Burt Aaronson, a Remembrance

Longtime Palm Beach County Commissioner Aaronson dead

Burt Aaronson passed away on Thursday morning. He was 90 years old. R.I.P.

Commissioner Aaronson, on the county commission for two decades, threatened Lake worth at one time regarding the bond money delegated for our beach park renovation. He was going to cut off the $5 million if we did not come up with a plan. This motivated the then commission to get into action.

Now, the present commission and administration is pushing for us to undo what we have done, virtually putting a match to the $5 million and offering us re-designs from $14 million on up to $59 million from which to choose.

Garbage is Juicy - Connect the Dots - Follow the Money

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Grassy Waters

When I say "juicy," I mean the characters involved in Tuesday's decision by Palm Beach County (Dissenters: Valeche who was really for it and Burdick) that will give Sun Recycling a five year contract to truck in 78,000 tons of waste a year from Broward to the new Palm Beach County incinerator.

You have to ask the question--why?  "All of this will only reap $3 a year in alleged savings"' said one resident who spoke.  There is no advantage to allow Sun Recycling to dump waste in Palm Beach County or one that is readily available or could be implemented without tremendous cost. Well, the answer is obvious to me--

Some of the players:

Sun Recycling-- a company that has been around for some time and one that dumped 6,000 truckloads of questionable RSM waste of approximately 105,000 cubic yards all day and night with some of it 3.6 to 3.8 feet thick after it was crushed and mashed on our landfill and that never restored our property per the lease agreement. Back then, Christy Goddeau of the Glen J. Torcivia law firm, had recommended against Lake Worth filing suit because of the cost which also would have included attorney fees that she said we would never recover.

A company that gave and continues to give large campaign contributions to any candidate for whom they feel will serve their interests.  They gave plenty to Lake Worth candidates and even to sitting commissioners one of whom is John Szerdi.

Burt Aaronson, now a lobbyist for Sun Recycling and the former boss of Mary Lou Berger who replaced him on the county commission after he was term limited. 

Another lobbyist was there for Sun Recycling who is the co-chair for the second annual mayor's ball for Shelley Vana, Neil Schiller.

Drew Martin was there representing the Sierra Club and told them that dioxins in small percentages can cause cancer. The smoke stack will be over the water supply at Grassy Waters.  Hal Valeche was furious and dumped on Drew for that remark telling him that they were highly regulated. According to Drew Martin, the County had to rewrite the ordinance to allow it and they went to the DEP to get an increase in allowable air pollution.

Mayor of West Palm beach, Jeri Muoio spoke out against it.  She is being challenged for mayor by Kimberly Mitchell, good friend of Shanon Materio whose campaign adviser was Richard Pinsky considered a political genius and ex-husband of Mitchell. Materio has a relationship with Sun Recycling and even accepted money for her BacPAC. Pinsky was hired by the present Lake Worth City Commission as a lobbyist for them in Tallahassee at $2,000 a month.  We haven't heard a thing how that's working out.

Well, do I have to spell it out?  Palm Beach County still has big questionable issues. And it is still known as corruption county of the country.

Quote of the Day - Burt Aaronson

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The experience of the company's management team, not the track record of the company, should count.

~Burt Aaronson, Palm Beach County Commissioner


Southern Waste Systems (Sun Recycling) is back in the news today.

The Palm Beach County Commission agreed to ease its rules on who can compete for its garbage business. It used to be that you had to have experience hauling residential garbage with at least 30,000 curb side customers. Palm Beach Commissioners instructed staff to re-write the restrictions so that Sun Recycling can bid.

Lake Worth has had its experience with Sun. They dumped all sorts of crap on our landfill and left the 66 acres unusable. If you recall, Sun dumped over 6,000 truckloads of construction material on our landfill, some of which is 3.6 or 3.8 inches thick, hauling in material from south Florida construction sites, giving that commission (one of the WCE) a song and dance abiout using it for a disaster staging site. Our reclamation of the land was again, dead. This was in a lawsuit but I don't see it any longer on the list. Perhaps it was settled or dropped and we weren't informed. This is what I  hate about our lawsuits--the public never knows what's happening.

They also gave campaign contributions here in Lake Worth. You remember the Retha Lowe incident that got her in all sorts of trouble with Tallahassee. Retha lived in our landfill district.  Because they wanted to do more business in Lake Worth, Sun companies contributed the same amount in the general election as they did in the primary to Tom Ramiccio...$2,500. A few years back,  Sun companies gave $2,500 to Lisa Maxwell, now Chair of the Electric Utility Advisory Board as well as $1,400 to Shanon Materio's  BacPac that was supporting certain candidates. Materio, as you know, is now commissioner in West Palm Beach.

Our commission voted not to renew any contract with Sun Recycling (the BCE) and we would use our own rolloff containers.  Palm Beach County made a decision on May 18, 2010 to extend Sun's permit.

Burt Aaronson is finally term limited but Southern Waste Systems is moving right along.