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A leader of the Gay community, Tony Plakas says, "They (LW residents) are done waiting for Stanton to play nice, and they are more than willing to make sure everyone sees how often she plays nasty, even if her leadership style is what makes her so unpopular."
Tony Plakas believing all the hype.
Susan Stanton knew that she would be playing in a rough field--going against the Unions, thus having to reduce Staff as well as raising fees to meet the shortfall of $4.6 million. As soon as you do any of these things, you have groups that instantly hate your guts. You can't possibly "play nice" when making the hard decisions. Doing the right thing can be very painful.
She never, in a million years, believed the very people for whom she has deep empathy and affection and for whom she has greatly supported all of her adult life and who are in the minority in this City, would turn against her with a vengeance of unsubstantiated innuendo.
Sad day for Lake Worth.
20 comments:
Didn't Stanton go out and get a loan for Tony and his Compass city owned building because they were financially under water? I guess he was singing a different tune then.
Lynn, do you have reading comprehension problem or do you enjoy misleading people by pulling a quote out of context and applying your own headline? I did not speak out AGAINST Susan and I said nothing in my column that I have not said to her. Inject your opinion wherever you like but don't project your assumptions as though they are facts.
Likability is an important component of leadership and Susan is having challenges because the people that don't like her are rallying against her - and they are making false claims about her. This was an observation I wrote over the weekend for deadline on Monday, and after last night, it is a clear fact.
"But where Stanton has not semi-nestled, she has thoroughly vexed. And the most unlikely of allies are making the most frantic of coordinated claims because, in the end, she is simply not well-liked. It's her style. She marginalizes herself with her own brashness, a trait she continues to defend even though it continues to offend — and her stubbornness is not gaining her any ground. Now, some are questioning her commitment to the diverse community she was hired to serve, while others are concerned the city is headed for the same sound-bite-turned-swan-song sung across the state when she was forced from her previous position."
Did that portion of my editorial not make my position very clear?
I am not interested in seeing the City go through ANOTHER City Manager search and I want Susan to be successful. However, with the way people are responding to her style, people will not let her be. The whisper campaign has become a shouting match.
If you support her and if your friends do, work with her to humanize herself to the people of the City. Shrugging off her behavior, even with the difficult issues she is facing, will not make the situation any better for anyone.
Tony Plakas
Thanks, Tony. I will make my own assumptions. I wish you had been just the least bit supportive of Stanton last night. You weren't and in a way, threw her under the bus. If anyone should have understanding I would have thought it you.
I do not see the "brashness" of which you speak and I ask you, what behavior? You are giving an opinion of unacceptable behavior and say that people don't like her. Are you speaking for all of us? What people? What is their bag? What is their agenda?
This campaign against her is politically motivated.
And I can read, Tony. Thanks for asking. Comprehension has not been a problem of mine. Instead of throwing stones, why not help Susan yourself? That would be a great start.
It seems that certain residents do not like the decisions she is making and therefore are calling for her head. This should be about substance and not style.
Tony are you trying to imply that you spoke out FOR Stanton? That's a good one.
Yeah, knock off the Miss Fancy-Shmancy twisty-turny lingo and say what you mean. The opinion piece reads like a bit-the-hand-that-loaned-you-$250K smack down.
Let's hope the commission doesn't bow to 10 people who hate the other 34,990 of us. Stanton knows how to run a city. Let her do it.
Come on now, Tony. You definitely spoke out against Stanton in your article. It seems to be all on stuff you have heard out there. Has she ever been rude to you?
Susan set herself up when she referred to her transsexual sisters as 'men in dresses'. Also, when she through us under the bus with ENDA at an HRC function. Believe me, she was no friend of the LGBT community after those two disasters. I haven't heard a public apology or acknowledgment that she regretted saying it. Not saying she didn't but I would certainly like to see that. Until then, it is hard to not doubt her story.
Lyn this is what happens when you serve two masters. Tony knows that he can't play hard ball with the CM because she has the votes to have him out of COMPASS as quickly as they got rid of the labor center, the museum, etc. These were his words to me the night he was drunk at Julie Seavers's Bar showing off his new EVO phone and he showed me the emails form Susan stating "Don't mess with me pretty boy...I have spoken to a contractor who will take over your building tomorrow". When I asked him what was he going to do about he said "nothing she has me by the balls" Without a location he doesn't get the funding for his fat salary. These emails have been published on both Mary and Wes' blog. Tony in the recent past approached Loretta Lufty owner of the Cottage with tin cup in hand requesting $100,000.00 for COMPASS claiming they were in in a financial bind. Loretta said no. He tried to abuse her generosity, Loretta has done countless fundraisers for COMPASS. She now won't have anything to do with him. Hypocrites make her skin crawl, I don't blame her.
Factually,
Mark A. Parrilla
I agree with Tony and his article, I don;t agree with him often. I have had several direct dealings with Stanton as well and have found her to be rude, condescending, and brash, she only wants to think on her own and doesn't want to hear citizens views, she thinks she is the only one that is right. She has a bad attitude and it will catch up to her sooner or later, it seems like it is finally catching up to her. She is not a people person and only cares about her $150K salary. Last week I saw her driving down 10th Ave, int eh left lane and had to cut cars to get int he right lane to get on I95 north, then she was texting while driving on I95, I think she is a careless individual who doesn't do well with planning like some seem to think. She is mean spirited and has a major ego, she is not a nice person from my interactions with her, maybe Tony, Katie and others have seen this nasty side to her and it is now coming to haunt her. She needs to stop edging out God, and think of the people she works for and represents, treat us with some respect if she wants respect.
As it is turning out, it does not appear that the owners of the Cottage HAVE the money to help Compass--they can't seem to help themselves other than to make very damaging charges and hurt our city in the process.
One more thing that I forgot to say--Susan has always been polite and cordial to me. I would guess that if someone came into your office with an arbitrary, critical and with a condescending attitude, it would be offensive to you too. It is all in how you approach someone particularly if you want something. There are many in this city who seem to have their hand out for one thing or another.
Lyn,
I won't pretend to know the exact financial status of the Lufty's but I assure you they are not hurting. With the residential and commercial properties they own in Staten Island alone would very likely disband any doubts of their financial health. My understanding is that Tony Plakas just went too far in the way he sought help and tried to milk what he thought was a "cash cow". You don't ask a business that has been doing fundraisers for your agency consistently to just write you 100k check. As for the arrears in taxes; I think we would be in for a surprise if we made assumptions on the capital at there disposal, with only this information as an indicator. At best it reveals the possible need for them to task their management team to pay more attention to details but in no way shows any bad intentions.
Lynn you should consider that you have a voice that people listen to in this community which you express on your blog. It would not be in the CM's best interest to be rude to you and give you evidence to substantiate the accurate accusations of her lack of regard for respect when addressing her staff, certain residents and business owners or anyone else doing business with the city. Remember you are also supportive of the commissioners who guarantee her continued employment. I don't have a crystal ball but I would safely bet a dime on a dollar that if that were not the case you would have probably encountered her wrath by now as so many of us have.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Parrilla
As far as I know, Stanton has always been cordial to Wes as well as Mary, someone who wants her head on a platter. So, she has kept her cool with a blogger who has called her every name in the book.
As far as the Luftys are concerned, I can only report what I know about them here according to records.
Right, Mark. They are pillars of the community.
Hey Donna, could you possibly admit that the GLBT are over-reacting just a wee bit here. Perhaps men wearing dresses in your world is considered normal but I can assure you that it is not. How about an apology for being ridiculous?
Walt
Compass members should shut up,and pay their debts to Lake Worth, go soil another town with tacky behaviour!They are leeching of Lake Worth's tax payers.Initially promise $1,000,000,- restoration and remodeling of our Senior Citizens' Center,(remember super Con Clemens?) to get the theft level lease, for our 12,000 sq.ft's our 9000 Senior's Recreation Center with approx.42 parking spaces, for 7
cents a square foot,$1000.- per month.Legitimate market rent level:$12,000.- per month, $144,000.- per year, as we paid in the neighboring Gallo building!
Once the 9000 tax paying :Lake Worth Seniors were kicked out by Clemens sleazy Commission,the lease was signed for the votes of those phony leeches , they admitted to have no money for rehabbing OUR Senior Center, now vulgar trashy ,cheap blue and dirty white.
The cheap cons were exposed when it came to the actual rehabilitation promised.
They begged for a $260.000 loan, we had to guarantee for rehabilitation of OUR Senior Center building.
The sleazy bums of that Commission handed it to them as if out of their own empty pockets!
Tell that element to find another sucker Town for their sleazy con business..., and pay back our money, and don't have the gall the soil our Commission chambers with their,hypocritical, dishonest presence!Paint our Senior Citizen
center in the Civilized City Hall colors, not gettho style, descrated by the unhappy con occupants.
Last year the two COMPASS Volunteer Coordinators Jack and Keith, who had free run of the facility with keys and all and access to cash donations were arrested for stealing $10,000.00 dollars from an 97 year old woman. When I posted the Palm Beach Post article on my Facebook I got a 8 paragraph email from Nicole Liedsdorf COMPASS Operational Director where she very strongly requested I remove the post due to how it would make COMPASS look, that if I left it up I would be hurting COMPASS. I WASN'T THE ONE WHO ROBBED THE SENIOR CITIZEN so I don't get how I was hurting COMPASS. They DO NOT SCREEN their volunteers or do background checks. All they care about is there image and not the quality of service provided. I volunteered there for a year and your jaw would drop if I told you some of the goings on I witnessed and when I brought it to staffs attention it was ignored and never addressed. There arrogance is amazing considering they owe that building to the taxpayers. To whoever commented about the decor you are so right. It looks like a bad ode to a Greek flag. You want to see a real community center that OWNS their own building Foundcare/Cap 2330 South Congress. It serves THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY not just GLBT. For people without insurance you can go there for Primary Care and pay $20.00 / visit.
T.G.I.F. Enjoy your weekend,
Mark A. Parrilla
It is too bad that a few Gay people gave a bad wrap to all.
parila wants to blame the deadbeat Lufty's on someones management style. It shows at least 2 years of taxes not paid. See the light, Mark.
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