REP. BOGDANOFF  … PUNKED IN LBTS? …

Sorry, to say …NO, Maam!…

Dear Readers … Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff came to make a presentation to our town at the Nov. 11th, 2009 Commission meeting about the “state of the state”… It started off well, cordial and informative with the Rep. giving us a speedy overview and touching on the important points that impact us all…When the Mayor asked the commissioners if they had any questions for our representative ….that’s when our “warts” came once again to the surface for all to see and cringe at!…It was bad enough to listen to Comm. Clottey talking about people getting “killed” from their insurance woes…but the real point of no return came from none other than our current Vice Mayor…who was seen just moments before having the Town’s Deputy Town Clerk Nikki Smith put his fob into his Town computer (proving once again, he doesn’t do HIS homework prior to the meetings!…Hmmm. he can’t do e-mail, public records or start his Town computer and he wants 4 more years!)…. The most embarrassing member to have ever taken a seat on the dais just kept the fodder coming bigtime with a room full of voters in the throes of laughter, as Rep. Bogdanoff looked on with a mixture of disbelief and downright guffaws and McIntee campaign manager Cristie Furth mouthing “no,no,no”)…as he just kept the insanity coming…He either had a drop in blood flow to the brain or was oblivious to all that was going on around him!..

VM- ” Ah, I have a simple question. Ah, I love it when a politician comes up and says we’re 2.5 million in debt.

Rep.Bogdanoff-” 2.5 billion”

VM-” Billion that’s what I said (nope, check the video). How many million is that?”

RB- ” How many million? You’re gonna make me do math at this time of day?”

VM- “It’s 250 million dollars.”

RB-” No, 2.5 billion.”

VM- ” No, it’s 250 million. That’s a 100 million per billion, so when you say 2.5 the average citizen doesn’t realize…”

RB- ” No, no, no it’s 2.5 billion. Our annual budget in the state of Florida is about 64 billion dollars.”

VM- ” OK, how many million dollars are we in debt? 2.5 sounds like a small number.”

RB- ” No, no, no. Somebody want to do the math of 2.5 billion? She was laughing out loud and looking incredibly confused by this man sitting on the dais!…(Welcome to our world!)…

VM- ” Two thousand five hundred million dollars sounds a lot worse than 2.5 billion.”

RB- ” I got to tell you, when somebody says 2.5 billion, I want to like throw up! It’s a lot of money!”

VM- ” But see, that’s, that’s the problem as you said 2.5 billion the average citizen isn’t sure how much that really is! It’s 2,500 million dollars! That’s phenomenal!”

RB- ” That’s a lot of money, that’s money I’ll never see in my lifetime. And what it is , it’s just our critical needs.”…She went on to talk about the budget and the funds and the inverse relationship ….

VM-” We’re short 2,500 million dollars!”

RB- Alright, I didn’t bring my calculator, I’m sorry!”…She was now uncomfortably laughing  and looking around for the nearest exit door…or perhaps still hoping to see the hidden cameras were rolling and she was in fact,  being “punked”…

Sadly, for our visiting dignitary, she was just attending another LBTS Commission meeting and being on the receiving end of Vice Mayor McIntee…or as we refer to him…”one term McIntee “….at 4 months and counting…when it will be he looking around for the nearest exit door…and for that one, Readers…..it’s guaranteed the cameras will be rolling to record the end of LBTS being “punked” for 4 years!… Please no “reruns!”…

more to come…..

Tags: Fl. Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff, Lauderdale By The Sea 11-10-09 Commission meeting, Lauderdale By the Sea Vice Mayor Jerry McIntee, Scoops
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Scoops, local government

THEY CAME …”UNITED FOR POSITIVE CHANGE” …

From a participant in this “crowd pleasing” event …(pun intended)…’

“The fundraiser was full, the supporters who could not get into Athena heard all the speeches clearly because the outside speakers were hooked up to the stage so everyone heard the mayor and the candidates.
No kool aid at this function. All transparency for all to see and enjoy.. Standing room only on the corner of A1A and Commercial.”…

Thanks to my “Roving Reporter!”…

more to come…

Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea Unite Our Town Nov 11 2009 Fundraiser, Scoops
Posted in Local Politics, Scoops, organizations

SETTING THE STAGE FOR A FIRST RATE EVENT …

Dear Readers … This writer caught a plane to Chicago today and had to miss out on the UOT Fundraiser at Athena- By-The-Sea ….But participants have provided me the photos and the news …and both are GREAT!!!!…

These were the first photos sent by Louis Marchelos who went all out with his LBTS family restaurant Athena-By-The-Sea and the tremendous  set- up done late into the night on Tuesday….under the direction of his wife Martha….This writer’s first response upon seeing the backdrop for this kickoff to this “United for Positive Change” campaign….When March 2010 rolls around and the majority changes with the election results…the Town’s events…Christmas, Easter, 4th of July and Halloween… will all be in good hands …and will be first rate!…

Kudos to all!!…

more to come….

Tags: Lauderdlae By The Sea Athena By The Sea, Scoops, Unite Our Town Fundreaiser Nov 1 2009
Posted in Local Politics, Scoops, organizations

AT ATHENA- BY- THE-  SEA …… JUST FOLLOW THE CROWD…YOUR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS ….

“UNITED FOR A POSITIVE CHANGE”

Link to the invitation below….

http://heresthescooponline.com/

more to come…

Tags: Scoops
Posted in Local Politics, Scoops

IF YOU WATCHED IT YOU SAW THE “STRIKING” SIMILARITY …

Dear Readers … The first and last Commission meeting for the month of November was like witnessing a 98 car pileup….Eying the audience in Jarvis Hall was like watching those witnessing one accident after another with no ability to stop it!…

Town Chaplain George Hunsaker spoke of remembering those who served  and asked all to pause for a moment… He spoke of our Forefathers and Foremothers  and to appreciate all they accomplished…

We began with Representative Ellen Bogdanoff coming to speak on the state of our state…and after she spoke of the hurdles we will face with the budget after the stimulus with “bigger holes” needing to be plugged…the fragments we will be left with and “no silver bullet”…The new approach to once again deal with the vetoed condo laws…Commissioner Clottey bent her ear about the insurance “that’s killing a lot of people”… Rep. Bogdanoff answered back about Citizens being “socialized insurance” since we own it as taxpayers and delved into the departure of private insurance companies and the cost that will come if we get hit by a hurricane and Citizens needs to pay… The in his opening salvo of why he’s gotta go in 4 months…the Vice Mayor embarrassed himself, the dais and the town…in what will surely make its way to Tallahassee when he asked about the 250 million…and Rep. Bogdnaoff had to “clarify” it was 2.5 BILLION…The Vice Mayor was out to lunch in asking her “How many millions in a billion”… He wouldn’t let it go as the residents in the audience could barely contain themselves at his ignorance…But as we all know the Vice mayor is missing the embarrassment gene in his DNA and he wouldn’t let it go…going further into the point of no return!… We hear there were some “Twitters” after this one and not just in the room!…

We went into public comments and this writer presented Commissioner Clottey with the unconstitutionality of her item NB H. put on about me. I informed her of John Thompson and his story of the previous commission when they dealt with him…The fact that this fell under Article I Section 9, Paragraph 3 – Bill of Attainder: A legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without trial and an Ex post facto law…when a law is passed after the occurrence of an event or action which retrospectively changes the legal consequences of the event or action…I added that my comments of “shame” and “despicable” for her actions toward Comm. Dodd with her item to “rotate” him off the Hillsboro Inlet were most appropriate … Later on the answer for her actions were even more incomprehensible…In her Commissioner comments…Clottey spoke of her new BFF Mr. Oliver Parker…telling her he wanted the Hillsboro Inlet position…The same Oliver Parker she helped to recall with Comm. Stuart Dodd when Dodd headed the CIC and it was his name on the action!… Clueless…Hmm.. What will Parker’s poker buddies think about this strange duo?… Comm. Clottey was off the wall when she went on to say he asked her and when it comes to a vote she will vote for him!…So what does the CIC- President Bob Roberts and especially the Wardlaws think about that one?… YIKES!… Can we recall Clottey?…

Cristie Furth did her clickety clack  walk to the podium to remind all that the Halloween event was once again THE EVENT in LBTS…and to thank the Vice Mayor for without him…there would have been none…She took swipes at the others (the Vice Mayor followed suit in his Comm. comments)…that others did not want to participate and there would be no joy in the “pumpkin patch” if not for the Mc-Furth-Gang…Hmmm. Perhaps Comm. Clottey didn’t have time to discuss past Halloween events with her new pal Ollie…too much time was spent on the Oriana million and the Hillboro Inlet…The cost according to Ms. Furth $1737.00…This writer has a public records request in f or the breakdown…and reimbursements…

Candidate John Oughten spoke of  234th birthday of the Marines…the ethics code and the money we lost when we paid back the 6.1 million in loans…Later in Comm. comments…Jimmy-”spreadsheet” tried his “glass half full” trick by saying we “saved” 600,000 by paying it off…no mention of the $300,000+ due to poor timing to pay it off by the Town Manager with her pre-penalty clause decision…

Mark Brown was terrific recalling then-Commissioner McIntee and the NBCA Survey sent out in 2006…He told all how irate McIntee was that a survey went out without commission approval!..He told us that McIntee had the nerve to tell Brown to demand the surveys be taken back!…McIntee said there was a question that was “factually incorrect” and Mr. Brown said it was indeed and it was not counted in the 11% return of the 100- sent out…Mr Brown wanted to know now what the Vice mayor was going to do about this 2009 survey that went out with no Commission approval…and a question (33′ townwide maximum height) that was “factually incorrect”…but counted by the Town in the Town’s 3% return?…He called on the Vice Mayor for the Town Manager to reimburse the town…but conceded in the end…that we would see once again the VM’s “double standard!

Candidate Scot Sasser spoke on Resolution 2009-27…..

“After reviewing the back-up documents regarding Resolution 2009-27 regarding the MOU for Solid Waste removal (Waste to Energy) I have a few questions and concerns that I would like to present to the Commission. Since these are detailed questions and may take further review I have hardcopies to give to you. Perhaps you have taken some of them into account already but I thought being thorough would be best.

1. 10 year extension is quite long.
2. If the flow control ordinances are changed LBTS will be responsible for maintaining a minimum based on historical deliveries. How will this be calculated? We have progressively gone down and are currently at 2004 levels.
3. Are the flow control Ordinances referenced include County Ordinances? If so, we may have little to say in regard to changes to the Ordinances. Worse yet, if a large participating community changes their Ordinances that materially effects the current flow are we, then, subject to minimums based on the new proposal?
4. Section 3 refers to utilization of “best efforts” to enforce the Ordinances described in Section 2. Along with the same questions that arise about other participating communities, the County or District adversely affecting our agreement I am concerned that the term “best efforts” may adversely over commit us. Perhaps we could change this to “reasonable best efforts”
5. There is a guarantee increase from 1% – 5% per year with our first increase actually being calculated over a 15 month timeframe not 12 months. (Oct. 2009 to Jan. 1, 2011
6. The service fee can also increase due to the following:
a. Non-Interest income that cannot be passed through to the district
b. Any new capital costs, increase operating and maintenance OR decreased revenues of Wheelabrator due to a change in law. This seems to put us at risk for significant increase in opposition to the limits imposed in Paragraph 6
c. Service fees can increase up to 40% due to a change in law (possibly without our input) without the right to terminate. This is substantially high without being able to terminate AND would indicate that increases in capital costs or operating and maintenance have no 40% “out” clause.
7. There appear to be no provisions that protect us should Wheelabrator become defunct or cannot perform under the obligations of this agreement.
8. What are our options to negotiate this contract or is this a take it or leave it scenario? If so, we should carefully look over the positives and negatives before making any decisions.”

Joan Schott spoke out about the previous commission vote to purchase holiday banners and said the money should go to the troops or the homeless…She spoke of lack of handicapped accessibility to get into Jarvis Hall under cover from the elements…and of bus stops still not covered…

Ken Johnson a VFD member came forward with what could be the new VFD slogan if you follow his theme “GET OFF YOUR REAR AND JOIN THE VFD!”…… He was angry at those who get negative about the VFD because of “Jerry and Jim”…He said the VFD is more than “Jerry and Jim”…and “I got off my butt” and joined the VFD…and people should stop “criticizing me.”… Can you imagine if BSO police officers came and spoke like this at the podium… Would their Dep Chief give them praise? No Way! (Dep .Chief /VM McIntee did!)…Look Mr. Johnson you said it yourself, you chose to volunteer…but your membership also chose to not honor its By-laws when you made Mcintee Dep. Chief!… Your members chose  to sit by as your fellow member threatened your Battalion Chief!… Your membership chose to look the other way when the Dep. Chief broke the rules for answering a suicide call and offered no aid as a first responder!… So while many say the problem is not the VFD…it’s the leadership…This writer says…not so fast…it is the volunteer members that decide that leadership…change that…follow your own rules….and the “chastising” should dissipate!…

Priscilla Rysavy came again to ask for some help and to not allow the 2 year extension for Garden and Shore Court…

George Crossman spoke of A1A and traveling in the dawn…concern about bicycles running “2 abreast” and the danger …wanting single file..Comm. Clottey held up the meeting to get the BSO Police Chief in to answer Mr. ” Grossman” (Comm. Clottey does have a problem with names…although she can’t touch the VM in that dept.) … ending with “there’s really nothing we can do”…Last meeting BSO was praised by the TM for how quickly they responded to the bike problem with the alert board placed on Commercial… Clottey vs BSO…nothing new!…

Eric Schott went over the Town manger’s evaluation…he added up the marks and called attention to her “deficiencies”…He hoped she would take it to heart and improve…

Candidate Edmund Malkoon called attention to the politics that marred the Halloween event…the banners and the bull horn… saying he would have had a “candidate” table as Comm. Silverstone did…but he followed the rules put forth by the offenders themselves…Mr Malkoon said it was this type of behavior that causes “polarization” in out town…and it was “deliberate…He added there was no “Welcome to Lauderdale- By- The- Sea ” sign in the mix!…

Spiro Marchelos spoke of the terrorist attack at Fort Hood and how we need to have protection in this town by professional people …He spoke of transparency and read the mission statement for the Town Manager…He spoke of the fraud and slander seen from the dais over the last year…

Bill Vitelli spoke of the Hillsbotro Inlet…how the commission “couldn’t wait to get it away from Parker” …Little did he know at this point in the meeting that Comm. Clottey had a plan to give it back to him!… Mr. Vitelli said now they were going after Dodd  and to give it to a resident would end up costing the taxpayers…wait until the election…He spoke of the commission ignoring Paul Novak and how the 33′ would effect the tourism in town..saying the commission gave Mr Novak no respect “you’re going to hurt the town.”

Pompano Resident Danny Halpert returned despite protestations of his presence at the podium at the prior meeting in Oct….He said we had problems in out town…no reserves…infrastructure  and without naming it Bert J. Harris …He touched on his return saying previously a comm. said LBTS is “praised” from all over Florida, and “you should be able to take a little criticism from your neighbor next door!…

Bob Fleishman came to try and set the record straight again about McIntee and Silverstone getting pensions for being VFD…a benefit… when they claim they have none…later on in Comm. comments Silverstone again tried to deflect that the “benefit” did not come from the town…Hmmm sort of like Dodd’ “benefit ” of medical insurance coming from Hillsboro Inlet?…How about McIntee’s “benefit” coming from having a commander car…and (we hear ) a VFD credit card?…

Renee’ O’Neal …who is Renee’ many asked…she is a Silver Shores longtime resident…on the CIC Board …who came and did quite a “Ode to Jerry and Jimmy” who if you are to believe her ….single-handedly saved this town… all on their lonesome…and oh, yeah…provided to her $20 annual beach parking!…

Louis Marchelos came right afterward…”I have to maintain my composure. I have a tear in my eye.”…(tongue in cheek!)… He went on … “At the last Commission meeting one of our commissioners took his and our time during Commissioners comments to criticize the comments of citizens who speak during public comments. He contrasted his behavior at meetings before his election in 2006 to that of those members of the public who speak now.

What we saw over the past few meetings was the kinder , gentler commissioner, the oh so wronged commissioner finally in touch with his feminine side. Instead of the ruthless political beast we have seen over the last years, we now have a victim.”

………………………………………

Commissioner McIntee ever the “metrosexual”…(NOT)!…Took the “feminine side” like he had just been “outed”…YIKES!… The meeting stopped when the Vice Mayor harped on the Mayor to do something…Jimmy -boy hopped aboard the McIntee manhood bus…and eventually there was a vote to remove Mr Marchelos from the podium…it failed 2-3 (Clottey voted no…and asked Lois to be more respectful!…HUH?)….

……………………………………………

“He said that he was always issue oriented but his adversaries were mean spirited and engaged in personal attacks.
Well, Mr. Commissioner, lets examine your behavior as a commissioner;

1) your discourtesy towards the Mayor constitutes disrespect and political harassment. This lack of decorum is contagious and has spread to the attendees. How can you expect people to remain quiet and respectful when your own outrageous and overbearing conduct towards the Mayor and others with whom you disagree gives the opposite example.

2. your vindictive acts towards those who fail to blindly support you have put the town at risk and once you are out of office and witness are no longer to intimidated to speak there will be a time of justice and recogning.

3. Your threat to sue those who speak in opposition to your undemocratic and secretative acts as a commissioner. Where are the E-Mails. Give up the hard drive. You have destroyed public records .

4) Yes , many of the comments seem directed at you in contrast to other commissioners with whom citizens disagree. There is a reason for this. The other commissioners don’t stifle dissent, they work with it. They don’t have personal hatreds or personal favoritism dictating their official acts and conduct.

Yes, there is an underlying issue in all the adverse comments you provoke. All these citizens are saying NO to your backroom politics and favoritism. They are affirming the openness and evenhandedness of the majority of the other commissioners.

They are saying, Have you no shame! Have you no soul! They are fighting for the soul of this Town!”

Rosa the Tomato Lady… was throwin’ out tomatoes this night boy..she turned toward the right side…and went after the “Mc-attackers”…chiding the candidates for reading from “a sheet” at the podium, saying why didn’t they come speak like her (Roseann…Rosannadanna)…She said she was tired of this…But not too tired to again ask for the decrease in her hardship parking permit fee…wink-wink!…

Bob Karley came to say as a VFD member…he was sorry the north was ever annexed in…they caused the police dept. demise and the VFd…the unions came because of them…they strongarmed…and divided our town…how about “saving our town”…”I got off my rear”…and he “is tired of having people spit in my face”…Anybody else concerned about the VFD membership PR?… OUCH!…

Yann Brandt spoke of being a resident in this town for a long time, the negativity that starts from these meetings…He spoke of Scott Gooding’s departure, the atmosphere that came out of the Town Manager’s actions…and his requests for e-mails from the Vice Mayor on Scott Gooding and having any prior knowledge…He said the Vice Mayor was untruthful…and continued to be so with other specific  e-mail requests along with the Town…He spoke of how he spent his morning,…giving sworn testimony to the Fl. State Atty…. He said the State Atty. spoke of VM McIntee coming in for his request from Comm. Dodd!… No one could believe it!… The Vice Mayor who deleted 3 1/2 years of e-mails had the audacity to go multiple times to the same State Atty. who we now know as fully aware of McIntee’s deletions!… Comm Dodd took it from there when he spoke at his comments…withdrawing his e-mails from McIntee , after hearing Mr. Brandt….(he was waiting for McIntee to pay the labor costs)… He said he would wait for the Stat Atty. to request them with a court order…Hmmm… McIntee’s should come first!… McIntee was full of vitriol in attacking Mr Brandt by making “claims” of conversations he had with the State Atty 4-5 times!… McIntee said he would return to the State Atty… This should be good!… Looks like McIntee is missing more than the embarrassment gene…he missing a few screws as well!… more on this to come…

Candidate Chris Vincent was the last speaker he addressed the MPSC meeting the prior night…

“Christopher Vincent – Corsiar Avenue – Lauderdale By The Sea

Good evening Commissioners, Madame Mayor.

I attended last nights Master Plan workshop. No decisions were made and for once that is good news. A date has been set for December 7th at 5:30 pm to have a roundtable discussion regarding the $980,000 budgeted for beautification of El Mar.

The Master planning committee has spent quite sometime along with the students from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale putting forth ideas and suggestions for the use of these funds.

Unfortunately they were not given the accurate information regarding the area the funds were to be spent. They were told the area to focus on was El Mar Drive from Commercial Blvd, south to Palm Avenue. However we learned last night from the Town Attorney that the funds were to be spent within the hospitality district which extends from Pine Avenue to Palm Avenue (not to include the circle downtown).

I ask why? Why did the Town Manager not know that prior to giving the Planning committee and the students direction? The town Attorney had no difficulty clairifying this, she was able to find all the accurate information within documents she requested from the Town Managers office. Again why?

I am glad there will be a roundtable to really figure out what is best for the future of this town.

I sensed pressure from certain commissioners last night to go ahead and spend the money without really looking at the issues we are facing in that area in the future.

I want to see that those funds are not spent for some half hearted effort of digging up medians and sidewalks to only have to re-do them again in a couple of years due to infrastructure changes.

I don’t think you spend a million dollars this instant on something that may not benefit the town in the long run. You owe the residents of this town more than that. You owe us the process. Part of that is knowing ALL the facts before spending the money. The money is not going anywhere. What is the rush all of a sudden.

All is not lost on the work the Master Plan committee or the students have done. There are great ideas and plenty of valuable research that will be helpful moving forward now that all the facts are out in the open.

It would be irresponsible of this commission to attempt to vote to spend those funds without going back to the drawing board and evaluating the area north of Commercial Blvd.

It is common sense to do that, it is accountability to the residents and it is the right thing to do.”

Public Comments over…we took a 10 minute break…

more to come…

Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea Public Comments, Lauderdale By The Sea Candidates Chris Vincent- Scott Sasser- John Oughten-Edmund Malkoon, Lauderdale By The Sea Commission Meeting Nov 10 2009, Lauderdale By The Sea Commissioner Birute Clottey, Lauderdale by the sea Commissioner Jim Silverstone, Lauderdale By The Sea Commissioner Stuart Dodd, Lauderdale By The Sea Vice Mayor McIntee, Scoops
Posted in Boards, Civic Organizations, LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Scoops, VFD, local government

JARVIS HALL … 7pm…PUBLIC WELCOME…

Backup Agenda… http://www.lauderdalebythesea-fl.gov/town/backup2009.htm

Town website live stream meeting …. http://lbts.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2

Comcast Ch. 78….

Dear Readers…an avid Reader sent this in…after watching the MPSC-Comm. Workshop fiasco last evening (prev. post)…from a time in our Town’s past…when there was a plan for El Mar Drive…It passed 5-0 many times according to the sender…

The real question now for the voters ………4 months from now…do we have a dais that can get us off this. “Jerry-Go-Round”…with no “Furth”-er complications?…

more to come……

Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea El Mar Drive Plans, Scoops
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Scoops, local government

THE PROBLEM WITH BEING A LAME DUCK….

Dear Readers … Tonight in the waning months of the first term of McIntee and Silverstone …it seems the Vice Mayor is sweating bullets over his likely demise…He put on quite a show of desperation…with his nauseating performance of bending over backward with his sudden show of revering MPSC Vice Chair Sandra Booth…The same Sandra Booth he publicly dressed down when she was nominated for a return to the committee in 2008!… He made the audience collectively snicker as he called her “Mrs. Booth” …McIntee  droned on with the countless hours put in by the MPSC and now anything less than giving them the 980 thousand will be a slap in the face!… WOW!… The same Vice Mayor who would give no direction no matter how many times Chair Paul Novak stood in front of him…but alas…maybe the Vice Mayor has spent some quality time with “Mr Oliver” and was told if he [McIntee] sucks up big time in the last few months…all will be forgotten or forgiven… Not this time…Vice Mayor…there’s way too much too remember and too many of us to remind those that don’t!

This meeting was set up to discuss the Master Plan for the next 5 years… that was switched in order with the beautification projects…at the end of the evening it was set aside until next month… The Mayor asked to do the switch to deal with the projects at hand …the A1A FDOT  and the El Mar Drive Oriana escrow million…

The discussion on the FDOT was just the beginning of yet another look at this dysfunctional dais…Commissioner Clottey had the “concern” that her “constituents” would not have a say in the A1A plan and they would be impacted by the FDOT decision… The Vice Mayor chimed in as well about the FDOT having to convince “this commissioner” on any improvements due to A1A already being over capacity in traffic …The Mayor tried to make both understand it was just a “conceptual agreement” and the Town Manager as well told them it was a $58,000 conceptual plan…with the FDOT coming to the dais in the future to speak to the Town, and they were already in agreement to allow input from the residents…But in the end it is a state road and it comes down to the residents really having no say…The Mayor and Comm. Dodd implored the commission to allow the process to move forward …after the Manager told them if they wanted to stop now…that the FDOT would go elsewhere with the project…Comm. Dodd said “Let’s not put up barricades before we see the plans. Let’s not kill it at stage one!”… Perhaps they can “linger” over the conceptual plans…if Comm. Clottey allows for it?…

So what’s up with “Mr. Oliver”…the former Mayor Parker?… Who’s he buddy, buddy with these days?… Comm. Clottey asked if the Town Atty. had spoken to “Mr Oliver Parker” to find out the details of the Oriana million dollar escrow money… The Town Atty. replied she did not have to after receiving the pertinent information from staff… The commission was provided prior to the meeting with a geographic map of the former overlay districts…It was announced that the money was allowed for beautification of the Hospitality Overlay District…which meant it was from Pine ave (north end of El Mar) to Palm Ave (south end of El Mar)…and the previous statements made by the Town Manager and the same staff  of it being Commercial Blvd. north only were bogus!… This Town Manager was quite adamant about the agreement all this time……just as she was about the agreement with Oriana for the defunct boardwalk area behind the development (maybe that needs another look-see as well)…No mention of this huge blunder and its origin….But plenty of misstatements about the MPSC median project concerning the committee, the students, the commission, the money…The breakdown of who on the dais was for what after learning this new information was really something to watch…Strange partnerships indeed!…We heard of “dilemmas” from Silverstone and Clottey…sidewalks vs. medians … The” biggest bang for the buck”…from the Vice Mayor, Paul Novak and Ocampo  architect Ernie Ojito … Vice Mayor McIntee went into a quizzing mode of Sandra Booth and Paul Novak saying he was “amazed” he thought it was “a done deal”…and the “Kids” …the “countless hours up there “…the “years” of work… He did hear from both the Chair and the Vice Chair that they did think it was a go…and the medians would be done…Mrs. Booth said the A.I. was not anxious to get involved in another project and the Vice Mayor just kept on pushing it “for the MPSC and the students”…Commissioner Dodd agreed with the Vice Mayor and said it was time to get something done…The Mayor was with Comm. Clottey on sidewalks and felt the students input was also a “conceptual plan” and she agreed as well with Marc Furth… The Town Manager said nothing was approved from the drawings based on the students projects and the Vice Mayor became indignant that it was decided to spend $980,000 and it was done in “good faith” …that to change course now was an “insult to the Master Plan Committee and the students” and the person he “feels the worst for was Mrs. Booth”…After the meeting an audience member said the disingenuous onslaught from Vice Mayor McIntee to Mrs Booth made them “want to vomit!”… Diane Boutin Manager of the Windjammer came up to speak and began by saying to “some degree she agreed with the Vice Mayor”…but then quickly changed course to agree with the Mayor about the conceptual projects and told the commission they “owed this town a process” with more brainstorming saying “infrastructure before the flowers”… MPSC member Mary Ann Wardlaw who usually shies away from comment chose to make a statement that she was “dismayed” with the new information of the million’s use for the whole of El Mar and saying the committee was “only as good as the information we get”…Comm. Silverstone in full “dilemma” mode said he agreed …”this commissioner is still not happy”…and “I think we can do better ” [the medians]…The Mayor read the 3 paragraphs from the 2005 Master Plan about El Mar Drive and said the “key words” were “pedestrian and walking “… The Vice Mayor responded that he heard the description of one lane and we have 2, that pedestrians walking in the middle [medians] would keep pedestrians safe from back-out parking the major threat to walking on El Mar…(HUH?)…Commissioner Silverstone made the same ridiculous recommendation he has in prior discussion of striping off one lane for walking and art work …Comm. Clottey did an about face to join the Vice Mayor and Comm. Dodd after asking Mr Ojito how long to do the medians (6-7 months was the reply, no answer after a followup asking if that included the permits!)…She also said it would be 2 years before Minnet does the sidewalks (wrong!)…she then said the committee and the students “worked hard ” and the would have “to bite the bullet”…

Then it was my turn…”I sat through all these meetings and I’m very surprised. First of all we were under the impression and we were told quite a few times that it was only supposed to be for in the south end. But secondly you all voted for lowering the bond for Minto which really pushed a good portion of those sidewalks that if you hadn’t lowered the bond and I think the manager tried to tell you the first time (1st comm. meeting Minto asked to lower the bond) if you hadn’t lowered their bond they would have gone ahead and done a good portion of the sidewalks. (Actually, it was the recommendation of the Manager & staff not to lower the bond) The gentleman who came up to speak for Minto actually said if you don’t lower it, they’ll probably go ahead and do it [sidewalks] because it would be cheaper in the long run. (prev. posts) You don’t know when they’re [Minto] going to come back and do those sidewalks. You have no idea how many years it’s really going to take with development and every developer that comes in has been told they have to do underground utilities and then they’re going to have to put in new sidewalks afterward.”

“So, I’m surprised about that.  I think there can be a combination of doing all this but frankly we’re 4 months away from an election. I think you should put this million dollars in the bank . You now have all this new information”

Vice Mayor McIntee-” That’s inappropriate! That’s political! And that’s solely political!”

The Mayor said “excuse me” a couple of times…

I said ” I have a right to my opinion, and my opinion is that.”

Mayor Minnet-” There is no need for that interruption Vice Mayor, continue Ms. Cole.”

Me- ” A little thin skinned?  My opinion is that since you have been thrown this curve and it has now changed what you said, that maybe you should consider not making a fast decision and seeing what you come back with, with this new information and you’re facing the holidays. You have just one meeting now. [Nov.] You face Christmas,and you’re facing the holidays and then you’re in the throes of , excuse me Vice Mayor, an election. So, my opinion is that maybe you want to hold off until you get some different people up there and you use your million dollars.”

Vice Mayor McIntee-” Point of order Mayor! That’s absolutely unacceptable! She’s talking about changing the dais! It’s, that’s not acceptable! You have to stop now! Because the Charter says there should be no political activities in Jarvis Hall!”

Mayor Minnet-” Vice Mayor, Vice Mayor, that’s not political. We have an election in March 2010.”

Me- ” I said maybe there might be some different people  up there. Boy it’s gonna be interesting!”

Mayor Minnet-” Thank you for letting us know when the election is!”…The audience laughed!

The Vice Mayor wanted to “move on the $980,000″… The Mayor said she would not and that she was not for making a “hasty decision”…The Vice Mayor told her it was not a “hasty decision” that she was unacceptable in her statement..and again spoke of the years we had this money …3 years (it was in escrow and could not be touched until this year)…Comm. Dodd said the dais was “deadlocked” and a Round Table was needed… to have some “interchange” …The Mayor said the Vice Mayor wanted to give direction to the Manager to put this on the agenda…It went on the agenda for the Dec. 8, 2009 commission meeting…and a Round Table was set for Dec. 7, 2009 at 5:30 pm… The Manager asked after saying “it’s not personal” (HUH?) if she could get together ahead of the Round Table with Ocampo and work with Ocampo on the project…unfortunately, this commission must have had a temporary brain freeze and said go ahead!… This is the same Manager that unilaterally changed the Beach Pavilion, made up the Cone of Silence, stopped reading RFPs aloud and missed the 10 day (by law) deadline for RFPs with the Police renovation …( and on and on and on from her unilateral lifetime contract)…The same Town Manager that told them the money was for the south end only!…YIKES!… Before they adjourned Mrs. Booth came to the podium to praise her committee, to remind the commission how quickly the A.I. students started and finished the project (96 days) and say they [MPSC] serve at the pleasure of the commission saying they “can do anything you give us, we can do!”…The MPSC will join the commission on Dec. 7th and the public is welcome as well…

After the meeting, we found in the hall Nance and David Nixon back in town for a while. They are longtime residents of El Mar Drive……….Nance Nixon informed this writer that when the CRA was in tact [David was in charge of the CRA] …it was made known that in the future the medians on El Mar would be where all the underground utilities would run…and to put money in them now would be a total waste!…ARGHHH…

In closing…after seeing the meeting above and learning the information afterward…the future of El Mar Drive really should be decided in 4 months with the change up on the dais!…

more to come….

Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea Commissioer Birute Clottey, Lauderdale by the sea Commissioner Jim Silverstone, Lauderdale By The Sea Commissioner Stuart Dodd, Lauderdale By The Sea El Mar Drive Project, Lauderdale By The Sea March 9 2010 Election, Lauderdale By The Sea Master Plan Steering Committee and Commission Workshop, Lauderdale By The Sea Mayor Minnet, Lauderdale By The Sea Oriana Million, Lauderdale By The Sea Town Manager Esther Colon, Lauderdale By the Sea Vice Mayor Jerry McIntee, Scoops
Posted in Boards, LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Scoops, local government

3.79%  SOLUTION? ……

Dear Readers… 4802  Town surveys were mailed out…by the Town Manager and staff with no advance notice, direction or input from the commission in September (prev. posts)… It was taken in its entirety from Wilton Manors  after Asst. Town Manager John Olinzock contacted them after receiving one with a bill as a resident of the town. This writer found and posted that  Wilton Manors did  involve their commission in the process…The question now that would be interesting to find out…did Wilton Manors have a dismal response LBTS did?…Out of 4802 mailed…a paltry 182 responded!… It was 3.79%… Most residents chose not to respond due to their names and addresses being on the survey….It will be discussed by the Town Manager at the Nov. 10, 2009 commission meeting under her Town Manager Report … The “spin” should be interesting to watch… from the manager and her majority “Gang” on the dais… Will they really try to justify this politically spurred survey after this response town wide?… Will they  sit up there and throw out the numbers of 182 responders as it they are the gospel?…  Below are the numbers  for the survey… and the comments ….From what this writer sees  contained in the comments….this  colossal  miscalculated plan to skew favor towards the manager and the “gang” backfired!…..

SURVEY RESULTS 2009 ….182 responded…

1 How do you rate the Town of LBTS as a place to live?

Excellent 77/ Good 60/ Fair 5/ Poor 24

2. How satisfied are you with the following Town services?

*Enforcement of Municipal codes & regulation

Very satisfied 37/ satisfied 80/ dissatisfied 21/ very dissatisfied 11/ no opinion 16

*Recreation or cultural programs

Very satisfied  34/ satisfied 71/ dissatisfied 22/ very dissatisfied 9/ no opinion 30

* Fire response/ services

Very satisfied 80/ satisfied  49/ dissatisfied 7/ very dissatisfied 8/ no opinion 22

* Fire rescue/(EMS) response/ services

Very satisfied 80/ satisfied 49/ dissatisfied 6/very dissatisfied 5/ no opinion 28

* Police response/ services

Very satisfied 73/ satisfied 63/ dissatisfied 5/ very dissatisfied 3/ no opinion 22

*Building dept. services

Very satisfied 26. satisfied 61/ dissatisfied 17/ very dissatisfied 13/ no opinion 40

*Municipal Service (public works)

Very satisfied 50/ satisfied 72/ dissatisfied 10/ very dissatisfied 4/ no opinion 26

* Street & right of way maintenance

Very satisfied 45/ satisfied 96/ dissatisfied 14/ very dissatisfied 2/ no opinion 8

* Beach and park maintenance

Very satisfied 57/ satisfied 87/ dissatisfied 16/ very dissatisfied 1/ no opinion 8

* Overall Town appearance

Very satisfied 39/ satisfied 75/ dissatisfied 12/ very dissatisfied 1/ no opinion 2

* Communication of information

Very satisfied 31/ satisfied 89/ dissatisfied 25/ very dissatisfied 8/ no opinion 10

3. Which method do you use when contacting the Town for information or services?

mail 16/ telephone 116/ in person 72/ e-mail 20

4. How many times in the past year have you visited or contacted a Town office?

never 43/ once or twice 91/ three to ten times 36/ more than ten time 7

5. How many times a month do you visit the Town’s website?

never 105/ once or twice 54/ three to ten times 12/ more than ten times 3

6. How often do you shop or dine in Town?

weekly 102/ monthly 46/ rarely 25/ never 6

7. How would you rate your shopping or dining experience in Town?

Excellent 57/ good 95/ fair 20/ poor 0

8. How do you rate the importance of providing the following services?

* Public safety

Very important 165/ somewhat important 10/ somewhat unimportant 1/ very unimportant 0/ no opinion 0

*Special events

Very important 61/ somewhat important 69/ somewhat unimportant 35/ unimportant 6/ no opinion 4

* Recreational and cultural

Very important 62/ somewhat important 74/ somewhat unimportant 26/ very unimportant 3/ no opinion 7

* Enforcement of municipal codes & regulations

Very important 113/ somewhat important 47/ somewhat unimportant 7/ very unimportant 1/ no opinion 5

* Solid waste collection

Very important 141/ somewhat important 28/ somewhat unimportant 3/ very unimportant 1/ no opinion 2

* Preserving open space and waterways

Very important 137/ somewhat important 29/ somewhat unimportant 6/ very unimportant 0/ no opinion 0

* Land use, planning and zoning

Very important 143/ somewhat important 22/ somewhat unimportant 6/ very unimportant 0/ no opinion 4

9. How would you rate the following in your most recent contact with Town personnel?

* Courteous

Excellent 56/ good 68/ fair 14/ poor 6

* Knowledge

Excellent 48/ good 65/ fair 24/ poor 4

* Timely response

Excellent 50/ good 56/ fir 20/ poor 13

10 Within the past year, if you made contact with the following Town departments, how satisfied were you with the service you received?

* Police

Very satisfied 54/ satisfied 30/ dissatisfied 8/ very dissatisfied 4/ no contact 51

* Fire

Very satisfied 38/ satisfied 15/ dissatisfied 4/ very dissatisfied 2/ no contact 75

*Fire Rescue

Very satisfied 43/ satisfied 11/ dissatisfied 3/ very dissatisfied 4/ no contact 73

* Code Enforcement

Very satisfied 19/ satisfied 28/ dissatisfied 13/ very dissatisfied 12/ no contact 59

* Building & Permitting

Very satisfied 18/ satisfied 21/ dissatisfied 10/ very dissatisfied 16/ no contact 71

* Municipal Service (public Works)

Very satisfied 28/ satisfied 20/ dissatisfied 9/ very dissatisfied 4/ no contact 72

*Administration

Very satisfied 33/ satisfied 30/ dissatisfied 12/ very dissatisfied 12/ no contact 52

* Town Hall

Very satisfied 38/ satisfied 39/ dissatisfied 11/ very dissatisfied 7/ no contact 46

11. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Town of LBTS in the next 5 years?

Look below at comments…

BC— #12 the purpose of the survey going out!…The misleading and wrong height used!…

12. DO YOU SUPPORT THE CURRENT MAXIMUM HEIGHT LIMIT OF 33′0″ in TOWN?…

Yes 149/ no 20

BC- only 169 out of the 182 answered this question….

No number 13 was on the survey…

14. Do you support the bond issue or pay as you go method for future capital improvement projects?

Bond issue 43/ pay as you go 103/ depends on project 6…also in comments below…paint a different picture!….

15. What suggestions can you provide for improving the quality of life for its residents?

See comments below…

16. How would you like to receive Town Topics?

Mailed- yes 116/ no 25

Website- yes 34/ no 18

Surveys mailed 4802/ responses received 182/ percentage received 3.79%

BC- of note…the responses for the survey did not add up to the full 182 for each question…Points of interest …that “no contact” was the largest prevalent number for rating Town departments…That generic questions such as departments, open space and land use “were very important” … Being generic, they offer no insight to the use desired by the respondents… as they can be skewed to help either political faction…. It’s like putting an ethics referendum on the ballot in this upcoming election…as one reader put it, no commissioner can or  will vote no to ethics…..And as for the height responses …Look for the CIC- Mc-Furth Gang to go gaga over question 11 ….It reaffirms this writer’s  statement  at the Referendum Workshop..The skewed and suspect 33′ height referendum will be to “clarify” one thing only …the Mc-Furth-CIC  Gang again having a height limit issue to run on and slant with rumor and innuendo about their opponents wanting development and “Galt Ocean Mile”………rather than running on their dismal record and stoppage of all planning for the future of the Town!……They know full well and the voters will as well,  the candidates running against the “Gang” are also for low heights…Their opponents are  for maintaining the 2006 height limits voted in by the LBTS voters…along with planned revitalization for the town to thrive as a tourist destination with a plan!… One things for sure…the Gang  will not be so gaga over the number of responses to get rid of the “Gang” including TM Colon and the “call” for new people on the dais!…OUCH!….

SURVEY COMMENTS…

11. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Town of LBTS in the next 5 years?

* zoning problems/no comments/over development-crowding/cleaning up some of seedy areas possibly upgrading some of the older motels & homes on A1A/ crime/ no comments/overpopulation if larger buildings erected,. Traffic congestion/ no comments/ maintaining the overall appearance of the Town by enforcing Codes regarding lawns & rental properties due to the number of vacant properties and foreclosures/maintaining “small town” ambiance while continuing growth & encouragement of small businesses/ End the Political Bickering. Please develop A city plan that creates and aesthetic cohesion & financial responsibility/ To maintain the small town lifestyle/We need to vote out McIntee, Silverstone, Clottey and fire Colon! These people are inept, laughable at best./ A more cohesive council/ creating destination city/Unifying the 2 sides of Town, letting go of the past and once that is done, the rest will come/ In-fighting, the commissioners are all pathetic./ Keeping our height limits, our commissioners and our Town Manager are doing a great job/ see attached (no attached in backup)/ no comments/ infrastructure, roads, flooding, potholes/1. Budget & fiscal responsibility.2. Establishing the reality & perception of sanity in our politics. Extremes on both sides are damaging our reputation./Beach Erosion/ Electing people that are tolerant of other opinions/ 5-6 mos. of heavy Traffic on A1A/ Budgeting/Maintaining BSO Policing/ Taxes/ Esther Colon? No Comments/ Keeping high rises out./A Commission with a sense of harmony/ Public safety, well lite, well paved roads/ Keeping our height limits our commission and our manager are doing a great job / Public safety & Fire Rescue/ Reasonable Growth/ Restricting developers & maintaining our small town atmosphere./ Growth/ Restore civility by getting Rid of Colon, Silverstone, Clottey, Esther, McIntee/ No Comments/ Retaining friendly, small-town venue/ Town Management issues/ No Comments/ A Full-time Fire Dept./ Getting less vindictive commissioners in office and getting Ms. Colon out of there. Let’s get  LBTS back to a happy well-organized Town as it has been in the past./ High Rise Condos/ Water. Tap water tastes bad. Storm drainage is terrible beyond belief./ In Fighting!/ Overspending/ Traffic using side streets to avoid Commercial/ A1A Intersection/No Comments/Keeping developers out!/Retaining 3 and eliminate Mayor and Dodes/ Drugs/ Control overdensity & Building-Taxes & Budgets/Getting too crowded-stop building-on original LBTS!/ Keeping Real Estate Tax low./ Leadership/ No Comments/ Too many vehicles in a small town/Zoning!!/ Keeping the high rises fro overtaking the community & increasing tourism/ Maintaining low heights & small town atmosphere/ No Comments/Excessive spending/ Control the budget/ Population & Traffic/ Growth/ Not ruining the ambiance of the Town/ Parking/Responsible management and public relations which are currently embarrassing/ How to bury power lines/ Keeping 3 story height maintaining millage rate/ Traffic on A1A/ No Comments/ Keep costs of Capital Projects near Zero/ Water runoff control, coral reef preservation/ High rise building, no more than 3 floors, not preserving sea life & the sea/ No growth/ keeping any new construction low height , fighting off dishonest developers like Oriana that cheated/ Getting rid of “Jerry McIntee” He’s an embarrassment to out Town/ More cooperation between North & South and not falsifying the Truth/ No Comments/ Continue to make overall appearance of the Town with particular attention to Commercial Dr. Move forward, get things accomplished/Storm sewer-planning capital improvements/ Maintaining it’s small town charm/ No Comments/Population Growth/ To maintain a small atmosphere; to avoid overbuilding/ 1. Town Municipal building replacement2. Street storm Drainage/Keeping Esther C.John O. J. Silverstone & J. McIntee in office to keep everything running smoothly/ No Comments/ Drug Control- Keeping Condo High Rise Out/Positive growth and lower taxes. Replace sewer system, maintain Reserve Fund, the Ber Harris Law suits!/ Allow more home improvements/ infrastructure/The negativism & power of the rich developers/ No comments/ Over-building. overpopulation!! Spending our funds wisely!!/ Maintaining the pleasant appearance of the Town. Managing development/ The conflict between the 2 factions of government. I have no idea who is right and who is wrong. One side is viscious with their comments. I never met any of these people/ Expansion-or lack thereof- Tax bases & city service/ To prevent overcrowding and overbuilding while maintaining the cleanliness & beauty of the beach/ No Comments/ Saving out small town quality way of life/Keeping EMS, VFD as they are while having police do better patrol of the beach area/ stop the infighting/ 1. Harmony on the Commission. 2. Public Restrooms/ Lack of parking places/ Traffic. Remaining a small resort town/ Security/Bringing quality/upscale shops & restaurants to bring a higher quality tourist/ Zoning-stop the inner fighting of the Commission/ Overbuilding/Stopping the political nastiness and becoming a cohesive community/ No Comments/ Growth/ Controlling building as old motels are sold off/ Growth and oil exploration/ Maintain height limits, over-development/New construction/ Don’t know/ Lighting-Bel Air streets/ No Comments/ Big $/ Uniting the Town. Get rid of MacEnty & Silverstone.- they have a conflict of interest being Commissioners. Get rid of the VFD & get some Pres./Preserving & enhancing our natural resources while maintaining economic stability & property values/ No Comments/ Give services- Do no raise taxes/ Maintaining small shops, noise pollution on A1A/ infrastructure/ infrastructure/ No Comments/ Maintaining height limitations in LBTS/ Keeping the Bldg. Height limit/ Police to be alert for crime/ Residential Planning/ Trying to build big building in our small town. (Buildings over 33′0′ height limits/Clean house on your city Commission- New Leadership is badly needed/ Filling new condos/ Getting Commissioners to work well together for the Town and the people/ No Comments/ Correct development- that which favors current citizens like infrastructure no new housing/ Traffic on A1A pedestrian safety- intersection. Commercial Blvd. &A1A/ Taxes -Code Enforcement/ Maintaining historical architecture, charm and ambiance/ improving delivery of Fire/ Rescue Services/ Keeping the low height look, the small Town Village look & lifestyle/Automobiles drive too close to cyclists. Enforce the 3-foot rule/ Improve Attractiveness of Town Image. Architecture of existing building & new ones. Plant trees-landscape public areas/ Over-population & keeping taxes low/ Zoning/Property taxes/budget/ No Comments/ Stop arguments and so much animosity among City Departments/ Re-Development of aging Commercial properties/ Drainage, cost of police, repaving old Town, cost of employee benefits, employee moral regardless of Commission demands/ Tight control of finances; limiting to intelligently development/ Removing the Town Mgr. & hiring an independent Town Mgr. Ms Colon is OK as Accountant only. Presently has too much power/ Childish political warfare among Town officials/ Coming together as 1 Town/ Getting a Commission and Town Mgr. who is concerned with the welfare of the Town and not their own personal agendas. Every effort to untie the Town/ Keep taxes reasonable while maintaining enough revenue to operate & grow/ No Comments/ Preserving the beach/ Civility on Commission get rid of scummy run down motels, parking garage needed/ Bringing community together. Cease and desist polarization/ $$ or lack there of/ Keeping the Town’s charm/ atmosphere and not being engulfed by the “big city” or developer greed. Keeping our good business open and improving variety of restaurants, etc./ No Comments/ No Comments/ Not any new development to get rid of those run down apartments throughout Town. Some real eye sores/ No Comments/ Keeping greedy developers at bay- the quaint, small town ambiance is already at risk. Keeping the unique atmosphere/ Problem w/ Choice. Get rid of McIntee, Silverstone. Colon, Clottey/ Keeping viable business, keeping & maintaining public space, fire, police, low taxes/ No Comments/ Township members working together/No Comments/ Aging properties needing condemnation/ fix-up by owners/ NA

14. Do you support the bond issue offer pay as you go method for future capital improvement projects?

*Depends on project/ No Comments/ No comments/ No Comments/ No Comments/ No comments/ No Comments/ No Comments/ Need thorough, No comments-political information source/ No Comments/ No Comments/ No Comments/ No Comments/ No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/ No comments/People should be able to vote on projects over a specified (large) amounts/ No comments/No comments/ No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/Depends on the project/ No comments/ Go for grants!/No comments/No comments/ Yes-if legal/No comments/No comments/I personally don’t think it matters what my opinion is when I observe the Commission meetings on Channel 78/ No comments/ Either or Both/ No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/ No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/How about the parking fees cover these costs/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/Depends what it is/ No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/Do not spend/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/ It depends on the project. Small-pay as you go, Large-bond issue/Pay as you go. Use County, State & Federal Grants whenever they are available/No comments/No comments/Bond issue-we may not be rated S&P or Moody’s but it is a positive way to go/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/Bond -Issue However I wouldn’t borrow money to build a Fire Station for a Fire Truck we don’t need/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/Both  are required for best value/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/Don’t know enough/No comments/But depends on context & priorities/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/Not informed/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/ Get Grants/Bond issue as long as funding source came from existing revenue/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments

15. What suggestions can you provide for improving the quality of life for its residents?

*Better Traffic Patterns-one way streets/No comments/More police patrol at night time along A1A and catching speeders on A1A/No comments/Get rid of Parking Enforcement-no ticketing fairly-vehicle parking over handicap zone for months & nothing is done/No comments/No comments/Too many police harassing tourists/Concentrate on basics. Keep the Town clean and safe for all the residents and visitors. Have a strong Code Enforcement/Less negativity and -or discourteous arguments during meetings. Better sharing of unbiased information/ If you want tourists spending money here Respect their needs. Stop catering to local favorites. Transparency Please!/ Have a referendum to require voter approval for any future overlay district proposal/We need to fire Colon;get rid of McIntee, Silverstone & Clottey/ Promote no littering.Poop scoop/ Be progressive/Cut costs/ Code Enforcement leave Jazz on Square alone/ Very satisfied with our Commission & Town Manager . Keeping our millage rate down/ See attached (no attachment in backup)/1 Palm trees on all streets in Town 2 On Bougainvilla & Poinciana North of Commercial get rid of Parking lot fee & force trees to be planted on swale between homes. 3 More cultural events4 Bathrooms for Beachgoers/ Improve roadways, Landscaping, Lighting. Why doesn’t the north end of Town have the same street lights as the south end of Town?/ Dog Park/Have a direct line to DOR Police Dept. USGD only by US local residents to report illegal and suspicious activities/ We don’t need 2 newspapers that are so petty & in-tolerant of other opinions- accusations unfounded too many times/ Less Congestion/ Better Building Code Enforcement/Reduce Commission Mtg. duration/ Cost of Living is too high (Taxes) That is why people are moving out & few are moving in/ Redo contract for #11 Above/ No Grafitti. Doing a great job!/ 2 yr. Terms for all political officers with Term limits/No comments/Allow dogs certain areas, certain times/ Very satisfied with our Commission & Town Mgr. Keeping our millage rate down/ Listen to us/Equal treatment & Enforcement/ Continue restricting development. Continue entertainment in the square/ Not sure/ Get rid of McIntee &Colon/ No comments/Maintain high level of security in all areas of this Town-Residential business, beach and response to critical needs of the public/ More transparency & accountability from Town Commissioners &Town Manager/ No comments/No comments/Get rid of the Town Manager. No one should have a lifetime contract that was written by themselves. Also get rid of Commissioners McIntee, Silverstone, Clottey, Dodd. Get rid of conflicts of interest going on in this Town. Whyis Commissioner McIntee Vice Mayor plus a paid volunteer fireman? It’s absurd!/ No comments/ Prohibit Pit Bull Dogs. Change the law so they cannot be in this Town/Stop large condo buildings Increase Beach Parking spaces/ No comments/ We need to keep dogs off our beach/ Do not permit overdeveloping in our Town!/Keep population density down/ Add -one-new commissioner and new mayor/ Be respectful to each other-offer AA & NA program 3-4 times a week/ No comments/Keep within a budget. Not over budget!/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/Get the Dogs off the Beach!! This problem has to be enforced!!/ Stop the incessant political slandering of each other & think of helping the town improve! Additionally, more activities for toddlers & young children would be a great asset/ No comments/ 2 bathrooms on the Beach-1 at Commercial-1 at Park. Only answer in 10 years. Police did not want to Patrol in PM/Stop Bickering/ No involving in future debts/ No comments/ More control of speeding vehicles on Seagrape South of Commercial ie. Speedbumps etc/ No comments/Keep the small Town image and strive for safety of residents/ Enact ordinance prohibiting Condo-Co- op residents from using hallways- catwalks for personal use & entertaining. By doing this, we will have the peace & quiet we deserve/ Improving Code Enforcement. Better utilization & supervision of Public Works employees/ Clean up A1A- Get rid of trailer. Clean up the Commission/ No comments/Hold your costs down/ No comments/Always conservation of Animal, Plant etc., life. No future 4 floors high on Beach or El Mar/ No comments/ Continue the fight to keep 33′ height max on any new construction- Please plant more palm trees along El Mar. Not just around the new villas!/”Listen” when a Resident offers suggestions/No comments/No comments/ Make El Mar single lane and Widen sidewalks. 2 Bury the utility poles,3 Force shop owners and businesses on Commercial to improve their facades (or provide the incentives)/Keep up the good work/ Removing the standing watr in front of my house after it rains. (No drainage)(264.S. Tradewinds Ave., LBTS)/ No comments/Sidewalks repaired. Better drainage. More trees especially on the Beach/ Better street drainage; more moderate priced eateries, more local police presence after 10:00pm/ Better City Planning-such as 5-10-20-50 yr. plans/Encourage all the nasty self serving people to leave town. Look into how the excess sewage billing revenues can be spent wisely on local projects. Would be happy to discuss issues in person/No comments/(Card) Residents Discount for local businesses & Parking sticker that covers meters as well as 3-4 Beach Parking spaces. Upscale Boutiques & local Produce shops. No more T-shirt & Junk shops/More respect from the Commissioners and less self service to themselves!/ Get old homes improved/No comments/Get rid of Broward County Building Permit/Inspection. They are the worst. Also, get rid of the By-The-Sea Future (which you legally can’t)/ No comments/ (Keep it off the Map) Keep it quaint-small Sea Side Village. (Ambiance-de-axe North end/Maintain strict Code Enforcement of building Codes. Do not allow beachfront to become blocked or crowded w/ condos or towers of any sort/ Get rid of government and start over. Some personalities are just unbelievable. I call one town paper the nice one and the other the ugly one/ Perhaps we should have lifeguards on the beach/Plant more Palm tree and greenery along the beach, add trash cans/ Stop the fighting/ Have a better Chamber of Commerce to recruit quality stores into out downtown area/Work to have a Chamber of Commerce as one center to help all businesses not just their own!/ Listen to the Residents. Citizens Forum?/ The Pavilion is a fiasco. Concentrate on the task at hand rather than your individual egos/No parking meters-pleas/ Is A1A here Ocean Blvd.,Drive or Avenue? All are used-City,CVS, Condos-All differ. Confusing/ Reduce price of fishing from the Pier!/Maintain small town atmosphere is good but hinders upscale places of business/ Coordinate zip codes/No comments/No comments/No comments/ Stop the infighting on the Town Board and focus on the issues!/(Blank)/Keep the motorcycles quiet please/Limit Growth/No comments/No comments/No comments/No comments/Doing a good job but keep the max. height limit of 33′ very important!/No comments/Community Garden, Beach clean up, continued Public education Re-Recycling, Environmental sustainability Planning (should be incorporated into building requirements-codes etc.) Water conservation, planting of indigenous plants, etc./ No comments/No comments/Noise control on A1A/No comments/No comments/No comments/ Making Code Enforcement more friendly, less dilatory and less concerned with perfection of detail in permitting/ Stop bickering at meetings/No comments/No comments/No comments/The Town is fragmented & the Commission members must be changed to neutral parties. Can’t wait to vote in new positive people working for the people of LBTS/ Stop the North-South arguments!/ Replace the Town Manger/No comments/ Lower height restrictions, No rooftop facilities such as air conditioning/No comments/Lift on the Pelican Hopper for Handicapped that cannot use steps/ More events geared toward adult singles (not families with kids, not seniors-Adult Singles (the left out demographics)/ Improve delivery of Fire-Rescue services/The fighting has to stop-Those who argue all the time should have to come up with ways to correct those problems/People who criticize should suggest a solution for the problem/ Enforcing the laws regarding fishing off the beach and dogs on the beach. Please stop this!/Improve look of Town & Bel-Air Neighborhood, part of A1A going through Town Landscape A1A entrance to Bel-Air. Hide pumping station in entrances to Bel Air. Change Bel-Air sign/ Keeping taxes low/ Collective Zip Code for whole Town (33308,33062)/No comments/No comments/No comments/Maintain security-active Law Enforcement including regular patrols alertness and diligence in recognizing potential threats from high number of transients/ Esther Colon is key to the future of this Town, the elected officials need to keep their attitudes in check/ Keep up the status quo/Get off everyone’s back when only 1 or 2 people complain so what is right for the majority. Listen to the people. Vote with the majority. Do not follow small organizations who yell louder/ Allow, encourage development so the Town doesn’t continue to age into a place that only appeals to those over 60/ I would like to see the Senior Center become that a Senior Center, not just computer classes/ Use our money to maintain our Town and improve it and its services. Do not use it to erect monuments to egomaniac commissioners and overpaid Town Mgr. UNITE OUR TOWN!! Trea both ends of the Town equally with equal improvements and services/ 1 Improve the lighting at the Senior Center2Bring back Vincent Raguso’s performing art shows3 Allow the Pelican Hopper to include in its route a trip west on Commercial to Holy Cross Hospital. There are a lot of physicians there/No comments/Less fights among all of the Commissioners & more peace/ Stop bickering and rudeness at meetings, put garbage back into taxes, embrace the VFD, support Commercial Blvd. merchants/ Encourage “By The Sea Times” & discourage Mark Brown “By The Sea Future”. Next year support a new roster & new candidates for mayor & Commissioners. Let’s stop the infighting/Fire Kimberly Williams! She gives our Town a bad name!/ Support our “Town” environment (including maximum height limit, volunteer fire department, small businesses, etc.) and do not allow it to be engulfed by big business, BSO, etc. Keep it local!/No comments/No comments/ change in Town Commissioners who only care about the volunteer fire department/No comments/Enforce traffic laws-ie, speed limits, red lights,stop signs, enact noise ordinance–ie prohibit loud speakers, mufflers,etc., in vehicles (incl. motorcycles); keep high risers off the beach/No comments/ Get rid of McIntee, Silverstone, Clottey & Colon/No comments/No comments/ Improve courtesy at Town meetings. Keep original promises at annexations/No comments/ The Town is doing Great./ All streets (like SeaGrape) get an upgrade-Sewer system so there is no flooding.

The End…

BC- of note- Although a few comments said see attached, there were no attachments shown in the back-up…There was also no breakdown of where the responses came from…south end, north end, condos, single family, multi-family etc… Some comments were identical in verbiage and either it was a duplicate, same home or ?…… But in the end…it was an unilateral decision made by the Town Manager (with or without Mc-Furth Gang heads-up) that was unnecessary in cost and time …Just add it to the list of reasons why as the comments say change the Commission and the Town Manager in 2010!…

link to backup with survey…Town website… http://www.lauderdalebythesea-fl.gov/town/backup2009.htm

If you did send in a survey and did not see your comments listed …send them to me at …. barbarafcole@yahoo.com…

more to come…

Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea Town Manager Esther Colon, Lauderdaler By The Sea Town Wide 2009 Survey, Scoops
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Public Safety, Scoops, VFD, local government

OOPS!…

Dear Readers… OOPS!…  Took the info on  Garden Court and did  not check the numbers…(227 Garden Court for Rothstein according to the Sentinel/ 226 Garden Court up for the 2 yr. extension)…. A respected reader sent me in the tip on the “Rothstein Connection” and I “ran” with it… Thanks to an e-mail received tonight from the long suffering neighbor Mr. Hiott who has lived with the mess …calling his area of town…”The slums of Lauderdale- By- The- Sea”… He set the record straight….I have removed the previous post until there is any further connection between Rothstein and the property other than the Atty., Mr. Smith…

more to come…

Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea The Rothstein Connection, Scoops
Posted in Updates

PLACES TO GO …. For The Future Of LBTS/ The Holidays … link below…

http://heresthescooponline.com/

Tags: heresthescooponline.com, Scoops
Posted in Scoops