DESPITE concerns raised over his employment history in the United States, the FNM is fully backing their North Abaco candidate Greg Gomez, saying they have seen enough evidence to suggest that their candidate was employed at three different schools in South Florida.
Yesterday, there was a collective outcry amongst FNMs who were surprised to hear Mr Gomez, during a taped interview, unable to identify the schools where he claimed he had worked during his time as an “educator” in South Florida.
The FNM, in a statement issued to the media late last night, said they have had “sight of pay slips” evidencing Mr Gomez’s employment at three different Middle Schools over a four-year period – as a substitute teacher at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Miami, and a full time teacher at Carroll City Middle School in Carroll City, Florida and at the Lawton Chiles Middle School.
However, it is understood the party only has possession of pay slips from these institutions up until 2005. From 2005 onward, The Tribune understands that Mr Gomez may have resided in the United States without proper documentation.
Up until yesterday, the issue regarding Mr Gomez’s time in the United States had never been called into question.
Many political observers have now remarked that the FNM’s candidate, with his “convoluted past” is doing more to harm his, and now the organisation’s credibility after the party has publicly come to his defence.
Reportedly, party insiders have agreed that Mr Gomez is “far from” the kind of candidate the party should offer for the upcoming by-election. However, having been placed in such an untenable position – unable to change the candidate only 12 days from the election – insiders admit they now have to “circle the wagons” and “hope for the best”.
An effort to that end could be seen yesterday when the FNM launched a new website appealing for support for their candidate (www.gomezforabaco2012.com).
The party’s machinery has also reportedly started to use the mantra that Abaconians were not concerning themselves with issues regarding Mr Gomez’s status, his declaration, his citizenship, or his integrity as these matters were only “issues” that were being raised in New Providence.
However, some FNMs, who wished not to be named, said they found this tack “insulting”.
“It is unfortunate the the FNM, after all this time in existence, has to offer a candidate of this calibre. The FNM is held to a higher standard,” a source said.
The Tribune has made repeated attempts to reach both Mr Gomez and the FNM’s leader Dr Hubert Minnis to clarify this issue. Dr Minnis could not be contacted, but Mr Gomez informed this newspaper that he could not speak to us, and that any questions from now on would have to be directed to the party’s leader.
Comments
pilgrimagerock 12 years, 2 months ago
Stand by your man, give him two arms to cling to, even though you made a complete fool of yourself, I will stand by you too.
spoitier 12 years, 2 months ago
I'm not either of these two clown parties, tell me how can he being out of status in the U.S or maybe not being truthful about his employment in the U.S is worse than Shane Gibson playing around with Anna Nicole Smith or Brave Davis delimna possible stealing or any of these other clowns in the PLP? This man might have being illegal by reasons of supporting his family I wouldn't blame anyone for that even Haitians trying to leave Haiti.
TalRussell 12 years, 2 months ago
Red shirt Comrades your first wave of the Mutiny, of which I know in my heart some of you had warned could result from one man's drafting of your party's candidate for the constituency of Cooper's Town is here, revealing itself not only in Copper's Town but now spreading across the entire Bahamaland. You must know this is not some political instrument instigated by PM Christie, or his political agents, but by your own allies of the mainstream media. This has all to do about a candidate wishing to replace a man who for three terms did in fact occupy the office of Bahamaland's Prime Minister . A candidate who regardless of his desires to sit in House for Copper's Town, comes across as being short on answers about the previous 12 years of his life, with some 10 years of it residing and working outside of his native Bahamaland?
If you care more about your Party's future, more so than the arrogance of just one red shirt, this is serous stuff. While I can only encourage you to watch this 'telling' video, but more importantly you need to watch, carefully, as the political by-election landscape of Cooper's Town has began to change, against the red shirts.
Comrades you done know this already, of course, but it's going to be more about your party doing what must be done, cause the only way to survive this mess, sent your way by the lawyer/fisherman from Cooper's Town., would be for someone to have the balls to publicly call it and him out for what it is? Is there not just one influential man or woman who is prepared to call a press conference and state that this might be the right opportunity for the party to stand up and say we are going to learn from the mistakes of his party’s past, and hope to indeed chart a refreshed plan for the party's future, even if it requires the call of a leadership review?
To go forward, undaunted by the storm that is guaranteed to follow any swift actions, by some of the rank and file red shirts that shall choose to continue being blindsided, by the unnatural hold this one man holds over others in your party.
Regardless, it is time to end the 'pretense' of his adulation?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB-N4itp…
leeza 12 years, 2 months ago
I felt most embarassed listening to this man ramble and fumble on simple questions but hey this is not going to stop people who support the party from voting for him we see it all the time. People for the most part do not change party lines no matter what controversary comes so I dont see why this would cause the FNM that seat to loose that seat
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