In 2012, Rick Singh was one of the biggest upset political victories in Orange County, knocking off Bill Donegan, one of Orlando’s “50 Most Powerful,” to become Property Appraiser. Despite the historic victory many thought was a longshot, Singh barely got any mention in the election aftermath coverage by local news outlets.
However, now it appears a hatchet job is at play to try to harm the reputation of one of Orange County’s newest Constitutional officers with an allegation that was brought up during the campaign. The Ethics Commission received a complaint last year during the elections regarding Singh’s campaign finance disclosures, claiming he filed inaccurate financial-disclosure forms when he qualified to run for office.
“It was my belief that the residents of Orange County should be informed of my interests in these properties that had been previously transferred to my family members, because as Property Appraiser I would be assessing these very properties,” Singh said in a statement regarding the Commission on Ethics press release. “My filing was not done to intentionally mislead or misrepresent my financial disclosures but instead to be as transparent as possible.”
The fact is, Singh listed some properties owned by his wife in an attempt to be as transparent as possible. As Property Appraiser, Singh would have been responsible for appraising the properties, so he thought he had an interest in these properties and should have disclosed them to voters to be more transparent, ahead of the election. Singh simply erred on the side of caution and listed all of his families’ properties.
Wow, a politician trying to be more open. The reality is, had Singh not disclosed the properties, his opponents would have likely filed another complaint for not showing his family properties. In fact, voters essentially dismissed it and still voted to elect Singh over Donegan.
“However, inaccurate filings must be corrected so I am respecting the opinion of the Commission, correcting the filing and I am moving forward with my efforts to make the Orange County Property Appraiser’s office the best in the state,” added Singh.
For Orlando media outlets to describe the incident as “false or fraudulent” is not accurate and quite frankly a little ridiculous. Most outlets did not even reach out to Singh nor did they accurately report that the Ethics complaint was filed by Gerald Braley, former Republican Chair for Orange County, and notarized by Lew Oliver, the current local Republican Party Chair and personal friend of Donegan. Instead, reporters for the Sentinel and other TV outlets ran the political attack as news and as we’ve all seen before, they ran only the “establishment” side of the story.
It is clear that Rick Singh does not look like the “good ole boys” who have made up Orange County’s establishment. It is clear Rick Singh shook up the status quo with his big win. It is clear Rick Singh is still making waves and worries his opponents.
This complaint is old news. Singh is currently working with the Ethics Commission to resolve the issue. Many other elected officials have similar complaints filed against them and the local media refuse to report any negativity on most establishment elected officials.
I guess some in Orange County, including some local media, still can’t handle that a guy who came out of nowhere was able to beat one of the most powerful elected politicians in town. But for many others, it’s a breath of fresh air and quite an accomplishment.
