THE  #1 NEWSPAPER IN TOWN …BY A LANDSLIDE!…

In This Issue…

MINNET, SASSER, VINCENT WIN IN LANDSLIDE

HOW THE GOOD GUYS FINALLY WON

CELEBRATE EASTER BY THE SEA

NEW ERA BEGINS WITH HONOR

CIVILITY AND STABILITY RETURN

WINNING CANDIDATES ADDRESS PUBLIC

SHARING THE BEACH WITH TURTLES

SEASHELL SHUTTERBUG

LIFESTYLE COLUMNS

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

http://www.bytheseafuture.org/

Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea By The Sea Future Newspaper march 26 2010 Edition, Scoops
Posted in Local News, Scoops

EYES STILL WIDE OPEN …..

Dear Readers ….Here’s what’s going on around town…

Today…..
Jarvis Hall
4501 Ocean Drive (SR A1A)
Lauderdale by-the-Sea, Florida 33308
(Just north of Commercial Boulevard)
Free Parking for this Event Only
Friday, March 26, 2010 10:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
Enjoy the beauty and history of Broward SR A1A
Learn about the Florida Scenic Highways Program
Share some refreshments with your neighbors along the corridor
See how you can get involved in the future of SR A1A

For more information contact either Beth Kuttner, at 954-357-6648, or Gladys Leeks at 954-357-6659.
The State Road A1A corridor from the Broward/Palm Beach county line to the Broward/Miami‐Dade county line was
officially designated as a Florida Scenic Highway by the Florida Department of Transportation on July 20, 2009.

We hear Ken Keechl will be there as well as our Commissioners and the Mayor… Photo ops…for sure!…

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We heard yesterday….. former Mayoral candidate Joe Couriel has a sign in his yard to sell his house….

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We heard over the last 2 days….. He and his neighbor Liliana Pomerada have contacted the Spanish press to continue on with their election fear-mongering of “slurs” being made …We are told the Mayor was contacted and referred them to the LBTS BSO Police Chief for the information on investigation from both sides of these unfounded and unsubstantiated claims … It is not known if the reporter contacted Chief Llerena…BUT…. what is known is the reporter told one person in town whom he contacted that the story has been submitted, on a deadline Thursday morning and will run in the paper on Saturday… What is sad is that this will perpetuate the same false statements that the Couriel campaign used in their failed attempt to win the election…It did not fly then and to keep it up and continue to paint LBTS as a racist town will only further dig a hole for the soon to be departing Couriel and CIC “Newbie” Pomerada…who has made one major blunder after another… Apparently they have not read the words of former Comm. Silverstone…” It is now time to support our new commission and to stay informed. An important fact is we had almost a 40% voter turn out. The average in Broward County was only 9%. We care and it showed.”… Instead they have chosen to further give the Town a “black eye” and sully our name in what can only be some sick sort of payback for their big time loss at the polls!…Shame on them!…Shame on the reporter if he ran with a one-side story!…and Shame on anyone else who went along with this and supported it!..Did the Town Manager get in the mix?….

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We heard the Town Clerk blew it again when it comes to Jewish Holidays and having Town meetings…She is 3 for 3 …in 2008/2009 and now 2010!… She scheduled the Round Table meeting on March 29th… Yes, the Commission went along with it and moving it from 7pm to 5pm after some dais discussion….BUT…It took VM Dodd calling Pepi Dunay …(prev. posts)….of the Jewish Federation to inform the Town that was still not acceptable!…So, the meeting is canceled on the 29th…unless they can convene early in the day… For right now that seems unlikely…and then we  run into Passover until Thursday …along with scheduling conflicts of the Commission and the holiday…Good Friday…and of course the simple fact that 4 of the Commissioners work full time during the day and Clottey who says she works at night…(Online night school?)… We hear an e-mail was sent to the Commissioners to try and find a time and date….with a reminder that says do not” reply to all” from the Town Clerk as it would be a Sunshine violation…Well at least it was e-mail and not a memo…Stay tuned!…

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What was up with the VFD Chief and the sliding card he spoke about at the 3/23/10 commission meeting for keeping medical call (first responder) payouts to members down?….Word is it is for keeping the record straight on who shows up and gets paid for those calls…BUT…we hear there are a lot of downsides to this method…lost cards and members showing up without them… The alternative we hear would be a fingerprint program that ties into the computer and prevents “buddy”punching in… such as this one from Staples for around $400….
“Lathem Touchstation TS100 Biometric Time and Attendance System

TouchStation is the perfect solution for any office environment.TouchStation is a state-of-the-art biometric system that uses fingerprint technology to instantly identify employees and eliminate costly buddy punching. Designed for small businesses with up to 50 employees and is expandable to 150 (requires additional TS100 fingerprint terminals). Lathem’s TouchStation time and attendance system automatically calculates total worked hours including overtime. Employees punch in and out at theterminal with the touch of a finger. A large display and internal beeper provide employees instant feedback of their in/out status.

* Handles up to 50 employees (Upgradable to 150)
* Calculates multiple weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly payrolls
* Large LED light bar provides employees with instant good (green) or bad (red) punch indication
* Internal beeper provides audible indication of good or bad punches
* Automatically calculates total worked hours including overtime
* Manage Sick, Vacation, Personal and Other time off

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:Windows Vista, Windows XP Professional,Windows XP Home Edition, Available USB port (USB 1.1 compliant), 300 Mhz Intel Pentium processor (Pentium II 900 MHz recommended, 128 MB of RAM (256 MB recommended), 200 MB of free hard diskspace (500 MB of free hard disk space recommended), 256 Color 800×600 or higher resolution display, 4x or faster CD-ROM, Internet Explorer 5.0 or Higher”

With their new (Jan. 2010) full time Administrative member Chavez this one should have been easy to obtain…or so this writer thought…until I took a quick link to the VFD website to obtain Chavez’s correct title…BUT….found the VFD website is lacking any such update….It still shows Mcintee as Dep. Chief and all the old positions held prior to Jan 2010!…OOPS!… http://www.lbtsfire.com/Command%20Staff.html

More news heard  about the VFD…We heard this one in 3 different versions…They sold one firetruck…They are going to sell one firetruck….They are selling one firetruck and want to buy another one!….No word if it is the same firetruck they were going to give to Haiti ….BUT…why did this not come in front of the commission in the VFD report on Tuesday?…. We also heard 2 versions on this one as well…they sold the fire boat…or they are selling the fire boat… as they get rid of all the former Mayor/Dep. Chief Mcintee’s apparatus purchases!… Is this why the Chief was so vague and sidestepped the Mayor’s question on the 0 hours of water drills?

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We heard Commissioner Clottey made an inquiry to the Town on a Citizen Contact Center Form on March 23, 201o “Citizen name Birute Clottey” “Issue Imperial lane Who has a Business Tax Receipt on Imperial lane for business and dock rental” “Action Requested” “List From Jeff”…(That would be Development Director Jeff Bowman)…The list was included and it contained who “Citizen Birute Clottey” was looking for …VM Dodd who does indeed have a Bus. Tax Receipt for home/dock…along with all the others on that street (5 of Dodd’s neighbors)… BUT…the Commissioners received a “cover sheet” from Town Manager Colon to “Commissioner Birute Clottey” with the info on the very same day “Citizen Birute Clottey” made the form out!… WOW!… First of all was she asking as a “Citizen” or as a “Commissioner”?… Second…”Citizen/Commissioner Clottey” must have not “recalled” that we went down this path the year before when someone in the Development office leaked that then-Comm. Dodd had come in to get a dock license and clear up the confusion a multitude of LBTS businesses had when having both Broward County and LBTS occupational Licenses ….This is a throw back to McIntee …and it happened on the day of the first Regular Commission Meeting of the new commission!…YIKES!… Talk about beating a dead horse…Has any “Citizen” checked out if Prof. Clottey has her Business Tax Receipt for teaching at night from home?… Hmmmm ….

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We heard that while Town Clerk White was directed at the March 17th organizational meeting this new commission required a more detailed minutes including the public comments…and the minutes for Feb 23 and March 4th were not accepted on March 23rd…(prev. posts)…Rather than get them the way she was directed…The Town Clerk’s office did a survey instead!… Who directed that?….Does it really matter?… It would have been more constructive to follow through on the Edmund Malkoon e-mail (prev. post) and get Granicus on the line to get the minutes correct!… No more surveys by Town staff without a commission directive to do so….

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WANT TO JOIN IN ON THE EASTER BY THE SEA EVENT?
Next meeting: Saturday March 27th 10:00 AM – Jarvis Hall …ALL ARE WELCOME…

EVENT CHAIR: CHRISTINE VINCENT….Budget $3,000 …. and a fully received full Bunny Costume …. are now in place…

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more to come….

Tags: Commissioner/Citizen Clottey Going After Vice Mayor Dodd?, Lauderdale By The Sea Easter By The Sea 2010 Meeting March 27 2010, lauderdale By The Sea Former mayoral candidate Joe couriel/Liliana Pomerada Still Making Slur Accusations, Lauderdale By The Sea Scenic Highway Day March 26 2010 10am-3 pm, Lauderdale By The Sea VFD Time Card Issue/Sale of Apparatus?/ Website In Need Of An Update, Scoops, Town Clerk White Does Survey On The Minutes Instead Of The Minutes Themselves?
Posted in Local Politics, Public Safety, Scoops, VFD, local government

STUFF FOR YOUR STUFF ….

Dear Readers … As George Carlin said “Actually this is just a place for my stuff, ya know? That’s all, a little place for my stuff. That’s all I want, that’s all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff, ya know?”…and for the past 2 days I have been purchasing …and moving my stuff into the stuff I purchased…because stuff needs to be in stuff or you can’t find it when when you need your stuff! …

I love hardware stores…especially the old ones like Ace…Not only does this too bring back memories BHD (Before Home Depot) but I like smaller businesses where the employees are more engaged with the customers and I enjoy seeing what their buyers buy to stock them..It’s the Mack Groves experience on a smaller scale …(LBTS Readers can relate)…

Yesterday I hit the jackpot at my local Ace located a few blocks away…From the moment I walked in with the woman at the register who was extremely helpful from beginning to end as I filled up my cart with all the stuff I needed for my stuff and a few extra necessities …such as locks with keys for the storage units rented out that morning…(for the stuff I need occasionally and lack of closets)…and 2 new shower heads…that are actually made in America….(the salesman told me)… I made my way from aisle to aisle and found containers…stands… both small and large organizational items …as I admired the buyer’s taste…I ended up with pretty much everything on my list …No kitchen sink…but a Umbro stainless steel kitchen clock  …again their buyer did well and so did I…Also on the list, I “enlisted” in city life and the lack of a car … I joined the area women who dress in black  (it’s a Chicago/New York thing)…in now pushing a newly purchased cart.. black (what else)…heavy duty.. made in America and already assembled!… We can nod at each other as we pass with our stuff…as the “sisterhood” of neighborhood cart pushers…The Chief Blogger is going “green”!… Nahhhh…..(inside joke)….

Paid for, wrapped and gingerly packed in my new cart I headed home…to find nothing broke…better yet it all worked as intended … (no returns!)…I am happy to report my stuff is now sitting pretty in the stuff I bought hold it… Check them off THE list…

Today,  was the appointment with one of the building’s maintenance men to further organize stuff…the stuff I could no do myself…(lack of tools, one thing I did forget to purchase…It wasn’t on THAT list)….He  caulked the newly purchased tub deflectors… I forgot that combo shower/tubs with regular shower curtains do not contain the water … Did you know they now make “hookless” shower curtains?…Two thumbs up!……He also attached the  “Clutter Busters” …a 4 tiered towel rack with a hook that attaches to the bathroom door hinges…(For some reason this building chose bathroom towel racks that are in the wrong place and those plastic door hooks that do not actually have a hook at all but have a slippery modern piece of round plastic)…The shower heads were switched out and the kitchen clock was hung…They will be called back for another round…I still have more stuff coming…

For this writer, the kitchen is a place to hold the diet coke..the microwave…the coffeepot… the dishwasher…and the carry-out menus…When I was getting married my mother-in law threw me a recipe bridal shower (she obviously didn’t know me very well) and my very astute aunt who was in the same mind-frame as this writer when it came to kitchens…came armed with delivery menus and a can opener!… My mother was a fabulous cook and my “out” to my daughters over their mother’s lack of culinary skills …”It skips a generation”…recounting my grandmother was also not into cooking!…(Didn’t tell them about her longtime cook though!)…After a move to one house in our married life…my husband observed my plans to purchase new kitchen appliances he suggested “cardboard cutouts”…Hmmm…He may have had a point!.. But, we all know even a non-used kitchen needs shelving space for items that always seem to tall for standard placed shelving…thus the dreaded removal and replacing of shelves with the predictable hangups of getting them out without scratching them or you and the replacement of putting them back in without getting them stuck or crooked… no matter how many tries unassisted… it’s not pretty and the language is certainly not PG rated…Why is always the last one that is the most troublesome…especially when you have finally found that rhythm to the process somewhere between shelf 3 and shelf 4……It’s like looking for your keys…They’re always in the last place you look…(another insider joke)…

Satisfaction is short-lived as this list has gone quickly into the shredder…It is quickly replaced with a new list…for yet another foray to find stuff for the stuff still unstuffed…including finding one to hold the lists!….

more to come…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac

Tags: Day 6 In Chicago, Scoops
Posted in Scoops, chicago

NO GUARD POLITICS ….

Dear Readers…. after a 10 minute break the new commission took their newly assigned seats on the dais  to address the rest of the agenda…already cut down with one swift motion at the start by soon to be appointed VM Dodd…(prev. post)… VM Dodd wanted to pull 12 C (baby shower for 80 and a request for fee parking…No one else spoke to pull any items until the Mayor stated she wanted to address them all …The Mayor asked that a Ordinance be put in place exempting Church’s from special fees so they will not have to come and ask each time and it will streamline the meetings…Asst. TM Olinzock was curt in his response to the Mayor saying they can look into it…It wouldn’t be the first time of the evening that JohnO was being “pissy”…passes 5-0/ Aruba’s Memorial Beach bash was next and boy what a difference a commission makes…even for the restaurant run by  former Comm. Silverstone’s soon-to-be bride… Com. Sasser asked why the Town wanted 3 detail officers when BSO said 2 would suffice…JohnO  was “pissy” in his response that it was that way the year before …(They did not have one last year)…Sasser asked for 2 to save the costs involved for Aruba…and after the Chief said 2 was correct and there would be BSO in the area…VM Dodd and the Mayor both wanted to make sure Aruba was set and the response they were getting from staff was alright…passes 5-0 with 2 police detail not 3/ Consent C. the 80 parking places along with the free use of Jarvis Hall for a baby shower…VM Dodd asked about the loss of prking revenue…added it up and it was DOA…no action taken…no freebies to park to attend….

Next was the Resolution for the new Vice Mayor…

13. RESOLUTION – “Public Comments”

a. Resolution 2010-04: A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN OF LAUDERDALE-

BY-THE-SEA, FLORIDA, PROVIDING FOR THE APPOINTMENT

OF AS VICE-MAYOR; PROVIDING FOR

SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICT; PROVIDING FOR AN

EFFECTIVE DATE.

Commissioner Sasser made the motion for Stuart Dodd and Commissioner Vincent made the second…the vote was taken 4-0 the newly appointed VM recused himself…(He needs to switch places with Comm. Sasser next meeting as is customary)…Yep, Comm Clottey actually voted for Dodd… perhaps her “eggshells” are kicking in?…This appointment will be deja vu for this writer and others who witnessed Stuart Dodd take over the Chair role of the CIC from former Chair McIntee…and building it up to its largest membership ever…and now Dodd is once more following McIntee …as the new VM…I have no doubt he will build that office up as well!…Congrats VM Dodd!…

UPDATE- An Avid Reader set the record straight…and jarred the correct recollection from this writer…new VM Dodd is already in the right seat…former VM McIntee was not… and it was he who should have changed seats…Never mind… pun intended….

The next Resolution was the PBS&J contract for the A1A FDOT project …resident Vito Chiarello was the only public speaker as he spoke of the need for public input…Comm. Sasser spoke first and addressed the issue asking for the about to be appointed new MPSC be a participant ahead of final decisions…He asked about additional costs and JohnO (Asst.TM) was again in his royal “pissy-ness mode” as he said extra meeting would cost us more …and he was having one large meeting …as he insinuated we should be happy we have that…and we should tank the staff…Hmmm…Comm.Sasser pointed out that with one large meeting …it would be harder to reach consensus…The time limit was discussed and JohnO said the meeting would be right after Easer…Comm.Vincent asked about the June deadline..JohnO said June 10or 15th…and JohnO was again in rare form….He said he would put this together at a time that would get the greatest attendance…The jeopardy question was asked by Comm.Vincent and JohnO said we could lose the construction of…The Mayor said she was disappointed as well …and she did not fare any better in responses from JohnO…He told her it is not a requirement of FDOT …Mayor Minnet brought forth the aerial photo clause that states if the 2007 photo is not deemed to be enough the Town will pick up the tab!…JohnO said they were hoping that would not happen ….but if it does yep, the Town will pay…cost?…JohnO could not say!…Comm. Clottey joined in on concerns of lack of participation from the residents…and spoke of access onto A1A with “right turns, left turns, all kinds of turns”…HUH?….Comm. Sasser again asked for MPSC and public meetings …A vote was taken 4-1 Mayor Minnet voted no…This one is still of concern…for the plain fact is as the Manager said from the start…we really have NO input…for our matching $600,000…it is a state road…so even though it’s called a “landscape project”…those individual landscapes of condominiums…who spent big $$$$ for may be a thing of the past!…

15A. the Imperial Lane arm or build-out was already deferred to the 1st Round Table (3/29/10 at 5 pm)…Ditto for 15B El Mar Drive …

Next up discussion on the boards…and VM Dodd directed  the Town Atty. to change the now being adhered to May 11th appointment date ordinance to be 1 month after the organizational meeting no matter when the election is… Comm. Sasser did try to address the “serves at the pleasure of the dais” elephant in the room question…and although the Town Atty. did say yes that is so (she dropped the ball at the Organizational meeting-prev.post)..it got lost and the new commission did not terminate the present boards…It should be done at the next meeting..on Apr. 13th…before those boards headed up by hostile members can be back on the dais before May 11th….. Comm. Vincent put forth that if a Commissioner’s appointee leaves that Commissioner reappoints that position…The Mayor said they can go forth with the strategy development … Comm. Clottey said she had a problem that 3  potential appointees were from the same business …one is the publisher…one is the spouse of an Editor and one is the business manager …She was speaking of Michael Arker/Adam Geesey and former Comm. Chuck Clark all from By The Sea Future the Town’s local paper and all applied for a position…Hmmm…While I agree (yes, I said I agree with her) that would be a problem…It is rather odd that she felt no such concern with the prior MPSC that contained Marc Furth Owner- Editor of the By The Sea Times and Maryann Wardlaw who wrote regularly for his paper and what about the number of members who were CIC board members on the BOA Thomas Carr (Chair)
Joseph Couriel (Vice Chair) George Crossman Carol Dickman…OOPS!… VM Dodd picked up from the procedure Comm. Sasser offered up and distributed at the Organizational meeting for appointing a member with no need for a second …Comm. Sasser added from his plan that the procedure start at his left with VM Dodd and work its way right…to come around and start over again…The Mayor reiterated the procedures and Town Clerk White came to the podium to ask that “timely minutes” be included as well (pretty amusing when you realize it is the Town’s development secretary that does the minutes for P & Z/BOA and not the members…so the arrows were pointed at MPSC…this after her minutes were not accepted and we found out the Grancius program we were supposed to have!)… VM Dodd made the motion and Comm. Sasser seconded it…passes-5-0…John Thompson would be proud…2 years after the fact!…

Time for the MPSC appointees and there were many more to choose from than the 5 we heard about on the 17th… VM Dodd began he appointed  former Comm. Wessels/ Comm. Sasser appointed John Panitas/Mayor Minnet appointed Paul Novak/ Comm. Vincent appointed Ken Kuglar/ Comm. Clottey appointed Marjorie Evans / VM Dodd appointed Robert Eckblad/ Comm. Sasser appointed Edmund Malkoon/ Mayor Minnet appointed Sandra Booth/ Commissioner Vincent appointed James Rogers…There was then some confusion about alternates…and Comm. Clottey named Marilyn Carr/ VM Dodd named former Comm.Clark but added that there was no need for alternates…After looking that she had erred in her asking for alternates the Mayor asked the Town Atty. how to proceed… The Town Town Atty. said it was up to the dais to decide to add alternates or not…The decision was made to keep no alternates as was the practice previously (despite Comm. Clottey’s wrong assertion that there were alternates last year)… With that all were voted in 5-0 … NICE!…

A Resolution was quickly passed 5-0 to avoid any further taxing districts that might come if a Broward Independent Fire District were in place…The parking item was moved to the Round Table….and it was on to Easter…The Mayor clarified it was a $3000 budget not the $1500 the Town tried to stick the new event committee with.. We also hear the Furths took all the decorations… and we wonder if the Town reimbursed for wood and paint and whatever else was used…does that not constitute it becomes the Town’s property?…. It reminds me of the those who win the big pot at the end of the raffle for a charitable cause…and knowing the prize is of no great benefit to themselves still takes it with them at the end of the night rather than generously turning it over to the event “kitty” to further benefit all…Did they do the same with Halloween and July 4th?…..Unless they took it off the CIC website the event for last year clearly shows a sign painted saying Easter… painted bags used for races…and of course the new bunny costume (which we hear appeared in bits and pieces ..head- first- literally!) … Remember folks, this is the “Gang” who said they were “doing it for the kids!”…..Hmmm…. Comm. Sasser cleared up the false statement made at the Organizational meeting by Comm. Clottey that a Comm. must chair these events…The Town Atty. said there was no Resolution etc…it just may have been the Commission custom…(Nope!) …Comm. Sasser then nominated Christine Vincent to chair Easter and give her a $3000 budget…VM Dodd in the hopes of preventing anymore “Greenfest” debacles made a motion for receipts to be turned into town…and procedures to be put in place to enact the process…

Town photographer was next and it Comm.Vincent who said he believed we do not need an official photog…that residents were available…VM Dodd gave a thanks to former photog Furth and asked a letter be sent…Comm. Clottey said at ceremonies it could be Steve D’Oliveira…and as mentioned before the Chamber could be contacted as well…said the TM…The Mayor also said no Town photog…Clottey wanted the letter to acknowledge the Furth expense in doing his job…that he was not compensated…(Hmmm…free parking) … and Mayor Minnet asked if Clottey wanted him reimbursed…Clottey said no…(He’s got the decorations)…

IT’S OVER…IT’S DONE….IT’S ABOUT TIME… VM Dodd put forth to stop the process of the Town going after Mayor Minnet for the Greenfest event…He accurately called it “reprehensible behavior”….and it  was used as a political football against her by the Mc-Furth “Gang” and Town Administration and staff… The Town Atty. deferred to the Town staff and sheepishly Asst. TM JohnO came forward to say “It is not yet on the calendar”…for the Special Magistrate… and the Town “needed direction”…He meant a different “direction” because it was clear they were going in the “direction” they were “directed” by the prior majority!… Comm. Clottey (eggshell walking) …said the issue was not the money it was the procedure… and with that the Mayor recused herself for a 4-0 vote …to put a fork in the former Vice Mayor’s trumped up charges!… Whoopeee!….

Senior Center contract…VM Dodd made a motion that the Town cover Town Topics ads for the Senior Center and stop charging the Director $400 each issue… The Town Atty. said it was ok to do with the contract…and it passed 5-0… VM Dodd also asked for a figures of attendance etc… over 3 months and the staff helping the Senior Center…it was a directive…Comm. Sasser had spent quite some time going through the contract as there was no action to be taken included and he brought forth some “key points” concerning the sections of low income and seniors…He spoke about the “subsections’ and asked the Town Atty. it the Town needs to meet the requirement “overall” or was it “limited”…A whopper of a response came from the Town Atty. She was not asked by staff to review the senor Center contract!…YIKES!… With all the fear-mongering from Clottey/Colon/Silverstone and the audit…the monies we (the Town) could be in trouble for due to their (unjust ) accusations toward the Director…and the staff NEVER asked the Town Atty. to review it!…UNBELIEVABLE…Add his to the long list of Esther Colon Town Manager!… The Town Manager spoke from her seat at the end of the dais…almost “Couriel” like with the mike and being inaudible …For the first time we saw her fall back to her MO…(as much as she could being way far away from the center seat)…She did her “recollections”…for Comm. …OOPS…for VM Dodd…(she could hardly bear to say it)….Comm. Sasser asked the Town Atty. to look into it …The Town Atty. said she will do the research… (looks like Comm. Sasser already did it for her)…..Comm. Sasser also wanted to make sure the new monies we were getting with the new fees a(a little over $1000,00) were going to the right place…The TM said it was to offset the General Fund….

VM Dodd wanted to check off another item on his list of items that were cast aside with the previous commission…the LETF funds and a letter to the Atty. General for an opinion on its use back when it was used for the new BSO quarters in the new Public Safety Complex…Comm. Dodd wanted him to do it on his own…Clottey went way off base talking about the chaining of prisoners to the floor and “violations of prisoners”…(it was not)…He asked again after a little back and forth with Comm. Clottey…Clottey said the letter needed to be correct the former BSO Chief Gooding was not fired he was “transferred”..(Tomato tomahto)…The Mayor made the motion and Comm. Vincent made the second…passes 3-2 Clottey/Sasser voted no…

Ocean Terrace needed minor site changes and the Comm.after VM Dodd questioned what “minor” meant agreed to let the staff present every quarter…it will be coming to the Round Table…and they need to reconsider letting THIS staff decide anything without their knowledge…

As they made a date for the Round Table..the Town Atty. brought up the required agenda and backup…but the first Round Table will include what was offered up this meeting…They first Round Table time was 7 pm on March 29th…to discuss the items deferred this evening… They were informed by the Town Clerk who was informed by resident Yann Brandt that the first night of Passover starts at sundown on the 29th…The chose to start at 5…They still most likely need to be done in 2 hours…leaving this to be a 2-day Round Table…any day after the 2nd day of Passover ….

The additional item for a letter of support for Aquazul was set aside as the Manager wanted time to look into it…the Resolution on retrofitting the sprinklers from 2010to 2019 was met with a very odd response from the TM that some are against the extension …HUH?…The Mayor said she would get those condos that support it to speak ….at the next meeting on Apr. 13th…Comm. Sasser said the word of the evening Round Table…all said Aye… Same for the 4th of July…

The Town Atty. in her report said there will be a shade session on Bert J. Harris and a time will be coordinated to convene the commission…

Asst. TM JohnO asked about the non-application received for Easter and parking for the event to be waived… (was he asleep during that agenda item?)…Comm. Vincent said he had all the information JohnO needed and they would meet after the meeting…

And with that …at t 10:40 pm the first Regular LBTS Commission meeting was adjourned!…. A job well done!…KUDOS!…

more to come….

Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea March 23 2010 Commission Meeting, Scoops
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Scoops, local government

FOND MEMORIES ….

Dear Readers … At every turn this writer is faced with new hassles involved with getting situated…technically and otherwise ….and while the to do list does not seem to be getting shorter (still looking like a list for Santa)…some things are a strange combination of flashback moments…odd recollections long ago buried wherever those experiences go deep within the brain …and some “perks” that might just outweigh the lack of expected warm weather and sunshine when I exit the building … That would be no humidity and the hair I used to have…straight without a blow dry…so for all those who can relate …what’s a little cold and dreariness when it come to non-humidified hair days?…

A call for an expected delivery came with a familiar address…The company I contacted is located in a northern suburb where we first had our business…on the same street… When it popped up on my now fully functional computer…(Terry was right…the speed is just as I had with Comcast at home)…a whole lot of memories came to the surface of those days…where we lived …which house…quick calculations of the ages of my daughters along with cars…clothes…friends…employees…and so much more… music …TV….and the like…

Yesterday,  in the quest to set up a satellite work area to continue working the BCbythesea hubby found S. Stein & Co. for office furniture..my son-in-law and I made our way with our Google directions to meet with Bob…who promised he had what I needed…warehouses full .. He had of new and old office furniture… The drive over…puts complaints of congestion on A1A (LBTS) and not being able to get from point A to point B high on the laugh-o-meter in comparison and this was after 12:30 pm!… As we exited and went over the bridge it was an easy find…4th floor parking and  a walk right into the showroom… While we waited for Bob we made our way around …. What’s up with office chairs? …It’s worse than trying out mattresses…Talk about the princess and the pea…Office chair manufacturers must never sit down for long…Each one was harder than the last…Does no one needs padding these days?…Ergonomic means $$$ dollars for no padding … It’s sort of like the bill of goods the mattress manufacturers pulled a few years back when suddenly the “bean counters” decided that no one really ever turned their mattresses over despite being advised to do so from the overzealous salesperson upon purchase …So they made the decision…that it was no longer needed (like they made them any different than before?)…. They now charge the same or more (mattress pricing needs a whole other post) ….for a one-sides mattress….We tried and we tried and after trying dozens of chairs this writer could not find one  like our tried and true La-Z-boy Voyager executive office chairs… But Bob was not dismayed…he made a beeline for the La-Z-boy catalog and found the Voyager is still in production (imagine that)…and we ordered 2!… We still needed file cabinets and the like …and Bob took us to a place …where file cabinets are put out to pasture… all shapes…colors…sizes and conditions… what stories must have been contained in them in their hay day?….In the end despite aisle after aisle and making our best attempt to find what would suit our needs….none met the criteria and so the file cabinets looking like dogs at the pound were left to await some other visitor to their “Villages” on some other day… Those file cabinets too, will be ordered…What was left apparently was contained in yet another warehouse and that was a salesman only visit or so it appeared…. The results for that search are to come by phone today…

Other long missed comforts are appearing each and every day…stuffed Chicago pizza is a phone call away…egg bagels…and a certain type of toothpaste I was sure went the way of the double sided mattress… The “uniform” of black worn by this writer (and at times mentioned by friends and foes in jest and anything but jest) is the norm around here …. sort of like “cardigans” with zippers…it really is like coming home….again!…

Today, as I sit here ….I’m kind of loving it here… and while there are a few pangs here and there for friends seen daily along with walks  into town on El Mar Drive……and the nagging feeling that I forgot a very important appointment by not being in attendance for the Commission meeting last night … I am looking forward to seeing what else will be coming my way old and new … Time to zip up the “cardigan” ….

more to come…

Tags: Chicago Day 5, Scoops
Posted in Scoops, chicago

A MOST PLEASANT EXPERIENCE …

Dear Readers ….at last night’s first commission meeting of the new LBTS  Commissioner elected on March 9th, 2010…resident Ray Wolowicz came to the podium during Public comments to talk about “Truth or Consequences ” a town he visited and went back to as often as he could due to the pleasant atmosphere he encountered and the friendly welcoming people…He hoped that with the new commission in place…LBTS would now become a place where he could find what he so fondly remembered  from his travel to that town…

From that Town’s Chamber website…
“Another pastime years ago was sitting in groups on the sidewalk benches to watch a few travelers as they passed on the highway, usually without stopping. Recreation then was undeveloped to its full potential and the town was lost among hundreds of other ” Hot Springs” scattered all over the United States; the name indicating nothing more significant than the likelihood that some hot springs were located in the area.

Then in 1950, NBC television and radio producer Ralph Edwards, on the 10th anniversary of the Truth or Consequences radio program, called his staff together and said, “I wish that some town in the United States liked and respected our show so much that it would like to change its name to ‘Truth or Consequences.’”  Upon hearing the proposition, the New Mexico State Tourist Bureau relayed the news to the manager of the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and the news spread like wildfire.

Here was an opportunity to advertise the city and its resources free of charge!  Better still, no longer was our city to be confused with that “other one” in Arkansas and the others throughout the nation (California alone has more than 30 towns called “Hot Springs”).

So, in a special city election, 1,294 of the town’s residents voted for the change to “Truth or Consequences.”  On the other hand, 295 area residents opposed the change and a protest was filed. So the city returned to the polls and again voted – by a margin greater than four to one to go ahead with the name change.

Almost 14 years later, in January 1964, the question went to the people again and they voted to keep the city’s unique name.  A fourth election was held on August 18, 1967, and once more a majority voted to keep the name Truth or Consequences.

Ralph Edwards and his entire NBC production, acting and show crew came here in 1950, aired the first live, coast-to-coast broadcast of Truth or Consequences from the city of Truth or Consequences. The residents of his adopted home were very pleased to say he came back every year for 50 years with his Hollywood friend to celebrate the anniversary of the name change. He helped spread the news about this oasis of hot springs, two of the state’s best lakes and many other recreational opportunities throughout Sierra County.”

http://www.truthorconsequenceschamberofcommerce.com/area_TorC_ralph_edwards.htm

Judging by the voting process to succeed in renaming their town…this writer can see a lot of LBTS in “Truth or Consequences” N.M….and judging from the meeting last night Ray could just be in the right place at the right time to feel that “welcoming” once again!…

THE MEETING ….

Right from the start watching it on my laptop from Chicago here was an instant charge that ran up my back as I saw the table in the front of the hall with the Department Heads seated at it…A quick glance over to the new lineup on the dais…Manager Colon-Comm. Clottey-Comm. Vincent- Mayor Minnet- Town Atty. Trevarthen (we understand this was a 1 night deal..and the TA will be on the Mayor’s right next time)- Comm. Sasser-Vice Mayor Dodd -Asst. Town Clerk Smith…It was a site for sore eyes…A moment I will never forget… For this writer it was slow motion…and not because of technical difficulties with the computer…but because I was taking it all in!..

It began with the pledge and the invocation from Town Chaplain Hunsaker (still needing to be affirmed for another 2 years)…He spoke of concentrating on issues…as well as no personal agendas and leaving the hall as friends and neighbors no matter if they disagree…Tonight Rev. your remarks were carried through!…

The Mayor asked for additions or changes to the agenda…and Vice Mayor Dodd pounced …He took this “bear” of a first agenda and put much of it in “hibernation” until the 1st Round Table meeting (March 29 2010 5 pm)…and rightfully so in accordance with the 3/17/10 organizational meeting agreements for discussion to be done in that forum rather than this one…He was particularly put off that once again a great deal of last minute information was awaiting him and the other dais members as they sat down…. No more acceptable to this majority….He also added future agenda items to a Round Table thereby streamlining those as well…If this keeps up …we could all enjoy the Aventura model of 1 Round Table and 1 Comm.meeting a month by years end!…The Mayor did ask that those who came to address the now relegated to the Round Table items be allowed to speak…and VM Dodd said of course…The items taken off were 6 -G Bocce ball court/H- Chamber roof/I- Tennis lights…8-A- Capital Improvement TM Report…10 A.- Ord. for special meetings…15-A.-Imperial Lane entry…16.D.- Parking at Municipal park…The Mayor asked the Town Atty. if all were ok to move and was told yes…including the Ord. for special meeting which it turns out was put on by the Town Atty. …with the TM BUT without direction from the Commission prior…Definitely needs to be at Round Tables prior to coming on the agenda by anyone before the Commissioners see the Ord. …and are given backup for the reasons it needs to be updated or changed..This one especially… The Mayor added on 3 items…and hopefully it will not happen again… The new Commissioners due to the swearing in being days after it was supposed be (prev.post)…missed the chance…and were told it was too full…so no additions should have been forthcoming…in this writer’s opinion…All 3 were deferred when they did come up…

First up was the proclamation for the LOWV which this writer was on record being against…(prev.post)…the second presentation…(5 minute rule for presentations going forth please…run the clock)…also previously posted…the MPO wants to do what they deem is needed (not) and despite stating ridership will drop in public transportation…they will forge ahead to tax us in a number of ways to insist we get on board… When the presentation was over…no questions came from the Commission leading the speaker to say he “did a great job or missed the mark”…We lean to the latter!.. What was a surprise …Comm. Clottey who is on record saying she sits on the board…is an alternate!…

On to the first Public Comments…the Mayor read a statement spelling out the organizational meeting agreement for comments made…(prev. post)…a man came forward to speak about using Sun Trust Bank parking for public parking…and it will require a zoning change…He was advised to meet with staff by the Mayor (a part of the new procedures)…A man from Aquazul came forward to make comments about the Green program they are instituting …A man came to speak about Choice and their business practices on bills …no notices sent…and the general substandard service he feels the Town receives from this vendor…A man who owns a hotel in town came to address the election time sudden change of allowing his “Open” sign to remain on after allowing it for more than 10 years…A man who writes for the BTSTimes came up and was less than comedic in blasting the new commission for moving the manager to the end of the dais…The Mayor informed him at the time of her comments that the manager requested that move …We hear it was after a meeting when the manager found herself seated between the Mayor and Comm. Dodd (McIntee was MIA)….The Tomato Lady came with tomatoes…and handed them out…A man came again to ask for relief on Imperial Lane and some way to slow the traffic down…A man came to set the record straight on his disdain for the treatment of the Mayor at the March 4th 2010 meeting and asked for everyone to now get along.. A man came to speak about much the same with his recounting of “Truth or Consequences”….A woman came to speak of the businesses who work long and hard…asking for increased cooperation…A woman spoke of it being a “new day”…addressing some of the issues….and it was done…

Reports were done with the Department Heads sitting at the table… First up was Finance Director Kaola King who answered questions from VM Dodd quickly, effectively and with ease… The 165,000 was paid back to the General Fund….She said that quarterly we are able to pay off the parking debt…and when asked about the increase in the prof. consultants she said it was the approval for Chen and Assoc. (wow, they are sitting pretty)…. passes 5-0 / Development Dept. Head Jeff Bowman arose and when VM Dodd asked a question on the lights and the shields…Dept.GHead Don Prince quickly came to the podium to answer …although his reply was more of the same run around in this ongoing turtle light saga…(post to come)… Director Bowman was asked by Comm. Sasser to check out the notification problems brought to the podium …He was also asked about the hand delivered letter by the Mayor (prev.post) saying it was normal to do…(Round table…too much staff if this is normal practice!)… passes 5-0/ Municipal Works…Director Don Prince…Comm. Vincent thanked him for a repair he observed in town…But when VM Dodd asked about the ever increasing rust all over the pavilion…Prince sidestepped or did not hear the question saying they keep an eye on it…(but what about getting rid of it?)…passes 5-0/ BSO Chief Llerena was questioned by Comm. Sasser on the 40.7% decrease and was told it was the month in 2 years…Comm. Sasser also asked about the traffic problems on A1A…and the Chief addressed what they are doing to cut it down and prevent it….The Mayor asked about Imperial lane alluding to comments made from a resident…The Chief addressed the vehicle burglaries in that area last year along with some burglaries…saying the perpetrator was in jail…and recent cases were “open” and could not be discussed bu he did not feel they were a general threat to the public and they are being monitored …He reminded all of the BSO shre-a-thon/ VFD Chief Perkins was really off in his replies to VM Dodd concerning the increas in “first responder calls” (medical call-prev.post)…Instead of the amount of calls…he spoke of a “swipe card” that will tell if a VFD member arrives 10 minutes or later and cutting the costs…VM Dodd warned the Chief the Comm. would not sit back very long if this continues…VM Dodd also asked about the Manager’s role with the VFD…Perkins said she is “the one he comes to”…Dodd asked about the VFD Board meetings..how often they meet…Perkins said 1 time a month…Dodd asked how may times the Manager attended as she is a non -voting member..Perkins said she has been there once for a half hour..(must have been in 2008)…Perkins did a 180 by saying anyone could come to the board meetings …including VM Dodd…Hmmm. that was not allowed in Mcintee’s reign…The Mayor asked about water training…and again Perkins did not answer …he diverted into other training…which sounded impressive…but did not answer the question…He also said “cold weather” was the reason for the beach patrol drop in hours… Really?…passes 5-0/ AMR Brook Liddle came forward to address a question from VM Dodd on a resident’s concern of choice of hospital when being transported by AMR… answer was depending on transport and severity …the policy is to the closest appropriate facility passes 5-0/ Bocce ball court was deferred to Round Table but resident Buster Celestino asked to speak on his own “study” when he and some pals went to find options that would cost the town far less than Chen’s $17,000….The Chamber roof also deferred to Round Table was briefly addressed by Chamber Pres. Paul Novak who reiterated what this writer posted previously that “appraisals” were done and roofing vendors were sent to the Chamber…talk of a roof with no cupola  (metal) that Paul said would look like “Roof like a chicken coup” if removed…He stated it was a historic building and stressed there is leakage…Don Prince had already left and could not respond…..Tennis lights were deferred as well…The Town Manager was left with 2 items for her report on after her item A.- Capital Imp. were deferred…(What happened to the progress report?)…. She spoke on the Sunshine meeting for boards…The Mayor could not understand her…and after some back and forth due to the newly adhered to Ord. for a May 11th appointed new P & Z/BOA Boards …it was decided to be on May 12th, 2010 7 pm….The Manager’s second item was the school amend. with the news the presenters wanted it moved up …The Mayor is meeting with the Broward supt. at a Mayor’s meeting on Apr. 6th…The reps want to come on Apr. 13th…VM Dodd did not like  much of what he heard from them the last time ..The TM said there are 3 staff members at the Supt.office ready to take any inquiries and reps were coming on the 13th…

Next  up was approval of the minutes…and it was like watching “who’s on first”!…The Mayor asked for approval of the minutes…no takers…no motion for approval.. The Mayor made mention that at the organizational meeting if they were not happy with them they would not accept them….and there was a standstill….until “Clueless” Clottey made one…but there were no takers for a second… and they were deferred until April 13th…with discussion of the preparation of the minutes at the Round Table… On that note…resident Edmund Malkoon did a little research… and sent this most interesting “find” to some of the commissioners along with this writer…”Granicus According to the Granicus company website, LBTS is utilizing “MinutesMaker”. This is the clerks software where she does the mins during a commission meeting. Maybe someone can inquire if we in fact have it and if the Clerk has been trained on it.”…(Answers need to be found…before the Round Table on the 29th)… The Ord. was also deferred to the Round Table …as well as on the Apr. 13, 2010 meeting…

Commissioner Comments…were actually comments made concerning their Commissioner duties …chosen randomly by the Asst. Town Clerk…1st was Comm. Sasser who recounted what he received after taking his oath…paperwork…lots of it…He told his constituents that he kept his campaign promise and did not accept cell phone allowance or insurance…He said he was not able to add items on the agenda (see above) but he would on the next ….by putting forth his personal code of conduct and he took a moment to remind his fellow dais members to use the “expected action” procedure going forth as agreed upon at the Organizational meeting/Comm. Vincent spoke of Easter and that with his wife and all the volunteers (he thanked them all) it would come off “without a hitch”…He too put forth keeping his campaign promises to resign from the Chamber…saying he supports them..no cell allowance accepted…no insurance as well…He took to task some of the roadblocks he has encountered and those he assisted in their roadblocks from Town in several situations that thwarted the efforts of those who wanted to volunteer their time…Assisting and helping his constituents were also campaign promises made / Comm.Clottey welcomed the new commissioners to their first official meeting…she said “One nice thing,things are settled at the ballot box” in our country…She spoke of who could use her private e-mail (her friends) and said her official e-mail address…She said hopefully the meetings would be shorter and she would have a “good working relationship with everybody”/ VM Dodd …kept it short…stating he was “thrilled” to be serving with this “team”…He turned down any further cell phone allowance (he gets insurance from Hillsboro) leaving only one who gets the perks (Clottey)…He spoke of the Round Tables and their usefulness …and looked forward to correcting items and constructive exchanges/ Mayor Minnet also spoke of resigning from the Chamber …(she too takes no cell/insurance)…She addressed the new procedures and spoke of this being a new chapter…the love we all have for LBTS…She spoke of all the new volunteerism and Christine Vincent and her role in taking on Easter right out of the gate…She spoke of March 27th “Lights out” 8:30-9:30…She reiterated it was  the Town Manager’s request to move down the dais….Spoke on the census…The Apr. 10th BSO Shred-a- Thon…April 6th meeting with Supt…and it was quickly done…No rants…No raves…No critiques…No “2 Hats”…No Politicking…It was something to behold!….

And with that…there was a 10 minute break….

More to come…post #2 ….

Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea March 23 2010 Commission Meeting, Scoops
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Scoops, local government

DARE TO BE GLIB ….

Dear Readers … as you saw the internet by the previous post (3/23/10 LBTS Agenda) is now up and running …after Terry from AT&T showed up to save the day (s) with news  that AT&T sold me too much speed…Whatever that means…He assured me all I needed was available and it would save me $5 a month…I was prepared to do what any half of a “wealthy white couple” would do (reference to a lame attempt at payback from BTSTimes  article…for those new readers unfamiliar and taken aback by this statement ) …to say whatever it costs just get me online!… But, not before a Tech call to a Tech in parts or countries unknown…a dropped cell phone call after waiting 5 minutes…(it was Mon.)…a re-call and starting over… (looks like Techs get no special treatment when it comes to waiting their turn when calling in)…to find out about their Firefox dislike…Welcome to Safari…The “Mac” issue with Firefox…I am told AT&T does not hook up with Firefox….(there is non-PC bias out there still?)… so AT&T and Terry went on Safari….with some more questions for “security” that bring you back to your past…such as your favorite teacher…your first pet..your first car.. I almost used that one until it was make and model…I remembered make Toyota but not the model .. almost 40 years later! … Factor in if you have a spouse who might be stuck one day with technical difficulties and he too would need to know what he hasn’t heard about since 1981!… Got it all entered and accepted …without embarrassing myself in front of 30-something Terry who was careful not to groan or snicker with the answers as he typed them in…and then he advised what I have heard so many times before in the last 3 months of moving in…”keep these answers …codes…passwords somewhere safe”…That file is now getting pretty thick … as it was placed alongside the living will..power of attorney…insurance and other important lifesaving papers that are in place for some catastrophic event  in the future…(safe enough?)… When Terry gets done …that beautiful green light is strong and steady…as if to say it’s here to stay … and we are now not only online…we are wireless!… Pretty funny the thrill of going wireless when you sell wire for a living!… I am happy to say…it took…it made it through the previous agenda post…it made it through the night and it was still showing green when I awoke this morning …Ahhhh… All was right with the world ….(not talking healthcare here folks…just the “world “of being connected)…well…that is until…. I went to turn on the Direct TV to find out …it was frozen!… I then spent the first 25 minutes of the day speaking to yet another Tech on the other end of the telephone line……who needed to re-set the boxes from his end …then directed me to unplug the modems and re-set the boxes…(see no matter what…it’s always starts with unplug it!)….and again I was waiting for the “green light”…in this case it is blue and it’s a dial that spins you into a hypnotic state if watched long enough ……When it is up and running and doing its thing… Success after the first attempt… which was a first in itself …and yet another note to attach to the box on the procedure “in case” it happens again said the Tech… (pick a day that ends with y)… Now with green lights glowing .. blue lit dials moving … and the Techs securely at bay ….do I dare to toss my hat?… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBTWF1bDPn0

more to come…

Tags: Chicago Day 4, Scoops
Posted in Scoops, chicago

RIGHT OUT THE GATE ….

NEW LINEUP …ON THE DAIS ….

COLON-CLOTTEY-VINCENT-TREVARTHEN-MINNET-SASSER-DODD-WHITE…

BC- What’s up with this first agenda for the new commission?…It’s loaded it to the max…It’s a “bear” as one pal put it…Was the current Administration looking to stick it to the “new guys”…and have a “same old-same old” 12 hour marathon?… Not so fast …if the new Commissioners are going forward as they discussed at their  Mar. 17th Org. meeting…there will be no “same old- same-old” over the next 2 years…starting with this Reg. Comm. meeting!…

1. CALL TO ORDER, MAYOR ROSEANN MINNET

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG

3. INVOCATION – Reverend George Hunsaker

BC- The new Commission need to affirm Rev. Hunsaker for 2 more years …

4. PRESENTATIONS

a. Presentation of proclamation to the League of Women Voters (Mayor

Roseann Minnet)

BC- Sorry but this writer cannot support this proclamation after the substandard Meet The Candidate Debates held last month..(prev. posts) …The moderator was not impartial in her actions/behavior and when she presented a question that many believed was supplied by the Town Manager …(prev. post) …The verbage in a memo sent out by Manager Colon on the very same day of the 1st Candidate debate was the same as the question asked and it and the question perpetuated the false assertion that a racial slur was said at public comments and it was aimed at the Town Manager….This writer wrote the moderator and received an answer that was also substandard when Ms. Smith said it was not the LOWVs job to investigate the validity of the questions they ask ..(prev.post)…That along with other questions that were often disjointed and the moderator who seemed at times to be leaning toward certain members on the dais bring forth the questioning of offering up this proclamation….

b. Presentation of the Broward County Metropolitan Planning Organization

(MPO) 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) by MPO staff, Lahoma

Scarlette

BC- replace this with how many ways can you tax the taxpayers to make them get on public transportation!… This seems to be ‘Clueless” Clottey’s “Green” contribution to LBTS… NO THANKS!.. A look at the backup shows this is a plan to get on the bus…like it or not…and as we have seen from the free and failing (still) Pelican Hopper (used in the backup)… it’s not happening!..Part of the “Complete transformation” 2035 is “Find New Revenue Sources”… (TAXES) …

“Sales tax most common/VMT Future Mobility Taxes/ TIFD (Tax Incremental Financing District) -TRID (Transportation Revitalization Investment District)- BID (Business Improvement District)”

“2035 Long Range Transportation Plan”

“Innovation Revenue ”

” Sales tax $.01 (23 yr) + Base  (21 yr)= $6.6 BILLION + $8.5 BILLION =$15.1 BILLION”

“Unit (23 yr) + Base (21 yr) = $3.1 BILLION + $8.5 BILLION = $11.6 BILLION”

“TIFD (TRID)/ (BID)  (15 yr) $5.1 BILLION + $8.5 = $13.6 BILLION”…

Note to MPO…People are not going to give up their cars…

5. PUBLIC COMMENTS

BC- The “Public” will be able to comment with “Freedom of Speech” in the broadest sense…per the Org. Meeting…No fear…fear-mongering…or critiques to be had!…

6. REPORTS

BC- These “Reports” are now to be presented to the Commission by the Dept. Heads according to 3/17/10 organizational meeting…

a. Finance and Budget Monthly Report -February 2010 (Town Manager Esther

Colon)

BC- Dept.Head Kaola King…should be at the podium…

BC- Of interest to this writer …

Occ. Licenses -Budget 67,972./YTD 71,852.17/ Curr. Mth. 1,187.09

Senior Center- Budget 24,275./YTD 9,625./ Curr Mth. 9,625.

Parking Permits- Budget 15,418./ YTD 16,330.35/ Curr. Mth. 484.

Recreational Activity Fees (new this yr) Budget 0/ YTD 1,090./ Curr. Mth. 330.

Transfer from Parking Rev. Imp. – Budget 165,645./YTD 165,645.

Commission Group Ins. Budget 12,039./ YTD 6,641.20/ Curr. Mth. 1,328.24

BC- last time for that…The new commissioners ran on no ins./cell phone perks- Mayor Minnet has never taken either and will not for her next 2 year term… Comm. Dodd recently declined his cell phone allowance and he is getting insurance from Hillsboro Inlet position…thus the only “taker” “Clueless Clottey…OUCH!…

Legal -Legal Exp. Budget 184,000/ YTD 115,670./Curr. Mth. 24,015.50- Legal Exp. Other Budget 39,000./YTD 8,378.29/ Curr. Mth. 1,841.81- Bert J. Harris Budget 250,000./YTD 17,391.44/ Curr. Mth 2,238.16- Total Budget 473,000./YTD 141,439.73/ Curr. Mth. 28,095.47

BC- Does Weiss, Serota not bill each mo.?…Last mo. there was 0…

Professional Consultants Budget 124,800/Amended Budget 222,642./YTD 58,916.25/ Curr. Mth. 32,375.75

BC- When was it increased by such a strange amt.?…

Townwide Sidewalk Maint. Budget 40,000/ YTD 11,100./Curr. Mth. 3,700.

BC- This was in the budget when former Comm. Silverstone and his running mates Evans/Couriel said we needed a sidewalk program to fix the crack on El Mar etc…So where have the sidewalks been fixed…who decides …need reports to keep apprised…

Flags Budget 3600/ YTD 114.00/ Curr. Mth. 0

BC- Why do we need 3,600 a year for flags?…We still have 2 that are too small on Commercial at the entryway…along with the too small town logos on the very expensive bases they sit in…This will provide a few bucks for the last 3 mos. “slush fund”..

Signs- Budget 18209./ Amended Budget 23,309./ YTD 5,833.74/Curr. Mth. 64.00

BC- What’s up with this?..If it is for the “banners”…what’s the deal with the same banners for the “Resort Area” being from one end of town to the other?…

Community Standards- Reg. salaries Budget 265,125./ YTD 107,599.24/ Curr. Mth. 19,307.23…Overtime – Budget 5,000/YTD 1,002.86/ Curr. Mth. 557.80…

BC- This is why former Comm. Silverstone was way off in his campaign claims of the Administration cutting the costs of staff…they were moved to “Community Standards”…including the Asst. TM… the one this Manager stated in Feb. 2007 upon purchasing Granicus we would not have a need for!…GULP!…

Senior Center Contract- Budget 91,750./YTD 31,842.60/ Curr. Mth. 6,158.62

b. Development Services Monthly Report -February 2010 (Assistant Town

Manager John Olinzock)

BC- Dept. Head Jeff Bowman should be at the podium…

Visitors 555/infor call re’cd 1008/ verb warnings 25/ notices violations 60/ courtesy notices 13/ citations issued 0/ Spec. Master cases 17/ complaints investigated 25/Re-inspec. 18/ Lien searches 12/ courtesy letters 184/ pub rec. req. 1/ fire permit inspec. 13/ fire app/ re-submittals 6/ final zoning inspec. 13/ zoning reviews 7/ building permits 34/ permit app. submitted 60

BC- What’s up with the “hand delivered letters…way over the top and is it the best use of Town employee time?..

# 44Hand delivered 20 spec. event reminders to businesses downtown- 1/6/ 2010 hand delivered 58 for sea turtle workshop- 1/13/2010 Hand delivered 58 for possible lighting violation (turtle)-2/10/2010 Hand delivered+mailed  67 addressing violations including beachfront- 2/18/2010 Hand delivered 56 fliers sea turtle lighting…YIKES!…

c. Municipal Services Monthly Report -February 2010 (Assistant Town

Manager John Olinzock)

BC- Dept. Head Don Prince should be at the podium…

Service req. complaints 19/ closed 17/ pending 2

What’s up w/ municipal workers and the Public safety Complex/ BSO building hours…

Pub safety bldg.-2-1-2010 18.50 hrs /2-2 3hrs/2-4 2 hrs/ 2-4 2 hrs/ 2-12 5.50 hrs/ 2-16 10 hrs/2-17 19 hrs/ 2-22 3 hrs/ 2-23 30.25 hrs/ 2-24 2 hrs

BSO Bldg.- 2-22-2010 6 hrs/ 2-23 9 hrs/ 2-23 6 hrs/ 2-24 5 hrs/ 2-24 8 hrs/ 2-25 18hrs/ 2-26 18 hrs

Grounds Maint. Pub Safety bldg. 2-3-2010 20 hrs/ 2-4 20 hrs/ 2-5 5 hrs/ 2-5 8.50 hrs

Grounds Maint.-Town Complex 2-25-2010 13.50

BC- when compared to time on portals-El Mar and pavilion…something is very wrong…Also quite amusing that this month time at Off-site complex-0!…

d. BSO Police Monthly Report -February 2010 (Chief Oscar Llerena)

BC- New Deputy in Town Scott Klier from North Lauderdale/ Employee of the Mo. Kim Pullease

2009/2010 Feb.Report

Auto 2/0- Burg Bus. 0/3- Burg Convey 8/2- Burg Res. 2/1- Burg. Struct. 0/1- Forc. sex 0/0- Homicide 0/0- Robbery 2/2- Theft Grand 5/3- Theft Petit8/4 – totals 2009 27/ 2010 16  …-40.7%…

e. VFD Fire Monthly Report -February 2010 (Chief Robert Perkins)

BC- 35 in-town Reg. members/ 32 out-of-town Assoc. members-24 fire/rescue call- 95 “first responder training” (medical)calls- 13 fire drills- 0 water drills- Beach patrol Bch 12 37.5 hrs / Bch 212 2.5 hrs -Station Watch comb. members 33 members 2658 hrs community serv. 3+ hrs/ Roster McIntee on administrative leave/ Avg. Response time 4.16/ prev. mo. 4.12

BC- Troublesome when the medical “First responder call” are increased…and the Beach Patrol has declined significantly…Also no water training?..We heard the fire  boat was on the way out…Hmmm….

f. AMR EMS Monthly Report -February 2010 (Operations Manager Brooke

Liddle)

BC- Avg. resp. time 3.36 /less than 6 min. 99% …No word on the parent company’s bankruptcy … http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2001/06/25/daily46.html

g. Bocce Ball Court Expansion (Town Engineer James Barton)

BC- The 1st in Chen & Assoc. “study” Trifecta.+ one..(OB Imperial Lane)…making $$$ before the engineering $$$$ come into play…it pays to play well with the TM…

Readers will remember (cannot stomach to us “recall”any longer) Rosa the tomato lady came and asked for another bocce ball court in 2008…all were agreeable and it fell through the cracks…but it was resurrected in the recent election…At first it was brought forth by the administration it would cost $200 thou +…now the Town Engineer has brought it back down to numbers even the tomato lady can swallow!… The Engineer went to the site (Municipal Park)…and other locals to “study” the bocce ball courts…He came up with 3 options…and locations…and recommends option 2 …taking away a shuffle board court and the cost 12,000 for the court/ $7,500 for Chen!…

h. Chamber of Commerce Roof Repair (Town Engineer James Barton)

BC- #2 – same “study” for Chamber roof..again Readers will remember the Chamber was “visited” by 2 roofers who said the permits were going forth and the Chamber would be allowed to choose the color of the metal roof…It led to a fire storm on the campaign trail and the very idea of metal on this “historic” building with no input from the commission/ Chamber …leading the TM to backtrack…Guess those 2 vendors who came a calling to the Chamber were just figments of one’s imagination…But at least the Chamber got a reprieve from a major mistake in roofing materials!… Now the Town Engineer has 4 options from do nothing for 0 cost/ simple roof replacement cost engineer 0 & 20-30,000 construction / RFP to replace cost engineer 17,500 & 30-50,000 construction/ Struct. analysis cost engineers 7,500 & construction poss. over 100,000… A while back Paul Novak had his roofer present an option with a warranty for $3,000 that Comm. Dodd took to the non-receptive or appreciative TM… No study was required…just thinking outside the box!…

i. Tennis Court Lighting (Town Engineer James Barton)

BC- #3 the tennis lights…again 3 options with an engineer cost of 9,000 and option # 1 4 poles 20,000/option #2 6 poles 30,000/ option #2 w/ LED lights 42,000/ option 8 poles 40,000…Chen recommends option #2… Before the lights on El Mar…Hmmm….

7. PUBLIC SAFETY DISCUSSION

8. TOWN MANAGER REPORT

a. Schedule Capital Improvement Project Workshop

BC- Cost from revised current Master Plan with her favorite “guys” Chen and Ocampo …project costs…Chen 35,000/ Ocampo 50,000

New Master Plan- w/ charettes and vision groups

Peter J. Smith (2005 Master Plan) 115,000/Ocampo 80-100,00 (12,000 Urban Massing Land)/Chen & Assoc. 158,000/ Goodkin low 175,00-350,000 if Town has charettes & vision groups…

BC- who directed the Manager to seek these companies out?… Who else might come forth with an RFP?…

b. Schedule Commission and Board Members Seminar in Conjunction with the

Town Attorney

BC- Yep, Readers will remember this writer turned over my refunded monies from the Town in 2008 for such meetings…to help other Board/Committee members to know Sunshine etc…and to know when they are falsely accused and that as board members they will be represented by attys. provided by the FL of Cities…I was told when I asked about those monies ($1500) after wanting to pay for the Pavilion Clock (offer still stands) and was informed monies to the Town could not be designated (although it was designated and used for the Sunshine meeting in Jarvis Hall ) that the money was all used for that one meeting…What did happen to that Silverstone-Furth Clock?…Did it go the way of the Easter decorations?…Hmmm…. Anywhooo…this meeting was one of the few the TM did put together well…

c. Second ILA Public School Facility Planning of Broward County

BC- The Manager states it needs to be moved up due to “numerous calls from parents”…This kind of vague statement should not fly anymore…Who called whom?…Lilianna Pomerada?….

9. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

a. February 23, 2010 Regular Meeting Minutes

BC- Hardly a recount of the meeting…need some work…But it does contain the CAFR (comp. annual finance report) which proved to be the “kiss of death” for former Comm. Silverstone when we all found we had a whole lot of money and his “saving” of $700,000 from the pre-pay penalty loan was met with no takers!…

b. March 4, 2010 Regular Meeting Minutes

BC- Ditto!… Minutes reviewed by 3 or 4 people …that come out this poor … time for a Granicus upgrade… Plus…where was the accurate description of the meeting to end all meetings …THE meeting that put the “nail in the coffin” for the Furths-CIC endorsed candidates!…

10. ORDINANCES -PUBLIC COMMENTS

1. Ordinances 1st Reading

a. Ordinance 2010-02: AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE SEA, FLORIDA AMENDING CHAPTER 2,

ADMINISTRATION, SECTION 2-18, SPECIAL MEETINGS, TO REVISE

THE NOTICE PERIOD FOR A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE TOWN

COMMISSION; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY, CONFLICTS AND AN

EFFECTIVE DATE.

BC- I hardly know where to start on this one…it’s a non-starter in this writer’s opinion!…Did I miss something?…When did the prior Commission direct such a change… This is should never be put on as a ordinance without discussion beforehand from the commission  …I would hope it would be easier to call a special meeting…no matter if it was an emergency or not…and it could be done with one commissioner …as it is with the Mayor and the Manager … and do not make it 48 hrs…keep it at 6… Not ready for “prime time” on the dais…

2. Ordinances 2nd Reading

11. COMMISSION COMMENTS

BC- Commissioner Comments are now to be comments about what a Commissioner has done in their job between each meeting…5 minutes or less…No “Bully” pulpit…with this new majority …NICE!…..

12. CONSENT AGENDA

a. Town Commission approval of Issuance of Refund to the Community Church

of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea for Temporary Sign Permit Fee in the amount of

$30.00 (Assistant Town Manager John Olinzock)

b. Commission approval of Special Event Application for Aruba Beach Cafe

Memorial Day Beach Bash 2010, Monday May 31, 2010, 8:00 AM till 8:30 PM

(Assistant Town Manager John Olinzock)

BC- Welcome Back!… No hoops to jump through from this Commission/ hopefully Town Staff will help and not hinder this event that is a big draw to out Town!…

c. Commission approval of issuance of eighty (80) parking permits to Bonnie

Horowitz for use in EI Prado Parking Lot, on Sunday May 23, 2010, from 1:00

PM till 6:00 PM, during her use of Jarvis Hall for Baby Shower (Assistant

Town Manager John Olinzock)

BC- free use of Jarvis as a resident… ..but free parking for 80 guests come on…bad precedent…

d. Jarvis Hall Interior Lighting Replacement (Assistant Town Manager John

Olinzock)

BC- What’s up with our old vendor being less expensive than the company we replaced him with?… Al Siefert (old vendor) 1,863.43/ Mr. Electric & Assoc. 2,460,00/ Imperial Elec. (current vendor) 2,568.00

13. RESOLUTION – “Public Comments”

a. Resolution 2010-04: A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN OF LAUDERDALE-

BY-THE-SEA, FLORIDA, PROVIDING FOR THE APPOINTMENT

OF AS VICE-MAYOR; PROVIDING FOR

SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICT; PROVIDING FOR AN

EFFECTIVE DATE.

BC- This one is easy…Vice Mayor Stuart Dodd…only question is…4-1 or 5-0 any bets?…..

b. Resolution 2010-06: A RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN OF LAUDERDALE-

BY-THE-SEA, FLORIDA, AUTHORIZING A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

AGREEMENT WITH POST, BUCKLEY, SHUH & JERNIGAN, INC. FOR

DESIGN SERVICES IN THE AMOUNT OF $58,300.00 FOR LANDSCAPING

AND RELATED IMPROVEMENTS ON STATE ROAD A1A; DIRECTING THE

APPROPRIATE TOWN OFFICIALS TO EXECUTE THE AGREEMENT;

PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ANY CONFLICTING RESOLUTION;

PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE

DATE.

BC- After Comm. Clottey tried to demean then-candidate Scot Sasser for a 3rd time after he brought to the Town’s attention the PBS&J inquiries…by disjointedly moving the item up to presentations…then joining Silverstone and McIntee in downplaying any concern…Commissioner Sasser seems to have made his point on paper…with the contract that includes … a contract time with terms that the Town has the right to terminate with 7 days written notice with “any or no reason” and “all materials are turned over to the Town within 10 days.”/ and the Town can make changes without invalidating terms of the agreement…KUDOS, Commissioner!….

14. QUASI JUDICIAL PUBLIC HEARINGS

15. OLD BUSINESS

a. Discussion and/or action to have the Town Engineer research the traffic flow

on Imperial Lane to see if signage or a barrier is needed to prevent through

traffic from A1A from entering this street (Commissioner Birute Clottey)

Direction given at the January 26, 2010 meeting for additional

information (Town Engineer James Barton)

BC- This was #4 for  Chen…$17,000 for a build out to calm the flow into Imperial with no arm needed…And the study cost was?…

b. Discussion and/or action for the Commission to give its final approval to the

final construction drawings for the EI Mar Drive beautification before

construction begins (Commissioner Stuart Dodd) Direction given at the

January 26, 2010 meeting to go before the Master Plan Steering

Committee

BC- Included in the backup…no backup …just a memo from the Town Clerk that no minutes came from the MPSC…as asked for…New MPSC…new minutes…But looks like we already paid Chen & Ocampo approx. 85,000 …WOW!…

16. NEW BUSINESS

a. Discussion and/or action regarding applications for Board Members (Town

Clerk June White)

1. Board of Adjustments

2. Planning & Zoning Board

Appointment to occur on May 11, 2010 Per Code -Section 30-6 & 30-7

BC- This was a great mix up with the Town Clerk’s letter to the present members…the perceived timing for new boards and the longtime but not adhered to code.. It needs to be rectified…starting with the termination of the present members as they “serve at the pleasure of the Commission” and as the previous majority did in 2008 a notice needs to go out to them  (prev. post)…. Many of the current members surely do not meet that threshold!…The boards will resume in May after the new members are appointed…(so few meeting have occurred over the last 2 years ..1 month will not impede anything we know of)…The code needs to be updated to reflect the elections and not a date certain in May…  Post to come on the boards…(it needs its own post)…

b. Discussion and/or action regarding applications for Committee Members

(Town Clerk June White)

1. Master Plan Steering Committee

2. Walk Around Committee

BC- Master Plan Steering Committee should retain Chair Paul Novak, Vice Chair Sandra Booth and Bob Eckblad along with new members who have not served before…who will bring new ideas to the table …. as we deal with the new Master Plan…revising what we have… and please…bring all the past plans to this new committee and open up the door for all those wonderful people Sandra Booth can bring in to assist us…(Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk … http://www.dpz.com/ )…

BC- Disband the Walk Around Committee …It was  a McIntee committee and it was D.O.A. ….

c. Discussion and/or action regarding drafting a resolution opposing the Local

Bill proposing to create the Broward Independent Fire District (Town Manager

Esther Colon)

BC- still a no-go in 2010…

d. Discussion and/or action by Town Commission regarding Enforcement of

Parking Spaces surrounding Town Municipal Park (Assistant Town Manager

John Olinzock)

BC- letter included by Lilliana Pomerada …to the Mayor and then to the Asst. TM…Needs discussion and not on the dais…

e. Ratification of the appointment of Commissioner Chris Vincent as the

Chairperson for Easter-By-The-Sea with a budget of $1,500.00 (Mayor

Roseann Minnet)

BC- Why does the Administration still want to play around with the budget and the special events?.. 1st it was withholding the full $5000 for Christmas-By-The-Sea from the Chamber… and now it is falsely claiming the Easter Budget is $1500!…The justification sheets (heresthescooponline-Aug. post) show the amount is $3000 …We hear the Administration was also trying to say the Town had no Easter decorations!… How so?… Did the Furths decide to walk away with material the Town paid for…or did they just  take their “ball” and go home?… Cannot find any verification that a Comm. needs to chair Town events as “Clueless’ so crassly interjected last meeting…no surprise…

f. Discussion and/or action regarding selection of Town Photographer (Mayor

Roseann Minnet)

BC- No need …ask for volunteers per event…and ask PIO D’ Oliveira to do it as part of his job …

g. Discussion and/or action on Greenfest (Commissioner Stuart Dodd)

BC- As the Mayor wrote in the last edition of the BTSFuture …The Town decided to hit her with a possible trip in front of the Special magistrate due to a statute that says she needs to produce materials to close the event account since she had her name on it…At the 11th hour it was definitely an election time action…The Mayor has, in this writer’s opinion met that threshold requirement stated in the statute…. Especially when you compare what the Town/ Manager has accepted over the last 2 years for events put on by the Furths/McIntee/Silverstone/Clottey…and what she has produced and turned over to the Town/Manager  for Greenfest! … This Commission needs to rescind the prior Commission’s boondoggle!….

h. Discussion and/or action on the Senior Center contract and agreement

(Commissioner Stuart Dodd)

BC- Time to make the Director know the ambush is over…take away his $400 commitment to advertise in Town Topics and find out once and for all if Broward County had any idea what the Town Manager was up to in her underhanded dealings to rid the center of Armilio…This writer was told on election day that if he was terminated many if not all of the volunteer teachers…would exit as well…They do what they do because he is the Director…Did Clottey and Colon know that?…What do you all think!…

i. Discussion and/or action to request an opinion from the Attorney General on

the use of the LETF funds (Commissioner Stuart Dodd)

BC- Comm. Dodd has a list of items that he wants re-addressed and this is one of them…He previously asked the Town Atty. to send a letter to the Atty. General for an opinion on the proper use of LETF  monies…He had no traction and was not backed to allow the inquiry … Now he still wants the inquiry…and to see if the Manager should have been upfront with the real costs to renovate the public Safety Complex…

j. Discussion and/or action for Minor Site Plan Approval for Ocean Terrace

Beachside Condominium (Assistant Town Manager John Olinzock)

17. TOWN ATTORNEY REPORT

18. ADJOURNMENT

19. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

BC- being back in Chicago…the famous Saturday Night Live skit always seems to pop up…”Cheeseburger…Cheeseburger ” … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH_b9XwloHE&feature=related … and in that vein this writer say…for the Future Agenda items…Round Table…Round Table…

April 13, 2010 -Turtle lighting

April 13, 2010 -Maintenance Agreements -Tree Trimming, Electrical, Street

Lighting

BC- ITB BIDS for Electrical/Street Lighting in March 21, 2010 Sentinel Public Notices … http://heresthescooponline.com/

April 13, 2010 – D/A Hillsboro Inlet

April 13. 2010 -Town Slogan

April 13, 2010 -Bus Shelter Design

April 13. 2010 -Resolution 2010-03: Ocean Energy

April 27, 2010 -Ordinance 2010-01:24 Hour Business

April 27, 2010 – Stormwater Master Plan Final Report

May 11, 2010 – Second ILA Public School Facility Planning of Broward County

June 8, 2010 – Rules for Senior Center Activities

June 22, 2010 -Ordinance 2009-35: Amending Ch. 30

AT&T has today made it possible…to watch …again, Granicus willing!….

more to come ….after the meeting…

Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea March 23 2010 Regular Commission Agenda, Scoops
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Public Safety, Scoops, VFD, local government

WHO HAS THE WD-40?…

Dear Readers… Do you remember the episode of Friends with Phoebe on hold for assistance …She was on for days…DITTO!…

I fully intend to be able to put the agenda on next…and to watch the March 23rd LBTS Reg. Commission meeting tomorrow night…I may have only one functioning ear…(telephone ear…no bluetooth for this writer)…but I will be watching…here or somewhere in this building where AT&T is fully engaged in allowing a streamlined view …Granicus willing!…

Last night was particularly painful when my new Mac  laptop and I came to blows after I found out it had a mind of its own when “Taxi” would not allow for “Adobe”to make an appearance….. Annoyingly it kept getting into my face essentially saying it was closed for business to come back later!…The arrow for the “go back one page” or go forward totally disappeared as well…(was that kind of like the middle finger?)… And of course all the downloaded backup for the commission meeting was loaded (finally) on “Adobe”…Now thanks to Mac being as temperamental as a 2 year old…I could not open any of it! …So I did what anyone with computer problems does after 48 hours…I had a major meltdown… and cursed the day I ever decided to take the leap into upgrading  in order to make my life easier!…

After the allotted 15 minutes were over (think Holly Hunter in Broadcast News)…I decided to do whatever it took to find “Adobe”  and worry about the fallout of what would be required to correct my corrections …later…much later!…

Somehow, my Mac must have realized this writer meant business and it actually coughed up my “Adobe” saved PDFs… from wherever it was hiding them …

When in doubt…one thing has not changed with any plug-in device old or new…Pull the plug, count to 10  and start over…It still gets the job done!…And it did..on the 7th try!…

Now with my notes firmly in hand…and written out the old fashioned way …in blue inked pen on yellow lined legal pad paper…just to make sure they will be there when I need them to post …  Almost time to get back to business… So that’s one down……

AT&T called as they said they would Monday morning (prev. post)…and a recording proudly told me my “problem” was fixed… As the automated recording spit out the good news…I took a quick look at the modem that I was told would be green only to see it was still flashing red!…Before I could push the  option button to report that the recording was a little too quick in its declaration…a call-waiting was shown from AT&T…So I hit the “flash” thinking (wrongly) it was an actual living Tech…NOPE!… It was a second recording asking me to survey the job they had done…Hmmm…. a pat on the back before the end of the first recording…That’s some overzealous “piggybacking” for sure!… Of course a quick “flash” back to return call one…and it was already gone…leaving me to call AT&T for help on a Mon. morning…We all know what that meant…Phoebe time once more!…Another trouble ticket…and as Jackie Gleason said…”Away we go”… (TV references do seem to be flowing today..)…

So, it look like more of the same in day 3…as I look for the WD-40 ….in the  hope somebody has a few cans… and that they’re headed in my direction… ready to unlock and load … get thing running smoothly… for day 4…

more to come…..

Tags: Chicago Day 3, Scoops
Posted in Scoops, chicago

ADVANCES  IN TECHNOLOGY ? ……

Dear Readers …  Long ago my husband told me the story about his grandfather who had just received one of the first new digital watch….upon receiving the gift he said now he had to use 2 hands to see what time it was!… Thus, it is the same situation and then some (to put it mildly) with upgrading to a new laptop and and learning new gadgets that protrude from the “ports”…the “hub”… such as external drives named “taxi” and the backup actually named “backup”… All I am told to make my life easier and portable!…This  definitely takes more than 2 hands!… It takes many more steps than ever before … It involves re-steps… and set-up… Then the re-set-up because a step was missed?… I am informed these various appendages attached to the laptop are not in “sync”… or in “lay-man” terms… what should appear does not!… ARGHHHH…… Send in a tech-savvy daughter from down the hall…who then zips from one thing to another with the greatest of ease …So confident and cocky is she … and way too fast … which leaves this writer not only in the dust..but thoroughly overwhelmed and further confused that she might be undoing something the tech in Florida did and could she actually be adding in yet another step to the ever growing list of steps I now need to remember!… (She assures me she has not!)… Maybe, a visit from a young tech savvy 20-something or younger is needed in LBTS rather than from Granicus …(prev. post) …From a quick look while up and running in that brief period of actual Verizon usage …it does now appear that the hours look correct for both the March 15, 2010 swearing in and the March 17, 2010 organizational meeting …..But, with the status quo of computer snafus over the last few days…I do not dare to try the video to check if it is correct… (But that and the back-up for the  March 23rd Commission meeting are slated for next….. “Technology”  willing…)

Needless to say, Dear Readers,  …. after taking more deep breaths than I can count in an attempt to stop saying out loud the #!# words I am definitely muttering under my breath …I too understand there is something wrong when it now takes 2 hands to tell the time of day!…

And how are things In LBTS?….

more to come….

Tags: Day 2 Chicago, Scoops
Posted in Scoops, chicago