Monday, September 21, 2015

Getting beaten to a pulp by the Commission majority

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Usually punching out McVoy is NOT done with a smile

Commissioner McVoy had a lot of concerns regarding our electric fund during an August budget workshop meeting and asked in-depth questions just as he did a week ago. In August, Commissioner McVoy commented that he was tempted to walk out of the meeting because it was a waste of the Commission’s time--he meant it was a waste of a thinking man's time.

The financial numbers were not correct and it sounded to him like the Finance Department was understaffed and there was not enough of it. Even the city manager has admitted that financial numbers are wrong in some instances but it's a "living document" he uses as an excuse.

Commissioner McVoy said he was not interested in the previous presentation. A few years back, an ordinance was passed to drop the City’s rates to match FPL’s. The Burton and Associates model showed a slope of the curve, which started at plus $10 million in operating cash downward to minus $20 million. He said rates were lowered and that, if operating expenses were reduced, then the $30 million spread over that period of time showed that the Electric Utility Department was not being managed correctly. He asked that information be provided using a clear, graph format. The City would go from a Projected Operating Cash of plus $10 million in Fiscal Year 2014 to minus $20 million in Fiscal Year 2020.

The response from the Mayor and Vice Mayor, often called bullies by many residents, and the two on the dais who beat up on McVoy all of the time (using scornful looks, leaning back in a chair, shuffling papers and not paying attention, cutting him short while he is speaking, etc.) are as follows--

Mayor Triolo commented she did not want to villainize staff and asked to keep the comments professional because staff worked hard. She is the one who storms out of meetings, passes the gavel and/or often gets annoyed. Calling professional scientist and commissioner Christopher McVoy unprofessional, is well, just plain unprofessional.

Vice Mayor Maxwell commented that the City historically contributed large sums of money to backfill its revenue through the Water and Electric Funds. He asked the Commission not to beat up staff over the rate parity ordinance and said that, if a Commissioner wanted to increase the electric rate, then he could make a motion. He asked that staff not be beaten up. That's a great line coming from someone who is constantly intolerant of a different opinion, beating up the minority commissioners and even has beaten up on the public calling them liars for voting against the general obligation bond, showing absolute zero patience and restraint.

So the moral of this story is, if you have a responsible commissioner who asks questions when numbers or explanations from staff don't add up, this majority will ignore you and beat you to a pulp but you continue on to the best of your ability and do your job for the people you serve.

Is this "bully pulpit" really the kind of leadership we want for Lake Worth?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

These people believe that development and building is the best way to work ourselves out of our problems. Politics played a big role in some of their decisions.How do they think we can operate without money from our utility.It's our utility and we should be able to use money to run this city.Why not?The water rate is too high but the electric rate is not.Not one of them understand the Siemens contract and how it will affect our bottom line.Look at the money being poured into the Park of Commerce?

Anonymous said...

like I've said for so many yrs the numbers are wrong and have been--the uneducated people we have running this city has never stop because the good ones want to stay far away from a city with a huge bad reputation--so we have to accept andy and scott because no one wants that job

Anonymous said...

We need staff that are not afraid to tell the truth and we need Commissioners who understand the problems. Our Commission cannot make good decisions with false information and we need a city staff that is not in fear of losing their jobs if they tell the truth and put out the REAL facts,good,bad or ugly to our Commissioners.

Anonymous said...

Using the utility to run the city is nothing more than a tax on our citizens and business community. When you see development on Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach remember that the cost of electric is very important to most businesses. Why would any business move here if they can get a better business rate just a mile away or less from our border. One of the biggest reasons we are in the financial mess we are in is because commissioner like McVoy used our utility company to pay the bills we could not afford. Always remember that the commission can set the utility rate at whatever it wants. We have no checks and balances like a utility commission that regulates rates in our city. So next time you open that bill pray you can afford your utility bill.

Anonymous said...

If an employee speaks out they make themselves a target and will get fired. Theres so many corrupt things happening within this city that the public gets spoonfed lies by everyone in City Hall.

Anonymous said...

Sad but true @ ANON 2:01PM. Come on LW Get it together!

Anonymous said...

Both anonymous at 10:09 and 2:01 are right on, just look what has happened with the Electric Utility Management, now they have yes men in there.