What kind of neighbor is John Raese?

by: Carnacki

Wed Oct 27, 2010 at 10:06:10 AM EDT

But Politico can fill us in on the details:

Raese, whose lavish Florida home has been a favorite Democratic target, has applied to the board for permission to replace a giant six-foot by eight-foot dollhouse and replace it with a new fourteen-foot by fifteen-foot "glass conservatory."

The application by Raese's wife, Elizabeth, has been a matter of some local controversy since last year, when the Commission turned down a larger version of the project, and a neighbor, Elizabeth Marshall, offered emotional testimony against it at a hearing this August 25 (at 2:34 here), calling the Raeses "abusive" in destroying the "privacy and the intimacy" of her property, and complained both of "retribution" and of having spent $35,000 fighting it.

You know, if Raese and his wife lived in West Virginia, they could build any kind of  "glass conservatory" they'd like at their mansion. I guess we're not good enough for them, seeing how Raese thinks we're "hicky" and all.

More on whether Raese would represent Florida or West Virginia here.

Update

ON TODAY'S AGENDA: PALM BEACH COMMMISSION CONSIDERS RAESE HOME EXPANSION - IS HE ATTENDING MEETING?

Today, The Palm Beach Architecture Commission Will Consider Whether To Grant Raeses Permission To Build 14x15 Foot "Glass Conservatory" In Place Of Giant Dollhouse

Raeses' Planned Expansion "A Matter Of Some Local Controversy" Since "Commission Turned Down A Larger Version Of The Project" Last Year

Although the election in West Virginia is less than one week away, John Raese has some pressing business to attend to back home in Palm Beach, Florida.  According to Politico, the Town of Palm Beach's Architecture Commission will consider whether to grant the Reaeses permission to build a 14x15 foot "glass conservatory" on their property.  At a hearing last August, commissioners were unimpressed with the plans for the conservatory, with one saying it looks like a "people cage."  Politico notes that the Raeses' planned expansion has "been a matter of some local controversy since last year, when the Commission turned down a larger version of the project."

"Next week West Virginia will hold elections, but today, in even more pressing business for John Raese, the town of Palm Beach will decide whether to grant the Raeses permission to build a massive glass conservatory on their Florida property," DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy said. "Will John Raese be campaigning in West Virginia today - or will he be at home defending his Florida mansion? It's no wonder voters in the Mountain State find John Raese to be out-of-touch."

It's clear that multi-millionaire John Raese just doesn't understand West Virginia values.  Raese wants to eliminate the minimum wage and failed to pay workers compensation for on the job injuries.  He's also faced questions about where he lives, after a report came out showing Raese owns homes in several states, including Florida, where his family lives in a 7,000 square-foot home with a peach colored marble driveway.  Raese also faced heat when it was revealed that he tried paying West Virginians to write favorable letters to the editor to local newspapers on his behalf.