Here’s The Scoop … LOWV Meet The Candidate Debate #2 … Part 1 …You Sunk My Battleship ….
February 27, 2010 by Barbara
FULL SPEED AHEAD ….
Dear Readers … The 2nd Meet the Candidates night is over and done…and in this writer’s opinion so are the Furth-CIC endorsed Candidates Silverstone,Evans and Couriel!… The clear choice again was Vincent, Sasser and Minnet…If voters really want to put an end to fear-mongering…hidden agendas…hidden monies and propaganda…and return to decorum, unity and a plan that finally gets us out of this vicious cycle of LBTS being a Furthdum(b)… We again saw in Vincent, Sasser and Minnet, professionalism along with knowledge, Candidates that can actually form sentences…and are able to respond in a manner that doesn’t make you want to run and hide!… The moderator was LOWV Carol Smith who again was disappointing in her disjointed questions and appeared bias in her behavior from time to time…Did she really start to clap for Jimmy?… The room was full, not packed and the overwhelming presence was that of Vincent, Sasser and Minnet supporters…Although the dwindling CIC contingency tried unsuccessfully to counter with boos and yelling out… At one point they were used by Commissioner Silverstone as a case in point for what he has to put up with…further relaying false information to unaware T.V. listeners who did not know the bad behavior was coming from his own supporters …… Mayoral candidates went first in a reversal of the first event…and Joe Couriel was first to give his opening… He started with his customary “Friends and neighbors”…. and spoke of judging a candidate’s record and what they will do in the future…He touched on his service in Korea …At first the average person thinks Korean War Veteran …But we know Joe is not old enough for that war…A look at his bio sets it straight he was drafted in 1969 and went to Korea instead of Vietnam…He spoke of involvement in referendums over the last 16 years but neglected to say the climate of those days brought for a divisiveness that makes today’s division look like a Sunday picnic in the park ..and that he led the way in loud taunts from inside and outside Jarvis Hall…(He is on record for being proud of his actions)….He said he would provide a Community Center with programs for all groups …Apparently he does not know we already provide many such programs such as Karate and Tennis for under 7 years old and have been in the process over the last 2 years of increasing the budget and the programs for Recreation…It began with Vice Mayor McIntee in 2008…… He again stressed his plan for having outdoor dining in the Commercial Area……What does he call 101 Ocean, Village Grille and Aruba?…… But Joe should have clarified those outdoor dining privileges come with a price…. that if you fall out of favor with certain Commissioners or the Town Manager…a restaurant’s outdoor dining easily becomes a target used for payback with code making life difficult!… Joe should also be aware and this goes for his running mates who are also running on this outdoor cafe “platform” this election…Their main opponent is and will be not their opposition for this election but their beloved Town Manager Esther Colon and Commissioner “Clueless” Clottey!…For it was the Manager that put in place the stricter rules to be observed and took away the bench in front of the ice cream store by the Pier months back…It was the Manager who said no to a mannequin being placed outside a new shop on Commercial west of A1A in an effort to try and get customers in the door…It was Commissioner Clottey who thought it was the Commissions job to decide who would be allowed to have a chair or a table or a flowerpot in a breezeway or outside their side street store… and not have it for free… Of course Mr Couriel should recall this after all he was for keeping the renewal of special permits every 3 months and charging the businesses for using the streets!.. Perhaps he conveniently forget this sort of like he forgot the $21 Residential parking permits..when offering his “plan to fix them once and for all” for $75!…at SRClub on the 22nd… (prev. post)… He bucked the Town Manager again when he spoke of no interest payment loans (Hmmm)… He went after the Mayor on her previous votes…again perpetuating the false statement that she voted against the VFD (prev. post)…She voted for their contract…
Mayor Minnet was again prepared and succinct in presenting her opening ..she addressed the height limits and once more assured the voters the height limit would not be increased and the charter would be adhered to …. and that she too felt the Town’s low-rise character and traditions should be preserved… She spoke of her place in the center of the dais and her accomplishments, which included her ability to be fiscally responsible when it came to unnecessary purchases and Commissioner perks…She told the voters that if she is elected for another 2 years she would continue to govern that way…She was most elegant in her handling of the ridiculous claims that it was she that could not control the dais or the hall…She said leadership does not come from being loud and a being heavy on the gavel… She addressed her obstacles to decorum and anyone who watched the Feb 23rd Commission meeting with the empty seat two seats to her left (Vice Mayor McIntee) …knew exactly where the instigation arose from over the last 2 years…..Funny thing is her opponent Mr. Couriel has made those same remarks himself at meet and greets in this campaign with the “blessing” of his Campaign Managers the Furths…He used it when it suited his needs to try and sway a few votes …OOPS!…
The questions for both were on taxes and who pays more residents or businesses…Minnet was correct and answered the question as asked to address the residents this time around (the moderator said the businesses were addressed at meeting #1)… Couriel apparently did not listen…even though he asked for the question to be repeated before he answered it…He went off into hoteliers feeding restaurants and stakeholders …HUH?… On fees and infrastructure… pay as you, equitable payments and advalorem ….Couriel was again at odds with Town Manager Colon on borrowing money…He also was for putting as much as possible under advalorem because “People don’t like to write a check every month”…Mayor Minnet spoke of the Town Survey and even though the response was small it was pay as you go that was preferred by hose who did…She spoke of identifying areas townwide and what areas are benefiting …Divisiveness was next up and the Mayor spoke about both sides caring about the community and the lack of communication and respect…Couriel said the division started up there and again jumped on the Furth-fear-mongering train to speak of too much conflict, rants and raves and it will “not be allowed in my administration”…(Why does that verbage scare me so much?)…Ah, Joe you must be forgetting the times when you were thrown out by this Mayor and those that preceded her and stated you were proud to be a CIC rabble-rouser…(This writer can fully relate)… Guess that was then and this is now…The Mayor was too nice in not jumping on that point… (I would have, especially when he hit her hard on his turn at the question)…Parliamentary Procedure acumen was asked and while the Mayor could name herself as being one of the few Commission members or candidates who has come up through the ranks of Town boards to become Mayor …her opponent was left to his time on the Board of Adjustment…That Vice Chair position for this writer proved he should not be on the dais in any capacity much less as mayor of our town (prev. posts, boards cat.)… They were asked about the reef project and of course the Mayor was all for it…lack of time precluded her from stating her vote against it was due to being fiscal at the time with questions needing answers……Aha…the debate prep we hear that went on at Town Hall East last night must have kicked in…for Joltin’ Joe went after the Mayor saying it was a “popular program” that the Mayor tried to “kill”…and falsely claimed it was “time sensitive”…Not so!…Next question a fire on the 15th floor and is the VFD up to the job?… Couriel jumped at his answer …the VFD has rigorous training as he “dissed” the Pompano Beach Fire Dept. by claiming Pompano Beach did not have enough hoses and claiming the VFD responded with hoses because our VFD has a “level of competency” and our VFD in our town would never be without the right number!…OUCH!…Mayor Minnet concurred the VFD was up to the job but she added no one could put out a 15th floor fire without mutual aid … and explained also adding a 15 story fire was always a multi- town event..(as seen in Pompano)… The moderator needed help in her question of off-site buildings…as she bundled (bungled) the warehouse out west with the public safety building next door…The Mayor assisted and spoke of the problems with warehouse being unsold and the public safety building not being a purchase that was fiscally responsible… Couriel gave the Furth-CIC version (long believed by this writer) that the warehouse was purchased by the Town to make way for a new firehouse promised by BSO …He spoke of the “illegal triple-wide trailer and said the public safety building was bought at a very good price…Hmmm…the triple- wide moving trailer?…Comm. Silverstone insisted at SRClub (prev. post) that the trailer was moved every time we were evacuated…As far as the building being a good price $1.7 and with renovation costs close to $2 million…for a crappy hotel..That kind of thinking should give voters pause…especially when he called it a “modern building”…The question of a Hospitality District was presented …Joe thinks El Mar Drive and Commercial Blvd. are intertwined and all we have to do “promote it-enhance it and make use of it”…Ahhh…why didn’t those who came before him think of that?…(He sounds much like running mate Evans)… Mayor Minnet clarified the warehouse purchase saying it was for storage of records and equipment off the barrier island in case of hurricane…she spoke of the Hospitality areas in town and the Chamber /Welcome Center and what it brings to us with those who were tourists only then became taxpayers like many of the people watching this evening…… Forensic audit and RFPs being read aloud… The Mayor was fro RFPs (Request for Proposals) being read aloud to keep transparency and make it easy for staff and vendors (something done until July 2009) …As for a forensic audit she said more of an internal controls audit…Couriel again broke away from the Town Manager saying it depended on the feasibility …”why not?”…as for Forensic audit he was willing to rely on Esther Colon’s “track record” over the last “11-15 years”…Ms. Colon has just begun her 10th year…Special events to bring people together brought out the “I like to party” line…Joe and his “Party guy” responses are beginning to remind this writer of Ricardo Montalban and his “You look Mahvelous” line …OOPS!…according to Marjorie Evans during her portion of the meeting… Mr. Couriel could sue me for making fun!…..He referred back again to outdoor dining ..with tables and chairs out on the sidewalks…changing the codes…he’s all in favor of “entertainment”…The Mayor took a “different approach” as she thought the question was to pull people together in participation in Town events……and those events meant Easter, the 4th of July …volunteering, the Beach Clean-up …and the events that the Chamber is instrumental in throughout the year…Mayor Minnet closed by telling all what an honor it has been to serve …she will continue to do so and is asking for voters to vote for Roseann Minnet…Joe Couriel said he thanked the LOWV that he was the direction to go in…he knows Roberts Rules and said ” I trust your judgment”…
That judgment should be to vote for Roseann Minnet…especially after their second debate…
more to come…
Next Vincent vs Silverstone…
