Another excerpt from Mayor Pam Triolo’s State of the City Address on Jan. 31st.

Please note the words by Mayor Triolo (see excerpt below) echo the same sentiments by Palm Beach Post editor Rick Christie about the bond referendum which passed overwhelmingly last November, but Christie goes on to cite the 1¢ sales tax increase as well:

“While officials in cities like Palm Beach Gardens and Boca Raton snubbed the sales tax largesse, Lake Worth did no such thing. And residents should reap the benefits.”

Commissioner Chris McVoy, PhD, was not in attendance for the mayor’s State of the City Address. To read about “McVoy’s conspicuous absence” use this link. McVoy was an opponent to the bond but his arguments against it were rejected by the voters in a big way.

Another excerpt from the mayor’s speech:

“Mayor”, you ask, “I like the feeling that we have turned the corner, but give me some proof so I can back up this feeling that we are no longer the ‘old’ Lake Worth.”
     If I had to pick one single example to make my point it would be that on November 8 of last year, the voters were asked to vote on the Neighborhood Road Bond. This program is nothing less than a total reboot the road system in our neighborhoods; a road system past generations built and laid out for us.
     Well, an astounding 67% of the voters in a high turnout election voted for the $40 million bond. This is the largest single investment this City has ever made in itself. The largest single investment!
     It has set a record not just in size but it has also set a record in the level of confidence we have in our home, Lake Worth.
     Starting this Spring, road work will begin across the City and in the next four years we will fix our roads. Good bye to the potholes, and dirt roads, missing sidewalks and broken curbs. The Neighborhood Road Program will improve home values, promote investment, and, without a doubt will improve quality of life and instill pride.
     And I want to make an extra point here. There are poor neighborhoods in our City that were ignored, not just during the past 30 years, but ever since we became a City. I took pictures of these conditions when I first became Mayor and asked people where they thought the picture was taken. Guatemala, Panama, Chile? No, it’s Lake Worth east of I-95, right next door to Palm Beach.
     Vice Mayor Maxwell has fought for new roads and improvements in these parts of the City for years. And I think all will agree that people living in Lake Worth should not be penalized with a different standard of basic infrastructure like a road, based on their address.
     Let’s face it, a home is usually a family’s biggest investment. Well maintained roads, sidewalks and fire hydrants help protect that investment and encourages others to fix up, renovate and build new homes on vacant lots. It is an important key to reinvigorating neighborhoods and bringing in new residents.
     Together WE did it and we should all give ourselves a round of applause. Thank You.

For yesterday’s excerpt from the mayor's speech use this link.