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The slum, blight and fall of our city, did not start with the first election of Commissioner Jennings as the Dozen would like to tell you and have you believe. It has been a Plan in effect for at least ten years by many who are biding their time, waiting. Some we still see hanging out at City Hall, some flitting around on a daily basis. This deplorable situation of slum and blight did not start over night. Why do you think that we have $60 million in outstanding code violations over the past decade?
If you look at the "Dirty Dozen," you will find several people who make their money from real estate, (remember The Lucerne?) a planner, several merchants, a few attorneys, some failed candidates for office, one still on our own Planning and Zoning Board and a few others who are hangers on for the ride and who are there because of their expressed hate of our elected officials that they could not throw out of elected office. They hate them because they actually believe the hype from the Dozen. They hate them because we have three honest commissioners that have stopped their forward movement. There are others there for their own self interests such as claiming public right-of-ways to the IntraCoastal Waterway as their own. Tonight, from 5 to 9, at the LW Golf Course, the City will be meeting on the public rights-of-way.
It is the Group that is still mad about the Casino…they want it knocked down. This started when the Casino was jackhammered during the Romano administration and the holes were NEVER cemented in. It was a devious plan to allow the casino to rot from within. They have had a desire for a certain out of town developer to take over our beach. Some of them still think that Greater Bay and the flim flam artist should have control of our beach!!!
They are people who are using the excuse of slum and blight and illegal immigration and Cara Jennings as their reason for solidarity. They are speaking out, trying to convince anyone who will listen, that these three commissioners, Jennings, Golden and Mulvehill, are what's wrong with Lake Worth. They condemn our City Manager at every opportunity. After all, it was the commission that hired her, so automatically it must be just another bad decision. Lies abound and integrity is thrown out the window.
The truth is, it's all about development, something they believe will solve our poor tax base as well as lining the pockets of their friends. Height restrictions that Commissioner Jennings initiated was the straw that broke their camel's back. They have become more vocal and confrontational. If they can reverse this commission, development will once again be welcomed into our City; friends will be rewarded, perhaps heights can be changed to 10 stories and another Lucerne built (Loretta approved of this one that is costing us $1.2 million over 10 years), the Gulfstream may get more variances, more Pugh deals, Sunset can get reversed so their buddies can get their zoning change to build high, and the list goes on. They never saw a development deal of the CRA they didn't like.
The "plan" that has been ongoing for ten years backfired on them. It got out of control and snowballed to where we are now. They wanted these properties that were coded and fines so high and beyond the owner's ability to pay so that they or their friends could acquire them. They had no idea that we would be invaded by illegal immigrants to this extent. Eventually, corrupt code officials got fired and bad employees are now gone. They play their politics and scream bloody murder every chance they get trying to plant doubt and suspicion for the very things that they started, blaming it on everyone but themselves.
Directly after the election, they started their negative campaign. We will be hearing more and more angry remarks from this group. There is one thing of which I can assure-- the problems we face in Lake Worth were not caused nor were they started by Commissioner Jennings, Commissioner Mulvehill or Commissioner Golden.
Where is our new Mayor in all of this? He has been quiet and this Group is unsure that they can count on him to vote their direction all of the time as they were behind Loretta Sharpe for Mayor. He will be very smooth and clever in his delivery and stay out of political trouble as his aspirations are higher than Lake Worth. He will go by the letter of the book. No one will fault him on his Nay vote. He will play the role of the "good" cop. They "hear" him but still can't quite figure him out. Actually he is on a higher plane than those who want to use him so desperately.
Rene did go to Loretta's Christmas party but he might have thought it was just politically prudent to do so and therefore we will give him the benefit of the doubt. Basically birds of a feather really do flock together. Even on the day of the run-off election he told me he knew nothing about the robo call or the deceptive flier that was put out by this Group. However, just like the dolphin trafficking explanation, he was cc'd in e-mails about the flier. He knew about it.
What's Next?
The dirty group has convinced some of the people in the South Palm neighborhood that Commissioner Mulvehill is evil and wants to destroy their neighborhood ! The pocket parks should be a positive thing for the neighbors-but they have been lied to .When I asked one resident what in the world she was afraid of She said "Well I really don't know, but we're scared".What is really sad is that after talking with some of the residents that were at the pocket park idea meeting,it's clear that we are all on the same page ! All of the people wanted the public access protected.and simple,well maintained areas. The residents had some really good ideas to offer.Unfortunately ,there were some really mean ,needless comments against Commissioner Mulvehill.One South Palm resident was against the pocket parks because "the city never maintains anything ". Oh,really? just who trims all of those cute ,pristine little medians in your little pristine neighborhood ? I don't think I was hallucinating when I saw town of Lake Worth employees cutting and trimming in your neighborhood.We here in the west can't get the city to give us a twig. The poor people in TRNA don''t even have sidewalks or totally paved roads ! One resident said to me"Oh you're that lady who fought to protect the character of your neighborhood. You should understand that we're doing the same thing that you did-fighting to save the character of our neighborhood"!Amazingly ,I did not spring forward and immediately strangle this fool. I explained that when the city Commission came up with a plan to put eighty 3 to 5 story condos in the pocket parks,and change the zoning of the area on top of that, then she and I would be fighting the SAME THING !!!!!!!
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