{"id":42271,"date":"2024-02-21T19:18:34","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T00:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=42271"},"modified":"2024-02-21T19:18:42","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T00:18:42","slug":"from-his-pulpit-lake-wales-mayor-pastor-denounces-lw-corruption-critics-and-citizens-as-wicked-abnormal-consistent-agitators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2024\/02\/21\/from-his-pulpit-lake-wales-mayor-pastor-denounces-lw-corruption-critics-and-citizens-as-wicked-abnormal-consistent-agitators\/","title":{"rendered":"From his pulpit, Lake Wales mayor\/pastor denounces LW corruption critics and citizens as &#8220;wicked,&#8221; abnormal, &#8220;consistent agitators&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By BILLY TOWNSEND<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/download-6.jpeg?resize=225%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/download-6.jpeg?w=225&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/download-6.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don&#8217;t expect Rev. Mayor Jack Hilligoss of Lake Wales to *ever* wash your feet unless you submit quietly to the domination of his &#8220;Christian&#8221; HighPoint Church and never question his cronies&#8217; behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The video clips above and the audio that follows capture the same pre-sermon political speech that Lake Wales Mayor and Pastor of HighPoint Church Jack Hilligoss gave during last Sunday\u2019s service.<\/p>\n\n\n        \n        <div class=\"embedpress-gutenberg-wrapper source-provider-Youtube aligncenter ep-clear   ep-content-protection-disabled inline\" id=\"f4ee6175-ae36-40c1-b5ac-f26443bd06fa\" data-embed-type=\"Youtube \">\n            <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper \">\n                <div id=\"ep-gutenberg-content-e6ce7853b67619356feb4b2ce069a8df\" class=\"ep-gutenberg-content\">\n                    <div >\n                        <div class=\"ep-embed-content-wraper preset-default insta-grid ep-google-photos-carousel\"\n                            style=\"max-width:600px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\"                                                                                                                >\n\n                            <div class=\"ose-youtube ose-uid-e0019672a3accc9d21012d6d50d3e84e ose-embedpress-responsive\" style=\"width:600px; height:450px; max-height:450px; max-width:100%; display:inline-block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowFullScreen=\"true\" title=\"Selfies - Week 2\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1z5rgRJjfOk?feature=oembed&#038;color=red&#038;rel=0&#038;controls=1&#038;start=&#038;end=&#038;fs=0&#038;iv_load_policy=0&#038;autoplay=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;cc_load_policy=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; encrypted-media;accelerometer;autoplay;clipboard-write;gyroscope;picture-in-picture clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen title=\"From his pulpit, Lake Wales mayor\/pastor denounces LW corruption critics and citizens as &#8220;wicked,&#8221; abnormal, &#8220;consistent agitators&#8221;\"><\/iframe><\/div>                        <\/div>\n\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    \n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/a6631dd1-76ad-4ac7-b92a-1f08007d861b?j=eyJ1IjoidGNsNmsifQ.48gjcKBKKJaliAqEtjeCB_T1Edy9KSg8xPNVTioqiw8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LISTEN NOW \u00b7 3:23<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this clip, Hilligoss is apparently condemning Lake Wales taxpayers for raising questions about a very sketchy, privately-run, publicly-funded business \u201cincubator\u201d backed by more than $1 million in Lake Wales taxpayer money. That incubator is now under investigation by the Polk Tax Collector\u2019s Office, according to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/5e9ee720-e041-42b7-935c-fa4b9a7aa4c3?j=eyJ1IjoidGNsNmsifQ.48gjcKBKKJaliAqEtjeCB_T1Edy9KSg8xPNVTioqiw8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this article from the Lake Wales News<\/a>, which has endless gross detail. It sounds\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/6ad15aa0-04c2-4291-a87f-d0c6b2296391?j=eyJ1IjoidGNsNmsifQ.48gjcKBKKJaliAqEtjeCB_T1Edy9KSg8xPNVTioqiw8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">very James Dunn-esque<\/a>, which is fitting.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/ded992b4-df03-41b6-9c12-0547af38d4e0?j=eyJ1IjoidGNsNmsifQ.48gjcKBKKJaliAqEtjeCB_T1Edy9KSg8xPNVTioqiw8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hilligoss was on the so-called County Citizens Defending Freedom (CCDF) board of directors when he was elected mayor<\/a>\u00a0in April 2022, just as the CCDF was preparing to inflict the criminal scammer Dunn on Polk County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Indeed, Dunn prosecutor Brad Copley might want to take a look at this incubator, too. I\u2019m sure Tax Collector Joe Tedder will take the call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I\u2019d encourage the public \u2014 not just in Lake Wales \u2014 to listen to Hilligoss here. It\u2019s a useful window into a gross and thoroughly power-corrupted form of \u201cChristianity\u201d that people like Jennifer Canady want to impose on us all. The audio below is beginning-to-end. It\u2019s all gross; but here\u2019s the key excerpt, where he makes the enemy clear to his flock:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They did that with the help of a group of people who are consistent agitators. And unfortunately some of the leaders of our city. And they do this often. They do it every election cycle. The Democratic Cub of Lake Wales. Prominent citizens, who made it very clear \u2014 they\u2019ve made it clear \u2014 that don\u2019t believe Christians have a place in politics or at the very least, you\u2019re supposed to park your convictions at the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilligoss made no effort to explain why&nbsp;this non-compliant incubator&nbsp;is a thing Christians should cheer and fight for with their convictions. Instead, like every scoundrel pastor\/mayor in trouble, Hilligoss went straight to his version of Twain\u2019s last refuge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s just much easier to hate and incite against Democrats than to account for $1.2M in public money, isn\u2019t it Rev?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"753\" height=\"775\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/7b834ba1-23d5-44da-8024-7c3c73b0bfed_753x775.webp?resize=753%2C775&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42273\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lake Wales is a mess I won\u2019t try to fix<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I would really, really, really, really like to stay clear of the space-bending gravitational pull of Lake Wales\u2019 endless grievances against itself. Lake Wales is the most miserably divided community of its size I have ever seen. This is despite the efforts many good faith citizens I have come to know, love, and respect out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You know who you are.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I spent days of my life that I will never get back fruitlessly trying to solve fairly the charter vs. district school divide. I failed because&nbsp;nobody&nbsp;with any power out there wanted to solve it as much as I wanted to \u2014 or at all. They enjoyed the grievances too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lake Wales was also more or less the birthplace of the CCDF, which decent, rational people have vanquished everywhere else in Polk County. HighPoint Church seems to be its last stand. Indeed, in Lake Wales,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/c190f432-cde1-4687-839d-e300df5abcc5?j=eyJ1IjoidGNsNmsifQ.48gjcKBKKJaliAqEtjeCB_T1Edy9KSg8xPNVTioqiw8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the CCDFers decided to torment and harass one of the most productive educators their community has ever seen, just for fun.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I can\u2019t even file a narrowly-focused 2023 ethics complaint against a School Board member&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/78145689-33dd-4891-ae50-235cd1940528?j=eyJ1IjoidGNsNmsifQ.48gjcKBKKJaliAqEtjeCB_T1Edy9KSg8xPNVTioqiw8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">without Lake Wales somehow&nbsp;<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/78145689-33dd-4891-ae50-235cd1940528?j=eyJ1IjoidGNsNmsifQ.48gjcKBKKJaliAqEtjeCB_T1Edy9KSg8xPNVTioqiw8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hijacking it in 2024<\/a>&nbsp;to create a far wider conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s just the stuff I have some surface understanding of. The boiling hatreds underneath that \u2026 I can\u2019t even begin to parse. So I will not be a regular on the Lake Wales beat if I can help it at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But multiple people sent me versions of this clip in dismay; and I felt some obligation to help. But I plan to run away as fast a I can after this. Please forgive me. I think I\u2019ve done my time. LOL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can you imagine Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz doing this from the Grace City pulpit?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, you know what I think Lake Wales might benefit from? \u2014 some good old-fashioned,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/6383e098-749c-4488-9bff-323ff3c2280e?j=eyJ1IjoidGNsNmsifQ.48gjcKBKKJaliAqEtjeCB_T1Edy9KSg8xPNVTioqiw8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jesus-loving, foot-washing Christian compassion<\/a>\u00a0for one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lake Wales could really really use a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/111f0e85-1ef8-48fb-b589-2269c1a2de4f?j=eyJ1IjoidGNsNmsifQ.48gjcKBKKJaliAqEtjeCB_T1Edy9KSg8xPNVTioqiw8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bill Mutz<\/a>&nbsp;as their mayor. Whatever my political and social differences with Bill may be \u2014 and they are real \u2014 I never doubt his heart. I never think he considers me \u201cwicked\u201d if I critique him. He would never denounce me or anyone he represents from the pulpit of Grace City Chuch, which he co-founded. Thanks for that, Bill. Our city is better for it. (So is your religion.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately for Lake Wales, they don\u2019t have Bill Mutz, or Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, they have Jack Hilligoss and scammy $1.2M \u201cincubator\u201d that plagiarized Catapult\u2019s terms and conditions, and School Board Member Justin Sharpless, who attends Hilligoss\u2019 church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As I understand it, Justin tends to applaud his gross shepherd obediently, just like the rest of the congregation seemed to when Hilligoss was done. I sent Justin an email asking his take on his paster\/mayor\u2019s position on the \u201cagitators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1002\" height=\"177\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/7dc52b5a-dcab-4e04-96a9-3e20c51ba57c_1002x177.webp?resize=1002%2C177&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42274\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>I got no answer. LOL. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anyway, I\u2019m glad this really isn\u2019t my problem; but I feel for the \u201cagitators\u201d who would prefer their city not light their money on fire and must endure their mayor\u2019s denunciation from the pulpit for that sin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By BILLY TOWNSEND Don&#8217;t expect Rev. Mayor Jack Hilligoss of Lake Wales to *ever* wash your feet unless you submit quietly to the domination of his &#8220;Christian&#8221; HighPoint Church and&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"0","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":71799,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[7635,7637,7634,7636],"class_list":["post-42271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-abnormal","tag-consistent-agitators","tag-from-his-pulpit","tag-lake-wales-mayor-pastor-denounces-lw-corruption-critics-and-citizens-as-wicked"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}