CRA/City Commission Workshop Meeting

It's at the Shuffleboard Court building tonight, therefore no Internet stream of the meeting. I hear they are talking about priorities and the CRA redevelopment plan.

Just an FYI. I'll find out more tomorrow - but at least they are talking.

I'm listening, are you?

Dear Sally,

I saw the statement you released yesterday in which you said your “hate speech” is merely “free speech.” That’s kind of gross, but it’s also beside the point.

The point is this: your words have consequences. Ask Judy Shepherd — her son, Matthew, was viciously murdered ten years ago by people who think like you. Ask the parents of Lawrence King, an openly gay eighth-grader who was gunned down in school last month by a classmate whose fear was stoked by words like yours. Just this past fall, Steven Domer, a 62-year-old gay man was brutally murdered right in your home state of Oklahoma.

What you said is not okay, but that’s not because most sensible people disagree with it. It’s because your words give aid and comfort to those who would hurt, maim and even kill people who are different from you. Comparing gays and lesbians to cancer and terrorism and saying they are the “biggest threat to America,” gives license to others to treat us that way, especially given the leadership position you hold in your community.

I also read that some of your colleagues in the Republican caucus stood and cheered you as you entered their meeting yesterday. How odd and depressing. This isn’t a partisan issue; I know plenty of Republicans who were outraged at your comments, because they themselves are parents, friends and family to gays and lesbians who are at risk when people of your stature say the kinds of things you did.

Whether or not you agree that gay people deserve halfway decent treatment (the fact that you said we were destroying America implies that you don’t), what I want you to understand is that the words you said will have real life implications. Your speech can lead to the murders of more young people. You have outraged hundreds of thousands, but you may have inspired a few people, too. That’s not just sad, it’s evil.

The point of the Victory Fund’s releasing your speech was to draw attention to the fact that even elected leaders like you are saying some nasty and potentially dangerous things about your fellow citizens. Our mission is to elect people to counter your hate and bigotry with honesty and courage.

You may have been applauded by a handful of your colleagues, but more than a half million people are now listening. They heard you loud and clear, and they’re not clapping.

Chuck Wolfe

President & CEO
Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund

Bryant Park Neighborhood Meeting

I happened to be downtown with my friend Jim Stafford tonight. We were walking down Lake Avenue and realized that this was the night for the Bryant Park Neighborhood Association meeting at the Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce building. So, we made ourselves comfortable and listened to our Mayor Jeff Clemens review what he considers as his achievements over the past year since his election. By the way, the anniversary of the last March general election is tomorrow. All future elections for the City of Lake Worth will be held in November.

Here is a picture of Mayor Clemens as he addressed those in attendance.
There were a lot of questions regarding the beach, the day docks planned for the north Bryant Park area funded through the County, the Gulfstream renovation and expansion and the Certificate of Use program.

Great Tour!

Here are some pictures from the tour of the EcoCentre last Friday night. Thank you to the Romano Law Group and Architect John Szerdi for a fine "show and tell" of the remarkable sustainable approach being used in the construction of the building. We found out the level of detail and commitment to sustainability that this building represents. It is truly a groundbreaking eco-friendly masterpiece that will be at home right in our own City of Lake Worth.

Thanks again for the great walk-through and I know that many left inspired. What a tremendous plus for the city.

Lake Worth's "Skyline" at Night

These were taken on top of the EcoCentre's roof tonight. We (the Palm Beach County Planning Congress) had our tour and many that came were there from Lake Worth. They said they got word of the event here on this blog!

Glad you all could make it.

More later on the tour. I just wanted to get these pictures up as it's a view we don't often see.

Art Walk Lake Worth - 3/8

Motion Fails: CRA still alive...

It was an interesting City Commission meeting last night. I stayed until after the above item was discussed. This was supposed to be the follow-up to the decision made at the last meeting that the City Commission take-over the duties of the CRA. Commissioner Golden (who seems all too eager) made a motion to adopt the prepared ordinance, with the addition of a five member appointed advisory board. Commissioner Jennings seconded it. After some passionate discussion, including an indication by Commissioner Lowe that if the City Commission took over the CRA, they wouldn't do anything with it and that she didn't like the idea of an advisory board, the Commission voted 2-3 to pass the ordinance on first reading. The motion failed and there was no substitute motion.

So, that means that the workshop scheduled Thursday with the CRA is on. The focus will likely be the Pugh property project at 6th Avenue South and F Street.

We really have to question the zeal with which Commissioner Golden, who is project manager for the Lake Worth Community Development Corporation, has for consolidating control of the Community Redevelopment Agency under her and the Commission's policy making control. Where is the arm's length transaction here? How will the public know whether she is acting n the best interest of the City or furthering the ends of the Community Development Corporation? How will we know where one ends and the other begins?

For now, an independent CRA has another chance.

Here is the agenda for Thursday's meeting:

Palm Beach County Showcases 1916 Courthouse Restoration

If you are interested in history, you might want to check out the Palm Beach County website. They have a nice spotlight on the process to restore the 1916 Courthouse. The dedication of the rehabilitated and restored structure will be March 15th at 2 p.m. For a while, I was on the committee overseeing the project from the Palm Beach County Historical Society point of view. That organization will move their offices into the newly refinished building and administer a County history museum.

I hope you are able to check out the actual building sometime in the near future. But, for now, check out the project with the link provided above. It gives a good sense of what it was like here in 1916 and what the state of affairs in the world was at the time, as well.

City Commission Retreat - Part III - Discussion

For the top three items, I will attempt to group the comments under each issue. It is difficult to do for the entire session as the discussion jumped around a lot. They went around the table and offered their individual 5 goals and conversations would overlap and issues would be brought up again. The later part of this summary will be by Mayor or Commissioner and relate to the other priorities.

My take on Saturday morning's session will come in Part IV.

Crime:

Commissioner Golden talked about a gun "take back" program. Chief Smith responded that they hadn't done that here, but other cities had. He said that usually you get the people that have collector guns or ones that are inherited and they want the cash. It serves some benefit as sometimes those types of fire arms are stolen and then used in crimes. The Chief reported that crime for Part 1 (serious) crimes is down for 2007 - significantly. There may be other crimes that are more of a nuisance that may be up that causes the perception of crime being high. He also said that the real way to control crime is through neighborhood activation and awareness.

Chief Smith also explained how they are planning to go from 8 hour to 11 and 12 hour shifts, merge specialized units to free up more officers for road patrol and to have more police presence in the evening hours. Commissioner Lowe questioned the need for such a police presence at special events and that hiring new officers is not the answer. Commissioner Vespo used the analogy of police essentially "mowing the grass" - not getting to the root of the problem and that recreation offerings may help with the cause of crime.

Commissioner Jennings talked about strategic funding of public safety and the justification of a millage rate increase to help fund fire (she didn't say police). The Mayor talked about the need for a stronger police presence. Commissioner Golden brought up the idea of COPs handing out tickets for nuisance items. Chief Smith responded that additional training would be needed and that the COPs are going to be writing parking violations soon. All talked about the negative image of people crowding in the street, the homeless in the cultural plaza as creating the perception of a crime problem. These combine to negatively affect the image of the City.

Image:

The next highest priority was the improvement of the City's image. As mentioned above, Commissioner Lowe talked about the need to get day laborers off the street. Commissioner Golden mentioned the need for revitalization and didn't like the number of boarded up buildings. She saw that being a result from the Certificate of Use program. It was pointed out that these boarding up activities are part of regular code enforcement actions, for the most part. They also mentioned expanding the CRA district and making available low cost loans for improvements

The Mayor discounted the effectiveness of press releases being issued regularly by the City. Commissioners talked about the lack of a Palm Beach Post reporter being assigned to the City. The Mayor doubted that we would have one anytime soon as Lake Worth was not seen as an area with enough readership. City Manager Baldwin brought up the possibility of a Public Information Officer, but this was discounted primarily by the Mayor due to cost considerations. Commissioner Golden mentioned the possibility of equipping the homeless at the cultural plaza with garbage bags so they can perform public clean-up duties.

There was general discussion about what sort of image the City should be promoting. The concept of "branding" the downtown area and the City as a whole. The diversity of the City is a strength and part of its image, it was said.

Administrative Reforms:

City Manager Baldwin covered most of the on-going reform currently underway in the City administration. He said that there are serious problems with money, but that shouldn't be the focus of the retreat. He, and his team, are creating a "foundation for good government through administrative reforms". The City has notified SERMA its intent to exit the insurance fund. The HTE computer conversion is continuing. The utilities payments are now under the control of the Finance Department and the deposit program is now underway - saving the city "millions of dollars". He said that he is doing "rough carpentry" and is used to being a finish carpenter. His focus has been to stop the hemorrhaging - "money was being lost everywhere". The fire assessment might be held up with pending legislation. Customer service issues have taken a back seat to the monetary issues - especially with the passage of Amendment 1. He said we need to reform our police and fire pension system and that is holding up any progress on the County taking over either function. The status of the Reverse Osmosis plant and status with Florida Municipal Power Agency is still to be finalized. He said these major items have to be resolved or completed before we launch new initiatives.

The Mayor commented that the Commission suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder and finds it hard to focus. He thinks we need a new City Hall, but we have to deal with customer service issues so it didn't make his top 5. Commissioner Vespo inquired whether the exceptions to the audit were being addressed, status of the software upgrades. The status of the master plan exercise was brought up under administrative reforms.

The Mayor talked about the need to educate the staff how to answer public questions regarding city policy i.e. the utility deposit reform and the impact to residents. There was also discussion regarding getting rid of the drive through window for utility payments. After a lot of bureaucratic double speak, it sounded like that may happen in May of this year.

Comments by Mayor and Commissioners re other priorities:

Mayor Clemens: Meetings on the Park of Commerce will be happening every six months to make sure all is on track. Master Plan is "off the rails". Implementing goals of Climate Task Force will save money, as well as have a positive environmental impact. Press conference when task force makes recommendations later this month. Benchmarking progress important - Greenacres annual report as an example. Address over-crowding, day labor center and high utility rates. Many different ways to brand the city. Signs over streets like in the past.

Vice Mayor Lowe: Where does the beach fit in to the picture, need a place to get together as a community. We are losing revenue at the beach. Follow-through on Park of Commerce Redevelopment. Need to find a city building where code enforcement, CRA and building department are together. Recreation opportunities needed to address youth issues. Refer to Day Labor Center as "Cultural Resource Center". Administration is top heavy in some departments.

Commissioner Jennings: We need a long term water conservation plan. Need a cultural change in the Code Enforcement area - secretive, vengeful attitude exists. Need accountability. Commission needs to provide clear direction to staff. Need to promote sustainability through energy issues. Re-new recreation through implementation of programs and grants. Create "multi-purpose" cultural center at Shuffleboard Court building. Look into 4 ten hour days for building department, flex time. Need brochure on recreation programs (in works).

Commissioner Golden: Need to be self-sufficient in utilities. There are going to be cost adjustments put through by FMPA coming up and that will affect a large portion of the city service. There is a need to address global warming issues. Better ways for public communication of meetings - cable TV, etc. Quarterly newsletter? Started writing a grant for transportation around town - young people can't get downtown. Need to promote volunteerism in the city. Need for transparency. Rely on lower levels of staff for information and ideas. Implement climate task force recommendations. Look at solar alternatives. Sea kayak business in Park of Commerce - part of eco-tourism. Get police out of cars. Multi-lingual signs in City Hall.

Commissioner Vespo: Follow through on Park of Commerce redevelopment. Concerned about appearance of utility plant. Need to work towards ability to pay utility bills on line. Can't be afraid of innovation and technological change. Need to get going on fiber optic and Internet wiring through city. Address over-crowding.

Baldwin: Need more racial diversity in city staff, bi-lingual abilities.

City Commission Retreat - Part II - Priorities

The following is how the City Commission ranked the identified issues as priorities for the rest of the year. It seemed to me like these were meant to the be the focus during the creation of the budget for the next fiscal year. These priorities would run through the time the present Commission is seated - or November of this year.

Here they are. Points assigned in parentheses, ties where indicated

1. Crime (63 points)
2. Image (54)
3. Customer Service (51)
4. Administrative Reform (48)
5. Renew Recreation (45) - tie
   
6. Implementation of Climate Change Recommendations (45) - tie
7. Day Labor (Cultural Resource) Center (41)
8. Self-sufficiency Utilities (39)
9. Overcrowding (37)
10. Electric Rates (35) - tie
    
11. Improving Communication (35) - tie
12. Cultural Change in Code Compliance (30)
13. Park of Commerce Redevelopment (25)
14. Technological Innovation (22)
15. Transportation (19)
16. Beach/Casino Redevelopment (18)
17. Promote Resident Volunteerism (17)
18. Pension Reform (16)
19. Defining Mandates - Commission/Manager Communication (11)
20. New City Hall (6)

I will expand on these in the next post.

City Commission Retreat - Part I

These pictures are from the City Commission Retreat held today at City Hall. Each Commissioner and the Mayor gave what they thought their top five priorities were for the next year. Those were discussed and then they ranked each of their goals. It will take some work, but I will delve into my notes and put together my take on the session in a future post - lots of notes to go through.

The pictures of the boards contain the un-prioritized list of goals and focus areas. I will share their top 15 list in the next post.

Last Lecture...

Information Distributed by the American Planning Association - Florida Chapter

STATE & FEDERAL HIGHLIGHTS

FLORIDA FOREVER APPLICATION CYCLE NOW OPEN Florida Communities Trust, the state's premier program for helping local communities preserve parks and recreational space, opened its 2008 Florida Forever grant funding cycle on February 22, 2008. Cities, counties and non-profit environmental organizations may submit applications for grants through May 7. The Trust's Governing Board will determine which projects will receive funding during a selection meeting in September. A series of application workshops were scheduled through February and March around the state, with two remaining. One is scheduled for March 4th at the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council in Jacksonville and the other will be held on March 6th at DCA in Tallahassee. The workshops run from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM EST. For more information about these workshops or the application process, visit www.dca.state.fl.us. FLORIDA ENERGY COMMISSION REPORTS TO LEGISLATURE The Florida Energy Commission is charged with developing recommendations for legislation to establish a state energy policy and submitted its report to the Legislature on December 31, 2007. The Commission's division of work into four advisory groups resulted in the Commission adopting 85 recommendations. Those recommendations have been generally grouped into the following policy goals in the report: Restructuring the State Governance for Developing Florida's Energy Policies and Programs; Responding to the Challenges of Global Climate Change; Increasing Florida's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Efforts; Maximizing Florida's Development of Renewable Energy Resources; Strengthening Florida's Energy Supply and Delivery Infrastructure; Enhancing Florida's Energy-Related Education, Research and Development Programs; and Developing Issues for the FEC's 2008 Report. To view the report and its recommendations in its entirety, go to http://www.floridaenergycommission.gov/recommendations.cfm .

HOUSE COMMITTEE STUDIES CONSERVATION/PRESERVATION OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS In January, 2008, the House Committee on Agribusiness completed an interim report on the conservation and preservation of agricultural lands in Florida. The purpose of the interim project was threefold: to gather data and information as to the amount of agricultural lands in the state that are as yet undeveloped; to assess the rate at which such lands are being converted to residential, commercial and industrial uses; and to examine and evaluate the effectiveness of current legal mechanisms for preserving lands in agricultural uses. The research conducted for this report suggests a need for the protection of Florida's agricultural lands that is recognized by numerous persons and groups, not just those involved in agriculture. It concludes that a healthy, viable agricultural industry is critical to Florida's economy, and identifies a number of policy options for protecting these lands. The report can be viewed at http//:www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?PublicationType=Committees&CommitteeID=2339&Session=2008&DocumentType=Reports&FileName=Conservation-Preservation of Agricultural Lands.pdf.

TOP

REPORTS, PUBLICATIONS AND BRIEFINGS

2007 AFFORDABLE HOUSING REPORT ISSUED BY DCA DCA recently released its 2007 Affordable Housing Report, "Solutions to Florida's Affordable Housing Needs". As part of this undertaking, applicable housing-related portions of Chapter 163, Part II, Florida Statutes (F.S.), and Rule 9J-5, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), were reviewed and asssessed to determine their effectiveness. Further, the review evaluated applicable portions of the Adequate Housing Rule of Chapter 380, Part I, F.S., and Rule 9J-2, F.A.C., to determine their effectiveness in identifying and mitigating regional, affordable housing impacts. The findings outlined in the report indicate that Housing Elements of local government comprehensive plans could be modified in eight specific areas to improve the ability of local government to meet affordable housing needs. Local governments, housing organizations, and affordable housing developers have access to numerous federal, state, and local programs to fund affordable housing; however, the coordination between the program requirements and the Housing Element could be improved. Local incentives for affordable housing, such as expedited permitting, density bonuses, development fee waivers, can enhance the provision of affordable housing, but additional training regarding these tools,specifically for the Local Housing Advisory Committees of the State Housing Initiative Partnership Program, should be explored. To read all the findings, go to http://www.dca.state.fl.us/fdcp/dcp/affordablehousing/2007AHReport.pdf . PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION'S CONTRIBUTION TO GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION Released in September 2007, this study was conducted for the American Public Transportation Association. The role of public transportation in terms of net carbon dioxide savings, favorable land use impacts that result in positive environmental and social benefits, and individual household savings were among the issues studied. Report findings conclude that public transportation is a highly valuable asset for reducing global warning. In 2005, public transportation reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 6.9 million metric tons. Furthermore, investments in public transportation have the benefit of supporting higher density landuses that allow for fewer vehicle miles of travel. While it is difficult to precisely measure this impact, a number of studies have attempted to estimate the relationship between transit passenger miles and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction as a proxy for this effect. The results range from a reduction in VMT of between 1.4 miles and 9 miles for every transit passenger mile traveled. The outcome would be more efficient use of roadways, reduced road maintenance, shorter highway commute times and reduced need for street and off- street parking. Go to http://www.apta.com/research/info/online/documents/climate_change.pdf to view this report.

2007 REPORT ON FLORIDA'S TOURIST-RELATED TAXES The House Committee on Tourism and Trade report, 2007 Report on Florida's Tourist-Related Taxes, is a valuable tool for Legislators, local governments, and citizens in understanding the state's local option tourist-related taxes and how they are used at the local level. It is a comprehensive report on the history of the taxes; a detailed description of the taxes, including which counties levy taxes for specific purposes; and, a 10-year-to-date history of the use of these taxes by each county. The report also includes data on the comparison of tourism taxes collected at the local level to the overall sales tax collection. The report can be viewed at http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?PublicationType=Committees&CommitteeId=2337&Session=2008&DocumentType=Reports&FileName=committee_on_torism_and_trade_published_interim_project.pdf REVIEW OF SPECIAL DISTRICTS Conducted by the House Committee on Urban and Local Affairs, this project researches and updates the current law for, the current number of, the taxation and special assessment authority of, the monitoring of and reporting by, and recent legislation for special districts in Florida. The project also includes research into other state laws related to special districts for comparison purposes. Further, the report describes issues that arose during the project research and presents options for possible changes. Released in January 2008, the report can be viewed at http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/publications.aspx?CommitteeId=2347&PublicationType=Committees&DocumentType=Interim%20Projects%20(Reports)&Session=2008&SessionId=57 . STATE LANDS AQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT REPORT The purpose of this January 2008 interim report by the House Committee on Conservation & State Lands is to assist members in evaluating current state lands use policies and practices and to provide policy options to improve the management of state lands. The interim report also is intended to assist members who may develop legislation for a Florida Forever successor program by developing policies options for such a program with an emphasis on the role of land management in the acquisition decisions and long-term land management. The state currently manages over 3.7 million acres of conservation land at a management cost of approximately $220 million annually. As the state acquires more conservation land, these costs will increase, as will the need to effectively manage these lands and track, and report performance. However, the current management system is decentralized among three agencies, and the existing accountability system needs improvement. The report presents four policy options for the legislature to consider. These options include maintaining the current system of conservation land management by three separate state agencies; creating a council to ccoordinate and oversee land management activities ; centralizing land management activities under one state agency; and centralizing all land management activities under a new entity. The full report can be viewed at http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?PublicationType=Committees&CommitteeId=2340&Session=2008&DocumentType=Reports&FileName=State Lands Acquisition and Management.pdf

Op-Ed Piece - Lake Worth Herald - 2/28

After the actions of the past two weeks concerning the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), it becomes obvious that the great ship S.S. City of Lake Worth is now going at full speed – only in the wrong direction. Why do I say this? Ever since the new Commission was seated in April of last year, we have witnessed the eroding of the opportunity for public input and engagement. Instead, the Commission has made systematic efforts to restrain public comment and citizen involvement in the governing of our city. When the limited opportunities for public comment are offered, they are in controlled and condensed three minute packages that might deal with five or more items. When a commissioner or the Mayor wants something to go their way, rules are overlooked and normal informative conversation with those who might be affected by those rushed decisions are only made aware of the discussion at the last minute, if at all.

One of the first actions taken by the new Commission was the reformatting of public comment during City Commission meetings. Instead of being allotted three minutes to discuss any given topic on the agenda after the Commission has already discussed the item, the Mayor and Commission now only allow public comment at the beginning of major headings on their agendas (e.g. Public Hearings, New Business, etc.) before they discuss the matter. Comment for consent agenda items is only allowed if “pulled” by our elected leaders – not if the public has a question on an item.

This does many things that make public input difficult. One is that you have to get everything out there you think you need to cover since you have no real idea what the general direction of the commission is on that item. You also have to budget your time between various items under that major agenda heading. There might be five items you want touch on, but all those items have to be squeezed into the allotted three minutes.

In their defense, the Commission did move up “Public Participation on Non-Agendaed Items” to a position that comes earlier in the agenda, but comment is still limited to three minutes. The Mayor, who is charged with running the meeting, has the responsibility to inform the public about how the meeting works. At the last Commission meeting, some people who do not normally attend Commission meetings turned to me and asked when they could speak on an issue. I explained the system to them and they suddenly realized that they had already missed their opportunity since the public participation section had passed. They left the building disappointed by not having the opportunity to be heard by their elected representatives.

The Commission also steadily eliminated opportunities for citizens to serve in a volunteer capacity on advisory boards. In the past year, the Mayor and the Commission eliminated the following boards: Ad Hoc Committee, Affordable Housing Task Force, Stakeholders Advisory Committee, and Community Improvement Committee. Now, for a number of reasons and following their already established pattern, the Commission has reduced a former autonomous appointed board – the CRA – into an advisory board.

Without going into a great amount of detail, let’s review how this demotion happened. Few that are active in city politics would argue that the CRA was not a target for
Commission take-over. Even as it completed one of its most ambitious projects ever (on-time and under budget), you could hear the sabers rattling during the last election and the under-current had been growing ever since. What did our Mayor due in response to this murmuring discontent? Very little – he allowed this crisis to happen. As former Chairman of the CRA, he of all people should have been carrying the banner for the CRA, informing the four commissioners and the public about the actions of the CRA and solicit their input on the CRA’s actions. Our Mayor could have led in the form of educating the public and calling for a joint meeting with the CRA since he was elected. Instead, he allowed public discontent to fester with a reduced amount of opportunities to let off steam and hear what the citizen’s real concerns were.

What was going to be a simple request to advertise for volunteers for vacant positions on the CRA (Consent Agenda Item J – Feb. 5 meeting) turned into a special meeting on whether the already over-burdened city commission take on the duties of the CRA. This would amount to yet another responsibility beyond their $136 million all funds budget and the host of problems faced by our residents. After the special meeting, one left with the impression the commission effectively halted a controversial CRA project, would hold a special meeting specifically on that project and give the CRA more direction as to goals and priorities. This outcome had merit and involved the members of the CRA board and its Chairman.

But, no, that was not to be. At the next regular city commission meeting, Commissioner Golden (who ran on the slogan, “I will have people talking to each other again.”), asked that this item be brought up again and that the takeover of CRA responsibilities be voted on again. Granted, the Mayor played a role in this with the cavalier manner in which he ran the meeting the week before concerning the same subject. But, no one from the CRA was notified of this 11th hour potential addition to the agenda.

The point is that we are fortunate to be a city with talented residents. Do you think that all the answers to the city’s major problems lay at the hands of these five elected representatives? I do not. We have to encourage public participation at all levels. This includes a reasonable opportunity for public input during public meetings. We must revamp our public participation system – it is broken! We need to empower boards to review issue details and make recommendations to the commission. Lastly, we ought to be encouraging talented people in our community to contribute their time in the form of service on appointed boards. Beating them over the heads for decisions made after the fact is no way to encourage more participation in our local government.

What the great ship S.S. City of Lake Worth is begging for is a call from the captain saying, “All hands on deck!” Blind-siding members of appointed boards and restricting public comment amounts to sailing the ship in the wrong direction.

Truth Matters Show Tonight

I hope you'll be able to join Greg Vannier and me for another edition of "Truth Matters". The show begins at 8 p.m. You can click here for the associated comment/question thread on the Lake Worth Talk message board. And click here for the link to the show in progress. At this point, I am not sure what all our discussion will cover so please - join in - help guide our chat about things Lake Worth.

Thanks!