Broward's present/future problems in a nutshell: Not enough leadership, too much Kristin Jacobs-like behavior -Fighting over scraps: a meaningless job

Broward's present/future problems in a nutshell: Not enough leadership, too much Kristin Jacobs-like behavior -Fighting over scraps: a meaningless job that nobody respects.

No, not fighting over important ideas, a principle or even an issue that nobody else is willing to stand up for that demands some public illumination and a degree of long-overdue oversight,

or even fighting for something supported by her campaign donation friends, but rather a fight over a dubious position that nobody outside S. Andrews Avenue knows about, cares about or respects.

You know, just because you buy a $6.99 Captain's hat you come across at Marshall's doesn't make you a real captain or mean that Broward citizens have to salute you.

Though some will, apparently, like lobbyist Seth Platt, who Tweeted,

Seth Platt

Grats to John Rodstrom as the New #Broward County Mayor &@Kristin_Jacobs as the New Vice-Mayor

15 Nov

The same prescient Seth Platt the lobbyist who said in 2010, when polls showed Allen West doing well in FL-22, "POLLS DON”T MEAN SQUAT"?

Yes, that one.

Well, for those of us NOT dependent upon the kindness of Broward Commissioners to survive or make a living, this is yet the latest in a series of HBR Case Studies of why, in large part, Broward County government is in the mess and funk it's in.

Yes, the intersection of Dysfunction Junction, just like its colleagues at the Broward School Board.

They're in the same boat, but all paddling in different directions.

So where's the surprise that they're drifting?

Really, all this Sturm und Drang over a position as vice-mayor of Broward County that was not decided by actual Broward voters, but, like the so-called mayor's position -yes, I use lower-case for undemocratic titles- voted upon by less people than who will decide who's homecoming king and queen at any high school any of you can think of?

Decided by less people than the ones who decided who would be in charge of Rush at the Chi Omega house at FSU? (And to be honest, one less important than the latter...)

Just because nine people think something is important does not mean that I and other Broward residents who are paying attention have to agree to the pretense and say that it's important, too.

I reject the premise.

Peruse and decide for yourself - in chronological order:

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Broward Politics blog

Broward's Kristin Jacobs digs in heels for vice mayor post

By Brittany Wallman

November 15, 2011 12:38 PM

Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs is the vice mayor now, and the vote was unanimous., But that eventual result didn't come easily for her.

Jacobs had to fight for that title, even forcing her colleagues one by one to announce whether they supported her bid.

Read the rest of the post at:

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/11/browards_kristin_jacobs_digs_i.html

BrowardBeat

Commissioners Squabble Over Meaningless Job: Vice Mayor

By Buddy Nevins

November 15, 2011

Does Goody Two Shoes, known to most of us as Commissioner Kristin Jacobs, have some mud on her soles after today’s divisive vote on who will be the next Broward Vice Mayor?

Read the rest of the post at:

http://www.browardbeat.com/kristin-jacobs-fights-for-meaningless-job-vice-mayor/

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Broward Politics blog

The ugly fight for the Broward vice mayor title: behind the scenes

By Brittany Wallman

November 16, 2011 11:04 AM

A lot of backroom deal-making, threatening and vote-gathering led up to Tuesday's Broward County Commission vote on who would be vice mayor, observers told me afterwards.

Read the rest of the post at:

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/11/the_fight_for_the_broward_vice.html

Voting for a county-wide Broward Mayor who'll either show vision and leadership -or not- who's voted directly by -and held accountable by- Broward voters, is a long overdue idea and reality that has once again been dismissed by the status quo crowd on S. Andrews Avenue.

Not that it has ever really gotten a fair shake in this county since I returned to South Florida eight years ago, given who comprised the Broward Charter Review Commission.

Lots of apologists for the way things are now, save Ted Mena and Michael Buckner among a few CRC members who deigned to show any foresight and gumption for the public's right to decide those things themselves.

Though I don't know them very well, I'd vote for either one tomorrow for County Mayor before I let Broward's lobbyist crowd foist one of their longtime pals upon us as a stalking horse.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Broward Politics blog

Broward commish kills countywide mayor proposal, again

By Brittany Wallman November 2, 2011 08:09 AM

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2011/11/broward_commish_kills_countywi.html

And yet for this dubious position of vice-mayor, to read the accounts, Kristen Jacobs is like a wild hog going after a bone, and woe onto anyone or anything getting in her way.

Go ahead, keep your bone, but don't be surprised when we ask publicly over the next year why of all the things that possibly could've taken the time and energy of nine elected officials, these table scraps are what YOU fought over.

No, we won't be forgetting.

Yes, Broward Comm. Kristin Jacobs, the very same woman whose staff tried to take me to task last year because I wrote on this blog that, in my opinion, she was unfit to be on the Broward County MPO -another mess of a group that gets little public or press attention that I've gone after here on the blog a few times- after she never once attended a single public Transportation forum in Broward of the many I've attended over the years, prior to July, even while hundreds and hundreds of Broward citizens could find the time and energy do so over the same time-frame.

Even on Saturday mornings at the Broward Convention Center.

You won't be surprised to discover that among this interested group of concerned Broward residents, people DID notice who were no-shows, besides anyone from the Miami Herald.

From the looks of things -my own observations and emails from others- Jacobs couldn't even be bothered to show-up and feign interest, even while officials and experts from Tallahassee, Atlanta and Vancouver showed-up at one forum in particular to inform and educate.

They didn't take it well when I told them that the word "transportation" wasn't even on her county bio website at the time, yet she was suddenly on the Board that sets policy.

Now THAT'S Broward County in a snapshot!

I hung up on her office the third time they called me with a bad attitude.

Later she/they sent a letter, one I never opened.

Seriously, how many unimpressive women politicians can one county possibly bear to have at one time.

From north near Palm Beach County to the south near me, just north of the Miami-Dade line, Broward County has some of the most unethical, unsavory, and undemocratic, to say nothing of venal female politicians in the country: this Rogue's gallery includes the duplicitous Joy Cooper, now convicted Sylvia Poitier, anti-democratic Lori Moseley, and Debby Eisinger, the latter of whom voted with members of the majority of the appointed Broward CRC against allowing Broward citizens to vote on whether or not to have an elected Broward County mayor in November of 2008.

How does an elected public official justify voting against elections that allow citizens to determine their own form of govt. structure?

Exactly, but that's just what Cooper City Mayor Debby Eisinger did.

The same woman who fought against tougher ethical standards for Broward municipal officials

It's why she's on that list that goes on and on...

They make me glad that there is some hope out there. that is if by there, you mean NOT here.

I do.

Because of what I've read and seen of her, her unwillingness to play the fool and swallow spin from the wealthy and the well-connected or political parties, her unwillingness to play pretend and accept illusions or fantasy for real solutions to problems, unless something unexpected happens -either to her or to me- if Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs runs for governor of Florida in 2014, I'll support her.

She's a real MAYOR, elected by real VOTERS, winning a run-off 68%-32%, despite being out fund-raised 2-1.

And best of all, Teresa Jacobs has smarts, hubris and moxie, something that can't be said about the majority of the pols in Broward or South Florida.

Just saying...

-----

For more information on this issue, see"

Broward Charter Review Comm. discussion re county-wide elected mayor and composition of County Commission, April 9, 2008, pp 68-126

http://www.broward.org/Charter/Documents/crc_ph_agenda_04092009.pdf

Tuesday's important Broward vote on ethics; My resolutions re South Florida news media are already being kept!

This is an edited version of the email I sent out
earlier this evening.

------

Originally, since attending the December 9th,
2009 public meeting of the county's Ethics
Commission, and seeing certain things emerge
in the meeting and in the interim, my plan had
always been to post some things today on
Tuesday morning's Broward County Commission
meeting and the high-visibility ethics vote they'll
be casting.

I thought I'd describe some of the historical context
and the peculiar cast of characters who have brought
us to the point where, as a precursor to whatever
rules and operating structure the county's appointed
Ethics Commission comes up with to govern the
County Commission's behavior, the County
Commission will have to either vote Yes or No
on collectively drawing a firm line in the sand about
the ethical behavior of and expectations on County
employees, and say, "Here, and no further."
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/county_commission/

Tusday's agenda is here; ethics is item # 36
http://205.166.161.204/agenda_publish.cfm?mt=ALL&get_month=1&get_year=2010&dsp=ag&seq=156#ReturnTo0

But since last week, as I started getting more and
more emails and phone calls from interested people
around the county about what I had heard or thought
was going to happen, I came to the realization that
I was going to change plans.

Because until something actually happens, it's all
just talk, and that's what Broward's citizen taxpayers
are completely fed-up with: pols talking about doing
the right thing instead of simply doing it and setting
the right example.

One of my resolutions for the New Year was to stop
wasting so much of my time and energy on certain
people, especially elected officials or people with
influence, talking about doing something -presumably
positive- and instead, expend that time and energy
by writing about what they actually do -if anything-
and explain as best I understand, why I thought
things had either failed or succeeded.

Here, as anywhere else, you learn a lot by actually
showing-up, though that's a lesson many erstwhile
reporters down here seem to ignore.

Another resolution of mine concerns my frequent
emails around the South Florida area, especially
prior to an event I believe is of some importance.
That's now ancient history.

If the local TV stations or newspaper reporters
or columnists want to ignore the story, that's their
choice, and in South Florida, as we all know from
experience, that's always their default position
anyway: doing nothing and then being surprised.

Frankly, in the face of self-imposed personnel
cuts -or in the Miami Herald's case, consistently
refusing to send reporters or photographers to
events, meetings or forums in Broward County
that would merit coverage in most parts of the
country as journalism has traditionally been
practiced- I don't see my particular civic role
while living in South Florida as simultaneously
playing the roles of Paul Revere, TV station
News Director or Assignment Editor, for
TV/print reporters and columnists.

That's especially the case when so many
reporters have consistently chosen to either
ignore or downplay the significance of verifiable
information or easily-understood stories I've
given them on a silver platter, despite their
claiming to me that they want to be kept
"in the loop" on what I know or hear.

Actually, they don't.
They just like to have the illusion they do.

There's no need for me to name names here,
but that's precisely why I'm deleting so many
newspaper/TV people from my email list,
including many people who are getting this
email.

Additionally, within the next few days, I plan
on finally -FINALLY!- editing the video
I made of that Dec. 9th Broward County
Ethics Commission meeting, which featured
the public testimony of the Broward Workshop's
George Morgan,
http://www.browardworkshop.com/ which is
described here:
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/12/broward_business_leaders_want.html

(Dubious distinction: I was the only member of the
public for a good portion of that morning meeting
on December 9th, while Scott Wyman of the
Sun-Sentinel was THE only South Florida reporter
who bothered to swing by in-person for even a
few minutes. Additionally, I was actually on time,
even early, while MANY members of the Ethics
Commission showed-up late.
Very Hallandale Beach-like!)

To make it easier to follow, I broke my film
up by subject, and that's how I plan on putting
it onto my YouTube page.

I'll be there in person at the County Commission
Chambers on Tuesday morning, and hope you'll
make plans to be there, too.

Also see
Wimps of the Roundtable and Other Challenges for Journalism Schools
by Wayne Robins
http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/debate/forum.1.essay.robbins.html

Dwight Stephenson for Broward County Commission

Tried to submit this as a comment to the Sun-Sentinel's
Broward Politics blog relative to Scott Wyman's Friday
post about Art Kennedy applying for consideration for
the now open seat on the morally bankrupt Broward
County Commission.

But since the newspaper has yet to fix the longstanding
bugs that for at least a year have caused reader comments
to frequently be rejected because of the paper's half-assed
software, it was bounced back and rejected.

Probably for the best anyway, since there are so many
politically and socially maladjusted people who comment
there whose grip on reality is tenuous at best.

You know, the people who don't know anyone who ever
voted for Reagan either of the times he won in a landslide?

Here's that post and some associated material:
Fort Lauderdale pastor applies for Eggelletion seat
Posted by Scott Wyman on September 25, 2009 03:54 PM

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/09/fort_lauderdale_pastor_applies.html
-----------
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The day after corruption arrests: Eggelletion's office open -

By Scott Wyman, Tonya Alanez and Robert Nolin

September 24, 2009
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/miramar/sfl-broward-corruption-bn092309,0,7088546.story
-----------
Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
September 24, 2009
Broward arrests sends strong message
-THE ISSUE: Broward officials arrested on corruption charges.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-broward-corruption-m092409sbsep24,0,1092553.story
--------

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Michael Mayo
From powerful to pathetic in one fell swoop

September 23, 2009

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-corruption-mayocol-b092309,0,7490931.column
----------
Biography of Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey H. Sloman
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls/USAttorney.html
----------
Bob Norman
Hall of Fame Dolphin Dwight Stephenson's Firm Dragged Into Federal Probe
September 25, 2009
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2009/09/miami_dolphin_dwight_stephenson.php
----------


As anyone who has ever met him can tell you,
Dwight Stephenson is a person of great personal
and moral integrity, and is blessed with great
enthusiasm and a can-do spirit.
http://www.dstephenson.com/

Like so many of us here, he desperately wants this
area of Florida to be SO MUCH better than the
mediocre morass of myopic incompetency and
situational ethics that it currently is with the present
occupants, since that's not good for anyone and
repels dynamic businesses and people from
relocating here.

If you don't believe me, just contact The Broward
Workshop and ask the folks there.
http://www.browardworkshop.com/

Broward County's well-known reputation for
corruption and pay-for-play government makes
it uninviting for savvy companies that have the
sort of well-paying management jobs this area
desperately needs more of down here for all
sorts of reasons, not least, the brain power to
take over so many of the atrophying and chronically
under-performing extant civic groups that are
little more than cults of personality.

Dwight Stephenson is precisely the sort of person]
that Broward's beleaguered citizens, regardless of race,
class or ethnicity, could rally behind and have faith in,
because his myriad decisions, even when you might
disagree with them, would always be based on facts
and what was best for the WHOLE COMMUNITY,
not just the lawyer/lobbyist/fixer crowd that so
dominates the pay-for-play Broward County
Commission.

In many so-called 'progressive' communities
across the country, even in places much smaller
than Broward County, he's someone who'd already
have a much-higher political profile and perhaps
already be in office somewhere.
(Since May of 2007, he's been a member of
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission.)

But like so many Broward citizens who have
something to contribute but who are utterly
aghast at what they see and read on a daily basis,
he's resisted getting more involved because of
the longstanding taint of corruption and incompetency
that is so high on Andrews Avenue and the various
political dens across the county that Bob Norman
at his Daily Pulp blog and the myriad Sun-Sentinel
reporters at the Broward Politics blog regularly
connect-the-dots on.

I would heartily endorse Dwight Stephenson
for the Broward County Commission.

IF a voter referendum passed that allowed
Broward citizens to vote for a County Mayor
instead of the self-serving, self-selecting format
favored by the current County Commission
-who in the recent past selected representatives
for the Charter Review Commission who
were AGAINST the idea of voters even
getting the chance to vote last November
on that issue themselves, like anti-democratic
Miramar mayor Lori C. Moseley and
Cooper City mayor Debby Eisinger-
I'd vote for Dwight Stephenson for County Mayor.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Sloman:
Keep up the great work and MORE investigations,
PLEASE!

Broward County Charter Review Comm. meeting April 9 @ 1 p.m.

South Beach Hoosier/Hallandale Beach Blog will probably be attending the Broward County Charter Review Commission (CRC) meeting on Wednesday afternoon unless something unexpected comes up.

You also might want to consider bringing a shoe box along, so you can show all the attendees that you are one of those rare folks who can, in fact, "think outside of the box," and are not at all interested in maintaining the status quo that's clearly not working very well for anyone, most of the county's residents.

If you're thinking of attending, or, submitting questions via email, you might want to consider reading the Minutes of some recent meetings beforehand, so that you are up to speed and don't ask something that's already been "asked and answered."

Minutes of Broward County Charter Review Commission,
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
http://www.broward.org/charter/pdf/121207_crc_final.pdf

CRC homepage is at: http://www.broward.org/charter/

By the way, in case you were wondering what the hell "The Broward Workshop" was -unskilled actors pretending to be leaders?- join the club.

Unflattering Sun-Sentinel editorial on them is at the bottom of page.

http://www.browardworkshop.com/
105 E. Davie Blvd. Suite 200,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Phone: (954) 462-9112
___________________________________
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbmayor0228sbfeb28,0,2209022.story?track=rss

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Charter board delays decision on Broward mayor proposal
By Scott Wyman
February 28, 2008

Business executives have begun exploring a petition drive to force a vote this fall on whether to elect a mayor countywide, frustrated by waffling and inaction from a board assigned to update the Broward County charter.

The Charter Review Commission on Wednesday delayed any decision on a proposal to change the mayor's job until early April, following a pair of public hearings. The charter board has vacillated over the past two months on a countywide mayor and Wednesday's nondecision went against its own rules to craft all proposed charter changes before the hearings on March 12 and April 9.

The leaders of the business round table called the Broward Workshop expect to decide within the next week whether to begin collecting more than 65,000 signatures needed for a referendum. They worry the charter board decision will come too late for them to have time to meet the extremely difficult election rules to add the countywide mayor to the November ballot.

"I'm having a hard time understanding what is wrong with letting the electorate decide," said George Mason, chairman of the Broward Workshop.

The proposal under debate would replace the largely ceremonial post of mayor that now rotates annually among county commissioners. The commission would be enlarged from nine to 11 members with the mayor and one other person being elected countywide.

The mayor question was the last remaining item for the charter board, which is assigned to propose changes to voters in how the county is governed.

The board has been heavily lobbied by both business leaders and county commissioners over what to do, and Wednesday's meeting was chaotic as a result.

One charter board member called in from work in a hospital emergency room. Another tried and failed to call in from a sailboat in the Caribbean. The board voted to ask the public to comment about the mayor question during the hearings, but agreed to distribute preprinted pamphlets that don't mention it.

The proposal charts a middle course between the current system and a strong mayor who would control day-to-day operations of the county. The post would have no more authority than it does today, and a professional administrator would remain in charge of county agencies. Advocates say the mayor could use the post as a bully pulpit to bring a countywide perspective to issues.

County Mayor Lois Wexler and Commissioner Ilene Lieberman accused elected mayor supporters of ignoring the county's economic realities. The county must cut spending in light of the January constitutional amendment requiring tax relief while adding two more commissioners will mean more bureaucracy.

"I'm looking for what's best for the governance of Broward County, and that's not choosing two more elected officials and all their support staff over the adequate funding of human services,"

Reader comments are at:
http://www.topix.com/forum/county/broward-fl/T5B9R7EMN32OJUQ3R

_________________________________________
From http://www.broward.org/charter/pdf/publichearings03and0408.pdf

Your Opportunity to Express Your Views on Potential Changes to the Broward County Charter

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 1 p.m.
115 S. Andrews Avenue, Room 422
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

• Creation of a Metropolitan Transit Authority


• Non-Interference in County Administration

• County Commission Meeting Rules & Voting


• Broward County Housing Council

• Broward County Regionalism Policy Statement


• Broward County Park Preservation

• Broward County Environmental Policy Statement


• Broward County Ethics Commission

• Redistricting Process


• Children’s Services Recommendation

• County Commission to provide Responsive Report to Management and Efficiency Study Committee

• One year hiatus between end of Management and Efficiency Study Committee and beginning
of Charter Review Commission


• Still under consideration: Composition of Broward County Commission

Please visit www.broward.org/charter to review the proposed Charter Amendments or call 954-357-8890 to request copies of proposed amendments.

Both public hearings will be televised on participating cable stations and webcast on www.broward.org.

The Commission will accept questions via email at charterreview@broward.org.

Public input on additional topics is welcome.

The Broward County Charter provides a blueprint for the operation of a countywide government that serves all residents in Broward County.

The Charter Review Commission is created for the purpose of conducting a comprehensive study of any or all phases of County government in conformance with Article VI of the Charter of Broward County, Florida.

Broward County Charter Review Commission
115 S. Andrews Avenue-Annex B
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Phone: 954-357-8890 • FAX: 954-357-8889
charterreview@broward.org
_______________________
http://www.theledger.com/article/20080324/NEWS/803240330/1023

The Lakeland Ledger
March 24, 2008
Hiding Homeless Won't Work

An editorial from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale:

Downtown Fort Lauderdale would be more pristine without homeless people sleeping on benches, picking through garbage and urinating on sidewalks. No doubt about it.

But sweeping disheveled people out of the vicinity just so restaurant customers, condo dwellers and business owners won't have to tolerate seeing them is dehumanizing. And it would only transfer destitute people from one location to another.

Don't think so? Count the number of Broward cities that have passed ordinances banning people from sleeping in cars, largely in hope of pointing homeless people somewhere else.

The issue is nothing new in Broward County, where last year there were 3,154 homeless people, 701 living on the streets, according to a survey.

While the county is far removed from its Tent City days, when the homeless lived in a makeshift shelter in front of the Broward Boulevard bus terminal, it obviously still has a long way to go.

But the solution does not lie in sweeping the homeless under the rug or locking them up for sleeping on the streets. It requires public policy to effectively deal with issues that lead to homelessness - poverty and mental illness for example - and adding more beds to shelters.

Unfortunately, business power brokers who met recently to brainstorm about how to get rid of the nomads missed an opportunity to show real leadership. Sponsored by the Urban Core Committee of the Broward Workshop, the event focused on "safety, security and quality of life," not for the homeless, but for the downtown crowd who don't want them nearby when "spending $100 for lunch," as one developer so bluntly put it.

Instead of fretting about homelessness, Broward's business leaders should use their resources and influence to help address the socioeconomic issues that lead to the problem. Homelessness is best addressed as a condition, not a crime.