Conservative Commentary/Opinion on Local, State & National issues. Hours 7am to 7pm to respond to comments. Globalists, Socialists, Communists and anti-Conservatives not welcomed.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Mayor Varela Speaks Tonight

Rene had election promises and declared:
- I’ll fight to hold the line on taxes by diversifying the local economy to expand the tax base.
- I’ll work hard to create high-quality jobs by focusing on green, clean technologies to attract new businesses to our city. (Green is nice but what about just plain old ethical businesses?)
- I'll save our natural resources.
- I want to shore up the Casino. We can't afford to restore it. (This one will not be a reality)
- I’ll streamline governmental regulations for small business owners. (This one will be a reality)
- I’ll make government more efficient. (Let's get rid of the incompetent Staff and take politics out of some of the decisions like Bryant Park)
- I’ll balance the budget and live within our means. (Not happening...say NO to the Unions--oh, forgot--you got campaign contributions from them)
- I'll re-engineer our Utilities. (Please explain--you never did explain this...does it mean getting rid of incompetent staff that blows transformers?)
- I’ll work as hard as you do.
We're not as bad as Boynton but Close
The 542 and You

Everything on the Commission’s Agenda last night was voted in on a 5 to 0 vote with the exception of the Bryant Park Seawall Project that involved the Public Works Director’s unauthorized decision to move the parking lot to the middle of Bryant Park. To move it back would cost $80,000 and we don’t have 80 cents.
Commissioner Mulvehill gave a presentation on a possible solution but had to endure the politics of Varela and Maxwell that nearly stopped it. She was encouraged by many citizens to come up with a “logical solution to an illogical” problem. She did just that.
Commissioner Maxwell said, “We have to support our staff.” Commissioner, we only have to support them when and IF they make the right choices. In this case, Joe Kroll did not. Maxwell further stated that he “sees this as a way to disconnect from the community.” Wrong again. This is to make staff ACCOUNTABLE, something that has not occurred for many years in Lake Worth and the insubordination continues now.
We got to witness the condition of the pump station at the Lake Worth pool, a pool that just opened last year after we spent $450,000. The pump station is in deplorable condition. Why is that? Why doesn't staff take care of our assets...do their jobs? Why do they not routinely check on these things? Why do these things come to the Commission’s attention when it costs us money…in this case $150,000? This is when you have to say, Commissioner Maxwell, that staff can NOT be trusted. Now, right in the middle of our Season, we have to close down the pool because of deteriorated electrical wiring and plumbing that pose a health hazard to the public. Our pool will not be reopened until such time we can come up with the money for the necessary repairs. Most of all, it is because STAFF did NOT do its job in the first place. The pump station is under Joe Kroll's authority. He needs to be held accountable. He was not.
Next, we have the Dirty Dozen faction in a packed chamber room only there to make Bryant Park a political football when all it is about is doing the right thing for the residents of this City. I am disappointed in some of the residents who have been pulled into this and making it political when it should not be. If you did not get a chance to sign a petition, then that’s too bad. I didn’t sign it either but I will stand up for the principle here, not the BS politics.
I am extremely disappointed that a resident and former Planning and Zoning Commissioner, Lisa Maxwell, can personally “put down” Commissioner Mulvehill by belittling her in public. I am even more shocked, but not surprised, at former Commissioner, Bo Allen, who spoke and had to bring up gays at the park and “blow jobs.” Pretty sad stuff. And to Mr. Allen, who just does not want to “get it,” we are discussing Bryant Park because there are hundreds of residents who do not want a significant alteration to our major park without public input. We are discussing it because the Public Works Director went around his authority.
I have to say that I am disappointed with the City Manager as well. I can't even imagine an employee going around the city manager's authority. That IS shocking. I was told that the Bryant Park Neighborhood Association did not want to get involved and that is disappointing. Most of all, I am disappointed in Maxwell, Varela and Golden for protecting Kroll who cost us plenty, not only in Bryant Park but $150,000 at the pool as well as a loss of income for the rest of the Season. When is enough enough?
I want to thank Commissioners Jennings and Mulvehill. Cara was at the top of her game last night on many issues. She is really sharp, thinks on her feet and delivers. When she is focused, nothing can muddy her clear perception and understanding. Mulvehill's presentation pointed out other possibilities. She did exactly what a Commissioner elected in our City should be doing. I also want to thank Tracy Peterson who lives near the Park and was the organizer behind the “542.”
To sum it up, how did this happen last night considering Joe Kroll's history... a staff director who has mislead the City with poor decisions:
- Joe Kroll is in charge of our pool. He failed to include the pump station in the scope of work. He has failed to even maintain this asset.
- The City of Lake Worth now loses revenue and has to endure a major expense.
- Can we trust his estimate of $150,000 when his estimate for the Shuffleboard Roof was $73,000 when contractors were saying it would only cost $25,000?
- He claimed that there were health and inspection records at City Hall on the Land Fill when none existed anywhere.
- In a carefully constructed presentation based on a skewed interpretation of flimsy data, he called for the demolition of our Casino, a structurally sound asset, which would have cost us millions of dollars.
- Totally dropped the ball on silencing train horns when given all of the information necessary to get it done.
- Next we have Bryant Park and going beyond his authority to make a major change to our Park
The 542 residents that signed the petition protesting the parking lot stood up for you and for me as did two Commissioners, but in the end it meant nothing. Joe Kroll, who knew he had the vote, was protected by three commissioners who believe that listening to a handful of residents and protecting staff at any cost, is better than protecting the rights of the rest of us.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Casino Restoration - Remembering the Past
Ever since Straticon presented last year at City Hall for our Casino restoration/refurbishment/renovation, I have loved their design. This design was done by BRPH, one of the firms that presented on Saturday. To see all the details of the original Straticon concept by BRPH, CLICK HERE. When you view it, you will notice that only one-half of the building was enclosed in that concept and that it took on an effect of the 1920's look and feel.
Design as presented on Saturday by BRPHIt is elegant in its simplicity
We had mentioned on many occasions the practicality of enclosing the entire upper floor. In using this design, we will get 11,000 s.f. of rentable space on the ground floor, 13,000 s.f. of space on the 2nd floor and not depicted here, 3,044 s.f. of rentable space on the loggia behind John G's.
This design of BRPH, a full-service firm in existence for 45 years and one of the top fastest growing firms in the nation, incorporates the look of the 1920's as well as the 1930's because of the window design on the second level. It has a bell tower over John G's that was there in the 20's. It has an entry in the middle that advertises our Lake Worth Casino as did the original building.
This firm designed this building to come in within budget and it considered our requirements--a clear understanding of the cultural and historical importance of the casino site.
I also liked Slattery & Associates' design although it did not enclose the entire 2nd floor. Depending upon cost, that can be achieved. Slattery & Associates has worked with 14 municipalities in PB County. Their entire presentation was top notch and they covered all basis. Slattery presented 3 different designs as our RFQ was not definitive as to what period it wanted to restore. All 3 designs were outstanding and you can view them on Wes's blog. Their firm is in close distance to our beach; they have a professional relationship with a preservation architect who will be working with them; they plan on being true to the time period of the building; they have commitment. They can create a similar style to the 1920's and stated that there would be major demolition if restored to that period. They are very experienced at obtaining Grants. They want to capitalize on the history of the building. The existing businesses will be temporarily relocated.
The Mayor asked about "green" features and both these firms have Leed acredited professionals.
The other presentation that I wanted to hear but missed was Beilinson Gomez. If you go to their back-up, the design is right on the mark. As our RFQ did not specify what period we wanted to achieve, they had a little of all.
Barbara Aubel was at the meeting in the morning and she likes the firm of Living Designs Group. Tom McGow just did a blog and it appears that he likes the same firm that designed a concept on the more modern side. He is a Michael Singer fan. LDG is a Lake Worth firm. Unfortunately, I was not there for their presentation. Barbara Jean Weber was not there for the entire presentation either but she liked Slattery & Associates as well as BRPH. Wes Blackman was there for the entire meeting and has not yet decided on a top choice but is leaning at this time towards BeilinsonGomez. He wants to see the list narrowed down and then require that the short-listed firms come back on an RFP so that we can get to the particulars, especially cost. Jim Walker of Golfview Road liked Song & Associates, Rick Gonzales and Beilinson Gomez.
Casino, late 30's early 40'sNote the square windows on 2nd level
Published with permission of Lake Worth Media
Just throw them a bone
Displaced Haitians have to live under tarps
Haitians have been abused for an untold number of years—hundreds perhaps. Recently they have had to endure the worst natural disaster in this hemisphere, a 7.0 earthquake that killed over 200 thousand people and caused major damage to Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements.
36 large U.S. corporations pledged over $1 million each. The Red Cross raised $10 million plus with 15% of that money coming from U.S. corporations. The U.S. government pledged $100 million as a starter. Stars like Sandra Bullock gave $1 million. The Clinton/Bush Haiti Fund raised over $12 million. The list is endless when it comes to donations from all over the world.
So why then are the Haitian victims who are now homeless and own no possessions, have no means to work or buy one thing, are told that they can not have a tent to live in because they are too costly and too inefficient and then are handed a TARP?
This abuse of these people has gone on long enough.
Monday, February 15, 2010
CBS - Billboard Blight
WHO ARE THEY KIDDING???????????????
HAVE WE RECEIVED ANY OF THE MONEY ?????????
Can we get rid of the Billboard Mafia hold on Lake Worth?
Pets in the Plaza
There were wonderful "pets" in our Cultural Plaza on Saturday that were looking for homes. There is so much animal abuse that it makes you sick. You don't even want to hear the horror stories that were told to me. The next time you see an animal that is abused, speak out; call the ASPCA or some other organization--call the police if you have to.
Also, it is against Palm Beach County law, as of 9-1-2003, to chain or tether your dog out doors between 10am and 5pm. If you see this, call 561-233-1200 ext 0 to report it.
The Political Solution - Build more
We don’t pay attention to what’s happening in the rest of the State. We have enough problems right here at home to gripe and worry about when it comes to over-development and sprawl. We do know that we are rapidly losing our quality of life in
We are now just a bundle of people living on top on each other. To solve that, developers just keep building in from the coasts and encroach on animal habitats and every square inch of land they can get their greedy little hands on. And the government is complicit and their answer to just about every woe we have in our State is to build—build anything anywhere. Create the jobs, get the growth, more money in the coffers.
Commissioner Golden recently said at the joint CRA meeting, that we should start fixing our roads before we worry about the rest. Usually government does just the opposite. One day it wakes up and says, Holy moly folks, we have a problem; let's build or widen another road. And this mindset continues; it is endless.
Developers have been allowed to come in with local municipal approval by changing Comprehensive plans and build large tracts of homes or commercial centers without considering the infrastructure. All of a sudden…boom…we have a traffic congestion problem or not enough roads to accommodate the population. How long has it taken to widen I-95 just here in
What all this road construction does is buy us several years of reprieve all over our State because of the influx of people moving here and the never ending building in our State to accommodate the thousands of people migrating here. It is a constant game of catch-up and money that our State and the residents here can no longer afford.
Dr. Steve Rosen says about his
So, the politicos came up with a solution: Use stimulus money and double deck the road-- widen the hell out of it too to accommodate the bulging traffic.
Why bother with all this? Simple. It opens the West end of the county up to even MORE burdensome unwanted development. I wonder how long, without Amendment 4, it would take before the road is once again maxed out.
This is the politico scumbag way. Too much traffic, widen the roads. They did this for years in
Amendment 4 is the only answer. These scum have run amok and are totally out of control."
Sunday, February 14, 2010
LW Democratic Club Meeting
LAKE WORTH DEMOCRATIC CLUB
FEBRUARY 17 - NOTE DATE & LOCATION CHANGE
Meetings: 3rd Wednesdays monthly (instead of 2nd), 7:00 PM
New location: Pegasus Restaurant, 301 North Dixie Hwy, Lake Worth FL 33460, Tel (561) 588-4463
Contact: Drew Martin President, at 561-533-6814,
dmandch@aol.com
Website
Tower 1515 Implosion
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Hands in the Sand at Lake Worth Beach
Rachel and Diana - a Film
My 2nd cousin, David Jannetta, who lives in Pennsylvania, is the executive producer of an independent film soon to be released, Rachel and Diana. He also wrote it. His girlfriend has the starring role.He will be presenting it at the Tribeca Film Festival which was founded in 2002 by Robert DiNiro, Jane Rosenthal and Graig Hatkoff in response to the 911 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Take a look at the trailer.
Tower 1515 - Watch the Implosion on Valentine's Day
For all of you who just are bored shopping for the traditional heart shaped box of candy on Valentine’s Day, give your sweetie a thrill--you can always drive over and watch the implosion of Tower 1515 at 9am Sunday. What about renting a helicopter? I haven’t read anywhere that the waterway would be off limits only that you had to be 750 feet away, but that might be the problem. The event is expected to draw thousands of curiosity seekers who have been looking at this wreck of a building for 5 years now. Just a note--don't blink twice because the building will be down in 6.5 seconds!
Doug Wise, Construction Services Division for the City of 
The final demise of Tower 1515 will be something to celebrate after all these years but honestly gals, wouldn't you rather have that box of candy?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Olympic Games
Hands in the Sand tomorrow

MESSAGE FROM SURFRIDERS--
STEP 1 Look for the SurfRider tent on the beach! Come to the beach at 12:00 PM for a beach cleanup, rain or shine.
STEP 2 At 1pm we will organize for the 1:30 pm event --we hold hands forming lines in the sand protesting against oil drilling in our coastal waters.
STEP 3 Leave only your footprints.
There will be an after party get together at Havana Hideout in downtown Lake Worth at 3pm. http://www.havanahideout.com for directions.
Havana Hideout After party details:
$2 homemade fresh local tacos
$2 Monk In The Trunk Organic beer donated by Inlet Brewing Company for event participants.
Come relax at 3pm and network to help forge a strong alliance for a sustainable future.
Another Garage Sale
Just too much going on this Saturday--but the South Florida Fair says--Come join the fun, you never know what treasures you might find!
This Saturday, find unique items you can't just pick up at the mall: antiques, clothes, collectibles, furniture, kitchenware, linens, paintings, records, tools, toys, and much more...too much to mention!
ONE DAY ONLY FREE PARKING AIR CONDITIONED
Saturday: 8am-2pm
Ticket Price: $2.00
Expo West, Enter Gate 3 or 12.
The Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds is located on Southern Boulevard, west of Florida's Turnpike, 1 mile east of SR7/441 in West Palm Beach. For more information, visit www.southfloridafair.com or call 561-793-0333.
Decadence on the Move in Lake Worth

Pain Clinics, the latest SCAM to hit the country, were recently banned in
Perhaps all those troubled kids that will be in that Group Home on Federal Highway can run over to the Pain Clinic and get some relief for their rotten little lives.
All this clinic will do is attract more deadbeats, more drug dealers and more criminals to
Let's make our official State Animal a Developer
16 Florida Panthers killed by vehicles in 2009The Federal government has pledged it would create jobs. That was the reason to get every man, woman, and child in debt at an amount of $40,000 each. They promised jobs in the Stimulus. What better way to get jobs than development? Let’s just develop anywhere possible.
Today they just screwed the State of
IT’S NOT!
The government just now killed off our
This is another reason to vote YES on Amendment 4.
Hotdog! - There is a Neighborhood Garage Sale
All sorts of goodies for sale - CHEAP!Drive throughout the Lake Osborne Heights neighborhood
starting at 7am to 1pm today through Saturday and find some treasures.
A few years ago someone discovered a Highwaymen
painting worth $5,000 at a garage sale off of Lake Osborne Dr!
You just never know.
Have a HOTDOG --
@ 2121 Collier Ave starting at 10am Saturday














