Comment Up
Chris Kibben is gone. He was in charge of our
Grounds & Cemetery Maintenance Division.
His job is being advertised on the City's web site:
1). GROUNDS MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR JOB CODE (3180)
Salary Range: $16.80/hr - $26.05/hr DOQ
He was given a 5 day suspension back in 2013 for cutting down the Ficus tree at the Cultural Plaza. Some say that he was the fall guy and higher ups wanted that tree to be felled. There could be something to all of that. The Ficus/Banyan that was cut down to the ground with only a stump
remaining--cutting down the tree was a mistake said City Manager Bornstein but NO one ever really believed it. Some people swear that the city wanted it cut down.
Kibben was the supervisor over landscape design and maintenance, parks, athletic
fields, and right-of-way beautification. He was also tasked with the maintenance of medians and
right of ways, both inside and outside of the city limits. He and his team
also provided preparation assistance, clean up, and custodial services
for all City sponsored/co-sponsored special events. The last time I ran into him was after a parade early one morning last year. He was cleaning up the city streets along with his crew. His name is still on the city web site.
Chris Kibben was never written up in the 15 years he was with the city other than the tree and it was said that he was out of town when it was cut down. He loved his job. He has a wife and family with a home in Lake Worth and he is now seeking employment.
There are a lot of people no longer with us: According to a source, Barbara Hillier, the Assistant Finance Director was terminated. Sarah Vinci in Finance was terminated. She was on the Negotiation Committee for the ITN at the Beach and Casino. Debbie Jackson in our Utility Department was terminated but she fought it and got her job back. How many more?
What is going on in Lake Worth?
