Local Democratic leader was conference call shill

Historic City News learned that 79-year-old Annette G Cappella, a resident of Coquina Crossing in Elkton, and the St Johns County Democratic State Committeewoman, was put on-the-spot in a national conference call this week after a Palm Beach Post reporter called her out for playing politics and trying to pass herself off as your average “Medicare-dependent Floridian”.

A shill is a person who publicly helps an organization without disclosing that she has a close relationship with that organization.

“I’m disappointed to learn that a St Johns County Democrat was used in this way,” St Johns County Republican Party Chairman Sean Mulhall told Historic City News. “However, I am not surprised given the past conduct of Democratic National Committee chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.”

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who delivered a State of the Union rebuttal for the Republican Party Tuesday, was being criticized in the Monday conference call for what some Democrats predicted would reflect what they called his “extreme budget priorities”.

Wasserman-Schultz brought Cappella into the call and Cappella gave a lengthy and unflattering statement about Rubio. Cappella accused Rubio of making life more difficult for seniors by supporting a plan to alter Medicare by reducing benefits.

When the call was opened up for questions, the reporter questioned Cappella’s yet undisclosed relationship to the Democratic Party.

Wasserman-Schultz paused for a moment — then said she would let Cappella answer the question herself.

Cappella gave a technical answer to the question if she was the same “Annette Cappella” that is listed as “the head of the St Johns County Democratic Party”.

Cappella stated that she had stepped down from that position (local party chairwoman) — however, she qualified her answer by admitting that she is now the elected St Johns County Democratic Executive Committeewoman to the Democratic Party of Florida.

Cappella also remains a member of the St Johns County Democratic Executive Committee and is a precinct committeewoman for local precinct 306. Flora Nell Seymour Toensmann replaced Cappella according to a filing with the St Johns County Supervisor of Elections on January 14, 2013.