Quote by Serge Jerome, Jr. and comments left on Palm Beach Post story about the Lake Worth Beach/Casino

Yesterday I posted this about the Lake Worth Beach/Casino story in the Palm Beach Post. The story didn't make today's printed paper; maybe tomorrow it will be in the print edition (it is available online).

There was an update in the story by Alexandra Clough (with Eliot Kleinberg contributing); in the original article candidate Serge Jerome, Jr. couldn't be reached for comment but he later was, and here is what Serge Jerome, Jr. is quoted as saying:

     The issue has become a major point in the Lake Worth city elections, to be held Tuesday, March 10.
      McVoy is running against Serge Jerome Jr, who said the idea is only a proposal. “McVoy is trying to use it for his political gain by claiming the city is selling the beach to rile up the voters,” Jerome said. “The city is not looking to privatize our beaches. But it is looking for ways to make the beach more profitable.” [emphasis added]
     City officials say they’re just trying to find a way to make the complex generate money to pay down its debt.

At the end of the story are some comments. Here are two:

Greg Rice wrote:

Commissioner McVoy, a Cornell University PhD graduate said "I didn't know that the Invitation To Negotiate would be so hush-hush: At the time he voted, McVoy said its description was “fuzzy…I would not say it was very adequately explained.” Then here's the question that should have been a follow up question to that statement; 1. Then why did he make a motion to the commission to be appointed to the ITN committee as the city commission member reprehensive [sic]? That motion died for a lack of a second. 2. Then, if the explanation of what and how an ITN works and why proposals are not immediately made public was still "fuzzy" to him, why did he vote to approve the city requesting ideas from interested parties using the ITN method?

Then this comment from "ThatDowntownGuy":

BOTTOM LINE: No one knows how the final project would look because it hasn't been formally presented. Everything else is just a scare tactic or utter ignorance. 

The City of Lake Worth will keep the beach public, that's what everyone want's anyway, but a public-private partnership is necessary for the Casino to become soluble. KEEP CALM AND FOLLOW ALONG... something good will come out of it all.

Thank you for your efforts Mr. Greg Rice and ThatDowntownGuy. The message is getting through.