Editorial: Is Ken Bryan a “moral opportunist”?

St. Johns County Commission chairman Joseph “Ken” Bryan sits on high; he is perched above lowly taxpayers who dare approach the podium, in dissent and distress, at the auditorium of the County Administration Palace — where he metes out fire and brimstone the likes of which Martin Luther himself could only fancy.

However, the controversial commissioner slipped out of his vestments Thursday night, during a $30 a head fundraising event at the posh Serenata Beach Club in South Ponte Vedra Beach — seizing the opportunity to not only “model” a woman’s brassier, but also to bump-and-grind a few extra dollars into his waistband from excited women, titillated by his risqué gestures.

In stark contrast to Council on Aging Executive Director Cathy Brown, who served as the auctioneer for a silent auction at the October 27th event, witnesses report that there was nothing “silent” about Bryan’s behavior.

Reminiscent of a scene from a bawdy bachelorette party, perhaps it was the intoxicating moves performed by the commissioner, or, perhaps it was the intoxicating $5.00 Appletinis, Cosmopolitans, Tequinis, Lemon Drops, Dirty Martinis, Vodka Martinis, Gin Martinis, and Watermelon Rumtinis, that made Bryan such a hit with the ladies.

According to the announcement, the event was co-sponsored by the non-profit Art Breakers organization; founded by women helping uninsured and underserved cancer patients in our community, and, the St. Augustine Regional Council; a group of residential and commercial real estate advocates.

Don’t know about you, but, for me, I find it a little hard to take seriously the admonitions of a man who professes to have righteous motives for our community in one instance then behaves like a dime store floozy in another. I guess whether you are pandering to the voters, or, pandering to the prurient interests of a flock of liquored-up, hormonal real estate salesladies at a hen party — pandering is still pandering.

Shameful. Absolutely, shameful.

Photo credits: © 2011 Historic City News contributed photograph by a Historic City News reader who asked not to be named