Jim Greer

James A Greer
Chairman, Republican Party of Florida
In office
2006–2010
Deputy Mayor of Oviedo, FL
In office
2004–2008
Member, East Coast Planning Commission
In office
2006–2009
Council Member, City Of Palm Bay, FL
In office
1992–1995
Personal details
Born James Austin Greer [1]
(1962-06-08) June 8, 1962
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Lisa M Greer [2]
Children 5 [2]
Residence Oviedo, FL
Signature

James A Greer (born June 8, 1962) is an American politician and businessman, serving from 2006 to 2010 as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, and senior political and campaign adviser to the Governor. Previously, Greer served on the city council of Palm Bay in the early 1990s. He was also elected Deputy Mayor of Oviedo in 2004 and re-elected in 2006.[3] Greer also served as a member of the East Coast Regional Planning Commission appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush.[4] Greer worked as a lobbyist in Tallahassee for the restaurant and hotel industry. As a member of the Republican National Committee, Greer served as the Chairman of the RNC standing committee on rules. His community service and recognitions include serving as President of the Rotary Club, a board member the Chamber of Commerce, Paul Harris Fellow and Business Person of the Year. He is also a supporter of various charities.[5]

Greer was re-elected as Chairman of the Republican Party with over 77% of the vote.[6] Greer was considered for election as RNC National Chairman due to his outreach efforts to African Americans and Hispanics. Greer's Chairmanship was considered successful until a political scandal involving the Governor and other Republican leaders occurred.[7]

Outside of politics, Greer has founded several companies and served as the President and CEO of Regulatory Compliance Services Inc., which specialized in alcoholic beverage laws, food safety compliance and other government regulations from 1984 to 2007.[3][5] Greer became a millionaire as a result of his ownership of Regulatory Compliance Services.[3]

Controversies

Closely associated with Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Greer resigned from his office as Chairman and other positions within the state party following a number of controversies involving party finances and spending behavior by state elected officials.[8] Greer was arrested on June 2, 2010 after being indicted on six felony charges: organized scheme to defraud, money laundering, and four counts of grand theft.[9] Prosecutors alleged that Greer, while chair of the Florida GOP, schemed to take money, over $100,000 from the party through a fundraising company he created, Victory Strategies LLC.[9] The Orlando Sentinel further noted that, "The contract for Victory Strategies to take over major donor fundraising was withheld from top GOP finance officials."[9] Three years after his arrest, Greer unexpectedly pleaded guilty to theft and money laundering charges on February 11, 2013, and was sentenced on March 27, 2013 to 18 months in prison of which he served 15 months at a low security work release facility. Ultimately, Greer paid $65,000 in restitution to the Republican Party.[10]

During the investigation, evidence including several affidavits from the state party finance chairman and major donors supported Greer's claim that the Governor and other top party officials knew about the arrangement and approved it, however, Greer choose to end his trial and surprised many by pleading guilty which avoided a potentially embarrassing trial for the Republican Party and certain elected officials. Much speculation of why Greer ended the trial on the day it was to begin has occurred, a witness list of prominent elected officials that may have been called by Greer's attorney to testify was also made public during the week the trial was scheduled to take place.[11]

Greer's attorney said "The Governor knew about Victory Strategies from the very beginning," Chase said. "They all worked on it together… They saw it as a way to save money and the charges should be dismissed, Greer is a scapegoat for others".[12]

In 2013 a book was published detailing the circumstances relating to the charges filed against Greer called, The Chairman: The Rise and Betrayal of Jim Greer, written by New York Times best selling author Peter Golenbock.

Greer currently serves as the President and CEO of Accredited Drug Testing Inc, and Health Screenings USA Inc. Both companies provide drug, alcohol and DNA testing. In 2018, Greer was elected the Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman of the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA), in addition to serving as a member of the council of industry advisers. Greer is also a former member of the National Board of Directors of the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Caputo, Marc; Frank, John (June 2, 2010). "Greer arrest records outline deception and greed at Florida GOP's top tier". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Bousquet, Steve (September 6, 2013). "Times/Herald exclusive: Jim Greer prison house interview". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Smith, Adam (January 26, 2007). "State: An unknown to lead Florida's GOP". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  4. ↑ http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2006-11-15/news/LOCGOVWATCH15_6_1_florida-regional-planning-greer-east-central-florida
  5. 1 2 Rene Stutzman (Apr 17, 2010). "The Rise and Fall of Florida GOP Head Jim Greer". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  6. ↑ https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Jim+Greer+elected+rpof+chairman&start=10
  7. ↑ http://content.yudu.com/Ayura/NMJan09/resources/56.htm
  8. ↑ John Kennedy News Service of Florida (Apr 25, 2010). "Florida GOP Cuts Last Ties With Greer". sunshinestatenews.com. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  9. 1 2 3 Amy L. Edwards, Aaron Deslatte and Rene Stutzman (2 June 2010). "Ex-Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer indicted on charges of grand theft, money laundering". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  10. ↑ "Free-spending ex-Florida GOP chief Greer gets 18 months in prison". 2013-03-27. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  11. ↑ http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/gop-officials-knew-about-greer-fundraising-deal-former-finance-chair-says/1224910
  12. ↑ http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/gubernatorial/jim-greers-lawyer-says-gov-crist-okayed-diversion-of-gop-funds/1100322
  13. ↑ http://floridapolitics.com/archives/206956-jim-greer-elected-serve-national-drug-alcohol-testing-association-board


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.