Young and Parker's Bill Mick Debate

Just in case you missed it, the candidates for Brevard County Sheriff--Gary Young and incumbent Jack Parker--debated questions from listeners via Bill Mick's open mike last Friday.

All seemed to go swimmingly well over at WMMB until a caller threw Parker a shark of a question regarding Armor Correctional Health Services, the health care provider contracted to provide medical services to inmates in several Florida jails and prisons.

Lynn in Titusville wanted to know if Parker had been influenced by recently-released-from- federal-prison former Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne to grant the contract to Armor.

After JP treaded water a bit around the River Denial, Mick threw it back to Young, who figuratively threw Parker into the deep end without a pair of floaties. The Democratic challenger quoted details from Dan Christensen's Private firm has sheriffs riding shotgun (Miami Herald 11/15/2005) a news report raised to the surface and into the light from the murky depths of the Internet by a certain blogger. (Sheriffs Riding Shotgun, 9/18/2008).

Parker sputtered a rebut, once again denying ever speaking with Jenne, insisting any conversation held regarding Armor was between he and Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott. (Scott is the charmer currently under fire for playing the Hussein card at a Sarah Palin rally, held earlier this month over on the left coast. After embarrassing his community, Scott's backstroking like crazy in his attempt to win reelection).

No worries. Mick threw Jack a life preserver by cutting to commercial and upon return...?

Surprise, surprise! Lynn--who had also asked a follow-up question regarding the alleged substandard health care currently received by inmates--was gone, dropped as quickly as a Portuguese man-of-war picked up by a tourist.

Listen to the entire debate here.