Things are not too peachy in the Executive Office of the Governor (EOG), as embattled chief of staff, Adam Hollingsworth, continues to get peppered with criticisms for his admission that he lied on a job application, and the apparent ‘political malpractice’ he has committed as chief of staff.
Hollingsworth lied to his previous employer about having received a degree from the University of Alabama, which he earned several years later, and not on the date he stated in the application.
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The “political malpractice” Hollingsworth committed was putting out a short-list of four lieutenant governor selection finalists, before notifying them they were going to make it on the short list for the job.
As the crew on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” would say,“C’mon Man!”
Hollingsworth has also minimized the person who helped Scott win his 2010 gubernatorial race, as well help land him his current COS job, pollster Tony Fabrizio.Another sign of paranoia and over control emanating from Hollingsworth has been his disastrous management of the lieutenant governor selection process. We mention that Hollingsworth did not inform the short-liters before the announcement, but what is more troubling is Hollingsworth’s nixing of former House Majority Leader Carlos Lopez-Canter, aka CLC, for consideration to the number two spot in the Governor’s office.
Why won’t Hollingsworth consider Lopez-Cantera for lieutenant governor?
Consider this. To retain the Governor’s mansion, Scott needs to win a good portion of the Miami-Dade electorate. The days are relying on Cuban-Americans to come out and vote Republican are over.
Considering what President Obama did in Miami-Dade county in 2012, it’s needless to say that Rick Scott has a Cuban problem, and will need help shoring up this crucial voting bloc.
The buzz is that if he’s not going to get the job himself, Hollingsworth “wants somebody he can control” in place, and that somebody definitely would not be a Hispanic from South Florida.-SSN
Lopez-Cantera, who is well-liked and respected by his past and present pears, not to mention that one of his main amigos, Senator Marco Rubio, thinks that his is the best thing since sliced bread, and is a valuable asset to any elected office, has been the favorite of many in-the-know politicos studying the dynamics of the 2014 gubernatorial race.
Some of Lopez- Cantera’s friends and colleagues, including the father of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, State Representative Dennis Baxley, believe that CLC would make a fantastic LG because he is a “tremendous leader to the process.”
Other friends and colleagues of the former House Majority Leader, former State Representatives Steve Bovo, Gary Aubuchon, State Senator Rene Garcia, and Marili Cancio, who Rick Scott appointed to the Miami-Dade College Board of Trustees, all believe that because Lopez-Cantera knows the legislative process so well, he would make an excellent lieutenant governor, and should be considered for the job.
But as one State Legislator has openly discussed the lieutenant governor’s pick, one of his colleagues, who asked that he or she not mention their name in this story, said that he and others were directed by ‘veteran’ legislators to refrain from discussing the LG pick.
Not quite sure why they were told to keep things under wraps, since the LG decision is solely made by the Governor and his office, and not the legislature.
Another disturbing allegation being made by Tallahassee political insiders, is that because Hollingsworth’s influence is so vast, he is trying neuter RPOF Chairman Lenny Curry.
How can Hollingsworth neuter Curry?The office of the Governor is said to be taking a more “active” role in the messaging that is coming out of the RPOF, and has put in place “minders,” who are using Gestapo-style tactics to eaves drop on conversations of those within the hierarchy of the State Republican Party and the Governor’s office.
Because Hollingsworth is also said to be involving himself in fundraising, far more than any previous COS, and because of his bad call of unnecessarily delaying the lieutenant governor’s selection, he is costing Scott credibility among the rank and file Republicans, which will eventually leak to the broader base of the state GOP.
After the Alabama “Roll Tide” liar, liar pants on fire scandal, in which Hollingsworth lied on an application he submitted to his previous employer, Governor Scott defended him, and went as far as to call him his “friend.”
If Hollingsworth were a real friend to Governor Scott, wouldn’t a true friend step aside, and spare his boss/friend all of these bad headlines and stories that stem form his poor decisions?
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