Councilwoman gets into innuendo involving former Deltona city attorney & current School Board district 3 candidate George Trovato
Photos for Headline Surfer® / DAYTONA BEACH -- In what has already become a public embarrassment for Volusia County described from the onset as a political "witch hunt" and a "money grab," the so-called “Waverly investigation” is catching even more unsuspecting victims. Take Volusia County District 3 School Board George Trovato, for example, courtesy of County Councilwoman Patricia Northey.
With interview documents released, it has become all too obvious that Jonathan Kaney, Jr., wasn’t actually conducting an investigation, but instead playing a game of mud-slinging on the taxpayers dime - already $150,000 expended with more on the horizon.
In her sworn statement with Kaney, Northey accused George Trovato, candidate for the district 3 seat on the Volusia County School Board, of real estate fraud.
Northey stated that when Trovato was the City Attorney for Deltona, that he and the mayor and others conspired to over-pay for a privately-owned property to build a fire station.
George Trovato, candidate for the district 3 School Board seat representing Southeast Volusia, finished a distant second in the Aug. 26 primary for the district 3 seat on the School Board representing Southeast Volusia as shown in the results at left.According to Northey, Trovato told the real estate appraiser to over-appraise the property in order to meet the price demanded by the owner. She went on to add it was “raw property, unimproved property” but they wanted to base the appraisal as if it were commercial property.
Trovato did not return messages for comment, but this clearly has nothing to do with the Waverly investigation whatsoever.
As County Councilwoman Joyce Cusack has expressed, one would expect an investigation to focus on facts and personal knowledge and then further investigate to prove or disprove gathered facts. But that has not been the case in this so-called “investigation.”
Cusack, the at-large incumbent is being challenged from a fellow Democrat in Northey, herself term-limited in her district 5 seat out of Deltona. Northey finished second in a three-way primary contest, prevailing in a recount that saw Deltona City Commissioner Webster Barnaby eliminated.
Because he lost, Barnaby has to give up his municipal seat by the end of the year.
Northey was among the most vocal supporters of the Waverly investigation pushed last winter by County Councilman Doug Daniels of Ormond Beach, who was at one time was a law partner with Kaney.
Headline Surfer® questioned Daniels' motivation considering the obvious conflict of interest as he and Kaney both worked together under Cobb Cole before both moved on to new and separate law firms before Daniels took office in 2013. This led to the FBI questioning Daniels who claimed there was nothing nefarious. The only way this arrangement could be illegal is if it could be shown that Daniels profited in some way. And there's been nothing to publicly demonstrate such a scenario.
To further illustrate the lack of credibility in the investigation, Kaney has been quoted in several media interviews saying that even if something is hearsay or just a rumor, those being questioned should share it, and that he knows this is like a game of telephone. But this has proven quite an expensive game to play with the taxpayers shouldering the cost.
The interview conducted with Northey bore that out.
It was quite entertaining as the focus of her attacks were many of her fellow Democrats. Maybe not so surprising when you realize that she has been on the County Council for 22 years-plus years, save for a short gap when she ran unsuccessfully for the Supervisor of Elections post won by Anne McFall.
Patricia Northey, shown here on the dais, has contributed to the mockery that is the Waverly investigation with her attcks on fellow Democrats in a sworn interview with Jonathan Kaney, Jr., the private attorney hired by Northey and others on the dais.
To further illustrate the lack of credibility in the investigation, Kaney has been quoted in several media interviews saying that even if something is hearsay or just a rumor, those being questioned should share it, and that he knows this is like a game of telephone. But this has proven quite an expensive game to play with the taxpayers shouldering the cost.
The interview conducted with Northey bore that out. It was quite entertaining as the focus of her attacks were many of her fellow Democrats. Maybe not so surprising when you realize that she has been on the County Council for 22 years-plus years, save for a short gap when she ran unsuccessfully for the Supervisor of Elections post won by Anne McFall.
This career politician was about to be term-limited in her current seat, and so she chose to run against incumbent and fellow Democrat, Joyce Cusack for the at-large seat.
It was a surprising and many call “dirty” tactic considering this is most likely Cusack’s last run for public office, after four terms in the Statehouse and the last four years on the council. In fact, it is unprecedented that Northey would try to take away Cusack's job because no same-party colleague on the council has ever done that -- Democrat or Republican, even though the seats are non-partisan.
Since Cusack’s record is hard to attack, it makes sense she went after Cusack for her previous support by Waverly. But in her own interview, with Kaney, she showed how desperate she was to hurt Waverly and Cusack by extension.
When interviewed by Kaney, Northey acknowledged that her husband suggested she buy bus benches, but she wasn’t interested because she described them as “dirty.” However, she then went on to say that she contacted Deltona resident Michael Kiepert to inquire about getting a bench.
This was odd that she claimed she contacted contacted Waverly Media directly. Headline Surfer® reached out to Waverly a couple of weeks ago and was told she never made such an inquiry.
Northey complained to Kaney that she was blocked from getting benches and no one ever gave her rates - supposedly that was Kaney's proof that only certain candidates could advertise.
But clearly, any normal person would call the number provided for advertising and ask those questions instead of calling a a fellow advertiser like Kiepert. This further demonstrates Northey's goal of damaging Waverly had no basis other than to make Cusack look bad in the eyes of the voters.
Photo for Headline Surfer® / Joyce Cusack, at-large county councilwoman, described the Waverly investigation as a witch-hunt from the onset. She is being challenged in the Nov. 4 general election by term-limited district 5 Councilwoman Patricia Northey, who was a big proponent of the Waverly investigation, which so far has cost taxpayers $150,000.
But clearly, any normal person would call the number provided for advertising and ask those questions instead of calling a a fellow advertiser like Kiepert. This further demonstrates Northey's goal of damaging Waverly had no basis other than to make Cusack look bad in the eyes of the voters.
Northey has repeatedly refused comment on the Waverly investigation.
Northey accuses colleague Joshua Wagner of trying to take over the Ocean Center to become a TV star, and of being a bully and even trying to physically attack her before the county manager gets between them -- allegations the Daytona Beach councilman scoffs at.
• Northey, the Democrat, bashes former Volusia County Democratic Chairman Phil Giorno, claiming he shredded evidence on Wagner's behalf, an allegation not supported by fact and offered by her as rumor.