THE TOWN MANAGER WILL DO IT … HERSELF….
Dear Readers…at a commission meeting when Comm. Dodd wanted some information from TM Colon’s “right arm” aka Asst. TM Olinzock…she made the statement from the dais that she would not allow anyone to “browbeat” her staff ….SHE will “browbeat” her staff!… Well, first let’s get one thing straight…there was no “browbeating” from the Comm. … He was asking questions of the Asst. TM …knowing full well Olinzock could not answer them…(no big surprise)… TM Colon did her all too familiar “song and dance”…It’s very clever …She simply begins by making statements such as “And you will recall”…”And you will remember”…it makes those listening think they”should remember or recall”…no matter that there is nothing to remember or recall because it is all a ruse!…
While the TM talks of her staff and their “professionalism” and hard work…She and her staff are anything but “professional”..”creative”…or “innovative” …in this writer’s opinion…
Case in point at the present time… the Town wide survey…This writer asked about it in Town Hall and was told by Asst. Town Clerk Nikki Smith that the “staff” put it together…Comm. Dodd requested information about the survey and was also informed it was “staff” that put it together…This writer made out a PRR asking for more specifics …knowing that is a major requirement with this present administration…And low and behold I found out it was a copy of a Wilton Manors survey received by Asst. TM Olinzock as a resident of Wilton Manors…with only 2 additions..the misleading and inaccurate question #12 “current town wide maximum height of 33′ ” and the question of the bond issue…(prev. post)…We hear after the receipt and posting…another resident received the same “staff” response as I had originally received along with Comm. Dodd…Hmmm……
We find the same thing has happened with the “Invitation To Bid” for the newly combined “Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Recreational And Senior Center Service…ITB NO. 09-09-02″…
We hear the current and longtime Director/ contractor of the Senior Center (w/o Recreation Services) was asked in May to write up his job description and he did so… We also hear that he was unaware and quite surprised and obviously dismayed and disheartened to find it had been used for the Town’s Invitation To Bid! ….Essentially what this Town Manager and her administration did was to use the man’s 9 years of building up the LBTS Senior Center to what it is today…in order to help replace him!…Now that is first class “browbeating”!…
We also see from the contract of Armilio Bien-Aime with the Town that his contract ended on Sept. 23, 2009…So at present, he is working without a contract with just a verbal extension……Does the County know we have a Senior Center Program funded in part by them is currently without the contracted company in place?…Does that put the grant in jeopardy?…
Does the Town Manager have the authority to combine the program with the recreation without the input of the commission/ County?….
Both the contract from Sept. 2008 and the Invitation To Bid…include the ridiculous clause…”The Town shall be reimbursed by “Bien-Aime, Inc. when provided Town resources to assist with the production and distribution of promotional advertisements in “Town Topics”…A publication paid for by the very taxpayers who pay for the Senior Center……
This has got to be removed…To have charged Armilio $400 per Town Topics issue to put on the Senior calendar is outrageous and underhanded…..He should be refunded!..ASAP!…
Adding the recreation duties to the Senior Center duties is nothing but a “hand-off” from what was originally a McIntee -VFD promoted swim program…It has to date no takers…and the VFD who was to provide the service originally could not get the insurance required itself……Now the TM is expecting the current provider of services to the Senior Center to take it on!…
Not only the insurance…but according to the Invitation To Bid…the Senior Center contractor is to “supervise instructors and volunteers DURING activities.(Senior Center, Swimming, Tennis and Martial Arts.)…A look at the attached “Exhibit B”…in the Bid from June 2009 shows the current Senior program runs 5 days a week from approx. 10 am to 4 pm or later… So when and how could this Director possibly comply?…The Recreational programs will be going on during the Senior Center activities… as well as after school and weekends extending the contractor’s hours and days…The Tennis program for Oct. 2009 is 3 classes on Thursdays from 4:30 pm – 8:00 pm…What amount of additional funds to the provider?…That information is not in the bid…
The 2009/10 justification sheet shows…Senior Center Services…$57,750 …Armilio per mo. $4,812.50 (County provides $24,275)…Recreation Tennis $12,000./ Swimming $12,000/ Other recreation activities $10,000…
Right now the Senior Center is a one man operation…no assistants…and no paid teachers…We hear all the instructors are resident volunteers who were brought into the program by Armilio and remain in it in large part because of him and what he created…
This Invitation To Bid was put in the Sentinel on Sunday Oct. 4th (prev. post)…with the bids being opened on Oct. 20th at 2 pm…While hardly enough time for the bidders…..it’s more than enough to contact your commissioners and the Town Manager…
MCINTEE “RE-ELECTIONEERING” ALERT……below….
And one final kicker hot off the heels of Comm. Clottey’s e-mail to a town resident (prev. post) “If the current provider submits the best RFP package in terms of promised service and price, that will be great. Even if it is not as good as a competitors, he would get the contract because he is a known and liked.”….We heard today that Vice Mayor McIntee walked into see Armilio yesterday and told him he [Armilio] wasn’t going anywhere…he [Armilio] was going to keep his job…he [ Armilio] could tell everyone that McIntee said so…It’s just they [the Town] had to go through this!… WOW!!!!…..
The Town did NOT need to do this!…The Town was not instructed by the FULL Commission to do this!…The Town did NOT include the Senior Center on the RFP list produced per Comm. Dodd’s request!… The Town never agreed to combined the Senior Center with Recreation Services!…. The Town spent thousands to pay for the Town Atty, Bid notice ads and staff time for an RFP exercise!….
MCINTEE “COOKIES ARE IN” ALERT…..
The Vice Mayor has now joined Comm. Clottey in telling all other bidders the “Fix is in” on this ITB 09-09-02!… It’s unbelievable …this Mc-Furth-Colon “Gang” …think they mess with peoples lives. [Armilio and the Seniors who are reeling from this action]…and the voters will still give them 4 more years!…..That wouldn’t happen in Mayberry and it won’t happen here!…
Will the Town Manager’s Performance Review on Monday Oct. 12th at 4 pm include an evaluation for “borrowing”…and “browbeating”…if not…it certainly should!…
more to come…
Comments Off on Here’s The Scoop … If There’s Any Browbeating To Be Done In This Town …..
Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea ITB 09-09-02, Lauderdale By The Sea Seanior Center, Lauderdale By The Sea Town Manager Esther Colon, local government, Local Politics, Scoops
Posted in RFP/BIDS
