Thursday, November 4, 2010
Report from Lake Worth Utilities Customer Service today:
A friend on mine went down to Utilities Customer Service today, early in the morning, to address an issue and to pay his bill. He overheard a customer yelling at the city's Customer Service supervisor about how he closed on a building two weeks ago - power and water had never been turned on yet - and he was greeted with a bill for $4,000. Apparently, the city was saying it was a legitimate charge and the two were going at it. Finally, the gentleman whose name the service was in, who was also accompanied by his wife, said that he had buildings all over the County and has never had to deal with this anywhere but here. He basically threw up his hands and said, "I guess it's attorney time." They stormed out of the office.
Message from Robert Waples: 2212 Collier Ave
We will be back at 2212 Collier Ave this Saturday Morning @ 9AM with the following goals:
Finish cleaning the Master Bedroom/Bathroom, Complete wipe down of all Furniture, Remove Mattresses from Master Bedroom, Remove more carpeting, Clean Windows inside and out, removal of wall paper.
We need about 10 plus Volunteers to help with these final steps to begin the rehab process.
Future needs will be as follows.....
Assessments by General Contractor on repairs in and out side the home. Such as repairing the sliding glass doors so they work, Electrical testing of all area's of the house to ensure that the wiring is safe, check of the plumbing to ensure proper operation, Outside lights wiring tested for replacement parts to be installed replacement of the window in the front door and misc.....minor repairs.
We also need additional funding sources to help pay for costs related to this rehab with leads to grants, donors and senior/disability services that can provide aide to this Lake Worth Resident.
The very many volunteers that have worked so hard on this project for the 14 weeks that we have been here, are so greatly appreciated and we are now so close to getting this homeowner back in her home and bringing the home back to code which will improve her quality of life and the quality of the neighborhood as a whole. Being our largest project to date we need to keep the momentum going and bring the project to completion. THANK YOU to everyone that has dedicated so much to this great project and lets move it to the final stage!
With all my heart,
Robert E. Waples IIrobertwaplesii@yahoo.com
www.roloh.org - President
http://rolohsponsors.blogspot.
http://www.volunteerpalmbeach.
Planning & Zoning Board Lake Worth
Vice-Chair NAPC - www.lwnapc.org
PBSO C.O.P Volunteer Unit 109
Volunteer to make a difference today!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Anyone else notice this placement issue on their ballot?
"The best candidates don't always win, but the best campaigns always do." - Mayor Varela
The quote above is one that I picked up from our own Mayor Rene Varela. I wasn't around him last night or this morning to hear if he said it about the results of yesterday's election, but he could have and it would have been "spot on." He said it to me a while ago in reference to recent elections in Lake Worth. These were two good candidates that lost yesterday and Lake Worth is the worse for it.
These things I know. Commissioner Jennings not running was a decision made from a position of strength, not one done in desperation. Perhaps they thought it was too risky to run the Queen Bee for another term, but I doubt that this had much to do with the decision to sit this election out and run someone else for the District #2 seat. She and her supporters had such supreme confidence in their organization (i.e., MACHINE), they believed that they could run Rice Krispies as a candidate and win. And, in essence, they did. Be ready for the continuing hagiography of Cara Jennings in ramping up for a run for Mayor next year from her disciples on the dais and regulars at Commission meetings - mark my words.
Like it or not, the victorious side has done a fine job at creating a narrative, based in large part on myths, that disguises the dire conditions of the city - conditions due in large part to their actions on the dais. They have co-opted any objectivity that the Palm Beach Post could have with cozy associations with the editorial board there. Anyone who is not with them is against them and compromise is seen as a weakness. Independent thought is not only discouraged but in many ways specifically muted. They don't want debate since there is only one way - theirs. Period. Anything associated with making a living, working and living in our consumer-oriented society is bad. They alone have the keys to the way life should be lived and if we don't do as they do, we are part of the problem - so goes the narrative.
One person who is a professional graphic artist said that her reason for voting for McVoy was due to "All the yoga people are for him." She was unaware of all the accumulated debris left in the wake of elections wins of this type. Given this scenario, how is a message from a pro-business political action committee going to be translated to voters here? It basically helps make their argument for them - that it is all about money and greed and wanting more. I was not part of that group, but I specifically told certain leaders there that businesses don't vote - their customers may but it's the residents are the ones that vote. I asked point blank how this message would be translated into votes on election day and never got a satisfactory answer. Yes, businesses need a voice but the delivery and message of this group helped the opposition more than it hurt it - my opinion.
We people who care about the future of this city need to re-evaluate everything and turn a critical eye to ourselves. To not do so will ensure future results like we experienced last night.
These things I know. Commissioner Jennings not running was a decision made from a position of strength, not one done in desperation. Perhaps they thought it was too risky to run the Queen Bee for another term, but I doubt that this had much to do with the decision to sit this election out and run someone else for the District #2 seat. She and her supporters had such supreme confidence in their organization (i.e., MACHINE), they believed that they could run Rice Krispies as a candidate and win. And, in essence, they did. Be ready for the continuing hagiography of Cara Jennings in ramping up for a run for Mayor next year from her disciples on the dais and regulars at Commission meetings - mark my words.
Like it or not, the victorious side has done a fine job at creating a narrative, based in large part on myths, that disguises the dire conditions of the city - conditions due in large part to their actions on the dais. They have co-opted any objectivity that the Palm Beach Post could have with cozy associations with the editorial board there. Anyone who is not with them is against them and compromise is seen as a weakness. Independent thought is not only discouraged but in many ways specifically muted. They don't want debate since there is only one way - theirs. Period. Anything associated with making a living, working and living in our consumer-oriented society is bad. They alone have the keys to the way life should be lived and if we don't do as they do, we are part of the problem - so goes the narrative.
One person who is a professional graphic artist said that her reason for voting for McVoy was due to "All the yoga people are for him." She was unaware of all the accumulated debris left in the wake of elections wins of this type. Given this scenario, how is a message from a pro-business political action committee going to be translated to voters here? It basically helps make their argument for them - that it is all about money and greed and wanting more. I was not part of that group, but I specifically told certain leaders there that businesses don't vote - their customers may but it's the residents are the ones that vote. I asked point blank how this message would be translated into votes on election day and never got a satisfactory answer. Yes, businesses need a voice but the delivery and message of this group helped the opposition more than it hurt it - my opinion.
We people who care about the future of this city need to re-evaluate everything and turn a critical eye to ourselves. To not do so will ensure future results like we experienced last night.
Final Election Results for Lake Worth - 2010
Commissioner Dist No. 2 - Lake Worth (Vote For 1)
14 of 14 Precincts Reporting
Percent Votes
Carla Blockson 46.72% 2,552
Christopher McVoy 53.28% 2,910
5,462
Commissioner Dist No. 4 - Lake Worth (Vote For 1)
14 of 14 Precincts Reporting
Percent Votes
Lisa Maxwell 46.56% 2,156
Suzanne Mulvehill 53.44% 2,475
4,631
Thanks to the other blogger for doing the quick math. This is from her blog:
"Using the money that was raised rather than the expense figures, as there is one more report to be filed, Lisa Maxwell raised $33,485.13 to date which equates to $15.53 a vote. Carla Blockson raised $19,638.46 to date equating to $7.70 per vote. The BAC PAC reported $15,565 to date, spending nearly all of it on the Blockson and Maxwell cause. A total of $68,688 was raised by these two candidates and this PAC to defeat McVoy and Mulvehill."
14 of 14 Precincts Reporting
Percent Votes
Carla Blockson 46.72% 2,552
Christopher McVoy 53.28% 2,910
5,462
Commissioner Dist No. 4 - Lake Worth (Vote For 1)
14 of 14 Precincts Reporting
Percent Votes
Lisa Maxwell 46.56% 2,156
Suzanne Mulvehill 53.44% 2,475
4,631
Thanks to the other blogger for doing the quick math. This is from her blog:
"Using the money that was raised rather than the expense figures, as there is one more report to be filed, Lisa Maxwell raised $33,485.13 to date which equates to $15.53 a vote. Carla Blockson raised $19,638.46 to date equating to $7.70 per vote. The BAC PAC reported $15,565 to date, spending nearly all of it on the Blockson and Maxwell cause. A total of $68,688 was raised by these two candidates and this PAC to defeat McVoy and Mulvehill."
Results for Lake Worth as of 12:23 a.m.
Commissioner Dist No. 2 - Lake Worth (Vote For 1)
10 of 14 Precincts Reporting
Percent Votes
Carla Blockson 47.72% 2,411
Christopher McVoy 52.28% 2,641
5,052
Commissioner Dist No. 4 - Lake Worth (Vote For 1)
10 of 14 Precincts Reporting
Percent Votes
Lisa Maxwell 47.59% 2,005
Suzanne Mulvehill 52.41% 2,208
4,213
10 of 14 Precincts Reporting
Percent Votes
Carla Blockson 47.72% 2,411
Christopher McVoy 52.28% 2,641
5,052
Commissioner Dist No. 4 - Lake Worth (Vote For 1)
10 of 14 Precincts Reporting
Percent Votes
Lisa Maxwell 47.59% 2,005
Suzanne Mulvehill 52.41% 2,208
4,213
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Election Day Pics - 2010 - Lake Worth
I can't get away without telling a few stories. I went to vote at the Congregational Church around 2 p.m. and I was voter #257. There was a pleasant group of like-minded citizen-residents there so I sat down, chatted, ate an apple and drank some water. We were able to share some stories of the day. This morning, someone called me about Dan Liftman, aide to Congressman Alcee Hastings. Congressman Hastings had recently made a robo call on behalf of Carla Blockson, District #2 candidate. It turns out that Mr. Liftman was wearing his Alcee Hastings shirt outside of the Shuffleboard Court building saying that wasn't Mr. Hastings who made the call and he wouldn't endorse a local candidate anyway, etc, and so forth. So, I called their Mr. Hastings headquarters and told them what was going on. Carla Blockson heard directly from Alcee Hastings that he banned Dan Liftman from Lake Worth for the day and apologized for his staff's behavior. So, that was one drama.
After a little while, I left that polling location and went to the Baptist Church on M Street to wave a sign or two for about an hour or so. There were other like-minded voters there and I chatted with them. There were also two supporters of the other "team" there - Gael Sliverblatt and Lynda Mahoney. Both of them were standing behind signs - in the street- supporting their candidates. After a bit, I moved up behind them to maybe about 2 or 3 feet away and held my Blockson/Maxwell sign over my head and over their signs. (Pic below was taken before) At one point, the Jennings seniors (ma and pa) came up and Gael said, while I was standing close with arms raised, "Someone has a body odor problem." To which I replied, "I don't know why, I bathe more than once a week." That was all. I left around three o'clock. We'll see what the results are later on tonight!
Message from City: Smoke Test Notice
The reason for this notice is:
A precautionary smoke test will be performed in the sewer lines to detect any perforated lines. There have been reports of a foul odor so we are performing this test to insure that all steps have been taken to take care of this issue. Smoke testing forces air that is filled with non-toxic and non-hazardous smoke into sewer mains and laterals. If there are any leaks the smoke will appear on surface. Keep in mind that direct contact with this smoke can cause minor respiratory irritation so if there are individuals that suffer from various respiratory conditions they should not come in contact with the smoke. Smoke should not enter your home, however if it does this could be an indication of a defect in your plumbing system. This defect could allow sewer gases to enter your home causing a foul odor. If you detect smoke in your home while smoke testing you will need to contact a licensed plumber to check your interior or exterior connection up to the property line. If smoke does enter your home or building during the test please notify the field technicians who are conducting the test. Therefore, as a precaution, the Utility is advising that all residents located at the following addresses: South Lake Side Drive: 108-110-114-116-118-122-130. South Golfview: 129-123-119-115-111.This precautionary will remain in effect: Two weeks. November 19th 2010. Residents will be notified if the City needs to extend this notice. Door hangers will be passed out. Should you have any questions please contact the Water Systems Department at (561) 586-1719.
A precautionary smoke test will be performed in the sewer lines to detect any perforated lines. There have been reports of a foul odor so we are performing this test to insure that all steps have been taken to take care of this issue. Smoke testing forces air that is filled with non-toxic and non-hazardous smoke into sewer mains and laterals. If there are any leaks the smoke will appear on surface. Keep in mind that direct contact with this smoke can cause minor respiratory irritation so if there are individuals that suffer from various respiratory conditions they should not come in contact with the smoke. Smoke should not enter your home, however if it does this could be an indication of a defect in your plumbing system. This defect could allow sewer gases to enter your home causing a foul odor. If you detect smoke in your home while smoke testing you will need to contact a licensed plumber to check your interior or exterior connection up to the property line. If smoke does enter your home or building during the test please notify the field technicians who are conducting the test. Therefore, as a precaution, the Utility is advising that all residents located at the following addresses: South Lake Side Drive: 108-110-114-116-118-122-130. South Golfview: 129-123-119-115-111.This precautionary will remain in effect: Two weeks. November 19th 2010. Residents will be notified if the City needs to extend this notice. Door hangers will be passed out. Should you have any questions please contact the Water Systems Department at (561) 586-1719.
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