Some more thoughts...

...on yesterday's special meeting which included the swearing in of the new District #4 Commissioner. What I keep thinking about are City Manager Baldwin's remarks. When is this guy leaving? Was he ever really here? As I think more about what he said, it helps explain the techno-phobic approach of the Commission and staff. In praise of him, Mr. Baldwin called Commissioner Vespo something like the "electronic" commissioner due to his use of e-mail, being a proponent of wireless Internet technology, etc. He made it seem like all this was "beyond" him and commented about his lack of e-mail use himself (what year is it?). He then gave former Commissioner Vespo a pen so that he could write letters to him instead of e-mail. If Mr. Baldwin stays around, will we be putting in an order for 1000 IBM Selectric typewriters? In retrospect, it seems to be as if it was a kind of "slap" at someone who at least had a grasp of current technology over someone who had no clue - or of someone who was afraid of the trail it creates.

Have you looked at the city's website recently? Have you tried the search function? Have you tried out other city's websites - some with significantly less resources than Lake Worth - and experienced how their sophistication and ease of use is LIGHT YEARS ahead of where we are. Why are all Commissioner packets still delivered in hard copy format? Why can't they be distributed through USB thumb drives?

I'll ask again: When is Mr. Baldwin leaving? Why did we pay him so much money and ask so little of him? Who will be taking his place? I know what my crystal ball has told me and when I share that vision with others they say, "Oh no, we would never hire Mr. Bates." Oh, really?

We shall see.