NO WRAP REQUIRED ….

Dear Readers… This year the Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea held its final adoption of the budget on Yom Kippur …Day of Atonement … (prev. post)…It was brought to the Town’s attention by this writer and resident Yann Brandt. ( He addressed the issue at the podium at a prior meeting and in an e-mail to the Comm. and the Town)… The Town said it was unable to comply. The meeting began at 5:03 before sundown which prevented those who might have attended from participating. Vice Mayor McIntee was obscene in his “use” of the hall being sparse in attendance as a result of this conflict …something this writer pointed out. I also made reference to the fact that this should not occur again. The Town Manager and the Town Clerk along with Commissioner Silverstone said the Jewish Federation had supplied the Town with a calendar …and ultimately embarrassed themselves in their attempts to make the situation justifiable. This writer contacted the Jewish Federation the next day on September 29, 2009  (prev. post) …The Community Relations Director responded and said she had not spoken to the Town in a few years and that calendars had not been distributed in years due to budget constraints. She said she was going to contact the Town and ask for the Town to clarify their statements about any Jewish Federation involvement at the next Town meeting.

I also made a Public Records Request for the information…

………………………………………………………

From:
“Barbara Cole”

To:
[email protected]
Steve, I am making a request for all information and exchanges made by Town Clerk White and the Jewish Federation of Broward County. I know they cannot have said she should have a meeting BEFORE sundown on Yom Kippur.I also request when that list was given to the Commission and the backup of when it was decided knowing it was Yom Kippur.
Please acknowledge receipt of this PRR.
Please let me know if the cost will be more than $20.
Barbara Cole

……………………………….
PRRs are ready
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 10:27 AM
From:
“Steve D’Olivera”

To:
[email protected]
Barbara:

The Town Clerk says the following PRR’s are ready for you to pick up:

1.

2.

3. Town Clerk Memo regarding the Jewish holiday.

4.

5. There is no correspondence between the Town and the Jewish Federation.

steve

BC- Remember #5….as you read the PRR below……..

………………………………………………………..

I went in and picked up the PRR….and this is what was received….WITH COMMENTARY…

“1.  Memorandum

To: Esther Colon, Town Manager

From: June White , Town Clerk

Date: 10/5/09

Re:Commission meetings & Holidays”

“Please note that when I prepare the Agenda Item Request Form I check Commission meeting dates against all federal and religious holidays. If and when there is a conflict I bring it to the Commission to reschedule their Commission meeting.”

(BC- Town Clerk White did not do any of the above….obviously!…)

“In August of of 2007, Ms Pepi Dunay of the Jewish Federation of Broward County sent a letter requesting the Town take into consideration certain holidays when scheduling meetings. On another occasion Ms. Dunay advised the preferred or most important holidays for consideration were Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot. Ms Dunay included a 5 year calendar at that time. Since that time meetings have been scheduled around those holy days.”

(BC- The August 28,2007 letter was to TM Colon (see below)…it contained BOTH the holidays of importance AND the “preferred or most important”…NOT “on another occasion”…Town Clerk White again falsely states… “Since that time meetings have been scheduled around those holy days.”…as we witnessed on Sept. 28,2009!)

“At the April 28,2009 Commission meeting a 2009 Millage & Trim & Budget Timetable was presented to the Commission with Monday, September 28,2009 5:01 PM timetable for the adoption of the Final Millage and Budget. Attached to that item was the Broward County Property Appraiser’s timetable regarding submission deadlines. The advertisement for the Final Budget Hearing had to be placed in the newspaper no later than September 23, 2009 and had to be within 5 days of the final millage and budget Hearing. The last day to deliver the approved final millage and budget to the Property Appraisers office was September 30th or within 3 days of adoption.”

(BC- The Town Clerk has admitted that she DID NOT include the conflict as she states in paragraph 1….If she had the meetings would have taken place as other municipalities  were on Sept. 23, 2009 )

” Yom Kippur began on September 27, 2009 at sundown and ended at nightfall on September 28,2009. It appears there was an oversight by both the Town and the public when discussion was made to set the date for the Final Public Hearing for September 28,2009. I had expressed this to Ms. Dunay when I spoke to her on September 29, 2009. She appeared to be ok with it as she stated that “everyone makes mistakes. Thank you.”

(BC-Yom Kippur is a different day each year …unlike Christmas…therefor only the most observant would know from the date alone. It was the Town Clerk’s responsibility to do what she said she does in paragraph 1 and not to pawn it off on the Commission or the public. I will send a copy of this post to Ms Dunay to see if she really said it was “ok”…with the added information that residents asked for a change.)…

LETTER TO TM COLON..

2. “August 28, 2007

Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea

Esther Colon, Town Manger

4501 Ocean Drive

Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL. 33308

Dear Ms. Colon,

It has come to our attention that your municipality has scheduled a hearing during the Jewish Holiday of Rosh Hashanah.

While we understand that residents can submit written statements regarding the issues under consideration, we are sure you would agree that enabling them to participate in person is always preferable.

To this end, we are enclosing a Five Year Jewish Holiday calendar so that you might be aware of possible conflicts and try to avoid them in the future.

If you have any questions, please feel fee to contact me at xxx-xxx-xxxx

Sincerely Pepi Dunay

Community Relations Director’

(BC- Hear the “nail in the coffin” for any other Town Clerk that is…The Jewish Federation  of Broward County in 2007 tried to stop any further disregard for Jewish residents having a conflict with attending Town meetings in 2007!)….

3. “My JewishLearning.com -Holidays: Five Year Jewish Calendar …(scan below)…

(BC- it was underlined…..with stars…with squares around dates..including “Sep 28″…numbered with 1-5 the  5 imp. dates pointed out in the 2007 letter to the manager)

4. “16a

Town Of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Agenda Item Request Form

Town Clerk/Department submitting Request……..June White/ Dept. Head’s Signature (BC-no signature – it is typed)

Commission Meeting Dates/ April 28,2009

Explanation: Discussion and/or action regarding the setting of Budget Workshops and Special Commission meetings and Public Hearings for Fire Assessment, Millage, Budget and TRIM’

Town Attorney review requires – marked X- yes

(BC- perhaps the former Town Atty. would have picked up on the conflict?)

5. Lauderdale-By-The-Sea/2009 Millage & Trim & Budget Timetable including

Monday, September 28 5:01 PM- Adopt Final Millage,Budget, TRIM

6. Broward County 2009 Certification and Budget Timetable

(BC- had the Town Manager followed what she stated she does in paragraph 1 on page 1…the Commission could have worked within the BC Timetable and avoided this most grievous conflict.)

There’s a date and time for this Town Clerk to go…. March 2010….. no conflict there…

THE 5 YEAR CALENDAR…..

more to come….

Tags: Jewish Federation Of Broward County, Lauderdale By The Sea Budget Meeting On Yom Kippur, Lauderdale By The Sea Town Clerk June White, Lauderdale By The Sea Town Manager Esther Colon, local government, Local Politics, Scoops
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IGNORANCE IS ALIVE AND WELL IN JARVIS HALL…..

Dear Readers….Yesterday we saw the extent of ignorance with our Town Administration, staff and certain commission members………The final adoption of the 2009-10 budget was held on Yom Kippur before sundown…In public comments before the Commission addressed the budget this writer once more addressed this travesty…(I misspoke and said Rosh Hashanah, oops!) …The exchanges that came afterward made me sick to my stomach…that these are the people I as a taxpayer employ and I as a voter voted into office….It was a new low in LBTS politics……..

Commissioner Silverstone in his comments said the following……”The holiday ah, I believe we sent a note to the Jewish Federation or something like that Town Manager and they gave us a list of holidays that were, that they thought was applicable and unapplicable (Jimmy-boy verbage). Could you please refresh my memory for one.”

Town Manger Colon ” June, our Town Clerk when we were setting the dates she did get the list and she provided you some of the dates that they preferred you not to have any meetings and she also advised you if you had a meeting at what time it should cease out of respect and June is the one that had, that gave that last. I believe she’s also gonna ah, provide a memo to the Commission, although she did mention…”

CS-” We got a memo on that half a year ago.”

TM-” You got the calendar that was on the dais when we set these budget meetings. So she’ll clarify it again IF she needs to do that.”

BC- If she needs to do that? You bet the Town Clerk “needs” to do that!…The “explanation” from the Town Manager was completely disingenuous and ignorant…The Jewish Federation would never offer Yom Kippur as a “preferred” holiday to have a meeting on…and the time to “cease” the meeting out of respect is completely wrong!…Commissioner’s Silverstone’s handling of was inept, insensitive and  ignorant… for a guy who says he gets on the internet and always does his “homework” …he certainly failed this assignment!….

Later on Vice Mayor McIntee  seized on the opportunity this conflict brought forth in Jarvis Hall with many not in attendance due to their observance and did what he used to be able to get away with…He used his “bully-pulpit” to say only 2 people came to speak because everyone is happy with the lowered taxes (forget about the fees) and if the Town Manager or the “Gang” was doing anything wrong…”people would be here in droves”….”They’d be lined up out the door”…”They aren’t and that’s a barometer that has to be faced by all of us up here we accomplished the task.”…”And again, two people are here to discuss it, two. If there was a problem with our tax base they’d be lined out the door. …”They’d be lined out the door. They’d be screaming for heads from the flagpole.”

Well, those days of the “bully- pulpit are over for the Vice Mayor …From the dais (Mayor/Comm. Dodd )…from the this site……the local BTSFuture NEWSpaper…and at the podium from this writer…after his attempt…

BC- ” I also take a very big offense on this Jewish holiday. One of the most important Jewish holidays that there is. There’s no arguing about that, to say that there’s alot of people who would’ve been here if not for having , feeling that they needed to observe this holiday. And if you recall this room was packed a few meetings ago when people were not allowed to speak.So let’s not play up here and give out false information, thank you.”

A long time ago McIntee’s pal Marc Furth told this writer and husband about some not so nice facts concerning the Vice Mayor and his ethnic views….that was witnessed tonight in my opinion… just nauseating …more so than usual…

I have sent the following e-mails to Town…and will post the responses when they are received. I will also contact the Jewish Federation of Broward County to see what exchange took place with LBTS…and will post that as well… Also below…some information on Yom Kippur…from one single Google…ONE!….

…………………………………………………………..
E-MAILS FOR PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS
PRR
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 12:17 AM
From:
“Barbara Cole”
To:
[email protected]
Steve, I am making a request for all information and exchanges made by Town Clerk White and the Jewish Federation of Broward County. I know they cannot have said she should have a meeting BEFORE sundown on Yom Kippur.I also request when that list was given to the Commission and the backup of when it was decided knowing it was Yom Kippur.
Please acknowledge receipt of this PRR.
Please let me know if the cost will be more than $20.
Barbara Cole
From:
“Barbara Cole”
To:
[email protected]
Steve, I would also like to make a public records request for the memo the Town Clerk is to provide the Commission per the Town Manager at the 9/28/09 budget meeting.
Please acknowledge receipt of this request.
Barbara Cole

…………………………………………………………………………

“Yom Kippur is probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Many Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and/or attend synagogue services on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri. The holiday is instituted at Leviticus 23:26 et seq.

The name “Yom Kippur” means “Day of Atonement,” and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year. In Days of Awe, I mentioned the “books” in which G-d inscribes all of our names. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. This day is, essentially, your last appeal, your last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate your repentance and make amends.

As I noted in Days of Awe, Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and G-d, not for sins against another person. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible. That must all be done before Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath; no work can be performed on that day. It is well-known that you are supposed to refrain from eating and drinking (even water) on Yom Kippur. It is a complete, 25-hour fast beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. The Talmud also specifies additional restrictions that are less well-known: washing and bathing, anointing one’s body (with cosmetics, deodorants, etc.), wearing leather shoes (Orthodox Jews routinely wear canvas sneakers under their dress clothes on Yom Kippur), and engaging in sexual relations are all prohibited on Yom Kippur.

As always, any of these restrictions can be lifted where a threat to life or health is involved. In fact, children under the age of nine and women in childbirth (from the time labor begins until three days after birth) are not permitted to fast, even if they want to. Older children and women from the third to the seventh day after childbirth are permitted to fast, but are permitted to break the fast if they feel the need to do so. People with other illnesses should consult a physician and a rabbi for advice.

Most of the holiday is spent in the synagogue, in prayer. In Orthodox synagogues, services begin early in the morning (8 or 9 AM) and continue until about 3 PM. People then usually go home for an afternoon nap and return around 5 or 6 PM for the afternoon and evening services, which continue until nightfall. The services end at nightfall, with the blowing of the tekiah gedolah, a long blast on the shofar. See Rosh Hashanah for more about the shofar and its characteristic blasts.”

http://www.jewishbroward.org/page.aspx?ID=9536
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UPDATE…….E-MAIL 9/29/09  …. JEWISH FEDERATION OF BROWARD

I am writing to you to get verification that you contacted the Town Clerk of LBTS with a list of holidays that Commission meetings would be allowable on. The Town had the final budget meeting on Yom Kippur and the Town Clerk and Town Manager said on the dais the clerk was in contact with the Federation and was given preferred holidays, with the insinuation the Federation said Yom Kippur was not a preferred holiday to not have a meeting on! As a result we had few people and many angry residents who could not attend.
I would ask for a response on any communications with the Town to clear this up.
Thank you, Barbara Cole
more to come……

Tags: Jewish Federation Of Broward County, Lauderdale By The Sea Comm. Jim Silverstone, Lauderdale By The Sea Town Budget Meeting On Yom Kippur, Lauderdale By The Sea Town Clerk June White, Lauderdale By The Sea Town Manager Esther Colon, Lauderdale By the Sea Vice Mayor Jerry McIntee, LBTS Agendas/Meetings, local government, Local Politics, Scoops
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