LENGTHY DISCUSSION ABOUT LENGTHY DISCUSSIONS …

Dear Readers …item 3b. on the LBTS Commission Roundtable was the Mayor’s “Discussion Regarding the Length of Commission Meetings”…This writer assumed the Mayor had finally realized the error of her ways as the Chair of these Roundtables and how ineffective she had been in that role as well as how this experiment based on Aventura proved to be a bad fit…On top of that I assumed there would be some succinct discussion with direction offered up from the Town Manager on how to not only return to two commission meetings but to get those to run more efficiently as well…No such luck…It became a Seinfeld episode when it stretched out to approximately 25 minutes with most of that time being taken up by the Mayor herself! … ( To decide a date for Rep West took the commission 10 minutes, this item took 25 minutes and when it came to the purchasing manual the Mayor wanted no discussion and to move it on to the commission meeting…talk about priorities) …It also became quite apparent that Comm. Clottey and the Mayor took this opportunity to take aim at Vice Mayor Dodd’s agenda item concerning referendum items on the 2012 ballot which was on for a second time….The Commission spent a lot of time talking about the same things they talked about shortly after they were elected at their procedural meetings and again at multiple meetings that followed since then questioning the roundtables and priorities …

Here’s what I think needs to happen… The priorities that were already made in 2010 need to be put back in place.. Commissioners should receive the backup as it is turned into the Town Clerk for each meeting allowing them a longer amount of time to digest what they will base their decisions on instead of the status quo which is near to or after dinner time on the Friday before the meetings … Commissioners should then have 4 or 5 salient points on each topic to present and move on…For constituent issues that arise all they have to do is address what they have done to address them in their Comm. comments in order to show they have done their due diligence … They also need to have the Town Manager go through her whole report before moving on as it is a vital part of each meeting … Her reports need to include a complete professional services section updated each month ….The Commission needs to allow the Town Manager /Town Attorney to remind them of past actions they have made in order to not waste time reversing decisions due to no retention or recall on previous decisions they made… And as both Comm. Sasser and the Mayor who pointed out they need to see if there is consensus in moving items along and that Administration has the direction required…I am also hopeful that the dais members will discontinue the need to expand on their comments and tell us about their feelings or do any electioneering spin …  just the issue and the policy decision …There is no reason these meetings cannot be finished by 10 pm … After all we have seen this happen in the past from these same Commissioners …

Item 3b. mostly verbatim  … As you read the comments made from the commission remember these commissioners have served together for 15 months…

Mayor Minnet- ” Alright the next item is discussion regarding the length of commission meetings. I actually put this on not so much as the time but the actual agenda items themselves. um, what can we do as a commission to work through these agendas both on our workshop,on our roundtables and on our commission meetings to see what we can do to move these forward? I think it’s important. I know I made a commitment to the residents that I would do that and we seem to being bogged down on certain items coming back multiple times for discussion. Um, is that something that we want to continue to have happen and I just think that’s important to. It plays into where we’re at with our Town Attorney and all of the issues that surround the lengths of these meetings and the substantive issues that we’re discussing within those agenda meetings and are some of those items served best at a staff level or are the items that could be discussed first at the staff level and then brought back to this commission for policy decisions. So that was why I put that out there. We may not get alot of discussion on that tonight but I did want to put that out there um, because there are items in this roundtable that we’ve already discussed. There are items on commission meetings that we’ve already discussed. Um, so I just, again I wanted to bring that forward sort of hear from the rest of us and maybe be our own police at times cause I know there’s been times that I’ve done the same thing so, I’m, I’ll be the first to raise my hand to say that I’ve done it too. Um, but I think we need to be more diligent. The fact is we’re coming into budget time right now. We have alot of meetings that are coming up. There’s alot of things residents may call us and ask us to put on the agenda but I think we really need to look at those and see where they’re at in the priorities.

Comm. Clottey- ” I’d like to add something Mayor, um, I try to go to the Town Manager if it’s some of the smaller things and we try to solve things that doesn’t need to go to the commission and there’s alot of things that we ask the Town to do administratively and that does cut down the number of items that go on the agenda.”

Mayor Minnet- ” The other thought could be if items do, if we do have items that we’d like to have brought forward maybe have the Town Clerk keep a file of those so that we then bring it back to our review when we review everything with the Town Manager and these items then become priorities. Um, you know I don’t want anything to get lost in the shuffle because they’re important items that come up for all our residents and all our businesses. So again, I just wanted to discuss that with everyone.”

Comm. Clottey- ” Well we don’t really follow this meeting using Roberts Rules. At the commission meetings we do and Roberts Rules say that if the others have voted something down that you have to be on the winning side to put something back and we haven’t held to that. But I don’t believe Roberts Rules apply to the roundtable so you can bring it back as much as you want.”

Mayor Minnet- ” Well, do we want to adopt that Roberts Rules of Order apply to roundtables?”

Vice Mayor Dodd- ” Um, I think you’re all being a little unfair because you haven’t had the discussion yet that I intend to bring up on the referenda and you’re all grasping at that because you feel that I put it on two meetings. I would like to say that commission meetings are long anbd that we are not using roundtables as they were originally intended and I believe it’s time to suspend their use and go back to two commission meetings. I would still like to keep the option open to hold a roundtable if some of the commission feel we need the more lengthy discussion on a particular item. If you look at today’s agenda it reveal 18 items. Only 5 were placed by the commissioners. One of those was administrative to try and reach a mutually acceptable date. The other 13 items places in this agenda by Town staff cannot be voted on at this meeting by us because those are the rules of the roundtable and I believe we need to go back to two commission meetings, I’m afraid. I like the roundtable format because it allows us to have a mutual interchange. I will deal with the item that you keep trying to hound me on , the referendum when we get there and yes, I deliberately put it on again because I want to nail each of you down as to exactly where you stand and where your campaign promises are and where you stand for the future on this particular issue and I will deal with it when we get there. But, we’re dealing currently with are roundtables working. I think we can go back to the two commission meeting format where the second commission meeting starts off with public comments. We don’t have the address stuff at the beginning. We don’t have the presentations because at the moment when you look at what we’re doing we are holding a special meeting and then a roundtable and I don’t think that’s working. But I don’t want to dispose completely so, I would actually be in favor of going back to two commission meetings with the option that we can call a roundtable should we desire one.”

Comm. Clottey- Well, I like having  the roundtables and I don’t think that we should follow Roberts Rules so that we can be more spontaneous. I like that but that doesn’t preclude having two commission meetings if need be and I don’t have any problem with this special commission meeting being called as long it’s on the same day or at least the same week as we have our regular either roundtable or commission meeting.”

Com. Sasser- ” Everyone’s lookin at me, I guess it’s my turn. I agree. I think we need to go back to two commission meetings but I do enjoy the roundtables. One of the things I’ve noticed and I will say that I do this as well, one of the things I would like for us to at least discuss tonight is how do we police ourselves in asking staff to go and do something and if in fact that they go off and work on that and we don’t reach consensus that we all want staff doing that. It happens at the meeting all the time. I have one on here as a matter of fact that I said hey, I’d love for you to go off and work on it and we see it on the agenda and again we didn’t really reach consensus. So, I see that happening alot and I think that pours more work on. We ought to have more accountability to our priorities that we’ve set. So, maybe it’s just policing of ourselves and I’ll be the first one to say hey, as I notice it. I ask all of you to keep me in line as well but just as easily as at the meetings just say do we have consensus on that before we go send Connie or Bud or these folks off doing it. And again I see a number of those on here and I admit there’s one or two that are min so.”

Mayor Minnet cut him off -”Alright, that’s why I brought it, again, I was the first one to say I think we’re all guilty of it to some degree.” She then asked the TAtty. for her thoughts on the roundtable…This too has been done before and the response from TAtty. Trevarthen was essentially the same when she spoke of how cities work  either way ..have them or not…what the purpose is to be less constrained due to not having the restraints associated with a regular commission meetings…She also spoke of this commission not having 2 day long meetings as were the case often with the previous commission…She said if they wanted to go back they could and they could also program their meetings with certain topics as well..

Comm. Sasser – said he heard what she was saying but that part of why they have all these special meetings is to be able to vote and not wait until they can at a regular commission meeting and if they did what she was proposing that would arise again and he did not think that would solve the problem…He again stated they need to be able to vote,have discussion and police themselves…He went on say they could look at the agendas at the start of the meetings and see if they are priority items but he added it’s campaign season and he didn’t want to get into arguments…in jest..

Mayor Minnet-” Well there was something that the Town Manager mentioned at the last meeting is, and that was that on the sheets themselves we should say is that on the priority list and I think that’s important. I do think that we need to go to two commission meetings. I think it will move things along quicker . I think it’s important that those agenda sheets do show on there what we’ve looked at as a priority as far as high, medium and low or never been discussed before. I think that we need to police ourselves to bring more information into what we’re looking for on those agenda sheets so staff isn’t just running around looking for things um, so I think that again we need to be more deliberate in that so we can make sure that a quicker basis. So, with that I’ll let Connie speak.” …The Town Manager wanted to make a few suggestions for the commission to consider …They included having the two regular commission meetings plus a two hour roundtable prior to one of them that runs from 5-7 pm.. She stated she had worked under that situation and it worked well…(As prev. posted TM Hoffmann was unaware of the backlash to previous pre-meetings that were the norm under Mayor Parker) … She also needed to clarify with the commission procedure she was operating under that anything out of the ordinary went to the roundtable…She said i would be easier if straight forward items such as the fire inspection fees could go directly to the commission meetings …less controversial items …She also asked that anything designated high priority goes to the top of this list because the at present many of those items fall to the end of agendas and because the commission is tired due to the late hour they are not discussed or moved to the next agenda…Mayor Minnet responded that was “no problem” and spoke of the past when items were taken in the order as they were received for placement on the agenda…She again reiterated the need for two commission meetings and questioned the time of 5 pm for a meeting and the difficulty for residents to attend them…She asked if public comments would be allowed at those 5pm meeting or at the commission meeting that followed…those were her two concerns she said..

Comm. Clottey- ” The only thing I have as a concern is that we’re elected officials and we have constituents that we need to answer to and we need to answer to people in the town and if they came to us with a problem it not be on the priority list. We have an obligation to the people in this community to put something on at least to talk it out. I don’t want to see that particular items you know we have to talk about it. That’s our duty. That’s our duty to the people of this town.”

Comm. Sasser -” Madam Mayor, I agree with Commissioner Clottey but at the same time I would like to have and I realize you run the meetings as the Chair so that’s the reason I’m looking at you,but I’d like to have the option as we discuss something, possibly a new business or whatever, when we get to the end of the discussion I or, have a short discussion, any of us to be able say can we push this off as a low priority and perhaps it goes on a list that Connie or June or somebody keeps that says you know what we can we vote just to say hey let’s push this off as a lower priority. That sort of option.”

Mayor Minnet-” I, I had mentioned that, that we have a list of priorities but they don’t get just lost in the waves.”(Comm. Sasser agree… Those are important items. I do think that, that’s important that we review those items um, and I think that time could be when we’re reviewing with the Town Manager her, um, the next year. You know we can review those sense of priorities that we have looked at during the year that did come up as priorities. So again, I don’t want that to be something that we don’t, we don’t look at just gets thrown into the abyss. I’m not sure roundtables makes sense right now. I think we’ve seen unfortunately that they haven’t worked I, I would say let’s go to two commission meetings and then we will schedule either a roundtable or workshop if we need them.”…Comm. Sasser agreed and joked about Comm. Vincent needing to wear a tie at every meeting and Comm. Vincent laughingly responded he had been doing so … The Town Atty. answered the Mayor about what needed to be done to change back to the long held format ft two commission meetings stating it was a simple resolution change…There was no specifics but we assume that will be on the next commission meeting on the 28th so that two commission meetings in July ..

This redundant lengthy exchange lasted again approximately 25 minutes…

more to come…

Tags: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Mayor Roseann Minnet-Vice Mayor Stuart Dodd- Cimmissioner Scot Sasser-Commissioner Chris Vincent -Commissioner Birute Clottey-Town Manager Connie Hoffmann, The Lauderdale-By-The-Sea June 14 2011 Commission Round Table ... #3 ... It Could Have Been A Seinfeld Episode ...
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Opinions, Scoops, local government

THEY WERE ALL PLAYING THE  SAME TUNE  …..

Dear Readers …at last night’s LBTS Commission Roundtable Public Comments it appeared the UOT bunch that showed up in Jarvis Hall was well orchestrated as they signed in to speak… After a resident from Sunset Lane spoke LBTS resident and Editor of BTSFuture Mark Brown came up to speak..(it took a few extra minutes due to Town Clerk June White’s inability to work the timer as well as her inability to read his writing calling out Mark Lees (?) before saying Mark Brown) .. He began what was the theme of the first half of this meeting to repeat and expand on his comments against having a referenda …Those who followed him did so with literally in the order they signed in as well as in the content of their opposition to any referendum items being on the 2012 ballot …The orchestration continued well beyond the comments as you will see in the next posts…

The Public Comments made on the referendum agenda item d. along with commentary from this writer…

Mark Brown -” I wanted to speak on item d. the referenda. I thought this item had been disposed of previously but it’s back on so I’m back up here to talk about it again. I just don’t understand this issue. You know I looked at the backup and it says that we’re gonna have a referendum on building a parking garage. Where’s this project? Where’s this garage gonna be located? What’s it gonna look like? How much is it gonna cost? Who’s gonna pay for it? Who’s gonna use it? You know how can we be expected to vote on project if we don’t have any information about what it is we’re voting on? There’s another one on there a referendum on a Town Hall project. What project are we being asked to vote on? Are we gonna renovate the existing Town Hall? Are we gonna tear it down and move it? Where are you gonna put it? What’s it gonna look like? How much is it gonna cost? Who’s gonna pay for it? When’s it gonna get done? You know we’re gonna need this information if you expect us to cast an informed vote on a referendum question then you gotta give us the details of these projects and I don’t see them. If you’re just planning to put some real vague question on a referendum, do you want a garage? I don’t think that’s fair to us to make us vote on something where we don’t know what we’re voting on and I’d love to hear from the Town Attorney if it’s even legal to put something that vague on a referendum question. My secondary concern is if you do put a real vague question on the agenda do you want a garage and people vote against it are you tying the hands of future commissions? Are you saying that there will never be a garage built in this town because the people have voted against it or there will never be a new Town Hall Complex in this town because people voted against it even though we didn’t know what we were voting on? Or what if these projects pass? What if people say yeah, let’s build a garage. How you gonna pay for it? What’s it gonna look like? Where you gonna put it? I mean you gotta give us some information if you’re going to put these issues on a referendum and finally I’ll repeat what I said last time. We elected our commissioners to represent us and to make the decisions about running the town. Personally, I think this Commission and this Town Administration are doing a great job and I mean that and I have confidence in your ability to make the right decision.  But if you’re not willing to do your job and vote on these issues, it’s not that hard. If you like a project then you come up with the money to pay for it and if you vote for it. If you don’t like a project you vote against it. If you’re concerned that maybe the timing is just not right, something like a garage should be put off for a couple of years, then just don’t bring it up. But don’t force a vote on a referendum that might tie the hands of future commissions and tie the hands of the town forever.”

BC- the handful of UOT members clapped loudly… (and did so after each of their speakers) …Personally, I like Mark Brown…but his comments are way off  base in my opinion…He not only led the way in the comments made this evening but he led them astray and entered into scenarios that made no sense at all when you look at the facts .. First of all he should know being in government himself before retirement and going through several referendums in our town…that the referendum items would not be posed as they were in the backup…He also knows that the cost and locations have been discussed as well as renderings from UM and in the previous renditions of town redevelopment … He knows that specifics could be ironed out as the referendum timeline went forward to include how to pay for it etc… I did not vote for these candidates I helped to redo the Master Plan and neglect the infrastructure, sewer, drainage and lighting problems along with streamlinig not growing town government over  the past fiscal year… After hearing these UOT supporters along with the Commission I along with many taxpayers know full well no confidence should be forthcoming for this Commission or Administration if we are to believe them that the big ticket items are 5-10 years away if that…But maybe they are really “a couple” of years as Mark states …If that is the case then you bet I want my say in how they will be funded… Can these be the same people that supported these Commissioners who as candidates won due to the past Commission’s purchase of the Public Safety Building and the Colon contract (made by the 2007 Commission) with it’s huge payout now stating it’s for the Commission to decide?… WOW!…The mantra of “tying the hands of future commission”…doesn’t fly either …because as we know all too well the Commission/Administrations can do that all on their own!… And yes, if the people vote to go ahead with the projects… then we know to go ahead… Tie the hands of commissions in the future?..I would have liked to have tied the hands of this Commission when they went ahead with this “pie in the sky” Master Plan redo and the hundreds of thousands of dollars we spent for a plan they say they have no intention of implementing until it’s as obsolete as they decided the 2004 Master Plan was!… I do agree it is not hard to do their job and the job I voted them in for was to keep focused, be fiscal no matter if you like the employee or not (streetsweeper at $60,000 for Muni Dir. Don Prince because the TM said Don wants it! Sasser, Vincent,Clottey gave the go ahead!) and of course do their homework…as well as being able to retain what they and the rest of the Commission have previously done…

Diana Kuglar – said she would “ditto” what Mark Brown said and said the UM was “awesome” and that she like most of it …not all… She said of the Master Plan revisions and referendums ” No referendums please. Go for it we elected all of you to make these decisions. Please do not leave it to residents to vote. Most do not have a vision for this town. Perhaps they’re afraid of change because there hasn’t been much of it. Leave it to the voters and the answer will be no and all of this and the future of our town will have been a waste. We’ll be squeezed by Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach making great strides. We’ll  be the town that didn’t keep up. That’s not the marketing plan or the model that I see for our future. I encourage all of you to make the big decisions. Go against the naysayers, continue to make rthis town a wonderful town to live and visit and vote no to referendums.”

BC- The above was just a portion of Diana’s comments…She and her husband live in the Minto condos and I would bet the part of the UM plan she did not like was the plan to build in the El Prado Parking lot which would impede her residence… It is a subject her husband a former member of the MPSC was adamant about in some pretty heated exchanges with fellow members when talk of a parking garage in that lot came up..(prev. post)…

Yann Brandt (his comments to come in separate post)& Frank Herrmann were definitely seated outside the “pit” when it came to the referendum as both were in favor…Mr Herrmann said leave it up to the constituents…He was also against a marketing /branding consultant and full-time employee in our little town…

Marie Chiarello- “I’m not up here to point fingers but I have to tell you I’m not happy seeing this great need to put referendums on any ballot right now. I feel this is undermining what was on the previous ballot at our last election. Remember Amendment 4 which was voted down? Clearwater made it loud and clear what happens when community is needed to vote on all major planning . I will be the first to tell you we don’t need a parking garage at this time and underground wiring. But we do need to start repairing this town. The residents have shown in the past if they are extremely against something they will make their feelings known to our Commissioners whether through emails, meetings, or phone calls. As usual we have people putting the cart before the horse. Let’s give our Commissioners and staff time to prioritize what is needed in the Master Plan. Let’s stop wasting time and money and yes this is a waste! I hope you always use your heads to think of what is good for this town not what the thoughts of others who threaten with loss of re-election.”

BC- Well let’s see… this Commission/staff already prioritized last year during the budget… It’s a little disingenuous to state no parking garage/undergrounding when that was all that was discussed ad nauseum at the charettes with nary a word outside of this writer to the contrary of doing both and much, much more… “Cart before the horse” said Marie about the referendum……I’d say that would apply to going through this costly MP re-do if we are to believe they do not want to get through the next election and then quickly start planning  for all of the above  … (Marie did say “at this time” when discussing the big ticket items  … And as for repairing this town (which comes up again from future UOT Candidate Malkoon) who stopped them over the past fiscal year…The cost to repair the infrastructure itself will require funding we don’t have in the town coffers at the present time…

Bill Vitolla- ” Again with the referendum,I don’t agree with going for it. People always come here you let them know their taxes are goin up or this and that. They’re gonna come and complain. You know you put anything out for a referendum as you can see in this town alot of things are startin to fall apart because alot of people don’t like spending their money on their properties and they’re falling apart and that’s why everything needs to get redone in this town, not everything but alot of things need to get redone. The people that don’t want to spend the money they need to spend the money on some of their buildings. And we elected the town to do our job to take care of our town and present the best way way they possibly can and that’s what we have commissioners for. People will come down and complain if you’re doin  something you don’t want. But me, I live up at the other end of town . If it costs me twenty dollars more a year, a household fifty dollars whatever it might be to put underground wiring on El Mar or fix El Mar up, hey it needs it. This Town needs help! Look at Fort Lauderdale. They’re redoing their beach committee, their beach area. Pompano redoing their beach area. Yeah, CRAs whatever u call it, but it’s still tax dollars. They’re not getting the tax dollars. They’re just going to that area, still tax dollars.”

BC- By this point this writer was say “check, check and check” to the same statements being made..On the subject of Fort Lauderdale and Pompano…and their redevelopment…silence is heard when asking the question of comparing the millage-population- business revenue and debt for redeveloped municipalities to our town …On the subject of those not fixing up their places throughout town …a look at the impact of the past years on those who reside in those properties would be more appropriate …and of course politically correct!…OOPS!….

Edmund Malkoon- ” Um, regarding the referendum, um, without sounding redundant I have two issues with having it on the agenda right now. My first issue is that you’re asking to put on referendum items that were never approved by the Commission or voted on or really even discussed. The Commission has not voted to put a garage . They have not voted to put a new Town Hall complex. Um, so then why are we discussing putting something on that hasn’t been decided upon? Um, the other concern of mine as it was sort of mentioned before was if you do put this on a referendum and it is my understanding the Vice Mayor is not in favor of these projects at this time but if you do put it on a referendum and the voters approve it and they say go forward do all these projects are you tying the hands of the future commissions and this town’s taxpayer dollars to spend and do all those projects? It could work in the reverse. So those are my concerns. For me the infrastructure is the number one priority and that needs to be addressed. The lighting, the sewers, the drainage issues we have. Let’s focus on those and move this town forward.”

BC- First let me say that Mr. Malkoon will not get my vote…due in large part to the fact that he obviously does not know the definition of “redundant”!.. He began by saying “without sounding redundant” and the proceeded to be so!… No one said we were hoping for a no vote on the projects …If the voters say yes…then we know they are willing to pay for it… In true political playing both sides of the fence he finished by asserting that infrastructure, sewers, drainage and lights need to be the number one priority…and insinuated as Marie Chiarello did that it is the two times the referendum item has been put on a roundtable that has kept us from moving forward…That is priceless!…Talk about being out of tune …. Malkoon, it is said sent a letter to certain Comms. after the MPSC was disbanded saying the committee needed to be kept in place and it was in the charter…Nope he was informed …it is not…Gulp! …For this writer the thought of a Commission with Comm. Vincent and Comm. Malkoon just cannot happen! …

Ron Piersante- ” I’m gonna sound like a broken record because the last roundtable we talked about referendums. I thought it was a dead issue. I’m not gonna say everything Mark Brown and Diana Kuglar said, Bill Vitolla. I would say the same thing. We elected you to make these decisions. You get the input from the people and do it. And, Vice Mayor as Mark Brown said what are these projects gonna cost. Now according to Yann Brandt we got all this money. I don’t know, he wants to give it back to me. I don’t know any other town that would give back money Yann, I’m sorry to say that and I believe we do have one of the lowest millage rates in Broward County. One of em, I’m not sure exactly. So I don’t look for any money coming back Yann, I’m sorry. They can keep the money and maybe do one of these projects that we want to get done. And that’s another thing we got to do. One project. The University of Miami people came in here. They came up with some good projects. They showed one block in Miami that they redone and it came out great. They did a second block. That’s what we need to do. The gentleman who ran that project that’s the one thing he told me. He said Ron they got to do one project. So do something! I don’t care which one. You pick, but pick the right project and we will back you.”

BC- Ron was the last UOT speaker…He had the same accusatory style we have all seen before from Ron (I have been a recipient in the past) when he opposes you …He took Yann Brandt’s public comments a little too literally…While I will post Yann’s comments in a separate post Ron was responding in his comments to content Yann included that dealt with the excess unused funds (2.6 million) found in last year’s audit from the Town overcharging taxpayers that sits in the town coffers still ….due to nonstarter projects that were prioritized by this very Comm./Admin and have been neglected…His point I believe was to lower the millage even further than the 3.99 we are at which would put the taxpayers monies where they should sit idle …in their own bank accounts earning interest… As far as the one project being done well.. this writer has posted many times that was the advice given by me early on to these very same people we are supposed to be trusting to make these tough decisions (per UOT) and chose instead to spend big bucks on a Master Plan redo that they and this orchestrated group want us to believe has no encore!…

For this writer …I’ll take a different conductor and sing a different tune… copies anyone?….

more to come….

Tags: The June 14 2011 Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Commission Roundtable Meeting ... #2 ... Orchestrated Public Comments ? ...
Posted in Civic Organizations, LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local News, Local Politics, Scoops, local government

WHERE’S A NET WHEN YOU NEED ONE? …

Dear Readers …the “misses ” just keep on coming when it comes to watching what is happening in this town… At what appears to be the last Roundtable meeting now that the Vice Mayor Dodd, Comm. Sasser and Mayor Minnet finally made the decision that the venue was not working as intended we witnessed the  further decline of many on this Commission when it comes to governing  …It began right out of the gate with Public Comments and the orchestrated lineup of UOT members including Mark Brown Editor of the BTSFuture , Diana Kuglar, Marie Chiarello, Edmund Malkoon (their choice for candidate in the north for 2012… unless they throw him under the bus at the 11th hour for a 2nd time), Bill Vitollo, and Ron Piersante sounding just as he did in 2006 and 2008 and 2010 taking issue with a Vice Mayor on some agenda item ….This time it was the referendum agenda item VM Dodd put back on after the UM design presentation where parking garages and a new Town Hall /Town Green took center stage once again … It was like a scene from the past watching the procession of a Town PAC come up and make sure to clap loudly off camera in order to portray a majority view held among the townsfolk… (sure looks like opposing VM Dodd for re-election has begun full force) ….. After Public Comment and some back and forth over when to have Rep. Allen West come to Town Hall (July 21st?)  the Mayor had her first agenda item on the lengthy meetings and said it was not so much how long the meetings were taking but items discussed and brought back…ie…the VM’s referendum item…This exchange was painful to watch …with Comm. Vincent and Comm. Clottey wanting to retain roundtables…and Clottey wanting Roberts Rules which would have prevented the VM from bring the item back… They all talked about self policing..prioritizing…you name it …It has all been discussed before …This time though as stated above it was finally put to rest with the return of 2 commission meetings…The Town Manager obviously not informed of the pre-meetings which were the norm  with Parker, Clark and Yanni and were quickly dissolved due to them turning into pre-voting meetings done with no one in the hall offered up a 2- hour roundtable prior to one of the commission meetings…It was the Mayor that quashed it…Good move on her part … At one point the Vice Mayor spoke up and stated they were being a little unfair as he addressed his agenda item being the cause for some of their comments …Too bad for the Mayor as the camera closeup of the VM included her well known smirk to her supporters in hall…Not a good look for her …never has been…never will be… They addressed the Town Atty. fees …and that too was a debacle at this stage in their terms…(to be posted later with “numbers guy” Comm. Vincent’s tomatoes commentary…priceless) …And then it was the Vice Mayor’s 2nd attempt to get this Commission to take a stand on the Master Plan for this Town and a referendum…(verbatim post to come) …He stated he had watched the UM design presentation and its inclusion of the big ticket items and also stated he wanted to get his fellow members on the record for where they stood on letting the people decide… The Commissioners who are joined at the hip with the UOT-PAC jumped on board and took a giant leap …literally …without a net to keep them safe in the next election …That is if those who still want a say in how their taxpayer monies over $5 million dollars are spent ….This time  once again it included Comm. Clottey who asked about the privately funded portion of his intro…But it was all too much fun to watch as Comm. Chris Vincent said with such conviction “No,No, & NO!” (Hmm… the CIC No, no, yes, yes comes to mind from another referendum time)…when he was answered the questions after a barrage of his own to mimic Mark Brown about the costs not known…Unfortunately the Vice Mayor did not call him on his lack of memory when Comm.Vincent asked the cost of the parking garage…The cost was presented to them by the TM after the Deerfield garage guy was asked for his input..(prev. post) ….As far as the other items it’s not too hard to ballpark it …especially for a self proclaimed “numbers guy”…and RMA is supposed to have those figures this month…easy they said based on other municipalities …. It also seems to have fallen on deaf ears once again the time factor involved for a referendum item to get on the ballot…. The Mayor sighed and said such things as they have lost sight of the people and the people want them to make these decisions…(her people in the hall) … She actually said let the people put it on (as they did the height referendums) …and went further to add she is for referendums as long as they are not political!… Comm. Clottey said it was “premature” …and they need to put it to the people when they are ready to do something…Comm. Sasser asked the VM if referendums should be put on for anything 5 years out or more… The Vice Mayor said no…All agreed these items are 5-10 years or more away… Thus, the they went “splat!”…Flying without a “net”! …Why?… Because they are categorically on record once again stating we spent close to the same amount of money ($200,000+) as was paid to outgoing Town Manager Esther Colon on consultants and studies for a plan that will be obsolete 5-10 years from now for that future Commission just as the 2004 one was for this one!… How do they run now?… I believe the only way is that they need to make a pledge that they will not implement any of the big ticket items right after the 2012 election without a referendum vote!… If you listen to their supporters at public comments though that pledge will not be coming anytime soon…. If their polling is bad it might come to the forefront …in a haphazard…desperate move to retain the majority…. But I caution the voters…no pledge  should mean no vote for any candidate running for a 2012 commission seat!… The Vice Mayor stayed true to his convictions …He seems to have realized that the redo of the Master Plan has gone too far … and I do believe he would easily make that pledge if he decides to run again …Comm. Clottey might make it as well…but with Malkoon running from UOT will she change her mind and go for another 4 years (the CIC website still shows no new president/board  or new meeting date) ….The Mayor no doubt will be  checking with her UOT supporters so no pledge is expected … As for this writer…I would have had more respect for those elected officials who stated on the record that they too agree with the UOT that it is this Commission’s decision to make without a referendum…That way while I would still oppose them,  I would know this expensive re-do of the Master Plan was not done in vane!.. Just as I was against the CIC majority when they reneged on their promises to be different from their predecessors once in charge…I am against this majority who really do believe at this time they are entitled to pick up where they left off in 2007!…

more to come……

Tags: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Mayor Roseann Minnet-Vice Mayor Stuart Dodd-Commissioner Scot Sasser-Commissioner Chris Vincent -Commissioner Birute Clottey- Town Manager Connie Hoffmann, The Lauderdale-By-The Sea June 14 2011 Commission Roundtable ... Flying Without A Net ...
Posted in Civic Organizations, LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local News, Local Politics, Scoops, local government

“1ST VERSION” CORAL REEF PROJECT BUOY … JULY 2010 …

“2ND VERSION” CORAL REEF PROJECT BUOYS JULY 2011…

………………

TOWN ATTORNEY LEGAL EXPENSES IN FISCAL YEAR 2011 LBTS JUNE 14, 2011 ROUNDTABLE AGENDA ITEM 3C…
‘Reef;  The coral reef agreement, which was heavily negotiated several times and involved changes
of policy direction from the Town Commission, necessitating several rewrites and revisions of
that agreement. About half of that was part of last year’s budget and half was in this year’s
budget. The expense for this project was approximately $24,000.’

……………

Dear Readers .. The above new versions of the buoys which yes, I agree look like big tires painted yellow with solar panels attached have yet to enter into our designated reef project area despite the Town Manager’s report on May 24, 2011 stating that due to the weather they were slated to be installed in late May… While they hardly look July 4th parade float worthy like the earlier version that longtime supporters/proponents of this longtime project the Furth’s displayed in front of their motel in 2010 (prev. posts)…they and this ongoing project are still costing the taxpayers!… In the end it was not only the buoys that were painted yellow…It was the Town and Commissioners who decided to move forward once again and further reward the vendor with additional time and monies …thus increasing their contract in both while we sit back and watch!… WOW!… These are the same people that want to go ahead with redevelopment in a big way in our town …without a referendum!… VM Dodd has put back on the referendum item tonight (item 3d- see below) …. Taxpayers/voters must take note of which Commission members say no when you go to vote in 2012!…

ITEM 3d-

more to come….

Tags: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Coral Reef Project Costs Town $24 Thousand In Legal Fees To Negotiate In 2011, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Vice Mayor Dodd Asks Commission For Referendum Items To Be Placed On 2012 Ballot For A Second Time, The New Improved Solar Buoys For Lauderdale-By-The-Sea's Coral Reef Project ... Not Quite Parade Worthy ... But Costly To The Taxpayers ...
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local News, Local Politics, Scoops, local government

IN THIS BOTTLE IS MAGIC ELIXER FOR MARKETING & REDEVELOPING YOUR TOWN … LOOK FAMILIAR? …

Dear Readers … we are winding down from the last year of a full-our Master Plan Re-do … or so we were led to believe since the final numbers are set to be turned over from the RMA Group ….the Pompano Beach company hired by Town Manager Connie Hoffmann under her $15,000 limit (which they met in cost) for hiring without Commission approval (prev. posts) who were later approved by this Commission to continue on for just shy of $20,000 … Not so fast!… This writer was told by those who are more well versed on consultants and municipal managers than I told me long ago don’t buy in to it …pun intended …They were right!… Town Manager Connie Hoffmann has put item a3e on the still bloated Roundtable agenda for Tues. night the 14th… She didn’t arrive to place alone…To be fair members of the dais took a drink of the magic elixer as well with this latest Master Plan re-do and marketing the Town “traveling show” that was brought to LBTS  leaving the door open for more “acts” to follow in the upcoming fiscal year that will cost us $62,000 which includes $25,000 for market research of 250 visitors to Town along with a phone survey! …Longtime LBTS residents know how poorly received phone surveys are in this Town!… (Doesn’t any of the staff offer this TM a heads-up to foibles of the past?) … The TM does add funds are available in this year’s “consultant budget” …Hmmm …. We all know how well consultants and having a budget for them goes over in this Town as well …yep, right up there with phone surveys!… The Town Manager states RMA has advised we hire a marketing director for the Town with a salary of $70-75,000 per year and it would take approximately 3 months to find that person…Coincidentally RMA would take 3 months to do their marketing role for the $62,000… TM Hoffmann states  we could set aside $100,000 in the budget for next year for this … I want to remind Readers that the TM may just get direction to go ahead from the majority of the Commission (they cannot vote at a Rtbl.) due to the desire at last year’s budget for wanting to offer up to a similar amount to the Chamber to market the Town which they took a pass on… (but that was before the traveling consultants were in the picture) …My concerns are many…which I will expand on below…My first my concern at this juncture is that I have no faith left in this Administration based on what I have seen thus far with this whole Master Plan Re-do and what has not happened as a result in this fiscal year … We have seen no streamlining of the Town’s staff as the number of employees … (moved up to the #1 priority per 2010 agreement by all 5 Commissioners ) …We have seen no movement towards private companies for taking over certain departments…while hearing the TM may have already decided not to budget next year for certain positions of longtime employees that are needed and are actually an asset in the positions they are currently in…This one struck me as odd if true since the Administration is actively retaining some employees that continue to be sub-standard …We have long been told it is due to a fear we are told of lawsuits… (as seen by former employees O’Brien/King/Olinzock)  …Perhaps that fear may arise for the current TM due to what she experienced from a  longtime whistleblower she employed in Fort Lauderdale  …I recently stumbled upon his book online “While We Sleep – A Story of Government Without Law” by Alan R. Adaschik  …. It was published in 2006 and covers grievances the author had which involved Ms. Hoffmann in her role as City Manager of Fort Lauderdale right up to the time she resigned … I’m not insinuating anything except it was a long drawn out process according to the book which would give any TM pause when faced with legal action coming from employees in a future TM position … My concerns have continued to grow each month as I watched this Master Plan revision morph over this past fiscal year with the caravan of traveling salesmen arriving within our Town limits armed with “visions” of what this Town could be and the dire straits we are surely in as we continue to stagnate in our present condition thus thwarting the progress we need to jump head- first into to keep up with the “Jones” aka other municipalities who have either been the recipients of these same “salesmen” or who are experiencing their latest “elixers” as well…. After seeing the Town Manager’s item on the agenda and seeing no date listed for RMA’s report for a 5-year plan which according to the 2nd agreement are due in June …(a workshop was expected we believe before the first budget meeting which is scheduled on Tues. June 21, 2011 at 5 pm) … I did some Googling on RMA and Pompano Beach our neighbor to the north who is using the RMA Group …RMA is in charge of their CRA and their hired marketer for Pompano Beach’s CRA is also an RMA employee …. A few of the Pompano Beach Commissioners were a little irked by RMA taking on a position with LBTS believing it would impede their work for them…(Prev. post)… What I found was eye-opening and jaw-dropping… The comparisons were abundant…Not only with what RMA was brought to the municipalities …but those who came before them in previous versions of redevelopment for Pompano Beach … including some familiar “salesmen” recently bringing their show to Jarvis Hall … RMA has renderings contained on it’s projects page on their website as well as in proposals for Pompano Beach and seen in renderings at presentations (see below-#6-Youtube videos ) that all look alike …They look just like all the recent redevelopment in warm climate communities… multi-colored buildings with the same building components …even the streetscapes appear to be  the same as what we are being offered by UM…the benches…light fixtures etc…This writer is not a fan ..I don’t want LBTS to look like every other coastal town …http://www.metrostrategies.net/index.php …. RMA became the executive directors of the latest Pompano Beach CRA and maintains an office as such…with a newsletter and monthly meetings  http://www.mypompanobeach.org/… A look at the Pompano Beach Commission meetings and long list of resolutions to disperse monies for the redevelopment improvements shows what is needed …a largely populated municipality with a large commercial component and tax increment financing … (see below -#1) … Of course programs offered up are never bulletproof and it requires a municipality to have a good  size cushion in place to deal with setbacks that come from dealing with the branched off recipients of these programs ….which are being offered up to us as well as ways to redevelop commercial properties …(prev. post UM presentation /see below- # 2 & #3) … One aside this weekend this writer heard the former Holdiay Inn may have been sold …If this is accurate it goes to show government should stay away from private development…We paid UM to come up with renderings for a hotel that may have already been involved in a deal to sell it?…WOW!….Speaking of these programs among the top two eye-openers found while searching the net was from  2008 … “Urban Land Institute Southeast Florida/Caribbean District Council Technical Assistance Panel for The Pompano Beach
Community Redevelopment Agency on The East Community Redevelopment Area” …(see below-#4) …It includes the same speaker Chuck Bohls who spoke at the UM design presentation…Some of the captions found in the report are eerily the same as those made  in Jarvis Hall…(prev. post) …The list of recommendations are the same…pedestrian friendly…shade trees…parking  etc… A look through the CRA monthly minutes offer up some other items that leave this writer a little perplexed when they deal with undergrounding downtown on Atlantic  Blvd… Why in the world did we have to go through months of waiting for the TM to produce an RFP to go out for real costs for doing the same in our downtown when RMA must have had those numbers readily available …The Town Manager doubled back on the RFP and stated at a recent Rdtable she would look at other municipalities to get some estimates which might throw a wrench in the idea … no doubt!… The second of the top two eye-openers was “Tourism In Pompano Beach :: 2011  Planning, Development, Marketing & Management” (see below-#5) …It is a 42 page report that covers the very same components LBTS will has discussed and no doubt will pay for to discuss again…Included in it was this doozy on LBTS…” Brand recognition within the Greater Fort Lauderdale area does not appear to be a challenge for Lauderdale-­‐By-­‐The-­‐Sea since “Lauderdale” appears in their name. Also, the LBTS Chamber of Commerce can focus almost exclusively on the tourism industry because they are a small municipality whose boundaries are within the Scenic A1A corridor and most of their members are engaged in tourism related businesses.”… Who was on the panel who made this call….The  “Team Composition” includes none other than “Kim Briesemeister/Chris Brown CRA Co-­Executive Directors” the very people we are being asked to pay an additional $62,000 (we have already contracted with them for $35,000) to help us “brand and market our Town”… OOPS!… All of these reports are available through the links provided above or by Google…

The taxpayers need to think about all this as we prepare to swallow the next “Magic Elixer” in 2012 if the status quo continues at the Tuesday June 14, 2011 LBTS Roundtable….

GOOGLE FINDS-

………………
#1-’$15 Million Bond Floated by City of Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency
* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

Sat Feb 20, 2010 3:29pm EST

POMPANO BEACH, FL, Feb 20 (MARKET WIRE) –
The City of Pompano Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) closed
today on a $15 million tax increment financing package that will provide
funding for streetscape improvements along Atlantic Boulevard, as well as
the beach.

Included in the financing is a $5 million reserve to fund the CRA’s
potential participation in a beach parking garage near the Pompano Beach
Pier.

The lender is Branch Banking &Trust Co. and the bonds are for 20 years.

Mayor Lamar Fisher, sitting as the Chair of the CRA while executing the
documents, said, “This is a great accomplishment for the CRA. The projects
it will fund have long been a priority for the City and we are pleased in
this very tight economic market to be able to find a way to move them
forward.”

The CRA, created in 1989, recently selected Redevelopment Management
Associates (RMA) to manage its two districts: CRA West and CRA East. RMA
said that while this financing is for projects in the CRA East, the CRA
is working on similar projects for the CRA West, an area of about 3,084
acres that generally encompasses a large part of the western portion of
the City.’

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/02/20/idUS75170+20-Feb-2010+MW20100220

……………..

#2-’Incentive Programs

Facade & Business Site Improvement Program
This program encourages business owners to enhance their existing business sites through exterior improvements. This includes most exterior elements from windows, doors, paint, signage, design elements, etc.

Strategic Investment Program (SIP)
This program, which uses a formula that considers the amount of tax increment generated from each project, is for rehabilitation or renovation of properties, tenant improvements, etc. Payment is made either on a reimbursement basis or payment directly to the contractor after inspection.

Capital Improvement Grant Program
This program works in conjunction with the lenders and provides interest only payments on loans amortized over a five year period. The maximum loan amount the incentive will apply against is $350,000. The interest payment amount is intended to reduce the upfront costs of renovation to buildings.

Strategic Investment Streetscape Program (SISP)
This program is for projects that are less than $5 million in total estimated costs. Matching funds are provided for sidewalk and streetscape improvements or other streetscape elements in a project.

Relocation and Development Incentive Program
This program allows the CRA to cover moving expenses or other items associated with attracting a new tenant to the area, or relocating an existing tenant. Each project is considered separately since conditions vary from project to project.

Real Estate Development Accelerator (REDA)
This program is for all major projects that are (usually) ground up development projects. The minimum amount of investment must be $5 million in construction. This is a tax increment financing program whereby the incentive funds come from the development itself based on the new tax created from the new development. This program requires an extremely detailed real estate analysis and a development agreement for each project

Merchant Assistance Program- Phase I
This program is designed to assist restaurant businesses with increasing sales through merchandising techniques, as well as updating certain aspects of the operations. The program is available to restaurants that have been located in our target areas for two (2) years or more’

http://www.mypompanobeach.org/cra/east.html

……………
#3-  ‘ Hawkins Homes got $140,000 but did not build; Ortanique contractor suing the city; Parc Lorraine rented, not sold
By Judy Wilson and Judy Vik
Pelican staff
Pompano Beach – Hawkins Homes, a local builder of low-income housing projects here, received almost $140,000 in public housing dollars but has failed to build eight promised town homes at Legacy 11.
Hawkins, owned by Charles and Emma Ellington, received $118,000 in Federal Housing and Urban Development Funds from the city’s housing division for “soft” costs: architectural drawings, engineering and administrative fees, and another $20,000 from LISC, a national non-profit organization that lends money to improve distressed communities. The new homes were to be built adjacent to the 18-unit townhome development Legacy 1 on NW 13 Street, and completed by the end of 2009. Hawkins Homes was also the Legacy 1 developer.
Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA, co-director Chris Brown said last week his agency is in the foreclosure process and if the city can get title to the Legacy 11 addition, about one acre of land, he does not recommend action against Hawkins Homes.
City Commissioner Rex Hardin asked, “How much out of pocket are we?” Including litigation expenses, Brown estimated between $25,000 and $30,000. “Once we get the property back, we are on our way,” Brown said. Hardin persisted asking, “What about the HUD funds?”
Brown said “HUD would have to forgive the city, or we will have to litigate.” He indicated he does not believe Hawkins Homes has money that can recovered.
Hardin said, “If HUD comes a’knockin,’ someone has to pay.”
As far back as September of 2009, Brown wrote city commissioners, acting as members of the CRA Board, that Hawkins Homes was in default of its agreements. He recommended that the one-acre lot be re-conveyed to the CRA and a new builder found.
The city is embroiled in another problematic situation involving the Ellingtons, this one at Ortanique Estates where Hawkins Homes established a CEHDA (a community group that oversees housing projects) and agreed to construct 43 single-family homes by June of 2008. In September of 2009, only 31 of the homes had been completed and Brown found the CEHDA in default of its agreements with the CRA.
Last week, Brown said the CRA is finishing up site work at Ortanique at a cost o
$200,000. According to one report, the city invested almost $3 million in Ortanique for land and infrastructure. Now a contractor is cleaning up the 13 undeveloped lots, applying the final asphalt coat on the roads and completing irrigation and storm drainage work.
Until this work is completed, Brown says he hesitates to discuss the homeowners’ responsibility to form a homeowners’ association.
Complicating matters is a third-party lawsuit filed by Darryl Simpson, the contractor for Ortanique Estates. Simpson is suing for $300,000 on three counts, the first, that when the CRA terminated Hawkins Homes, he lost the ability to build there; the second, that he did infrastructure work that he was not paid for and thirdly, for lost profits due to the termination of the agreement with the CEHDA.
Brown said neither the city nor the CRA had a contractual arrangement with Simpson. Simpson was hired by the CEHDA.
“If you want an executive session on that, just ask,” he told the CRA Board. “It is not interesting yet. If it becomes so, I’ll call you.”
City Attorney Gordon Linn said he believes the “litigation won’t be protracted “because the issue is limited.“
The CRA is attempting to get Ortanique homeowners to buy into its plan to reduce the ‘junior mortgages’ on the properties from 30 to 10 years. Ortanique homebuyers were offered a $70,000 second mortgage, equal to the cost of each building lot, when they purchased their homes. Mortgage payments were to be deferred and forgiven in 30 years. But if the property were sold before 30 years, the $70,000 would have to be repaid.
Reducing the time line to 10 years is an advantage to the homeowner, Brown said, but there is reluctance on the part of the homeowners to sign the revamped mortgage. “There is a lot of mistrust between the buyers and the city and CRA,” Brown said. “Some may never sign.”
Ortanique Estates has been the subject of much controversy. In 2009 an internal audit found numerous irregularities including falsified mortgage agreements, unqualified buyers and poor records. An outside auditor later confirmed the city’s findings.
Parc Lorraine Developer is not in compliance
The third troubled property, Brown told the CRA Board, is Parc Lorraine, four lots at NW Eighth Street and NW 10th Avenue where developer Vince Johnson built four houses.
“The developer agreement is not in compliance,” Brown said. “The houses were built and rented, and that (renting) wasn’t in the agreement.”
Brown said he has tried without success to get the developer to do an amended agreement. “He doesn’t want anything to do with us or with government, and he doesn’t want to talk about it.” He recommended sending Johnson a final default letter, notifying him the agreement is ended and he’s on his own.
“We lost our card when this board released the letter of credit in January 2009 and you knew it was rented,” Brown added.
Brown said the taxes on the property have not been paid in three years.
“The CRA gave the property to the developer?” Commissioner Rex Hardin asked.
“Yes, $100,000 worth,” Brown responded.
“I’ve got a problem,” Hardin said. “We have $100,000 out on the street. We gave it to someone who says, ‘To heck with you guys.’”
City Attorney Gordon Linn said the city could sue to enforce the agreement. Hardin said he would rather do that than accept a recommendation to walk away from $100,000. “I really have a problem with the developer saying, ‘Thank you very much, but I’m not going to perform,’” Hardin said.’

http://pompanopelican.webs.com/apps/blog/show/next?from_id=6880974

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#4-’Urban Land Institute
Southeast Florida/Caribbean District Council
Technical Assistance Panel for
The Pompano Beach
Community Redevelopment Agency
on
The East Community Redevelopment Area
May 15-16, 2008
The Emma Lou Olson Civic Center
Pompano Beach, Florida
Urban Land Institute
Southeast Florida/Caribbean District Council
Technical Assistance Panels
What are Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs)?
Since 1947, the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Advisory Services Program has been assisting
communities by bringing together week-long panels of seasoned real estate, planning, financing,
marketing, and development experts to provide unbiased pragmatic advice on complex land use
and development issues. Several years ago, the ULI Southeast Florida/Caribbean District
Council began providing panel services of one or two days to address specific local government
issues in areas such as housing, parking, redevelopment, and future land use development. The
District Council has some 1,200 members spread along the east coast of Florida from Indian
River County through the Florida Keys and from Puerto Rico.
How Do TAPs Work?
Sponsors request the services of a TAP with regard to a specific issue that can be addressed by a
panel of experts in one or two days. The District Council assists the sponsor in refining the scope
of the assignment and convenes a panel to address those specific issues. The sponsor works
within ULI guidelines to provide background information to ULI panelists prior to the panel’s
convening. When convened, members of the TAP view the subject site, hear from public and
private stakeholders, and then deliberate on the assigned issues. At the conclusion of its work,
the panel presents an oral report to stakeholders; that is followed by a written report within
approximately two weeks.
What Do TAPs Cost?
A fee is charged for the advisory service, but the panel members are not compensated for their
time. The fee depends on the length of the actual TAP convening but is typically between
$15,000 and $20,000, including panel expenses. Each TAP is different, and fees are negotiated
individually with the client sponsoring it. Panel members donate their time and are only
reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses, such as overnight lodging and transportation to
attend the TAP. To ensure objectivity, panel members cannot be involved in matters pending
before the sponsor, be working for the sponsor, or solicit work from the sponsor during the
panel’s assignment period.
Who is ULI?
ULI was founded in 1936 as a non-profit institute to facilitate the open exchange of ideas and
information among local, national, and international real estate industry leaders and policy makers
dedicated to creating better places. Today it has more than 36,000 members worldwide. The ULI
does not lobby or act as an advocate for any single industry. It is committed to providing leadership
in the responsible use of land and creating and sustaining thriving communities.
Panel Members (by discipline)
Land Planner, Planner, and Urban Designer
Dr. Charles C. Bohl, Director
Knight Program in Community Building
University of Miami School of Architecture
“There are no visible signs that anyone cares
about Atlantic Boulevard. The first step is to
move ahead with the streetscape plan.
Consider the cost of doing nothing. To
succeed, the city needs to be the champion
and find other champions. Through a well
thought-out collective set of steps and
collaborative actions, you will succeed.”
(ULI Technical Assistance Panel)
“Nothing is better than on-the-ground
demonstrations. Pick two key blocks on Atlantic
Boulevard and do it, using the demonstration to
leverage private investments consistent with the
desired development character.” (ULI Technical
Assistance Panel)’

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#5-”Tourism In Pompano Beach :: 2011  Planning, Development, Marketing & Management”

“Municipal Partners (pg. 13)
A scan was conducted of the neighboring cities of Deerfield Beach, Hillsboro Beach, Lighthouse Point,Lauderdale-­By-­The Sea,Coconut Creek and northern Broward County Government.It is important to note that the CVB promotes the eight (8) Broward County coastal municipalities by dividing them into North, Central and South areas. Lauderdale-­‐By-­‐The-­‐Sea is part of the Central area along with Fort Lauderdale. Brand recognition within the Greater Fort Lauderdale area does not appear to be a challenge for Lauderdale-­‐By-­‐The-­‐Sea since “Lauderdale” appears in their name. Also, the LBTS Chamber of Commerce can focus almost exclusively on the tourism industry because they are a small municipality whose boundaries are within the Scenic A1A corridor and most of their members are engaged in tourism related businesses.”
……..
“Team Composition”-(pg.11) included-
“Kim Briesemeister/Chris Brown CRA Co-­Executive Directors”

………………..

#6-Youtube Pompano CRA presentation 1/6/11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57gnjNr1r-A&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW-b4lpKQqg

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more to come…

Tags: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Marketing & Branding With The Big Guys In 2012?, Traveling Salesmen Selling Magic Elixers Brought To You By Town/City Managers & Commissions In Every Town They Go To? ...
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local News, Local Politics, Scoops, local government

DOES DEFEAT COME TO YET ANOTHER TOWN COMMISSION/ADMINISTRATION DUE TO BLOATED AGENDAS & MEETINGS? …

Dear Readers … Holy Cow!… Just take a look at the Commission meeting for next Tuesday June 14, 2011 in Jarvis Hall … Talk about bloated agendas!… In previous posts this writer has called for an end to the Roundtable meetings citing they do not work as they were supposed to according to Town’s law firm when it was presented at the procedural meeting for this Commission as an option to streamline the outrageously  long bloated agendas and meetings we dealt with from the previous two commissions… Attorney Richard Weiss should make an appearance and tell this Commission to throw in the towel…especially after seeing the agendas below!… The Vice Mayor brought this up at a past Rountable and it went nowhere…Comm. Sasser also spoke about it and it went nowhere…The Mayor has an item on Tuesday’s agenda (3b)to discuss the length of Commission Meetings…Perhaps she caught my last post on the subject stating procrastination had set in on going back to watch the rest of the May 24, 2011 Commission Meeting due to it being too long and redundant? … What happened to this Town Manager who more than once stated she would not allow items that were not a top priority and would trim down the agendas? … No matter …it’s time to go back to square one on the agendas and the meetings …just as it is time to go back to square one on the what should be done in this town for capital improvements ….(prev. post)…This Commission is now 15 months into this new majority’s time on the dais …. Commissioner Clottey and VM Dodd are approximately 6 months away from the next election along with the Mayor who is now more than half way through her 2nd term …This Town Manager is just a few months away from her 1st performance evaluation…. Just how many towels are in the pile to throw in anyway?….

The Tuesday night June 14, 2011 Agendas from the Town website …

more to come…..

Tags: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Mayor Roseann Minnet-Vice Mayor Stuart Dodd-Commissioner Scot Sasser-Commissioner Chris Vincent -Commissioner Birute Clottey- Town Manager Connie Hoffmann, The Lauderdale- By-The-Sea June 14th 2011 Commission Special Meeting & Roundtable Meeting ... Time To Throw In The Towel On Town Government ?.
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Scoops, local government

MEA CULPAS SHOULD START FROM THE CENTER SEAT OF THE DAIS… FROM ONE  PAST CHAIRPERSON TO THE PRESENT ONE…

Dear Readers…this writer is still fuming over the uncalled for actions and inaction as well as the insane and inane statements made by the dais members on June 2, 2011 (prev. post) in response to the Vice Mayor’s summation concerning the timeline of negotiations and changes due to those negotiations with the pier owners concerning the July 4, 2011 event he is chairing … So, I took the time to look back at previous events over the last two years…and especially last year’s event chaired by none other than Mayor Minnet …who was both the most long-winded and the most off- her- rocker in the statements she made … The comparisons are quite something in not only what she and VM Dodd offered up for their July 4th events (his were just the highlights made during Comm. Comments in March-prev. post  and in the backup for May 24, 2011)…but more in the responses to each other after they each made their “synopsis” or “summation” nearly one year apart in 2010 and 2011…

Below is the Chamber’s June/July 2010 Sea Breeze cover page …

You can see for yourselves that local businesses were involved in 2010 as they are for 2011… You can see that live music was planned for by more than one business on the same night ….. You can see that the regular weekend special event music was in place for the event in 2010 as it will now be for 2011 … You will see that the VFD provided the cookout and the rides after the July 4th parade that was run by the Chamber of Commerce in 2010…This year the parade will once again be run by the VFD …The VFD has asked that the parade be shortened this year citing its length last year …This year the VFD will not be cooking the burgers which in past years have caused some snafus in getting up and going due to the parade (problems were evident last year as well) ……Instead businesses will offer up a July 4th burger with coupons for 10% off …The VFD chose this year to tighten their belts and instead of paying for food, pony rides and water slides (last year’s event was cut short due to bad weather) …The 2010 backup states the cost to VFD members would be $4,800 …. This year the VFD offered to provide photo-ops along with allowing youngsters on their equipment right after the parade in the El Prado Parking lot as well as doing demonstrations later in the afternoon at the beach with their water equipment… The Chamber held their Beach cleanup which should happen this year as well on Sat. morning…and breakfasts at local restaurants listed on July 4th we assume that will be the same as well this year …. The fireworks will take place on the pier on the 4th as they did last year for $10,000 ($2,000 less than last year’s $12, 000 and well below the prior years 2007 $15,000 and 2008 $17,000) …. The pier holds once again a one day event in their lot vs. the 3-day event they wanted tied into a 3-year pier agreement for that lower price that would be pre-approved  done administratively with no Commission vote tying the hands of future Commissions that is now kaput and is back to what they held last year no strings attached…Last year it was approved from 4-11 pm and according to the backup this year will be from noon to midnight …as a separate special event as it was last year …Not much difference in the plans when compared as I stated …with one big exception…VM Dodd took into account the returning of the parade to the VFD which was a long -held tradition from all accounts and definitely appropriate due to this being the VFD’s 50th year of service …He also took into account the desires of the VFD and many, many volunteers who really wanted the day to be with their family and friends …and he decided to put the events downtown leaving the parks open for people to use throughout the day which will also save in time and costs for the event …He stated from the dais in March he wanted the sea to be the prime area for Lauderdale-By-The-Sea July 4th in 2011 and that meant the beachfront where most who celebrate the 4th prefer to congregate if outside during the long , hot day…tourists and locals alike… The Vice Mayor has been working with the VFD, BSO, Town Staff and many of the same businesses that have long been involved in the July 4th events and that are mentioned in the Mayor’s “synopsis” below in 2010… He also asked for anyone interested in volunteering to contact the Town or himself…

On June 8, 2010 under New Business item15a was the Special Event Permit for the Independence Day Extravaganza …(This year it was placed by the same Administration as a Consent Agenda item on May 24, 2011) …A look at the backup as well as the minutes and the video again showed the similarities in the event while showing a stark difference in the response received from those sitting on the dais especially the response Chair Mayor Roseann Minnet received from Vice Mayor Stuart Dodd …He did not cut her off…He actually listened to her “synopsis” …and he lauded and congratulated her …A scroll down to the previous post on the June 2, 2011 special meeting shows that Mayor Roseann Minnet did not reciprocate in any way, shape or form… Also Readers need to bear in mind that VM Dodd was not allowed to make his rundown of the event he had planned in such a glowing way (he did highlight his plan in his Comm. comments in March) as the Mayor was afforded one year ago due to the ongoing actions of the pier owners and their lobbying of members of the dais right up to the June 2, 2011 meeting….

Mayor Roseann Minnet June 8, 2010-

“Well, really quickly if you’d like to hear a short synopsis of the events, I mean I have to say our businesses have been incredible. It just so happens that 4th of July falls on a Sunday this year. So it’s exciting that we can have events with our businesses. Mr Gatsby’s here and we’re gonna kick-off that program with his event that he does and, and we’re gonna work with that so we have the Village Grille and Pump that starts with their jazz on the square. Aruba does have their live music and happy hour and during that day on Friday our businesses um, also are participating in a scavenger hunt which I encourage everyone to go to our businesses that are participating. You’ll start to see signs around town very soon about that. On Saturday the scavenger hunt continues, but most importantly at 9 am is our beach cleanup. The beach cleanup falls on the first Saturday of July and that’s July 3rd. So it starts with our 9 am beach cleanup for around a half an hour. We’ve got again the scavenger hunt going and then in the evening we have our tradition Athena-101 event which again is bringing our community together and then Sunday morning we’re starting the parade at 11:15 because it is Sunday morning. We want to take into consideration the Community Church. Thank you for the volunteers that are working on. We have some commitments from quite a few people at the work site and if anyone wants to be a part of the parade please contact Mr. Bill Davis or the Chamber of Commerce because there’s still opportunities to be a part of the parade. That parade route will take us all the way down El Mar. It’s a two and quarter mile parade and so it’s long so keep that in mind. After the parade there will be a cookout and I have to say Chief Perkins thank you. The Volunteer Fire Department has stepped up to the plate on all of this. They’ve provided free games for the kids, water slides, a pony rides, all the food and everything we make comes back to the Town. So I’m very grateful and very thankful for all the work that you have done with your staff on that cookout and then at 9 o’clock is the extravaganza of the fireworks and I want to thank the pier owners for allowing us to use the pier this year for that. So that gives us a little synopsis. I know that all the Commissioners will be invited to participate on the parade. Um, Vice Mayor, you may not be in attendance and we will miss you, but I hope our other Commissioners will be available as well. (VM Dodd was out of town) So, again I want to thank everyone for the raffle items. We have two round-trip tickets to any United States, in the contiguous United States and then a variety of other raffle items through our local businesses . And again, it’s just very exciting. Paul is here with the Chamber. They’ve been very helpful in pulling this together and I’m just excited to bring back an old time cookout-barbeque to the Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. It’s something I’ve heard everyoner wanted just to bring it back home. We’re gonna have a band. We’re gonna have music and it’s just gonna be be, it’s gonna be a great event. Again, I thank you for everyone’s support and so with that I see Commissioner Clottey and then the Vice Mayor.”

Commissioner Clottey asked to read a letter that was from Jerry Sehl offering up 300 historical posters that would be at the Village Grille and other places of business for $10 each and the profits from the 300 sole would go to the Town. The Mayor thanked him and then recognized Vice Mayor Dodd.

VM Dodd- ” I wanted to make a motion to approve and also a vote of thanks to Mayor Minnet for her efforts. Commissioner Clottey and I co-chaired the event two years ago and are fully aware of the huge responsibility and continual pressure to meet deadlines and seemingly impossible catch -22 situations. Last year’s event was run by Mark Furth who had many years experience and a big support base of the Volunteer Fire Department and the CIC. The politics changed and I want to say hats off to you Mayor Minnet for stepping up to the plate and chairing this year’s event on short notice. Congratulations, terrific!”

The Mayor – “Thank you, and before we approve it I do have one thing I want to ask everyone. So if there’s, I just, Vice Mayor you did bring up a very good point, um, in the past we had quite a few people who volunteered and I hope that they will ask to volunteer again and to be part of this celebration as well. Ah, it’s a great town and we need to move forward in a positive way and I’m looking forward to working with everyone on this event.”…(This writer was told by those who were at the parade etc…the opposing CIC was not in attendance and the divide continued on with the 4th event as it has for other events such as Easter and Halloween …attendance depends on the political faction majority on the dais)…

The Mayor also added the desire for the PA system to be used town wide for the pledge of allegiance /national anthem prior to the fireworks which was not on the application before them and had never been done…In previous years many opposed a town wide use of the PA system…It was again VM Dodd who voiced his approval after the Mayor asked him …

VM Dodd- “No, I think it’s an excellent idea.”..The Mayor thanked him and asked for any other comments..seeing none she said “or just leave it to me, our committee, ok. I think since silence is looked to be a form of consensus. With that Vice Mayor you had a motion to approve the special event for 4th of July.”..The VM said “motion to approve.”..It was seconded by Comm. Vincent. It passed 5-0…

On June 22, 2008 Consent Agenda item 9a was the Special Event application for Athena to hold their July 4, 2010 pier parking lot event. After the Mayor asked about adding recycling to the permit and the Asst. TM informed the Commission that this was the first special event which would address litter outside of the area they were holding the event in there was no discussion. The motion was made by Comm. Sasser and seconded by Comm. Vincent. It passed 5-0…

There was no discussion on the port-a-potties etc…and the costs to a private vendor vs the Town’s event as there was this year…There was no discussion at this meeting by the Commissioners on this item just as there was no discussion by the Commissioners at the June 8, 2010 meeting on when this became an event that forgot the residents …No discussion at this meeting by the Commissioners just as there was no discussion at the June 8, 2010 meeting by the Commissioners on the desire to overlook and/or participate in the contracts or being involved in any other aspect of the Commission-Chair’s event as there was at the June 2, 2011 meeting…

To quote the Mayor on June 8, 2008 “I think since silence is looked to be a form of consensus.”…It is this writer’s opinion that will indeed be true if these same dais members remain silent on their responses to the Vice Mayor’s summation at the June 2, 2011 Special Meeting… Mea Culpas are in order…

more to come…

Tags: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Mayor Roseann Minnet-Vice Mayor Stuart Dodd, Mea Culpas Are In Order...When The Chair's July 4th 2010 "Synopsis" Is Compared To This Year's Chair's July 4th "Summation" In Lauderdale-By-The-Sea ...
Posted in Uncategorized

WHICH ROAD WILL VOTERS TAKE FOR THE 2012 LAUDERDALE-BY-THE- SEA MUNICIPAL ELECTION -BASED ON 2011? …

Dear Readers …as a follow-up to numerous previous posts this writer has posted on this site over the course of the last months dealing with this long and involved redo of the 2004 LBTS Master Plan I now feel vindicated in my stance that alot of taxpayer money could have been saved along with innumerable hours of staff and commission time if only this Mayor and Commission decided to keep their eye on the needs of this little town and not the wants of a few that have their ear!… We have paid consultants that have overlapped substantially in their recommendations for what is desirable for our town to thrive in their “professional” opinions …In the end those recommendations panned out to be a variation of what consultants and “professionals” put forth in the past… The article below in the Sentinel today will be another Rorschach test for voters next January… Especially for the Mayor who will be running for a third term… who is quoted at the start of the article -

‘Now, the mayor is confident money can be found to turn into reality some proposals University of Miami students had for rejuvenating the town’s main thoroughfares and aging mom-and-pop hotels.”

“The next step is really putting some solid numbers on this and putting it into our capital improvement budget,” Mayor Roseann Minnet said. “I would hope we could implement some of these things within the next 12 to 18 months.’

WOW!… She hopes that some of these could be implemented in the next 12-18 months!… The question is will she be in the Mayor’s seat to do the implementing?… I certainly don’t believe she should be!…

The next vindication I received I previously posted as well and that was also at the top of the Sentinel article -

‘Chuck Bohl, director of UM’s graduate program in real estate development and urbanism, said transformations like those done in Miami Beach or downtown Delray Beach don’t happen overnight. He suggested the town focus on improvements in a single block, as was done in South Miami, so residents can see the benefit of renovations before committing to a larger effort.’

This writer wrote that when asked by Town Manager Connie Hoffmann well before this train left station for a full-out redevelopment of the Town’s Master Plan as well as the Mayor I said repeatedly stated do the downtown “Lake Colon” area and do it well so everyone could see a project done well …It was common sense …It was what most voters and businesses said they wanted … I guess because it did not come wrapped up in a professional report at a consultant’s going rate it was ignored…So here we are as this 2010-2011 Master Plan train ride is about to come to the final stop (RMA is supposed to have the 5- year numbers before the June 21, 2011 5 pm budget workshop- So far it is not listed on the Jarvis Hall calendar) with UM stating to do just that …improve one single block well and the Mayor stating we may be able to implement some of the capital improvement items in 12-18 months!…We had approximately $8-9 million in unencumbered funds over the last 12-18 months …We still have it!….That’s government at it’s worst…in my opinion… We know nothing more now than we did many taxpayer’s dollars ago!… What could have been done with the monies spent for such a small return on the costs in this town in the same time frame?… Plenty!…For that to actually happen in the next 12-18 months it’s going to take is a commonsense candidate who is ready stand up and say we don’t need to “piecemeal”..We don’t need to go for full-out “pie in the sky” redevelopment…but we do need accomplished “contained development” where it is needed …. Based on solid planning from the sewers-drainage and going up…literally ….from there……We can divvy up capital improvements equally between common use areas such as the downtown along with residential neighborhood areas that are also in need of sewers -drainage- lighting -swale repair-and street resurfacing…while keeping the millage rate the same or lower depending on the needs for that year as stated …We need to accomplish streamlining full employment positions for Town employees in a town of only 7000…It was supposed to take place this fiscal year when it was moved up and made the number 1 priority for the Town Manager last November by the entire Commission…thus far it has not happened…. Any takers?… This is …in my opinion…the year of the independent candidate …no doubt… after reading the Mayor’s comments in the Sentinel today… One last question to seal the deal…If there are no referendum items on the ballot…If the Mayor again says no…get your hats ready to toss em’ in the ring…January is not that far away…

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Sentinel-

‘Lauderdale-by-the-Sea seeks curb appeal
University of Miami design team creates proposals for Commercial Boulevard, A1A

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA ——
They came, saw, and re-designed. Now, the mayor is confident money can be found to turn into reality some proposals University of Miami students had for rejuvenating the town’s main thoroughfares and aging mom-and-pop hotels.

“The next step is really putting some solid numbers on this and putting it into our capital improvement budget,” Mayor Roseann Minnet said. “I would hope we could implement some of these things within the next 12 to 18 months.”

Chuck Bohl, director of UM’s graduate program in real estate development and urbanism, said transformations like those done in Miami Beach or downtown Delray Beach don’t happen overnight. He suggested the town focus on improvements in a single block, as was done in South Miami, so residents can see the benefit of renovations before committing to a larger effort.

“This is your home,” Bohl told residents. “A lot of it is in disrepair.”

Resident David Nixon agreed.

“We’re threadbare,” Nixon said. “Sometimes you have to let it go that far before you fix it.”

Town officials saw the $16,500 spent on the UM team as a bargain compared with the cost of bringing in a professional firm to do the same work.

In an effort reminiscent of HGTV home improvement shows “Curb Appeal,” “Design on a Dime” and “House Crashers,” Bohl and more than 30 students and faculty from UM’s School of Architecture took over Jarvis Hall next to Town Hall for six days last month and worked against the clock to fashion a fresh look for the town.

The design team’s proposals focused heavily on coming up with ways to make the town’s portion of Commercial Boulevard and the central portion of State Road A1A more pedestrian-friendly.

On A1A, the team added tree-lined medians in sections and roadside trees throughout, widened sidewalks by rerouting bicycle paths off A1A, and replaced back-out parking with parallel spaces in some areas and angled parking in others. A parking garage next to Wings at Commercial and A1A was also included in the proposals.

Minnet said there were ideas that could be done at relatively little cost, such as installing window film on vacant storefronts to promote a unified shopping theme for the town and to help eliminate the blighted look created by empty businesses.

Some ideas would be up to businesses to do, including a proposal to combine some small adjacent hotels into ones of about 30 units each. The team crunched numbers for façade improvements and interior renovations that would make the hotels less dated and more desirable in competition against the amenities offered by full-service hotels in the region.

One of the group’s more difficult assignments seemed to be ideas for drawing people to the complete stretch of Commercial Boulevard east of the Intracoastal Waterway and giving the street more small-town character.

In addition to streetscape improvements that would provide shading and more outdoor seating, students suggested creating a public walkway to the marina just south of Commercial, as well as opening up space along the marina to create a destination point for the westernmost end of Commercial in town.’

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-lbts-design-project-20110530,0,2196125.story

more to come….

Tags: In Lauderdale-By-The-Sea It's Back To Square One ...., Lauderdale By The Sea Mayor Roseann Minnet, WHICH ROAD WILL VOTERS TAKE FOR THE 2012 LAUDERDALE-BY-THE- SEA MUNICIPAL ELECTION -BASED ON 2011? ...
Posted in Local News, Local Politics, News, Scoops, local government

I’M LEFT TO PONDER THE PAST …PRESENT AND FUTURE ….

Dear Readers … Procrastination set in when it came to sitting down in front of the computer in order to listen to the rest of the LBTS Commission meeting from May 24, 2011… I am looking  for any and all reasons not to… Why?.. It’s redundant…(see below)… it’s too long and too drawn out and it will only lead to being in even more of a funk at this juncture dealing with the politics in Lauderdale-By-The- Sea for this writer… I’m beginning to think it does not matter who gets elected … It inevitably turns out the same old items on the agenda…the same old “visioning” meetings by government …and the same old election time promises made every 2 years… Due to procrastination this writer decided to do some Googling to extend it and found those feelings were justified…As far as the rest of that May 24, 2011 meeting coming on this site any time soon…the odds are against it…

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25 YEARS AGO …..

‘Lauderdale-by-the-sea To Weigh $20 Million Redevelopment Plan
June 04, 1986|By Calvin Carter, Staff Writer

Progress is coming to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.

That is, if the Town Commission and residents approve a proposed $20 million redevelopment project in the town.

The project, which is still in the planning stages, would bring Mediterranean-style hotel suites, retail shops, restaurants, sidewalk cafes and a public plaza to the area, said Roy D. Smith, of Roy D. Smith and Associates Architects and Planners. The Fort Lauderdale firm is retained by developer Glenn H. Friedt Jr.

“The overall concept is a vibrant, people-oriented place that would add to the charm of the existing community,“ Smith said. “The Friedt group are the motivators of this plan. It`s their decision to remain in the community and provide the impetus for redevelopment and change,“ he said.

According to preliminary plans, the project would involve renovating a 1.5- acre site occupied by Villa Serena and Sandy Shoes Resort Apartment Motel, 4500 N. Ocean Drive; a half-acre site occupied by Sea Lure Motel, 4444 N. Ocean Drive; and a 1-acre vacant lot across from Town Hall currently used for free beach parking.

The changes also would include adding tennis and basketball courts to existing Friedt Park on Bougainvilla Drive. A park on the beach and a parking garage would be tied into one central court area by low-rise Mediterranean- style hotel suites and a “street-scape“ of benches, lighting and sidewalks to attract pedestrian traffic, Smith said.

The greatest benefit of the proposal, Smith added, is to set an architectural theme for the town.

“We`re attempting to create an architectural style that hopefully will encourage redevelopment of the entire ocean front community,“ he said.

The idea was presented to the Town Commission last week in a series of drawings. Town Attorney Ken Mikos has been directed by town officials to meet with Smith and outline the town`s role in the project, said Mayor Wally Kilday.

But, he added, the most important factor would be residents` opinions on the proposal.

Town Manager John Forrest said the initial proposal presented to residents and town commissioners last week was greeted with cautious enthusiasm.

“At this point it`s just a concept,“ he said. “The majority of the people at the meeting thought it was a step forward.“

According to town ordinances, no buildings may be built over three stories.’
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-06-04/news/8602020815_1_town-hall-town-commission-redevelopment

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HERE WE ARE ……
“UM students invited to assess redevelopment plans
June 03, 2011|SEAN D’OLIVEIRA Forum Publishing Group

As Lauderdale-by-the-Sea continues its redevelopment efforts, students from the University of Miami’s School of Architecture recently gave a presentation on how the town could help improve its business district.

The presentation was one of a variety of seminars the town has hosted over the past three months intended to gauge potential ideas and revive the town’s master plan.

“We’re trying to capture a business friendly attitude in respect to ‘we want them to know that Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is open for business,’” said Town Commissioner Chris Vincent. “We want to get people in town and make it easy for businesses to get started and for Lauderdale-by-the-Sea to be known as a destination town for locals, and people out of the state and country.”

Before the presentation, students took tours of the town and had been working at Jarvis Hall for nearly a week to also gather input from residents, business owners and town officials.
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With a goal of creating a new, vibrant look for A1A, Commercial Boulevard, and the Town Hall and El Prado corridors, students from the University of Miami’s Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Urban Design, Master of Real Estate Redevelopment and Urbanism departments recently presented their findings to the town.

“You have to be careful that you don’t suffocate the community by not allowing anything to happen,” said Charles Bohl, an associate professor for the University of Miami’s School of Architecture. “You have to create a balance for a sustainable community and business base that is consistent with what the community wants.”

Students broke the town into sections to try and formulate a plan to help revitalize business, improve parking and streetscape, while also making the town more welcoming and pedestrian friendly.

A variety of scenarios were presented for the Town Hall and El Prado corridors including relocating elements of the facilities or adding onto them to improve civic services in the area.

Improvements the students suggested to the Commercial Boulevard corridor from the beach to the Intracoastal Waterway were to create a unified brand for shopping areas, add about 51 additional parking spaces, widen sidewalks, implement crosswalks to connect opposite sides of the street, add more shade trees to encourage walking and improve signage to inform visitors how to access various businesses.

The A1A corridor was found to lack enough pedestrian friendly walkways and had high traffic congestion and exposed utilities. Recommendations included building a parking garage, introduce turtle-friendly solar lighting, creating a shade pathway that leads to the beach portals and more welcoming signage at the town’s southern entrance.

With the various recommendations, Mayor Roseann Minnet said the town will gauge all ideas from the private, public and business sectors over the next few months and move forward with a more extensive master plan and how to best implement the plan.

“If we are to move forward with this, we need residents’ input,” Minnet said. “We do have a great town and I look forward to working with everyone and making this town a better place.”

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-06-03/news/fl-hrb-redesign-0602-20110603_1_town-hall-master-plan-business-friendly-attitude

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10 YEARS AGO …BROWARD COUNTY’S VISION FOR TREE CANOPY ….(shade trees recommended by UM students -see above)… ANOTHER “VISION” THAT WENT UP ON A SHELF …

Of note-take not of the last commenter on last page…

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$TRETCHED TOO THIN …. POMPANO DOESN’T LIKE TO $HARE ….
Outside work puts CRA team in question
May 26, 2011|REBECCA DELLAGLORIA Forum Publishing Group

The two-person team that leads Redevelopment Management Associates, which heads up Pompano Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency, is doing contract work for the town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. This has raised questions by at least one member of the Pompano City Commission.

Kim Breisemeister and Chris Brown, who make up the RMA team, were contracted to review Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s master plan, as well as a financial plan to implement it, said LBTS Town Manager Connie Hoffmann.

Hoffmann said they are also looking for RMA to do a marketing study for the town. RMA is being paid $35,000 for the master plan review and financial plan, Hoffmann said.

“They are a highly experienced team that has done work for multiple cities and they have a track record of success, which is why we went to them,” Hoffmann said.

But Pompano Beach Vice Mayor George Brummer said he was concerned that Breisemeister and Brown were stretching themselves too thin.
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“I didn’t buy RMA. I bought Breisemeister and Brown,” Brummer said during a recent CRA board meeting. “If you two people start to stretch yourselves out, then I’m not sure the city of Pompano Beach will get what it deserves.”

Breisemeister reiterated RMA’s commitment to the city of Pompano Beach, saying, “Under no circumstances are we going to shortchange [the city]. I think we’ve demonstrated a very, very strong commitment. We work many, many hours.”

The management agreement between RMA and Pompano Beach’s CRA is not exclusive, Pompano Beach City Manager Dennis Beach said.

“Based on the description of what they’re doing, I would not perceive it as a conflict at this point,” Beach said. “I think the vice mayor’s comments were appropriate. They put everybody on notice that we wouldn’t want RMA doing something for a community close to us that would compete with us, and I think RMA is aware of that.”

Pompano Beach Mayor Lamar Fisher agreed.

“I saw no issue with it. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea has no CRA,” Fisher said. “RMA is a private firm and they are going to have other clients. But I did not see any conflict of interest or issue with what they are doing with Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.”

BC- we were told RMA would present there 5 -year plan in early June- as of this date it is not on the Jarvis Hall June calendar on the Town Website- while the first budget meeting is set for June 21, 2011 at 5 pm…

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-05-26/news/fl-pbf-rma-0526-20110526_1_rma-master-plan-cra-board-meeting
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6 YEARS AGO-AGENDA ITEMS 2005 …. EL MAR STREETSCAPE – ETC….

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IF ONLY WE HAD THE SAME FACILITATOR IN 2010…OOPS WE DID! …. I WANTED WHAT THEY GOT A REALISTIC GOAL OF COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED IN ONE YEAR ….A2 below… conducted 2 months before Connie Hoffmann was hired as Int. TM in LBTS…

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TWENTY YEARS LATER WILL WE SEE THE SAME KIND OF RACE- WITH NO SLATES…BUT THE SAME CAMPAIGN PROMISES MADE? ….
Pick 4 In Lauderdale-by-the-sea
March 04, 1992

Voters in Lauderdale-by-the Sea will choose a new mayor and three city commissioners in Tuesday`s municipal election. The Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board makes these recommendations:

MAYOR: KEN WARDLAW

Incumbent Mayor Joseph Barbara is stepping down as mayor to be a commissioner, and voters have two candidates to choose from to fill the vacancy: Commissioner Ken Wardlaw and Commissioner Anna Mae French. Wardlaw is the better choice.

Wardlaw, 62, is the only incumbent who listened to the residents when many showed up at a commission meeting to ask officials to replace antiquated recreational equipment for children in a city park.

His primary concerns are deterioration of the business district, inadequate attention paid to beach cleanliness and safety and inadequate parking and lack of follow-up on proposed programs for a parking survey. He also suggests establishing a code enforcement board to address code violations.

A 22-year city resident, he is a retired businessman.

French, 63, who has been a commissioner for two years, would not be a bad choice if elected mayor, but not the best choice. A 20-year resident, she is co-owner and co-manager with her husband of an apartment complex.

TOWN COMMISSIONER: (VOTE FOR 3) MARGARET MCKANE, OLIVER PARKER AND DONALD SHAWVER

Six candidates are running for three at-large seats for Town Commissioner. Voters should choose Margaret McKane, Oliver Parker and Donald Shawver.

McKane, Parker and Shawver, if elected, are three new faces who will bring good ideas and a responsiveness to residents` concerns. All three, although not running as a block ticket, express the same frustration with the Town Commission for not paying enough attention to voters, and all offer a determination to turn that around, though in different ways.

McKane, 36, is a family day care provider. She is an executive board member of the Broward County Family Day Care Association, a board member of the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Park Redevelopment Committee, and vice-president of the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Property Owners Association.

A 17-year resident, she says the three most important issues facing the town are preservation of the volunteer fire department, the need for a closer relationship between the government and the business community, and the need for a town beautification program.

Parker, 41, an attorney and resident since 1974, would serve as an excellent watchdog over how the town operates. He has a good working knowledge of the town and most of its important issues, and he offers some interesting ideas, such as installing cellular phones and videocameras in police cars.

He also believes the budget should be broken down and better itemized so people can get a better idea of how the town is spending its money.

Shawver, 27, is a town native who owns a pharmacy. His top issues are the status of the town`s fire protection services, the protection of bathers and divers, and renovation and beautification of the town. He says more attention should be paid to the needs of younger residents.

Shawver is also especially concerned that the commission needs someone to voice the needs of the town`s business community, which he feels have been somewhat neglected by the current members.

Other candidates are incumbent Wally Kilday, David Wessels and William Weyhmueller.

Kilday, 61, is a part-time investment adviser. He has served on the commission for 12 years, including five years as mayor. In November, he was charged with driving while intoxicated. The case has not yet come to trial.

Wessels, 48, is a nice enough person but doesn`t seem to be very familiar with many of the town`s important issues. On some of those issues he is familiar with, he prefers to waffle rather than offer a strong position. Wessels is a pharmacist and has been a resident for 10 years.

Weyhmueller, 66, wouldn`t be a bad commissioner if elected, but he wouldn`t bring any real new perspectives to the commission to help it represent a diversity of opinion and ideas. He is a retired school principal from Hammond, Ind., and a town resident since 1986.’

FOR THE RECORD – ******THE FOLLOWING CORRECTION WAS PUBLISHED MARCH 5, 1992******
Wednesday`s editorial recommending election of Margaret McKane as a Town Commissioner in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea contained an error. She is a past, not current, vice president of the Property Owners Association.
The Sun-Sentinel regrets the errors.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1992-03-04/news/9201120081_1_mayor-town-commissioner-three-city-commissioners

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FLASHBACK …..2010
Scot Sasser

City: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea

Office: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Commissioner District 1

Age: 43

Email: scot@scotsasser.com

Website: www.scotsasser.com

Marital Status/Family: Married with two children

Education: Attended Columbus State University

Profession: Bank Card Executive

Previous elective office/campaign experience: This is my first time seeking elected office. We thought long and hard as a family before making this decision. I wanted to make sure I was capable of bringing the town the time and effort the people deserved. In the end we knew it was time for fresh ideas and a change.

Civic activities/municipal board experience: I am currently Vice President of the Westminster Academy Booster Club and served as football coach for the 5th and 6th grade boys. I am an Adult Small Group Leader at my church where I have served as Chairman of Deacons and on the Administrative Leadership Team.

What previous actions by you demonstrate you have the honesty, ethics and personal character to be an elected official? Teresa and I have been married for 19 years. I currently lead an Adult Small Group at my Church where I have also served as Chairman of Deacons and served on the Administrative Leadership Team, which handles the finances, budget and strategic direction of the church. I also coach football at Westminster Academy. As a father of two children I realize the importance of setting the example by living honestly, ethically and having the discipline of strong personal character. It’s time to set the same example from the dais.

What are your priorities if elected, including your long-term vision for the city or town? Do you have any ordinances, policies, regulations or charter amendments to suggest? I would like to see a Code of Ethics passed in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. We have had difficulties in the past with elected officials who should have, in good conscience, recused themselves from votes on important public safety issues because they had a conflict of interest no matter if they received compensation or not as a town vendor. I am also in favor of a personal Code of Conduct that must be signed by any elected official to prohibit personal attacks or embarrassing conduct on the dais. My long-term vision for the town starts with an overall plan. We have shelved our Master Plan and in 2010 we need to revise it or start over. We can no longer piecemeal our projects. The new Master Plan should be adhered to in guiding us through an overall plan and prioritization for needs town wide.

Where in the municipal budget would you like to decrease and increase spending, and why? How would you balance the need for services with the desire by residents to reduce taxes? I would like to bring a structured approach to town business overall. We currently work off agenda items with no detailed follow-up and no database to assist Commissioners with decisions that have been made in the past. Without that structure, things tend to get lost or lost in translation. This includes town projects, budgetary spending, and special project allocation. We must be more diligent in how we spend money and the decisions we make especially on big ticket items such as buildings, equipment and capital improvements. I was for paying off loans but to find out later that there was a $300,000 early termination penalty that was not negotiated down was quite shocking. If we are more organized in our approach we could save money to decrease taxes. We waste too much money.

http://interactive.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/elections2010/individual09.php?id=29

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FLASHBACK …. 2010

Chris Vincent

City: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea

Office: Commissioner District 2

Age: 51

Email: chris@chrisvincent2010.com

Website: www.chrisvincent2010.com

Party affiliation: N/A

Marital Status/Family: Married with one daughter

Education: High School, 1 1/2 years Community College

Profession: Contractor/Property Management

Previous elective office/campaign experience: As an eight year resident of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, town issues have always been important to me. It has become apparent that we need new fresh input and ideas. My ability to work well with others will benefit the town and the residents.

Civic activities/municipal board experience: Our Family has been involved for the last 9 years with the Facing It Together Foundation. A non-profit organization dear to our hearts. Founded in 2000, FIT helps people regardless of age, race, creed or religion with the treatment, prevention of craniofacial disorders.

What previous actions by you demonstrate you have the honesty, ethics and personal character to be an elected official? I have run a successful business in South Florida for the past 22 years and established myself as a respected leader within my field. I have demonstrated my honesty and ethical standards by maintaining longstanding relationships with my customers, vendors and employees. I have an exceptional record of follow-through with meeting contractual obligations and the expectations of my clients. As a father, I lead by example every day to be a positive role model for my young daughter.

What are your priorities if elected, including your long-term vision for the city or town? Do you have any ordinances, policies, regulations or charter amendments to suggest? When elected I will show respect and decorum on the dais for my fellow commissioners and the citizens of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. Continue to provide the best possible public safety for the town. Support our business community and find ways to generate new tax revenues to keep property taxes low. Listen and include the voice of all taxpayers when making policy decisions. Enact an ethics code for our elected officials to prevent conflicts of interest. Support the existing height limits within the town charter. The town charter should only be changed in the most serious of circumstances and only when such changes are initiated and approved by the people, not the commission. Review current ordinances to make sure they are being enforced and determine if we need to adjust them to fit our town better.

Where in the municipal budget would you like to decrease and increase spending, and why? How would you balance the need for services with the desire by residents to reduce taxes? Town vendor service contracts are always a large portion of a town’s budget. I would make sure that town contracts are put out to bid, properly advertised and reviewed to make sure we receive the best service at the best possible price. We should be prudent in our decisions when spending money on acquisitions of real estate, equipment and improvements. The town wasted too much money on the purchase of an old motel. Ensure proper maintenance of community assets, identify the most important needs first and secure funding sources before we commit to such projects. These should be funded on a priority basis, not at the whim of a Commissioner. The town’s master plan is dated and should be brought current, particularly when it comes to drainage projects, sidewalk repairs and other capital improvements

http://www.sun-sentinel2.com/news/local/elections2010/individual09.php?id=30

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FLASHBACK ….. 2010

Roseann Minnet

City: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea

Office: Mayor

Age: 50

Email: roseannminnet@bellsouth.net

Party affiliation: N/A

Marital Status/Family: Single

Education: B.S.Degree in Accounting-Florida Atlantic University

Profession: Lighting Design and Consulting

Previous elective office/campaign experience: 2008-Present: Mayor of the Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea

Civic activities/municipal board experience: Broward League of Cities Sustainability Committee, Florida League of Cities Taxation & Finance Committee, Broward County Climate Change Task Force, Broward County Water Resource Task Force, Broward League of Cities Alternate.

What previous actions by you demonstrate you have the honesty, ethics and personal character to be an elected official? I voted to prohibit candidates seeking office in LBTS from accepting donations from vendors who do business with the town. I helped lead the effort to create a town ethics code which would prohibit conflicts of interest on the dais & take politics out of public safety issues. I will continue to pursue an ethics ordinance for LBTS. Town residents deserve the highest level of integrity and independence from their elected officials. I have and will always treat town residents with honesty and respect.

What are your priorities if elected, including your long-term vision for the city or town? Do you have any ordinances, policies, regulations or charter amendments to suggest? My long-term vision for the town is to maintain its traditions & preserve our quaint seaside village environment. I will continue to support the existing height limits in our town charter, to protect our beautiful ocean views & skyscape. I will work with residents & businesses to revitalize the hospitality district & increase business in LBTS. We must remain proactive in getting people to come to our town. I will continue my efforts to create community task forces to advise the commission on budget & public safety issues & to provide increased transparency in government.

Where in the municipal budget would you like to decrease and increase spending, and why? How would you balance the need for services with the desire by residents to reduce taxes? I voted against giving commissioners free med insurance & cell phone subsidies, and will continue my efforts to cut these expenses. The town attorney should be hired on an annual contract instead of an hourly rate. All buildings should be inspected for ways to reduce energy costs such as lighting & A/C. All outsourced contracts must be sent out for competitive bids & pricing. The town needs to update its electronic communications & reduce its paperwork. We must develop a master plan to address the town’s aging infrastructure, including drainage, lighting & sidewalks I will continue to support beautification projects and seek out grant opportunities.I would like to decrease the fire assessment & help our business community grow so they can generate new revenues and lessen the burden on our taxpayers

http://www.sun-sentinel2.com/news/local/elections2010/individual09.php?id=32

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FLASHBACK 2008-

BIRUTE ANN CLOTTEY

Personal: 64, divorced, one child

Education: Doctorate in business administration, Oklahoma State University

Professional: Marketing professor, Barry University

Political: First run for office

Civic: Former board member of Rotary Club; local chairwoman of American Marketing Association; member, board of directors of Lithuanian American Club in Miami; board of Bel Air Civic Association

How long have you lived in South Florida? Since 1989

How do you differ from your opponent? I listen to people. I don’t have pre-conceived ideas. I believe it’s the people a politician needs to answer to. I will listen.

How much money have your raised? About $3,000

How much of that did you lend/give to your campaign? $500

Top 3 non-newspaper endorsements: Citizens Initiative Committee

How to contact: www.lbtscic.com or 954-895-6595

What are your top priorities?

To restore trust as an elected official … [To] bring forth all my business acumen to ensure fiscal responsibility with budgetary restraint. … [To] preserve the charm and character.

What were the best and worst decisions of the Town Commission recently?

Best: Hiring of town manager. Worst: Support of [former Broward] Sheriff Ken Jenne, resulting in demise of volunteer fire department. Increase in density, reduced building setback requirements, lack of green space, reinterpretation of people’s term limits amendment and ignoring ordinances the majority on the dais did not agree with.

Where in the town budget would you like to decrease and increase spending?

Reduce public safety cost by implementing a cost-effective partnership with reinstatement of volunteer fire department and go out for RFP bids for paid professional firefighters to save citizens approximately $1 million a year.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2008-01-20/community/0801170520_1_town-meetings-town-commission-mayor-s-race/4

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DISTRICT 2

STUART DODD

Personal: 59, married, four stepchildren, 10 grandchildren

Education: Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Manchester University

Professional: Marine engineer with Global Marine Service and Repair Inc.

Political: First run for office. Led effort to recall Mayor Oliver Parker in 2007.

Civic: Chairman of Citizens Initiative Committee

How long have you lived in South Florida? Since 1996

How do you differ from your opponent? It’s time for a change. I bring fresh thinking, new ideas and a new perspective to the dais, with integrity and honesty and an open mind.

How much money have you raised? $3,000

How much of that did you lend/give to your campaign? $500

Top 3 non-newspaper endorsements: Citizens Initiative Committee

How to contact: www.lbtscic.com or 954-612-1600

What are your top priorities?

To restore confidence in the Town Commission, bring back our volunteer fire department in an active role and shape citizen-friendly development. I [also] support removing the Overlay District from the books because it has led to developer abuse.

What were the best and worst decisions of the Town Commission recently?
Best: Mayor Parker’s decision to step down. Worst: A myriad of blunders such as removal (after 45 years of service) of the volunteer fire department, implementation of an Overlay District that is out of character with the community, allowing the Oriana developers to get away with a slap on the wrist for ‘overbuilding’ their original site plan, approving plans to give away one lane of our premier beach boulevard for developers to use as their front yards, and reinterpreting a term limits charter change, passed by 74 percent of the voters, to not apply to themselves.

Where in the town budget would you like to decrease and increase spending?

Return cost-effective volunteer fire department alongside a paid professional fire department … to save over $1 million tax dollars per year. Contract less from outside sources. Have someone in town administration with grant-writing skills.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2008-01-20/community/0801170520_1_town-meetings-town-commission-mayor-s-race/4

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MAYOR

ROSEANN A. MINNET

Personal: 48, divorced, one son

Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Florida Atlantic University

Professional: Owner, operator of Lightseeker Inc., a lighting design company

Political: Chairwoman of Planning and Zoning Board, former member of Charter Review Board, former member of Board of Adjustment

Civic: Chamber of Commerce member; Leadership Broward Foundation lifetime member; corporate partner chairwoman of National Association of Women Business Owners, 1993-98
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How long have you lived in South Florida? Lifelong, born and raised in Plantation; 18 years in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

How do you differ from your opponent? I really feel that I bring common sense to the town. Common sense and respect and integrity are going to be the foundation of my campaign.

How much money have you raised? About $6,000

How much of that did you lend/give to your campaign? $500

Top 3 non-newspaper endorsements: Firefighters Local 4321 Political Action Committee; Realtors Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale

How to contact: www.roseannminnet.com or 954-351-7282

What are your top priorities?

Maintaining a professional EMS, fire and police for Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Secondly, respect must be brought back to [the town].

What were the best and worst decisions of the Town Commission recently?

Worst decision has been the vacillation of the Commercial Boulevard pavilion. We are in jeopardy of losing a grant from Fort Lauderdale which will expire in December 2008 if the project is not completed. Best decision was moving forward with the Overlay Districts in 2004-05.

Where in the town budget would you like to decrease and increase spending?

I will continue to reduce taxes, increase revenues and cut variable costs wherever possible without sacrificing our quality of life. Specifics: Review all projects for effectiveness [and] evaluate outsourcing of public works.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2008-01-20/community/0801170520_1_town-meetings-town-commission-mayor-s-race/4

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more to come when the procrastination dissipates ….

Tags: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Same Old-Same Old "Visions" When It Comes To Politics And Politicians
Posted in Local Politics, Scoops, local government

CAN YOU THROW SOMEBODY UNDER THE BUS AND ASK WHY WE ALL DON’T COME TOGETHER? …. WHEN DID GOVERNING BECOME ALL ABOUT THE ELECTED OFFICIALS FEELINGS OVER PRESENTED FACTS ?…

Dear Readers… below is the mostly verbatim words of the LBTS dais members as well as some others …proving to this writer it’s “open season” politically speaking in our Town… Take a look at the exchange below starting with Vice Mayor Dodd’s (the Chair of this year’s July 4th event) prepared speech which included a timeline of events that took place from the day of the 5/24/11 Commission meeting (prev. post) right up until this evening’s special meeting in order to fully inform his fellow Commission members of what they were not privy to as a result of Sunshine…. What you will witness in this writer’s opinion looks very disturbing in the orchestration of the responses coming from most of the dais members in response…It began with the Mayor trying to cut him off…when he was using quotes made by Louis Marchelos on the record at the May 24th meeting she presided over…. The comments she and others made showed not only did most up there not listen to what he said but that they all crossed the line in my opinion of second guessing the Vice Mayor as Chair of a Town event while not only being accusatory but actually putting forward that they should have been involved prior to the contract being placed on the agenda!…HUH?… In the events these Commissioners themselves chaired did they ever have the other Commissioners doing anything different than what VM Dodd did in setting up an event or working with the Town and vendors…No because of Sunshine!…. I believe as I previously posted this was just the latest incident of the Marchelos brothers crying wolf…I also believe as they have done so many times in the past the pier owners “lobbied” the other Commissioners with their tales of woe…and I believe it is evident that those who were lobbied this time around were hood-winked as witnessed by the comments made by Comm. Vincent and the answers he received from Asst. Town Manager Bud Bentley concerning changes made to their agreement … On this I know I am correct..It is only a matter of time before these same lobbied Commissioners will be on the receiving end of the wolves and their cries of being singled out….As one Town employee told this writer today when discussing the July 4th meeting tonight and the Marchelos brothers “It’s an annual thing with them!”… And it is… The spin is already going around the Town no doubt…The Marchelos will say they saved the July 4th event….Not so… They only derailed what the Chair and his committee had planned and cost the taxpayers for Town staff, Town Atty. and Commission-Jarvis Hall time … Shame on them and those who went along with the ruse…

The meeting began after a little shocking “housecleaning item” made by the TAtty.- litigation which will go into shade session sometime in the future Olinzock vs. Town of LBTS!… Comm. Clottey made a point of order asking for public comment to be included in the meeting..The Mayor who already sounded off said this was not the “right venue” due to the items being consent agenda items ..she said they were there to “move these items forward. If items were not finalized through staff I believe it is necessary for staff to go back and bring these items forward.”…HUH?… Comm. Clottey said she would yield to the Mayor’s decision…The first item was placed on the agenda by VM Dodd so that he could offer up the timeline in order for the Commission to make a decision on the fireworks…

Vice Mayor Dodd-

“Please indulge me in a somewhat lengthy explanation. At the last commission meeting I answered Commissioner Clottey when she questioned me that the July 4th event has a committee of one. I misspoke and I must apologize since I  did not give credit to all those people who have been helping me for many months now. I have enlisted over 15 people from Staff, BSO, Volunteer Fire Department, AMR and the downtown businesses in varying roles to assist in all aspects of trying to put on a spectacular event for the Town. All was moving along smoothly until lunchtime Tuesday May the 24th, the day of the commission meeting. I thought I had a great event in the bag and then the bottom fell out. I want to make it public knowledge that at the Tuesday commission meeting on May 24th I knew nothing of any request from the pier to change their application and revise the request to hold their normal Saturday night weekly event on July 2nd in the usual location and to hold no further events in the pier parking lot on Sunday July the 3rd or the Monday July the 4th. I was still operating under the premise stated in their original application, shown in the back-up to the commissioners that they would do their own thing and that they did not want to be included with the town’s event as they informed me prior. I believe they had ample opportunity to contact me if their plans were changed. At the commission meeting I was accused of concealing the July 4th plans from the pier owners. I was accused along with staff of secret planning. Mr. Louis Marchelos wanted me to go under oath and an investigation to take place.”

Mayor Minnet- “Ok, ah, Vice Mayor I’m gonna stop at this time cause um, earlier I stated that there would not be any public comments. I just would like to remind us all that we have sat up here, we’ve tried to maintain a civil dais. Um, an not to attack anyone eithert from this dais into the public audience either residents or businesses.

VM Dodd-” Point of information. I’m stating facts.”

Mayor Minnet- ” Excuse me sir. I am not finished with my remarks. I still hold the gavel. Um, so I would ask that you preface what you’re going to continue to say because if I feel that is attacking in any way to any resident or any business I will stop the comment and I will move it along because as a committee as policy we have made sure that stability is the number one issue on this dais and in this town and that’s what the people elected us to be. So with that I don’t mind if you continue but I would just ask you to make sure that there are not any accusatory remarks made to any businesses or resident. Thank you.”

BC- I believe the voters elected them to be fiscally responsible and transparent…which leads to stability!… As far as her asking for no accusatory remarks to made…too bad the dais did not follow suit in the comments made tonight toward the Vice Mayor…

VM Dodd-” And I will counter that by saying this is a statement of fact and I can go on the record and I will continue.”

VM Dodd continued his opening comments-” I was accused with staff of secret planning.I answered on the record I would be happy to go under oath. For I know my plans and proposals as Chair of the event were made public both on and off the dais on more than one occasion. Mr Marchelos went on to state the following at the podium. “No contract for the fireworks. Am I angry? Absolutely. Am I disappointed? Yes. Do I intend to take advantage of the acts of a few and punish this whole town? Absolutely not.”

The Mayor could be heard to say “ok”…The VM responded “That is a quote from his speech”…The Mayor again said “ok” seemingly looking to cut off the VM from proceeding with his timeline…

VM Dood-”The first set of lease agreement negotiation clauses included an additional year of no parking fees for their Saturday event which the Asst. Town Manager said amounted to approx. $2600.The charge to the Town for the use of the pier for July the 4th would go up from $10,000 to $12,600  and the pier owners would have an added benefit of no parking fees not offered to any other special event. The Commission approved an extra 48 hours  between the regular meeting on the 24^th and the special meeting on the 26^th for further negotiations.^. I met with town staff Wednesday the 25^th at lunchtime to try to find a way to accommodate the Marchelos Brother’s request to get vehicles to the parking lot on July the 4th during the proposed road closures from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. The road closures were to allow the set-up of the town’s own music event.   Staff and I worked with BSO and the Volunteer Fire Department,the Fire Chief to try to find solution that would allow vehicles to use the pier parking lot on July 4th since it appeared that the Marchelos brothers no longer wanted to erect tents or hold their own event.Staff and I met with the Marchelos Brothers Wednesday night and outlined our solution to permit them the full use of the pier parking lot. The Marchelos brothers and attorney  withdrew to consider the town’s offer. On returning their attorney counter offered that the Marchelos brothers wanted  to give the Town the pier parking lot for the whole day. They wanted music at their end of the Commercial Boulevard at no charge and now additionally they wanted $15,000 since they felt they should have further relief from the money they outlay on parking for their special event. The Assistant Town Manager stated the parking issue was not negotiable and could not to be included in these negotiations but they still wanted 15,000 dollars. Their proposal for the lease agreement required the town to lease or sub-let the pier parking lot on July 4th for the whole day and allow them to erect their own music event in front of Kilwins so they could still “ do their own thing” It is my opinion the commission would have rejected the Marchelos brothers’ offer completely since it was $5000.00 more than their first offer and approximately $2500 more than their May the 24th proposal and it now required the town to take over the responsibility for the pier parking lot and it would  be up to the town to lease it out to try to re-coup some of the money. It also required the Town to give them a free event and allow them a stage outside Kilwin’s and music that would conflict with the Town’s own music event. I understood the Marchelos brothers’ original objection to the town’s music event was that their own event at the pier would conflict with the Town’s  event.On Thursday Morning the Assistant Town Manager contacted Arubas and offered the pier parking lot for their valet parking. Initially they accepted the offer for $3000.00 to take over the parking lot but subsequently I learned this was not approved by all those involved and the offer was withdrawn. On Thursday lunchtime a meeting was held with Dave Gadsby, Peggy Mohler, Guy Contrada, Bud Bentley and I. The Julythe  4th participants told the Assistant Manager and me they would not be holding the music event and that the Marchelos brothers would probably jump at the chance to hold a three day event. I am convinced the withdrawal of the downtown planned music event was the result of the Marchelos brothers’ negotiations and stipulations over the preceding days. Following this lunchtime meeting the Assistant Town Manager then contacted the Marchelos brothers who then changed their minds again and offered the lease the pier for $10,000 and now wanted to bring back their 3- day event at the pier parking lot. I received this at information at 4 p.m Thursday.  This was why the meeting was postponed on Thursday May the 26th before the University of Miami’s presentation. At the May 24th meeting  town staff and I  decided we needed to have a Plan B. The Town Staff, the VFD and I began working on it. The decision was due to the above actions as well as the Town’s and my concern going forward. I heard just  last night we have an excellent venue lined up – Plan B is a spectacular event staged from the patio terrace behind the Minto show offices.  It is not quite on the sandy beach as such will not upset the turtles. If the Marchelos brothers  do not want to accept the lease agreement offer that I will outline shortly, the town can have an excellent firework display – Plan B  visible from anywhere on the beach at the original budgeted fireworks price of around 15,000 dollars. The town will save the cost of the $10,000 of the pier lease agreement. I explained personally to the Marchelos brothers that as Chairman of the event I have a certain level of authority and control but the terms of any lease agreement discussed last Wednesday and any suggestions of a 3- day event must be presented to the full commission for approval. I also want to point out that on more than one occasion Commissioner Clottey has spoken against 3-day events. I totally agree that to subject our residents and businesses to three days of loud music from the pier parking lot is not acceptable and I would vote against any 3-day event from the feedback and comments I have heard from the public about the impact of such an event. I can assure the Marchelos brothers I will continue to assess every event application on its merits and I will try not be influenced by what has happened during these negotiations. You can all see that this year has been fraught with problems trying to reach a lease agreement with the pier. The goal posts kept on moving causing town staff, the VFD, BSO and me an enormous amount of unnecessary work and I am also very sad that the Town’s planned music event will no longer happen as a result. I would therefore like to make a motion. The offer to the Marchelos brothers  is  $10,000 for this year only making this a one year contract and this lease agreement is not subject to any extra clauses such as pre-approval for a three day event or the town to take over the pier parking lot or permission to place a band outside Kilwins, or permission for using the pier for filming on June 13^th . When I have finished I would like you all to discuss this and if you are in agreement then we should take a short recess while the Marchelos brothers and their attorney retire to consider the town’s offer. I took the liberty of asking the Assistant Town Manager to draw up a new lease agreement ready for signature by both parties before we consider the rest of this evening’s business. The town attorney has also signed off on the proposed lease agreement language.”

VM Dodd-”Whatever the Commission decides I want to let the Townspeople know the Committee and I will carry on to provide what I hope will be a wonderful and enjoyable 4th of July event with the 4th of July parade, VFD kids photo opportunity, beachfront activities and a rescue demonstration, LBTS July 4th burgers at local restaurants and a fireworks display on a day that not only celebrates the country’s independence, but is also the VFD’s 50th birthday! I respectfully ask that this statement is entered in its entirety into the minutes and I will provide a copy. That ladies and gentlemen of the dais is the whole summation of the lease agreement negotiations. I yield”

BC- Readers please keep the above paragraph in mind when you read the Mayor’s  and Commissioner’s remarks below…

The Mayor said the Vice Mayor made a motion and asked him to repeat it…he did stating it was for $10,000 for use of the pier for fireworks for one year only devoid of any clauses tying other Marchelos’ “wants” from being used to guarantee  the use and the price… The Mayor asked for a second to the motion and there was none…The Mayor then said they would move on to discussion “Is there any discussion in reference to the Vice Mayor’s remarks to the ah, line items of events that occurred that have brought us to this position”..HUH? ..She looked from one side to the other of the dais and saw no response to her weirdly put question… That did not stop her though… Mayor Minnet then said to the Asst. TM who was sitting in for the TM “ok, with that the I will ask staff um, Mr. Bentley currently where are we at with the um, 4th of July Town celebration events?”…HUH?…The VM just stated the timeline and what was required of the Commission …Bently looking rather uncomfortable with the question she posed said “To summarize it the 4th of July event application from the Town which is the next item needs to be modified slightly based on changes that have occurred.”…He became confused when describing whether or not we had a contract based on the $15,000 agreement from the last meeting he and the VM had with the Marchelos brothers before they found out the Town music event was pulled … He said he needed to check after all that had transpired back and forth over the previous days..The Mayo replied ok and Mr. Bentley stated “Basically we don’t have an agreement.”..meaning the pier lease for fireworks with the Marchelos brothers… The Mayor again off kilter said that meant they could no longer address any of the items on the agenda and asked if she was correct in stating that …Bentley again was perplexed hearing the Mayor as this writer was… The Asst. TM stated they could consider item e…but again said they had no final license agreement on the pier… The Mayor then went on the first of many long-winded comments that were way off base with other Commissioners following her lead…

Mayor-” Mr Bentley I’m gonna go out on a limb here and under the circumstances do you feel that the parties that, we’ve only heard from one side of that party. Do you feel that you have been, you have been a part of these discussions and negotiations from the beginning. Do you feel that there’s anyway that we can come to an agreement and a consensus that will allow the event to move forward. If we adjourn these items til the June 14th meeting will that give staff um, and the committee enough time to come to a positive resolve. Um, do you think that’s even possible? “…The Asst. TM said that question was better suited for the Vice Mayor and reminded the Mayor of the VM’s comments to get some policy direction from the Commission… That only made the Mayor go deeper into the abyss in my opinion…

Mayor” Ok, well Vice Mayor my recommendation would be that everybody needs to work together. We’re a town we’ve been a town from the beginning. I am truly just, I’m disappointed. I’m not putting blame. I mean, if anyone knows how an event can go wrong it’s me. I’ve been there and I’ve seen it happen.”

BC- The Mayor laughed as she referred to Greenfest and her former campaign Manager opening up a checking account and depositing Town funds according to what came out throughout the long drawn-out incident on the dais…What the Mayor conveniently left out was her insistence that she had done all she could to provide what she could and she had pleaded with her former manager to no avail and trusted the wrong people..Hmmm… Now there was only one side heard throughout that situation as well…And it was Vice Mayor Dodd who made the motion for the investigation to be stopped after the 2010 election…

Mayor Minnet-” And I know that as a town we can work through this ,um, I am again, it is unfortunate that we can’t all work together and I’m saying this to everyone present here at this meeting and also many present, many people who aren’t here this evening that are part of this. Um, I don’t know why it’s gotten to this point.”

BC- The VM spelled it out in his opening remarks!…

Mayor- ” I would just as that if there’s any way we can all sit down, you all can sit down and work this through so that the Town can have the 4th of July event maybe if it’s back to square one, I don’t know but that would be my recommendation. I don’t know where my fellow commissioners lie on this. Um, but I really, that’s what I have to say.We have an opportunity from now until June 14th to put something together that’s going to hopefully make all the parties at least happy.”…

BC- The Mayor made the first of two statements making a giant leap from the issue at hand of whether the fireworks would be at the pier or at the beach and spoke of there being no July 4th event…WOW!… Who is coaching her these days?…

Comm. Clottey asked the Mayor to please turn on the machine that allows her to know when the Commissioners want to speak..she apologized and laughed that no winder there had been no request coming forth… The Mayor kept going though..stating her recommendation “is we all sit down, you sit down back at the table and get the parties together and everybody play nicely in the sandbox.”…There was light applause from the few in the audience I would have to think are her supporters… Mayor Minnet then said “I am not recognizing, I am not going back to what it used to be in this town. I’m not. Thank you.”

BC- It is already back to what it was like in in 2006-2008 and again in 2008-2010…a majority getting in …becoming a bubble …and going forth on what they want without regard to the public or transparency… web designers hired without bids going out…redevelopment without referendums… less and less information getting to the Commission such as a new Finance Director listed on the newly designed website with no resume supplied to the Commission as far as we know thus far… Lack of budget reports…$15,000 TM expenditures …Consultants… wrong information given out by staff…and so much more…But again any spotlight on the new team in place is met with the same disdain and attacks…based not on actions but personalities and alliances…

Comm. Clottey – ” I agree with you (Mayor). I think it needs to go back to the table. I am also a little bit troubled that we could only hear one side of the story because there’s always different takes on things. Ah, but if that’s the way you (Mayor) want it that’s fine. But I do agree with you they need to go back to the table because I don’t think some of these decisions should be made by the Commission and I know you (Mayor) don’t want to go back but traditionally it’s been the Chair (Dodd) who  makes these decisions. And, um anyway I’m glad that you (Mayor) want them to go back to the table cause that’s what I want to see too.”

BC- The Mayor and Comm. Clottey seem to be doing alot of repeat dialogue in meeting…It was the Mayor who made that comment at the may 24th meeting about the Chair of an event… Tonight she threw it out the window… Marchelos…Clottey…Mayor Minnet talk about strange bedfellows… Gotta laugh at that combo!..

The Mayor acknowledged Comm. Sasser who asked her if she was looking for consensus…a simple yes would have sufficed but not for the Mayor… She dug herself a deeper whole for why she should call it 2-terms and out…in my opinion…

Mayor Minnet- ” Well or unless you want another idea. I mean or we give you wanting to make a recommendation to the Vice Mayor as far as what we do. Maybe we don’t have a Town event. Maybe we don’t have fireworks. Maybe we say that’s , this year we’re just gonna have a parade and beach activities. That , I think that’s the direction the Vice Mayor’s looking for. I’m hoping they can work this through. We have some time. I know it’s putting a major burden on everyone. I know we only heard one side of the story and that’s true but again, I’m hoping they can work it out.”

BC- Re-read the VM’s timeline …

Comm. Sasser- ” Sure and so just to let you know where I stand  Madam Mayor. First of all I didn’t second the motion because I stated at the last meeting that I thought it was disjointed and I think taking it disjointed the way the motion was made didn’t satisfy my need to see a combined Town event. so I think if the motion is made I’d like to see it in a manner where I know what these other items or where these other items are gonna go. For instance and I followed the Vice Mayor, if I followed the him correctly we started out with 2 events, 2 music events which I stated before  I disagreed with. Now we’re down to one even. I don’t know where that event will happen so on and so forth. You know those decisions need to be made combined so that we’re not making decisions on piecemeal if you will. A favorite term of this commission. But so not making those piecemeal but making them in conjunction with understanding (The Mayor could be heard saying “um hum”) how the whole event will flow. I also stated that I felt like and I still feel like this could have been avoided and for that I’m saddened in a way and where we’ve ended up. My main question is when did it become not about the Town? You know when did it become not about the residents and I’ll say here before the folks sitting out there more money doesn’t make it right. And so I’m not for putting together something that pours more Town money to make the event happen. I would rather go to the backup (Plan B beach fireworks) if that’s where we land. However, I too want to return to this and think we can return to the table with negotiations on both sides keeping in mind that this event is about the Town and about the Town residents and putting away everything that has happened. We’re all adults. My wife as well as my son told me today at some point the adults need to take over and I think we’re there (Mayor could be heard again “um hum”) And I agree with that sentiment that we should sit around and Mayor you put it well sit around the table and negotiate this from the point of it being the best thing for the Town, not the best thing for the Vice Mayor, the best thing for Louie and Spiro not the best thing , but the best thing for residents and when we do that we’ll come to that conclusion.”

BC- I must respectfully disagree with Comm. Sasser…The VM, VFD, BSO and the committee have done only what was best for the residents and the Town…The barrage that has been heard from what I am told is coming from a politically motivated faction with an ax to grind…as many are well aware…

The Mayor went further into the muck…”Basically where we are at on that Commissioner Sasser is that items A , has been discussed (that was VM’s timeline) B,C,D, + E those items would be discussed at a later time and come back to this body for a vote ,ok?”…The Asst. TM was once again visibly unable to follow the Mayor’s words …which lacked any logic in this writer’s opinion…Mr Bentley after approximate 25 minutes of this Commission going off the topic at hand on the fireworks lease agreement ad nauseum began to reel them in from what appeared to be an ongoing barrage of throwing the Vice Mayor under the bus for his July 4th event…He said he wanted to offer a couple of comments and spoke of running out of time to vote on items… He informed them the fireworks display contract was reasonable and the company offered alot of latitude even though it would no longer be a 3 year contract (due to the Marchelos changing their agreement) ..He urged the Commission to vote on it so the vendor would be lined up whether they went with plan A or B… He also wanted to address the 3-day event which was included in the original agreement as well as the “wants” of the Marchelos brothers after learning the Town music event was pulled…Just as those committee members said would transpire…This was item 9 in the backup of the agreement for May 24th which the VM briefly touched on… Let me say that the 3-day event a separate special event in the pier parking lot was not previously presented to the Commission… As VM Dodd said in previous years Comm. Clottey stated she was not for 3-day events/ Comm. Sasser the “contract guy” most likely would have caught that clause and found the problems with it/Mayor Minnet has often said she did not want to tie the hands of future Commissions…which is exactly what this clause would do… and finally as with all agreements the applicant and/or staff can agree but it it up to the Commission whether it is in or out of the final contract… The Mayor said “That’s fair, so those two items we will address” …YIKES!…Commissioner Sasser did ask about it and the impact and Bud Bentley described the wants of the Marchelos for this pre-approved administratively only ongoing 3-day event as a major condition to reduce the cost by $2000 a year for using the pier …The Mayor asked about it as well and the Asst. TM said he “can’t speak to their (Marchelos) motivation”…

The Vice Mayor tried once again to explain to his fellow commission members what was required as far as guidance to move forward …He said “It’s all very well sitting there and saying yah, let’s all be friends, let’s make this happen. I have been trying to make this happen for two and half weeks and so has Mr. Bentley and we have been negotiating solidly but what happens is the license agreement is getting tied up with other clauses and I don’t think that’s acceptable. That they (Marchelos) want to put conditions on it that are relevant to their 3-day event”…and the parking at $5,000 and an outdoor street event the VM stated would not be allowed for anyone else in town…He said they were holding the Town “ransom” for these clauses …He went on to say if the Commission wanted him to change his motion he could put forth an agreement for one year at $12,000 just as it was when the Marchelos charged the Mayor for her July 2010 event…She cut him off and said Comm. Vincent needed to speak as well as Comm. Clottey…He again pleaded for guidance after sitting through these last 30 minutes of misinformed “feelings” about the situation from the dais..The Mayor was rather testy in her reply that was what they were trying to do…

Comm. Vincent -thanked the Mayor and stated he was “hoping this was gonna be easy this evening” ..He said he didn’t want to speak and he said that “wholeheartedly” (Bet the Marchelos wished he kept it zipped!) … He added onto all that was said prior the catch phrases of disappointment and stated we are left with “alot of ifs and possibilities” having not “settled anything” …”at this juncture”…He asked about the Zambelli contract and the contract and price…The Asst. TM told him the current contract was based on the per but the company has a plan for Plan B with smaller shells…a new or amended contract would be needed at the same price (as the VM stated in his opening summation) …Comm. Vincent stated he was not a pyrotechnic kind of guy and asked about the winds and the impact on Plan B (Beach launch) ..VFD Fire Chief Paine came up described the area and the measures taken as well as it would  be 20mph winds that would shut the launch down …He also described the shell size and the intensity of a 15 minute display that would seem like 30 minutes… Comm.Vincent laughed and said “alright, sounds great.”

BC-Here’s the icing on the top of this “taking the cake” Commission meeting…The Comm. Vincent -Bud Bentley OJ moment… Thank goodness Vincent always “goes there” on the dais!…So happy it was Bentley sitting in the TM seat to respond!…

Comm. Vincent-” Again, I just wanted to address why I didn’t also second the motion because I’m not comfortable really voting on a request by the Vice Mayor prior to even sitting down and speaking with the parties involved and saying well this is what we’re gonna do now. Let’s go talk to the parties . I’m not sure if that’s really the right way to go about it. And a couple of other questions is I’m concerned on why this , there’s reservations about the 3-day event now when it was originally included in the contract for the 3 year deal. Nobody seemed to question it. Nobody , it seemed as if it were going to be signed and I can’t assume this Commission would have voted for it but this Commissioner would have based on everything prior to this fallout. So my concern is why all of the sudden the reservation possibly by staff or the Vice Mayor that this 3-day event shouldn’t happen when it was already laid out and seconds away from signature until my next question is. We understand that there were many changes to the contract. Well my question is who made the original changes to this contract prior to signature? Ah, is my question Bud for you is there, were changes made but who made the original changes to the first laid out contract for this event?”

Bud Bentley replied similarly  confused by Comm. Vincent as he was by the Mayor that the 3-day event contract was being worked on for months and he thought that was what Comm. Vincent meant when he used the term “original contract”

Comm. Vincent-” Well the contract that I was hoping that was going to be presented to this dais and this Commission on the 3-day event , the 3 year fireworks at 10,000 a year um, my understanding that was prior to signature that this contract was changed unbeknownst to the signatures, to the signers (Marchelos) and I think that this is where everything precipitated into why we’re here tonight and I just, the only reason why I’m bringing this up not to get into this but there’s, there’s comments up here that there’ve been many changes to the contract and we’re only hearing one side of that. So that being said you know in defense of the parties (Marchelos) that can not come back and say well this was changed and that was changed . I don’t want to get into that. I just want it to be known that changes were made, we don’t know by who, but on the original contract somebody had to make that change prior to signature and who made those changes without conferring with the party (Marchlos) that was to sign that? It’s really just a” Bud Bentley asked him to “enlighten him on what changes were made?…

Comm. Vincent continued on-” Well changes of the, the, the ah, event whee there was gonna be a change of locations, of bands, the road closures that I believe alot of the Parties involved with the event including the Aruba and Village Grill were unaware of as well. (Aruba, Village Grille + 101 were all participants and were well aware of everything ).So these are the concerns that I have that there was alot of parties involved that were unaware of these changes.” The Mayor could be heard to say “ok”…

Bud Bentley- ” Let me address that and that I think goes to the core issue of some of the hurt feelings is the lease, the pier lease agreement does not deal with the Town event. Never did, never had! They weren’t part of the negotiations. The pier lease agreement which is what was presented to you on the 24th went back and forth between the parties. I represented the Town and Louis and their attorney represented the pier. There were no changes to,that unbeknownst to both parties, absolutely! What gets confusing is that I later learned that the pier was negotiating certain things on the pier in the licenses agreement based upon their understanding of how the Town event was gonna occur. Well we had no knowledge of that. So to answer the one question, there wasn’t any changes in the original agreement unbeknownst to both parties.”..The Mayor said “ok”…

Comm. Vincent who by now should have known along with the other Commission members after this exchange they were victims of brothers who cried wolf went on to backtrack to further make no sense on saying if we have a Plan B why not have just gone that route instead of going through what they just  went through…HUH?… He backtracked on his backtrack and ended by saying he just wanted this resolved for a wonderful 4th event…

Bud Bentley at approximately 40 minutes into this meeting said to the Mayor…that the Vice Mayor made the suggestion for an adjournment to have the parties meet to see if their was a meeting of the minds… The Mayor again off base asked Bentley if he thought that was possible…He responded he was the eternal optimist…With that the Mayor did what she should have done  after VM Dodd’s opening summation and adjourned for them to negotiate…

As seen on the screen the parties sat at the conference table…I am told VM Dodd preferred a 2-day event and $10,000 for the pier…In the end that is what the agreement was…Within 15 minutes once they were allowed to do what the VM suggested… While Louis Marchelos came to the podium and said “In order to save the fireworks for this town and keep everyone happy in this town we have agreed to a discounted price of $10,000 for the fireworks”…He added his Sat. night event and the July 4th pier parking lot event as well…He thanked the VM and Bud Bentley for meeting now and “speaking out here”…He said this all could have been resolved weeks ago …  As the staff member said… with the Marchelos it’s an annual thing… so who will be on the receiving end this time next year…or sooner… The Commission swiftly passed the items one by one 5-0 votes on all agenda items despite Comm. Clottey not being able to keep up…and staff pulled the Village Grill 1 year special event while they work on costs for crossing guards  at A1A and Commercial… An hour + meeting could have been easily “resolved” in less than 30 minutes…if only governing was done without the need to express their “feelings”…as wrong as they all were!…

BC- I believe that every member of the dais owes VM Dodd a public apology for the actions they displayed throughout this situation culminating into what we watched last night to a fellow commissioner…

more to come…

Tags: Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Mayor Roseann Minnet-Vice Mayor Stuart Dodd-Commissioner Scot Sasser-Commissioner Birute Clottey-Commissioner Chris Vincent-Assistant Town Manager Bud Bentley, The June 2 2011 Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Special Commission Meeting ... The July 4th Event Is A Go ...After Some Political "Throwing Under The Bus" Antics ...
Posted in LBTS Agendas/Meetings, Local Politics, Scoops, local government