The Meeting that was "special" in spite of itself

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Workshop, special meeting, and then back to a workshop. It all took about one half hour to accomplish but in the end, it was the smart thing to do. The room was packed with people wondering what was going on, some calling their attorneys at the last minute once word spread that it was a special meeting and the commission would vote.

In spite of Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell defending his inquiry to possibly change the workshop to a special meeting by saying, "I never requested that it be a special meeting," and also having the City Clerk announcing that proper notice was indeed given, they all finally voted on the meeting reverting back to a Workshop. Mulvehill was absent.

As notice was not in the Palm Beach Post as it usually is, proper notice in the mind of the City Clerk is a simple notice on the bulletin board at City Hall. In this case, it could not have been done before 3:13:04 pm on Friday afternoon when the secretary, Silvinia, forwarded the "non-request" of Maxwell's to Assistant City Manager, Kathleen Margoles. The City Manager, Susan Stanton, wanting to please the new Vice Mayor at all costs, then contacted the Mayor about Maxwell's suggestion that a special meeting might be in order and asked if she agreed. At that point the city manager became a conduit and Sunshine Law was violated. Also, the Mayor is the only one on the dais who can call a Special Meeting. As this meeting was already scheduled as a Workshop, it was only changing the voting possibility.

This Commission, however, wanting to be open and transparent as well as the fact that much of the material was not in their packets, some given to them after 5pm the day of the meeting, and the information not uploaded to the City's web site until after 6pm on Friday, voted to change the meeting back to a Workshop.

The question was asked by the Mayor, "Why didn't the former commission establish hours for the casino?" The former commission, strongly influenced by the City Manager, left it open ended with the idea that the market place was going to dictate the hours. As only one possibility for an anchor contacted the real estate broker, Paul Snitkin, with interest on the space, Longboats had a lucrative bar business and requested early morning closing. At that point, all enthusiasm stalled to look further for any other anchor. The City had an anchor that fell into its lap with no work involved. All the City Manager had to do now was to convince the Commission that in order for this whole project to be viable, the beach hours would have to be early in the morning to early in the morning. Nothing else mattered.

It was said last night by Commissioner Amoroso that he thought Midnight during the week and 1am on the other 4 days was acceptable. It was also mentioned that yes, this is a beach park but the Casino was a commercial building. With this new commission focusing on business as a priority, it won't matter if any resident objects to the beach "flavor" changing. Triolo wanted a compromise on the hours, have them like Palm Beach (that does NOT have a bar on the beach other than one in the Breakers perhaps that is totally enclosed) and agreed with Amoroso. The only entity mentioning hours at all has been Longboats. They offer and we either say yes or no.

There have been all sorts of excuses for allowing Longboats and its late night bar business to dominate our Casino. Even Stanton dissed the turtles. Don't look for any shop having an exclusive. The T-Shirt company will now be allowed to sell surf boards I guess. Scott Maxwell made the strongest points throughout the night speaking to the financials, the cost of the turtle lights, the fact that only one anchor was presented, and even saying that there was "no transparency in the process." He stated in no uncertain terms that the public was not going to pay one dime for this project and said that he has a "sneaky suspicion it will cost more than $11 million." He further stated that the City Manager had manipulated minds and it all has turned into a "head game."

The Commission has asked the public as well as the Broker to come forward within the next two weeks and present any interested anchor. Maxwell might have one in mind. They have asked the city manager to give them complete and true projections, some of which will be impossible until the end of January. We all must be assured that the building will pay for itself and with the turtle light fiasco, no one on staff can even give a best or worse case cost scenario on that or where the funds will be found.

Although the meeting lasted for about 3.5 hours with nothing much accomplished, what was portrayed to the public was a strong commission that will not tolerate proceeding without all the information they have requested. No more game playing will be tolerated.

Also, look for our beach to now become a destination for a late night bar even though it was only a few years ago that We Love Lake Worth PAC petitioned and received 2,613 signatures saying differently. One individual who lives in this city and who was close to this huge undertaking and petitioned, wants to forget what it was all about. Even though salesman Snitkin described Longboats as family-friendly, no little kids are out after 11pm hanging out in bars.

Closing hours will be decided on December 6 with the choice of 1) 3 days at 11pm and 4 days at Midnight or 2) 3 days at Midnight and 4 days at 1AM.