Mayor Rene Varela on the Financial Crisis in Lake Worth

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Mayor Rene Varela
no soft-soaping here

Lake Worth Mayor, Rene Varela, has come into his own. After nine months on the job, he has actually learned it and understands it, unlike so many past mayors or commissioners. He has delved into the problems and is completely cognizant of what needs to be done, in no uncertain terms. He admitted that he understood the challenges when he went into the job but obviously these problems were not a deterrent.

He expressed them all last night to a well attended Lake Worth Playhouse audience of residents and was 100% candid, a path I hoped he would take. This speech sets him apart from the typical politician and frankly, I was impressed with his candor. He delivered all the bad news in an eloquent but matter-of-fact way, still giving us hope to succeed.

Telling us that Lake Worth has been decimated over the past three years (actually it has been over the past decade or so) and a city that has been spending more than it takes in, he said that it took hard economic times to expose the inefficiencies and incompetence. He also said that the City is one bad hurricane or one bad law suit from bankruptcy, an exaggeration of major proportions but probably made to make a point.

He expressed concern that employees would have to sacrifice as "they work "tirelessly and endlessly," saying we had to end the financial madness now.

In full support of the city budget as presented by the City Manager, Susan Stanton, he said "this city budget stops the financial bleeding of the past." Wanting to implement a citywide volunteer board called Volunteer Lake Worth, he further stated that we are "at the end of a financial cliff," asking for commitment to volunteer boards as "citizens are our treasures."

"Chart a new path; fix the city budget; cut spending." Those are the desires of Mayor Varela and we can't agree more.