I am against long term contracts and long term leases when they have been given away for $1 year with the excuse “well, we just don’t have $200,000 to fix up our own building so lease it to Compass for 20 years.”
“Well, we just can’t fix up our beach so let’s give it away for 40 plus years” to a scam artist.
Someone asked me, “Lynn, are you against gays? Are you against children?” You see, when you take a stand on something, the opposition is always looking for a reason for condemnation to twist it around to "prove" that you are a self-serving witch. No, I am against long-term leases and the giving away of city assets, no matter what the cause or what group has special personal or political connections with the Commission.
I am against the disenfranchising of the Seniors in Lake Worth which comprise about 14% of the population here. Seniors are among some of the poorest of our residents. Many of them walked to the Senior Center (now Compass) where they enjoyed many activities and even a low cost lunch. It was their one way to stay connected. But the City says, “Well, they have that new building out on Lake Worth Road. They can go there. True, but their transportation was taken away from them, the trolley. The reason? Money. Former Commissioner Nadine Burns initiated that.
The Seniors used to be able to go down to Bryant Park on Thursday’s and listen to great music (which was not TOO loud). What happened there? The City discontinued it because of money. The Seniors used to have activities at the Shuffleboard Court Building (note I continue to use the former name of that building). No more. Why not? The City gave it away to The Mentoring Center on a $1 a year lease to assist people to find work and mentor them on American culture. They still defecate on the shuffleboard courts and they still urinate on the building. In other words, the illegal immigrants won out over our legal Senior population there too. The City never had the money to take care of the building when the Seniors were there but came up with it for The Mentoring Center.
Now the predominantly Senior population spoke up last night at City Hall complaining about noise. They can’t sleep. Why? Bands playing at the local bars are too loud. Having been a singer in my early twenties with a band, I know that bands play at the highest decibels they can muster. Sound systems today allow unbelievable sound…143 decibels is loud. It is a band’s mission, some really believing that the louder they are, the better they are. Personally I hate noise too and much of that music is nothing but. Those speaking in favor of noise were NOT Seniors. The others had no compassion for those complaining.
Some of our businesses are suffering because of inconsiderate merchants too. We all live here and should have a chance at quiet enjoyment, be able to sit on our back porch at night and have a conversation, be able to sleep without the constant boom of a bass or the revving up of motorcycles.
We have all sorts of activities for various groups here: Reggae Fest, Hispanic Fest, Pride Fest, you name it. We have not been considerate of our Seniors in Lake Worth, a forgotten population many of whom have been here for decades. We are not being considerate to those who have a legitimate complaint who live or have businesses in the downtown. We, as a City, must be more than just about money. A compromise is in order and it might very well have to be a Noise Ordinance.
