal and Randy Benderson to win elections. Brunni and her supporters were outraged Brill expended over $45,000 for "door knockers" for company out of Las Vegas to promote a REC resolution.
Brunni and her followers believe that the backbone of the local REC should be a strong grassroots organization supported not only by the present major donors, but also others donor turned away by Brill's leadership.
BRUNNI: "BRILL TRIED TO DESTROY GRASS ROOTS MOVEMENT"
Brunni supporters in statement to REC members seeking their support stated,
The political climate in our county has spurred families to get involved in local government elections. How many Floridians find themselves as outcasts within their local Republican Party, and this has to stop! In Sarasota County, Jack Brill tried to destroy our grass roots movement for conservative school board candidates.
"BRUNNI BACKBONE OF ZEM MOVEMENT"
Brunni was the backbone of the ZEM movement, which was the grassroots movement supporting Bridget Ziegler, Tim Enos and Robyn Marinelli for the Sarasota County School Board.
We couldn't have flipped our conservative board without Conni and ZEM, and through our battle we learned the importance of the REC. The biggest struggle ZEM encountered was surprisingly, our local REC Chair.
BRUNNI BAKERSVILLE POLITICAL BACKGROUND
Brunni has a strong background in Republican Conservative grassroots organizations having come to Sarasota from Bakersville, California, which is a bastion of a strong Republican Conservatism based on a strong grassroots organization.
Congressman McCarthy
Bakersville is the home of U.S Congressman Kevin McCarthy, who is the future Speaker of the U.S House of Representative. McCarthy succeeded former U.S Congressman Bill Thomas, who was also chairman of the powerful U.S Congress House and Means Committee. That is the same committee local U.S Congressman Vern Buchanan is expected to be chairman in the next U.S Congress.
Brunni worked closely with Thomas and McCarthy's political organizations and also the local political operative, Mark Abernathy. Abernathy, who along with a strong grassroots organization were responsible for Brunni being elected to the Bakersville City Commission.
Anderson
ANDERSON AND SHT HAVE THEIR OWN AGENDA TO ENFLAME LOCAL CULTURE WARS
The contest between Brunni grassroots supporters and Brill's reliance on the REC establishment by relying on major donor financial support to win elations was ignored by Sarasota Herald Tribune reporter Zac Anderson.
SHT AGENDA TO ENFLAME CULTURE WAR IN SARASOTA
Anderson and SHT would rather selling papers enflaming a culture war, first between the Democrat and Republican Party and now in attempting to enflame a culture war in the local Republican Party.
Anderson in firing up the REC culture war between supporters of Flynn and those oppose to Flynn's and his ties to Trump wrote this in a headline titled,
Michael Flynn pushes far right takeover of Sarasota Republican Party
Anderson described the contest between Brill and Brunni as "a group of Republican activists seeking to take control of the Sarasota GOP and install a new leader aligned with the right flank of the party."
Anderson continued stating, "Jack Brill became the new chair of the Sarasota GOP Thursday after defeating a challenger backed by Michael Flynn in a race that served as a test of Flynn's influence on local politics, and how far right the local party would go."
Anderson described Brunni in this fashion, "Brill’s challenger, Englewood resident and Flynn neighbor Conni Brunni, also is a longtime GOP activist but has been more on the fringes of party politics, most recently leading an independent political committee that was criticized for engaging in extreme tactics in the August school board races." Anderson continued, "Brunni also is a longtime local GOP activist, but has been more on the fringes of party politics."
Anderson in another attempt to make the REC election an attempted takeover by Flynn and Proud Boys wrote that, " Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, a Proud Boy and other far right individuals were sworn in Thursday as members of the Sarasota GOP’s executive committee, giving them votes in party matters and setting the stage for a possible shift in local GOP leadership toward a more extreme approach."
Thomson
REC spokesperson Rod Thomson replied to Anderson stating, “To say we’re being taken over because of a handful of people out of over 300, I just find that hard to defend as a narrative."
WASHINGTON POST ASSIST ANDERSON IN ENFLAMING CULTURE WAR
Anderson's used a Washington Post article to continue in enflaming the culture wars in Sarasota with this SHT headline:
"Sarasota illustrates nation's polarized political climate, GOP's evolution, reports Washington Post."
Anderson followed upon the headline with this: "Last week, the Washington Post put Sarasota in the national spotlight, the newspaper held up Sarasota as an example of a community engulfed in bitter and corrosive political conflict. The article's headline: 'As community veers right, political division tears apart Sarasota, Fla'"
SHT AND ANDERSON SUCCESSFUL IN ENFLAMING LOCAL CULTURE WARS WITHIN THE REC AND LOCAL SARASOTA COMMUNITY
Unfortunately, Anderson and the SHT have been very successful in igniting the culture war in Sarasota and the local REC by the comments, which can be seen every time Anderson sends out his articles. If anyone has any doubt that Anderson and the SHT is turning Sarasota into a bitter culture war take a look at the comments after Anderson writes his inflammatory articles.