Part 2 and Conclusion - Cary Sabol, CRA ChairScroll down for Part 1
Anyone who claims the CRA is corrupt because we have purchased properties above the county appraiser’s value, I offer you this challenge. Sell your house for the County Appraiser’s stated value. I'm sure you wouldn’t. Furthermore, every dollar we spend from the NSP 2 Program is closely scrutinized by HUD and the Federal Government. If you feel we have improperly managed this Program’s finances, you are free to contact HUD and request an audit.
The simple fact is that the CRA is a victim of its own success. The City of Lake Worth has a $4.5M budget deficit. But the CRA is not in a state of “Financial Urgency.” We have not disregarded the City’s state of Financial Urgency. We simply have no authority to address it. If the CRA was governed by the City at the time the NSP Grant was applied for, there would be no Grant – no $23,000,000.00. The reason that I personally advocated for a salary increase for our Executive Director was due to the simple fact that despite being rejected by the City on more than one occasion, she persisted with the Grant request and brought an additional $23,000,000.00 to Lake Worth that otherwise would have been spent in some other city. I felt a small raise as a reward for bringing $23,000,000.00 to Lake Worth was the least I could offer. If City Manager Stanton were to bring an additional $23M into the City’s budget without raising taxes or the cost of services, I would be the first to support an increase in her salary as well.
In closing, I would like to thank Commissioner Golden and City Manager Stanton for not only highlighting the CRA’s greatest accomplishments over the past few years (i.e. Publix, PBC Cultural Council, Arts Renaissance Program, Bicycle Network Plan, and the Gateway improvements), albeit under the ostensible guise of its greatest failures, but for also advocating against their own rationale for the City’s take over the CRA.
The following is the exact quote which was written as the closing statement in support of taking over the CRA: “The City of Lake Worth has demonstrated, over a long and continuous period of time, an inability to sustain an effective and competent executive team of Department Directors and Utility Directors. The City’s current state of Financial Urgency has been heavily impacted by the City’s inability to recruit, employ and retain professional and competent Finance Directors, Community Development Directors and City Managers.”
I am thankful that the author of this Memo is advocating against the CRA and not for the CRA because this Memo highlights the accomplishments of and the value in having an independent CRA Board and explicitly recognizes that the City has been unable to “recruit, employ, and retain … a professional and competent … CITY MANAGER.”
If those reading this believe Lake Worth would be better served by having the CRA managed by the City Commission, then I respect your opinion and ask that you come to the meeting and express your opinion. If you believe Lake Worth is better served by an independent CRA Board and recognize the accomplishments we have made to the City, then I ask that you also come to the meeting and express your opinion. The date of this meeting is March 1, 2011. Regardless of the outcome, I have enjoyed my time serving on the CRA Board and look forward to continuing to do what I can to make Lake Worth a better place.
Sincerely,
Cary Sabol
CRA Chair
Lake Worth Resident
Palm Beach County Native
15 comments:
I am good friends with Lynn and Cary and some members of the CRA, and am confident that they and all members of this current board have the best interests of our city at heart.
We in Lake Worth, along with the great majority of municipalities and counties in our country, are mired in a deep and likely extensive economic crisis brought on by corrupt actions of governments and the development industry in concert with Realtors, appraisers, mortgage brokers, bankers, and unscrupulous buyers.
We will need to work together harmoniously to survive and thrive as a vibrant waterfront community.
A takeover of the CRA by the Commission would likely eliminate 5 of the 7 present members of the board-people who are sincere in their desire to better our city.
That said, the creation of a CRA allows a municipality to spend large amounts of taxpayer money without consulting the citizenry, something the citizens would likely reject when confronted with higher taxes because of a proposed general obligation bond issue.
I am confident that Lake Worth taxpayers would have rejected a 15 million dollar obligation to fund the road improvements and would have encouraged a smaller project to visually achieve similar results.
The problem with an unelected board is that they are less answerable to the public and therefore less careful of the public funds that they spend. The best example of this is the 15 million of debt accumulated on the gateway improvements. 10th Ave N., an 8.6 million dollar contract, was awarded without a bid at a time when out of work contractors would likely have offered to do the job for a much lower cost. But it was easy to work with the known entity and accept his offer rather than seek to save the public substantial money.
At present the office rent and salaries of CRA employees are in the half million dollar annual range.The issue as I see it is not whether or not the Commission needs to control the CRA; rather how can we end the CRA swallowing up the funds from the heart of our city, particularly from our downtown and Dixie Highway?
The Commission needs to look into taking back the commercial district for the general fund to add to our city coffers at this moment of financial crisis.
I am fully aware that the CRA will not get the County funds in this scenario, but the addition to our general fund is well worth this drop in CRA revenue.
I suggest that the CRA focus now on the financial problems of our city as a whole, initiate only small projects, and seek to pay down the debt ahead of schedule, so that when the CRA is sunsetted, the City will be burdened with a smaller debt and will have an actual addition to our bottom line
Laurence McNamara
It didn't sound like the Chair respected our opinion when he came after anyone with a different point of view in part one. Now he says he respects it.
Cary you need to read it again. That was not Golden's statement at the end. That was some comment by Stanton.
Sue P
That was quite a pot shot at the city manager. I thought you were respectful Cary.
Dear Anonymous,
I don't believe that I disrespected anyone's opinion. I only expressed my opinion.
Cary
Elected officials should be handling tax payer money as they are accountable to voters, not non-elected boards.
John Jordan
You can keep blaming the developers Larry for the mess the city is in but we all know that no one wants to invest in this city because the city commission is a failure. Years and years of bad leadership got us where we are. Electing people who lost there homes to foreclosure or had social agendas to save the world cost us big time. Now you want me to believe that the city commission won't screwup the CRA. Give me a f---ing break.
I don't recall him saying anything about developers. Just another person who does not read. It happens a lot in this City and that is the reason why we have been in deep trouble...not reading contracts really took a toll on us. Are you saying that this entire Commission will screw something up when they have had NOTHING TO DO WITH SCREW-UPS here. Are you saying that they screwed up when they appointed this Board? Or is this just playing politics as usual?
Didn't we just have an election a few months ago? How can this commission be a failure? I suppose Scott Maxwell is also a failure. Rene Varela, is he a failure? Or is just the women you don't like?
Helen M.
Lynn, I know it's hard to sometime proof read your own work, or in this case your own site, but LM did include developers in the group of folks he's crediting with the situatiion LW is in to. Read his second paragraph again before it gets edited and you'll read what he said in his comment. Here it is again;
We in Lake Worth, along with the great majority of municipalities and counties in our country, are mired in a deep and likely extensive economic crisis brought on by corrupt actions of governments and the development industry in concert with Realtors, appraisers, mortgage brokers, bankers, and unscrupulous buyers.
The simple fact that the Commission approves their Budget makes the Commission responsible for their actions. If I am going to be responsible, then I would want control. It just makes sense to me.
And Greg, thanks for pointing that out on developers. Laurence tells the truth. For your information, I do NOT edit comments.
Before Carey was on the CRA,an appointed individual only, Board with no right to spend out tax money as it wants to, without cost analysis, full Commission approval, it was proven that it has spent $8.600.000.- on 1/2 a mile rehab of the County Road,10ave N.It refused to put it out for public bid, just added $2,000,000.- to the 6th Ave. cost.
Our Charter specifically states all municipal jobs must be put out for bid.Only after 3 responses of qualified applicants can the job be assigned!Not according to the wish of 1 appointed member!
Our 1 mile rehab cost 15,000,000.-(facts)with a bankloan of 30 years and a 1 million a year interest!
1Mile Lake Worth Road rehab (1/2 is County), for $30,000,000.-
We were promised as a result, multi- use development, upscale residence and businesses!!!
How many businesses do you see along those $30,000,000.- rehabbed pieces,how many promised multi_ use townhomes?? I, like all other Lake Worth residents have good eyes!
As a lawyer you like to work with facts.In CRA district, the Lucerne must be paid $120,000,- per month for a 10 year tax exemption given!Koolik has more money than most of us!Does that look blighted to you?
Manalapan's Mayor put his A-1-A 1 1/2 mile Road rehab job up for public bid , and had 1+ 1/2 mile rehabbed with replacement of underground sewage drainage systems, electric,landscaping and re-paving
for: 1.800.000.-!!!!!!!!!!!This fact can be found in the Shiny Sheet and his City Hall.
To whom were the Lake Worth facade Grants given? Only to friends?Who submitted a cost analysis, before receiving?Phil Spinelli just received $20,000.- for painting his succesful,not blighted(do you know that is the mission of a CRA?) Rumshack building,604 Lake Avenue, he received for $70,000.- on the P.& Z. Board.
Any bills?Cost analysis?
How much do you know of the history of the CRA ?I watched them since 2000!
Dee McNamara Citizens' Interest Advocate and of the truth!
Mr Sabol,thank you for your editorial. The current board of the CRA has nothing in common with the previous board that flushed millions down the toilet with an unbelievably arrogant attitude. The waste on the Gateways project was horrible. These gateways are now terribly dangerous for pedestrians ,a fact that was brought up to the previous CRA board, and ignored.The millions spent on the gateways did NOTHING to combat slum and blight in the NEIGHBORHOODS,that SHOULD have been the beneficiary of those millions!All Materio and company accomplished was a better place for the drug dealers to sit.No matter how you want to excuse it, the previous director did not need a raise!Why are local contractors being ignored and put of town contractors used? Why did your highly overpaid director ignore /refuse to talk to our very qualified local guys. I can't tell who is more of an egomaniac-Oliva or Stanton. they both STINK!!!
I disagree with the above and KNOW the gateway projects were not a waste of money. Could they have been done cheaper? Probably. Anything can be done cheaper. Some of the cost possibly had to do with things you no longer see... such as utility lines and poles. A big improvement especially around the 10th and A street area.
Also the illegals have run the drug dealers out, so that is not a problem anymore.
Too bad the CRA doesn't extend enough East of Dixie or 6th and 10th would be complete in town.
The current board focuses too much on bike paths and how do they re-develop anything?
At least a mere passer-by on either of our two main gateways have a faint illusion that all is well from I-95 to Dixie. Just don't turn left or right.
The CRA sold our Central Downtown Parking lot, needed for our Downtown Business clients for $524.000 to an Out of Town speculator and
forced us to replace it by 42 places behind "Paws on the Ave", for $1.400.000.-!!!!!!without cost analysis!!!!!
For Tropical Ridge simpletons,the L.W. Chamber leeches,Sabol, who were not there: We taxpayers lost businesses,parking and $900.000.- in this single corrupt CRA deal.Where was Sabol to prevent this? Spewing venom based on ignorance of facts, is not intelligent!
We have not seen one publicly advertised project by the current CRA,for open bidding , only their corrupt ways of ......our tax money in dirty out of Town deals(see Lake Worth Herald,a wittness) according to our Charter required,
when spending Taxpayers' money.Our future Marbleclad,60.000 sq.ft City Hall sold for $1.400.000 by the CRA worth %4,000,000.- our 1st Union Bank building.
The Commission is responsible for the CRA , by implementing strict responsible oversight, demanding accurate accounting.When ? The vbarn door closing is too late, millions are LOST because of lack of oversight!
When will we see a forensic Audit, before all records of CRA are deleted????
Dee Mcnamara, Citizens' Interests' and truth Advocate!
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