Last night was a very good night for the little City of Lake Worth. A very good night. In football it’s called a “coaching victory”. . .

. . . but one commissioner, Chris McVoy, PhD, “dropped the ball”. He failed the City when the public needed him the most. The voters in Lake Worth must never forget that.

The bond referendum passed overwhelmingly yesterday, despite the efforts by McVoy to scuttle it. The County’s 1¢ sales tax increase also passed by a big margin. Now the City of Lake Worth can get on with fixing all the roads that have been neglected for far too long.

When the first results came in last night for Lake Worth’s bond referendum my first thoughts were, “Wow!”, “Wow”, and then “Wow”. This was a victory for leadership. City Manager Michael Bornstein, Mayor Pam Triolo, Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell, and commissioners Andy Amoroso and Ryan Maier all deserve credit.

Commissioner Chris McVoy, PhD, doesn’t ever deserve another vote here in the City of Lake Worth. Ever.

McVoy sat on his hands for over two years and never even tried to come up with a plan to fix our roads. But if he decides to run again The Palm Beach Post will endorse him just like they did in March 2015. The Post knew then what they know now: McVoy is not a leader and he’s not a problem-solver either. He’s just an opportunist. His only role is to be a thorn in the side of the majority.

The editors at the Post don’t want to look bad. But Lake Worth deserves better. 

That’s the reason the Post didn’t write an endorsement for the Lake Worth Bond referendum that passed overwhelmingly yesterday. Because if they did chime in they would have to acknowledge McVoy’s role, or lack of a role, in fixing our streets and potholes. So the Post decided to sit on the sidelines. Another high bar for leadership, huh?

It will take a few days or even longer for everything to shake out. But know this, McVoy put this City and the public through a lot of unnecessary angst and worry. On purpose he pitted one group against another for no reason except to forward his own political objectives. This was American politics at its worst.

The editors at the Post should have called him out. They should have asked him why he did nothing for two years and then criticized the one’s who did all the hard work. Our mayor deserved better and do did everyone else on the dais. How many sleepless nights did Mayor Triolo have? The city manager?

We needed ideas from Commissioner McVoy. He’s proud of his PhD but that diploma hanging on the wall did nothing for us. He could have attended seminars or visited other cities with similar problems and see how they solved the problem of too many potholes and deteriorating streets. That’s what scientists do.

But McVoy would rather dither in the Everglades, carrying test tubes of muck and slime, posing for the cameras with that thoughtful look of his. If McVoy decides to run again the public should get outraged. Insulted. And they need to get angry at the editor at the Post too. The editor should be asking McVoy the tough questions but that’s not going to happen.

That’s too bad. Lake Worth deserves better.