Lake Worth and Operatives

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Blake MacDiarmid is back in the news.  Blake MacDiarmid, an unaligned Florida Republican strategist, said Team Cruz's overwhelming focus should be to "slice and dice" Rubio in Florida and make his home turf a "real Rubicon." He is helping Ted Cruz.

Back in 2002, he was the campaign manager for Mary McCarty. They had a falling out...Mary was too demanding...and she eventually was sentenced to 3.5 years for honest service fraud in 2009.

If you recall, he has also helped two of our incumbents:  Scott Maxwell and Pam Triolo.

In March 2014, Scott Maxwell paid MacDiarmid $3,000 for campaign services and consulting. No one could figure out why Maxwell needed his services as he walked into office unopposed. But MacDiarmid had helped the Delray Beach commissioners when he was hired to help the city. Delray asked its voters to approve a $14 million bond issue to be used to finance parks and recreation projects. You remember how Maxwell was pushing a national baseball stadium at John Prince Park and walked around town with a baseball bat singing "Take me out to the Ballgame."

MacDiarmid served as an adviser to Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo as well.

Read about MacDiarmid at CNN

Photo: Damon Higgins of the PB Post

The Hudson Holdings Boyz

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Heavy hitters
Former commissioner John Szerdi, Blake Macdiarmid, Steven Michael

Well we know who Szerdi and Michael are but do you know who Blake Macdiarmid is?

When a political consultant in 2013 sued Palm Beach County Court Judge Marni Bryson for non-payment, Bryson's attorney claimed it was a shakedown without any merit. Macdiarmid was married to Judge Bryson at that time. He met her when he was her campaign consultant in 2010 while he was still married to Dorothy. Bryson and Macdiarmid married in 2013. In 2014, Judge Bryson divorced him for "cheating on her." Source:  Jose Lambiet

MacDiarmid served as lead consultant for the successful passage of a $24 million parks and community ballot referendum, was chief strategist with the City of Fort Lauderdale to pass a critical $40 million public safety ballot issue, and has also worked as a strategist with Lynn University, the Republican Party, Florida on the Move and business and neighborhood advocacy groups. Source: Old faithful Ins

In March 2014, Scott Maxwell paid MacDiarmid $3,000 for campaign services and consulting. He also helped mayor Pam Triolo in her campaign.

So, Hudson Holdings has brought in the heavy hitter. This would not be happening without the cooperation of some big wigs in the city.

Read about the heavy hitter Blake Macdiarmid.

Politicians and Consultants and Movers and Shakers

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Who is Blake MacDiarmid and what is his connection to Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell?

An excerpt from The Palm Beach Post editorial writer Joel Englehart--what follows is a key portion--a blast from the past--it goes back twelve years:

The feds probably want to know not only what Commissioner McCarty has done for her husband but what she has done for her brother, Tallahassee lobbyist Brian Ballard. That's where Blake MacDiarmid comes in. Mr. MacDiarmid managed Commissioner McCarty's 2002 campaign. He was an up-and-comer in Republican circles, where Commissioner McCarty reigns. But something went wrong. "Blake did not sufficiently kiss the ring," one observer said. Suddenly, Commissioner McCarty was undermining Mr. MacDiarmid at every turn. Candidates he had long represented told him no thank you. Clients couldn't hire him without risking Commissioner McCarty's wrath - and active opposition. Losing clients at that rate, Mr. MacDiarmid would pose no threat to Commissioner McCarty when she leaves the commission in 2010 to become a lobbyist. Assuming she's not in prison by then. From the Palm Beach Sun April 2011

Well, we all know what happened to her. The five-term commissioner pleaded guilty to honest service fraud in 2009 and was sentenced to 3 and 1/2 years in a federal prison camp. Her husband, Kevin had a brief term in prison for not reporting Mary's crimes.

MacDiarmid has been a paid political consultant for the campaigns of several Delray Beach commissioners. In 2004, he was hired to help the city when it asked voters to approve a $14 million bond issue used to finance parks and recreation projects. He is well known in political circles and Judge Marni Bryson of the 15th Judicial court is now his wife. You can't get a better connection than that working on your side.

Interesting diatribe? It gets better. In South Florida, he has served as an adviser to Congressman Tom Rooney, State Representatives George Moraitis and Pat Rooney, Palm Beach County Mayor Steven Abrams, Palm Beach County Commissioner Hal Valeche, Boca Raton Mayor Susan Whelchel, Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein and Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo.

NOW GET THIS--**Mr. MacDiarmid served as lead consultant for the successful passage of a $24 million parks and community ballot referendum, was chief strategist with the City of Fort Lauderdale to pass a critical $40 million public safety ballot issue, and has also worked as a strategist with Lynn University, the Republican Party, Florida on the Move and business and neighborhood advocacy groups. Source: Old faithful Ins

In March 2014, Scott Maxwell paid MacDiarmid $3,000 for campaign services and consulting. Consulting for what? For an election that never happened? Or was it for advice on who to approach in order to bulldoze a county park for national baseball?  Was it for the infrastructure bond issue that he wants so badly to happen?

More often than not, favorable results develop behind the scenes and out of the Sunshine--in strategy meetings with consultants and other politicians. What's next for Scott Maxwell? Who knows? We do know that when he wants something, he will fight for it every step of the way, doing whatever it takes--a mover and shaker.  Watch for Scott Maxwell to move on and up in local politics.