I'm writing today to make a formal Public Records Request for the Hallandale
Beach Planning & Zoning Advisory Board attendance logs, specifically, Board
member Sheryl Natelson's for the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Ms. Natelson once again showed-up late for last month's meeting, as she has
so many times over the past few years, arriving well after the only matter on the
public agenda was publicly discussed and voted upon by the members who
actually deigned to appear on time.
In my opinion, she should have been dismissed from the Board many years
ago under the city's existing rules regarding attendance, due to her frequent
absences and frequent tardiness, frequently arriving well after meetings
Since nobody at HB City Hall seems much inclined to raise this point publicly,
I will, and will examine those records you can provide to make my feelings and
the known facts publicly known.
Additionally, there is a yet another serious matter which I need to bring to your
Just moments after the March P&Z meeting ended, while Natelson was still
on the dais in the Commission Chambers, she began to lobby other members
of the Board to make her the new Chair of the Board despite the fact that it
is expressly forbidden for her or any other Board member to discuss Board
business with other members, esp. in such an egregious fashion that fails to
follow either the spirit or letter of this state's Sunshine Laws.
Among other things, Natelson specifically mentioned that in her opinion, being
an attorney would make someone an ideal choice to be Chair of the Board
because many of the skills that go into being a good attorney are also ones
that she believes are helpful for someone serving in the position of Chair,
the Chair of the second-most powerful govt. body in this city.
As if it was lost on anyone that she is an attorney.
She also proceeded to cite what she thought were some of the failings of
the just-resigned longtime Chair, Arnold Cooper, among them, that in her
opinion, the Board had not properly benefited from Mr. Cooper's professional
expertise, which I believe is that of an engineer
It was hard not to see all this and hear what was being said because I was
one of only three citizens in what was otherwise an empty Commission
Since City Attorney Whitfield has made abundantly clear since she has been
here that she does not believe it is part of her job description to be "the ethics
police," and because I believe that the citizens of this community are entitled
to have people making important decisions for the community to be people
who not only obey ALL the appropriate laws and rules, not just the ones they
like, but to actually embue the spirit of the Sunshine Laws, I am forwarding
a copy of this email to you to the Office of the Broward Inspector General
DBS, 10-year Hallandale Beach resident
