Letters | "Lake Worth needs inclusive planning" by Jo-Ann Golden

Ms. Golden's letter to the editor today makes a good case for bitter and whiny types to step away from the keyboard. Click title for link.

She starts off with a passive-aggressive reference to the six prototype redevelopment sites that the Department of Community Sustainability put together for investors and people in the development community. It consisted of two separate meetings that use PowerPoint presentations showing the "what if" potential of what is possible under the city's NEW land development regulations.

Cover slide of PowerPoint presentation

Those NEW land development regulations were only passed and adopted last year. That is long after Ms. Golden left the dais in 2011 after not being re-elected. While Commissioner, she and others did their level best to make sure this eight year long project never saw the light of day. What we ended up with was a de-facto moratorium on development in the city. In fact, since 2007, coinciding with Ms. Golden's first term in office, the city had NO new commercial development. Lake Worth lost more property value as a percentage than any other of the 38 municipalities and unincorporated areas of Palm Beach County. Her jab at this presentation is proof that she would rather see the same old rag-tag Dixie Hwy. presence that we have now, as well as other locations within the city, over new investment, an increasing tax base, access to goods and creation of jobs that investment would create.

She then refers to the Lake Worth 2020 plan as "yet another public relations effort promising a fix for all that ails us." Which Ms. Golden should be familiar with as her campaign fliers were filled with fictional accounts of accomplishments and promises during her four years of doing nothing, other than voting with Commissioner Jennings on every issue. The Master Plan process, which Ms. Golden and Ms. Jennings hi-jacked over the issue of keeping Lake Worth "low rise," involved the public at every level and then ended up being misrepresented in the final product. One would need a forensic analysis to determine what the attendees of those Master Plan charrettes really thought. What we got were what Cara and JoAnn thought the city should look like. I guess that is what she wants here too.

Then she claims this Lake Worth 2020 plan is being done behind closed doors and that only four "quickly contrived town hall meetings" have been convened and that there has been "little citizen outreach."

Here is a list of meetings where the Lake Worth 2020 plan has been discussed and evolved over time with the assistance of public input. This is a memo City Clerk Pam Lopez put together for the City Commission meeting of June 3rd. This was the meeting where the bond issue question was placed on the August 26th ballot.

And there will be more opportunity for public information dissemination prior to the election. 

Ms. Golden also brings up the prospect of sea level rise and climate change as reasons why we shouldn't be going forward with a capital improvement plan like Lake Worth 2020 until we have all the answers on those issues. This is her consistent view that doing nothing is always better than doing something, even if it may help Lake Worth be more resilient and democratic in how it distributes access to fire hydrants and paved roads. Earth to JoAnn: You are the one who wanted us to get used to living in a ghetto for a while. Exactly how long is a while? It seems you and your gang of naysayers have the power to determine that. At least you did at one time. Some people will just not be satisfied or recognize happiness, even if it were to bite them on the nose.