DeBary News - January 1, 2019

crash
2-vehicle
injuries on
with
Florida
Fort
Dec. 18.
Road
is advertising a salary range of
DeBary
to $150,000 to recruit a
$120,000
replacement for retiring City
permanent
Ron McLemore. McLemore,
Manager
makes $130,000, is retiring Dec. 31
who
has agreed to say on for a few
but
Director Elizabeth “Liz” Bauer said Council member Stephen Bacon a made a sex -slavery comment in her office in February 2017
Finance
talking about radical Islamic fundamentalists. Then, she said, he berated her during a City Council meeting break in November.
while
DeBary activist is calling for Stephen
A
resignation amid allegations he
Bacon’s
a female department head –
harassed
by discussing radical Islamic sex
once
– and is suffering from dementia.
slavery
an 80-year-old retired accountant,
Bacon,
he had any inappropriate
disputed
with DeBary Finance
conversations
he is mentally fit. "I’m as sharp
maintains
a freakin’ tack,” Bacon added.
as
new council takes off Jan. 9 and the
The
to apply for city manager is Jan.
deadline
The salary range was worked out in one-
11.
chats between DeBary's search
on-one
The Mercer Group, and existing and
firm,
City Council members.
just-elected
didn't become public until the
It
was posted by The Mercer
advertisement
said Bacon made the sex-slavery
Bauer
in her office in February 2017.
comment
she said, he aggressively berated her
Then,
a City Council meeting break in
during
Bacon disputed Bauer’s version of
November.
events, saying he did nothing wrong and
both
misunderstood him and overreacted.
she
Renfro, a DeBary resident who is active
Ryan
city government, brought Bauer’s
in
to light in a recent email to Bacon
allegations
him to resign and suggesting Bacon is
urging
into senility.” Bacon called Renfro’s
“slipping
group will vet the candidates in
The
and deliver finalists' names to the
private
Council, which can pick anybody it
City
even hopefuls off the short list.
wants,
is looking for a manager with a
"DeBary
energy level, capable of operating
high
significant independence and
with
and open to innovative
initiative,
7, 8 Pages
January 2019
SMASH!
debarynews@gmail.com
386-222-2911
Photos by Bruce Wasden
DEBARY NEWS
The River City's independent community voice
Voters get to cast ballots in both at-large races
Christmas
enchants
DeBary draws scores
of paradegoers to
enjoy annual event
“Mr. Bacon has been told by the attorney and by you several times not to
communicate with me directly because of what he did to me in February 2017
but he is not abiding by that agreement,” DeBary Budget Finance Director
Elizabeth Bauer in November memo to City Manager Ron McLemore.
BACON DENIES HARASSMENT, SENILITY AFTER
Bret Douglas
Patricia Stevenson
Howard Gates
'SEX SLAVE' REMARK TO OFFICIAL GOES PUBLIC
By Kevin P. Connolly
By
MORE ON PAGE 8
Eugene Kowalski
William Sell
MORE ON PAGE 3
email “extortion.”
MORE ON PAGE 2
Director Elizabeth “Liz” Bauer. He
DeBary offers $150,000 annually for high-energy city manager as Jan. 11 deadline looms
By Kevin P. Connolly
months if the new City Council wants.
Group, which is being paid $16,750.
problem solving solutions," the ad says.

esident Ryan Renfro uncovered and made public
DeBary
complains made against City Council member Stephen
the
Bacon.
who is active in city government, had hoped Bacon
Renfro,
resign quietly over what Renfro calls Bacon's "health
would
issue."
thinks the council member is slipping into senility and
The
bring up his concerns during a public meeting in
he'll
if he has to.
January
take no joy in having to voice my concerns about your
“I
this past year and what I believe is a health issue..."
actions
said in an email to Bacon. “I was just trying to avoid
Renfro
up a subject that might be embarrassing to you
[bringing]
not great for DeBary’s reputation.”
and
first scheduled meeting of the DeBary City Council is
The
9. That's when Karen Chasez, Patricia Stevenson and
Jan.
Butlien will take office, joining Erika Benfield and
Phyllis
Bacon.
allegedly walked into Bauer's office in February 2017
Bacon
made comments that made her uncomfortable before
and
after discussing city business.
and
saw a photo of her teenage children and said she looked
He
young to have kids who will soon be off to college,
too
allege.
records
asked if she would be lonely after they leave and she said
He
adding that was she married, according to Bauer.
no,
Bacon asked about her religious beliefs because he
Then
read an article about Islamic fundamentalists that
had
morning.
handled myself in a professional way,” Bacon said. “It had
“I
do with ISIS.”
to
ISIS-enforced Sharia law, according to Bacon’s alleged
Under
kidnapped women - even married ones -
comments,
the property of their captors.
become
‘Then the kidnapper makes you their sex slave,’ ’’ Bauer
“
Bacon saying, according to city records. “Then he
recalled
me what I thought about that.”
asked
was uncomfortable and said in another memo that
Bauer
feared that Bacon would “talk to me in a sexually
she
way again.”
[harassing]
said Bauer misunderstood him and he was merely
Bacon
what he had a read in a newspaper article about
recounting
that morning.
ISIS
was nothing to do with sex,” Bacon said. “She’s a peculiar
“It
bird.”
also challenged her version of their November encounter.
He
said Bacon got into her “personal space” and berated
Bauer
in “an aggressive fashion” during a City Council meeting
her
Nov. 7.
break
situation made me very uncomfortable,” Bauer wrote in
“This
Nov. 19 memo to City Manager Ron McLemore.
a
reminded McLemore about the allegations she made
Bauer
Bacon in February 2017 and the subsequent agreement
about
out through City Attorney Kurt Ardaman that Bacon
worked
Attorney: Bacon apologized
in a March 2017 email to Bacon’s attorney, Bruce
Ardaman,
said Bacon “acknowledges the substance of and
Mount,
for his conversation with Liz Bauer that occurred
apologizes
February 27, 2017 …”
on
“had no ill intent or ulterior motives whatsoever toward
Bacon
Bauer. Further, Council Member Bacon understands that
Ms.
should not have made the statements he made to Ms.
he
and will not make such statements to either her or
Bauer
Bauer, after being advised of Council Member Bacon’s
“Liz
of the above, accepts Council Member Bacon’s
confirmation
and considers the matter resolved,” Ardaman
apology
concluded.
email said any future communication between Bacon
The
Bauer had to go through McLemore.
and
DeBary News
Page 2
Stephen Bacon: Comment about sex attacks
against women by ISIS was misunderstood
By Kevin P. Connolly
Personal space
shouldn’t contact her.
"Professional way'
others in the future,” the email added.
Bacon agrees on that point. But he said Bauer is exaggerating.
“She hates my guts,” he noted.
MORE ON PAGES 3 &4

a recent interview about Liz Baurer's concerns,
In
Council member Stephen Bacon said he didn’t see
City
connection between that and the “Me Too”
any
that raised awareness about harassment and
movement
against women.
assault
the city's finance director, said Bacon made a
Bauer,
about radical Islamic sex slavery in her office in
comment
2017 that made her uncomfortable. Then, she
February
he aggressively berated her during a City Council
said,
break in November
meeting
the country, the Me Too movement prompted
Across
in private companies and public agencies to
officials
policies and retrain employees to avoid potential
review
and negative environments in the workplace.
harassment
was a candidate when former DeBary Assistant
Bacon
Manager Kassandra Blissett filed a federal gender
City
suit against DeBary for her 2015
discrimination
under then-City Manager Dan Parrott.
termination
this May, he voted along with the other council
Then,
for a $250,000 insurance settlement to resolve
members
litigation without admitting wrongdoing.
the
officials’ interaction with staff has been an issue
Elected
DeBary before.
in
2016, four council members successfully removed then-
In
Clint Johnson for allegedly giving direct orders to
Mayor
in violation of the charter.
Parrott
council is supposed to act as a collegial body in
The
direction to the mayor. Johnson fought his ouster.
giving
has been active in city issues for years. He applied -
Bacon
but wasn’t selected -- to fill a vacancy on the DeBary City
-
in 2010.
Council
that year, as a member of the now-defunct Florida
Also
Party, Bacon announced a bid for the U.S. Congress
Whig
Republican John Mica. Bacon didn’t qualify for
against
ballot. Mica, the incumbent, handily beat the
the
challenger. Bacon, now a Democrat again,
Democratic
his first political election in 2016, beating Phyllis
won
for Seat 1 on the nonpartisan DeBary City Council.
Butlien
just ran for Seat 4 and won. She takes office with
(Butlien
other new council members - Patricia Stevenson and
two
Chasez - on Jan. 9.) Bacon’s term began in January
Karen
and expires in December 2020
2017
joining the Council, Bacon has frustrated his
Since
colleagues and repeatedly challenged McLemore
elected
finances and other matters.
over
months after taking office, his colleagues rebuked
Four
saying his “grandstanding” delayed council
Bacon,
Bacon was blasted for proposing an
meetings.
at the same time a city task force was
amphitheater
studying a community center.
already
wanted world-renowned Spanish-Swiss architect-
Bacon
Santiago Calatrava to design the amphitheater.
engineer
designed the $100 million Innovation, Science and
Calatrava
(IST) Building at Florida Polytechnic University in
Technology
County off Interstate 4. Calatrava envisioned the $4 billion
Polk
Trade Center Transportation Hub and the $1 billion
World
Creek Tower. The estimated 4,500-foot tower will be the
Dubai
structure on the planet when it is completed in 2020.
tallest
the April 2017 rebuke, then-City Council member Mike
In
slammed Bacon for questioning the safety of a dam
Brady
the roughly 1,100-acre Konomac Lake in south
encircling
DeBary.
of the cooling system for Florida Power & Light’s power
Part
near the St. Johns River, the lake is regularly checked
plant
has had no problems, company officials said in response.
and
earlier this year, Bacon raised eyebrows when he
Then,
before the Central Florida Commuter Rail
appeared
Governing Board in Orlando amid a stalemate
Commission
funding a roughly 12-mile DeBary-DeLand link of the
over
rail system.
commuter
proposed the most dramatic SunRail expansion in
Bacon
He called for service reaching as far north as St.
history.
looping west to pick up Disney and Universal
Augustine,
and traveling as far south as Miami.
tourists
once in South Beach, come back the same day or
“Maybe,
back the following day,” Bacon said.
come
governing board consists of elected county leaders from
The
Seminole, Osceola and Orange counties and Orlando.
Volusia,
briefly mentioned President Trump’s American
Bacon
Initiative as a possible funding source but
Infrastructure
no details.
offered
$1.5 trillion plan called for $200 billion in new federal
Trump's
with the rest coming from the private sector and
spending
and local governments over 10 years. It never
state
to records, Bacon confronted Bauer as she was
According
with other staffers at a table in the City Council
sitting
during a break about 9 p.m. Nov. 7.
chambers
was saying that I do not do budget to actual comparisons,
“He
I should do that, that I need to compare budget to actual
that
and he went on about this,” Bauer wrote.
performance
was so shaken by the encounter, she requested an
Bauer
fearing another meeting with Bacon.
escort,
Serrano, DeBary’s public works superintendent and a
Juan
first sergeant in the U.S. Army, walked Bauer to her car.
retired
Bacon has been told by the attorney and by you several
“Mr.
not to communicate with me directly because of what
times
did to me in February 2017 but he is not abiding by that
he
Bauer said in her memo to McLemore.
agreement,”
Page 3
DeBary News
Council members rebuked Stephen Bacon months into his first term
By Kevin P. Connolly
(Voters rejected a $12.5 million bond for the center on Nov. 6).
Bacon wanted Spanish-Swiss architect-engineer
But the city prevailed.
Bacon rebuked
materialized.
Bauer escorted

Note: Stephen Bacon provided an unsolicited statement to DeBary News after a phone interview with Kevin
Editor's
on Dec. 7, 2018 about the allegations raised by DeBary Finance Director Elizabeth Bauer.
Connolly
DeBary News Page 4
"I state that my only purpose is to improve DeBary in every way
possible, keeping residents safe and financially sound. I am
working hard every day to do just that."
Stephen Bacon provides statement to DeBary News
is my response for the record ( I did not authorize recording responses or use of recording responses) to eliminate
Here
misunderstanding.
You asked about why there was an agreement; because LIz did not understand what I was talking about, because it was
1.
Sharia Law.which I read about in the morning paper.
about
2. You asked me about sex slave, That was about Sharia Law.
You asked me about the agreement with her. This is closed issue which she signed off on. We agreed that I did no wrong
3,
She wanted all questions to be given to the manager which I agree to. .
doing.
You asked me about whether I am senile. I told you I am sharp as a tack. I told you I was eighty. That does not mean I am
4.
I mentioned I wrote three management letters concerning violation of city ordinances and transparency and other
senile.
that points to abuse of authority by the City Manager. There is also one on improper budgeting that understated cash
issues
by around $ 400.000 plus thousand which materially misstated the original last year budget by around 40%. This
position
have had an effect on deciding Ad Valorum Taxes. There was also a question I raised on the amount due the CM for 35
may
he claimed which appeared to be materially misstated. I provided the CM with a correction for consideration. I have
hours
asked by the City Attorney to provide business suggestions to put into a specific contract wording which I did, I
been
financial projects for the Board of Education and had discussions with the Chief Financial Officer of the Board and
prepared
Officer. I provided financial projections for Sheriff Chitwood for implementing the hiring of retired officers and
operating
solders before SB 7026. I have spoken to the Board of Education publicly three times and also to the SunRail
combat
Board three times and also to the County Manager about various issues and suggestions for economic
Advisory
I teamed up with Sid Vihlen concerning a position paper on the SRO program in pubic schools and
consideration..
them to all the cities in Volusia County and the State League of Cities. Currently working on a material
distributed
grant that Sid Vihlen and the County Manager agreed had Merit. I gave you a newspaper article supporting
government
Chitwood that I wrote this morning and I have written many others that have been printed by the News Journal. I
Sheriff
proposed the placement of the SunRail on I4 rather than on sixty year old CSR track to get people out of their
publicly
results. I went to Daytona to talk to a company that turned down DeBary to see if they would take another look
cars.without
set up their plant operation.
to
You asked me about the architect for the Amphitheater. His name is Santago Calatrava. His works are in the world trade
5.
and the Advanced Engineering School near I4 near Tampa.. In connection with this I recommended a five thousand
center
amphitheater which would be rented at $20.00 a seat and have no risk for the City, which could easily bring-in 2.4
seat
a year. . I also recommended a band stand in Gemini Springs for the public that still remains undone in the hands of
million
the CM.
Liz had another complaint that I gave her a direct order. The attorney investigated and the complaint was dismissed. I did
6.
not to talk to Liz directly.
agree
If I have missed anything, put your questions in writing and I will respond. Thanks. Stephen
The bottom line is I have done no wrong.doing. You can verify this with the City Attorney.
role is to maliciously undermine my character. In reponse I state that my only purpose is to improve DeBary in every
Ryan's
possible, keeping residents safe and financially sound. I am working hard every day to do just that.
way

moving, trail lovers. You have more room
Get
roam in Volusia County than ever before.
to
newest leg of the Spring-to-Spring Trail
The
just over a mile through west DeBary.
spans
of the Volusia County Council will
Members
the ribbon for the new segment at 10:30
cut
Friday, Dec. 28 at Donald E. Smith and
a.m.
Plantation boulevards.
DeBary
the first trail funded through the Florida
It's
Nonmotorized (SUN) Trail
Shared-Use
The Florida Department of
program.
oversees that program.
Transportation
$848,739 project in west DeBary is a 1.2-mile
The
that crosses Duke Energy's property
segment
links into a network of car-free pathways in
and
Florida and beyond.
Central
will link into the 260-mile St. Johns River-to-
t
Loop spanning travels through five counties,
Sea
Volusia, Flagler, Brevard, St. Johns and
including
counties.
Putnam
1.2-mile segment is considered a key
This
connector.
St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop Alliance has
"The
to this segment as the “critical gap” in
referred
Spring-to-Spring Trail system because of the
the
increased connectivity and safety it
significantly
the county said in a news release.
provides,"
far, the county has constructed 18.9 miles of
So
Spring-to-Spring Trail in west Volusia.
the
complete, it will stretch 27.2 miles from
"When
Springs Park to DeLeon Springs State
Green
the news release said.
Park,"
www.sjr2c.org
Details:
www.volusia.org/trails.
and
Page 5
DeBary News
Ribbon cutting for new trail in west DeBary planned on Dec. 28
By Kevin P. Connolly
BUY ADS HERE.
GROW YOUR
BUSINESS NOW!
GARDENING HELP IN DEBARY
DEBARYNEWS@GMAIL.COM
3 8 6-222-2911
136,563 Republicans * 134,323 Democrats * 117,400 unaffiliated * 2,800 minor

and witnesses gave testimony in
Experts
in the stand-your-ground defense
December
Clay Curtsinger, the DeBary man accused of
for
shooting a man in east Orange County
fatally
2017. Orange-Osceola Circuit Court Judge
in
Traver ordered a continuation for
Dan
hearing, saying it would resume
Curtsinger's
22. Curtsinger, 48, is charged with first-
Jan.
murder in the slaying of Jack Radke on
degree
7, 2017 in a Lake Nona area subdivision.
July
said Radke threatened to kill him so
Curtsinger
opened fire with his Taurus 9mm
he
thinking Radke was reaching for his
handgun,
weapon, records say. Radke didn't have
own
gun. Seven spent shell casings and the 9mm
a
found inside Curtsinger’s pickup. Radke
were
shot six times. Curtsinger only remembers
was
first shot, according to WFTV.com.
the
backyard could be teeming with nasty
Your
Learn what's out there - and how you
invaders.
get rid of the worst creatures - during a new
can
called the Natural World Series.
program.
naturalist and author Roger Fulton will
Master
off the series at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12.
kick
Hall Historic Site's stable, 198 Sunrise
DeBary
DeBary.
Blvd,
was visiting Radke's ex-wife,
Curtsinger
Radke, before the shooting. She told
Carla
her ex-husband was abusive and
Curtsinger
on her. Curtsinger was pressure-
spied
her driveway when he spotted
washing
white Ford van on Budworth Circle
Radke's
the Eagle Creek subdivision where Carla
in
lives.
Radke
while behind the wheel of a
Curtsinger,
Dodge Ram pickup truck, pulled next
white
the van and shot Radke, an arrest affidavit
to
states.
defense team says he should be
Curtsinger's
immune from prosecution under
deemed
has published a series of trail guides
"Fulton
Florida, New York and Vermont. His
for
"Safe in the Woods" offers outdoor
publication
and survival tips," Volusia County said in
safety
news release.
a
reservations are needed. For details,,
No
Tracy Mestre at 386-668-3840 or
contact
tmestre@volusia.org.
County’s master gardeners will visit DeBary in January.
Volusia
trained volunteers will be in the River City from 11 a.m. to noon
The
Jan. 15, at the DeBary Public Library, 200 N. Charles R. Beall
Tuesday,
Blvd.
gardeners will share winter gardening tips and answer questions
Master
DeBary and six other Volusia County plant clinics in January.
in
in a plant to have them check it for free.
Bring
details, call University of Florida / IFAS Extension Volusia County at
For
386-822-5778.
Kevin P. Connolly
--
her deposition, Carla Radke said
In
seemed surprised in a phone
Curtsinger
from jail that her ex-
conversation
didn't have a gun.
husband
remember him calling and crying from
"I
and him saying that he -- his lawyer
jail
him that there wasn't a gun," Radke
told
"And he was saying how sorry he
said.
He was so sorry. That's what I
was.
She said she dated
remember."
for four years when they were
Curtsinger
and she lived in DeLand. But they
teens
up when she moved with her
broke
to Orlando. They remained friend
mother
later reconnected sometime before
and
shooting but they were not romantic.
the
said she did have a relationship
Radke
Clay's older brother, Brad. It's
with
her ex-husband thought Clay was
possible
she said. Clay Curtsinger remains
Brad,
without bond at the Orange County
jailed
He pleaded not guilty.
Jail.
Kids Corner will be held at
DeBary
a.m. Jan 12 at DeBary Hall to
9:30
kids about storytelling and
teach
history. Call Education
Florida
Stand-your-ground defense hearing to resume Jan. 22
DeBary News
Page 6
By Kevin P. Connolly
Florida's stand-your-ground law.
DeBary Hall hosts discussion about invasive species
DeBary Kids Corner
Tracy Mestre at 386-668-
Coordinator
for details.
3840
Master gardeners returning to DeBary

DeBary News
Page 7
DeBary's
Holiday
Traditions
Thanks, DeBary
Merry
Christmas!
from Kevin P. Connolly
Chili Cook-off
Holiday Light Displays

DeBary News Page 8
DeBary's festive march into Christmas 2018