Nine months from tonight, the Rubber Stamp Crew at Hallandale Beach City Hall can be kicked-to-the-curb for good

November 13, 2011 photo by South Beach Hoosier

Nine months from tonight, the Rubber Stamp Crew at Hallandale Beach City Hall can be kicked-to-the-curb for good

Concepts like common sense, logic, reason, transparency, Sunshine in Government and living-within-your-means could finally make their long-overdue appearance at 400 S. Federal Highway.


Not to mention, new City Commissioners dedicated to providing genuine oversight of the new City Manager and city employees, and a willingness to work hard and become familiar with pertinent information BEFORE City Commission meetings, instead of continuing the current practice where the majority merely go-thru-the-motions and forever defer to un-elected staffers who may not represent the long-term best interests of the city's citizen taxpayers and business owners.


We could finally see some intelligent public policy that encourages genuine community involvement throughout the ENTIRE CITY, and NOT exclusion and stealthiness at public meetings, which leads to important decisions being made at 2:43 a.m., as happened with the vote on the Diplomat LAC in 2010.

We could finally have a city hall where a work-ethic exists among city employees that rewards those who consistently show initiative, get the community involved, create cost efficiencies and increased productivity or tangible results, and proactively cuts red-tape and spots problems ahead of time, instead of merely waiting for them to happen and then pretending you don't know anything about it.


Conversely, that new work-ethic at city hall will make clear that it will punish or replace those who cling to the outmoded and musty status quo policies that have existed here for years, a mindset which has cost this city's taxpayers so very much money with so little tangible good to show for it the past ten years -a city budget that has nearly doubled the past five years.


But this change in both attitude and direction won't be accomplished easily, or just thru collective good intentions and a few clever campaign slogans.


It'll require some hard work and diligence by those who are genuinely committed to bringing meaningful policy reform and financial accountability to this city with so much unrealized potential, so that the citizens of this community can FINALLY leave the embarrassing bad old-days in the rear-view mirror.
So, what are you prepared to do the next few months to make that a reality?

In case you're interested, if all goes as expected, I'll be posting some Alternative State of the City comments on my blog in a few days, which is to say, an alternative to Mayor Joy Cooper's likely myopic and unrealistic snapshot.

http://www.local10.com/news/blogs/bob-norman/Mayor-charges-residents-20-for-speech/-/3223354/8563986/-/1utfiiz/-/index.html

http://www.local10.com/news/blogs/bob-norman/Mayor-No-charge-for-speech/-/3223354/8578562/-/a3y74x/-/index.html

If any of you you have something you'd like to contribute, either using your own name or, well, as "Anonymous," send it to me by 8 p.m. Thursday night.

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http://www.hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/HallandaleBeachBlog 

Change Hallandale Beach- 

A fact-based website run by my friend and fellow Hallandale Beach civic activist, Michael Butler, which goes directly after the longtime incompetency and crony capitalism at Hallandale Beach City Hall with cold-hard logic, quantifiable figures, graphs, charts and videos. The kind of evidence that they CAN'T refute with any of their serial lies, half-truths, mis-statements of fact, or exaggerations from the dais.
See the evidence for yourself and see what's REALLY going on in Hallandale Beach from Michael's informed perspective at http://www.changehallandale.com

October 13 Community Meeting re Beachwalk - 31-story mixed-use project at old 'Manero's' restaurant site; new gridlock-inducing plan for HB?

October 13 Community Meeting re "Beachwalk" - the 31-story residential/office/hotel/restaurant/garage planned for the old 'Manero's' restaurant site; new gridlock-inducing plan for Hallandale Beach?

Seriously, a 31-story property right across the street from the Walmart and on the west-side of the already poky, often-gridlocked Intercoastal Bridge on E. Hallandale Beach Blvd./State Road 858?

You're kidding me?

The already traffic-clogged road where out-of-town drivers (and even many locals) heading towards the beach and State Road A1A in the right/south-bound lane, CONSISTENTLY don't realize they are NOT supposed to STOP as they hit State Road A1A?

But despite the utter simplicity of the sign explaining this, STOP they do!

Oh do they ever!

That is, when they don't try to merge back into north-bound traffic at the last possible moment as they come to a stop at the red-light, often blocking both lanes.

Yes, I mean that road! Those drivers!

The only saving grace about this particular project -Beachwalk- is that it isn't that awful mess of a project called Millennium that lobbyist/lawyer and then-State Senator Steve Geller was pushing on behalf of The Related Group a few years ago that was to be located one block east at 2500 E. Hallandalle Beach Blvd.

The building and project that I've alluded to and written about here on the blog any number of times.

That's the VERY SAME building where the popular and well-regarded Padrino's restaurant is located, outside of which a horrific murder took place in February of 2006.

You'll recall that Albert Avenaim's murder was solved NOT by HB Police ingenuity or detection, but rather because but rather thru, the efforts of the alert Walmart employees at their Coral Springs location, after the guilty party, Brian Bethell, tried to use the his victim's credit cards, his second visit there.

That is, one of the credit cards of the three people Brian Bethell murdered.

You'll also recall Bethell felt so confident, he even brought along his girlfriend and her two toddlers, which, I think, tells you everything you need to know about him.,

That murder was one of the defining events that precipitated my creating this blog in the first place, and my second-biggest regret since returning from the Washington, D.C. area after 15 years up there was that I waited so long to start this blog, so that I could've done that particular story justice, given how it just disappeared from the local news media's horizon within a week or so, a fact I've mentioned on more than one occasion to many reporters down here who worked the story at the beginning.

*See more on Steve Geller and this particular murder at bottom of this post.

This one is being pushed by Greenberg Traurig's Debbie Orshefsky, who led the fight last year for the Diplomat LAC on behalf of the owners of the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, that was ultimately rejected by the Broward County Commission, as I chronicled here so many times.

Small comfort!

Info on the Beachwalk project, directly across from WalMart, and adjacent to Intercoastal Bridge is at Hallandale Beach Current Development Activities webpage:

http://www.hallandalebeach.org/index.aspx?NID=805

with plans at: http://www.hallandalebeach.org/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1891

Yes, this is the property that HB City Hall could've bought cheap for $2.92 Million to actually give this city's open land-starved residents public access to the water -but didn't, per my May 5th email to some of you out there.

This is the property to your right on east-bound HBB before you go over the bridge, i.e the old Manero's restaurant location, that Colliers Abood Wood-Fay has been trying to sell forver.

Yes, you're right, why didn't the City of HB snap it up and either make it a park and/or go into a partnership to have a nice public park and private restaurant there so that there would finally be one PUBLIC place in this city with access to water?

That's a good question for City Manager Antonio, Mayor Cooper and the rest of the City Commission.

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South Florida Business Journal
Related Group buys waterfront site for 60% off
by Brian Bandell
Thursday, May 5, 2011, 3:42pm EDT -
Last Modified: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 4:20pm EDT

After handing over several of its condo projects to lenders, this time Jorge M. Perez and his Related Group are buying a property from a bank.

PRH-2600 Hallandale Beach LLC, an entity ultimately managed by the Miami-based developer, bought a Hallandale

Beach site along the Intracoastal Waterway from TD Bank for $2.92 million.

Read the rest of the article at:

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2011/05/05/related-group-buys-waterfront-site.html

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PRH-2600 Hallandale Beach, LLC

Beachwalk

2600 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd

#47-11-DB (Major Development) #48-11-CU (Conditional Use) #49-11-Z (Rezoning) #51-11-RV (Road Vacation)

31-story mixed-use building with 84 residential units, 432 hotel rooms and 1,225 sq.ft restaurant

Pending resubmittal addressing DRC comments

DRC Planning and Zoning Board City Commission Estimated Site Plan Approval: December 2011

P

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This is excerpted from some past posts here and at my other blog, South Beach Hoosier.

How do I know that Steve Geller represented Millennium?

I was one of the select few to attend a sparsely-attended public meeting that, Millennium was forced to hold in December of 2006 in Hallandale Beach Cultural Center, behind their City Hall.

I got there early, expecting some emotional fireworks because of the rather, predictable concerns about exacerbating the already bad neighborhood, traffic-flow on HBB, the completely out-of-proportion size of the plan, etc., and sat at the table next to Miami Herald reporter Jennifer Lebovich.

Once I got there and had grabbed a donut and some coffee and returned to the table I had all to myself, my biggest thought while jotting down some, thoughts in my legal pad was making sure to leave early enough so that I could get home and not miss a minute of a new episode of LOST.

Really. I'd forgotten to program my VCR.

But then, quite unexpectedly, to my great surprise, in walked Geller and his retinue with trademark showy boisterousness, with him not waiting even two beats before continuing on a rant/harangue disparaging then-Gov.-Elect Charlie Crist in tones that would've been loud enough for everyone in the room to hear if the room had been half-full -wishful thinking- say, 150-200 people.

As it was, counting his Millennium-related crew and the interested public, such as, it was, there were no more than 25 people in that room, so his voice was bouncing off the walls.

To be so self-absorbed as to publicly belittle Crist in front of people -and a, reporter- before he'd even taken the oath of office, showed me the side of Geller I'd often read and heard about, but never seen in person for myself.

But I recognized the type, since I'd had dealings with current Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel in Washington before he was anybody of note, per se, over at the DCCC, and he already had that insufferable attitude and ego thing down pat.

Geller's whole shtick was so over-the-top as to be farcical, and I debated back and forth in my head whether I ought to dispense with pleasantries and the subject at hand, and simply drop my knowledge of what hadn't transpired at 2500 HBB on Geller and Millennium, in front of reporter, Lebovich, once the presentation was over and the Q&A began in earnest.

In the end, having read most of her past articles, I just didn't trust Lebovich's ability to synthesize the narrative and connect all the dots in a way that would get all the pertinent facts out.

Given my interests and background, I've been to hundreds of these sorts of meetings over the years, but listening to the sheer obfuscation and, mis-direction coming out of Geller's mouth, his Pooh-poohing of the patently obvious traffic problems, as if a magic wand had been waved overthem, rendering them invisible, well, it was all I could do to not ask him straight out if he and his colleagues even recognized the name of, Albert Avenhaim -and then go on offense.

But it all would've been wasted on people who either didn't know or who'd already forgotten how bad the safety was there at Padrino's, with parking lot lights out for months at a time and the ones that did work were largely obscured by tree branches.

Who was responsible for the property's maintenance?

Steve Geller's client.

Latest on the upside-down world of Hallandale Beach public policy from Hallandale Beach Comm. Keith London; Lewy's exactly what I predicted he'd be

For your information and education, at the bottom I've posted the latest perspective on the upside-down world of Hallandale Beach public policy from Hallandale Beach Commissioner Keith London.
Those of you in Hallandale Beach, Broward County and parts unknown who told me in person or via email that you honestly thought that Alexander Lewy was going to be a voice for common sense or reform -or something- where are you now, exactly in your post-election analysis?

Where's the tangible proof that anything you said was true or ever will be true?

Lewy's voting record on the dais and general demeanor throughout the city, where he feigns interest but yet always seems to say and do the wrong thing thus far, are even worse than I imagined they'd be, and you remember here that I told you last year exactly what would happen if he got in: precisely what's happening now.

Seriously, approving Minutes for meetings that he wasn't personally present at and intentionally preventing other commissioners from providing Corrections to the public record...
Really, THAT'S your reform?

Lewy's been in office for a few months already and what has he actually done that's in any way a positive for HB taxpayers or business owners?
Not lip service, but something tangible?
Name something.

Has he even held one public meeting that he ran himself where HB citizens and business owners could talk publicly to him about their concerns and fears?
No.

I told you last year that he was running to be a member of Joy Cooper's Rubber Stamp Crew in order to use this city as a stepping-stone and facilitate his elevation to another political position as soon as possible.
It could hardly have been any more obvious.
Well, mission accomplished!

Folks, it's EXACTLY what it looks like, no need to pretend otherwise.

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Everyone,

The following is an update of agenda items and other issues discussed at the Wednesday, March 2, 2011 City of Hallandale Beach Commission Meeting.

Highlights of this Wrap-Up

· Commissioner Lewy consistently undermines the discussion preventing Commissioner London from speaking on issues

· Commissioner Lewy votes to approve meeting minutes for meetings her never attended because Mayor Cooper said he could

· City Commission votes to move forward on NE 8^th – NE 10^th Aves. to spend over $1,500,000 when consultants provide an alternative at a lower cost of $165,000

· Diplomat Country Club is NOT closed – the City Commission recently hosted the United States Ambassador to Singapore there for a breakfast

· Mayor Cooper states “it is obvious that converting NE 8^th and 10^th Avenues to two-way is better” but again has no basis behind it

· Hallandale Beach public schools have a “supplies” wish list – Please help!

· Visit www.ChangeHallandale.com to read the latest about the Hallandale Beach High School Diversity Report

· City of Hallandale Beach, Workshop on Traffic Calming Monday, March 28, 2011 6:00 – 8:00 PM Commission Chambers

REGULAR AGENDA

CITY COMMISSION, CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2011 10:00 A.M.

http://www.hallandalebeach.org/files/2011-03-02/Agenda%20Outline%20for%202011-03-02%2010-00.htm

http://www.hallandalebeach.org/files/2011-03-02_CRA/Agenda%20Outline%20for%202011-03-02%2010-05.htm

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. ROLL CALL

3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (to be heard at 10:05 A.M.)

· Dr. Bob Selz handed out three sets of reports showing that one way streets are better than two way streets.

o The following are a few of the references in the documents:

1. FHWA - Federal Highway Administration (USDOT)

2. Oregon State Highway Department

3. City of Denver

· In addition, Dr. Selz referred to the EAC report prepared by the City of Hallandale Beach’s consultant. The report shows for $165,000 the City could attempt to improve signage and the enforcement of the posted speed to improve NE 8^th and NE 10^th Avenues

· Commissioner Lewy stated he read a report from the US Department of Justice that stated two way was better but never produced the document

· Mayor Cooper stated “how it is obvious that making the streets two way is better”

· Mayor Cooper stated “ Hallandale does not have to bring NE 8^th and 10^th Avenues up to the county standard” but felt the City could do this on the cheap

· Commissioner London asked the following questions:

o If traffic is no longer allowed to continue north on NE 10^th Avenue, what do the studies show will happen on NE 8^th, NE 12^th, and NE 14^th Avenues? No Answer

o What will happen when cars stuck on US1 heading north see traffic flowing northbound on NE 8^th Avenue? No Answer

o Does anyone expect less traffic in our community by doing this conversion? No Answer

o Have we tried to upgrade the streets, improve the signage, and place traffic calming devices in the area? Answer - NO

· Commissioner London made the same motion as he made at the last meeting “ to present the project to the community at this phase to obtain “input” from the community - NO SECOND

· Dr. Judy Selz again asked about the incomplete Public Records Requests (PRR) she has requested for two months about the following:

o Hallandale’s charitable donations totaling over $525,000. To whom they are going? What are the criteria for receiving the monies? What accounts the monies are coming from?

o The $50,000 commission travel budget. How much has each commissioner used? Why are flowers, microwaves, coffee makers, and charitable donations coming from this account?

o Why was information redacted in a print out provided by the city manager’s office? See the document at the link

o http://web.me.com/mike.butler/Change_Hallandale/Updates/Entries/2011/2/28_Why_is_the_City_redacting_information_from_this_PRR_files/Selz%20PRR.pdf

· Bob McColgan spoke in favor of item 8B (see below) and how staff was very helpful in meeting with him and his neighbors throughout the process of the design and development of the drainage improvements in the Southwest quadrant of the City

· Ivonne Aznarez also spoke about the conversions of NE 8^th and NE 10^th Avenues She stated the “obvious”

o The City has not provided enough detail

o There have been NO attempts to slow traffic

o Two way does not prove there will be less traffic

· Etty Sims spoke regarding need for school supplies in the Hallandale Beach schools. There is currently a community program going on for the collection of school supplies. Please click on the following link:

http://fl-hallandalebeach.civicplus.com/index.aspx?NID=758

5. PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS

A. Presentation of Certificates to the Student Citizens of the Month

B. Presentation Regarding Activities at the Village at Gulfstream Park

C. Presentation by South Florida Water Management District

· Please visit the SFWMD for the presentation and more information about the drought at the following link:

· http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20-%20release%203%20water%20conservation/water%20restrictions

D. Presentation by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2009 and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the 2009-2010 Budget.

E. Proclamation Proclaiming April 3, 2011 as Parents and Children's Day

F. Recognition of Hallandale High as the Winners of 2010 Cans for Cash Competition

G. Discussion of Utilities & Engineering Construction Projects

· The Hallandale Beach Marina Dock ground breaking will take place in the next two months

· Moving of potable water well fields to West Park is progressing

o Commissioner London asked if the formula has been worked out with Broward County for the purchase of the existing pipes and the life expectancy of those pipes. Answer - will be forthcoming

· A1A and US1 medians landscape upgrades

o Commissioner London asked if City of Hallandale Beach will be installing purple pipes (reuse water) when the landscaping is installed? This is required for new development and we should lead by example. Answer - good suggestion and will be looked into

· NE 8^th and NE 10^th Avenues Intersections

o $828,250 this phase only

o 2-3 months for permitting, mast arm design and feasibility study are complete.

6. CONSENT AGENDA

A. Approval of Draft Minutes - Regular City Commission Meeting of September 15, 2010

B. Approval of Draft Minutes - Regular City Commission Meeting of October 6, 2010

C. Approval of Draft Minutes - Regular City Commission Meeting of October 20, 2010

D. Approval of Draft Minutes - Regular City Commission Meeting of November 3, 2010

E. Approval of Draft Minutes - Regular City Commission Meeting of December 8, 2010

F. Approval of Draft Minutes - Regular City Commission Meeting of February 16, 2011

· Commissioner London requested pulling all items off consent for corrections and discussion.

· Commissioner Lewy immediately made a motion to call the question “to approve the minutes”; therefore not allowing any discussion or corrections to be made. This Motion passed 4:1- LONDON NO

· Commissioner Lewy then proceeds to vote for minutes to meetings when he was not a City Commissioner or even in attendance

· As I have repeatedly stated, I will not approve minutes that are more than 30 days old

· Passed 4:1 – LONDON NO

7. PUBLIC HEARINGS (to be heard at 10:30 A.M)

A. An Ordinance of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, Amending Chapter 30, Utilities, Article II, Water Service, Division 4, Water Conservation, Section 30-133, Restrictions on Landscape Irrigation, Establishing Mandatory Year-Round Landscape Irrigation Measures to Provide for a Prohibition of Wasteful and Unnecessary Water Use; Providing for Conflicts; Providing for Severability; and Providing for an Effective Date.

· Deferred till a later date to provide City Staff time to prepare the appropriate information

8. CITY BUSINESS

A. Presentation by Principal Financial Group of the Quarterly Results of the General Employees and Professional/Management Pension Plans for the Quarter Ending December 31, 2010.

TO BE HEARD AT 1:30 P.M.

· Report accepted

B. Pursuant to Chapter 23, Section 105, Award of Contracts, Request Authorization to Award Calvin, Giordano and Associates, Inc. Professional Engineering Services Required for Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant for City Flood Mitigation in Accordance with RFP #FY2007-2008-004, Continuing Services and Comprehensive Services, for an Amount not to Exceed $7,500.

· Passed 5:0

C. Discussion Regarding the Highland Park Village First Time Homebuyers Program. (Staff: CRA Director)

TO BE HEARD IN CONJUNCTION WITH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY ITEM #3.B.

· The following is some back up information concerning this item:

o The property is located in the Northwest quadrant of Hallandale Beach

o The property was formerly a run-down mobile home park

o The city subsidized $2.5 million to help purchase the land

o The project is a 53 unit affordable housing development with subsidizes of up to approximately $75,000 for qualified participants

o Hallandale Beach contributed $2.65 million for down payment assistance that is due to be paid back

o When the real estate market turned began to decline, the City of Hallandale Beach committed to purchase 26 units to facilitate construction moving forward and serve as a “backstop”. There is $4.47 million in CRA reserves for this purpose

o At this meeting there was no additional money invested into this project

· Commissioner London wanted to move forward and make sure the City of Hallandale Beach did not become a landlord and owner of the twenty six properties by suggesting the following:

o The City of Hallandale Beach should NOW figure out how the 26 units should be marketed and in what time frame

o Shanco Building Group should continue to promote, advertise, market and walk prospective buyers through the process for all the units at Highland Park

o If Hallandale Beach takes control of the 26 units, we then must hire a real estate agent to assist in selling the properties at a commission

o It is more cost efficient to continue marketing the project with Shanco than it is to pay real estate commissions on the 26 units

o We must move fast as the city will take ownership of the 26 remaining units by the end of May 2011

· Passed 5:0

D. Presentation of Community Redevelopment Agency Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2009/2010. (Staff: Community Redevelopment Agency Director) (See Backup)

TO BE HEARD IN CONJUNCTION WITH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY ITEM #3.C.

· The following are some highlights regarding the City’s CRA Budget:

· The City’s CRA Budget for 2009/2010 was $9.8 million dollars

1. Administrative charges/support services - $495,000

2. Personnel expenses - $1,024,000

3. Capital Program transfers to other funds - $3,400,000

4. Charitable Donations - $258,000

· An external auditor hired by the City Commission is only 50% complete in its analysis of the CRA

· This is the first time the City has hired an independent outside auditor to scrutinize the CRA expenditures for a one year period of time

· Commissioner London stated he was not comfortable voting to support this report until after the results of the audit have been received, reviewed and made public

· Passed 4:1 – LONDON NO

9. COMMISSIONER REPORTS

10. OTHER

· Mayor Cooper scolds Commissioner Lewy for sending and receiving emails during Commission meetings which is against the Commission protocol manual. But she does not threaten him to be sanctioned as she does for Commissioner London.

· Commissioner London requested the status of the Economic Development Study for Foster Road – Answer – the project is still in the research phase

· Commissioner London requested to know when the Commission will begin to receive fiscal impact statements attached to each agenda item – Answer – some time in April 2011

· Congratulations to the new CRA Director, Alvin Jackson and CRA Manager, Liza Torres, for bringing the US Ambassador to Singapore to the City of Hallandale Beach

11. PLANNING AND SCHEDULING MEETING (to be heard in Room 257)

I welcome and will gladly add those individuals who may not currently be included on my email distribution lists. Please feel free to forward those email addresses and contact information to me.

Please contact me if you would like unsubscribe to any future emails.

For all you who are unable to physically attend and participate at the City Commission meetings, these meetings are replayed on Comcast Channel 78 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday @ 12:00 P.M. and Mondays and Thursday @ 6:00 P.M.

Commission Meetings are now being web streamed and archived. Please visit: http://fl-hallandalebeach.civicplus.com/index.aspx?NID=717

You are always welcome to contact me with questions or suggestions and I encourage you to contact the rest of the City Commission with your questions or comments.

• Mayor Joy F. Cooper 954-632-5700 joycooper@aol.com
• Vice-Mayor Anthony Sanders 954-540-5100 onevision4life@aol.com
• Commissioner Dorothy Ross 954-457-1317 dross@hallandalebeachfl.gov
• City Manager Mark Antonio 954-457-1300 mantonio@hallandalebeachfl.gov
• Commissioner Alex Lewy 954-457-1315 alewy@hallandalebeachfl.gov
• City Attorney David Jove 954-457-1327 djove@hallandalebeachfl.gov

Keith S. London

City Commissioner

Hallandale Beach

954-457-1320 Office

www.KeithLondon.com

http://www.facebook.com/KeithSLondon