Code enforcement is a major campaign issue, but it shouldn’t be a “race to the bottom”.

Please take note: Below are some questions for voters and candidates concerning the issue of code enforcement.

Code compliance and enforcement is a major issue, as well it should be. Code compliance has been a long-standing issue in Lake Worth, one a previous City administration never got around to fixing, or one would also be accurate in saying the ones who created this problem in the first place:

 Quote by a well-respected resident concerning Lake Worth’s previous city manager. On the issue of Code Enforcement, “it was no longer a priority.”

However, a few questions for the voters and candidates leading up to election day, March 14th:

• Commissioner Chris McVoy, PhD, was first elected in 2010. Why is this issue such a major one for him now?
• Have any of the candidates contacted Code Enforcement and requested a tour or a meeting for more information?
• And what role do voters play in all this?

The role voters have is to find the facts. For example, in a Palm Beach Post article dated January 17th it was suggested that Code Enforcement is responsible for the Gulfstream Hotel re-development project not moving forward. Hogwash.

Thankfully, most of the candidates are coming up with good ideas and the issue of Code Enforcement hasn’t turned into a “race to the bottom”, blaming every conceivable problem in the City on that department:

The candidates at the Playhouse Debate on January 30th.

And it was because of another report about Code Enforcement the City Manager, Michael Bornstein, was forced to respond after he became “infinitely aggravated”, calling that article “egregious” and “incompetent”.

But out of all this is good news. The City has a new communications specialist and his name is Ben Kerr. And it’s no surprise the reaction. Hopefully after the next incident when Code Enforcement, or any City department for that matter, is unfairly blamed by any candidate or the press they will be set right forthwith by the City.

It’s not about taking sides. It’s about sticking to the facts.