PALM COAST OBSERVER
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PalmCoastObserver.com
THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021
Send letters to editor@palmcoastobserver.com. Letters of all political views are welcome.
Don’t forget Lowe’s radical past
Dear Editor: As public records show, Alan Lowe, a candidate for Palm Coast mayor, had a long contentious battle with the IRS who was attempting to dutifully collect taxes Lowe did not pay. The IRS battle was waged with Lowe utilizing his proclaimed radical sovereign citizen status and philosophy, his renounced U.S. citizenship, his contention that he was not subject to taxes or U.S. laws, and included a barrage of frivolous and nonsensical public court filings. He went as far as to sue the IRS and individual revenue agents personally for $5 million and even filed court documents arguing that he did not owe debts to banks and the IRS because he didn’t recognize U.S. currency as real money. Also, while being pursued by the IRS, and in what appears to be a desperate effort to avoid the owed income taxes, he formed an anti-government “Church of Yahweh” and changed his name to “Alan Lowe, Ambassador For Christ,” presumably to establish a church-related tax exemption. Needless to say, all of these efforts failed, and his property and business were foreclosed upon, and the IRS eventually got what was rightfully due. His professed sovereign citizen philosophy and long-running attempts to avoid paying taxes occurred when Lowe was an adult man and small business owner in his 30s. So, his actions and beliefs cannot be excused as some youthful indiscretion. So, what was really the motive for his past radical mindset and ill-conceived IRS battle? There are seemingly only two possibilities. He either truly believed in the extremist tenets of the sovereign citizen movement or he was just running a calculated but ludicrous and destined-to-fail game to dupe the IRS. We may never know, but whichever conclusion is drawn, either one should raise serious voter concerns about Alan Lowe. MARGARET MINUTAGLIO Palm Coast
Editor’s Note: In a phone call
in October 2020 with the Palm Coast Observer, Lowe denied being aligned with the “sovereign citizen” movement. He said he temporarily wanted to renounce his citizenship due to a spiritual awakening.
Don’t let council go to further extremes Dear Editor: I have looked high and low for evidence that at any time in the history of our country a sovereign citizen has been elected to public office. I found nothing. Given that Palm Coast mayoral candidate, Alan Lowe, was a well documented proponent of this extremist anti-government movement, is our little town of Palm Coast willing to make history? And, are we wanting to add a former sovereign citizen to the cast of characters we already have on the City Council which now includes Victor Barbosa, an alleged felony fugitive from Costa Rica, and the ultra-partisan Ed Danko? The three would represent a controlling 60% of the City Council. Is this the unusual, almost surreal, makeup and the legacy of Palm Coast’s government we are willing to accept? I would hope not. We require, deserve and should demand better. ANN LEVAN Palm Coast
A defining moment in Palm Coast history Dear Editor: It’s our 18th summer here, and it’s obvious that the city of Palm Coast faces a defining moment in its history. How matters are handled by the City Council at this time of unprecedented growth — busier even than the 20042005 boom — will resonate for decades. The question is whether Palm Coast will maintain its unique character and identity, which has drawn so many here, or devolve into the neon blur of just another Interstate-95 exit. The prospect of the latter is extremely worrisome — more than just possible, due to the state of our council. It isn’t just dysfunctional, but a circus of potential tragedy for residents who love this place. It is also sobering for those who
want their property to maintain its value. Are voters taking note at all of what’s going on, or only voting in knee-jerk fashion, based on the number of signs? Meetings are now verbal jousting matches that have integrated the chaotic mood of the past several years in national politics — the childish, in-your-face, smashmouth approach — into our locality, which back in 2004-2005 was run by people who were measured, civil, well-informed, experienced, foresighted and serene. It is now the polar opposite, at the worst possible time. What quality company or corporation would want to move into an area with a City Council like the current one? Councilmen shout at and insult each other. Face masks with political slogans on them are worn, or a councilman goes maskless, defying city rules. The chief issue is suddenly whether commercial vehicles should be allowed in driveways, which would be a step — perhaps a small step, but still a step — on the slippery slope toward diminution of this beautiful city’s defining attributes. All this is transpiring at a time when there are massive housing developments (seemingly a new one each week), significant new apartment projects, substantial development of the town center (finally), a new hospital in the works, two clinics and important road projects and trafficflow issues. Kudos to one councilman who at least gave lip service to the litter problem (“Keep it classy,” he proposes as a slogan), and to two of the mayoral candidates, Cornelia Manfre and David Alfin, who at least have mentioned the importance of controlled growth and the city’s quintessential character. It’s up to you, voters. It’s up to you, Palm Coast. Do you really want a City Council that has to be admonished and reminded repeatedly by the city attorney of its legal responsibility to conduct itself civilly? And so here we are, in that jewel called Palm Coast, suddenly and far too often amid the bizarre and burlesque. A crossroads — or a defining moment, one that will be defined by those who vote in the special mayoral election? MICHAEL H. BROWN Palm Coast
Veteran to veterans: Don’t vote for Lowe Dear Editor: I am a veteran, the father of an active-duty serviceman in harm’s way, and I’m the son and nephew of World War II veterans. I see what I gave in service to my country as far less than what my country gave me. I do not normally use these facts as a soapbox, but I must make this exception. Alan Lowe, candidate for mayor of Palm Coast, renounced his citizenship to the United States of America in September 1933, at about 31 years of age. This is not a rumor; this is by his own hand in documents filed with the Flagler County clerk of courts. Whether this act was, as he once declared, due to some spiritual awakening is irrelevant. But, for the record, the timing did coincide with an IRS tax lien and failure to pay federal income tax and a messy foreclosure indicating some interesting property ownership gymnastics. Those of us who took the oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, should never consider supporting this candidate who so blithely drapes himself in the flag of our nation. Veterans, I ask you to vote for any of the three candidates with the records and temperaments to serve our community — and that ain’t Lowe. JOHN S. MILLS Palm Coast
Danko’s FiberNET vote shows lack of understanding Dear Editor: At the July 6 City Council meeting, Ed Danko argued and voted against renewing the maintenance contract for the high speed fiber optic network, the FiberNET system. He referred to it as a “boondoggle” that “the city should not be wasting money on.” The FiberNET system is an enterprise fund and as such uses no tax dollars to run or be maintained. He clearly doesn’t know how an enterprise fund runs in Palm Coast. (An enterprise fund is a service that receives funding from fees, permits and other user paid charges. No tax money is used for funding.) Similarly, our utility bills and impact fees
PALM COAST
Observer “If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944
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fund our water/sewage/ trash services. The FiberNET system has paid back the money used to install the network, and the city continues to make money on fees paid by Flagler Schools, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and commercial customers. He also does not seem to understand how contracts work. If the FiberNET goes down and we don’t maintain it, that is a breach of our contracts with customers, opening the city to lawsuits. I don’t understand how anyone would complain about a service that doesn’t cost the taxpayers a dime, saves the city expenses on its operating budget and creates money for the city. NICK KRIMM Palm Coast
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