Pay to Play and Politics as Usual

As we have been going round and round about implementing a Pay to Play Ordinance (Ethics Ordinance) for the past two years, last night Palm Beach County Commissioner Executive Director Alan Johnson spoke to the Commission and the public on Ethics. He reminded us that we are known as the Corruption County of the Country.

Prohibited conduct:
1-misuse of office – financial gain,
2-voting conflicts,
3-prohibited contractual relationships,
4-accepting travel expenses from vendors,
5-contingency fees

Cara Jennings brought up the new PAC, Businesses Aligned for Change that met on the steps of City Hall yesterday in support of candidates, Carla Blockson and Lisa Maxwell. Some in this group filed an ethics complaint against Cara Jennings that was dissed by the Florida Ethics Committee. This PAC was formed to support these candidates, circumventing our campaign contribution requirements. She also stated that we want our Pay to Play Ordinance to be even more strict than the County's as it pertains to vendors doing business with the City. Mr. Johnson said that is legal and within our rights.

We even had Mayor Varela participating in this PAC's political agenda by standing with them on the steps of City Hall. Varela's action has been highly criticized by many as inappropriate to his position as the figurehead/leader of Lake Worth. He was elected to represent the total communities’ interests, not just the supposed business community that this PAC says it represents. He definitely was not elected to represent special interests. Some residents have even stated that his behavior is unethical.

If these two candidates, Blockson and Lisa Maxwell, should win in November, every vote made by the Mayor that happens to be in agreement with them could be suspect or even considered biased. He is not looking out for all the citizens as displayed yesterday at the steps of City Hall. His actions are the reality here--politics as usual.

Rene Varela lost his first time around for Commissioner District 4 to Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill who he endorsed in her run-off with David Vespo stating that she was the "best choice." Now he has flip-flopped, something that a lot of politicians do, aligning themselves with special interests and where the money is and where they can be politically supported down the road. Once a politician, always a politician. Read Mayor Varela's letter regarding ethics to the Lake Worth Commission HERE .

The only reason that this particular political action committee was formed is to circumvent the $500 rule on local campaign contributions which is its right under Free Speech. Outraged over height limits in Lake Worth, this small vocal and well heeled group got motivated. It blames all the financial ills of the City on two sitting commissioners rather than the real reason, not indigenous to Lake Worth, but one existing all over the country, the economy in general. They have started their negative campaign by saying that only their favored candidates are pro-business and that they are the only ones who can turn around our city and its financial health. Mayor Varela wants pay-stations in downtown Lake Worth which is certainly not business friendly. The PAC offers no proof of its allegation that those they are opposing are anti-business. Any political committee or candidate can say anything it wants. It is all bull.

Be reminded that it was their supported candidates of the past (Rodney Romano, Jeff Clemens, David Vespo, Retha Lowe, McKinnon, etc.) that got us to where we are today--millions in waste, approving bad contracts, Union and otherwise, that they did not understand or ever read resulting in law-suits up the wazoo. Romano started a PAC years back in order to promote his personal agenda for our beach where he wanted to build a small hotel. It failed...he got defeated. This PAC is going around the spirit of campaign contribution law and we hope that the citizens of Lake Worth will respond accordingly on November 2.

The Executive Committee for this PAC is as follows:

John Deese
Estella Hartner
Greg Rice
Karri Casper
John Rinaldi

Others spotted in the crowd, besides the Mayor, were Mary Lindsey, Financial Advisory Board member John Pickett, Jim and Joanne Kelly. Follow the money. Their first Treasury Report is due in September.

One of the few happy campers at yesterday's "demonstration"