I was surprised to see The League of Women Voters in our town yesterday as they wrote our city off in October 2011 -- "The League has to be very careful to protect its nonpartisanship," League president Joan Karp said in an email. "Our conclusion after the Lake Worth debate is that we will only participate if we have control (over rules of the debate) and furnish the moderator."
Remember when the League of Women voters used to observe our election debate at the Lake Worth Playhouse in order to ensure fairness? They were in our city every year for years. Then came along a new mindset--"We're not going to allow candidates to lie or exaggerate the truth" according to one side of politics. John Paxman stepped down for awhile, a local television station star was to be moderator but we ended up with hard-hitting John Rinaldi who took his place as moderator that year--clearly on one side of local politics. He asked the candidates questions and interrupted them, debating their answers, cross examining them as if they were on trial. Waterman was the target along with Jo-Ann Golden. That was a contentious night, not only because of Rinaldi but candidate Dustin Zacks and his Zack Attacks against Rachel Waterman. Some in the audience actually walked out. After that, the League told Lake Worth to take a flying leap.
A goal of The League is to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and to influence public policy through education and advocacy, as well as through political lobbying of Congress but they say they're not political. This member from the League of Women voters told me yesterday that they do not believe there is any voter fraud.
Judicial Watch notified a dozen states that they must clean up their voter registration lists or face lawsuits. Judicial Watch and True the Vote subsequently filed lawsuits against election officials in Indiana and Ohio, and prompted the state of Florida and other states, without litigation, to remove thousands of ineligible voters from state registration lists. According to independent research published by Pew Charitable Trusts in February 2012, approximately 24 million active voter registrations throughout the United States – or one out of every eight registrations – are either no longer valid or are significantly inaccurate. Click here... for voter fraud stats.
And The League is not alone. Residents have given up on filing to run for office in this city--at least none have stepped up this year thus far. They have written off politics in our town and just want the slum, blight and crime to go away as candidates promised us in 2011.
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Graphic by Anonymous Lake Worth Artist
Lynn I was not targeting Waterman at the debate. In fact, I went out of my way to give her ample time to rebut and speak on all issues. I wanted a debate like we see during presidential elections where the moderator does get involved with follow up questions that make the candidate have to really think and answer the question. I interrupted only when a candidate was not answering the question. Candidates think they can give a stock answer or not answer a question at all and I was not going to let that happen. Cross examination is a great way to get to the truth. If you can't handle the heat than you have no business running for office. Waterman's history of financial problems and the fact that she had only lived in the city a few months were issues she tried to avoid. Golden's 4 years on the commission provided a tremendous record of incompetency that she could not overcome. I am sure she would have loved the old form of debate that allowed little to no way to get to the truth. I think folks are not running because they know that the answer to our problems will take years to find and that they believe the current group of commissioners are working harder than most to get the job done. If anyone has a better plan or solution they should come forward and run. It's easy to criticize but hard to come up with solutions. I think our debates should be hard hitting and I would do the same thing again. In fact i would be just as hard on all of the incumbents running this year because the residents of our city deserve the best.
ReplyDeleteOK.
ReplyDeleteYou see it one way, I see it another and I definitely disagree with you that Golden was incompetent. I also disagree with you that the current commission is "working harder than most..." you say that you would be just as hard but you think they are doing a good job. A little conflict there in the thought process. However,the style and the delivery at that debate definitely drove away the League of Women voters.
Anyone who witnessed John's performance could see his bias agains't the encumbents. What questions would he ask the present candidates as to what has not been accomplished and why not.
ReplyDeleteT he election debates are one sided promoted by people who are involved in the elections and are promoting their own candidates such as the former LW Chamber of Commerce such as ( Ramaccio, Burns and Vespo),neighborhood groups(Lindsey,Blackman,Stafford, Sharpe),CRA,(Clemmons,Guthrie,etc.)and the others that show on the political donation lists.And have signs in their yards.
ReplyDeleteBit verbose, hey John? Jo-Ann let her own side down when she allowed the new parking lot to take up precious park land! BIG letdown. She also brought "Hands On" consultants to town. What a joke...one set of hands full-time, the other flew in. Nothing we couldn't have done ourselves. Their BIG accomplishment has since folded in Kentucky. Bunch of big nothing!!
ReplyDeleteRachel was unprepared for her position. Listening to her run meetings was painful. CARA, the leader of the left, was absent and caused the downfall of her side. She could have won Mayor. The leader who leaves loses for her whole side....which is what happened. Can they regroup? We'll know in a few short weeks. Good luck everybody.
This man. RInaldi I do not know but he was disgusting and very abusive to the two candidates. I had just moved to thi area and a friend invited me to go with her,we walked out before it was over. They need a unbiased person for that position.
ReplyDeleteTo make a slight correction--If you are talking about moving the parking lot at Bryant Park, Jo-Ann had NOTHING to do with that. It was Joe Kroll, the darling of the developer side of politics, who went around his authority.
ReplyDeleteHands On group was a CRA thing forced down our throats as I recall. They never performed one thing under the Contract and if they did, only the CRA Director knows what it was as they communicated with her regularly and sometimes on a "DAILY basis."
Waterman was only mayor for 3.5 months--there is always a learning curve to anything. I personally do not believe that Cara could have won again.
John, Waterman moved back to Lake Worth on September 1, 2009. Two years not two months, She was here for the same length of time as Rene Varela as a comparison. Did you question him about his residency and get it wrong?
ReplyDeleteWaterman lost her home in West Palm to foreclosure and was living in a rental. She had no experience and was a poor candidate. Golden left this city in a financial mess with property values falling lower than most other municipalities. She supported the illegals, the day labor center, getting rid of PBSO and was against the new Publix. I think John's style of debate was exactly what we needed. No one lost because of what the moderator did. They lost because they stunk.
ReplyDeleteYou are really a short one aren't you? Property values fell all over the country. We were in a big recession. You didn't know that one. You didn't know that we had old housing stock and small lots. Glad you're not running. She was never against Publix. she was against the one-half million tax dollars that was given to them. She was against the cost of the PBSO, not the PBSO. John's style as a moderator is what stunk. It wasn't for him to debate anything or draw some conclusion as to what a candidate said.
ReplyDeleteCommissioner Joann Golden never pissed on the results of an election. Mayor Pam Triolo, commissioners Scott Maxwell,Andy Amaroso and John Szerdi hold that disgusting record.
ReplyDeleteThe League of Women Voters is a pathetic group that no longer has any real function in todays world. They are a wishy washy group at best.
And speaking of the building heights election, until a court says otherwise, the results of the election, and the will of the majority of the people of Lake Worth , are law. A law that went into effect immediately after the election, in spite of the efforts of Pam Lopez.
A lot of blame, blight and crime. This is a dying city trying to wriggle 100 million from a minority of homeowners. Sort of like Custers last stand. Are there any potential leaders out there who could lead us out of this? I think so. But the factions and blogs tear down anyone that is not Mother Teresa, then complain that no one will step up to run. This blog, for one, is loaded with complainers who never get out of their chair. I know, I show up at most things and see the same people doing the work. To turn this around everyone has to buy in and get their hands dirty.
ReplyDeleteThank you to these volunteers that are helping to register voters.
ReplyDelete@8:38. There are a lot of problems. To ignore them won't solve them. People do a lot..perhaps you don't see them. Drive out to my community and you will not see ANY BLIGHT. These are senior citizens who DO get out of their chairs every single day. We take care of our property out here. Everyone should do the same. We don't expect Mother Teresa but we do expect results, not politicians doing clean-ups for photo ops or the elderly cleaning up the city.
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