"Candidate" for mayor of Lake Worth, Dustin Zacks, is now coming across as a truthsayer. Fancy words are now being sent to the Press to justify his pitbull attack against Mayor Rachel Waterman. As quoted in today's PB Post, he says, "Apparently the mayor believes it is her right to raise citizens' taxes, utility rates and property assessments without having to listen to their questions and concerns."If Zacks had stayed with an assumption along the lines of his statement to the Post during the forum at Tropical Ridge neighborhood, I would have little complaint. However, he did not. He was given a stack of judgments against Waterman that already were disclosed in her election of only a few months ago. She answered and addressed all of these at that time and won her election by 57% of the vote. To rehash and regurgitate all of this now for political jockeying, is reprehensible.
Everyone has a right to work hard and overcome hardships. She has done this. To remind everyone of the circumstances, Rachel explained her situation four months ago as follows:
The company I worked for was affected by the recession and closed its doors. I was the primary income earner for my family and was suddenly unemployed with a 10 week old and a 13 month old at home. I eventually lost my home and rental property. Wasn't much I could do - despite 15 years of perfect credit, without an income the banks refused to modify my loans. But, my I kept my family together, we have rallied, know how to accomplish more with less and understand the challenges and emotions shared by the 250,000 Floridian families who have faced a foreclosure in the past 4 years. My understanding is the liens have been released and have struggled with WPB utilities for over a year to get the public record corrected. The code violation was taken care before I even got the letter from the city (our grass got long during a rainy season when Yure was on deadline for a sculpture - but it was mowed before we even got the letter from the city). I called them and they told me just to disregard it.
We all know of people who were hit hard during the recession/depression of the last several years. We even elected a citizen of Lake Worth to the Florida legislature who had financial difficulties. We, as Americans, do not hold these things against our neighbors especially when they rise above it all and pull themselves up. That is the American way. The majority of us are a paycheck away from being homeless.
Dustin Zacks would do all of us a favor if he stuck to the issues that affect Lake Worth, not Mayor Waterman's wallet.
18 comments:
I guess some people are just too obtuse to realize nobody holds her foreclosures and lack of ability to manage her own finances against her. She's just not qualifed to be making financial decisions that involve other people's money.
I would suggest that perhaps it is you who is insensitive to the fact that anyone can have a financial problem, rise above it and lead. Whether or whether not she is leading, is the question.
It's true we all fall on hard times in life and we have the right to overcome that and not be judged by a past difficult financial situation. But we should be judged by how we deal with that. It is admirable to pick yourself up and get back on your feet. BUT, that is NOT what Rachel did. She let it all go, ignored all her bills, just let the judgments pile up. Everything Dustin said about her was 100% fact, the truth. She actually has more than one foreclosure. Her foreclosure was way before the foreclosure crisis. To say she worked hard to pick herself up is just not true and not who she is. Before she became a candidate for mayor (and changed her entire persona just to get the job) her facebook page said under where she was employed: and I quote "Work is overrated." That does not sound like someone who works hard to overcome her financial problems. Sounds more like someone who doesn't take responsibility for financial obligations and our City already has that reputation. We need a mayor who pays his/her bills, who has integrity and believes in our legal system and the obligation to pay on a contractual agreement. Not someone who just walks away when times get tough. And if she really wanted to pick herself up financially, she should find a job that pays more than $15k per year and then complain it doesn't pay enough.
Bravo 'Anonymous' 10:42.
Well stated and well reasoned.
You guys are tough.
Agree to the "Bravo" for Anonymous 10:42. Ms. Waterman slipped up at the 10/2 meeting and started to say "I RULE.." That is the problem many have with the Mayor and the CM. They both think the "kingdom" of Lake Worth belongs to them. A number of people have fallen on tough times, but it is how an indivdidual handles the situation that defines them. Ms. Waterman had not been forthcoming to the citizens of LW about her residence in LW - rent or no rent, pays for utilities or doesn't pay anyting, etc.
Lynn, what does it say about Ms. Waterman if you are always fighting her battles for her? She didn't make any difficult choices during the budget process. She let the CM continue her "spend, spend, spend" approach and defends her in most instances. If we don't make changes somewhere, our city will soon be bankrupt.
In past elections we had public rdemonstrations calling Scott Maxwell a racist, a commissioner calling a local business with threats, a candidate called a drunk, a candidate called an animal killer. All of these candidates took what was used against them and showed us they were up to the task of running for office. Zacks told his audience that Waterman's personal finances are a mess. He had every right to say what he said as she is running for mayor in a city whose finances are a mess. If Waterman was a man they would call him a sissy for refusing to come to any more neighborhood association events. Waterman better grow a pair if she wants to be a real leader.
Couldn't agree more Anon at 10:42.
And to a previous post, you're right, it is a very valid point to be concerned about Waterman overseeing the taxpayer's money.
Lynn, she owes you big time for defending her.
You interpret what I write the way you wish. Free country. Freedom of speech. I don't like to see people being abused whether it is Waterman or her over stepping her power to kick someone out of the chamber. To someone else, she did the right thing. There are always 2 sides and waterman can hold her own.
Yes Waterman can hold her but as a tax payer I don't want her holding mine.
Apparently she can't. If you refuse the remaining Neighborhood Associations' forum and cite the way she was treated, which wasn't all that bad, how can you be expected to be invited to a forum made up of the leaders of the Associations you are disrespecting?
If she truly free speach, she'd want to be there with fists flying, instead, she is playing the victim and asserting another of her constitutional rights, that to remain silent.
All I can say to her is "Poorly Done Ms. Waterman". She could have taken the opportunity to rebut the remarks, and rise above. She could have taken the opportunity to secure some sympathy votes at the very least. she did not. She disappointed me. I wonder how she would handle other tough situations if she can't handle one man's comments. She is in a downward spiral, and I think she is feeling desperate. She did go for the very public PB Post publicity though....so maybe there's a plan there somewhere...
I am sure that she is hoping to have a professional on stage as the moderator so that this sort of thing will not happen.
Anonymous at 5:11--
Not really convinced that you WERE at that Forum because Rachel Waterman did rebut and did an excellent job holding her own. Are you just here to stirr up the pot just a little bit more than necessary?
If she did such a great job holding her own Lynn, why do you feel the need to protect and defend her?
I didn't realize that I was doing that but rather condemning the abuse she had to endure by Zacks.
I worked on the U.S. Census and Rachael was two steps up from the census takers. Therefore whe was my "big" boss. She would call mandatory meeting and if you did not attend, you were fired. (2 times she did not even show up for these meetings). All census takers were paid $14. per hour waiting for her. I also had a real part time job in this time frame and would be late to work either because of her tardiness or lack of attendance. I was a problem child when on my birthday I refused to attend her mandatory meeting. (I had plans and do not work any place on my birthday due to personal issues). At her mandatory four hour picnic at John Prince Park (over 100 people being paid $14. per hour to play stupid games and she was also late for this event), I was informed by my supervisor (one step below her) that I was laid off (with the majority of white people, which there were few) because I only spoke one language-English! This is one example of how she wasted tax payers dollars prior to the last election. I didn't vote for her in the last election and certainly will not in the future. I regret that she had financial problems in the past, but I think most people wouldn't think they could manage a City in trouble finances until they were able to get their credit score up. Has anyone asked her if she can personally get a legitimate credit card? She'll probably ask the City to buy one of the artist's lofts for the Mayoral "mansion" and pay to install one of her husband's statues at the park over our shuffleboard courts!
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