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Showing posts with label Rachel Waterman. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Message from Rachel Waterman

You may have heard the exciting news.... My husband, Yure, has written a play based on a character he has been developing for many years, Paloma. The play is the story of Paloma's journey from Brazil to Miami and her search for equality, acceptance, and love - from others, and especially from herself. It is a comedy - a side-splitting comedy with a powerful message.

I am producing the show and invite you all to come join the fun and meet Paloma (she's kind of a mix between Ru Paul and Tootsie!). The show will be right here in Lake Worth.

Date: Saturday, February 23
Time: 8:00pm--doors open at 7:30
Place: Scottish Rite Auditorium at 2000 North D Street (LW, FL 33460) at 8:00pm -
Cost: Tickets are just $20 and can be purchased on-line at: http://www.facebook.co/PalomasJourney You can also join Paloma's fan club there.

To get an idea of the character and check out some of Paloma's recent escapades and upcoming appearances, check out her facebook page And, please "like" it.

Hope to see you all on the 23rd. Rachel

Monday, May 7, 2012

Where's Dustin Zacks

It appears that Dustin Zacks, the young attorney who "ran" for mayor last year in Lake Worth, is moving up in the world. It was just a short time ago when he was into Zack Attacks. Now he is a partner in his own law firm: KNA Attorneys at Law.

KING, NIEVES & ZACKS, PLLC, located in Palm Beach Gardens, is described as a boutique litigation firm representing individuals and businesses at all stages of litigation, trial, mediation and appeal. They say that they are "dedicated to providing you with outstanding legal services that are tailored to your individual needs. As your advocate, we understand that your individual needs are paramount. We will strive to meet your goals from helping you avoid a lawsuit to helping you file suit to hold someone accountable that has wronged you."

He's not talking about politics here when it comes to "wronging" someone.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Robo-Signing Foreclosure Debacle

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We can all remember Dustin Zacks and all of his attacks in the last election regarding Waterman and her foreclosures. It has heavily come to light, as we all knew then but not to the same degree as we do now, all the fraud that was committed by banks in the mortgage loan business. People were victims of the corrupt banking system.

Now Obama has a new scheme to help out the banks, and foreclosures are predicted to rise again because of this latest plan.

"State and federal governments have condoned forgery, perjury and fraud in what’s been called the “robo-signing” foreclosure debacle. Last week, the five biggest banks in America signed on to a $26 billion deal that, basically, lets them off with a slap on the wrist for fraudulently foreclosing on homes in the last few years. I am not going to go on and on about how unfair and unjust this deal was or how the rule of law has been thrown down the stairs. I am going to focus on the fallout of this morally corrupt deal."Obama says that this is good for struggling homeowners.

Read more at USAWatchdog that disputes Obama's claim. If true, our city will be affected in a big way. The commission will either have to special assess or worse; it will have to reduce spending to a degree that is unimaginable and Mr. Zacks will have more business than he can handle as mortgage defaults are projected nationally to rise over 10 million over the next decade.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

On City Board Appointments

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Yeah, I know. I gave Dustin Zacks, former candidate for Mayor, a "hard" time. It was no where near as hard as he gave to Mayor Waterman, a woman who is raising a family and making a sincere effort to rise above the economic hardships that she and millions of Americans have endured over the past several years.

But Mr. Zacks was right when he talked about volunteer city boards and the politics behind some decisions. Zacks also suggested that the city do background checks on those individuals applying and in so many words he said not to appoint jail birds. I agree with all of that. It is just common sense.

Wellington will now have a new Ordinance that will make it easier for boards to kick out their own members if they miss 2 meetings in a row or 4 out of 6 meetings for any reason. They will also be doing background checks. One city councilwoman complained about the cost of a criminal background check but background checks don't have to be in-depth or costly. If there is a felony conviction within 10 years of appointment, that person will not have a chance on a city board. They are not doing a credit check, the very thing that was used against Waterman. At least Wellington understands someone's finances or lack thereof should not be held against them.

I would like to see The City of Lake Worth take stronger action and not be allowed to appoint anyone who is 1) an anarchist or 2) convicted of any crime. I think we should even be tougher than Wellington and not limit it to just felonies. There are many despicable acts that are anti-government and anti-social that should be considered when a government appoints anyone to represent the city.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Rachel Waterman thanks her Supporters

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Losing an election is never pleasant. Losing by 220 votes had to have been a blow. It is rare when we hear from a losing candidate. Rachel Waterman writes and thanks her supporters and gives us all advice to stay connected:

I can hardly thank everyone enough for all that we did together these past few months. For your support, time, money, confidence, ideas, energy, and inspiration, I will always be grateful. We stood for fairness and justice - our karma will reward us for sticking to the issues and promoting transparency and fairness. Many new friends were made – friendships that have improved the spirit of our community. I am proud of our campaign and all who helped us.

Now, some work has to be shouldered by each of us. Stay involved in our City’s business. Attend the City Commission meetings, or listen online. Go meet the city commissioners and let them know who you are, and call and email them. Educate them about the depth and breadth of opinions in our city. Write letters to the newspaper. Serve on a city board. Our elected officials represent us all - not just those who voted for them and it is up to us to inform them of our perspectives, needs, and how their decisions impact us.

I have had some phone difficulties but they are all fixed now - please make a note of my number - my personal cell phone is 561-574-7103. My personal e-mail account is rachelbwaterman@gmail.com. Please contact me anytime.

And, again, thank you for all your support. I am honored to have served as your Mayor.

Rachel Waterman

Thursday, November 10, 2011

What we Wish For - On Rachel

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If a man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles.
~Benjamin Franklin

A lot of people were wishing and even praying over this last election for their favorite candidate to win. Of course, only the well wishes for two were fulfilled. Sometimes getting what you wish for isn't exactly what you would expect or eventually what you ever wanted. It never works out exactly the way you wished or hoped it to. That's life.

As Dustin now proudly displays a poster on his web site, revenge never works either. When politicians set their minds on exacting revenge, they actually do more harm to themselves than they will ever do to their target.

Yes, Waterman was defeated but if she had really wanted to be our mayor, her entire conduct would have been different from the very first day she entered the Chamber to take the oath. It all started then when she walked down the middle isle not acknowledging one person in the chamber that was filled with mostly her supporters. She walked right by as if we were invisible. Perhaps she was nervous but it was most unusual especially not even to smile during that moment that was supposed to be happy. Everyone there had worked arduously and tirelessly for her victory.

A few months later she even dissed the blogs when this blog did everything within its power to help her during that special election. There was never a thank you, never a nod, never. Bloggers don't write for the "thank yous" and typically we hear from the disgruntled much more often. We set off nerves and we give our points of view that make people smile, make them angry or give them a thought that goes against their grain from time to time. Our objective is to tell the story as we see it and we know that we will ruffle some feathers. But we are not elected officials who just took your money or took your time to get elected.

I truly believe that Rachel Waterman could have been a great mayor, if she had wished it. Perhaps she just did not wish hard enough or long enough or took the time to listen to us. So, all of us should be careful what we wish for because we never really know what we will get. Just like that marriage certificate, you don't know the person until you sign on that dotted line.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Voting Precincts

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Last night as I was following the elections, 12 precincts out of 14 had reported and the mayoral race was neck and neck at 49% each. After all the precincts had reported, Triolo went way ahead. It was not Murry Hills that brought home the bacon for Pam Triolo but College Park, her own neighborhood. Not including absentees or provisional votes, College Park gave her 322 votes to Waterman's 151.

The condo neighborhoods along Lake Osborne Drive went with Waterman. Elderly people are much more reluctant to embrace change. They have learned from years of experience that usually you just substitute one turkey for another as Maxine would opine. The fact of the matter is, no one really bothered politicking out here because 1) 75% of our residents are not here and 2) there are some canvassing restrictions at some of the condo communities such as Murry Hills. They won't let you step one foot on the grounds there. This is why old people don't have any leverage and usually lose out such as the trolley, shuffleboard courts and the like. They make it difficult for themselves.

Triolo won 8 precincts and Waterman won 6. Waterman's largest support was in precinct 7090 with 156 votes to Triolo's 96. You have to pick up a lot of votes in College Park if you want to win an election in Lake Worth.

Out with the Old - In with the New

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Not enough to pull it off

If Waterman could have received 12.3 more votes per polling location, she would have won the election. She needed to take 111 votes away from Triolo to win by 1 vote.

I can't tell you who is smarter--who will do the best job--but one thing in which we all agree, from the day that Pam Triolo introduced herself to all of us as a candidate for mayor, we liked her instantly. We believed her. There was no monkeying around. She got right to the point and understood what was in our hearts. Warm and sincere, we just knew that she would like us back.

This Mayoral election boiled down to a couple of things:

1. The Neighborhood Associations have become political over the past several years. If you recall, I predicted this in a Dirty Dozen series. Although there are a few neighborhood associations that insist they are non-political, when it comes down to taking off the wrapper, they are as political as the next. Everyone wants to make Lake Worth a better place to live. Kicking one perceived bum out and replacing that person with someone of like mind is a big objective. Many of the leaders of these neighborhoods are convincing their members that the city is being run by anarchists, officials who do not approve of code enforcement; love slum and blight, illegals and the homeless and are basically gypsies.

The neighborhood associations are out in their communities daily with crime walks and trash pick-ups and doing good deeds. They are influencing the community by working in them to make positive changes. Those who live in the neighborhoods are impressed by these deeds and the leaders of these associations who are pro-active. They have come to trust them to give them the "skinny" when it comes to casting their vote. Just in my own community, a forgotten one I might add, residents are always asking me for whom they should vote. This year I totally abstained from taking a position.

2. Negativity caught on. Two of the candidate forums put on by the Neighborhood Associations had many questions that were asked with prejudice. The forum at the Playhouse is tied with Tropical Ridge's forum as a put up job to cast doubt on the incumbents, especially Waterman...not sure which forum was worse. Dustin Zacks was there to do the dirty for the Triolo campaign. There was no other reason for him to be there. He could have dropped out immediately after Triolo filed. He said what Triolo couldn't say. All his comments trickled throughout the entire city of Lake Worth by those living in the neighborhood by those who had attended the debates.

3. The incumbent, Rachel Waterman, has no one to blame but herself. In a short term of less than four months, she managed to alienate many in the community. Several people who had been active for years were ignored as their concerns hit a brick wall and went dormant. She kicked 2 people out of the Chamber, one for whispering. She used an iron fist. Every time she smiled from the dais, or when she rolled her eyes, we all wondered when the sparks would fly. She voted for a budget after spending 80 hours reviewing it, not changing a thing. She allowed the city manager to jerk her chain at every opportunity. She voted for the free lunches: travel, membership fees, conventions and conferences. She brought up a salary increase at election time, knowing that voters would be very critical after she just voted to increase taxes. She had no conception of what the fire assessment was really about--all she knew is that the city manager just had to have the money to balance her budget and to get much needed cash. She tried to con us by saying that she never voted for the fire assessment. Her own personal finances had been a disaster and voters did not agree with the tax and spend mentality at city hall. She did not take her constituents seriously and in her mind, classified them as trouble makers, stupid, complainers and even used the words "rabble rouser" describing one resident. He voted for Triolo.

So, because of these three things, we now have a new Mayor, an extremely likable gal, Pam Triolo, who did understand. We have high hopes that she will be a leader and not be lead.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Dave Aronberg endorses Rachel Waterman

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Dave Aronberg--

Harvard University, Harvard Law School and former State Senator

As a state senator, Aronberg sponsored or backed legislation to establish a prescription drug database and to regulate the ownership and operation of pain clinics more strictly. Later he was appointed to Pam Bondi's administration as a special counsel to lead an intense anti-pill mill initiative.

Aronberg endorsed Waterman as our best choice.

Election Tomorrow

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With one of the biggest achievements for the City of Lake Worth, Jo-Ann Golden, looking to the future, made a monumental decision when she voted to end the Contract with Palm Beach County for water thus saving $15 million already spent on our Reverse Osmosis system. Will this be enough to save her tomorrow? Will voters over-look her raising taxes, supporting a special assessment and voting in lock-step with the city manager?

For a newcomer to the scene of Lake Worth politics, Rachel Waterman got into the swing of things early on and formed important alliances within the Democratic Party. She is smart and was a quick study on the issues. She incorporated her "open door" policy for several hours during the week to get a better understanding of the concerns of her constituents. She revised "coffees with the mayor" during the campaign. She dissed half of the neighborhood association candidate forums. She listens but does she hear? Did she develop a repoire among those she serves? She refused to delay capital projects but instead, voted for the city manager's Budget that raised advalorem and other taxes plus a special assessment to pay for fire pensions. Does she really know better than the people she serves? The PB Post says she is the best choice. Is she?

Tomorrow voters will decide.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Lake Worth Democratic Club Endorses Waterman and Golden

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Message from the Club:

Attn Lake Worth Dems: Be sure to vote in the Municipal Elections on Tues, Nov. 8!

All LW Democrats are encouraged to vote for re-election of Rachel Waterman for Mayor and Jo-Ann Golden for Councilwoman.

Polls open 7 AM to 7 PM at your usual place - be sure to cast your ballot on Tuesday!Volunteers also are needed to help get out the Vote this weekend.

I knew there was a reason why I quit this club two years ago. In fact, Andy Amoroso is a Democrat. He was the only one who showed up to speak at the last Democratic Club meeting I was told.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Maxwell gets stomped on by majority commission

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At the end of the last meeting on Tuesday, Commissioner Maxwell asked, "Where is the city manager?" She was not present for the entire meeting. He was told by Commissioner McVoy, that Stanton was participating in a church rectory ceremony, whatever that is. Maxwell then stated that the city manager needs to advise the Commission when she leaves the city and wants to know how does the Commission formally discipline the city manager?

The City Attorney, Elaine Humphreys, replied that she works for the Commission, not one commissioner, and will take direction from the Commission. The rest of the commission informed her that she did not have their permission to even review the process. Next comes some back and forth between Maxwell, McVoy and Margoles, the assistant city manager, regarding the Census Committee and why it was not on the agenda as Maxwell had asked.

Maxwell then asks the question at around 2:37 into the meeting, "Can I ask for a termination (of the city manager) straight up?" Waterman moves quickly to shut him up and takes a vote to adjourn the meeting.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Election Prediction and the Community Relations Board

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Out of Touch and Out of Tune

I never bet on stuff because when I do, I undoubtedly lose. So instead I am making a prediction:

1. The Dais will change on November 8
2. The Dais will change next year too.

After last night and what I had to sit through in order to listen to three commissioners and the Mayor justify having an anarchist on the Community Relations Board (CRB), who is now its Chair, and who believes that we live in a "police state," only shows to me that this commission is out of touch and out of tune. I can agree when Panagioti, the Chair of the CRB, says that public safety costs way too much. But to refer to PBSO's policies as "mafia-esque," and putting an end to industrial civilization and having the freedom to do what you damn well please are not ideals that I want for a member of any city board.

Many citizens spoke to Commissioner Maxwell's issue-- that of striking all references regarding law enforcement from the Ordinance of 2009 that created the CRB as part of the CRB's focus. Maxwell stated that under Florida Statutes 112.533, we had no right to investigate the PBSO, something Chair Tsolkas wants to do and something that Maxwell says would put the City in peril. It ended up that the city attorney would not give an opinion until she read the Statute and understood it. Cpt. Silva was encouraged to come before the body and speak to the issue and he said that it was up to Sheriff Ric Bradshaw on how the PBSO would accept or deal with the CRB and its demands.

It was voted that the entire issue concerning the CRB's desire to investigate law enforcement policies will move on to a joint meeting of the CRB and the PBSO. The reasons given were that the Commission did not have the back-up and supporting documentation, had not seen the Panagioti e-mail, no member of the CRB was present and they were unfamiliar with the Florida Statute. I would imagine that the Commission will be there too but there was no mention of that. I certainly hope that they will be a party to the meeting as they need to learn what in heck is going on and take responsibility for nominating a re-known anarchist/jail-bird, who has no use for government or its laws, as a member of the Community Relations Board. It was this very appointment that prompted the Zack attack and Dustin Zacks, a young smart lawyer, to enter the mayoral race.

It was a cross of political views throughout the City but predominantly conservatives such as myself...people who believe in law and order and are offended by those who advocate anarchy who spoke out last night. I honestly got the feeling that the Commission was just putting up with it all. The expressions and the looks on their faces as we all spoke were telling. Maxwell sat stone-faced, adamant on the direction that this Board should take and shouldn't take. The other four Commissioner's minds were already made up before that meeting. What was glaringly evident was that not one member of the CRB was present, probably told to stay away--another excuse the Commission could use to delay.

In defense of their actions, the Vice Mayor said that she was impressed with Panagioti's interview for the Community Relations Board and that perhaps we were making an issue on something that wasn't an issue. If you recall, a few years ago she backed Javier for Mayor for the very same ideals held by Panagioti. We, in the chamber, sat stunned. Mayor Waterman questioned whether the e-mail sent by Panagioti, wherein he claims all sorts of radical ideas, was personal. It doesn't matter whether it was a personal e-mail or sent as Chair of the CRB. The fact remains he IS Chair and should conduct himself as such, a representative of the entire City, not just anarchists. The egregious action, in the minds of the citizens, was that he was appointed to this Board to begin with. This was an outrageous decision by this Commission and one that has brought divisiveness to the City.

As John Pickett, Chair of the Finance Advisory Board said, "There is no shame in making a mistake. The only shame is in defending it."

Enough is enough Commissioners.

Read the Palm Beach Post article.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Waterman gets Post Endorsement

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Palm Beach Post Endorses Waterman

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Use and Occupancy Letter sent out to Property Owners

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After reading the letter that was sent out to the residents and property owners by William Waters' Department for Community Sustainability, I didn't think it was that bad. This is one of the times lately that I feel the commission might have over-reacted just a bit to something staff has done and a problem that staff was trying to correct.

If it had been set up in bullet points rather than a long, officious letter, it might not have been confusing to some. No one likes to read, long onerous looking letters. The problem, if any, was the design rather than the content. Probably if the second paragraph began, "If your property is a rental, an inspection...
Next, a big box might be good to check off if the property is NOT a rental. The property owner should fill out the form so that the information can be entered into a database whether he rents his property or not. The entire fee schedule was provided for the type of rental property as well as a return envelope.

It was clear to me as stated in the first paragraph, " If your property is currently rented or leased and you have not obtained the required Use and Occupancy and Business tax Receipt, please complete the application on the reverse side and submit payment according to the charts.

The complaints from the Commission this past Tuesday were:

Waterman: It went out to every property owner in the city. No where in the letter does it say what not to do if your property is not a rental. Wasteful. Someone should have reviewed this before it went out. Well, how else are you going to know who is renting or who is not unless you send it out to all? People have been cheating the system for years.

Maxwell: "It is the worst piece of government in action I have ever seen...shoddy work."

Golden: Says that the letter is not well written.

Stanton: "I am responsible. Give me a chance before the crucifiction."

Some resident spoke, a retired vet whose wife is disabled. He was given notice to evict by his slum landlord who received the letter. This is most unfortunate but it is exactly this type of landlord that the city is targeting.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Great Flip Flop - Grabbing the Cash

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First I voted for it
Next I voted against it
I am still for it
but I voted against it

The fire assessment has always been nothing more than a sham on the people. It is a money grab, as Pam Triolo says. However, the City won't tell you that. They can't tell the truth as they must make up a legal reason to steal your money. Property values fell again this year by 3.57% and the City needs to make up the money somehow, someway. They have spent all sorts of your tax dollars to figure out new ways to collect revenue.

Last night Waterman said, "The assessment is fair but I will be voting against it." We all knew what the outcome would be with Chris McVoy back on the dais. It would be really very stupid to vote for a tax of this nature when you are running for election. The only problem here is, we all know what the mayor did. She tried to "play" us but didn't fool a soul. Next we will see that on literature--I did NOT vote for the fire assessment. There is nothing fair about this money grab, Mayor.

At least we didn't have to listen to them tell us that 1/3rd of the people in this city do not pay taxes. We did hear from Maxwell that the city gets no tax off of 1,000 properties, like that's all of our faults. (They still voted for the free lunch though with NO discussion) I love the fact that my property dropped 17% this year...just giddy as hell about that. We had to listen to, once again, about response time and why that is the reason that people are taxed the same. We had to listen to who all they will tax; schools were mentioned again when in fact, schools will be exempt the last time I checked. This is for a PENSION, commissioners. This is not fire services. Do you get even that?

They answered to the various new positions that are in the budget and were queried about all those making over $100,000 a year. The Vice Mayor, Suzanne Mulvehill, even went so far to tell us that we lost a $250,000 grant because we had no Marketing Development Director. No commissioner, we lost the grant because we could not come up with the matching funds. Look to your city manager for that one.

All they had to do was delay a capital improvement but no, they wanted that cash way too much.

As resident Marshall Pass declared from his chamber pew, "Remember November 8.

Note: The fire assessment (really a tax) passed on a 3/2 vote, Maxwell and Waterman dissenting.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Lake Worth Democratic Club

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As it is rumored that top local Democrats will be hot and heavy and very involved in the Rachel Waterman campaign, following is the announcement on the next Lake Worth Democratic Club meeting.

Oct. 19th
7 P.M
Pegasus Restaurant
301 N Dixie Hwy

On the Agenda:
Susan Bucher is our Supervisor of Elections and is a very dynamic personality...well worth coming for especially in this election cycle. Susan will bring forms for change of address and absentee ballot. Attending this meeting would be a good opportunity to learn all of the voting requirement changes and take care of change of address, etc. so that your 2012 voting experience is productive.

Also on the agenda is Representative Jeff Clemens to speak on improving the chances of Democrats in 2012.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Illegal is illegal

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We keep griping about slum, blight and code violations and rightfully so. This complaint is legitimate and it is city-wide. We expect everyone who owns property here to live within our ordinances and laws. There should be NO exception even if you are an elected official.

Elected officials get a campaign packet from the City Clerk as well as a disc that provide everything you need to know about running for office, the do's and the dont's, if you will--a Campaign Guide for Dummies.

Our mayor had these signs at her house for months. A door hanger was left at the property on October 6 after a citizen complaint. According to the top City administrator, the wrong city code was cited. It had an improper reference to a possible fine and contained incorrect information regarding a 24 hour response requirement. Even if an improper notice was given, it still does not excuse the illegal act. Occasionally we read about some murderer getting off because of a technicality and our blood boils.

Although unverified, I was told that the Code Enforcement Department was confronted by our Mayor and it wasn't pleasant. I have also been told that the illegal signs have subsequently been removed.

THIS

Eventually resulted in
THIS

Click to enlarge

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Neighborhood Associations Need To Regain Control

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Sunday, October 16, 2011
Palm Beach Post

Personal issues have no place In Lake Worth mayoral race

Regarding the article "Lake Worth mayor to pass on candidate forums due to 'vicious, personal attacks,'" following a recent political debate Mayor Rachel Waterman was subjected to a taste of the embarrassment commonly known as "Lake Worth politics." Mayor Waterman generally does not avoid tough questions, but in the environment at the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association forum, issues could not be productively debated.

At any political forum, societal issues at hand should be the subject of debate. If the nation focused on personal issues, we may have been denied what proved to be some very worthy leaders. Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Harry S. Truman each filed personal bankruptcy. Personal attacks are a waste of time, and in Lake Worth we have wasted too much time and money on politics.

Mayor Waterman's withdrawal from participating in dirty politics was a valiant attempt toward the betterment of Lake Worth. Mayor Waterman has met with and will continue to meet with residents on the street, in their homes or in city hall. With our first trilingual mayor, we have an opportunity to progress in a unified and dignified manner in the practice of true democracy. A select few in our city are only interested in maintaining the status quo, one which led us to near-bankruptcy.

In Lake Worth, we have a budget team, city manager and city commission, all overseeing our expenditures. It seems that the heads of the neighborhood associations and volunteers need to regain control of their venues before they attempt to discredit our mayor.

DINA CLINGMAN-BELL

CHRIS BELL

Lake Worth