Supervisor of Elections Certifies Rick Geller As First Candidate to Qualify for August 26 Ballot

L. to R.) Mary Ann Whaley and Lev Blaha of Dr. Phillips secured hundreds of signatures at the Sportsman's Lodge on Darlene to put Rick on the ballot. Rick is on the right.

Nearly Seventy Grass Roots Volunteers Secured Enough Petition Signatures in One Day

Largest Grass Roots Campaign Since Teresa Jacobs
Won Seat in 2000

Wednesday, January 30, 2007
Updated March 30, 2007



Rick delivering 1,238 signed petitions--about 100 more than needed to get on the ballot--to the Supervisor of Elections.

Contact: Stockton Reeves, (407) 384-8883

WINDERMERE, FL -- Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles has certified Rick Geller for the August 26 ballot, making Geller the first District 1 County Commission candidate to qualify. Sixty-seven campaign volunteers worked diligently gathering petitions during the presidential preference primary at polling locations throughout Southwest and West Orange County. Additional volunteers--bringing the total to over seventy--collected signatures from their neighbors and offices.

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Petition drive participants are:

Rick Allen (Willowood)

Rose Annabring (Town of Windermere)

Mary Jo Ardaman and Kurt Ardaman (Gotha)

Lev Blaha (Diamond Cove)

Lisa Brodsky (Summerport)

Ed Bromberg and Marian Bromberg (Diamond Cove)

Margie Brozanski and Ted Brozanski (Windermere Club)

Chris Carmody and Lauren Carmody

Nancy Chabot and Ralph Chabot (Gotha)

Molly Cox and Gloria Cox (Lakeside Place)

Tami Denner and Valerie Denner

Sharon DeRidder (Emerald Forest)

Sabrina Drai (Brentwood Club)

Eddie Fernandez

Stael Fogarty (MetroWest)

Cassidy Garcia and Jill Garcia (Summerport)

Jim Gerber (Hunter's Creek)

David Goldman (MetroWest)

Brian Gordon (Stoneybrook West)

Elizabeth Grant (Tory Pines)

Igal Haddad (Dr. Phillips)

Leon Handley

Dennis Herald (Ocoee)

Scott Justice (Bay Hill)

Natalie Kaufman and Bilinda Kaufman (Reserve at Cypress Point)

Lexie Kardon (Summerport)

Maisa Kingstone (South Bay)

Susie Klein (Turtle Creek)

Sharon Knapp (Tildens Grove)

Marissa Kotzin & Kurt Kotzin (Sand Lake Hills)

Steve Levine

Marc Levine

Barbara Lindsay (City of Winter Garden)

Marilyn Marks (Windermere Ridge)

Eve Marsel (Oxford Moor)

Lauren Meyer (Balmoral)

Beth Morgeson (Town of Windermere)

Theresa Myers (Town of Windermere)

Charlie Orden (Vizcaya)

Hali Poteshman (Kensington Park)

Gwen Richman and Scott Richman (Gotha)

Jeanne D'Agostino Rodriquez (Dr. Phillips)

Ellie Saunders, Emmie Saunders, Laurie Saunders, and Scott Saunders (Greenleaf)

Aileen Schaked (Hidden Valley)

Sandy Sheiber (Sand Lake Cove)

Carol Skegstad (City of Winter Garden)

Don Smith (Emerald Forest)

Lee Stern (Williamsburg)

Garritt Toohey (Bay Hill)

Wendy Vomacka

Mary Ann Whaley (Diamond Cove)

Sandy Wilder and Eddie Wilder (Hunter's Creek)

Melinda Wimbish

Angela Withers (Town of Windermere)

Karen Wolman (Dr. Phillips)

Bill Zara (Dr. Phillips)

Ron Zunk (Bristol Park)

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Rick Geller and Dr. Phillips Coalition Advocated Land Purchase for Park

(L. to R.) Dave Huber (Emerald Forest), Robert Kelly (Buena Vista Woods HOA president), Jim Hinson (Dr. Phillips Foundation), and Rick celebrate the Dr. P. Phillips Park's opening at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

DR. PHILLIPS, FL -- Leaders of the Southern Dr. Phillips Homeowners Coalition gathered at the new Dr. P. Phillips Community Park to celebrate its long-awaited opening and to reflect on their eight-year effort to make the park a reality. The park, with sweeping views of Big Sand Lake, features a children's water park, dog park, volleyball courts, soccer fields, baseball field, a padded playground, fitness trail, open and shaded picnic areas.

"Wow!" said Rick Geller, "this is the County's crown jewel of parks." Rick is a former Buena Vista Woods resident and now an Orange County Commission candidate for the seat Teresa Jacobs is leaving next year.

"Many people were involved in making this park a reality," said Robert Kelly, president of the Buena Vista Woods Homeowners Association, which borders the new park. "But in the beginning, when negotiations to buy the land from Dr. Phillips, Inc. broke down, two people in our community stood up and said that was unacceptable--our Coalition co-founders, Roy Messinger and Rick Geller."


Coalition leaders showed their children the new park the first week it opened. L. to R. standing: Dave Plavcan, Roy Messinger, Robert Kelly, Rick Geller, and Alex Deazuero. L. to R., kids sitting: Ryan Messinger, Arielle Plavcan, Katie Messinger, Melissa, Hannah, Caroline and Max Geller, Christina and Katharina Kelly.

"The Orange County real estate department drove the negotiations to a total standstill," recalls Messinger. "They wouldn't even agree to name the park after Dr. P. Phillips, even though the Dr. Phillips Foundation was willing to sell the land for one-third of market value.

Rick Geller and I were alarmed and we met with Dan Murphy, then chief of staff to Mel Martinez, the County Chairman. We gave a full presentation on why the County should buy this land for a park and why Chairman Martinez needed to get personally involved."

"Thousands of families were moving into new homes in the Dr. Phillips area without a park," said Geller. "The lack of planning was appalling, not only to us, but to Dan Murphy. He assured us he'd put this high on Mel Martinez's agenda. And he kept his word."

Mel Martinez personally negotiated the deal with Jim Hinson, president of Dr. Phillips, Inc. On June 8, 2000, Orange County closed on the purchase of the forty-two acre park site for $3.1 Million.

http://rickgellerforcc.blogspot.com/


This news story was published by the Diamond Cove Homeowners Association, which is not affiliated with the Rick Geller Campaign. Reprinted with permission. Original article can be found by clicking here.