Greater Bay—similar to a dull toothache

Got fleeced?

The City and Commission got fooled. Bad decisions were made by Lake Worth. We were all fast-tracked on a slow ride. Peter Willard and Greater Bay just keep chucking along trying to get their greedy big hands on our beachfront property. Now on Tuesday, Peter Willard is scheduled to give another fantasy presentation of what they will do for us once they try to break down our resolve once and for all. Law suit they will scream!

Greater Bay was paid in full for the work at our pool but it never completed some of the work to this day. We have been asking them since April (8 months ago) but they have ignored us. See article on Pool Screw-ups. Now the Commission has to decide on whether the people of Lake Worth should pay for some of these expenditures if Greater Bay won’t, and will vote on this Tuesday night. Corey, where are you?

Greater Bay is similar to a dull tooth ache. The longer you hold off getting it looked at, the worse the pain becomes. It just won’t go away until you finally do something about it.

The time is Tuesday.

Future growth the culprit

Today’s Post talks about the South Florida Water Management’s rules regarding year-round water restrictions. The two-day-a-week (unless you are Lake Worth) watering is now permanent even if you have your own Reverse Osmosis plant.
CLICK HERE
The reason: Future growth population

Water, water everywhere but not in Lake Worth

Our Commissioners want all lawns to look like dried out wheat beds sprinkled with native plants and mulch. In spite of the fact that we are not in a drought, we still only can water once a week and with this Commission, that will be the way it is for eternity.

You have seen this photo all over our city. It is just a typical depiction of the result of water restrictions that we all must adhere to. We continue to have to listen to the same old tired argument that we are running out of water and should not waste this precious commodity on lawns, heaven forbid. My friend, Drew, would not agree with me but he has a xeriscape yard. That's his choice. I say, stop the growth and stop the building. There are just too many people moving to South Florida. Combined with the illegal immigrant situation impacting our resources, I agree that we must get a handle on it and a moratorium on growth would do that.

We need to thank the Commission that is directly responsible for our blighted old City. They have allowed this City to get out of control. 20 people to a room? Not only do they turn their heads to the blight, they contribute to it by agreeing to this once a week watering whereas nearly every city around is allowed to water their lawns twice a week. We are not even in an emergency situation. South Florida Water Management even dumps excess water into the ocean but imposes these restrictions.

This environmentalist commission keeps making it impossible for people to want to live and buy here. Who wants to spend $200,000 plus on a house and you can’t even have a nice lawn? We need more owner occupied houses here to help change the tide of blight.

At least the Commission has the common sense under New Business this week to amend the vacant lot maintenance requirement by deleting the new plantings other than drought tolerant sod. What is that exactly? Wheat grass? There is nothing nicer than lush, green, St. Augustine grass to sink your feet into.

Resource Center (Illegal Labor Center)

From the Floridians for Immigration Enforcement--

"Lake Worth Illegal Alien Hiring Hall:

The Lake Worth City Commission will meet on December 2, 2008 to allocate $300,000 in order to open their illegal alien hiring hall. This budget allocation is despite layoffs of 47 city workers and cuts to many services including senior services. It appears as though they have the votes for this obnoxious project. Please attend to tell the commissioners how irresponsible their actions are."

The commission meets at 6 PM at:

7 North Dixie Hwy.
Lake Worth, FL 33460

Agenda item: Unfinished B
AGENDA

Back-Up Documentation:
BACK-UP

This is $50,000 less than originally requested even though those Commissioners voting for this illegal labor hiring hall (Clemens, Jennings and Golden) are encouraging illegal activity. We want our officials to obey the law. Commissioner Golden said it was just a coincidence that they were requesting hundreds of thousand of dollars to fix up the shuffleboard building just at the same time that it is being used for undocumented workers (illegals). Sure it is Commissioner, whatever you say.

"Jupiter El Sol Protest Anniversary:

Staunch Jupiter activists have continued the Jupiter Illegal Alien Hiring Hall (El Sol) protests every Saturday since the initial protest on December 1, 2007. You are invited to join in a larger protest on December 6, 2008, the one year anniversary of the protests. The time will be 9AM- 12 Noon at the corner of Indian Town Road and Military Trail in Jupiter. Please join us."

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Thanksgiving Day is the one day that we as Americans can call our very own. It is a day of family, tradition and sharing.

And carrying on another American tradition of giving, The Farmer Girl Restaurant located at 1732 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth, will be hosting its 25th annual FREE Thanksgiving dinner for all on Thanksgiving Day. It used to be for the needy or those alone but the owners want to give back to everyone.

Dinner time starts at 10:30am and ends at 5pm.

As we dine on turkey and cranberry sauce and apple pie this year, surrounded by friends and loved ones, we really should pause and reflect as to why we are so lucky and have so much and why we are losing it so fast. Ask yourself, “Where is this country headed?”

Take a tiger by the tail

If General Motors really wants to survive, it needs to fire its CEO and fire its Board of Directors....maybe file bankruptcy and re-organize. Cut wages and pensions by 50%. Renegotiate all union contracts. Build smaller, economical cars...not those SUV's. Give it a year to work through the mess. If they can't turn it around, the government should intervene and continue the bailout.

Next, they need to rehire Tiger Woods. :) Well, at least he is a winner!

John Jordan Quote

John Jordan says, "The eight people running this City, I wouldn't want driving your car."

Joan Oliva’s Performance Review

If there must be a review of management, then
It should be held in the Sunshine. Why not?
It should be done by the entire CRA Board. Why not?

Even new appointees to the CRA can evaluate someone’s performance over several months. They already know and understand certain decisions taken by the director over the last year. Has she performed under her job description? Objectivity must be maintained when giving a performance review. If she is rated by a single person, that person may be biased or take an incomplete view of her work for whatever personal or political reason.

Reviews should be based over an entire year’s performance, not one or two issues where politics got in the way or someone felt slighted because the Director had a different opinion. Where you stand on an issue determines what you see.

All CRA members should be allowed to cast an opinion, not just one or two members of the CRA. The Executive Director reports to the entire Board.

When it comes right down to it, reviews should be given throughout the year and not at year-end when it puts everyone evaluating her into an awkward position as judge and jury and having to bring issues up well after they occurred. After all, you have to work together as a team.

Personally, I have never liked the idea of performance reviews for management. It is insulting but it is upper management's way to justify termination, lower raises, keep you "in your place" and avoid lawsuits. It is a way of intimidation.

No one person is alike and therefore can’t fit into any one mold or critique. Do away with them and let that employee know immediately how you feel about what they did or did not do as the situation happens. A performance review undermines a relationship. People want to feel empowered in their job. Reviews can cause bad feelings and lower morale. They just do.

But I can see why we need them in Lake Worth.

Save Our Neighborhood, Inc.

Chair, Katie McGiveron, Treasurer, Lynn Anderson,
Jennifer Marchal, Betty Anderson

The PAC met today to discuss the re-hearing filed by our attorney, Lesley Blackner, on the Sunset annexation issue.

The City of Lake Worth and all the intervenors of the case say that it is not a case of exceptional importance. WE KNOW DIFFERENTLY. It has drawn the City of Boca Raton and the League of Cities as amicus curiae. The League of Cities highlighted the importance of this case in its brief in violation of settled law that amicus curiae may not inject new issues into the appellate process.

10/22/2008 Reversed - Authored Opinion
11/04/2008 Motion For Rehearing Lesley Blackner , Respondent (M)
11/04/2008 Motion For Rehearing EN BANC Lesley Blackner , Respondent (M) T-
11/14/2008 Notice of Joinder Lawrence W. Smith , Petitioner AND ADOPTION OF RESPONSE TO MOT/REHEARING EN BANC. (8 COPIES FILED 11/18/08)
11/14/2008 RESPONSE Ronald E. Crescenzo 894214, Petitioner TO MOTION FOR REHEARING EN BANC, ETC. (8 COPIES FILED 11/17/08)
11/18/2008 REPLY TO RESPONSE Lesley Blackner , Respondent TO MOTION FOR REHEARING, ETC.
THE PEOPLE WE ARE FIGHTING

Socrates quote

Commissioner Mulvehill quoted Socrates on Friday. Thought this one was funny!

I was really too honest a man to be a politician and live.
Socrates

Chamber of Commerce Awards Luncheon

PB County Commissioner Shelley Vana, Mayor Jeff Clemens and Tom Ramiccio,

President of the Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce.

The Annual Awards Luncheon of the Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce was held yesterday at the Polish American Club on Lake Worth Road. Matt Lauer, co-anchor of The Today Show, was the keynote speaker. It was estimated hundreds of members and their guests were in attendance for this event, dining on roast beef and mashed potatoes and gravy.

The following awards were presented to those having made outstanding contributions to the City of Lake Worth:

1. Lake Worth City Employee of the Year--Joseph Kroll
2. Lifetime Achievement Award--C. H. "Mac" McKinnon
3. Community Service Awards--Barbara Aubel, Nadine Burns, Herman Robinson
   

Commissioner Mulvehill takes the oath

Suzanne talking to a few supporters before Oath

Suzanne Mulvehill was sworn in today as new Commissioner District 4. She thanked all her supporters and hit on her key issues--utility bills, improving the City and keeping our beach under public control. She is passionate about improving our City and making City Hall responsive to the residents. Best of luck, Suzanne.

Quote of Dave's

I just got my LW Herald and in it is a quote from Dave Vespo regarding Greater Bay:

"...we have to remember that voters agreed to a public/private deal to develop the beach."

Dave, that has always been the problem. The voters had no say so whatsoever in the beach although we spoke out on numerous occasions and even petitioned to bring it to a vote. It was the Commission that took the right to vote away from us. You decided what we wanted. This has always been the problem--the majority three of you did not listen. Hopefully, that will change.

Our CRA and on Ethics Policies

Our City, along with every other city in the State, is facing a loss of revenues due to the sluggish economy and Amendment One. Development impact fees which finance many cities’ capital improvement projects have become stagnant or better said, non-existent. Our CRA has given incentives to developers for homeowner financing in Hammon Park, as an example. Our CRA also gave to an owner on 6th Avenue South by way of an Option. Our CRA is always looking for ways to spend our money. The biggest project here is the Gateways. Use of the CRA’s tax increment capacity is a way to keep public improvement projects moving forward whether the tax payers want them or not.

One of the big dream projects now for our CRA is the TOD, Transit Oriented Development as well as a new City Center. They are determined to get these projects done, sooner rather than later. The City can't seem to find money to maintain one single asset but the CRA can come up with capital projects that cost us multi-millions.

Today, with the Supreme Court’s ruling, once again CRA’s will be allowed to proceed with bond issuance for their pet projects without voter approval. CRA’s are ecstatic today knowing that the citizens will have no voice on how their money is spent. This is just another reason to take back the CRA as it puts too much power in the hands of an appointed Board.

On another note, Randy Schultz of the Palm Beach Post today says why have an ethics policy when no one has to abide by it and sites Tony Masilotti as an example. First of all, with an ethics policy, you have publicly committed yourself to a higher standard. Second of all, if an elected official tries to pull a fast one, you can demand that he rescue himself from a public vote and know that right is in your corner. That public representative will not just be allowed to sit in her/his seat pretending to not understand or be impervious to unethical behavior. Elected officials will have to rise to the new standard of conduct as other commissioners and the public will hold them accountable. We will all benefit by that commitment. Having an ethics policy will allow us to have better government and we all want that.

Obama transition--rough road ahead

The weakened economy and global credit crisis pushed the U.S. government into bailing out companies including insurer AIG, investment bank Bear Stearns, and mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The Fed lowered the target federal-funds rate at which banks lend to each other by 0.5 percentage point to 1%.

In the first ten months of this year, the nation's employers have cut nearly 1.2 million jobs and the unemployment rate is now at 6.5 percent.

The U.S. financial system still needs at least $1 trillion to $1.2 trillion of tangible common equity to restore confidence and improve liquidity in the credit markets, according to Reuters.

We have 20,000,000 illegals wanting amnesty and taking jobs from legal Americans.

It is estimated that it will take years to get out of this mess and I'm watching the market under 8,000 as I write. When will the nightmare end?

Don’t put the gloves away

This job is not even close to being done, so do not get smug in this success. We all have to recognize the inevitable--conditions change and what worked today may not necessarily be the answer or enough one year from now.

The developers, builders and Realtors have been silenced in Lake Worth today because of the dreadful market conditions. Also, their candidate did not have his finger on the pulse of the citizens. All residents here have been negatively impacted by the economy, taxes and the votes on the dais.

We have all been working for change for years now. Change takes time and scores of us worked to see this day, through public speaking, writing articles, filing law suits, petitioning, and campaigning over the last several years. This has all been a work in progress and progress takes a lot of time. Credit goes to so many people in the community who have taken the insults, harassment, the continued condescension as well as scorn from some of these people who kept saying that we were the “vocal minority.” We knew better. A special thanks to Bill Coakley at lakeworthmedia.com is in order for his continued perseverance in outing corruption.

The conditions and timing were ripe for Suzanne Mulvehill’s message--this time. The people spoke and said that they were no longer intimidated by the bullies here in Lake Worth. But the “it’s all about me” crowd are still here and they will be scheming and planning to win the next one because it is always about “them” and not for the greater good.

We saw how special interests came into Lake Worth trying to direct the outcome of this election. They want our beach. They want our water. I think they want our City. And it sure seems like that was what the former Commission majority wanted to do…outsource it all…give it all away. Every Political Action Committee around and out of town contributed to Dave Vespo’s campaign along with Chamber of Commerce members, Realtors and developers.

So, keep your finger on the pulse. Keep your focus. Do not take off the gloves. Do not get complacent in this success. As this new majority on the Commission will strive to improve the lives of all residents of Lake Worth and the health of our City, there are always those waiting in the wings to take you out.

Progressives, what are they?

Now listen to me!

Commissioner Golden was quoted as saying, “I think this is the first time the city has had such a progressive government,” made me ask, “what really is a progressive?” Basically it is championing the rights of the people, not just some of the people but ALL of the people.

Progressives in my mind are people who fight for the under-dog and try to make society a better place for the working class, the middle class, the wealthy and the poor. They constantly strive for solutions to the problems and fix what is broken. They listen to the people, all of us, not just the special interest groups and they do not advocate for their own personal agendas.

Commissioner Mulvehill said that she based her platform on what the people said to her. Somewhere in her bullet points she missed a subject on illegal immigration, however. This campaign was not about what she thought her platform should be nor was it about her but it was about what the people wanted solved here in Lake Worth, their concerns and their lives. Now I ask, how novel is that? It is so simple that I have to wonder why no one ever thinks about it. Most politicians who run for office write a platform based on what THEY think is important but Suzanne took the opposite approach. She asked us.

And that my friends is a progressive and that is why we will all be better for it.

14 of 14 Precincts Reporting

		Percent	Votes
Suzanne Mulvehill		58.79%	1,763
Dave Vespo		41.21%	1,236
			2,999

We can only hope

Today I am just going to lay back and wait for the results. I don't want to jinx the election by sign waving or anything else. I voted at 9am and 10 people had voted before me. This election will be decided by whoever gets out the vote.

Each candidate raised a lot of money especially in the last 10 days. Suzanne has to come from behind because of the PB Post endorsement, city employees walking around in their Firefighter T-shirts campaigning for Dave, Union guys waving signs and walking for Dave, the Human Rights Council guys raving about Dave and out of town people calling Lake Worth voters to have them vote for Dave.

If Suzanne manages to win, I can only hope that her votes will reflect the voice of the majority as well as reason and that she will listen to the taxpayers of our City. I hope that she will be her own person and not beholding to the Socialists. Her campaign turned down a free phone bank yesterday and Larry Winawer, her campaign strategist, said they were doing just fine.

If Dave wins, I can only hope that he will be more flexible, compromise, and listen to a wider area of residents, not just the handful of people directing business as usual in our City.

Let's all hope that the best candidate wins today!

Don't forget to VOTE

Say NO to bailouts

My cousin wrote to me this morning. He lives on Snowden Drive. This makes sense to me so I have reprinted what he says on the bailout:

Will folks , GM just finished building a new $300 MILLION auto manufacturing plant in ---RUSSIA, that will produce 140 thousand SUV'S AND CARS per year . That means that Russia will not need to import many GM products from here .

GM's USA division is not going to make it but, GM's division outside the USA will be fine as is the case with FORD. I bet that GM will take the bail out money and pay for the Russian plant and still go broke here and still walk away with bail out money in their pocket and make more profit from their Russian plant and not one cent of that will come back here.

We, the people, need to look closely at the thievery that is going on here. I say NO TO ANY BAIL OUT OF ANY BUSINESS and be grown ups and accept the hard adjustment that is needed because a hard adjustment is here now no matter what.

Amid the doom and gloom of the American meltdown, the new President and our government must immediately solve our financial crisis and stop taking advantage of its taxpayers for the benefit of corporate America and its shareholders. This outsourcing has hurt the American people. As corporations help to build up world economies, looking only at their bottom line, jobs are lost, people are forced out of their homes and our stock market continues to drop. Greed has caused this crisis. I always condemned Ronald Reagan when he started to break the backs of the unions around the early 80's. But maybe he had the answer afterall.

A quote by blogger, Paul Hilliard: American labor unions can either help lead our country back to manufacturing competitiveness, or drag us to third world status. It’s either take the pain now, or leave the mess for our children.

Larry, do you advise on this too?

Campaign Advertising

What information must be included on a political disclaimer?

• Political advertisement paid for by a candidate:

  "Political advertisement paid for and approved by (name of candidate) (party affiliation) for (office sought)."

• Political advertisement not paid for by a candidate:

  "paid political advertisement" or "pd. pol. adv." "(name and address of the persons sponsoring the advertisement)"

• Political advertisement not paid for by a candidate, that supports a candidate, but is not an independent expenditure:

  "paid political advertisement" or "pd. pol. adv." "(name and address of the persons sponsoring the advertisement)" "No candidate approved this advertisement."
  


I just received a flyer from Suzanne today: No Disclaimer and it does not specify what District she is a candidate. Clearly wrong and this was pointed out at the beginning of this campaign.

Smooth as silk

This article from lakeworthmedia.com, Greater Bay's Peter Willard - background check 2 years late is about a guy who would charm the pants off my Grandmother and she has been dead for 50 years!

Politics is a gladiator sport

In the beginning of this election, directly after John Jordan registered as a Candidate District 2, Cara Jennings campaign strategist, Larry Winawer, contacted one of our LW citizens who was backing John Jordan.

The first call to this citizen was trying to get his opinion about whether Cara Jennings had done a good job for the City during her first term. He was not given a great report and mentioned that the only time he had heard from Cara in the 2 years and 9 months that she has been in office was when she called him to gather support for her campaign…she never returned phone calls or responded to e-mails.

Mr. Winawer called him again asking about John Jordan and whether he was a legitimate candidate or just merely there to pull-off a run-off in District 2. He suggested that he convince Mr. Jordan to get out of the race if he was not a serious candidate. He was told that he WAS a serious candidate.

This morning I got a call from someone in the Mulvehill campaign telling me about a brunch at Lake Worth Towers. I drove over there and the first person I encounter is Mr. Winawer, a New Yorker now living in West Palm Beach or somewhere. He turned on me like a New York minute and threw up to me that I had contributed to the Mary Lindsey campaign. I informed him that I had contributed to all 3 candidates, that I lived in this city, did he? He then told me to take 180^ turn out of the restaurant. I said that was exactly what I was going to do and FU** you.

Isn’t politics fun?

It's all about the issues--and don't forget the truth

Today’s paper quotes René Varela and his reason for endorsing Suzanne Mulvehill: “agrees with her on issues such as retaining city control of the beachfront casino and following through with construction of the reverse-osmosis water plant.” He further states that, “It’s about the issues, we need to get personality out of it.”

I think that we all agree to that although personality does enter into the equation. People have to like the candidate and they certainly have to trust him. Both these candidates are very likeable people, so throw personality totally aside. It IS all about the issues and understanding what in heck your elected representative votes for and the consequences of those actions. Who do you trust?

Again, Dave Vespo does not understand his water decision when he voted to take a match to $14 million dollars and end our Reverse Osmosis System, a system that would have left Lake Worth independent as a Seller of water and not a Buyer of water. This article quotes him as saying that the $18 million deal (which is really a $21 million dollar deal according to Staff statements) he devised with PB County is a SHORT-TERM solution to our water. NO IT IS NOT. This is long-term. He further states that the State denied permits for discharging waste-water. NO THEY DID NOT. They denied a permit for discharging waste into the ocean. This has nothing to do with deep well injection permits for which Vespo and the City did not apply.

Vespo says he is still for the Greater Bay project of giving control over of our 19 beachfront acres and tear down our casino building. He failed to say that there is so much controversy in the City about this bad deal and bad plan, that he just wants to railroad it in and discount anything that the citizens have ever had to say on our beach. He does not listen to the people. Greater Bay has not performed under the contract and has tied up our beach for years. There are two law suits that are a direct result of this bad decision to contract with Greater Bay and Peter Willard.

This election comes down to this—There is a faction in this City that does not want to give up control of the 3 to 2 vote on the dais. They will vote for the status quo at any cost to the welfare of our City rather than voting for the person who will make every effort to save money, understand contracts and affect change in the right direction for everyone in Lake Worth for generations to come. Clearly there is only one choice.

Property tax rates

Dave--didn't you say that you LOWERED TAXES? Just checking.

Property tax rates

Property tax rate per $1,000 of taxable property value

Local government	2007	2008
Palm Beach County	$3.78	$3.78
Atlantis	$5.93	$6.05
Belle Glade	$6.43	$6.43
Boca Raton	$3.02	$3.02
Boynton Beach	$6.45	$6.45
Briny Breezes	$2.55	$2.76
Cloud Lake	$0	$0
Delray Beach	$6.14	$6.39
Glen Ridge	$0	$0
Greenacres	$4.70	$4.70
Gulf Stream	$2.95	$2.86
Haverhill	$4.29	$4.29
Highland Beach	$3.52	$3.40
Hypoluxo	$2.35	$2.35
Juno Beach	$2.80	$2.80
Jupiter	$2.24	$2.42
Jupiter Inlet Colony	$3.94	$3.82
Lake Clarke Shores	$4.84	$5.62
Lake Park	$7.63	$8.51
Lake Worth	$7.29	$7.65
Lantana	$6.18	$3.23
Loxahatchee Groves	$1.50	$1.50
Manalapan	$2.90	$2.90
Mangonia Park	$9.80	$9.80
North Palm Beach	$6.10	$6.69
Ocean Ridge	$4.75	$5.15
Pahokee	$7.02	$7.05
Palm Beach	$3.36	$3.25
Palm Beach Gardens	$5.10	$5.25
Palm Beach Shores	$5.74	$5.74
Palm Springs	$4.00	$4.33
Riviera Beach	$8.42	$8.42
Royal Palm Beach	$1.99	$1.97
South Bay	$6.30	$6.30
South Palm Beach	$5.96	$6.56
Tequesta	$5.76	$5.76
Village of Golf	$6.18	$6.70
Wellington	$2.34	$2.34
West Palm Beach	$7.19	$7.55

Thank you, Sun Sentinel.

Defunct Mystery ECO endorses Vespo

Citizens for a Sustainable Economy (ECO)

This is an electioneering committee that started filing T-Reports and collecting money on November 3, 2006. Its final report was filed for the period ending October 30, 2008 with total contributions of $70,400.01 and of course, the same for expenses.

This Group is headquartered out of Sarasota and the address is 1673 Georgetown Boulevard, Sarasota, FL 34232, (941) 400-6106 and its Chair is Matt Cracchiola, the son of a Sarasota minister as reported on the Internet.

The Naples News says that Electioneering Communication Organizations or ECOs “duck disclosure laws by collecting money late in campaigns and spending it during the final few weeks.” In this way, there is no way to track the money. It is heavily rumored and believed to have been funded by the Florida Home Builders Association and other groups wanting growth and density.

As this Group has given some sort of endorsement to Dave Vespo, read what others have to say about this now defunct group. When researching this closed ECO, there is not much to find.

Key West
Amy Stein, Bradenton

Marriage Ban Protest

" Lake Worth is a mix of many different groups," said City Commissioner Cara Jennings. "And to be fair, a majority group should not have the power to write the rules for the minority. If we allow that to happen we will never have true equality."
SHOULD THE MINORITY RULE?

"Dare I say it, if marriage rights were up to the cities and not the State, I think we would have gay marriage here," said Babak Movahedi, Chairman of Miami Beach's gay business development committee.
WELL, YES, THE MAJORITY WOULD WIN HERE JUST LIKE IN NORMAL ELECTIONS.

We are all well protected under our Constitution from discrimination based on gender, religion, race, sexual orientation, etc; individual freedom of belief, speech, association, and the press; and political participation. You can't get much more equality than that. Gays are protected. All minorities are protected. This Amendment has nothing whatsoever to do with "hate" as they continually try to tell us. It is all about what defines "marriage." 61.9% (a supermajority) of the voters in Florida spoke and defined it for you.

Now we have a Commissioner in Lake Worth, a city with a large gay population, who has always been a champion of the people's right to vote to determine an outcome now saying something directly opposite. Is that what anarchists do?

On John G's and the Allen letter to the Editor

Lake Worth resident, Erin Allen, wrote a letter to our editor of The Palm Beach Post and in it are some distortions, exaggerations and downright lies.

Statement: Several plans over the years would have allowed John G’s and the other retailers at the Lake Worth beach to remain open during construction of a new retail building.
FACTS: Only one plan came before the residents and it was defeated at the polls because of the amount of the bond and where the building would be situated.

Statement: They (John G’s) have fought every plan and have contributed financially to political action committees that oppose any revitalization of the beach facilities.
FACTS: There was only one plan. They did contribute $500 to We Love Lake Worth PAC, which was specific to the beach, towards its petition drive to allow the residents of Lake Worth to vote on the zoning changes at our beach, not “committees” plural—only one.

Statement: …political action committees that oppose ANY revitalization of the beach
FACT: That statement is a bold faced figment of Ms. Allen’s imagination.

Statement: Multiple engineering reports have declared it (casino) structurally unsound.
FACT: Total fabrication. Not one engineering company has declared the building unsafe, structurally unsound—not ever.

Statement: Due to the city’s pathetic business management skills…..
FACT: That might be the only true statement in her letter.

Statement: …I am outraged that I have been subsidizing John G’s.
FACT: John G’s is a reason why a lot of people visit our beach. This is a beach business. He has kept prices low throughout all the 35 years he has been in business. To accept credit cards takes away another 2% of his low profit. He buys quality food. He caters to beachgoers who don’t usually carry credit cards. He has built the addition to the north side of his restaurant at his expense. He has, through the years of neglect by the City of Lake Worth, made repairs himself that were the responsibility of the landlord, The City of Lake Worth. The City had no justification to charge higher rents when it failed to maintain the building and allowed it to fall apart. He has been a great asset to our City.

Visions of Sugar Plums

Peter Willard of Greater Bay and Mayor Jeff Clemens, part of the Triad

The owner of the Sabal Plam asked that I take down the photo where Peter Willard sleeps when he is here. So, I will respect his wishes. Instead, envision that Peter is sleeping under the stars, at our pool, covered in that bubble wrap, trying to get that much closer to the plum.

When someone does something so egregious, you always ask, "How can you sleep at night?" Well now we know. Look at this beautiful room at Sabal Palm B&B. This is where Peter Willard sleeps, dreaming on how to wrangle our beach away once and for all.

He dreams of the jackhammer and ball and chain at our Casino building. He dreams about taking away all of our upper level parking and building a mall nearly the size of The Lucerne downtown. He dreams of cutting off access to our beachgoers but most of all, he dreams of dealing with a City that can't negotiate a deal, that continues to let him get away with non-performance and a City that cares nothing for its people, because if it did, they would have allowed us to vote on this zoning change.

It's almost X'mas. Will Peter Willard get his plum?

PB Post--Clueless

Is the Palm Beach Post Editorial staff living on another Planet? I just now finished reading the editorial and these people just keep missing it and interject stupidity, not just some of the time, but with frequency. This blog post is not about Dave Vespo who I happen to think is a nice guy but a Commissioner who has voted the wrong way on most every major issue in Lake Worth. This is about getting to the truth. It is about The Post. And they wonder why readership is down and they have had to lay off over 600 people.

Today they say the reasons to vote for Dave Vespo are:

Going with the Sheriff’s department because there are more officers on the streets. Now just how stupid is this really? It is the same exact number of people. The shifts have changed. We could have done that ourselves. And it is costing us more money to do this.

More resources by going to the Sheriff’s Department. NO THERE ARE NOT. We have the same resources as before and we have always paid the County for them. Last year we paid in excess of $3 mil for Sheriff services.

Says Dave Vespo is flexible to work out the problems with FMPA. Vespo has shown NO flexibility in the past for working out our FMPA contract until just recently, at election time.

Says that Vespo is for demolishing the Casino and going with Greater Bay. That is true but why? The people don’t want this. Why is he so insistent to continue to support Greater Bay, a company that has NEVER PERFORMED. The people want control of their beach.

And then the Post suggests that we have instant run-off elections...a Green Party idea brought up by Echo Steiner at a Commission meeting. Dear Mr. Editor, the people voted overwhelmingly this past January and said that they WANTED run-off elections (two round system) and voted 67% that way. Let's keep everything open and honest when it comes to LW politics.

Stay out of Lake Worth politics. You have no clue.

What happened to Webster’s?

Right now we have people offended by descriptions of certain people or things…can’t call an illegal alien an illegal alien, you have to say “undocumented worker.” I have had Socialists correct me saying that these people are undocumented workers and that there is no such thing as an illegal immigrant. Whaaaaaaaaat?

People are always offended by something, so what’s new? We tag on our own descriptive labels and twist the facts rather then calling a spade a spade. We all do it. Now admit it. And besides, it's fun.

In fact, after driving down Lake Avenue today and seeing all the loitering going on-- illegal aliens waiting to be picked up for jobs--the excuse for that will be “people who can’t read”…signs are in both English and Spanish…they don’t know they have to go to the “Resource Center” and therefore we must give them more time to get accustomed to the idea. Maybe they don't know what a Resource Center is. They probably can relate to an illegal labor hiring hall. The employers can't read either?


Katie McGiveron, Chair of Save Our Neighborhood, Inc. gives the following word definitions in our Lake Worth City Dictionary:

• Prostitutes: Sexual entrepreneurs

• Robbers and thieves: Wealth re-distributors

• Gang bangers: Underprivileged, misunderstood angry youth

• Johns: Sexually challenged people

And a few more from others—

• Petition gatherers: Obstructionists

• People who feel that we should have the right to vote on our beach or vote on other zoning changes: Obstructionists, radicals

• LynnA: “Pissed off old lady”

• Politicians: Crooks

• Someone who hasn't lived in the City for at least 4 years: Untrustworthy

• Those against anything you are for: Racist, stupid, liar, dangerous, etc, etc.

• Special Interests: Individual citizens supporting a candidate (Thanks, Wes)

Can we go back to using Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary?

Two lonely people one lonely night...

Former Rene Varela supporters, Donna Ross and Bill Coakley, out sign waving for Suzanne Mulvehill at Lucerne and Dixie. I asked where all the other people were and was told that they were door knocking.
5 MORE DAYS! Can't wait.

New lifeguard stand

Only two of them but better looking than the scaffolding that was in place for far too long.

Great day at the beach. Do you think any of these people care one iota as to what is going on politically in our City? I didn't have a care in the world on this beautiful day....just save our beach.

Our CRA

Months ago, the Commission attempted to take back the CRA due to gross mis-management by the Board and bad decisions affecting our tax money. Politics is the only reason this Board is in place today.

Now, with the new Director, Joan Oliva, the power of the CRA Board is being eroded rapidly. I won’t go into it as I have written about it previously. We no longer have to worry about politics keeping this Board in place. Staff is doing it for us.

Now, they have finally started their $8 million dollar project on 10^th Avenue North right at the start of our tourist Season. Great going guys! Just to spend this sort of money on a street, especially when our city can’t figure out how to pay the bills, is obscene in itself.

The Gateways project was voted in by the CRA Board during the real estate boom. But even after the bust, certain Commissioners along with the CRA Board voted it as their top priority. Times changed and we now can’t even pay for our own police retirement or fix the Casino building but our Commission did not care. $8 million can be spent on fixing up a street so that some people can have something pretty to look at driving home.

Lemons

That has to be a sight to behold--My friend, Bill, waving a Mulvehill sign when I never saw him wave one of his own when he was "running" for Mayor. Good going, Bill. In fact, he never got up from his computer during his own campaign. There must be something motivating this action! Is it Dave? Is it Suzanne? Is it politics? :)

Report in on his former Campaign Manager who was at one of the Mayor's gigs recently. She didn't know it was the Mayor when she started throwing lemons at his band. His nickname now is Lemons Clemens.

Enough to give you acid reflux.

Being a rock star--AWESOME

Do we need a rock star, someone with a great smile, a motivational speaker or someone with just exceptional skills, in-depth knowledge and fortitude to do what it takes to turn it around? Well, the people answered that.

I sure don’t wish the awesome responsibilities that our elected officials have so willing walked the City streets to be elected for, being our rock star in the worst economy that I can remember. Efficient campaigns are one thing but can these people be efficient in their jobs? There has to be some sort of arrogance in all of this. These are the same people who have been in charge—different capacities but in charge nevertheless. Can you even imagine it? Give me some Prozac. What will it take to turn our economy around? There aren’t enough jails to house the culprits. We’ve given a $700 billion dollar bailout to the mortgage industry and nothing has happened. The market went down after the Presidential election. We have all been used and abused like your kid’s rag doll.

Right now we have 19 banks that have failed. Our housing market continues to fall and anyone buying now will suffer losses immediately over the next several years as prices fall into line with tighter lending and stagnant salaries. Unemployment is at its highest in 14 years and corporations continue to outsource jobs. Life savings are disappearing. A loaf of bread is 3 bucks. Consumer spending is at a 30 year low. And here in Lake Worth, rentals for dilapidated shacks are at $1,000 a month and we are losing our entire City through a 3 to 2 vote to whomever wants it or can give us $1 a year or just place it on the ballot…everyone knows that people usually vote “yes.”

How will our City Commission handle it all? Will we have a continued policy of giving away our city rather than tackling the problems head-on and stopping the waste?

Is everyone on the Commission and the next Commissioner in District 4 ready for the challenge and have sound solutions or was this just all about an efficient campaign, being a rock star and a good talker just to win the prize?

Awesome, isn’t it?

Lake Worth High Alumni, PB Hall of Famer

Having lunch with his sister last year, I asked about Herb, our hometown hero. One of my biggest highlights as a kid was getting his autograph. He wrote in purple ink! I will always remember that autograph and it traveled with me through two marriages and got left behind in Baltimore, Maryland. I have regretted to this day not having it. He was in a serious car crash about 10 years ago followed by a stroke. His spirits were always up but he just could not hang on, leaving us at 75 years of age with great memories. Rest in Peace.

Politics--doncha just hate it?

Everyone is making assumptions out there about what Rene Varela will do. Varela is an honorable man caught between two other candidates with either a different agenda than his own or different ethics to get into power.

This was posted on lakeworthmedia.com by one of Cara's friends and it truly is offensive to me:

Shame on Rene if indeed he is endorsing Vespo. Shows that he is a weak sellout. Let us be thankful that personality type did not make it to the dias. We need strong leadership and Suzanne is the right person for the job!

Right now, the only people being unpleasant and obnoxious are those in the other camp. Hopefully, Dr. Varela endorses no one. Let them win on their own worth.

Campaign Update and FHD in the News!

From Lesley--

In light of the hyper-partisanship of election season, it is important to realize that Florida Hometown Democracy is a non-partisan reform with only one goal: giving voters the power to veto bad growth plan changes.

Mark your calendars for January 8, 2009. Hometown Democracy v. the State of Developers heads to the Florida Supreme Court for the umpteenth time in the battle to save what’s left of this once gorgeous state. The court will rule on the revocation statute. You will recall that FHD won at the First District Court of Appeals but the state appealed the ruling.

Regardless of the ruling, FHD will be on the 2010 ballot. If you are interested in volunteering on the campaign, please email us at E-mail address: flhometown@yahoo.com
.

The “big boyz” are nervous about the looming reality that people who live in a town might actually have a voice in its future, so they are running hard to procure their “entitlements” NOW, before the 2010 election. It doesn’t seem to matter that we are in the midst of a real estate depression, they must have approval for that new mega-sprawl. If the truth be told, they are programmed for destruction and just don’t care about anything else. See the excellent article below….simply substitute your county for Orange County and your BAD project for “Innovation Way” ….and the beat just goes on!

We can’t wait for 2010!

ORLANDO SENTINEL.COM

PB Post article

CLICK HERE FOR POST ARTICLE ON THE CASINO AND SHUFFLEBOARD COURT

Commissioner Jennings stands in defiance

Googling or English lessons?

Last night the item of $350,000 was on the Consent Agenda to pay for repairs at our ShuffleBoard Court building, a building that has been totally neglected for a decade or more like so many of other public buildings. The request for funds came at the exact same time that our lease began with The Mentoring Center, a group to aid illegal immigrants. Commissioner Jo-Ann Golden said that this was just coincidental. The Commission has allowed this Group to be at our public building and the use has not even been approved. Zoning must change to even make this illegal act legal to some degree. The Commission is not even following our own laws on the books.

What I found especially offensive was that the City allowed the building to rot while only the seniors were occupying it who are legal residents of this city (a little over 14% of the population), but now there was a special group there (probably half of our City or more) using it at our expense who are illegal. The Median age is estimated at 35.2 in Lake Worth so you can see where Seniors have some problem here.

Former Commissioner Scott Maxwell spoke in front of the Commission and advised that this was a waste of our public treasury. He handed out a letter from Judicial Watch that they all received in the mail and a document that none of them had acknowledge receiving, that the City was violating Federal law.

Judicial Watch just managed to finally close down the illegal labor center in Herndon, Virginia, a center that had used tax dollars to help illegal aliens find jobs. Judicial Watch had filed a law suit on behalf of a group of residents against the Town and it prevailed. They are involved in other law suits.

Although Commissioner Jennings put down Judicial Watch as unimportant, I suppose, saying it wasn’t even signed by an attorney (how does she know that?) and did the same to Mr. Maxwell, the City of Lake Worth’s illegal action is being taken very seriously by this group.

Commissioner Golden reminded me that the City had passed some ordinance four years ago saying that we had to call these people undocumented workers, not illegal aliens. She had taken offense to my term of use during public speaking. May I please remind Jo-Ann that this is America and legal citizens have rights. What happened to the First Amendment? Because of the direction this City Commission is taking, before too long, none of them will care about my rights.

ELECTION RESULTS--LAKE WORTH District 4

CLICK HERE FOR STARTLING RESULTS

Give me a “C.” Give me a ---

Sometimes it is just a fine line--

How low can local candidates go to achieve their goal of winning and fighting their way to power? If candidates resort to lying, rumor-mongering and even to personal threats to achieve their goal, how can they be good anymore? Do they not become the bad guy…part of the problem?

Commissioner Jennings said the other afternoon during her acceptance speech that her job was to do what the people want in this City, “not my own personal agenda,” and asked all of us to take her to task if she did not. She mentioned values and ideals. She has always been the champion of civil rights and has been considered highly principled.

We all just have to watch television or read the Post to see examples of political corruption. All those who were responsible for our great democracy were wise beyond their time and their ideals prevail today. What they failed to consider was human nature and how political corruption and personal agendas erode the very ideals that are so important. Actually, how could our forefathers consider it? They were forming a country based on the highest of principles and everyone then was on board.

Power can corrupt those for whom you thought were incorruptible and force you to align yourself with the “bad guys”…the ones who screwed, lied and connived--the guys who use to be what you considered the “good guys.” Who is the lesser of two evils is the question. Some would say it is only compromise and that is something that benefits the greater good. This election left me with the question, “Who is really the good guy?”

You don’t have to be a cheerleader to get your point across. When you’re an anarchist, no rules apply. They respect nothing and no-one but their own agenda. And heaven forbid if you get in the way. We saw this Mack truck barreling down the road during the election.

Sometimes corruption is just a subtle and a fine line and we all can get sucked in, even smart people who have easily dismissed all those who voted and worked in this campaign to affect change---(those who walked the city streets, gave money and voted for a candidate)--- who do we endorse next? The “good guy?”...the “bad guy?”…who in the heck knows. It’s such a fine line.

Sucked in

The Casino, is it saveable?

Opinion on John G's from the PB Post

Although there are still some in this City who want to argue that the building is unsafe and structurally unsound, not one engineering report attests to that. In fact, Dunkelberger Engineering, a company with no pony in this race, says just the opposite. I heard Michael J. O'Connor, Engineer and Executive Vice President of Dunkelberger say, on the phone, that this building WAS structurally sound.

So, let's see how this all progresses with
Straticon Construction Services.

Also, on another note, good for Suzanne. She took the number one emotional topic in this City and ran with it.

Thanks Commissioner Vespo!

I get to look at this neon billboard 24/7/365 for the next 20 years
(if I live that long)
along with hundreds of families on both sides of I-95.

SAMEO, SAMEO but now neighbors rebel

The City has socked it to us for years. What do we have to show for it? More blight, more crime, property values down the tubes and more moochers. Today we open The Mentoring Center. Good luck to that. Cara would say that I am being negative. You are ALWAYS negative when you are against something someone else wants. What about just following the law? Is that too much to ask? Yes, it is when you are dealing with the open border people and they believe it is our obligation and moral duty to feed, house and educate the world at the expense of legal citizens.

Now, we are going to be in ONE MORE LAW SUIT, fighting municipalities who say they are being screwed by Lake Worth Utilities and the City of Lake Worth. The citizens here have been saying it for years but it will now take outsiders to insist that the City prove and justify costs charged to them on pumping sewage.

Town of Palm Beach engineer, James Bowser says, “Lake Worth reported administrative charges of $639,498 for a system that has the equivalent of 3.4 employees. By contrast, West Palm Beach charges members of its East Central Regional Water Reclamation Facility $467,505 for a system with 38 employees.” Our new Lake Worth Utility Director says we have no choice. Of course she would say that.

So, what’s going on? Another law suit.

Worse than cocaine

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

I can guaranty you that the "obsessive" Obama supporters will NOT find humor in this. LOL

And speaking of obsessiveness, last night was a revelation of the desires of the "progressives" (well it's their word, not mine!) in this City. Next they want to run Bob LeJeune for Commissioner District 1 and bring the entire country of Haiti to live in Lake Worth, Florida. You think you have troubles now! Don't laugh yet. All the rest of you who voted to give away our public land for 99 years are part of the problem too. Let's give it away, lease it away or pi** it away and oh, don't forget--open our borders to all. It's what these socialists want.

Congratulations

Commissioner Cara Jennings taking oath for her 2nd term

Directly after the oath was taken Cara gave her speech and mentioned General William J. Worth, (1794-1849) who led U.S. forces during the last part of the Second Seminole War. She said he committed genocide and she intimated that she would try and change the name of our City during her next term. This is a War that happened over 150 years ago but some people just can't get beyond the past.

She thanked me for helping her in her campaign in my District. I told her that she did it all herself because if I had helped, then I would have won for my candidate in District 4. She told me that she didn't want to hear any negativity and then she moved on.

Message from Suzanne

CLICK HERE
to read what Suzanne has to say

Foreclosures--will they be a problem for us?

Candidate Rene Varela talked several times about the foreclosure issue that could be a very serious problem next year in Lake Worth. We depend on ad valorem taxes to operate our City. How will foreclosures affect our City's ability to provide necessary services and stay operational?

Property values show no growth for 2009 and it is expected that the impact of the slowing real estate market and high foreclosure activity will result in reduced assessed values along with reduced property tax revenues next year.

Don't forget to ask Dave or Suzanne about this. Maybe they have an answer.

Yes We Can

Barack Obama has chosen Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff. I have been nuts about this guy ever since I first witnessed his brilliance as Senior Adviser to Bill Clinton. In 2007, he was picked as the Democratic Caucus Chair and in the first 100 legislative hours under his leadership, Democrats
passed sweeping ethics reform
strengthened our national security
increased minimum wage
expanded stem cell research
lowered the cost of prescription drugs
cut interest rates on student loans
ended the subsidies for the oil industry

The first order of business when President elect Obama takes office the first of the year: "It's the economy, stupid." He also said that we must get this back on track as it undermines every other priority that he wants to achieve.

Next, he needs to create jobs. How will he do this? A renewable energy policy. He said that he will invest $15 billion a year creating 5 million jobs.

Great speech last night. It gives us all hope. He has already made a great decision with Emanuel. We all believe Obama; we feel his strength and leadership and we believe that he understands the spirit of the American people when he says, "Yes we can." And Obama will.

"Should ofs" are important

Commissioner Dist No. 2 - LAKE WORTH

14 of 14 Precincts Reporting

Cara Jennings 55.68% 4,561 John ''JJ'' Jordan 9.96% 816 Mary Lindsey 34.36% 2,815 8,192

Commissioner Dist No. 4 - LAKE WORTH
14 of 14 Precincts Reporting
Suzanne Mulvehill 35.77% 2,772 Rene A. Varela 22.56% 1,748 Dave Vespo 41.67% 3,229 7,749 Cara Jennings was quoted as saying: "Voters seem to agree with her support for immigrant services in the city..." NO THEY DON'T. Lindsey never used or played up that one enough to even make it an issue. The average voter has no clue. Cara had a great campaign and tons of workers and the Green Party thrown in. She helped Mulvehill behind the scenes. She spent $5.04 for each vote. Mary Lindsey spent the most or $7.70 per vote according to the last T-Report. Everyone had an equal playing field as far as exposure. It had nothing to do with whether someone lived here 15 months or 10 years. It had everything to do with connecting with that voter and Cara did that. It took money and exposure to the whole city and like-ability. All the losers today should be reflecting on what they should have done differently and learn. "Should ofs" are very important.