Last evening, May 17th, 2017, Florida Today newspaper released an article titled, "Explosive allegations leveled by Palm Bay veterans chief."

The tone of the article inferred potential wrongdoing by myself and/or the Space Coast Paratroopers Association, a non-profit organization, back in 2014 and 2015.

Let me be clear: I categorically deny any wrongdoing, as it relates tothat private sector business arrangement between my governmental/public relations firm and the Space Coast Paratroopers Association back in 2014--all of which, by the way, happenedprior to my being elected to the Palm Bay City Council.

I am veteran, my father is a Marine and served in Vietnam, and both of my grandfathers served in the Navy during World War II. I was and will always be honored to support and to provide assistance to veterans, veterans' organizations, and many other non-profits.

My firm considers it an honor to donate professional services, such as public/governmental affairs consulting, websites or graphic design, whether in part or in full, from time to time to support the valuable work of such non-profits.

Moreover--and I have not publicly announced this from the dais before today--but when the voters approved an increase in my City Council salary during the 2016 Elections, I donated the entire salary increase of almost $8,000 a year to a local non-profit.

I have contributed these things, not for accolades or acknowledgment, but purely because the Good Lord has blessed me and because I believe it is our obligation--all of us, to the extent that we can--to donate our time, our talents, and what little treasure we may have been blessed with to help the worthwhile and deserving people and the organizations that we think we can help in some way.

For Florida Today newspaper or political adversaries to recklessly question my integrity is both unfair and shameful. I am the first to admit when I make mistakes, and if I do, I take full responsivity for any such mistakes.

The City of Palm Bay has been under incredible scrutiny for the past few weeks, and I respectfully ask the people of Palm Bay to please pray for our City and for the honorable and truthful resolution of whatever our shared community problems may be, now or in the future.

Thank you for your continued confidence in me and in your City Council.

God Bless our Great City!