CRA Chair, Cary Sabol, Speaks out in defense of CRA and keeping it an Independent Board

Comment Up
Mr. Sabol is a practicing attorney and a political appointment of the CRA who was elected Chair by his fellow members. His rebuttal is in two parts--

PART 1

Under normal circumstances, I would never post a comment on any issues involving my position with the CRA. In this case, however, I feel my position as the CRA Chair requires me to do so in light of the fact that my Board is being wrongfully accused of catering to special interests and being ineffective.

I truly believe that every single member of the current CRA Board has one goal in mind – to improve OUR City. We are not only volunteer board members we are residents of Lake Worth as well. I recognize that various members of our Board (and member of the public for that matter) have different opinions on what is best for Lake Worth, but that is exactly the reason why our Board should remain intact and independent. We are not politicized. We are not influenced by the whims of political emotions. We are not influenced by false and sensationalized accusations of racism and gentrification. We are not influenced by the tyranny of the City Manager. We are not influenced by the misinformation published by local news outlets. We are not influenced by the uninformed opinions of one or two very outspoken members of the community who seek to dramatize our actions so they can stroke their own ego and perpetuate their delusional feeling of self-importance.

The only influence our Board responds to is what we each individually believe is in the best interest of Lake Worth. Sometimes the right carries the vote and sometimes the left carries the vote, which again, is exactly the reason the CRA Board should remain independent and intact. America is a nation built upon compromise and respect for any and all opinions and I truly believe the current CRA Board is a perfect example of what has made America the refuge for all persons who are persecuted and oppressed around the world. Members of our CRA Board often disagree with each other and with the opinions of members of the public, but we do so in a respectful manner and express our opinions with our vote, rather than through personal attacks. Our CRA Board has pledged to debate the issues, not the members and to criticize an opponent’s reasoning, NOT the opponent personally.

To say the CRA has wholly failed to eliminate slum and blight is simply false. Remember, the CRA does not replace the City’s responsibilities to the communities within the CRA District, we supplement it. Before the Gateways were completed, the two main entryways to our City were the poster child for slum and blight. I have heard many stories from business owners and residents that when giving directions to their home or business, they would avoid sending people down 10th & 6th at all costs. Now, the slum and blight has been alleviated along the Gateways. The spill-over effects of the Gateway improvements has already begun, but to completely eliminate the blight of the neighborhoods near the Gateways will be a slow and gradual process, which has unfortunately been further delayed by the economic recession.

Moreover, the CRA single handedly obtained the NSP 2 Grant. Without that Grant, the CRA budget (regardless of who controls it), would be slightly above $1M. However, thanks to the CRA’s vision, diligence and independence, our budget is now over $23,000,000.00, all being spent in a very specific and controlled manner, with one single purpose – to eliminate slum and blight. Not only did the City refuse to assist the CRA in applying for the Grant, they expressly discouraged the CRA from applying for the Grant.

Part 2, the conclusion, coming soon

Note: Mr. Sabol's explanation and opinion on several aspects of his article do not reflect the opinion of Lynn's Little Bit of Trivia. However, we firmly believe that Mr. Sabol has the right to rebut or to "dramatize," knock us, as well as our "egos," on our azz and to use whatever justification he chooses to make his point. We also believe that the CRA is a political Board and members are appointed by politicians. It is the Commission that will have the final say and rightly so.

The following e-mail was sent to Mr. Sabol on Feb 9th. We did not get a response until today when the taking back of the CRA by the LW Commission became a possibility:

Hi Cary--

Patrick Parrish, Editor of the above, has implied that there is hanky panky going on in the NSP2 grant money by paying too much for properties. He says that the appraisals are coming in "sky high" over the County fair market prices. He also implies that there is something shady going on with Tiger Investment Group, owner of some of these properties.

Any comment?