Santa Clara County Florence Commission: Time for a Change

The July meeting minutes show that the Florence Commission will hold another event at the Guglielmo Winery on August 21st. They indicate that the cost per person is $45 and will charge $50 for the event. This means that Commissioner George Guglielmo’s family business will be paid to cover its costs. We would assume that they probably have some profit built into their cost estimate, which it should have presented to the Florence Commission for public review. Holding the event at the Guglielmo Winery brings in new business bookings for later on throughout the year. It’s a good deal for the Guglielmo Winery and should be a good deal for other wineries or businesses in Santa Clara County.

I remember when I was trying to serve on the Florence Commission that Gwen Mitchell, the director of the Office of Public Affairs, gave me some ridiculous excuse that the reason that no other winery in Santa Clara County wanted to host Florence Commission events was that they lost money on the events, which is completely not true. They are paid to cover their costs and a small markup. Even if they broke even on hosting these events, the advertising value that a county event generates is worth the effort. How is it that the Guglielmo Winery, in Morgan Hill, is the only one that seems willing to hold events at their winery? I was at the Gilroy Garlic Festival on Friday July 25th and there was a whole tent filled with Santa Clara County wineries, the Guglielmos among them. How is it that none of these wineries want free publicity from Santa Clara County and the press? Why wouldn’t they want to have someone from the Board of Supervisors attend an event on their premises which will generate positive public relations? The Florence Commission must be required to bid out their events to businesses within Santa Clara County. Up until now they have never bothered to notify the public of this. Seems like another CONFLICT OF INTEREST issue for the Florence Commission, something which they have strenuously denied.

As I have said before, the Florence Commission should be spun off from the county and restructured as a private nonprofit organization, similar to the Italian American Heritage Foundation. In fact, Commissioner Marge Valente is also on the board of directors for the Heritage Foundation. And they both exchange favors for donations. In fact, the Florence Commission just approved an expense of $200 for a full-page ad for the awards program for the Italian American Heritage Foundation’s upcoming annual awards event scheduled for August 22nd. The fact is, many of the people who receive awards from the Italian American Heritage Foundation also receive an award from the Florence Commission through its Medici Masked Ball. The Florence Commission is a public government body acting like a nonprofit organization. It’s time to take the mask off of this organization and call it what it is–a private nonprofit organization masquerading as a public government entity. They want to have their cake and eat it, just like Marie Antoinette!

This reminds me. The relationships that the Florence Commission cultivates are entirely too cozy. The most notable relationships, which seem to involve mutual back scratching include the Italian American Heritage Foundation, Santa Clara University, the Guglielmo Winery and the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, which always seems to host the Medici Masked Ball. These organizations perennially seem to benefit in some form from their connection with the Florence Commission. Me thinks something ought to change. Some kind of oversight is needed. Unfortunately, it’s hard to have oversight when the Office of Public Affairs under Gwen Mitchell goes on trips to Italy with the Florence Commission and has her air transportation and other expenses all paid for. This is another example of an inherent CONFLICT OF INTEREST that affects the relationship that the Office of Public Affairs has with the Florence Commission. The whole thing stinks of sweetheart deal making.

The Florence Commission simply fails to demonstrate any sense of public service in the interest of the greater good for the citizens of Santa Clara County. Everything about this group is colored by the Medici Masked Ball, the biennial fundraiser that takes a decidedly exclusive view of things.  It’s a party that is meant to seek influence and favor. It just isn’t right for this commission to be given political cover by the county. Is it any wonder that we have the same people who seem to remain on the Florence Commission year after year? They are an obstruction to progress. That’s why term limits are necessary, but that doesn’t seem to matter when the Florence Commission can vote to change the terms and reset the clock for themselves.

This sounds a lot like U.S. Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. The problem with these people is that they have been on these commissions or on these boards or in the United States Senate for so long that they start acting like they are entitled to privilege and favors and that the rules just goddamn don’t apply to them. They somehow believe that they are above it all. Since they are better than you and holier than you, they can do what the hell they want because they can buy their way out of it all.

Another thing, according to the May meeting minutes, the Educational Committee, under Commissioner Wendy Teague (how long has she been on the Florence Commission?), handed out $8,000 in scholarship money to four students, all from Santa Clara University, while no students from San Jose State or Stanford applied this year. It is amazing how Santa Clara University, a Jesuit school which hosts the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics on its campus, has the gall to accept funds from the Florence Commission. Why does a wealthy private institution like Santa Clara University need to take money from a public county political body like the Florence Commission, which is there to advise the Board of Supervisors? The Florence Commission is in gross violation of its own charter. They are there to serve the PUBLIC INTEREST, NOT PRIVATE INTERESTS. How can these people continue to do what they do? Can’t you just hear Marie Antoinette roaring, “Let Them Eat Cake!”? It’s enough to make you toss your cookies.

When is Santa Clara County going to bring back the ETHICS COMMISSION? The last time I checked on the county website, the Ethics Commission was “out of order”. And that’s why the county requires ethics training for all public officials, including those who serve on commissions and other committees. But there’s no Ethics Commission to enforce the required ethics training.  It is time for closer scrutiny of some of these commissions, especially the Florence Commission. Maybe the Florence Commissioners should give an award to Marie Antoinette and Alice in Wonderland. They’ll find the Medici Masked Ball to be a grand time, especially if the cake is never ending and the tea party keeps going and going and going, like there’s no damn tomorrow.