Question for critics of the City’s referendum last Tuesday: Why did you do nothing for over 2 years to help? If you had a better plan, why didn’t you share it?

The referendum passed overwhelmingly. Almost 70% of the voters in Lake Worth said “Yes” to bonds to fix our roads. That is called a mandate.

The answer to the 2nd question in the title above is easy. They never even tried to come up with a plan since August 2014 when they defeated the first bond vote. And therein lies the answer to the first question, “Why did you do nothing”? They did nothing because that would take leadership and making hard choices.

Leadership and making hard choices is not what critics like Commissioner Chris McVoy, PhD, like to do. But there’s something that people like McVoy don’t understand. Voters respect leaders. They may not agree with them but they respect them. After the bond vote failed in 2014 Mayor Pam Triolo, Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell, and Commissioner Andy Amoroso were all reelected by landslide victories.

Why? Voters don’t punish elected’s who try and fail. They punish the ones who don’t try at all. That’s why McVoy is going to lose big on March 14th, 2017. Do you remember this?

“Maybe we can get Commissioner McVoy to point out what he proposed.”

And. . .

“I want to hear his [McVoy’s] plan. I haven’t heard his plan.”

—Citizen/reporter Peggy Fisher questioned both Mrs. McGiveron and McVoy at a City Workshop. See this exchange for yourself in the short video (3rd one) at the end of this blog post.


And also take note: interrupting meetings because you don’t agree with something is improper. If you recall, it was Mrs. McGiveron, the leader of CAUT PAC, who shut down a City Workshop in July with this inappropriate outburst:Now to all the vocal critics of the City’s referendum last Tuesday to fix the roads and potholes. . . why did you sit on your hands for over 2 years?

One of those critics, McGiveron, instead of a offering a plan or a way forward to fix the streets and all the potholes was fortunate enough to get quoted by Kevin Thompson, the Post’s beat reporter:

“ ‘Where the Tropics Begin’ was the old Lake Worth motto,” she [McGiveron] said. “Sit down, shut up and open your wallets is our new motto.”

Pretty clever, huh? But there’s a problem: clever motto’s, shutting down City meetings, and not offering any realistic solutions won’t do anything to improve our City. Interestingly, following that outburst McGiveron accepted a challenge from Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell. She agreed to craft her own plan and present it at the July 19th City Commission meeting:

“I [Vice Mayor Maxwell] challenge you. You give me a ballot initiative and I will present it to the commission. That was your offer, Katie. Give it to me. I would love to see it.”

Did McGiveron complete the challenge with almost 2 weeks to do so? No. The citizen/reporter at the scene, Peggy Fisher, got it all on video. You can hear Maxwell for yourself at the 6:35 mark in this video:Here is what we learned at that Workshop in July:

• Since the “LW2020” bond failed in 2014 it will now cost $9 million more to fix the City’s roads
• At a minimum the City will need $40–50 million
• More delays will drive up future costs

Just being a critic isn’t enough. And just saying we need more meetings isn’t enough either. That’s what is lacking in the opposition to the City: any leadership whatsoever. Another video below from Peggy Fisher at the July Workshop and you can hear her say. . .

“Maybe we can get Commissioner McVoy to point out what he proposed.” And “I want to hear his [McVoy’s] plan. I haven’t heard his plan.”

Exactly. McVoy never even tried.