Friday, March 11, 2016

This week's editorial in The Lake Worth Herald endorsing the re-election of Mayor Triolo, Vice Mayor Maxwell, and Commissioner Amoroso

"The City of Lake Worth has suffered financially from a low tax base for many years. Until four years ago, when a commission majority decided to take the bull by the horns and fix the problems keeping investment from coming to Lake Worth, there was virtually no investment in Lake Worth for many years.
     The Codes in Lake Worth were prohibitive to development. The commission majority has worked hard to make fair Code Ordinances and investment is coming in. This will increase the tax base and relieve the burden on the residential tax payer.
     Code violations ran rampant throughout the city. Now, violators are being held to the carpet to improve conditions. Empty buildings went unprotected from intrusion by squatters who used them for drugs and prostitution in the middle of family neighborhoods. Now, the city boards them up and puts the fine on the tax bill making it more difficult for slumlords to skip paying the fines.
     Electric Utility rates were among the highest in the state, now they sit around the fourth lowest in the State and are showing signs of going even lower due to the work of the sitting commission majority.
     This commission majority has worked extremely hard to put Lake Worth in a favorable position with the County and State to receive grant monies to assist with infrastructure and economic development, which is adding to the tax base, money that can be used to fix the roads in the city.
     It is not as easy as saying lets take the money from the Park of Commerce and fix the roads. The grant money earmarked for the Park of Commerce is matching grant money for jobs and economic development. The City must spend first and then the grant kicks in.
     The Community Development Block Grant money sat unused by the previous commission and was almost taken back by the County before this commission majority put it to work for its intended purposes. The money has been used for sidewalks, green ways and paving streets that had never been paved, to make the neighborhoods safer to walk and bike for children and adults.
     The majority of the progress Lake Worth is experiencing has come at the dissension of Commissioner Christopher McVoy for four years and now he has an ally on the commission who on most votes of dissension just agrees with McVoy, Commissioner Ryan Maier is a disciple of Joanne Golden, one of the leaders of the commission that produced zero investment in Lake Worth by producing disincentives to development.
     The challengers to the incumbents all find fault with the progress Lake Worth is experiencing and side with McVoy and Maier. Hence, not re-electing Mayor Pam Triolo, Commissioner Scott Maxwell and Commissioner Andy Amoroso will bring Lake Worth to a screeching halt."