The Morning After

The results of the election are in. Unfortunately, with just over 37% of the votes, we ran far short of what was needed to win the election.

Yes, I'm disappointed, but far from being down in the dumps. I am encouraged by the hundreds of people from Pinellas, Florida and across the country that participated in the Campaign, and sorry the results are not better.

Thanks to every single person that helped in this Campaign. You provided time, money, expertise and counsel. Your friendship and generosity will be remembered.

I'm looking forward to getting back to work.

Vote for Frank Gregoire August 26, 2008

Here are a few links to prior posts to save you the time of searching for pertinent information about the Primary Election.

List of Endorsements and Supporters - This includes appraisers, members of real estate appraisal boards and regulatory agencies and Past Presidents and current leadership of the Florida Association of Realtors. This is only a partial list of supporters as their are over 300 contributors to the Frank Gregoire Campaign

Frank's Qualifications and synopsis of Professional Experience - There is also a link to my resume

Letter from Governor Charlie Crist - Governor Crist recognizes Frank's service on the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board

Ken Harney quotes Frank Gregoire

Ken Harney, author of the nationally syndicated column "The Nation's Housing", quotes Frank Gregoire in his August 22, 2008 article.

Appraisers feel pressure to hit the high
numbers

By Kenneth R. Harney

The Nation's Housing

Have the real estate valuation shenanigans and inflated home appraisals that characterized the boom years disappeared from the marketplace?

Are mortgage loan officers and realty agents — even individual home sellers — continuing to influence or attempting to interfere with appraisals despite new federal rules that ban such behavior?

Ask appraisers and many will tell you: It's still business as usual. Attempts at encouraging inflated appraisals continue to be commonplace, though in some cases the techniques have become subtler.

..........

The obvious intent here, according to Frank Gregoire, immediate past chairman of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board and an appraiser in the St. Petersburg-Tampa area, "is really to find out: Will this guy play ball? Will he be cooperative when we need him?"

Gregoire says appraisers still routinely receive probing e-mails and phone calls from lenders and brokers designed to elicit the same information: Will an appraiser "pre-comp" a property with a sales contract pending at a specific price? Can a specific valuation number needed for a refinancing — which may be far out of line with current local property values — be reliably reached by the appraiser?

Part of the reason in today's market environment, he said, "is that things are tough, sales volumes are down, and some lenders know that they'll eventually find someone who'll cooperate" — often a newcomer to the appraisal field who badly needs an assignment. "It's not easy for some of them to say no, especially when they see business go to folks who everybody knows are playing the game."

Only when federal and state governments severely punish unethical appraisers and the people who pressure them "will all this start to get under control," Gregoire said. But he sees some signs for optimism: State regulators in Florida and elsewhere are cracking down increasingly on appraisers, even stripping away their licenses. And the new federal legislation authorizes financial penalties to be imposed by the secretary of housing when appraisers are found to have caved to pressure and cooked the books to inflate values.

-------------------------

Although this article appears in today's St. Petersburg Times, use THIS LINK to read it in The Washington Post.

Mr. Harney has sought Frank Gregoire's thoughts on number of occasions. Follow the links below to a sample of The Nation's Housing columns.

Appraising a Shifting Market

High Appraisals Signal Change

Lawsuit Seeks to Deflate The Puffery in Appraisals

Pinellas County Primary Ballot

Here is a sample ballot for the Pinellas County Primary Election. Truthfully, this is what it should look like when you turn it in.

Appraisal Institute - THANKS!

Thanks to the Florida West Coast Chapter of the Appraisal Institute for hosting the Candidate Forum yesterday at the conclusion of their meeting in Tampa.








It was great to see so many friends and supporters. Since yesterday was the last day to accept contributions for my Campaign for County Property Appraiser, it was particularly encouraging to accept checks and cash from some of the attendees.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

We're less than one week away from the August 26th Primary Election. The pace has not slowed and has, in fact, picked up. We continue to talk with voters and give them our message about the importance of electing a Professional Appraiser as County Property Appraiser.

Today is the last day the campaign may accept contributions for the Primary Election. If you have not yet made a contribution to the campaign, or if you would like to add a bit to the total, click that RED CONTRIBUTE BUTTON over to the left. Each and every contribution is important and appreciated.

The West Coast Florida Chapter of the Appraisal Institute has invited candidates for Property Appraiser from Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties to attend their meeting in Tampa tonight. The meeting will be from 5:00 - 7:00 P.M. at the Rusty Pelican Restaurant in Tampa.

Early Voting

This should have been posted over a week ago, but we were caught up in other things and it slipped my mind.

In Pinellas County, early voting is held in all Supervisor of Elections offices from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, the two weeks before any federal, state or county election, ending on the Saturday before the election. Municipalities are not legally required to provide early voting for their elections.


For the August 26 Primary Election, early voting will be held August 11 - 23.

Click HERE for Early Voting Locations

REMINDER

Since we are close to the Primary Election, I just wanted to remind everyone (this includes the folks at GCI Printing, dba Gulf Coast Imprinting -HI!) that all information and images on this site are Copyright © 2008 - Frank Gregoire, all rights reserved.

Sign Damage and Removal

Over the past two days there have been several reports by property owners that Frank Gregoire for County Property Appraiser signs have been removed or damaged. These include yard signs and large format signs, installed either by the property owner or with the permission of the property owner.

If you are missing a sign or see one missing or damaged, please call or email the campaign using the contact information in the left sidebar.

Let us know if you need a sign too.

Please refrain from damaging, defacing or removing any candidate's signs unless they have been placed on your property without your permission.

Less than Two Weeks to Go!

The August 26th Primary is less than two weeks away. Tens of thousands of absentee and "vote by mail" ballots have been delivered to Pinellas County Voters. Early voting started yesterday.

To prepare for the increased traffic on the Campaign Website, vote4frank.org, there have been some important updates.

• A paragraph describing Frank Gregoire's commitment to Restoring Public Trust in the Property Appraiser's office has been added to the Main Page
• The list of Endorsements and Supporters has been updated to include more leaders of the Florida Association of Realtors. There are now over 16 Past Presidents of the Florida Association of Realtors on the list along with the entire 2008 Leadership Team.
• The list of Endorsements and Supporters has been updated to include more appraisers, members and former members of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board. All current members of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board support my Campaign for Pinellas County Property Appraiser along with two former Chairs of the FREAB
• We added a Contribution Form to the "Contribute - Help Frank" page. The pdf form may be completed online and printed locally. This provides an alternative to using a credit card via the secure server.
• A link to the St. Petersburg Times "Know Your Candidates" publication has been added to the "News - Links" page

Tell a friend, family member or neighbor and encourage them to visit the site.

Try out the Contribute button or the Contribution form. We could sure use your help in the next few days.

Times - Know Your Candidates

Take a look at the "Know Your Candidates" Special Section from the St. Petersburg Times which was published Wednesday, August 13, 2008.

Pinellas Property Appraiser Republican primary

This race is unfolding in the shadow of the county’s purchase last year of the current Appraiser Jim Smith’s vacant land for nearly four times its assessed value. Smith isn’t running for re-election. His longtime deputy, Pam Dubov is in the race, touting her experience and readiness. Her opponent, Frank Gregoire, stresses the need to restore public confidence in the office. The winner will face Democrat Ben Friedlander in November.

View section HERE.

St. Petersburg Times

My response to the St. Petersburg Times: (The Times limits a Candidate's response to 200 words)

August 6, 2008

Philip Gailey, Editor of Editorials
St. Petersburg Times
P.O. Box 1121
St. Petersburg, FL 33731

RE: Reply to: Times recommends

St. Petersburg Times

Dear Mr. Gailey:

Facts omitted from your endorsement:

I have been a licensed real estate broker for over 30 years and a state certified appraiser since 1989, the first year such a license was available in Florida. In addition to holding designations from two professional appraisal associations, I hold associate membership in a third. My appraisal experience in Pinellas County exceeds 30 years.

As owner and President of Gregoire & Gregoire, Inc., I have supervised staff and completed tens of thousands of appraisals of all types and classes of real property from Tierra Verde to Tarpon Springs. For the past ten years my concentration has been as a valuation and appraisal standards expert witness.

The Governor was satisfied enough with my education and appraisal credentials to appoint me to the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board. The Florida Senate agreed by confirming my appointment unanimously. My peers on the appraisal board elected me Chairman four times during my eight years of service.

Under my leadership, enforcement of valuation ethics, standards and integrity requirements were the focus of the appraisal board; something sorely needed in Pinellas County. Pinellas County deserves a Property Appraiser with an established commitment to restoring public trust in the office.

Frank Gregoire
Candidate, Pinellas County Property Appraiser

Update August 9, 2008

My response to the Times has been published and is available online HERE.

News and Updates

The August 5, 2008 Fundraising Reception at Interior Motives was well attended and successful. Many thanks to Leslie Curran, Nancy Riley, Michael Bindman, LuAnne Woods, Carol Hasbrouck, Amy Bromley and Amy Bofman for their efforts and the contributions their efforts generated.

That same evening we made an appearance at the St. Petersburg Association of Legal Support Specialists dinner meeting. In addition to Judicial and Sheriff Candidates, I made a presentation along with the other candidates for Property Appraiser. It's great to provide folks with a firsthand view of the contrast between a Professional Appraiser, a State-Certified Appraiser, and individuals with no state appraisal license.

The roster of supporters continues to grow. Appraisers and Past Presidents have been added to the list of contributors. Take a look at the updated list!

Endorsements and Supporters

James Amorin, MAI, SRA, President-Elect, Appraisal Institute

Paul Amirto, Appraiser
Ben Anderson, Appraiser
Timothy Andersen, MAI

Hazel Annis, Appraiser

Dennis Badger, Appraiser, Investigator-Kentucky Real Estate Appraisers Board

Bruce Barrow, Appraiser
Patricia Birch, Past Chair, Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board
Harry Bright, Appraiser

Bruce Buzzell, Appraiser
Bill Coffman, Appraiser

Milton Corson, Jr, MAI, SRA
Earle "Jack" Crahan, MAI
Thomas Crockett, MAI, SRA
Bruce Cumming, Chair, Membership Admissions, Development and Retention

Susan Dailey, Member, Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board
Paul DelleDonne, Appraiser
Brent Diehl, Appraiser
Robert Dunham, MAI, SRA
James Earle, Appraiser
Henry Entreken, MAI, SRA
Ted Faravelli, Appraiser
Robert E. Galliher, MAI, SRA, GAA
Phil Gehres, MAI, SRA
H. Linwood Gilbert, MAI
John Gillott, MAI, SRA
Karen Goforth, MAI
Bob Gorman, MAI
Joni Herndon, SRA, Chair, Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board

Tom Hockensmith, SRA
Andrew Hupp, MAI

Gregory G. Johnson, MAI, SR/WA

Todd Jones, MAI

Clay Ketcham, MAI, SRA, CCIM, Past Chair, Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board
Patricia Kathman, Appraiser
William Barry Kelley, SRA

Debbie LaJeunesse, Appraiser, Past Chair Wyoming Certified Real Estate Appraiser Board

Charles Ledet, Appraiser

Bill Mallette, Appraiser
Leslie McKeon, MAI, SRA
Steve Marshall, MAI, SRA, Past Chair, Region X, Appraisal Institute
James Millspaugh, MAI

Ami Milne-Allen, Appraiser, Member, Vermont Board of Real Estate Appraisers
Stephanie Monaghan, Appraiser

Jeanne Obedzinski, MAI
Evalyn "Fran" Oreto, Past President National Association of Master Appraisers

Mack Provart, Appraiser, Past Chair Wyoming Certified Real Estate Appraiser Board
R. Wayne Pugh, MAI, President, Appraisal Institute

Janet Rabin, Appraiser
Gina Rascati, SRA
Jack Rawlings, GAA

Dan Richardson, PhD, MAI, AICP
Mike Rogers, MAI, Member, Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board
Donald Rousseau, Appraiser
Donald Sarley, SRA, Chair, Florida Appraisal Council

David Sawyer, Appraiser

Michael Seward, Appraiser
Sam Slater, RAA

Russell Sloan, MAI, Past Chair, Kentucky Real Estate Appraisers Board
Eric Schwartz, MAI, SRA

John Schweitzer, Appraiser
Jay Small, Esq., Past Chair, Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board
Joe Thouvenell, MAI, CRE
C. Richard Tobias, MAI
Joe Traynor, Past President, Indiana Association of Realtors, Member, Appraisal Foundation Board of Trustees, Chairman, Indiana Real Estate Appraisers Licensure and Certification Board
Joyce Tubb, GAA
Joan Trice, SRA
Chris Van Slooten, SRA
Steve Van Slyke, Appraiser
Jesse Vance, MAI, SRA, Chair, Region X, Appraisal Institute
Carl Velie, SRA, Vice Chair, Region X, Appraisal Institute

Robert Vespa, IFA, ASA
Andrew Wheaton, Appraiser
Judith Whitehead, Appraiser
Danny Wiley, SRA, Past Chairman Appraisal Standards Board
Cynthia Wright, MAI

Don Asher, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Chuck Bonfiglio, President, Florida Association of Realtors
Claude "Chip" Boring, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Todd Dantzler, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Michael Dooley, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Roger Enzor, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors, Member, Florida Real Estate Commission
Summer Greene, Secretary, Florida Association of Realtors

Russell Grooms, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Bob Hudgens, Treasurer, Florida Association of Realtors
Dale Jundt, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Jim Kasper, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors

Frank Kowalski, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Mike Owen, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors

Marie Powell, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors

Nancy Riley, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors, State Committeewomen, Pinellas County

Tom Salomone, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Cynthia Shelton, CRE, President Elect, Florida Association of Realtors
Maurice (Moe) Veissi, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors

Harry Vordermeier, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors, Past Chairman, Florida Real Estate Commission
William Watson, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Cathy Whatley, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors, Past President, National Association of Realtors

Richard Butler, Vice-Mayor, City of Pinellas Park
Leslie Curran, St. Petersburg City Council

Neva Conway, Esq., Counsel, Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board
Henry Faircloth, Chair, North Carolina Real Estate Appraisal Board
Dr. Robert Melby
Dr. Jack Ross

REMINDER - TUESDAY - August 5th Reception

You’re Invited to a Fundraising Reception

Frank Gregoire
for
County Property Appraiser
“ELECT A PROFESSIONAL APPRAISER FOR A CHANGE”

Tuesday, August 5, 2008
5:30 – 7:00 P.M.

Interior Motives Gallery

(click for map)
1110 Central Avenue
St. Petersburg, FL
727-898-6061

Hosted By:
Council Members
Leslie Curran
and
Bill Dudley

Nancy Riley
Michael Bindman
Tina Harris
LuAnne Woods
Carol Hasbrouck
Amy Bromley
Amy Bofman

hors d'oeuvres – beer - wine
Please RSVP to

727-410-7065
frank@vote4frank.org

Election laws limit contributions to $500.00 per person or corporation
Contributions of any amount are helpful

http://www.vote4frank.org/

CONTRIBUTE ONLINE