The evolution of a Commissioner who comes into office under highly questionable circumstances bears watching to see whom he or she has been serving over the last four years.  This is an important point in any Winter Springs election because the facts route out if a commissioner is working for himself, special interests, the city manager, or the citizens. 

Commissioner Donald A. Gilmore is such an elected official.  He came into office under more than a cloud of suspicion, when his friend former city commissioner Ed Martinez, played around with the residency requirements of city office in April 2004.  This allowed Gilmore to serve out Martinez’s unexpired term so Gilmore could run as an incumbent in November 2004.   Now, here we are four years later, we have Gilmore the entrenched incumbent running for re-election.

PFGG is presenting a series to follow the “Gilmore Years” and what they have left behind.  Below are some notable quotes from Commissioner Donald A. Gilmore, followed by PFGG’s analysis of Gilmore’s position.

During the June 3, 2004 budget workshop, the education of Commissioner Donald A. Gilmore began.  Manager McLemore said to Commissioner Gilmore, “If you will come in, we will spend some time with you and go over all of these Contracts with you.” Commissioner Gilmore said, “Sometime, I will do that.”

Well, Gilmore did that a lot over the last four years.  Private one-on-ones with the city manager are a way to get the troops (commissioners) in line.  Expect some fire and brimstone sermonizing and a little kool-aid to wash down the manager’s faulty positions.

In a discussion about the Publication line item during the June 3, 2004 budget workshop, Commissioner Gilmore said, “I’m not going to do it for $40,000.00 - I don’t know what the number is.”

Well, Commissioner Gilmore did do it for $40,000 because he voted for the budget three years thereafter with the Publications line item earmarked for $40,000.  This was a $32,000 increase in that one line item of the budget from 1999/2000 fiscal year.

Commissioner Gilmore remarked, “I think that we should consider another person in there, because if you don’t have somebody in there - if you don’t have somebody looking at all this plant material that is out there, it is going to cost us more money to replace it, than the person that is looking at it.”

On June 3, 2004 Gilmore interjected himself in the city manager’s role when he suggested hiring a plant watcher as quoted above, which was totally contrary to his position in the September 26, 2005 tax hearings when he said the commission should not interject itself in the role of the city manager when it came to staffing levels of the police department.  Isn’t it nice to know that plant material in Winter Springs is worth more than the plant watcher to Commissioner Gilmore and, that the plant watcher is worth more than a police officer?  And the plant watcher must not have done a very good job since all the plants on SR434 are being replaced…again.  This means Gilmore will suggest employing another plant watcher because they are putting in twice as many plants.

At the June 14, 2004 regular meeting, Commissioner Donald Gilmore noted, “One of the suggestions that I might like to make on the telephone system is that the City Staff go to the outside and start making phone calls trying to find out information – in other words, duplicate what the resident of Winter Springs does.”

Result of Gilmore’s suggestion: City staff members are still outside because they are still waiting for a person to answer the city hall phone to get information but sadly they long forgot that they are the person who should have answered the phone to give information in the first place.  When will Don Gilmore tell them to come back inside?

Feeling short on words at the October 11, 2004 regular meeting, Commissioner Gilmore said, “I think that recognition is appropriate, but I also think that recognition should be something that is remembered as an appreciation - I think a day off, we all get that; they should have that time off.  They have been paid – and a picnic is a great idea, but I would also like to just see a watch – and I only use that as an example - something that would commemorate their service during this Hurricane period.” Commissioner Gilmore added, “I would just like to see a token of remembrance.”

This was Commissioner Gilmore’s impassioned suggestion to commemorate the city utility employees who negligently pumped raw sewage back into several Tuscawilla homes after Hurricane Charley.  The Director of Public Works, who was the totally non-existent face to the public during the whole episode and beyond, was also included in this appreciation gesture.  The city hall motto that emerged from the 2004 hurricane season, “We don’t give a crap, we pump it to you.”

During the regular meeting on December 13, 2004, Commissioner Gilmore mentioned, “We were listening to FEMA talking and their issues, and they had a lengthy discussion about concerns in the State forests and other lands and possible fires.”   Commissioner Gilmore mentioned that he was duly concerned about potential fires in the Tuscawilla community and said, “I think the City Staff needs to at least address it and make the people aware of the dangers that exist there and at least have some plans, that if no one cleans that wood out, and we get fires – we have a plan how it is going to be handled.”

Gilmore’s plan: He voted NOT to replace an aging fire truck in 2005 after the fire chief recommended  the purchase stating that when an alarm sounds the fire truck must start up 100% of the time when the key is turned.   He voted not to assess the fire fee on owners of vacant forested land in 2008, and he topped this all off by voting to fire the entire fire department in 2008.  Reward for Gilmore actions, his large campaign signs sit on vacant land.  Clearly, Gilmore cares more about vacant landowners than taxpayers of residential and commercial developed properties. This can only mean he will support over development of the old Hi-Flavor property on Tuskawilla Road.

In the December 14, 2004 Seminole Chronicle, Gilmore said “When you're sitting out there, you have all the answers, but when you're sitting up here, you start finding out what the questions are, and it's not so easy."

Translation: Citizens will never get any answers from Commissioner Gilmore.

Coming soon: Commissioner Donald A. Gilmore, Part 2: 2005 – Roll Baby, Roll

Now here ---

Upcoming: Commissioner Robert S. Miller -- Bon Voyage

Note: Click below to learn more about the illegal appointment that got Gilmore into office in the first place!   It is a story of it's own!

Note:  Want to read a biased report -- just go to --

www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-smwscommd011908oct19,0,4010562.story
--- than go to the bottom of the page and insert your OWN remarks !

Also there's another page you might want to read ---

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-smwscommd031908oct19,0,5321284.story

--- that's another page that doesn't tell it all by the Sentinel !

The Sentinel HAS to start reporting the FACTS !