Friday, June 19, 2015

Sunset 6-19-15

Obama's TPA selling out America?

"Sean Hannity tore apart GOP leadership for continuing their push to give President Barack Obama Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) as the House looks to set up a vote as early as this week on the legislation.

Hannity said House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are selling out American sovereignty, adding that the secrecy of the bill shows those two and the Obama administration don’t “care what we think.”

By just 10 votes (218-208), the house passed a six-year renewal of trade promotion authority. There will be hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of American jobs lost with TAA, included in this bill.

Read more... at the Daily Caller.

H-1B Visa program

Read here... on the H-1B Visa program. Is it all a scam? Is our government screwing the American worker?

The Department of Homeland Security says, "The H-1B Program--U.S. businesses use the H-1B visa program to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require the theoretical or practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge, including but not limited to: scientists, engineers, or computer programmers." 

Supposedly American corporations use these foreign workers because they can't find enough American workers.  We know this is blatantly false and believe that it is all about being able to pay foreign workers less money than a degreed American worker. Many of our college graduates can't find employment in their fields and are driving taxis or working at Starbucks just to survive while the government encourages more foreign workers in the IT field.  Before long, our students who need jobs will see the light and will not specialize in the sciences and then we WILL have an actual shortage of workers. What happens then when our citizens are no longer educated or qualified in these engineering jobs?

Below is Obama's answer to a woman whose husband is a tech engineer who has not been able to find a job in three years.

Whereas...

Comment Up
WHEREAS, the City desires to submit an application for funding assistance in the amount of $25,000 under the Fiscal Year 2017 Small Matching Preservation Grant Program to procure the services of a consultant to conduct a  survey of the City’s historic and cultural resources; and  WHEREAS, the proposed projects serve a valid public purpose.

The Resolution authorizes the submission of a $25,000 grant application for cultural resources management consulting services to develop design guidelines for an historic preservation program and another $25,000 grant application for a consultant to conduct a survey of the City’s historical resources.
That's what the city likes to lay on us...consultant after consultant.  In this case they are attempting to use other people's money to hire one and

we have to spend a matching amount 
or in this case,
 $50,000.

Do you remember the time that these people were staunchly against any and all studies?  It's sort of astounding that the city doesn't know, after 100 years, what is or what is not "historical." And it's also amazing they don't know what is or is not a priority. This is the stuff that makes your head spin.

Whatever happened to the POTHOLE emergency?  Also, you have employees who have had no raises in six years and departments under-staffed while those at the top reap the rewards...what about our hard-working staff?

The entire commission voted FOR this, passing on Consent 5/0.

Stop the Hate - Message to Wes and Mark

UPDATE: Below
 Comment Up
An Open Letter to Wes Blackman and Mark Parrilla:

Stop the hate!

With the tragedy that unfolded last night in South Carolina, I could not help but think of how Dylann Roof’s heart became so full of hate. Perhaps he had people around him who only spoke hate to him. When hate fills a heart, words become toxic and they have the ability to contaminate everyone around. Hateful words have within them the ability to cause the simple minded to act out.

Wes, Mark, your words are like a match and I pray that they do not ignite a tragedy in the Lake Worth you say you love so much.

Stop the hate.
Pastor Mike Olive
UPDATE: Mark Parrilla's reply: Mark Anthony Parrilla 8 hrs · This is an email we received from the self proclaimed Pastor and owner of Common Grounds Coffee Shop and make shift church. Wes and I have been compared to a psycho racist killer. That is and all new low! I guess his maligning our city on national TV wasn't enough, he now wants to go after people who care and do so much for the progress of our city. There is no hate, I have initiated a boycott of his coffee shop after he lied about one of our code inspector's that works very hard to clean up our city. It is growing I now have 26 Lake Worth residents who have pledged to boycott his business.

Dolphin Tale 2 playing tonight - Lake Worth Cultural Plaza

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Sunset 6-18-15

Mike Olive of Common Ground Church on TV tonight

Pastor Mike Olive of Common Ground Church will be on Channel 12 News this evening.

Tune in.  You don't want to miss this!

UPDATE: Interview segment went in different direction as they were uncertain if the South Carolina church shooting was an actual "hate" crime. Is there really any doubt?

Quote of the Day - Pam Triolo

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"Did everyone have a chance to meet with the city manager this week?  And you asked these questions that we've had tonight?"

~ Mayor Pam Triolo

The mayor has brought this sort of question up in the past.  I would gather from her questions that there is some sort of resentment when a commissioner comments in-depth on issues before this majority commission.  The public has the right to know how these votes affect them and all of it should be brought out and discussed in a public forum, not only behind closed doors with the city manager.

In this particular case, it had to do with Land Development Regulations--turtle lights, zoning changes, mix use projects--planned unit developments with an Ordinance of over 30 pages, many pages that were illegible, that indicate significant changes that would/could and will affect your single family neighborhood and our city if implemented. Ryan Maier asked, "Who makes the determination that this zoning change can happen?" William Waters replied, "It is by recommendation from the Historical or Planning & Zoning boards or BOTH." Can you even imagine that a bully blogger could determine your neighborhood's fate?

Then Commissioner Amoroso had to get the same little dig in when he asked William Waters if McVoy or Maier had talked to him regarding their issues [concerns]. Why this commission does not yet understand that the people have trust issues with them is perplexing or why something as important as the LDR's should not be discussed in depth in public meetings.

The motion was amended to exclude sea turtle lighting, re-zoning, the planned developments, penalties that could be issued by the Historic Preservation Board that include a criminal consequence. These exclusions will be brought back for further discussion. The motion was made and passed on a 5/0.

Landscapes and Hydrology - Everglades

During public speaking on Tuesday night, Tom Warnke of the Surfrider Foundation mentioned Commissioner Christopher McVoy's book.  We featured this when it came out but here is a reminder should anyone be interested--


Click here... to buy it at Amazon.

Quote of the Day - John Szerdi

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"...Park of Commerce I'm glad it's not coming up here...I think as far as the blog [Lynn's Little bit of Trivia] that was referred to earlier, I think it's disgusting...that that kind of information or that presentation that was put out there was divisive...putting everybody at a divisive situation here....not just during the election."

~ John Szerdi

Well, not all of us want tax payer money going to develop infrastructure at the Park of Commerce. Not all of us agree that eminent domain is the ethical or correct thing to do to achieve this purpose. Not everyone has this "Field of Dreams" mentality. Is this the blog he was referring to? Gosh, it was right from the Lake Worth back-up that some people, to this day, do not read. Some people complain about anything and Szerdi has been good at that since he lost his election. This was just an opportunity for him to attack this blogger with a comment that was baseless.

I can always count on John Szerdi to be my Quote of the Day even though I have to admit, they are not memorable quotes, just whines.  John Szerdi just doesn't get it.  It hasn't sunk in, not one little bit.  In his opinion, it was all a fluke that he lost and all the uninformed residents voted for the other guy, you know, the one he likes to put down, the one who pals around with anarchists and all of us "dregs."

Commissioner District #4 - LAKE WORTH
 Vote for 1


PercentVotes
Craig Frost
5.28% 132
Ryan Maier
57.34% 1,434
John William Szerdi
37.39% 935

2,501

Quote of the Day - Peggy Fisher

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"We talked about respect...respect of this commission. I am appalled at images of commissioners in  KKK outfits being posted on social media--that is not showing any of you respect.  That is hateful, that is racist and I'm ashamed that a citizen of our city thinks that's appropriate. Um,  I won't say the name because you've asked us not to say names."

~ Peggy Fisher,  citizen extraordinaire

What it is, Ms. Fisher, is political satire. What you did was sleazy politics. Let's get the two straight.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Sunset 6-17-15

What's in a name, he asks?

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There's a lot of disrespect in this city and it starts right at the top--right there on the dais that is consumed by a few bullies. And that's why their friends believe it is A-Ok to be the same way, rude and boorish. The conversation went like this as Maxwell has never once pronounced Commissioner Ryan Maier's name correctly.

Vice Mayor Maxwell:  "...and finally with respect to Mr. [MAYer]" (Note he didn't refer to him as "commissioner.")
Mayor Pam Triolo corrects him: "[MYer]"
Vice Mayor Maxwell then retorts: "Whatever"

Message from Margaret - The Lake Worth Tribune

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In case you didn't see Margaret Menge's comment on my blog yesterday, this is what she says about The Lake Worth Tribune--


Hi Lynn, Thank you for your support of the Tribune. I wouldn't say that anyone with the city directly caused the paper to shut down. Newspapers are a tough business. They're expensive to produce, and you have to sell a lot of advertising to cover costs of news gathering and production.

It wasn't nice of Commissioner Andy Amoroso to tell businesses not to advertise in the paper. And it was wicked of Wes Blackman to tell people to steal stacks of my papers and for Mark Parrilla to do it. But ultimately, it was my task to make the business work. I needed to put together a better sales team, and to focus more on the business, and less on the journalism. Of course, as a journalist, this would be hard.

Many people have told me they would like to help bring the newspaper back. And I think there is a possibility of this. Certainly, this town is big enough to support a weekly newspaper, if not a daily paper. And there are plenty of small newspapers all over America that make it work. So stay tuned.

Thanks,
Margaret Menge, Editor and Publisher
The Lake Worth Tribune

Rules of Decorum - Read the Rules Mayor

Comment Up

At the back of the city commission chamber are the Agendas. On the front of each one is a cover sheet usually printed in green paper. The reverse side gives you information on how the meeting is conducted. Below is the Rules of Decorum, something this commission finds impossible or just flat refuses to enforce.


There was NOTHING respectful with a library board member's commentary towards Commissioner Ryan Maier. In fact, it was inaccurate and libelous and now it is all on audio for future reference and Mr. Maier's lawyer.

Now with the Mayor's new policy that a commissioner can't even defend himself from personal attacks after public commentary of non-agendaed items, it looks like anyone can say just about anything he wants. It's a good thing Ms. Fisher only came within two inches of my face when she screamed at me which could be considered verbal assault. She knew better than to touch me.

You really need to pay attention Mayor and enforce the rules.

Hudson Holdings has an Architect

Comment Up

Although the Gulfstream Hotel has been languishing for years and was coded by the City of Lake Worth, we did find out last night that Hudson Holdings that bought the property in May 2014 for $7,225,000 and wants to grab our casino complex now has an architectural firm involved--JRA Architects out of Louisville, Kentucky.

Timothy Graviss

Senior Associate + Project Manager According to his bio, "Mr. Graviss facilitates all aspects of the building creation process including design, document production, construction observation, and client/contractor coordination while serving as a project manager for an extensive variety of project types.

Tim corresponds directly with the space’s end users in order to understand the unique requirements of each facility, while simultaneously ensuring proper techniques are used during the design process. He strives for continual and clear communication with the client, which facilitates successful projects.

He maintains a position on the forefront of energy efficient building design. Five of his six judicial centers received Energy Star Certification, including the Grant County Judicial Center which is the most energy efficient judicial center in Kentucky in accordance with Energy Star requirements." He did not mention his plans but when talking to him, he did admit that the Gulfstream property needed a lot of TLC.

I did not find very many historical properties that they been involved with and most of the properties listed appear to be in Kentucky.

Last Fall, William Waters, Lake Worth's Sustainability Director said, "The Gulfstream hotel is within the city’s Community Redevelopment Area and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The renovation plans would need to go through the city’s review process to allow the owners to claim a 20 percent rebate on the value of approved renovations for federal income tax purposes, or have the taxable value frozen for 10 years for city and county property taxes.  That's what the city did with the Lucerne.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Florida Budget Deal agreed upon today

The Florida House and Senate reached a budget deal today.  Sen. Jeff Clemens wasn't happy about it because it did not expand medicaid. Read about it...

Close to $1.5 million  was approved for water and sewer projects in Belle Glade, Lake Worth, Palm Beach Gardens and Boynton Beach. Another $500,000 was set for water pipes in the Glades region and $2 million for drainage work in The Acreage.

The commission will be voting on Eminent Domain tonight

Comment Up

NEW BUSINESS Resolution 27-2015-

Tonight, in its pursuit to spend boo koo bucks to develop the Park of Commerce (The visionaries dream especially Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell's) to attract development,  City Manager Michael Bornstein has recommended the acquisition of fee simple title to Parcel 1 to the City Commission of the City of Lake Worth, as being necessary for the widening and construction of improvements to Boutwell Road in the City of Lake Worth, Florida. In other words, he wants to grab land belonging to a private citizen(s).

The city commission will be instructing the city attorney and city manager to take necessary action and to hire outside counsel in order to take possession of this property.

WHEREAS, the funds are available for the acquisition of the parcel  designated as Parcel 1; and,

WHEREAS, the City Commission of the City of Lake Worth is exercising  its authority of eminent domain pursuant to Chapters 73, 74, and 166, Florida Statutes.

Sea Level Rise - A Real Problem

Comment Up

For the Herald and all of you who mock scientist and commissioner Chris McVoy for bringing up the effects of sea level rise--tonight's agenda addresses that very thing.  Water Department Director Larry Johnson says it's important to evaluate the future sea level rise effects on our well fields.

Per the back-up: The Water Utilities Department is committed to assuring a sustainable water supply for the city, including the potential effects of sea level rise on the coastal saline intrusion in the aquifer. The model simulation will use the existing variable density SEAWAT model that was developed in support of the 2012 South Florida Water Management District Consumptive Use Permit. The previous model demonstrated that the reduced surficial withdrawals included in the SFWMD permit stabilize the projected salt water intrusion with the existing sea level.

The proposed simulation will address the effects of estimated sea level rise. The simulation will be run for a 50 year time period.

Mock Roos & Associates was the Engineering Consulting firm selected by the City of Lake Worth as for a continuing services contract, Contract No. RFQ 12-13-302, through the Consultant’s Competitive Negotiation Act (Florida State Statutes 287.055) procurement process. Under this Task Order, they have been selected to perform complete Wellfield Modeling Services to Evaluate Future Sea Level Rise Effects by the Lake Worth Water Utilities Department.

MOTION: To approve/disapprove the Proposal with Mock Roos and Associates for Wellfield Modeling Services to Evaluate Future Sea Level Rise Effects for a price not to exceed $29,590.

This is one of the more sensible expenditures and we hope that the commission will approve.