After 4 Years, Brian Barefoot Doesn’t Know His District Boundaries? Another Former School Board Member Says, “Something Is Off Here.”
Is it conceivable that Barefoot, Andros, Dyer and McNulty didn’t know the district? After a second candidate files, they quickly figured it out.
All of Indian River is humorously puzzled about Brian Barefoot not knowing his electoral boundary. The board member who once stopped the distribution of the US Constitution to 8th graders, claims he didn’t know his own constitutional responsibility. A news report surfaced late Thursday that the former District 5 school board member, who formally resigned on Wednesday from his office, is desperately seeking to reverse his resignation after admitting he still lives in District 5. According to the TC Palm’s Colleen Wixon, it was confirmed by the Supervisor of Elections (SOE), Leslie Swan that he never asked about his district. It’s not her fault.
Barefoot also claimed to Wixon that he was told his new home was in District 2. However, he does not name anyone. Wixon did not follow-up. Earlier in the article, Wixon recounted, “Barefoot would immediately try to rescind that resignation after being told by a TCPalm reporter that his new home, in fact, was in the same District 5.”
On Thursday, Barefoot sent a letter to Governor DeSantis to reclaim the seat he gave up in his resignation. Reached for comment, Director of Communications for the School District of Indian River County (SDIRC), Cristen Maddux stated, “We have been made aware that Mr. Barefoot sent a letter to the governor rescinding his resignation after being made aware that his new home resides in district 5. We are awaiting guidance from the Governor’s office regarding this information.”
“Something is off here.”
Meanwhile in the continuous online threads of comedy and questions, former school board member who served as chairman, and is a campaign consultant, Shawn Frost took to Facebook in a thoughtful manner asking, “how does a person resign from office without first checking with the SOE to confirm it is necessary?”
Answering his own question, Frost added, “these people are too intelligent (and have smart consultants who guide them) to make what seems to be a mistake this big and avoidable. Something is off here.”
Actually, the situation looks and smells like a grand political scheme to get an appointment from DeSantis by circumventing the electoral process. However, with a new candidate’s untimely filing on Wednesday, the ostensibly political operation to get that appointment could backfire as DeSantis may conclude that Barefoot’s replacement, David Dyer is cut from the same cloth.
Barefoot’s claim that he did not know his new resident’s district is very implausible considering he has an expert advisor in local politics, Jeffrey Andros who was his former campaign manager in 2020. In 2022, Andros managed LaDonna Corbin’s school board campaign to a third place primary finish. Andros also ran his own campaign for Mosquito Control Board in 2020 where he amassed 25% of the vote. In the selection of Dyer, Andros helped Barefoot in the interview process of candidates. The Sunshine Journal is aware of at least three potential candidates who engaged in meetings with them. Ultimately, Dyer was anointed with Andros becoming his campaign manager.
Furthermore, Andros and columnist at Vero News / 32963, Ray McNulty are the closest of friends. The crowning of Dyer was moving forward. Moms for Liberty - IRFL chairwoman, Jennifer Pippin received a phone call from Andros on Tuesday, February 13 that Dyer’s campaign was to be announced in 32963. “Yes, he called me, as a courtesy to let me know that McNulty would be featuring Dyer’s candidacy in the paper the next day. He even asked about a future endorsement,” said Pippin.
With a writing style that portrays a light frosting of infinite grace for his friends and barbaric vitriol for his enemies, McNulty has a history of being a spokesperson for Barefoot while trying to destroy any presumed opposition, mainly board member, Jackie Rosario. In a bit of irony, Rosario represents District 2 where Barefoot assumed his new home was located. Reached for comment, Rosario spoke about the columnist’s intentional coverage of her. She said, “Primarily, when Ray reaches out to me for a story, it is a negative one directed at me. If the story is positive about a success in the school district, he doesn’t ask me for comment. When the district received an A-plus rating, McNulty never reached out to me like he approached other board members.”
McNulty exclusively uses his column as the coronation of those anointed by Barefoot, his advisors and circle of friends. This election cycle, he has endorsed candidates simultaneously while presenting their announcement to seek office. He did so with Milo Thorton, Peggy Jones and now, David Dyer. No other candidate will get positive coverage whether in his column or in normal news writing. McNulty has spent more time covering Rob MacCallum through his wife’s car accident than Mr. MacCallum’s campaign. Three articles tilted, “School Board Hopeful’s Wife Charged For ‘Leaving The Scene’ After Collision,” “School Board Hopeful’s Wife Avoids Prosecution In Crash,” and “School Board Hopeful Faces Optics Problem.” In this last of the three, he questioned Rosario’s decision to appoint Mr. McCallum’s wife, Colleen to the book-challenge committee. The local Moms for Liberty has often made national news about books and McNulty has referred to Rosario as “their puppet on the dais.” He reached out to Rosario for comment, but received none concerning his own anxiety he expressed in his column. He worried, “it has the potential to make national headlines, especially now. Not only is the new appointee’s husband running against a sitting board member, but she is also confronting a criminal charge.”
Trying to control the appointment for school board?
So, what appears to be the possible strategy centered around the resignation of Barefoot this past week? Look no further than McNulty’s latest take in February 22nd edition of Vero News. Stating that Barefoot’s resignation was not because he was tired of fighting a “local fringe group” on “partisan battlefields” of school board meetings, McNulty begins with an explanatory soliloquy. He narrates, “Barefoot’s reasons are more personal, more human, more compelling. They are closer to home … Last week, Barefoot left the seaside town and moved across the lagoon to Oak Harbor – a change of address that took him out of the district he has represented since being elected to the School Board in 2020.”
McNulty continued the descriptive narrative about the personal decision, sharing that Barefoot planned to resign on Wednesday, February 21, and therefore did not attend a school board workshop on Monday, February 12. McNulty added Barefoot’s statement, “I wasn’t going to lose a house that was perfect for us, just for nine more months on the board. I chose to resign in a time frame that fit my family.”
At its most basic level, Barefoot’s personal narrative about the stage of life him and his wife are entering is valid and warranted reason for any resignation. It demonstrates a beautiful commitment. However, McNulty wasted zero space pointing out how DeSantis may fill the empty board seat. Sharing at the time of actual writing, Monday [February 19] Dyer was the only candidate in the race. McNulty further comments how Dyer is “a well-connected longtime Republican.” Suddenly, partisanship matters. McNulty contradicts his constant admonishments that DeSantis should not, in his opinion, dispense unconstitutional endorsements because school board races should be non-partisan.
Yet, McNulty presents this political fact to draw a line of demarcation between a Moms for Liberty backed appointment and Barefoot’s preferred choice, David Dyer. McNulty quoted Dyer “I would have preferred that Brian finish his term, of course, but it would be great to be appointed. It’s up to the governor. I’m a candidate for the position, so I’m willing to serve.”
The inaugurated choice hedged on only one candidate in the race at the time of publication. Within the next 48-hours, McNulty’s piece was hot off the presses and Barefoot had announced his resignation. Yet something happened the ring of 4 friends did not intend, Kevin McDonald declared his candidacy. “Part of the reason I hesitated to file was because Barefoot was still in the race,” said McDonald. “Once he suspended his campaign, I prepared to go forward,” he added. He filed Wednesday, February 21st.
Now, DeSantis has two candidates showing a willingness to serve. Since Barefoot, who is a republican, has been targeted for replacement by the governor, it will mean party affiliation is secondary. Aware of such a possibility, did Barefoot suddenly write a letter to rescind his resignation to prevent McDonald from potentially getting the seat? DeSantis may look at this scenario and surmise, “Hmmmm … something is off here.”