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This Week's Program -
State Legislative topics and lobbying by Robert M. Levy
Robert M.
Levy is a public and government relations professional with offices in
Miami and Tallahassee, Florida. He has worked as a political consultant
and developed hundreds of campaigns since 1977. He is president of
Robert M. Levy & Associates, one of the leading South Florida's lobbying
and advocacy firms.
Levy
attended Valley Forge Military Academy and Pennsylvania State
University. He is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States
Army, and spent two and one half years in the Republic of Vietnam, where
he was awarded the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, the Silver Star, the
Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. His work on behalf of the American
Advertising Federation in the 1987 repeal effort of the services tax was
recognized by the South Florida Business Journal and Price Waterhouse's
coveted Up n' Comer Award for government relations.
Levy's
civic involvement includes dozens of board positions throughout Florida.
He is particularly involved in advancing women's rights and equality and
served as statewide vice president for legislative affairs of the
Florida Women's Political Caucus; Levy also served eight years as a
member of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, appointed to
that position by a former Speaker of the House and subsequently
reappointed by the Governor of Florida.
Robert
M. Levy & Associates represents several statewide organizations
including the Financial Service Centers of Florida, the Florida Nurses
Association, the Professional Wreckers Operators of Florida, and the
Florida Association of Professional Process Servers. Levy also
represents a number of cultural clients including the Miami Youth
Museum, Actors Playhouse, and the New World School of the Arts among
others. In the realm of social services, Levy's client list includes the
United Cerebral Palsy and the Association for Retarded Citizens, among
others. His corporate assignments list includes various South Florida
businesses, among them Seitlin & Company Insurance - the largest
independent agency in South Florida, and the Bonding Corp. - a firm
underwriting bonds for notary publics. Levy has ample experience
representing local municipalities; among them as clients he lists the
Cities of Miami Beach, Homestead, Palmetto Bay, Miami Shores Village,
and Florida City. Additionally, Levy represents various health
organizations including Baptist Health of South Florida, the Health
Council of South Florida, the Private Care Association, the Miami Jewish
Home, and Hospital for the Aged at Douglas Gardens, along with Florida's
Teaching Nursing Home.
What’s Happening
Project Save-A-Smile
Kiwanian Dr. Ron
O’Neal is sponsoring Project Save-A-Smile for the fifth year. Please
contact Kathy Condon to volunteer for this most rewarding experience.
And, thanks Ron, for helping young children in need.
Now, that just
Beachin’
Jim Beach proudly
told us of his forty-two years of marriage to his better half, Pokey.
Playoffs? ……….
Playoffs?
You cannot use the
excuse you will be at a Rays playoff game … so join us at the Kiwanis
Installation banquet at Nova 535, in downtown St. Petersburg at 535
Martin Luther King, Jr. St. N. at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6, and see
Bob Piplitz take over the club with his most peculiar style.
Ten Pins
Jim Beach reports
the Kiwanis Red Team needs a fill-in for wounded veteran Paul Renker. No
experience necessary although team members must be able to do 12 ounce
curls.
A Foster in every
cooler, A Ford in every garage
Yes, our crack
program committee (one last plug for the handsome and debonair Bob
Piplitz) along with Dick Koch has arranged for a mayoral debate between
run-off winners Bill Foster and Kathleen Ford for the meeting of
Tuesday, October 13. Membership chairman Ron Braun pointed out this is
an excellent time to bring guests and potential new members. Guest meals
for this meeting will be $12.00.
Happy Worker’s
Jane Baldwin
cheered our generosity with the over 300 books she has collected as well
as cash. See Kathy Condon to volunteer for this great event. Please
arrive at 9:30 a.m. at the Happy Worker’s Children’s Center, 920 – 19th
Street S, St. Petersburg, on Saturday, September 26.
Committee Chairpersons and Members for
2009-2010
Attendance:
Nick Gizzarelli, Jr. - Chair
Jim
Beach, Marvin Gay, Melissa Kelly, Carl Miller
Membership:
Ron Braun - Chair
Dan Nardozzi, Jeff Francis, Maryann Lynch, Nick Gizzarelli, Hunter
Booth, Melissa Kelley, Bill Stover, Tom Hallis, Steve Cunningham, Al
Karnavicius, Rich Hoskins, Bill Krautler, Marvin Gay
Fischer-Carr:
Bob
Byelick - Chair
David Abbey, Jim Beach, Worth Blackwell, John Biesinger, Charlie
Canerday, Larry Halstead, Al Karnavicius, Doug Lampe, Mark Shames, Click
Slocumb, Cathy Swanson, Melissa Kelly, Ken Heretick
Program:
Tom
Nelson – Chair
Al
Karnavicius, Biff Baker, Bob Byelick, Cathy Swanson, Charles Stuart,
Doug Lampe, Kathy Condon, Markus Mittermayr, Mitch Cochran, Paul
Misiewicz, Paul Renker, Scott Boyle, Bob Piplitz
Spiritual Aims:
Steve Cunningham – Chair
Bryant Boydstun, Dave Swenson, Hal Wells, Jack Collins, JC Russell, Ron
Braun, Louis Murphy, David Oliver
Vocational Guidance (Al Muter)
JC
Russell – Chair
Biff Baker, Bill Krautler , Dan Stone, Lloyd Banks, Jack Collins, Cal
Foelgner, Rob Kapusta, Steve Koch, Louis Murphy, Candice Nyarkoh, Paul
Renker, Stan Shaver
Social:
Pat
Kraujalis – co-chair, Lorin Bridge – co-chair
Jim
Beach, John Biesinger, Mitch Cochran, Steve Cunningham, Harvey Ford, Ron
Holehouse, Kim Horstman, Gary Keller, Kevin Kelso, Doug Lampe, Maryann
Lynch, Ron O’Neal, Paul Renker, Cathy Swanson, Weyman Willingham
Sponsored
Leadership Services:
Jerry Little -
Co-chair, Bret Jahn - Co-chair
Cynthia Mulligan,
Dan Nardozzi, Gary Keller, Kevin Kelso, Maryann Lynch, Scott Boyle,
Steve Cunningham, Terry Dowling
Interclub
Hunter Booth - Chair
Kevin Kelso, Dan Stone, Gary Keller, Melissa Kelley,
Steve Koch, Michael Humlicek,
Doug Lampe
Youth Services – Boys and Girls
Dan Stone - Chair
Grant Wallin, Al Karnavicius, Stan Slicker, Hunter Booth,
George Gower, Mike Humlicek, Worth Blackwell, Nick Gizzarelli, JB
Gaskins, Lorin Bridge
Finance:
Bob Piplitz - Chair
Biff Baker, Kathy Condon, Markus Mittermayr, Tom Nelson,
Charles Stuart
Laws/Regulations
Rob Kapusta - Chair
Worth Blackwell
Every Child a Swimmer:
Dan
Nardozzi - Chair
Marcus Mittermayr, Melissa Dipple
Last Week at Kiwanis
This week’s
Kiwanian of the Day, Bob Byelick, introduced Bernie McCabe, State
Attorney in the Sixth Judicial Court of Florida. As we have learned from
Bernie’s previous visits, no gray seeps into his conversation – it is
all black and white.
Most notably,
Bernie’s frustrations lie at the feet of the legislature. He feels that
the eight year term limits impedes our government and makes it difficult
for statesmen to appear and take charge. According to Bernie, too many
“followers” represent us, and special interest groups unduly influence
them.
Pointedly, he
spoke of the deficiency of sales tax revenue to of Florida, especially
with a down economy. And with over 200 tax exemptions the tax collector
has even more difficulty obtaining the necessary money. Bernie suggests
that each exemption be thoroughly examined and try to diffuse the
special interest groups influence.
One case in point:
Internet sales are tax exempt in Florida.
A temporary fix is
enabling Florida to survive the fiscal crisis for this year and next as
billions of dollars of stimulus money is available. But Bernie asked,
“What about three years from now as no further money is promised as of
yet?”
In a rare
turnabout for Bernie, he is now pro-gambling – by default only. His
logic is that why should the Indians get all the money. He proposes that
state run casinos will generate millions of dollars towards the tax
base. And since gambling is here to stay, if you can’t beat them, might
as well join them. So, a leopard can change his spots after all.
A question was
raised about why education does not seem to receive enough money in the
State of Florida. Bernie says it is mostly political and that the
education lobbyists are not as strong as other lobbyists.
Bernie,
interesting takes on statewide issues and thanks for the brutal
enlightenment.
Guests and Visitors
We
had 50 members and 4 guests attending: Audrey Lampe, guest of Doug
Lampe; Candice Schottenloher and Kay-Lynne Taylor of Circle K.
Today’s Quiz
1.
Name the three Astronauts
killed in the Apollo I fire.
2.
Which English explorer
discovered Manhattan?
3.
How many additional
points does a player in the game of SCRABBLE receive for using all seven
tiles on the tray?
4.
What is the State Bird of
Florida?
5.
Who threw the pass to
Louis Murphy, Jr. for his first NFL touchdown?
Last Week’s
Quiz
1.
There are no New
York Yankees that have had 3,000 career hits.
2.
The Transcontinental
railroad joined at Promontory Summit, Utah.
3.
Dr. Walter Reed
discovered the vaccine for malaria.
4.
The capital of Tahiti is
Papeete.
5.
At the Heavenly
Ski Resort at Lake Tahoe you can go on the ski trail and be in the
states of Nevada and California. |
