Click here for full report.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Office of Inspector General Report Issued 9/20
THE CASINO BUILDING IS NOT A REHABILITATION PROJECT. MORGANTI'S "SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT" CALCULATION WRONG.
Click here for full report.
Click here for full report.
Planning board buries idea for green market
What our rich neighbor is up to - the contrast could not be greater. Click title for link...here are some gems from the article:
Tuesday’s decision followed about 35 minutes of discussion in which most commissioners and several merchants and residents said a market wouldn’t be a good fit for the town.
“The crowd at these things is a bit less than what you would expect in Palm Beach,” Commissioner Floyd Wideman said.
Adele Kahn, owner of House of Kahn Estate Jewelers at 231 Peruvian Ave., said the new Publix super market will offer plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables when it opens at the end of the year.
“Why do we need opportunists to come in?” she asked. “For who and for what? There’s nothing to gain. You’re going to trash the street and trash the town.”
Resident Ruby Rinker asked why the town would want to “dumb down” by following in the footsteps of West Palm Beach, where there is an established green market downtown on Saturday mornings during most of the year.
“We have beautiful super markets to send our maids to,” Rinker said. “If we were starving people that needed discounted food, that would be different. But we just don’t need it.”
A little nerdy, but interesting way to compare word usage over time...and also how to find evidence of censorship...
Try some comparisons yourself - click here.
Here is the Ngram for Lake Worth:
And for Palm Beach:
But comparing the two on the same graph better demonstrates the larger number of mentions of Palm Beach compared to Lake Worth. It is interesting comparing their trajectories - look at the impact of WWII and the Great Depression.
Greenacres votes to keep tax rate unchanged
Another one of Mr. Howard's clients - click title for article. He doesn't have to use as much spin with our "sister" community. Commissioner Golden often compares Lake Worth to Greenacres...but the similarity ends once you get away from population figures.
Reported to be on Rachel Waterman's FaceBook page...
She hasn't accepted my "friend" request, so I can't see what is on her wall myself. But this is what a reader who can see it sent to me:
Just saw my clip on Channel 5 News - Unfortunately our news stations are not interested in reporting the truth; they are interested in creating scandal by strategically editing footage! For those who are interested Lake Worth was unaware we are listed as being out of compliance for our Department of Justice Grant because WE ARE NOT. Our paperwork was submitted and we already received our reimbursement from the federal government. But, the last half of the sentence wasn't of interest to them.
Just saw my clip on Channel 5 News - Unfortunately our news stations are not interested in reporting the truth; they are interested in creating scandal by strategically editing footage! For those who are interested Lake Worth was unaware we are listed as being out of compliance for our Department of Justice Grant because WE ARE NOT. Our paperwork was submitted and we already received our reimbursement from the federal government. But, the last half of the sentence wasn't of interest to them.
Illuminating reading - on the JAG Grant
That is the program that was used by the city to fund two code enforcement officers. Click here for the basic parameters of the JAG program- the grant that the city is delinquent in reporting requirements. Perhaps the reason the city has not submitted a report is that they lack staff with creative writing skills. I'm not sure about the link between Code Enforcement and the grant. Click here for more performance measures.
It would be revealing to read the report the city eventually prepares to see how they extol improvements in code enforcement.
It would be revealing to read the report the city eventually prepares to see how they extol improvements in code enforcement.
Monday, September 19, 2011
A Comment left under the post: Communication to/from a resident to a Commissioner
Left by Anonymous:
Not a defender of SM at all. She should be ashamed she hasn't spent more time focused on the blighted and crime ridden neighborhoods. Commissioner Maxwell could use an ally in that area and it shouldn't have anything to do with any politics anyway.
My frustration is that I've been around long enough to know when Wes was on the dias and was part of the system he now rails against. I would argue the elected officials were just as ineffective and the hired management even worse than the ones we have now. That Wes is "mad as hell and just not going to take it anymore" is admirable and welcomed. I simply wonder when the reality that Lake Worth is full of bad housing stock and suffers from decades and decades of poor zoning codes and more variances than any city should allow hit him.
Surely anyone with an honest cell in his being knows these folks on the dias didn't cause all this mess. And yes, now that Wes has seen the light (in my opinion) my view of what LW should be and could be are much more in line with his. But please understand some of us not only saw all these problems a dozen years ago we wanted to do what Wes thinks we should do now and he really wasn't convinced we should. He didn't publicly rip apart past administrations and inept Commissioners who for years allowed this city to decay to a point it's laughable to expect ANYONE to fix it even in two terms much less a few months.
Just sayin'...
Well, it's interesting to read the phrase "when Wes was on the dais and part of the system he now rails against." I'm not sure, but some people are under the mistaken belief that I was a Commissioner at one time. This may or may not be the impression of this "anonymous", but it is something that I have heard used around town - especially during campaigns. Others, if they encountered a resident that didn't like things how they were here, blame would be pointed in my direction for all sorts of Lake Worth woes. It was at times convenient to refer to me as an incumbent - according to many people that told me about what they were told at their doorstep.
The fact is that my time on the dais consisted of an eight year stint on the Planning and Zoning, Historic Resource Preservation Board - the first two years as an alternate. The last five years I held the chairman's seat and I resigned to run for office a year before what would have been the end of my term. I, as well as other members of the board, were well aware of the poor condition of the housing stock in the city and tried, as best we could with the situation and the tools we had at our disposal, to address many longstanding issues negatively impacting the city.
In terms of working on the code, we started the Master Plan process while I was on the dais in order to address deficiencies in our zoning code - that are still there to this day, by the way. The board didn't have the money so the funding of the over $1 million effort had to come from the Commission. This process was started so that we could determine a coherent vision of what Lake Worth should look like in the future and create a zoning code to get us there. Seven years later, we have yet to see and start using the result.
One of the symptoms of an "out of sync" code is that you encounter a lot of variance requests since the code does not adequately reflect the realities present in the city. In other cities, updating the zoning code is an on-going process and is really never finished since conditions and community values change over time - you really never get a chance to catch up. Since we have never had an adequately staffed planning department, the city made only rare and haphazard changes to the zoning code - which over time can make things worse.
The board that I was on also served as the Nuisance Abatement Board and acted independently of the City Commission when there were code problems combined with chronic crime/drug activity. This was also back in the day of CAT teams - which we eliminated as the dais changed composition.
I have kept this blog since 2006 and I don't think my opinions have changed that much over time. I would like to hear what other people think by commenting here. And there really isn't much to be gained to malign previous actions by an administration or a Commission as our problems are ours now, regardless of who made them. I just don't see a lot of progress or sense of urgency in addressing them. I am afraid some on the current dais and administration see it counter-productive to their goal of affordability and sustainability to address some of our intractable problems.
Not a defender of SM at all. She should be ashamed she hasn't spent more time focused on the blighted and crime ridden neighborhoods. Commissioner Maxwell could use an ally in that area and it shouldn't have anything to do with any politics anyway.
My frustration is that I've been around long enough to know when Wes was on the dias and was part of the system he now rails against. I would argue the elected officials were just as ineffective and the hired management even worse than the ones we have now. That Wes is "mad as hell and just not going to take it anymore" is admirable and welcomed. I simply wonder when the reality that Lake Worth is full of bad housing stock and suffers from decades and decades of poor zoning codes and more variances than any city should allow hit him.
Surely anyone with an honest cell in his being knows these folks on the dias didn't cause all this mess. And yes, now that Wes has seen the light (in my opinion) my view of what LW should be and could be are much more in line with his. But please understand some of us not only saw all these problems a dozen years ago we wanted to do what Wes thinks we should do now and he really wasn't convinced we should. He didn't publicly rip apart past administrations and inept Commissioners who for years allowed this city to decay to a point it's laughable to expect ANYONE to fix it even in two terms much less a few months.
Just sayin'...
Well, it's interesting to read the phrase "when Wes was on the dais and part of the system he now rails against." I'm not sure, but some people are under the mistaken belief that I was a Commissioner at one time. This may or may not be the impression of this "anonymous", but it is something that I have heard used around town - especially during campaigns. Others, if they encountered a resident that didn't like things how they were here, blame would be pointed in my direction for all sorts of Lake Worth woes. It was at times convenient to refer to me as an incumbent - according to many people that told me about what they were told at their doorstep.
The fact is that my time on the dais consisted of an eight year stint on the Planning and Zoning, Historic Resource Preservation Board - the first two years as an alternate. The last five years I held the chairman's seat and I resigned to run for office a year before what would have been the end of my term. I, as well as other members of the board, were well aware of the poor condition of the housing stock in the city and tried, as best we could with the situation and the tools we had at our disposal, to address many longstanding issues negatively impacting the city.
In terms of working on the code, we started the Master Plan process while I was on the dais in order to address deficiencies in our zoning code - that are still there to this day, by the way. The board didn't have the money so the funding of the over $1 million effort had to come from the Commission. This process was started so that we could determine a coherent vision of what Lake Worth should look like in the future and create a zoning code to get us there. Seven years later, we have yet to see and start using the result.
One of the symptoms of an "out of sync" code is that you encounter a lot of variance requests since the code does not adequately reflect the realities present in the city. In other cities, updating the zoning code is an on-going process and is really never finished since conditions and community values change over time - you really never get a chance to catch up. Since we have never had an adequately staffed planning department, the city made only rare and haphazard changes to the zoning code - which over time can make things worse.
The board that I was on also served as the Nuisance Abatement Board and acted independently of the City Commission when there were code problems combined with chronic crime/drug activity. This was also back in the day of CAT teams - which we eliminated as the dais changed composition.
I have kept this blog since 2006 and I don't think my opinions have changed that much over time. I would like to hear what other people think by commenting here. And there really isn't much to be gained to malign previous actions by an administration or a Commission as our problems are ours now, regardless of who made them. I just don't see a lot of progress or sense of urgency in addressing them. I am afraid some on the current dais and administration see it counter-productive to their goal of affordability and sustainability to address some of our intractable problems.
Lake Worth makes list for not reporting stimulus spending
Are we at all surprised?
Click here for link to list. How many people do we have in OMB and Finance? It seems that Mayor Waterman is surprised.
Click title for link to WPTV story.
Click title for link to WPTV story.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
"A Rendezvous with Destiny" - FDR's 1936 speech | Coffee Party
From FDR some 75 years ago...click title for full text. Here is a portion:
We do not see faith, hope, and charity as unattainable ideals, but we use them as stout supports of a nation fighting the fight for freedom in a modern civilization.
Faith - in the soundness of democracy in the midst of dictatorships.
Hope - renewed because we know so well the progress we have made.
Charity - in the true spirit of that grand old word. For charity literally translated from the original means love, the love that understands, that does not merely share the wealth of the giver, but in true sympathy and wisdom helps men to help themselves.
We seek not merely to make government a mechanical implement, but to give it the vibrant personal character that is the very embodiment of human charity.
We are poor indeed if this nation cannot afford to lift from every recess of American life the dread fear of the unemployed that they are not needed in the world. We cannot afford to accumulate a deficit in the books of human fortitude.
In the place of the palace of privilege we seek to build a temple out of faith and hope and charity.
We do not see faith, hope, and charity as unattainable ideals, but we use them as stout supports of a nation fighting the fight for freedom in a modern civilization.
Faith - in the soundness of democracy in the midst of dictatorships.
Hope - renewed because we know so well the progress we have made.
Charity - in the true spirit of that grand old word. For charity literally translated from the original means love, the love that understands, that does not merely share the wealth of the giver, but in true sympathy and wisdom helps men to help themselves.
We seek not merely to make government a mechanical implement, but to give it the vibrant personal character that is the very embodiment of human charity.
We are poor indeed if this nation cannot afford to lift from every recess of American life the dread fear of the unemployed that they are not needed in the world. We cannot afford to accumulate a deficit in the books of human fortitude.
In the place of the palace of privilege we seek to build a temple out of faith and hope and charity.
Lighting cost casts shadow on Lake Worth beach renovation
Uhh, ahem, excuse me. The lack of transparency also casts a shadow.
I attended this meeting on Tuesday and the most significant portion of the meeting was where a designer formerly employed by the city and much-hailed by those of the dais, Micheal Singer Studios, sent Jason Bregman to the meeting to challenge some of the line item costs included in the entire beach budget. This was done, and apparently will be done, outside of having a contract and being paid by the city. City Manager Susan Stanton didn't like the interruption, or the challenge to previously agreed upon figures. It has come to the point that I can't trust any number or any "source of funds" that is proclaimed from 7 N. Dixie Hwy. More will be revealed...click title for link. Mr. Howard's whistling by the graveyard is heard loud and clear...and reflects the administration's line.
W. Clement Stone
"Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them."
NEW Casino Building Construction Pics from 9/16 CM Report
 |
| This picture perpetuates the myth of the "rebuilt" building - I wonder if the value of this construction would be more or less if they weren't using "threads" of the original building. We may never know. |
Property Taxes - a personal history...
That is what is happening above with my own example. Even though the market value of my property value has dropped about $20,000 (and I sincerely wonder if I could get the current $167,337 for my property in the current market), my property's assessed value has increased by $6,500. That means that my taxes, over the three years above, have increased by around $500 per year. Now, in addition, we add the two special assessments levied by the city this year and you are adding another $300 per year (and I am sure this assessment figure will rise in the future for other things that the city can find a way to justify.)
How do these facts help the marketability of real estate in Lake Worth? - They don't. And they won't ever if we keep depending on a property tax base that is predominantly residential and single family residential, specifically. This is the sort of discussion that we had at the Historic Resource Preservation Board - that through implementation of a working set of land development regulations that deliver the "vision" of what we want as a community, we will be sliding backward down a steeper hill. Additional investment in commercial (office, retail) and industrial property is needed to lessen the financial burden on all residents of Lake Worth, regardless of where they live and the value of their property.
As data shows more Americans in poverty, Belle Glade looks for ideas from eastern Palm Beach County
As we digest the fact that the nation's poverty rate is around 18% based upon the 2010 census and that it is at the highest level since those data have been available, this article talks about the vast economic differences between the eastern and western geographic halves of Palm Beach County. This shift - nationally and locally - has come at the expense of the middle class and the most wealthy are protected for any number of reasons - their numbers are stable or slightly growing. While the divide is evident in Palm Beach County, it is magnified due to the relatively small 5 square mile size of Lake Worth. People have talked about the County taking over Lake Worth and dissolving us as a city - or, at the worst, having the state of Florida take over in the aftermath of some sort of financial crisis.
I don't see the County having the same sort of meeting about Lake Worth that they are having to talk about issues related to the western communities in question on October 25st - at least for the foreseeable future. We are going to be left to ourselves to solve our own problems - the many that we have already identified and new challenges that lie ahead. I do see the County turning into the enforcer and increasingly asking us to live up to our obligations and agreements with them, as well as with other municipalities. What we have to get over is ourselves and our own divides - economically, socially and philosophically. And there is hope for that - you better sit down for this revelation, but I find myself agreeing with more of the "other blogger's" opinions than I ever have before. This makes me question my own views and the basis for them - which might be a healthy exercise for all of us to do more often. Stand-offs, as we have seen play out on the national level, leave nothing but scorched earth if a conclusion is ever indeed reached. Compromise is not a dirty word.
There are county departments - fire rescue and PBSO - that have economies of scale from which we can benefit - that does not amount to a creeping takeover by the county - those decisions just make good sense to the residents who pay taxes.
There are county departments - fire rescue and PBSO - that have economies of scale from which we can benefit - that does not amount to a creeping takeover by the county - those decisions just make good sense to the residents who pay taxes.
This is how we can help ourselves - thinking that the County will be our white knight is a foolish notion. We also have to realize that there are many basic needs that are not being met and experienced by a large number of people living in Palm Beach County. Click title for link to the PBP article.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
![Dr. W. H. Cotton’s ode: “Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!” [circa 1920].](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL75cv6zJQFjX15ojOIIz9AjnbqH4asHJTYSDhnGnYr7rJZRha1NcNTirj2xPcId158vkz5Hw-wXgOfrlztj8Zr8jLFFCfuEN6PyV44ZlpMRmJ68xbtFL9vzxNiG7xDs_HJvm/s1600/LakeWorthPioneers.JPG)
