There's something about a small town

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Small Town charm

Lake Worth, Florida

A petition in Maryland just got turned down by the elections board--not written clearly enough. This one, however, was written by developers for developers!

Their referendum drive involved a number of properties, including Green Spring Station in Lutherville, where the owners hoped a voter challenge could overturn a zoning decision that limited their ability to expand and renovate. Some community groups criticized the petition drive, saying that promoters misled voters to protect their own economic interests and that paid signature gatherers lied to residents when asking them to sign petitions at shopping centers and other public places.
That's life in the big city.

Come on down to Lake Worth where opponents of Respectful Planning Pac tried every means available to thwart the petition on the downtown heights issue (they even told people the volunteers lied and used funky drawings depicting tall buildings!) but RPPac's petition was well written and gave voters a lot of information.


Now opponents are being disrespectful and telling people that the merchants say they have lost business because we don't have a hotel that is opened.  Of course it had nothing to do with the recession/depression that we were in, right? If merchants aren't making money now it is because they don't have a product that the consumer wants to buy.

As opponents are getting out propaganda via the city staff and city boards, if anyone needs facts on the ballot initiative or if you would like a yard sign, call someone in the PAC.

See ya on March 12.  Vote YES on 2. 

Shanon Materio's Accusation

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West Palm Beach Commissioner gets even with hotel proposer after he endorses her opponent. Is it just a "he said, she said?"

City commissioners are deciding between two development teams to build a downtown waterfront hotel, but the process could be muddled with Commissioner Shanon Materio’s statement that a contender had discussed the project with her.
Clint Glass is a senior vice president of Balfour-Beatty Construction, which is working with the Crocker Group, part of a team that wants to build a 12-story building on the old city hall site. He denies asking her about the project when he interviewed her Feb. 8 in his role as chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches’ political action committee.
A five-person PAC panel interviewed Materio and her opponent, Gregg Weiss, to decide whom to endorse in the March 12 election for the seat she was appointed to in 2012. The PAC endorsed Weiss.

Read more... about Shanon.

McNamaras at the Centennial Ball

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Religion in America

One of the recent Gallup polls had to do with finding out the MOST and LEAST religious States in America.

See where your State lies.

Next, there should be a study conducted to see if there is any correlation between the Most and the Least Religious and who they voted for in the General election. I would wager to say that on average, Red States are more religious and they went with Mitt Romney. Next they could do a study on which states have more crime, Red or Blue states. And the saga can continue.

The Lone Survivor

Out of eight hatched, this is the lone survivor.

 It's tough out here.

Public Trust, Public Corruption

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City Staff, City Planning and Zoning boards and political neighborhood associations are doing everything they possibly can do to "educate" the citizens to their way of thinking--higher buildings in our downtown. It is all over a hotel. They say that no developer will build a hotel unless they can build high. We say, "Popycock" and we know otherwise.

On Wednesday, there is a joint meeting of the P&Z and the Historical Resource Preservation Board whose majority of members have publicly advocated for growing our buildings taller in our downtown. A couple of them, Loretta Sharpe and Greg Rice, even formed a PAC to oppose the citizens referendum. Is this an ethics violation?  Some believe so and some believe that they should immediately step down from their board advisory roles. Afterall, they are supposed to look out for the public welfare in an unbiased way. Others believe that what they are doing is just another form of public corruption.

As this ballot initiative was a citizens iniatiative, city boards as well as staff must proceed cautiously in what they do and what they say. As cityethics.org says, Public corruption is pervasive at all levels of government in Florida. This is according to a December 2010 report, "A Study of Public Corruption in Florida" by the 19th Statewide Grand Jury. According to the grand jury report, between 2000 and 2010 a total of 8,241 arrest charges were made and there were 1,126 convictions for public corruption. Florida led all states in public corruption convictions. Cadets at West Point and other military academies swear an oath not to lie, cheat or steal or tolerate others that do. Public officials should be held to this same standard. Our democracy cannot function properly unless there is public trust in elected officials.

Thomas Jefferson said that: "When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself a public property.


Meeting Date: Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Meeting Time: 6:00PM
Meeting Location:Lake Worth City Hall Conference Room

Centennial Ball

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Read about the Centennial Ball.

Ed Deveaux and Dee McNamara take prizes for most Fashionable.

Sunset

Growth Control Initiative goes to Council

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In spite of how screwed up California is in so many respects, some of the people have it together and have challenged politicians on heights and on zoning issues. It is a constant challenge with elected officials because once they get elected or appointed to city boards, they automatically know better than the rest of us and get hard of hearing. Take this as an example:

In San Diego, one thing that the people are up in arms about is development and they want a say on it. The citizens have proposed an initiative that would require a public vote to change a property’s zoning or increase its housing density. It also would set a citywide height limit of two stories, or 30 feet tall, for all buildings, except for some medical development projects and high school structures, the city attorney wrote in a summary the council will review Wednesday. City officials as well as the building industry are against the citizens ballot initiative. Of course they are.

Read about it...

Mr. Nice Guy Pleads Guilty

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Dylan Harrison, one of the owners of the Kavasutra on Lake Avenue in Lake Worth, and the one who said he never entered the synthetic marijuana business to break the law, was found guilty yesterday in Federal Court. He could get up to 5 years for conspiracy to defraud the United States by distributing a controlled substance.

Read more... about Dylan Harrison, the guy who just keeps smiling.

Lake Worth man arrested

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Michael Steffon of 1002 North O street was arrested for DUI and leaving the scene of a crash. He failed the breathalyzer four times and the PBSO released him 4 hours later. How long does it take to get sober?

Read more...

Lake Worth, the Place to be

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What a better way to start the day than featuring Lake Worth--some of the different housing architectural styles as well as our small town charm. I am sure that we will be seeing much more from Webmark Productions and all the wonderful features and amenities we have here. This is the kick-off video.

The owners of Brogues were interviewed and they gave their reasons for being here--"friendly small town, "It's like the small town you came from," "It's the place to be."

Dr. Benjamin S. Carson tells it like it is

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Published on Feb 7, 2013
A unique speech delivered at this mornings National Prayer Breakfast in President Barack Obama's presence. Carson suggested that political correctness is a "dangerous" threat to free speech and encouraged Americans to share their views without hesitation. Carson also included his ideas on the national debt, deficits, taxation and health care; he explains his personal position on each matter.

Festival of Trees

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What more appropriate venue than to celebrate the benefits of trees than the Cultural Plaza where our 80 year old Ficus had the life snapped out of it by a chain saw. As there was never a Work Order for this tree removal, let's hope staff shows up and gets its educational opportunity on the benefit of trees.

Click to read

And speaking of our felled Banyan tree, The City is now following up on the vice mayor's idea of asking for donations to replace the tree. Why not? The tree belonged to the residents. It's only fair that the resident's pay to replace it, right? Call 586-1663 if you care to donate.

Conflicts of Interest

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It certainly is astonishing that some in this city, particularly politically appointed board members and neighborhood association presidents who should be in the know, aren't. Even Frank Palen had to admit that there was an Ethics conflict of interest when he was on the politically replaced planning board. He was appointed by our trio commission who replaced former members who advocated for a low-rise city. Later, he was advised that his serving on the Planning & Zoning Board was unethical. He resigned in October 2012.

How then can Palen make an impartial presentation on heights when every indication leads us to believe that he wants heights and supports vertical growth in our downtown? How can any neighborhood president feign ignorance of presenting a fair and balanced presentation? How can the NA not present both sides of the argument? When neighborhood associations allow themselves to be political, they are, and members can and often are manipulated.

From: Frank S Palen [mailto:palen@caldwellpacetti.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 11:21 AM
To: William Waters
Cc: Barbara Alterman Esq. ; glen@torcivialaw.com; Pamela Lopez; Karen Vaughn; Michael Bornstein; Scott Maxwell; mrbsph@aol.com
Subject: Resignation from LW P&Z Board, PBC Ethics Code Requirements

William,

Because my law firm is now a vendor to the City, the PBC Ethics Code's "conflict of interest" rules require me to resign from the P&Z Board. The Ethics Code does not permit a waiver in the case of quasi-judicial boards. As my attached letter suggests, I am able and willing to assist the City in other ways if such assistance is desired.

I wish you and the Board the best & hope that we can find some other way for me to assist you during the transition to the new ULDC. Please convey my regrets and well wishes to the members of the P&Z Board.

Frank S. Palen, Esq., AICP

Caldwell Pacetti Edwards Schoech & Viator LLP

Don't be duped.

  Vote YES on March 12th. 

And the next time you run into Loretta or Greg, ask them if you should file an ethics charge as they sit on the Planning & Zoning or Historical Resource Preservation boards. Is what they're doing (formed a Political Action Committee) going to result in any special benefit to them for being a Realtor, a land-owner in the area of the referendum or in a trade beneficial to builders? Can Wes ever again be counted on to give an impartial vote as chair of the HRPB?

Last night - The cloud

As I headed out to the meeting at the Shuffleboard Courts last night, this gorgeous cloud was in the sky to the south east. Today we had no pretty clouds and it rained off and on all day...we needed it.

Lake Worth Herald with another Nasty Editorial

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When I was in 7th and 8th grade, I lived on Virginia Drive, one block from Lake Osborne. It was a brand new community just being built. At that time, you could buy anything in Lake Worth for around $10,000. In 1965, my family retired here and bought into Lakeside Point Gardens, a brand new development just being built. It was considered an adult, retirement/vacation home community. Throughout all of these years before the financial meltdown of the national economy that affected Lake Worth in a very negative way, we paid taxes. Our values diminished along with the rest of the world. We still have a large percentage of snowbirds who own here and contribute to the tax base.

For the editor to call us "freeloaders" is a nasty bit of "journalism," insensitive political opinion and a hit below the belt to all of us who had no control over the meltdown and have no control to this day. Those who live in small houses were hit just as hard as I was. Many people who live in expensive homes pay half what they used to in property taxes. He doesn't call all those people getting free housing from the government, Medicaid, food stamps, etc. freeloaders does he. In fact, he must support the CRA government give-aways as he never writes anything against them either, a group spending tax dollars to attract more poor that won't contribute much to the tax base.

Those of us who live in Lake Worth are here because we want to be here. We like the small town feel and the small town look. I love it because it has been home for me off and on for 5 decades. Why then does the local newspaper invite us to move because many of us disagree on growing up our downtown with taller buildings? Are we not entitled to an opinion? It is not we who want to change the look or feel of our downtown that has been low for 100 years. Therefore, it is not we who should move.

We are happy here and want to preserve our city and its small town. Those who are not happy about small towns, may want to take that hike right out of here that the Herald suggested. The Lake Worth Herald editor knows the way.

As this is Valentine's Day, kiss your local editor, he needs a lot more love and definitely a lot  more compassion.

Marco is one cool drink of water

Consequences of Minimum Wage Laws

Two nights ago, Obama advocated raising the minimum wage to $9 an hour by year 2015, up from $7.25.  Can you even imagine the problems we will have at our borders with hoards of immigrants looking for work?  Milton Friedman, economist and the twentieth century's most prominent advocate of free markets, spoke about minimum wage.

 

Lake Worth CRA successfully spends $23 million dollars

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Susan and Ozzie won a prize

Valentine Basket of treats

Yesterday, the Lake Worth CRA put out a Press Release. An excerpt from the release states that the Consortium had rehabilitated or constructed ninety-seven (97) housing units, composed of seventy three (73) homes for sale and twenty four (24) rentals, while acquiring sufficient properties to output an additional fourteen (14) properties over the next couple of years. The grant also was able to provide for much needed City infrastructure including new water, sewer and gas lines and sidewalks where previously none existed.

"The CRA's signature project, the Arts Lofts, is now complete. These for-sale units contain up to 2650 sq ft of livable space which includes a downstairs work studio and an upstairs living area in the heart of downtown Lake Worth." You have to be a poor, struggling artist, I think.

"Further, the Consortium was able to facilitate the upcoming development of a 55-unit affordable, green building rental development, not only to help alleviate the area's need for safe, affordable rental housing, but to use land which has long been vacant and underutilized property on one of the City's Gateways. Collectively, the Consortium has removed approximately one hundred (100) foreclosed properties from the County's backlog, putting as many as one hundred forty two (142) housing units back on the tax rolls, while affecting a total of one hundred sixty six (166) properties, greatly exceeding its goal of one hundred (100) housing units and thirty (30) land banks". See PR

So, last night's presentation and public information meeting, after the fact, on la Joya Village was a celebration of sorts. Many CRA members as well as staff were there as well as the principals involved in the project/development. I noticed where they weren't sure what to call it--project or development. La Joya village, if you recall, is the soon to be built project/development on the railroad tracks on 6th Avenue South and S. F Street in Lake Worth.

When talking to Allan Schnier the developer/principal of Realtex who is out of Boca Raton, he said that they would do background checks on all those wanting to rent in the project/development and it would have on-site management. I don't know what the background check will entail. It could be nothing more than a PBSO check. At least that might keep out the drug dealers. I asked him if they would pay ad-valorem taxes for the property and he ensured me that they will be paying ad-valorem. He also said that renters could possibly make $80,000 a year. I challenged him on the "poor" element of that.

As far as rental projects/developments are concerned, a citizen of Lake Worth said, "They establish and maintain a rental/management office that has the ability to screen prospective renters, run background and credit checks, manage and monitor on-site activity; they have the economy of scale to contract for the routine and not-so-routine repair and maintenance of the property; they create a budget with reserves for repair/replacement/maintenance. These are all of the things that aren’t being done by absentee landlords of single-family rental houses and duplex/triplex units throughout the city." If you consider those aspects, they are all pluses. I asked the developer how many people were allowed in a 3 bedroom apartment. He told me six but they were not going to allow a bunch of non-family members be a part of that count. Don't know how that one works.

"In addition, attractive rental developments have significantly greater setbacks from the road with berms/plantings/decorative fences or walls acting as an attractive buffer from the road as well as greater green/open spaces/ponds, etc. within the property. The absence of those elements and the location on the tracks screams low income. I guess if one is low income, one doesn’t “deserve” any better. It also appears that, just like Hammon Park, these residents don’t deserve elevators.

A slab porch is not a porch in my book but what does it really matter—who would want to sit on any “porch” 10’ from 6th Avenue S sucking up vehicle fumes?

The third floor is not stepped back, so my guess is that the plan is to approve this project before the LDRs are passed, or that language will be removed from the LDRs when they are passed, or this project will get a variance."

Whether we are pro or con for a rental development/project on the railroad tracks in Lake Worth in the poorer area of our city, we're getting it under the pretense that poor people deserve "luxurious"  rental units with impact glass and new appliances and their own laundry. This is right out of the liberal government spending playbook. Right now they are waiting for their permitting and will break ground possibly in August and be finished in one year.

I was asked by the chair of the CRA what else can you do with that property? I can think of many things, but when you are concentrating on spending ALL of the NSP2 Grant on time, there wasn't much else. Almost forgot...the developer will have an artist's studio on the ground level facing 6th Avenue South. It fits right in to the CRA's LULA theme.

Now we all can wait and see if the CRA's spending of all this money has made any difference to Lake Worth and its slum and blight problem that has escalated beyond imagination.