Conversations with Susan...(Last published on 3 22 11 - Re-posted here in light of the Andrew Marra editorial)

Over the weekend, prompted by my sending her and the Commission the post regarding the lifeguard issue, I had a series of e-mail exchanges with City Manager Stanton.  They are part of the legitimate public record and I did not promise confidentiality, so I would like to share some of the exchanges here.  You might find them interesting...(I am not correcting sloppy e-mail typos - highlighting is mine)

WB:  Would "spending money we don't have" include work on the casino building?


SS:  No.... There is not a single dollar of tax payer money dedicates or programed for this project.  Which.... I suspect is not relevant to .... most people's opposition.


WB:  I do not oppose the project. I oppose any misrepresntation of reality.


SS:  I agree....  Like saying it is paid for with tax layers money.  I guess.... Gee, we agree


SS:  The revenue will come from the money generated by rents, parking fees and making tenants not only actually pay their rent but CAM as well.  The city will stop, like the electric fund, sucking money from the beach to pay for things it can not afford...but wants to have.    

I know this sounds radical.  Maybe even unacceptable.  Even unlawful....  But it really is how most well run governments operate every day ....less the drama we do on to ourselves ...in LW.

WB:  I am still concerned about the assumptions for the parking revenue - if they are realistic.  And, have they been adjusted to reflect the shorter operating hours now being considered due to turtle concerns etc?  And the whole "cash portfolio" self-financing also concerns me - We have never really gotten a good explanation what that is, despite your nine page memo to Commissioner Maxwell on the topic - which did not address his question btw.  And what is the likelihood of permanent financing??  And what are the chances that the city will run out of money during the project - without an outside lender the city wouldn't be compelled to finish it.

SS:  Oh my god .... You are right!   Gee... I never thought about any of that stuff?  What turtles?  And, we have no cash.  And, who would give us loan?   We need to rethink this whole project.

WB:  Sarcasm is a sign of weakness.

WB:  And why wasn't the FAB presented with these propose budget cuts before the Monday meeting?

SS:  Because they are not the policy making body.  And, we are not proposing a new budget.  

WB:  I understand your disdain for the past, but I thought you might be interested in this bought and paid for analysis of City Buildings and contemporary needs.  It was completed in 2006, but much of the information is still current.  I am looking for the Phase II report that was completed sometime in 2007.  If you already have seen this, please tell me.


SS:  I am just conceding ....


WB:  Wise.


SS:  I  have no such distain.  I just think it is time to  move forward.  I don't own the past... Nor can I change ALL the MANY bad decisions made yesterday in the shadow a better future.   I am working my ....off to make a positive difference with so many people trying to keep their vested interest in the blackness of yesterday.


WB:  Well then we need to talk...because I am not against you or the casino project or anything that would make Lake Worth a better place to live. I have no other agenda other than the truth. The truth will set you free.


SS:  I never turn down an opportunity to talk and have a dialog with people.  I have had to adjust to the reality in this community that because people are just so tired of bad government and the constant rotation of Mayors, Managers and Commissioners all making bad decisions on incomplete information ….that my conversations, (like the one you were in the last time I had my “last” neighborhood meetings) is really a one-way monologue full of people telling me what a bad person I am and how much they want to see me or the City fail …. Etc etc etc.  I know people think it is not personal.  And, I know to them, it is not.  They are just upset and want to be able to unload on anyone who will listen to them. 

Wes, as I have said, I know you are a really bright and passion guy.  So many people in this community, like yourself have so many assets and base of knowledge, that I wish I could tap into in a positive way.  I have had to make a conscious effort to pull back … so I am not “pulled in” …..  Which is so unnatural to someone who took so much pride in the relationships I had in my last community.  And, with my employees.  It is very different here.  And, I suspects, it is why managers come and go each 20 to 30 months. 

But, I love Lake Worth.  I still believe I can have a positive impact, if I can avoid the blackness.  In my personal e-mail, under my signature reads the words ….. “Behold what you are …  Become what you Seek … Become Truth”  Wes, I have put a lot of my self in this city …and in my personal journey…. Seeking truth ..and trying to become truth is ways people can never fully understand. 

I would love to have good cup of coffee with you ..one-on-one …. To explore truth.  ….to maybe even help, collectively….our community in becoming what it seeks …..

WB:  Thank you for a genuine conversation. I know you are in the position that you find yourself. I just care about the city and the TRUTH. That is my passion - to my detriment sometimes.