Piotr Blass

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Piotr Blass
Born	September 13, 1948 Warsaw, Poland
Occupation	Perennial candidate Professor
Spouse	Helena Roza Brus

Piotr Blass Ph.D. (September 13, 1948 –) is an American politician and mathematician of Polish descent. Blass claims to have been an early proponent of the Internet, and co-founded an early online math journal in 1987.^{[citation needed]} Blass has been a candidate for Palm Beach County superintendent of schools, a candidate for the position of president of Palm Beach Community College, and a candidate for the office of Florida state senator. In addition, his Blass family law case lawsuit provided significant ammunition to backers of a unified court system in Florida in 2004.

Although this perennial candidate further was an unsuccessful write-in candidate for Governor of Florida in November 2006, he may have been the first Florida state candidate to openly base his platform on Albert Einstein's statements on politics. Blass presently is campaigning for U.S. Congress in 2008 and Governor of Florida in 2010.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early years 1.2 1990s political aspirations 1.3 Influence over Florida family law in 2004 1.4 Florida Senate Race, 2004 1.5 Florida gubernatorial election, 2006 1.5.1 The debates 1.6 Present political campaigns 2 Family 3 Published works 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

Biography

Early years

Piotr Blass was born in Warsaw, Poland on September 13, 1948 as one of two sons of educated parents. His father was a professor of finance and his mother was an attorney.^[1] At age 20, after earning a B.A. (equivalent) from Warsaw University, Blass left Poland in 1968 for the United States.^[1][2] Blass' website indicates he then earned an M.A. degree one year later at the University of Michigan in 1969.^[2]

In 1973, Blass served in an artillery unit of the Israeli army in the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and assisted in keeping Egyptian tanks from crossing the Suez Canal, according to a 2006 Florida governor candidate interview.^[1] In 1976, Blass attended Harvard University and a year later earned a Ph.D at the University of Michigan in 1977.^[2][1]

In 1987, Blass helped create an online math journal (Ulam Quarterly^[3]) which some claim to have been one of the earliest examples of an online publication.^{[citation needed]} Blass has claimed that this achievement qualifies him as an early proponent of the Internet, though some believe the Internet was born four years earlier on January 1, 1983.^[1]

In 1990, Blass was a professor of computer sciences at Key College, a small private school in Dania Beach, Florida.^[4] It was this year that Blass was divorced in Palm Beach Circuit Court from Nieves Lopez, a teacher at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach.^[4] Their divorce went through shortly after their son David was born.^[4]

In October 1993, Blass created the Blass Corporation, with its headquarters in Boynton Beach, Florida.^[5]

1990s political aspirations

In July 1995, Blass lived in Boynton Beach, Florida. At that time, he sought the position of school superintendent of Palm Beach County.^[6] During this effort, Blass was identified as a math professor at Palm Beach Atlantic College who had a master's degree from Harvard University.^[6] Despite these qualifications, Blass was unsuccessful in his pursuit of this position.

In January 1997, Blass sought the position of president of Palm Beach Community College.^[7] At the time, he was identified as teaching math part time at the college.^[7] Two days after the newspaper announced his desire to seek the president's position, Palm Beach Community College announced the college's biggest layoff.^[8] Eight days after the newspaper announced his desire to seek the president's position, Blass was being identified as a former part-time math instructor of Palm Beach Community College.^[9] Despite his qualifications, the 19-member search committee did not choose former adjunct instructor Blass as president from the pool of 76 candidates.^[7][9]

Influence over Florida family law in 2004

In the years leading up to 2003, the Florida Supreme Court and many family law experts urged reform of the fragmented system of Florida court jurisdiction over family issues.^[4] In particular, they sought a unified court system that would identify multiple cases involving single families within the domestic relations, domestic violence, and juvenile divisions, notify the judges in the cases, and either coordinate their work or transfer the family's cases to a single judge.^[4] Although such a system would create efficient and cost effective courts and more informed judicial decisions, the backers lacked a solid example of why such reform was needed.^[4]

In 2003, Blass was teaching troubled teens at the Bay Point Schools in South Florida.^[1] In June 2003, Blass created the Silicon Sun Corporation, with its headquarters in Boynton Beach, Florida.^[10] In November 2003, Blass' son attacked his mother Nieves Lopez, who filed a battery complaint.^[4]

In early June 2004, the Palm Beach County state attorney's office petitioned the juvenile court for a hearing on Lopez's battery complaint against her son.^[4] Despite having joint custody over his son, Blass first learned of his son's criminal troubles when his son called him and told him he was being treated at JFK Medical Center[1] in Atlantis.^[4] Three days later. Blass' son was committed to a teen residential drug treatment center in Lake Worth and Blass was barred from any meaningful contact with his son.^[4]

Citing the failures of the courts, hospitals, doctors, and his ex-wife's failure to timely notify Blass of the pending criminal matter against his son, Blass filed a false imprisonment lawsuit against several defendants in July 2004.^[4] The Blass case, as it has become known, has provided backers of a unified Florida family courts significant ammunition to support their state wide efforts.^[4] The case presently is making its way to the federal courts.^[11]

Florida Senate Race, 2004

In April 2004, Blass entered the Florida Senate Race.^[12] He was one of seventeen candidates to receive a questionnaire from the Florida Association of Mortgage Brokers (FAMB) as part of the first step in FAMB's plans to endorse a senate candidate.^[12] Blass received a total of sixteen votes in the 2004 Florida Senate Race.^[13]

Florida gubernatorial election, 2006

In 2005, Blass entered the race for Governor of Florida.^[14] At the time, he was identified as a college math professor from Boynton Beach.^[14] However, he was working as a math professor at City College in Fort Lauderdale and taught a free, high-level summer math seminar on the campus of Florida Atlantic University.^[1]

Many times candidates put themselves on the ballot to get attention for a specific issue, hoping one of the mainstream candidates will pick up on the idea.^[15] In Blass' case, he desired to see Florida become the spaceport of the world and build better relations with Caribbean countries.^[15] Blass had decided to make a bid for Florida's highest office because "as a teacher you can help thousands, but you need to change the system to really make something happen."^[15] Moreover, although it may have furthered his goal, Blass refused to accept contributions for his campaign to avoid corruption charges.^[14] Even without campaign contributions, Blass was able to publicize his campaign around March 2005 through a program on a Haitian radio station and at debates.^[14]

In July 2006, Blass officially entering Florida gubernatorial election, 2006 as a write-in, independent candidate by filing the paperwork to run for governor without paying the qualifying fee.^[16][17][18] Naming Jinamarie Gallo as his lieutenant governor running mate,^[15] Blass was one of a total of nine candidates, each seeking to follow in the footsteps of Republican Gov. Jeb Bush.^[19] His campaign staff included a 17-year-old North Broward Preparatory student that Blass mentored.^[1] Blass base his platform on Albert Einstein's statements on politics and was believed to be the first Florida state candidate for governor to do so.^[1]

The debates

In October 2006, Blass filed a motion with the court seeking an order to let him join an October 30, 2006 debate between well-known candidates Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis.^[18] In an interview about his request, Blass described himself as a Harvard-educated mathematician.^[20] It also was reported that gubernatorial candidate Blass was a professor of computer mathematics.^[21] Blass' request to join the October 30, 2006 debate ultimately was denied by the Florida courts, since the U.S. Supreme Court has said the broadcasters may exclude independent candidates who have little popular support.^[20]

With five days before the November 7, 2006 election, the increasingly toxic governor's campaign began to test voters tolerance.^[22] Blass considered the bickering and expensive campaigning by the major-party contenders are "regrettable."^[22] "These guys are showing themselves to be consumed with mediocrity," Blass said.^[22]

On November 2, 2006, Blass created interest in a reporter for a planned debate that included the less known candidates by telling him, "All nine candidates will be sending representatives."^[23] However, the November 2, 2006 gubernatorial debate involved only three candidates with two people in the audience so that "there were just five of us sitting around a little table in the coffee shop in the Barnes & Noble."^[23] As a result of the debate, the reporter concluded that politician Blass favor a speaking style that could be called 'Never Coming Up for Air.'^[23]

Despite his efforts, Blass was unsuccessful in his pursuit of the top position in the state, coming in 9th out of nine candidates and receiving a total of eighteen votes.^[24]

Present political campaigns

In November 2006, Blass outlined his plans to run for U.S. Senate in 2008 and for governor in 2010.^[23] Blass presently is campaigning for U.S. Congress in 2008 and Governor of Florida in 2010.^[25]

Family

Blass has three children.^[26] Blass divorced his first wife in October 1984.^[27] In December 1988, Blass married his second wife, Nieves Carmen Lopez,^[27] and divorced from her in August 1990.^[28] Four months later, Blass married his third wife, Helena Roza Brus, in December 1990.^[29]

Published works

• Blass, Piotr. (1983) Zariski surfaces (Dissertationes mathematicae = Rozprawy matematyczne). Publisher: Ars Polna (distributor). ISBN 8-301-01971-9
• Blass, Piotr. (January 9, 1987) Zariski Surfaces And Differential Equations in Characteristic (Pure and Applied Mathematics (Marcel Dekker)). Publisher: CRC. ISBN 0-824-77637-2
• Blass, Piotr. The Ulam Quarterly. Publisher: Gordon and Breach. ISBN 2-884-49187-2

References

See also

• Zariski surface

External links

• Piotr Blass at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
• Palm Beach County records. (32 records as of January 24, 2007).
• Political campaigns website
• Ulam Quarterly Journal

Persondata
NAME	Piotr Blass
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Piotr
SHORT DESCRIPTION	American Perennial candidate
DATE OF BIRTH	September 13, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH	Warsaw, Poland
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH