McVoy equals Cara Jennings

From top of this invitation to a 2010 McVoy campagin fundraising event:  "After two terms on the City  Commission, Cara Jennings decided not to run for reelection, but she is enthusiastically supporting Chris McVoy to replace her, so please attend this event and support Chris."

Call from Clay County GOP: Obama is a Muslim who'll take away Medicare | Jacksonville.com Mobile Edition

Those challenged by truth are not limited to the municipal boundaries of Lake Worth.  Click title for link to a Florida example in the presidential campaign.

WPEC-TV CBS12 News :: News - Top Stories - Lake Worth Casino almost ready to go

Kool-Aid is being freely dispensed by the news media, too.  More riveting investigative reporting, in the style of "Press Release" Willie.  Click title for link.

Rumors, Lies and Falsehoods

We found those three things last night while walking the neighborhoods for the Jim Stafford campaign.  There is also misinformation and questionable facts being reported on-line by Jim's opponent.  I'd like to address some of these here.

At one particular house, gallons of Kool-Aid have been consumed.

We found out that these registered voters "love" everything about the beach project and that the current City Commission is going to make the beach all commercial.  Any problems that exist with the building are the fault of Andy Amoroso.  It seems like Jo-Ann sees this as an opportunity to get a leg up on next year's election try.  And, we don't need any hotels in Lake Worth - there are plenty of places to stay and the downtown doesn't need any.  Afterall, there are plenty of hotels right across the bridge.  When told those were in a neighboring community, we were told that we were wrong.  They also seemed to think that the current Commission is all about building high-rise buildings downtown.

Let's check out some of the "endorsements" claimed by Jim's opponent.  Two that appear on his website's home page are the Palm Beach - Treasure Coast AFL-CIO.  Candidates of  McVoy's stripe have claimed this endorsement for a long time.  First of all, Jim Stafford, Dr. McVoy's opponent has never been invited to interview by that organization.  Going to their endorsement web page shows no reference to Commissioner McVoy of Lake Worth - none.  Likewise, if you go to the other claimed endorsement web page of Democracy for America, there is no mention of Commissioner McVoy in Lake Worth as being endorsed or even being an applicant for endorsement by that organization.  Is the McVoy campaign that free and loose with the facts?  I guess so, which is consistent with the campaigning methods we have seen from the same cast of characters that appear at the doors of residents each year in support of this sort of candidate.

That brings me to the subject of poll watchers on November 6th.  Click here for the FAQ page on Poll Watchers from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections website.  If this group is possible of such factual distortions at the doors, we can only guess what they are possible of on election day.  If you want to volunteer to be a poll watcher, get in contact with the Jim Stafford campaign - click here to e-mail your intent.  Poll watcher applications are due 14 days before the day of the election.

Reasons to Weep: Pictures taken today of the NEW Casino building...

I took these pictures today.  Similar ones appear in the Lake Worth Herald.  It seems as though there is water problem - which is an understatement.  I guess it's a problem when it rains.  But it turns out that not only the wooden floor in the ballroom has sustained damage, but water is leaking into the first floor tenant spaces - which prevents them from building out what they have to do to open.

The city never had a project manager assigned to oversee its interests through the construction process.  Instead, reliance was placed upon the contractor, architect and construction trades.  The city believed that with the fixed-price contract it didn't need any oversight, since the contractor was working for the city.  WRONG!

It's our money that was spent here.  We own this building.  We also own the problems if they are not corrected.

The building isn't even open and we have obvious corrosion.  Substandard materials were used because they we less expensive than corrosion-resistant ones.  Maintenance will be an issue even if the correct materials are used.

You can't see it too well here, but the wooden floor in the ballroom shows some buckling.

The second floor restaurant space also has the same problem.  I don't think it will be an easy fix to "re-pitch" the second floor walkway so that water drains away from the building.

These are the doors on the first floor - they are under a covered area so are not similarly affected.

Home Depot for fans anyone?

I thought I would end with a hopeful vista showing the new tower.  We have to remember that this is new construction!  They didn't have to work around any existing conditions since the building was essentially torn down.  They might have more of an excuse if they used more of the former building.

 Pictures here show the small portion of the building that was left after near total demolition.

This from the Town of Palm Beach: Lake Worth Bridge Closure

PALM BEACH, FL – On September 30th from 6:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., the Lake Worth (Robert Harris) Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic due to the Tropical Triathlon Race taking place in the City of Lake Worth.  The bridge will remain in the down position during the race.  If there is a priority medical call either in Town or the Town of Lantana during this time, Fire Rescue will be allowed eastbound access over the bridge.  Motorists should use the Southern Boulevard Bridge during this period of time.

You would think that Lake Worth would issue a similar press release.

From the "Too Little, Too Late" Department comes this from the city:

"Wednesday September 26, 2012, the City of Lake Worth is experiencing an electrical power outage and repair crews have been dispatched to many locations within the city and unincorporated areas. We fully understand there are long wait times for System Operations at telephone number 561-586-1695 but please be assured we have identified every outage area and are working to reestablish electrical power. If you are experiencing an emergency not associated with the power outage, please dial 911."

From the crawl on the city's website.

Update on "High Noon in Lake Worth" listenership...

Lake Worth reduces electric rates

This from the Channel 5 website - also mentioned is the outage that occurred today and the explanation.  No small animal this time, which can be logged as an improvement over previous excuses.  PLEASE NOTE THAT COMMISSIONER McVOY VOTED AGAINST THE BUDGET - TWICE - THAT ALLOWED THIS RATE DECREASE TO TAKE PLACE.  Click title for link.

Jim Stafford, Candidate, for Lake Worth Commissioner 09/28 by High Noon in Lake Worth | Blog Talk Radio

A similar invitation has been issued to Jim opponent's campaign for his appearance on a future show.  Please leave your questions in advance as a comment to this post - or call in during the live show to ask your questions or leave comments on air.  Click title for link.

The show will air live at 12 p.m., Friday, September 28th.

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Jim Stafford for Commissioner, District 2.

Invitation to Commissioner McVoy to be a guest on my Internet radio show "High Noon in Lake Worth"

This is a "screen grab" from his website where you can contact the campaign.  I will let you know what sort of response I receive, if any.

More Accolades for the CRA: Lake Worth CRA wins Florida Redevelopment Award again!

LAKE WORTH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT WINS ANOTHER STATE AWARD

LAKE WORTH, Fla. -   The Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)has been recognized by the Florida Redevelopment Association (FRA) for an outstanding redevelopment achievement. The FRA presents awards annually to projects that exhibit the best practices in Florida redevelopment over the past year. The winners will be honored during FRA's 2012 Annual Conference, to be held October 25, 2012. 

This year, the Lake Worth CRA has earned the award for "Outstanding Affordable Housing Project" as a result of their $23,200,000 Neighborhood Stabilization Program which purchased over 100 foreclosed and abandoned properties in order to rehabilitate or construct new homes for residents in Lake Worth. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which is administered through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As a result of this project, the CRA is providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and economic opportunity, primarily for persons of low and moderate-income in neighborhoods in decline due to the negative effects of a high number and percentage of homes that have been foreclosed upon. The foremost goal of the project is to halt the economic decline, and then position the neighborhood for a sustainable role in a revitalized community.

The FRA awards committee carefully selects the winners from over 60 entries. All of the entries embody the spirit of successful community redevelopment and revitalization.

For more information about the awards program please call the Lake Worth CRA office at (561) 493-2550 or visit www.lakeworthcra.org or www.lakeworthnsp.org. 

  

Roadway Restoration - South Ocean Boulevard

PALM BEACH, Florida – The Town has begun the roadway restoration portion of the A-39 to A-7 Force Main Replacement project.  The work will be divided into three work areas:

o South Ocean Boulevard between Phipps Ocean Park and Southern Boulevard began September 25, 2012, and is anticipated to be completed on October 10, 2012.

o South Ocean Boulevard from South County Road to El Bravo Way and then on South County Road from El Bravo Way to Island Road.  This work will take place from October 4, 2012 through October 12, 2012.    

o South Ocean Boulevard from Southern Boulevard to South County Road is scheduled from October 23,2012 to November 2, 2012.

This schedule is tentative and may be impacted by weather.

Traffic will be directed by flaggers.  Please observe the construction signage and safety barricades within the project and use caution when traveling in this area.

The Town’s force main Construction Manager, Burkhardt Construction, will have their contractor, Ranger Construction complete the roadway restoration.  Please contact Wayne King, with Burkhardt Construction with any questions or concerns at 561-718-2605 or email fmain@townofpalmbeach.com.

For those of you who missed the debate Monday night...

This is Jim Stafford's introduction from the candidate forum held at the First Congregational Church on North K Street.

One Allen West video you probably won't see on another blog...

Editorial: Watch for absentee ballot fraud in Palm Beach County

Something to consider - click title for link to PBP editorial.

Neighborhood Clean-up: 10/20, 9:30a.m.

Editorial: Lake Worth getting close to running on fumes

Another superficial analysis and opinion by those in the cozy paneled offices of the Palm Beach Post.  Let's dissect the first sentence of the article:

"Lake Worth is long known for short-sighted planning, erratic planning and, in some cases, no planning at all."

Let's look at the word "planning" and apply that to the use of land in the city.  A large part of the reason the city is in the financial situation it is results from not having a coherent set of Comprehensive Plan and Land Use Regulations that lay out what the city expects if someone wishes to redevelop a property in Lake Worth.  Since we have essentially closed the door to any major reinvestment in the city for the past eight years - roughly coinciding with the emergence of a "no change" culture on the dais, the city experienced the largest decline in taxable value of any municipality in Palm Beach County.  Providing a predictable path through the development review process would go a long way to attracting investment and jobs to Lake Worth.  Only then will the city be able to deliver on its promise to build reserves and lower utility rates.

Quoting one of our pop-culture contemporary philosophers, Judge Judy, the rest of the editorial beyond the first sentence is a bunch of "who shot John."

Muoio holding Twitter town hall tonight

Another example of a local municipality using social media to its advantage.  Will we ever see this here?  Click title for link to article.

Lake Worth candidate forum planned for Monday night

Come out to the First Congregational Church at 1415 N. K. Street tomorrow night.  I am looking forward to an energetic exchange of ideas.  Click title for link to PBP article.