Annabeth and her role in the 2010 Census - Lake Worth

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“A lie can go halfway around the world before the truth can even put its pants on.” - Mark Twain

Two weeks ago and at a public meeting, resident Loretta Sharpe addressed the 2010 Census and Annabeth Karson implying that we did not get what we paid for. Her remark was responded to by Commissioner Amoroso who said we never got the Census Report. I would like to put the record straight regarding Annabeth Karson and her assignment and the work she did on the 2010 Census.

She was part of the Complete Count Committee that was responsible to get the word out to the different organizations and residents regarding the upcoming census count. Many obstacles were put in her path, one by a present sitting commissioner, Scott Maxwell. It was politics at its best or worst depending upon what side of politics you are on in this dysfunctional city. Those on the paver side were paranoid that she was going to get out there to compile lists of people who would vote the way she wanted them to vote. After all, she was a friend of Cara Jennings so what else could one expect or so they claimed? This was all fantasy, popycock and political smear.

She and Shauna Cooligan were appointed and were originally going to be employees of the city.  Not to be. Maxwell had a hissy fit. It ended up going out on an RFP and Annabeth got the contract and the Complete Count Committee  became an  independent contractor and invoices were submitted as work progressed. Sharp had accused her of not turning in a bill and Amoroso confirmed that they "never got the Census information and he had to grab a report from the League of Cities." A final bill was NOT necessary by this Contract arrangement. All of the information that she and her committee had gathered was turned into the city, not once, but twice. On November 15, 2011, they were scheduled by staff to present a verbal report to the city commission.  Click here for this presentation...go to 6-Presentations.

Their work was not to produce 2010 census figures…that is information the city would have received from the U.S. Census Bureau. Their job was to promote the upcoming Census and encourage residents to fill out the forms for the government so that we could get any money from the Feds to which Lake Worth was possibly entitled. The thought was that there were a lot of immigrants in the wings who were afraid to come forward and who needed to be counted. A flyer was produced that told people how important it was to fill it out. The overall count would determine how much funding Lake Worth would receive for health care, senior centers, road repairs, police, etc. I helped circulate those flyers to encourage residents to fill out the forms for the Census Bureau and the forthcoming Census.

Rachel Smithson, Susan Stanton's right hand gal, had put together a Power Point on the entire Complete Count Committee Report and the work that Ms. Karson and Ms. Cooligan had done from beginning to end. Before this was presented, Rachel left the city and eventually so did Ms. Stanton. The final report is somewhere at City Hall.

So, to have a commissioner say that we never got the information that we paid for is inaccurate. They were paid per a set price in the contract. I simply bring this up as there are some political people in this city and some "ethical" residents who want to reinvent the facts, sometimes at a cost of maligning someone’s character and reputation. And it seems that they do it for fun.

NO final bill—unnecessary

Information submitted twice
Terms of the contract fulfilled

Contract price paid.

Lake Worth Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill, a remarkable woman

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Last night was Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill's last regular meeting as an elected official as she made the decision not to seek a third term in order to pursue her career. She invited some of her close friends to a coffee and cake party in the conference room prior to the city commission meeting. A slide show was presented depicting major achievements for which she was involved over the last four years.

If it weren't for Suzanne, our casino would have been built down by A1A or demolished. She sprearheaded the new casino, allowing it to be built in the same location it has been since 1922 and a structure that will be our pride. Mulligan's restaurant will be serving today and opening to the public tomorrow with the rest of the tenants opening later this year. Our reverse Osmosis plant was built, saving the city $15 million dollars. We exited FMPA and soon we will have a new energy provider. These are some of the multi-million dollar decisions but there were many others that helped and will make our city better.

On October 20, Suzanne Mulvehill will be honored for her work in domestic violence and will be the recipient of the East Florida Chapter of the United States National Committee for UN Women's First End Domestic Violence Community Appreciation Award.

Suzanne Mulvehill started violence awareness when she first took office nearly four years ago. She established the City of Lake Worth’s First Comprehensive Zero Tolerance Domestic Violence Policy in 2011, making it the first city in Florida to set such a policy.  She will courageously and publicly share her story of being in and getting out of a domestically violent relationship, to encourage and help others in similar situations.

Despite overcoming many obstacles, affiliated with domestic abuse, Ms. Mulvehill, became a community leader, authored two books, became an international business consultant and guest lecturer at universities in both the United States and Europe. She still found time to single-handedly educate two children, earn her masters degree, and run for public office. In addition, she won the Point of Light Award, was the recipient of the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Champion Award and the SBA's Women Advocate of the Year Award.

If you want to attend the Walk beginning at 8:15 on Saturday followed by the Award ceremony, please go to www.unwomen-usnc.org/eastflevents or call Luz at 561-685-1308.

Flowers from Tricia and Annabeth

Joe Talley is running for Sheriff PB County

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JOE TALLEY

Joe served for twenty-two (22) years with the Baltimore County Police Department, promoted through each rank with the last six years at the rank of Major

Joe holds an A A in Law Enforcement and a BS in Criminal Justice. He is a graduate of the following prestigious police training academies: F.B.I National Academy, Southern Police Institute, Federal Executive Institute, U.S. Secret Service Dignitary Protection School. Joe has completed hundreds of specialized trainings over the span of his career and maintained affiliation with these coveted schools.

Joe is also a recipient of numerous honors, awards, and commendations. Joe was a member of the Reserve Unit of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for five (5) years and was promoted through to rank of Lieutenant. At that rank was awarded Deputy of the Year, 2003.

Joe has seen the agency from the outside and from within and has identified many areas of concern and need for improvement. He has worked in the private sector as Corporate Security Director, and served for years as a Board Member of the Village of Wellington Public Safety Committee.


To read Joe Talley's complete Bio, please go to his web site.
Facebook: “Joe Talley for Sheriff”
Twitter: @ Talley4Sheriff. Email: info@joetalleyforsheriff.com. (561) 383-1880.

Who da Boss?

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"Don't even think about it"

What a meeting!
What a night!

Last night we found out who's the boss--Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell dominated the three hour meeting. The only words that the city manager could utter were, "We can do it."

The first order of business was to appoint the Vice Mayor (Scott Maxwell), the Vice Mayor Pro-Tem (Andy Amoroso) and then appoint liaisons to various organizations. Maxwell lead the charge again and motioned for various appointments. Suzanne Mulvehill was totally ignored. She was out of the country on vacation and this new commission left her in left field. Maxwell removed item f (IPARC Issues Forum representative) and stated that he would reach out to 2 or 3 individuals to see if they wanted the position.

The scheduled presentation from the Complete Count Committee did not take place. The Committee said it was unavailable and that it had completed its assignment. The agenda clearly stated an Update from the census Complete Count Committee, the second request from Scott Maxwell. We all assumed that they would be present. Staff was prepared to give the presentation in their place unbeknown to the Commission. Maxwell asked the city attorney to find out if the committee is compelled to present per their contract. Mayor Triolo said that they were.

Maxwell immediately motioned to remove 5 items out of 9 from New Business. No explanation was given. Two of the items were for the approval of legal fees to two different law firms. One was for the pending litigation with the Firefighter's Pension Board and other Pension issues. The other was for litigation matters concerning foreclosure of code enforcement liens, recovery of monies owed to the City and, during the past several weeks, ordinance violation prosecutions, personnel mediations and bankruptcy cases. Both of these matters are extremely important to the City and to our benefit. Maxwell asked for a complete list of outstanding law suits.

Maxwell asked that the City Manager bring back a solution to rid the city of the recently passed fire assessment without instigating lay-offs..."draw a line in the sand right now--run lean and mean like we do at home," he said. He wants to understand the complete financials on the Casino. A meeting is set for Monday, November 21 at 6pm, where the Commission will workshop various policy issues.

Also, Maxwell demanded that the City Manager remove the lock at the entrance to her offices or remove the door, take your pick. Susan Stanton said that the door would be removed first thing in the morning. With people now allowed to bring concealed weapons into public buildings, I question this demand of the Vice Mayor. Safety does come first even for our Staff. We are living in violent times. She said that the pictures would be back up on our walls in one week and that the audio would return to the hallway, both major complaints, some for years, from residents.

Everything on the agenda came down to a 4/0 vote other than the creation of a Marketing Advisory Board, something I feel we desperately need. Maxwell made a motion to bring it back at the next Budget cycle which is way too long to wait. Our Casino will be on its way to completion by then. We need to market our city and this achievement as well as all the other assets we have that will attract tourist dollars. Tourism brings business and it takes time to instigate a plan. McVoy voted against delaying its creation.

I have always said that the Utility was our black hole. None of us know anything about it, commissioners included. During public speaking I urged them to ask questions of Staff--trust but verify. Last night the SCADA system which controls the functions of the City's electrical distribution system was on the agenda to approve spending $22,650 for a maintenance contract. The services from OSI are for those needed to maintain the control systems used throughout the City's Electrical Distribution System minimizing control system failures and outages throughout the fiscal year.

Clay Lindstrom, Assistant Utility Director, was called in to support the expenditure saying without it their pricing would go up, that we had no SCADA engineer in house and they were in the process of training people. Once trained, they would no longer need it. However, the back-up clearly states that all required personnel have received the training, and the Utility does not require the same number of service calls. Mary Lindsey called it another "shiny thing in the sky" that was unnecessary but it passed on a 4/0 vote.

The meeting adjourned at 9pm, one of the earliest adjournments since I can remember.

Census Complete Count Committee

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Tonight we will have a presentation from the Census Complete Count Committee and its findings and all the work that they did during the 2010 census.

There have been some on the one side of politics in this city that did everything it could too eliminate any possibility that Annabeth Karson and Shauna Cooligan be in charge of this Committee. First Karson applied for the job and was appointed by the City Manager. Then there was an uproar, she was immediately fired, and the City went out on an RFP. In the end, Ms. Karson was hired by the City anyway.

Why was there an uproar? Those behind that movement to derail Karson were paranoid that she would be collecting voting data that she could use in future elections. Cara Jennings was behind this conspiracy they believed. Their suspicions were baseless but they screamed loudly. Afterall, they were tired of "anarchists" and those of like kind who they perceived to be in control of our city and its destination. They blamed all of these people on the slum and every single piece of blight that ever has existed. As campaign strategist, Diana Demerest says, "There’s an old saying, 'money is the mother’s milk of politics'. I disagree. From my perch, I think the data is."

This committee was formulated because some strongly believed that the vast immigrant population could bring up our population to the 50,000 mark. If that were the case, we would receive money from the federal government as an "entitlement community." As it turned out, we actually had a decline in population.

The Complete Count Committee's presentation is the only presentation on tonight's agenda.