I sit in the exact same city commission meetings as does the Editor of The Lake Worth Herald. We look at the issues with different colored glasses, obviously.
I agree that the City needs better management on the Staff and elected Commission level. However, the Commission is in charge of this City. They hired the City Manager and Dave Vespo was one of them. They have the power to terminate the City Manager and for 20 months, Bob Baldwin has been leading this city through the direction of the 3 to 2 vote on the dais. Mayor Clemens, Commissioners Lowe and Vespo are the ones responsible for the bad shape of our City.
To recommend Dave Vespo because of his fight to go with the Palm Beach County Sheriff and dissolve our City Police Department that has been in existence for 93 years because crime was getting out of control along with Retirement packages, is a shallow reason for an endorsement. We do not know if the sheriff will reduce crime in our city. If crime was getting out of control during Commissioner Vespo’s tenure (2 years and 9 months now), then why did he not direct the City Manager to set up meetings with our Police chief and get these shifts changed, allowing more men on the streets during peak crime time? Instead, Commissioner Vespo just cried about crime on the up rise, voted to do away with our own Police and spend millions more going with the Sheriff. Just another thing he would never have to deal with again. What we do know is that Dave Vespo has made horrendously horrible decisions that will affect our welfare for decades to come…not only in this decision but dozens more, costing multi millions of dollars, wasted. Rene Varela is my choice for change.
For our local newspaper to say that a Commissioner is not effective in moving the City forward and that is a reason not to vote for her is disingenuous and just plain silly. You can’t be on the short end of the
