Palm Beach County Commissioner, Shelley Vana
Some wise old guy back in the 6th Century BC said: "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Our present commission doesn't get this at all. They shun the opposition and constantly get upset by those who disagree with them and even go so far as to mention from the dais what others have said about them--oh, gee "someone said something mean about me on a blog." God, Lake Worth politicians need to get broader shoulders. And they need to listen more.
They don't return e-mails and deny they ever got one; they don't return phone calls and some deny they ever got the voice mail; they take everything personally. I sure hope they have no aspirations for higher office because the hard knocks become more frequent the higher you get on that political ladder. At elevated levels of power where decisions affect a broader population, people come out of the woodwork and scrutinize everything.
Commissioner Shelley Vana was on a float in our Veterans Day parade yesterday. I read her the riot act last week when she called me right before the election. I gave her reasons why I would not vote for her candidates. She didn't take any of my criticisms personally and handled it all like a professional. Perhaps this is acquired wisdom. But even Shelley did not listen to the residents across from John Prince Park and their objections about developing a national league ball field there.There is still some scuttlebutt going on about that bad idea.
And so the sad truism for the day is a quote from Dean M. Schroeder: “People with power listen less carefully, and have difficulty taking into account what others already know.”
This is something that really needs to change on the dais, commissioners, because one-half of the city recently gave you that message in a loud and clear voice on the general obligation bond and unequivocally on the heights amendment in our downtown. It doesn't matter that Christopher McVoy won by a landslide taking 57.72% or that Commissioner Szerdi walked into his office unopposed. You all need to listen and learn and respond.
Amen ! When elected officials get unseated,they always have an excuse. We never hear"maybe I should have listened to what the voters were trying to tell me."
ReplyDeleteDoes not look like many people were there? That's sad.
ReplyDeletewhy does this present group scoff at any mention of ecotourism? We have more potential for that in this city than many entire counties have. We have a lake, a lagoon, and the beach. We already have a kayak outfitter. We have tons of festival space; we have B&Bs and soon the Gulfstream.
ReplyDeletePlaces that were once known for meth labs and unemployment are now on the map for this very profitable niche.
People walking around at the wetlands further south say wow, this is great, too bad we can't throw a kayak in here. You can a JPP, yet for some reason the tourists have never heard of it. Hmmmmm
There is an echo chamber. Certainly the commissioners and City leadership seem to have no problem with open communication with a select group of residents. But, if you disagree with them, or if they simply don't value you (you are not a realtor/developer or some other category that can give them something) and you are simply a regular resident, they can't be bothered with returning a call, an email or agreeing to a meeting, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear to me, since I can't get anyone at the City to communicate with me, just a regular resident (who pays a LOT in city taxes), that one needs to have favored status to get a response. Sad.
If you disagree with them, you're automatically labelled an anarchist who wants to destroy the city.
ReplyDeleteBoth sides of the fence have their good points. Only one side seems to acknowledge that, even if they still disagree.