The Community Redevelopment Agency - A Success or a Failure?

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For years now, all we hear about is slum and blight. Everyone cries about it, uses it in campaign attacks accusing this or that commissioner for the problem and has told the entire city commission that it has fallen down on its job. Most of the blight is in the CRA District. It has been the CRA's responsibility to tackle that problem that should have been its number 1 objective. Have you seen improvements over the last 22 years?

What we have seen is wasted funds and monies going to "special" friends. This video depicts, of course, one little drop in a very large bucket.

It is apparent that the CRA Board, comprised of appointed not elected members, has not eliminated slum and blight, its main objective since it was established in 1989. Through the years they have given away money to residents for sprinkler systems, air conditioning units and landscaping. They have given money to business owners to redesign their stores and repair outside facades such as giving Paridiso a $25,000 grant, a restaurant for which the average taxpayer in the CRA can NOT afford to dine. They have forgotten the main mission of its formation, that of eradicating slum and blight. They spend money like candy and continue to do so and reward its Director with a yearly raise and benefits in a City that is in a financial crisis.

Bill Coakley says, "Just a few short years ago, the CRA Director Oliva proposed changes to the long standing CRA bylaws placing them on the consent agenda where unsuspecting board members might not easily grasp the big picture of what she was doing. She was right. The chairman was caught off guard and wasn’t aware of all the other clever changes that would reduce the board to a mere appendage of the director who would then control all the information flowing to and from the board. Only board members Shanon Materio and Wes Blackman voiced support for the director’s efforts which amounted to a clever rouse to gag the CRA board by preventing them from even speaking with the CRA attorney unless director Joan Oliva approved it."

Now with the NSP2 Grant money of $23 million dollars, they are buying properties all over the city to fix up 130 houses. They have bought them well over the appraised values (a total of $893,524 over appraised values) even paying $415,800 for a property at 26 S. "E" Street, $97,579 over appraisal. They have ignored local contractors such as Hector Cabrera who has built beautiful small houses here in Lake Worth and have hired out of town firms such as a property appraiser, a real estate broker, a contractor and a roofer. They have totally culled local businesses.

Following is Commissioner Golden's reasons why the City Commission should be designated the CRA and make the decisions that affect our residents in our CRA district. Fiscal responsibility is paramount in these financial times and an elected body should be the one to determine where tax dollars go. This will be on the March 1 meeting.

Designating the City Commission as the CRA.