San Diego Union-Tribune: OB Rag publisher in flap with beach town’s rules

by on August 24, 2010 · 20 comments

in Civil Rights, Culture, Election, Media, Ocean Beach, Organizing

By Christopher Cadelago / UNION-TRIBUNE / August 24, 2010 at 2:43 p.m.

OCEAN BEACH — Frank Gormlie, a lawyer, activist and co-founder of the OB Rag, is calling on OBceans to join him at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Masonic Center to demand he be allowed to run as a candidate for the Ocean Beach Town Council’s board of directors.

Gormlie, who hoped to be one of eight candidates – including six incumbents – vying for seven seats on the dais, was informed Tuesday by elections coordinators that he was not eligible to run because he is not a resident and a technicality with where his business is based. Gormlie operates the online news site from his Lemon Grove home.

The town council is slated to host a candidates’ forum at its regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday and Gormlie wants to take part.

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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }

kenloc August 24, 2010 at 3:55 pm

Frank,
Just move back to OB dude. Problem solved.

Reply

itd August 24, 2010 at 4:59 pm

Board members shall be elected by and from eligible members of the community.
To be an eligible community member an individual must be at least 18 years of age, and shall be affiliated with the community as a:

(a) Property owner, who is an individual identified as the sole or partial owner of record, or their designee, of a real property (either developed or undeveloped), within the community planning area,

or

(b) Resident, who is an individual whose primary address of residence is an address in the community planning area, (c) Local business person, who is a local business or not-for-profit owner, operator, or designee at a non-residential real property address in the community planning area.

or
(c) Local business person, who is a local business or not-for-profit owner, operator, or designee at a non-residential real property address in the community planning area.

A po box is NOT a non-residential real property address, you live in LG, your business is based in LG, you have no right to run.

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Frank Gormlie August 25, 2010 at 9:04 am

Looks like you are quoting from the City’s guidelines on local planning committees. The OB Town Council is different.

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holly bryant August 24, 2010 at 5:43 pm

You live in Lemon Grove. And your “website” is nothing but a blog… are you a member of any recognized Press Association? Do you have a Press Pass (like the ones issued by the San Diego Polic Dept.)? Does the CNPA (California Newspaper Publishers Assoc.) recognize you among its online news organizations? The answers are NO, NO & NO! ———————————————– You are a phony. ———- Sure, you support OB in so many ways, so about about moving there!

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Frank Gormlie August 25, 2010 at 9:07 am

The OB Rag is recognized by other media, particularly the mainstream media, as a press/ media organization. That’s why they are coming to us for news and updates of things happening in and around the beach. Ask Michael Chen of Channel 10 News.

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Tipsy McStagger August 25, 2010 at 9:43 am

You are aware that Frank has lived in OB for over 50 years and has just recently moved out due to economic reasons? You might want to consider that before just calling him and out and out phony. Whether or not that qualifies him to be on the board I don’t know.

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holly bryant August 24, 2010 at 5:44 pm

At least the guys at http://www.EastCountySports.com actually live in El Cajon, La Mesa and Santee….. They might, technically, be a blog, but they are recognized by the UT, NC Times and others!

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Jon August 25, 2010 at 10:40 am

A tea Party somewhere in Santee is missing their #1 bag handler…..

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BillRayDrums August 26, 2010 at 10:09 am

LMAO Jon…or ball washer….

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ClubStyle_DJ August 24, 2010 at 11:18 pm

After reading the comments on the UT article… I kinda want to ask Frank to tell the to BLOW it out your arse, you ungrateful SOBs! OMG If 1% of the candidates and or incumbents did half of what I’ve noticed Frank has done, (in my 4yrs as a proud Ob resident), I’d be very suprised. ~check that ~ shocked!
Repost your OB creds Frank. These trolls have no idea. On second thought they don’t deserve you bro.

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Lean Linda August 25, 2010 at 3:08 am

Aren’t community town councils bound by the ethics of the
“California Fair Political Practices Commission”,
in terms of pulling the wool over ones eyes?
Hmmm, one wonders? For the critics taunting
‘negative reporting’, are drunkenly stupored
by mass media.

Reply

La Playa Heritage August 25, 2010 at 8:45 am

Ocean Beach Town Council
PO Box 7225
Ocean Beach, CA 92167

The Ocean Beach Town Council does not have a physical address in Ocean Beach.

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Frank Gormlie August 25, 2010 at 8:59 am

Nice. Thanks for pointing this out.

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tj August 25, 2010 at 11:18 am

holly bryant August 24, 2010 at 5:43 pm
You live in Lemon Grove. And your “website” is nothing but a blog… are you a member of any recognized Press Association? Do you have a Press Pass (like the ones issued by the San Diego Polic Dept.)? Does the CNPA (California Newspaper Publishers Assoc.) recognize you among its online news organizations? The answers are NO, NO & NO! ———————————————– You are a phony. ———- Sure, you support OB in so many ways, so about about moving there!

“You are a phony.”

HB,

Frank doesn’t deserve this hate – one can disagree & make their points (if they have any) without name calling.

Name calling & personal attacks is an insidious propaganda technique designed to distract attention away from legitimate discussion of an issue.

And btw – blogging is certainly as legitimate as any other “media” – especially for those who bother to investigate information beyond the typical PR-SPIN – too often regurgitated as “the news” by your mainstream media.

This media is the newest, & least polluted, information frontier – come to grips with it.

imo

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nostalgic August 25, 2010 at 9:15 pm

Frank, we love you. We were all young once, and Ocean Beach was home to the peace symbol and “make love not war.” Now it’s all about money. The sun is still shining here, and you have cared, all these years, over and over. Never leave us.

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Lois January 27, 2012 at 12:17 am

Ditto that, Frank. Don’t leave!!!!!

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Gary Ghirardi August 26, 2010 at 10:46 am

Good luck Frank. I hope you and your supporters prevail. Those opposed are anti-democratic people at their cores and are not communitarian. They can learn a new word today.

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BillRayDrums August 26, 2010 at 10:59 am

So what’s with the U-T suddenly humping the leg of OB? Do they like us now?

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Frank Gormlie August 26, 2010 at 11:23 am

Occasionally, a reporter is able to slip something in, and occasionally we cannot be ignored.

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mr.rick August 24, 2011 at 2:27 pm

I was looking at this little dust up a year later and most of these folks are either already off the beach or are leaving soon. They’ll be out in the hinterland kibbitizing from afar with no soul connection to OB other than they once lived there for a year or two. That’s what im doing. Well’ maybe I was there for alittle longer than that. But when these elections come up some one should get up off their ass and run. Or shut the F%^K up.

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