Headline Surfer multimedia / Barbara Bonarrigo, left, is challenging incumbent Heather Post, for the District 4 seat on the Volusia County Council in the 2020 General Election on Nov. 3.
Segment 2: This multimedia investigative reporting project on the veracity of ex-deputy turned elected office holder Heather Post continues with a response from her 2020 Elections challenger, Barbara Bonarrigo.This multimedia reporting project is the culmination of more than two years of fact-based reporting, including the amassing of thousands of pages of public records and interviews with dozens of newsmakers. Heather Post has refused to comment on the factual allegations against her, has blocked this media outlet from commenting on her Facebook page (in violation of First Amendment rights, and worked behind the scenes to see to it that Headline Surfer's advertising agreement with the county was not renewed). The single most significant element of this investigative reporting project is Post blatantly lied to the voters on the eve of her 2016 campaign. That lie and Post's well-documented antagonistic tone on and off the county dais since taking the oath of office continues unabated.
Posted: 2020-05-13 - 10:09:59
"From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be silenced." - Proverbs 10:31
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Heather Post, an ex-deputy near the tail-end of a less-than-stellar law enforcement career was on the ropes in an epic campaign battle with accusations of past illicit drug use -- to wit cocaine and marijuana -- in her first run for political office, did what most people do when they can't or won't come clean: She lied!
"I can tell you unequivocally [sic] I am not a crack head" Post said in a press conference on the eve of 2016 Elections for an open seat on the Volusia County Council.
She turned the drug allegations around challenging her then-campaign opponent, Al Smith, an on-air morning personality on WNDB AM Radio, to take a drug test.
And following the press conference, Post emailed a press release insisting a polygraph test summary in her personnel file with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office that had her acknowledging cocaine use was an "obvious forgery" because certain dates didn't add up.
But there's no ambiguity or wiggle room for Post in the 2020 Elections with a document from her voluminous personnel file uncovered by Headline Surfer since she defeated her opponent four years ago that proves she flat-out lied to the voters to get elected: A one-age affidavit in which Post acknowledged past illicit drug use. The affidavit was signed and dated by her and it was notarized.
Post has ignored numerous inquiries from Headline Surfer regarding the affidavit with her Facebook page locked down and inaccessible to this media outlet.
After publishing the opening segment on this investigative reporting project on Post's past drug use, her blatant lying to the voters and her antagonistic tone with her elected colleagues and others on and off the county council dais since her 2017 oath of office swearing-in and seating, Headline Surfer reached out to her announced challenger in the 2020 Elections, Barbara Bonarrigo, for her reaction to the political ugliness of the incumbent office holder, Heather Post.
Bonarrigo sent Headline Surfer a prepared statement through her Jacksonville-based campaign consultant, Zack Whitson, which read: "While these facts exhibit disturbing behavior for an elected official, the voters of District 4 will have an opportunity this fall to elect a small business woman to represent them on the County Council. Right now our focus is getting Volusia County back to work and helping those families who have been affected by COVID-19."
After publishing the opening segment on this investigative reporting project on Post's past drug use, her blatant lying to the voters and her antagonistic tone with her elected colleagues and others on and off the county council dais since her 2017 oath of office swearing-in and seating, Headline Surfer reached out to her announced challenger in the 2020 Elections, Barbara Bonarrigo, for her reaction to the political ugliness of the incumbent office holder, Heather Post.
Bonarrigo sent Headline Surfer a prepared statement through her Jacksonville-based campaign consultant, Zack Whitson, which read: "While these facts exhibit disturbing behavior for an elected official, the voters of District 4 will have an opportunity this fall to elect a small business woman to represent them on the County Council. Right now our focus is getting Volusia County back to work and helping those families who have been affected by COVID-19."
Heather Post has not responded to numerous inquiries from Headline Surfer and has blocked access to her Facebook page.
Previous-Related Coverage:
Posted: 2020-04-28 22:02:32
Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories.