Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Commissioner Christopher McVoy's closing remarks

Closing Remarks, Commissioner Christopher McVoy, 2010-2017
March 21, 2017

It is not often that a scientist is granted the opportunity to participate directly in the American experiment of democracy (and not every city that gets the benefit of a scientist!)

I am honored to have been able to represent all the residents of this quirky city in South Florida that continues to attract folks from far and wide.

I am honored to have been able to serve as “voice of reason,” as a “voice of the people,” unburdened by allegiances to vested interests.

I am proud of our many accomplishments:
-    The Burton modeling and analysis applied to our budgeting
-    Our signing onto the Four County Climate Change Compact
-    Our commitments to local sourcing and apprentices on publicly funded projects
-    Our use of internationally recognized designers at our beach and at our living shoreline
-    A beautiful building at the beach
-    A state of the art RO plant
-    Beautiful greenways
-    2 Megawatts of solar panels on our landfill
-    Our installation of real time electric and water meters to help residents save money
-    And many more

But our work is not done. Here are some specifics that I hope this new Commission will address:
-    Code enforcement – spell out our priorities for all to see
-    A program to reward good landlords, shame bad ones
-    A gun violence prevention program. Consider the ShotSpotter technology
-    Balancing the care for our different parks – I still cringe at the lack of bathrooms, the lighting, the tables   and benches at Howard Park
-    Our continued reputation for expensive electricity – use the new meters and a household-by-household program to address
-    Customer service!
-    Public Safety – address long standing problem areas such as the Holiday House Hotel on Dixie Hwy, others on Federal Hwy

And here are some areas where I am confident that together you can develop visions that will lift up and inspire our city:
-    Quality of life in our neighborhoods, especially speeding, trucks and cut through traffic – develop a city wide set of goals, approaches and a plan. Work hard to involve residents – make it a community effort
-    Environmental, especially energy. Help Lake Worth become nationally known for true leadership in this area – you can do it!
-    Sober homes. This community has compassion but it also needs to feel safe. Learn to distinguish between good sober homes who provide a needed service and the duds who just profit and hurt us.


I would like to close by handing over the torch:
-    I am entrusting all five of you, new and old, with the protection of our city’s greatest asset – it’s heart and soul.
-    I recognize that this is not an easy task, and that it generates more questions than answers:
o    What gives a city Heart and Soul, why does our city have more of it than Lantana or WPB or most other cities in South FL?
o    What strengthens heart and soul, and what weakens it?
o    Can it be measured in dollars or square feet developed? Probably not, and yet we need both dollars and square ft.
o    Are there slippery slopes that could threaten our heart and soul, and that will be hard to reverse before it’s too late?
o    How does diversity, all kinds of diversity, fit into the picture? How do we smooth the edges?
o    These and more are all important questions to get right.

-    So I challenge each and every one of you to do your best, not for yourselves, but for ALL in this city
-    I challenge you all to do your utmost to hear from all viewpoints in the city, to cultivate, to welcome real public input – it will help you to find answers
-    I challenge you to find ways strengthen our city as a whole – the finances, the sense of safety, the quality of life, the compassion and the tolerance.
-    I challenge you to protect and strengthen the Heart and Soul that makes our city a beacon within South Florida
-    Be that light and Godspeed!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

thought cris talked very well.he still loves our city and he will be missed very much.good luck chris

Anonymous said...

Beautifully said,Christopher. Thank you for everything you have fought for and won in our city.Thank you for putting so much of your life on hold for us all. If not for you and Ryan, we would not have had a public beach today. Thank you!!!