A PACKED JARVIS HALL …. SAW THE NEW CHAPTER BEGIN …..
Mayor Roseann Minnet Signs as Newly sworn in Commissioner Sasser and Vincent wait to do the same…
The “Good Guys”…Newly elected Commissioners Chris Vincent and Scot Sasser
Dear Readers …. Jarvis Hall was packed tonight as early as 6:30 for a ceremony that started approximately 5-10 minutes late (7 pm) as more chairs were set up to accommodate the large crowd… The crowd itself showed why this election was a landslide with only 5-6 supporters of the outgoing commissioners sitting together in one row ..This writer heard one comment coming from Maryann Wardlaw …”They’ll screw it up soon”…(nice talk for a former mayor’s wife)…)…As expected outgoing Vice Mayor McIntee and wife were not in attendance….Mayoral candidate Joe Couriel was present in the back and Candidate Marjorie Evans was a no-show…leading many to agree with this writer in my early opinions of her candidacy… The Furths were also M.I.A. and after the meeting we were told Marc Furth resigned as Town Photographer turning in his parking permit and keys… Not knowing this at the time of the ceremony…the only observance made of his not being there was how many others were snapping pics…leading many to realize there is no need for an official Town Photog!… Commissioner Clottey looked and acted downright miserable …and gave us a glimpse of what to expect if she lasts the next 2 years… She was seen with some very disturbing grimaces on her face…a lack of showing any good sportsmanship and wrongly made a point of order at the end of the evening insisting only a Commissioner could chair an event such as Easter…We hear Asst. TM Olinzock also disagreed with Clottey’s assertion ….The organizational meeting was changed to this week and again it was Clottey who could not make the date on Wed. ….eventually though,she agreed to a 5 pm time… Note to Commission if Clottey leaves early…you still have a quorum to continue without her…She made a beeline out of the hall…did not stay for any photos…again showing she is not handling the loss very well right out of the gate!… Her car was seen at Town Hall East…(Needs a new name after tonight!)….
There was a few snafus…seen as I watched the replay on my Comcast DVR…no sound for the Rev. Hunsaker’s invocation …and again no sound for Mayor Minnet’s pre- proclamation statement…I have the highlights for the invocation and the verbatim for the Mayor’s most important statement…PIO D’Oliveira did inform me before the meeting he was having some problems with the system…hopefully this was due to that…because I can tell you if this had happened 4 years ago or 2 years ago…conspiracy theories would be out on the BTSTimes “News Flash” big time!…There would have been calls for a full scale investigation…Quack, quack!….
Below is an overview and some verbatim of the speeches made….
Rev. Hunsaker said we should come together as one town no matter who we supported …He spoke of those no longer on the dais being allowed to go into another chapter…blessed the festivities …and asked to allow us all to greet one another as neighbor and friend…The Commission should reappoint Rev Hunsaker to his post for another 2 years…
Town Clerk White read the results…and a motion was made to accept the results by Silverstone 2nd by Dodd…all said aye…except we did not hear Clottey and she did not appear to be saying “aye”…nevertheless …after the Town Clerk was reminded by the Mayor to say the motion passes..June White did say it passes 4-0…
This is when the Mayor made her pre- proclamation statement…not heard on T.V…..
Mayor Minnet-“The proclamations were prepared by the Town’s Staff t0 thank those who are leaving this dais for their service while on it.
I know we have begun a new chapter tonight and I am sure all in our audience who are present tonight and those who may be here at subsequent meetings will agree with this new chapter comes
respect on and off the dais.
This was the loudest message the people of our Town sent through their votes.
What we do here tonight and how we conduct this meeting on and off the dais will be our first opportunity to tell all of our Townspeople
We have all heard you – we understand
We can and will from this day forward
accomplish the Town’s business with
civility and respect!
Thank you
It is time to honor those who chose to serve out Town”
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Mayor Minnet read both proclamations ….both it is said written by the Town Clerk, June White …Hmmm….. They pretty much read the same and I will combine them…
“Proclamation issued by the governing Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Florida. Whereas Vice mayor Jerry McIntee/ Commissioner James Silverstone was first elected on March 14, 2006 faithfully served the Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea for four years (2 yrs. of which Mcintee served as VM) and whereas Vice mayor Jerry McIntee/Commissioner James Silverstone has graciously contributed his time to the betterment of our community with his continuous involvement with many Town events including Halloween, 4th of July, active membership in the Volunteer Fire Department (Silverstone’s was his service as youth basketball & soccer coach & Halloween,Easter,4th of July Christmas By The Sea & active membership in LBTS VFD)and whereas Vice Mayor Jerry McIntee/Commissioner James Silverstone is retiring from the Town commission effective at the close of business on March 15, 2010 and Vice Mayor Jerry McIntee/Commissioner James Silverstone has many friends who love him and admire him and who wish to thank him for his many years of service to our town and to honor him upon his retirement now. ”
BC- Hands down the best part for the Mayor especially after getting reamed by these 2 “BFFs” one last time at the march 4, 2010 last commission meeting of the “Broom Boys” 4 years term….
Mayor Minnet-“Therefore I Roseann Minnet as mayor of the Town of Lauderdale-By-The Sea do hereby proclaim and appoint Jerry McIntee/ James Silverstone Vice Mayor/Commissioner Emeritus.”…in other words…Bye, Bye, Bye….She had the last laugh as she really was able to keep her promise made at that March 4th meeting at her Commissioner Comments after sitting through the disgusting display of badmouthing she received from the Mc-Furth”Gang of 4″…when she stated “I’m not going anywhere!”…and tonight she did just that overwhelmingly winning her seat for 2 more years!…
She introduced “outgoing Commissioner Silvserstone who laughed and remarked “I hope that doesn’t mean I can’t run again!”… (No response to his lame attempt at humor) … Silverstone looked bad …plain worn out…and at times it was even harder to hear or comprehend him than usual…His speech went on way too long and it was almost as if he was trying to convince himself of his time up there… He said “Um, it’s been said that we rent these seats ah,ah, from the public. We try to do some good um, when we’re up here at the end of the day. Well it’s been four long years and in many ways I’m it’s over. It’s been a rough road with many challenges along the way with many victories.”…He went on to repeat some of his campaign …his days of coaching /VFD and becoming commissioner… He spoke of McIntee…
“It’s unfortunate that Vice Mayor McIntee could not be here” (we hear he went cruising…although others have said he is house hunting in the Clearwater /Tampa area and making the rounds to the American Legion…Perhaps he is gearing up to fight another day as “David”…sure hope those residents know how to Google)…”but I got to say a couple of words about him. We fought together and won a major battle fighting the BSO fire union to bring the VFD back. It was by itself an amazing accomplishment. I lost count of how many times I heard it was a done deal. The VFD was on its way out. That was back in 2004. It was looking like they were going to be right. Then Jerry shows up being introduced by his son Beau, who was on the VFD who kindly warned me against him (Jerry)” … Silverstone laughed …” But without him I believe there would be no VFD today and allows us to save 2 million dollars that we do each year. Um, not to mention the money we saved from the Oriana issue.If you go into battle you want someone like him on your side. It’s just unfortunate he didn’t have a medium switch!”…Silverstone laughed again…It must be a VFD thing as I have heard the same comments from another VFD member…and as readers will recall (hate that saying these days)…It was Marc Furth who said the VFD would not have been disbanded if it were not for McIntee!…OOPS!…. He went on to list what he thought the accomplishments were in his 4 years…mission statement…millage…fire assessment…VFD….public safety stating “The new fully occupied public safety complex has saved us a great deal of money. We don’t need to build a new complex to get rid of the illegal trailers.”…This is why he is outgoing!….He went on to talk of the internet backup…still substandard in my opinion…the tech-savvy new commission might get it up to par….He spoke of the “Heigths”…referendums…campaign finance…(He made it $300 instead of$500″…but as of right now did not follow the reporting rules anyway! GULP!)…He kept saying they did a great job together and gave his support to the Town Manager (again why he is outgoing…her contract was way too much “support” for most voters)…He said he will miss the staff… …He ended with this…
Silverstone-” I’m not going anywhere. I’m still running my business in town. Yelling at kids on Saturday morning and continuing to be a member of the VFD.” (We hear many in the VFD wanted him on the commission to keep him from running for Fire Chief!)…”My door will always be open if anyone wants to throw any ideas out (No debate?) I’ve always said the town will be fine as long as we have reasonable people up here looking out for what’s best for all of us. (Now he gets it…and why he is “outgoing”) I feel we are in good hands with this new commission. They ran a very motivated and determined campaign and they kicked my butt!…(He laughed..They ran a first rate clean, organized campaign)…I wish them the best and they have mine and everyone’s support and I wish they had everybody’s support. (HUH?) When it comes time for them to leave I hope they can look back as I have and feel the same. I know this town is better for us because of us and at that end, at the end of the day, all of us, because of all of us. We did good. I’ve saved the best for last. Peggy and I are getting married. (applause) Thank you, thank you. Good night, good luck and God speed.”… His 5-6 supporters …Bob Karley, Hannah Hempstead, Maryann Wardlaw, Lilliana Pamerada, Gail Albohn,and an unknown woman stood and clapped…as the others in attendance clapped but remained seated…. He acknowledged them as he tipped his head…
For this writer …..I sure hope this is the last comments I ever have to write from outgoing Commissioner James Silverstone… as I look forward to writing comments that are coherent like the ones below from the new commission members … As he walked off the podium after being hugged by the Town Manager and receiving handshakes from the rest of the commissioners …..he stood awkwardly at the end of the dais on the main floor, gripping his briefcase in front of him… …all alone…To me he looked like a grown up “Charlie Brown”…who again had Lucy pull the football away!… YIKES!…(Sorry, folks but he and his majority of 2 years have no one to blame for their short lived stint at the top of the food chain but themselves!)….
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June White came to the podium (almost took a nasty tumble)…and the newly elected commission came to take their oath and sign…All three then walked up on to the dais and took their as they received handshakes of welcome … The Mayor introduced Commissioner Vincent and he read his speech…
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Commissioner Chris Vincent-
“Good Evening,
Wow what a journey this has been! I am thrilled and honored to be sitting in this chair tonight.
I would like to start out with a huge thank you to my wife Christine and Daughter Paige, who encouraged and supported me throughout this campaign. They were involved every step of the way. You are the best and I love you both.
My family and I have met some of the most wonderful people in this town, who were kind, considerate and who love Lauderdale-By-The-Sea as we do.
I was fortunate to run with two exceptional candidates with whom I have a tremendous amount of respect for, Commissioner Scot Sasser and Mayor Roseann Minnet.
Thank you to all who supported and believed in me. The efforts and hours you gave while putting your own lives and families aside were remarkable. I would like to thank all who voted for me and I will work hard to earn the support and trust of those who did not. I am elected to serve all the people. I respect this chair and this position.
Five Months ago I came to you the voters and asked for your trust. I listened to your concerns and I told you mine. We agreed on many of the same things.
The important thing is that we respected and listened to each others views and ideas, while understanding that there will be challenges that come before us as we work together to move forward into the future.
I told you I will listen and respect everyone that walks through these doors of Jarvis Hall.
I told you I will bring decorum to the dais and respect my fellow commissioners and our mayor.
I told you I will listen to the will of the people and not bring personal agendas to the dais.
I meant every word I said when I made those statements.
I will work to give you what I was looking for when I attended meetings in Jarvis Hall or at home watching. I will work with our boards and committees and respect their opinions and recommendations. We cannot do this alone. Your involvement and voice are important to this process and will make our success all the more attainable as we go forward over the next 4 years.
My goal is the same today as it was when I threw my hat in the ring, to make everyone proud of their town government. I will always be accessible and available to any citizen or business in this town, as I was during my campaign. I will respond back and assist you in any way I can. You have my word.
Again, all I can say is WOW! I hope you are all as excited as I am. Now lets get ready, roll up our sleeves and get down to the business of our Town!
Thank you.”
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Commissioner Scot Sasser –
“Thanks to all of you who supported me with your time, efforts and most importantly, your votes.
Thank you, also, to Roseann Minnet and Chris Vincent. I thought we made a great team and the voters agreed!
I owe a special thank you to my family. Teresa, Taylor and Jake. We made this decision together as a family and what incredible memories we will have from making that decision. I love you and thank you for freely giving your time and support.
We have a chance to really make a difference and it starts tonight.
I made a commitment to listen more than I speak and tonight will set that standard.
I made a commitment to a Code of Ethics and a Personal Code of Conduct. This commitment will be realized in short order.
I made a commitment to a strategic plan. This will be done. This MUST be done to ensure us we stay on track and move forward.
I made a commitment to bring your voice back to our town government. I want to hear your ideas and I urge you to participate.
I told you I could not do this alone and I asked for your vote and trust and you delivered. Now is the time for me to deliver on my commitments.
Over the coming months we will work together. This will not be a unilateral Commission. Rather, we will take a structured, methodical, professional and inclusive approach toward our plans and projects. The difference you have overwhelmingly asked for in your elected officials. I will put in the hard work and diligence it takes to overcome any obstacle and see your vision,our vision to completion.
Let’s build upon the optimism currently felt all over town and take on the tasks at hand.
While campaigning door to door I ran across a gentleman with 6 opposition signs in his front yard. When I knocked on the door he answered and quickly responded with “not a chance”. We chuckled a bit and had a brief conversation about what I wanted to do as a Commissioner. He said “well, it looks like you may win and quite frankly it scares the heck out of me”. I told him it shouldn’t. That I saw 6 oppositions signs in his yard, knew which way he was surely voting, but I knocked anyway because I want to hear from everyone.
Well, I did win, and I assure him still, that I want to hear from everyone. Not just one side or the other. It will take all of us to achieve what this town is capable of and so richly deserves.
Anything worth doing is worth doing right. We will take nothing short of the best. We will not settle or compromise. We will do it together.”
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Mayor Roseann Minnet-
“I am so happy to have this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your patience, perseverance, and dedication to our Most Wonderful Town.
To each of you who put your lives on hold and gave so much on my behalf, thank you!
I thank you for again believing in me.
I thank you for placing again your trust in me.
And I thank you for allowing me to return to this Dais to be a voice for you, the people.
I want to take a moment to thank a very special person who is here this evening, my son CJ Many of you have met my son and have commented on his commitment throughout my campaign. He worked until the very last minute on Tuesday talking to everyone who came to cast their vote and asked them to vote for his mom. CJ you are incredible and I am so proud of you. Words can not express how much you mean to me. Thank you for being there when I needed you the most. I share my victory with you.
I would also like to thank my running mates Scot Sasser and Chris Vincent and their families for making the decision to run for the commission. From my experience campaigning with these 2 fine gentleman I am extremely confident that they will contribute greatly to the Town as they serve on this dais over the next 4 years.
Now is the time for us all to listen and work together. It is time to bring back respect and stability to our town. You have elected me to represent Lauderdale- By -The-Sea for two more years, and I can promise you we will bring forth that message you voted for on March 9, civility and respect will return to Jarvis Hall both on and off the dais and to our town.
It will be my greatest pleasure and honor to serve as your Mayor for 2 more years and again I thank you.
Thank you.”
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What a wonderful way to begin this “new chapter”……It was really a wonderful evening…which filled all in the hall with the possibilities of what was going to come from this newly seated commission in 2010!…. As Commissioner Vincent said, “WOW!”… WOW!..WOW!….WOW! ….
The organizational meeting will be on Wed. March 17, 2010 Jarvis Hall …It’s open to the public (no public comments)/on Comcast Ch. 78 and online- on the Town website…hopefully with all the sound…
Easter By The Sea will be chaired by Christine Vincent and a whole slew of volunteers ….many who are getting involved for the very first time….(Did you know Easter eggs can be purchased already filled for $99 a 1000?)… Change is good!…
more pics to come…..
Tags: Commissioner Birute Clottey, lauderdale By The Sea March 15 2010 Swearing In Ceremony Mayor Roseann Minnet/Commissioner Scot Sasser/Commisisoner Chris Vincent, LBTS Agendas/Meetings, local government, Local Politics, outgoing Commissioner Jim Silverstone, outgoing Vice Mayor Jerry McIntee, Scoops
