He drove around town with his mayoral license plate that he had from when he was Mayor. And why not? Afterall, he had aspirations of being Mayor of Lake Worth again. Back in April 2009 Tom Ramiccio declared he was going to run for Mayor. What happened? Why did he change his mind?
Perhaps it was just circumstances-- the political atmosphere was just not quite right for him to enter the race. Perhaps he weighed the opportunity--$15,000 a year as Mayor or a possible $200,000 a year as CEO of the LW Chamber of Commerce. Who knows. What we do know is that nothing more was said from Tom about his mayoral ambition. The announcement just died on the vine.
Instead, he concentrated on his job at the Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce and how to go about getting more members and making more money. He knew if he could bring in more members and have more events, it would be lucrative for him. He knew with more members that he could be even a more powerful political influence in the City. Membership was off and it was getting more difficult to attract new members. Stores were still empty on Lake. He needed to devise ways to go about this so he got creative and contacted Ian Saltzman, principal at Lake Worth High, and stated he wanted 25% of their flea market income based on some old agreement no longer in force.
I believe that it was this one thing...that final display of greed...that did him in.
It wasn't the slick deal he pulled with the CRA and it paying taxpayer money towards the Chamber of Commerce building with the promise of taxes coming back to the CRA that they NEVER got. It wasn't the heavy handed tactics against certain merchants or certain citizens. It wasn't even the lack of transparency that got him in the end but that certainly was a big factor. It wasn't the fact that he treated Commissioner Mulvehill with contempt even though she was the appointed liaison to the Chamber. It wasn't the very real perception that he aligned himself politically with one faction in this city against all the rest. It wasn't even the fact that he introduced Rene Varela as the next mayor of Lake Worth at a Chamber breakfast BEFORE the election. But no one wants to put up with someone trying to elicit money out of the mouths of school kids.
All of "it" came to a screeching halt on December 17, when the Board of Directors of the Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce fired him and put a new lock on his office.
Tom now has conferred with an attorney, John Byrne, who said, "It's kind of like this was a rush decision," speaking of the Ramiccio firing by the Chamber Board.
Well, we don’t know about that Mr. Byrne. Tom is not "twisting in the wind" as the Herald states. Tom says it was just politics. Any position with any company involves politics. A lack of confidence happens over a long period of time, not just one Board meeting. It is only his lawyer, about three merchants, a minority number of directors on its Board, a couple of residents and the local newspaper that believe Tom was unjustly fired.
The entire Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce should be slapped in their collective faces and kicked in their collective rear ends for allowing Tom Ramiccio to represent their Chamber for even One second !What the he** is wrong with this picture? The Lake Worth Chamber board allowed and even encouraged this corrupt little dictator for years! These nameless idiots on the board should all be NAMED, and made to explain themselves.The Lake Worth Chamber is made up of many "Tom Rammiccios" and until all present board members step down,you still have the same corrupt organization that will continue to do nothing for the merchants or the people of Lake Worth.The Lake Worth Chamber will continue to be the butt of the other area Chambers jokes.
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