Showing posts with label Gordon Price. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gordon Price. Show all posts

Sunday, April 18, 2010

In case you'd forgotten what sort of person Joe Gibbons was, here's a quick reminder: Y-O-U are at the bottom of his pyramid

My comments about State Rep. Joe Gibbons follow
this excellent article by Julie Patel.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel
www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-psc-college-laws-20100416,0,2688175.story

Legislation to reform PSC would rule out consumer-oriented regulator
By Julie Patel, Sun Sentinel
April 16, 2010


If you dropped out of college, you're still qualified to be a Florida governor, leading the nation's fourth largest state.

Or a state senator, deciding how to spend billions in tax dollars.

Or the state's chief financial officer, responsible for the accounting and auditing of the state's books.

But without a college degree, some legislators say you're not qualified to help set utility rates paid by millions of Floridians.

These regulators "have serious responsibilities to understand complicated rate cases," said Rep. Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach. "Someone with a college degree has the ability to learn and the discipline required to receive it."

He is one of 34 lawmakers who has voted for a bill that would require those appointed to the state Public Services Commission to have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college. The provision, one of many to reorganize the agency that regulates the state's utilities, is in a bill that could be put to a full House vote this week.

Some observers see another reason for the college-degree provision: oust commission Chairwoman Nancy Argenziano.

"She is fighting for consumers, and the utilities don't like it," said Bill Newton, executive director of the Florida Consumer Action Network. "Utilities are among the largest contributors to the Legislature, so it is no surprise that they are doing the utilities' bidding."

The five-member Public Service Commission has been at the center of a political firestorm over the past year after the state's largest utility, Florida Power & Light, proposed its largest rate increase ever. Contentious hearings erupted over allegations of cozy relationships between regulators and utility staffers.

Some commission officials resigned or were put on temporary leave. Gov. Charlie Crist appointed two regulatory newcomers to the commission, and the new commission rejected all but 6 percent of FPL's rate increase.

All of which put the Public Service Commission in the public eye.

Three House committees have approved the bill to reorganize the commission. Gibbons said the bill "has nothing to do with any one individual."

Five legislators who voted for it don't have bachelor's degrees, including Matt Hudson, a Republican who represents parts of Broward and Collier counties.

Hudson said he supports the requirement for commissioners because they're paid more than $130,000 a year and deal with "extraordinarily technical matters." Legislators are paid about $30,000 for their part-time work.

"Certainly these are people that are expected to know a great deal, and I think it's appropriate that we put criterion, just like you would put criterion for any executive position," he said.

Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul supports the requirement.

A college requirement is important because "PSC members are not elected," Jill Chamberlin, the speaker's spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail. "They are supposed to make decisions as judges do."

In the FPL rate case, Chamberlin said the PSC considered 176 complex issues ranging from accounting to the cost of capital. The commission has a staff of engineers, economists, accountants, finance experts and lawyers to review these issues, "but the staff does not make the decisions," she wrote.

As for comparisons to elected officials, "The Governor, the Legislature are elected," she said. "It's up to the voters to determine standards for knowledge and background."

Argenziano, a vocal critic of utilities' influence on policy and regulation, dropped out of pre-veterinary college to raise her son. She worked on weekends washing cars and painting apartments and has worked as a veterinary technician specialist, a real estate agent and part owner of an emergency animal hospital. She spent 10 years as a Republican legislator from Crystal River before being named to the commission by Crist.

"I could not get what many people my age had the good fortune to get, a formal education. But I can tell you I learned through the school of hard knocks, hard work and experience," she said.

"While I never claim to be a genius, I do know I was born with intelligence."

Public Counsel J.R. Kelly, the state's utility customer advocate, said all the commissioners he's dealt with the past few years have been "learned."

"I might not like their decisions but I could not sit there and tell you they weren't competent," he said.

College degrees aren't required for many top governments posts, but some require advanced degrees. For example, the Attorney General must be a member of the Florida Bar, which means he or she must have a law degree. Only licensed physicians can be appointed to the state Board of Medicine.

Jan Beecher is director of the Institute of Public Utilities at Michigan State University, a utility regulation research center. She has looked at the demographics and qualifications of utility commissioners nationwide.

She knows of no state that requires utility commissioners have a college degree but a study she completed last month found that most do. Only 32 of 233 commissioners nationwide said they had completed "associate, some college, or not specified."

A few states require specific experience, Beecher said. For example, Nebraska's municipal utility regulation board has designated spots for an attorney, an engineer, an accountant and two laypeople.

"You want to be very careful not to exclude someone because your hands are tied by statutory requirements," she said. "But I certainly think education is important in our field."

She recommends that states give commissioners the opportunity to learn more about utility regulation. In most states, agency staff provides technical expertise, she pointed out.

Floridians have elected seven governors who didn't have college degrees, according to Gary Mormino, a history professor at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg.

"I am leery to suggest that a college degree makes one smart or better suited to govern," he said. "Character matters more than brains or a college pedigree."

See also: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-psc-college-laws-box-20100416,0,6549111.story

Reader comments at:
http://discussions.sun-sentinel.com/20/soflanews/fl-psc-college-laws-20100416/10
-----------


So, State Rep.
Joe Gibbons, who stands by and pretends
he
doesn't know anything about the self-evident corruption
and anti-democratic
sentiments that have been emanating
from the bunker at Hallandale Beach
City Hall for YEARS,
much of which took place with him squarely in the
center
of it all -
the same guy who had said and did what,
exactly, about the Village at Gulfstream
Park
project completely exporting their Section 8
Housing, as the Diplomat is now trying to do
under their incompatible LAC proposal?
-
the guy who
won't say word one about what side he
favors
on the Diplomat LAC issue affecting his District,
is very concerned
about making sure that... someone
who is pro-consumer at the Florida Public Service
Commission
has to go buh-bye?
Huh?


The
Gibbons that was the ranking Democrat on the
House Transportation and Economic
Development Appropriations
Committee,
but who has
never ever attended any of the many
regional Transportation summits
and workshops
that I've attended since he was elected, which have
drawn
people from all over the state and from U.S.
DOT regional HQ in Atlanta, and even from Canada?
Yes, that Joe Gibbons!

http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4400&SessionId=64


http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Committees/committeesdetail.aspx?CommitteeId=2450&sessionId=64

Gibbons
is such a nothing representative, it's distressing
that in the year
2010, his great luck is to represent one
of the most apathetic FL House
Districts in the entire state.
Mine.

If this Julie Patel article is an accurate indication of
how he's going to put
his representation for his corporate
clients at
Akerman Senterfitt -where Gibbons is a
"consultant"
- ahead of our interests, things are definitely
going to get a whole lot bumpier for him over the next few
months.

On that you can depend.
See http://www.akerman.com/public/attorneys/aBiography.asp?id=1186&name=Gibbons-Joseph-A.

Did you notice that the office they show him
attached to is NOT in Fort lauderdale or Miami,
but the one in Tallahassee

You might be interested in knowing that just this year,
I have been approached about five times at myriad events
throughout Broward, all by different but clearly
well-informed people
, each specifically asking me
variations of the same question:
Did I know that Gibbons and his family really
live in/near Jacksonville, and NO LONGER live
in his FL House District?


I didn't.
Who does he think he is, Steve Geller?

--------------
Just in case you never saw it, last June I wrote an email
and
subsequent blog post on June 4th that gets to the
heart of the
problem as it involves the state's transportation
issues and
Joe Gibbons' somnolence here in his own
district.


It concerns an important Transportation meeting held
up at the
Broward Convention Center when the
Legislature was
NOT meeting, while Gibbons was,
perhaps
, with his family near Duval County.

I include this series of excerpts here, along with
some pertinent
facts to better connect-the-dots.
They are from:
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/tomas-boiton-is-on-case-south-florida.html


Nothing quite says lip service like folks acting all concerned

with transportation policy and Quality of Life issues when

being interviewed by reporters, but then skipping the chance

to appear at an informative Saturday morning event where

actual concerned South Florida citizens are present and

accounted for.


Plus there was a great speaker like Gordon Price of

Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, the noted

Smart Growth expert, who made a truly fantastic

presentation that had most attendees wistful as they

watched it, and even more angry than they expected

at seeing once again how much worse this area is than

it ought to be compared to other places.

(See http://www.sfu.ca/city/bioGordon.htm and

http://www.pricetags.ca/presentations.html )


Mr. Price flew across North America from beautiful

Vancouver to deliver a powerful message in Fort

Lauderdale, and I made time to make the relatively

short trip up to the Broward County Convention

Center to hear him - and was very glad I did,

as many other attendees told me as well.


Based on her pathetic track record and apparent fear

of actually interacting with knowledgeable taxpayer

citizens, instead of the govt. officials and trade groups

she clearly prefers to interact with, which I've written

about here before, I completely expected FDOT

Sec. Stephanie Kopelousos to be a no-show.

She didn't disappoint, so her non-appearance was

NOT exactly Breaking News.


But where was my own State Rep., Joe Gibbons?

Or my State Senator, Eleanor Sobel?


Gibbons, the former Hallandale Beach City Commissioner

who now acts oblivious to all the self-evident unethical and

incompetent activity taking place here in HB, happens to be

the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation

and Economic Development Appropriations

Committee, and yet was a no-show that morning, as were

South Florida Senators Alex Diaz de la Portilla and

Chris Smith, both of the Senate Committee on

Transportation and Economic Development

Appropriations.


Nice going!

Way to represent!


----------
Because of my longtime interest in transportation issues,
I have been
to every SFECC meeting held in Gibbons'
district since he was elected,
in Hallandale Beach as well
as in next door Hollywood and Aventura.


I've also been to every major public transportation meeting
held in
South Florida, whether the Regional meeting I
reference above, the
one held in Dania last Fall on funding
sources for Tri-Rail and commuter
rail in the state or the
one thrown by Broward County three years ago
at the
Broward County Convention Center, which had hundreds
of
people.

I was even at the impromptou meeting held over a year
ago at Hollywood
City Hall hosted by Rep. Elaine
Schwartz
and Sen. Eleanor Sobel on dedicated
Tri-Rail funding.

That doesn't make me an expert, just concerned.


So why is it that
Joe Gibbons is never seen, not even at
the ones not held
during the regular legislative session?

At some point, it's fair to say that he's a
no-show on this
issue in his own
area.

How come
Gibbons and his Committee have never held
a field hearing
down here since he was elected?

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Nothing quite proves the lip service of FL transportation policy like Joe Gibbons being MIA on those issues in his own district

Sent this out as an email a few minutes ago to the
folks in my network of concerned South Florida
citizens and to some of the reporters who've written
about this subject over the past week.

----------------
December 2nd, 2009
1:30 p.m.

Regarding some of the recent articles and blog posts
-at bottom- on State Rep. Joe Gibbons and lots of
'huffing and puffing' about changing the dates of the
special FL legislative session on public transportation
issues because of some conflicting logistics over the
National Black Caucus annual meeting to be held
in FTL, that Rep. Gibbons is speaking at tomorrow
-a little local perspective goes a long way.

I think I sent it to many of you originally as a bcc,
but just in case I didn't, back in June, I wrote an
email and subsequent blog post on June 4th that
gets to the heart of the problem as it involves the
state's many transportation issues and what
seems to be a clear fact pattern of Joe Gibbons'
somnolence
here in his own district on those
very issues.

I include it below for your perusal, along with
some other pertinent facts that seem worth
mentioning now that he is expecting the entire
legislature to change their plans because of his
self-interests.
That is, in case facts actually still matter.
---------------
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/tomas-boiton-is-on-case-south-florida.html


A few paragraphs into my post I write:

Nothing quite says lip service like folks

acting all concerned with transportation

policy and Quality of Life issues when being

interviewed by reporters, but then skipping the

chance to appear at an informative Saturday

morning event where actual concerned South

Florida citizens are present and accounted

for.


Plus there was a great speaker like Gordon Price

of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver,

the noted Smart Growth expert, who made a truly

fantastic presentation that had most attendees

wistful as they watched it, and even more angry

than they expected at seeing, once again,

how much worse this area is than it ought to be

compared to other places.

(See http://www.sfu.ca/city/bioGordon.htm and

http://www.pricetags.ca/presentations.html )


Mr. Price flew across North America from

beautiful Vancouver to deliver a powerful message

in Fort Lauderdale, and I made time to make the

relatively short trip up to the Broward County

Convention Center to hear him - and was very

glad I did, as many other attendees told me

as well.


Based on her pathetic track record and apparent

fear of actually interacting with knowledgeable

taxpayer citizens, instead of the govt. officials

and trade groups she clearly prefers to interact

with, which I've written about here before,

I completely expected FDOT Sec. Stephanie

Kopelousos to be a no-show.


She didn't disappoint, so her non-appearance

was NOT exactly Breaking News.


But where was my own State Rep., Joe Gibbons?

Or my State Senator, Eleanor Sobel?


Gibbons, the former Hallandale Beach City

Commissioner who now acts oblivious to

all the self-evident unethical and incompetent

activity taking place here in HB, happens to be

the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation

and Economic Development Appropriations

Committee, and yet was a no-show that morning,

as were South Florida Senators Alex Diaz de la

Portilla and Chris Smith, both of the Senate

Committee on Transportation and Economic

Development Appropriations.


Nice going!

Way to represent!


The folks who actually attended the Summit won't

soon forget who the no-shows were.


See also:
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/tri-rails-need-for-dedicated-funding.html

----------

Because of my longtime interest in transportation
and public policy issues, I have been to every
SFECC meeting held in Gibbons' own district
since he was elected, both here in Hallandale Beach,
as well as meetings in next door Hollywood and
Aventura.
And I've been to ones in Miami and in Fort
Lauderdale.

I've seen engaged county and city commissioners
from South Florida like Sue Gunzburger,
Beam Furr, Keith London, Zev Auerbach,
Linda Sherwood
...
But no Joe Gibbons.

I think it's fair to say that I've been to every major
public transportation meeting held in South Florida
over the past 3-4 years, whether the Regional meeting
I reference above, the one held in Dania last Fall
on funding sources for Tri-Rail and commuter rail
in the state, or the one hosted by Broward County
three years ago at the Broward County Convention
Center, all of which had hundreds of people
attending
.

I was even at the somewhat impromptu meeting
held over a year ago at Hollywood City Hall hosted
by Rep, Elaine Schwartz and Sen. Eleanor Sobel
on Tri-Rail funding and related transportation problems,
that drew a few dozen concerned citizens from this
part of Broward County and Northeast Miami-Dade
County.

That doesn't make me an expert, of course, just
a concerned citizen who pays attention to what
is and isn't happening.

Given his position, a State Representative and
the Chair of a Committee that deals directly with
transportation, why is it that at these meetings,
ALL held within minutes of Joe Gibbons' district,
he's NEVER seen?

Not even at the ones NOT held during the
regular legislative session?


That seems like a reasonable question a real
reporter might want to ask him one of these days.

At some point, it's perfectly fair to say that he's
a no-show on this issue in his own area of the
state.
That time is now.

And please, if you can, explain to me why House
Minority
Leader Sands and Gibbons won't
answer the basic
question of what would happen
to the special session if the legislature actually
waited until
Monday to start and run head into
Hanukkah?


We know the answer to that, don't we?
The predictable hue and cry that we would arise.
And yet for their own purposes, Sands and Gibbons
feign ignorance and act like they don't know that
holiday is on calendars in everyone's house and
office.
That attitude certainly explains a lot of why things
are the way they are in this state.
Second-rate, backwards and half-assed.

So what, exactly, is their clever alternative to the
dilemma?
To start on Monday and then stop on Wednesday
for a few days for the holidays and have everyone
leave town, then come back the following Monday?
And to what, use Christmas as a cudgel and
deadline?


That not only doesn't make sense but means the
public will once again be forced to listen to
Members complain about how difficult it is to get
to far-off Tallahassee from South Florida,
a tiresome complaint that doesn't elicit any
sympathy from anyone not related to them,
esp. since taxpayers are stuck paying the
ridiculous sum of $600 for Members' round trip
flights to Tallahassee because of the Legislature's
inability to run logically even during the Regular
session.
Zero sympathy!

If Joe Gibbons is genuinely concerned about
transportation issues in South Florida, why,
to the best of my knowledge, has no-show Gibbons
and his State House Committee never held a single
field-hearing in South Florida, the scene of the
crime, if you will?

In his representation of me and other constituents
in this district on these important economic and
Quality-of-Life issues, at a certain point, it's fair
to say that it's exactly what it looks like: somnolence.
He's now morphed into Rip Van Gibbons.

----------

Black lawmakers: Delay session

MiamiHerald.com - Steve Bousquet, Marc Caputo -
A special legislative session scheduled for this week on Florida rail projects has raised the ire of black lawmakers because it conflicts with their plans ...

Fla. speaker refuses to delay special session

MiamiHerald.com -
AP TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- House Speaker Larry Cretul has refused to delay a special legislative session that will conflict with the annual meeting of the ...

Black lawmaker flap: House Dem leader asks for excused absence from special ...

Palm Beach Post - Michael C. Bender -
Designated House Democratic Leader Ron Saunders, R-Key West, requested an excused absence from the first two days ...

Count Saunders out of special this week: He's with black caucus

Tampabay.com - Ron Saunders -
And so the game of chicken/who flinches first continues between House leadership and black legislators and House Dems... Rep. ...

Black legislators seek to delay special session

Sarasota Herald-Tribune - John Kennedy -
TALLAHASSEE - Republican legislative leaders Tuesday struggled to tamp down rising anger among House Democrats ...

House leaders won't delay special session for black legislators conference

Tampa Tribune - Catherine Dolinski -
TALLAHASSEE - House leaders stuck today to their schedule for a special legislative session starting on Thursday, ...

Session timing at odds with national meet of black legislators; GOP leaders ...

Palm Beach Post - Dara Kam -
TALLAHASSEE — Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul on Tuesday refused to delay the onset of the special session slated to begin Thursday despite ...

Speaker Larry Cretul: no dice on special session delay

Juice - Josh Hafenbrack -
House Speaker Larry Cretul is sticking to his guns: The special session will start on Thursday, as planned, despite protests from Democrats that the ...

Saunders says he'll skip first two days of session

Juice - Josh Hafenbrack -
How many days can the flap over the scheduling of Thursday's special session – which coincides with a national black legislative conference in Fort ...

South Florida meeting won't delay special session on transportation

Sun-Sentinel.com -
AP TALLAHASSEE - (AP) -- House Speaker Larry Cretul has refused to delay a special legislative session that will conflict with the annual meeting of the ...

Black legislators' caucus meeting in Lauderdale

Broward Politics - Brittany Wallman - ‎Dec 1, 2009‎
Leaders from across the nation are expected to gather in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday for the 33rd annual National Black Caucus of State Legislators ...

Rail special session conflicts with black legislator conference in South Florida

Orlando Sentinel - Aaron Deslatte - ‎Nov 30, 2009‎
By Josh Hafenbrack, Tallahassee Bureau TALLAHASSEE -- The Legislature will be in special session starting Thursday at 9 am, it looks like. ...

House GOP "racially insensitive," Sands charges

Sun-Sentinel.com - Josh Hafenbrack - ‎Dec 1, 2009‎
House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands, D-Weston, warned that the Legislature's Republican leadership is verging on being “racially insensitive” for ...

Black legislators up in arms about special session date

Juice - Josh Hafenbrack - ‎Nov 30, 2009‎
Just one problem: That's a big day for the state's black caucus, which is hosting a national conference for black legislators in Fort Lauderdale from ...

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Tomas Boiton is on the case!; South Florida Transit apathy



Palm Beach County civic activist and
Friend of HBB 
Tomas Boiton, the founder, head and heart of Citizens For Improved Transit, writes with news about a forthcoming effort of his scheduled for Monday, which ought to be of interest to all people interested in
making transportation smarter and more efficient in actually reaching the people who need it: taxpayers.

I've also copied the letter he sent along as an attachment and print it at the bottom, which is a letter Tomas sent to the Palm Beach County Commissioners.

But first, to help connect some dots and set up some later comments of mine, I want to share the following prescient piece from Orlando Sentinel ace reporter Aaron Deslatte, which he originally posted on their excellent Central Florida Political Pulse on April 7th.

I had hoped to post and comment on it back in April, but I had a problem when my computer froze-up one night, and moments later, BOOM, the power went out in my neighborhood for a bit.
Afterwards, I was so frustrated, I gave up on posting it, but have recently found a Draft of it from the day before, which I've since finished.

It presents a very telling tale of the elected officials involved in making important decisions for us and how truly ill-informed many are.
People are entitled to their own opinions, of course, but you first have to agree at the outset on certain basic facts and understand where the financial numbers are coming from before you develop your point-of-view, oui?
Or maybe that's just me.

Central Florida Political Pulse.
SunRail bucks get hand-cuffed in the Senate
posted by Aaron Deslatte on Apr 7, 2009 5:47:03 PM

TALLAHASSEE – Senate lawmakers on a powerful budget panel sparred for an hour Tuesday over a Democratic attempt to strip funding for Central Florida’s commuter rail project out of the chamber's proposed budget.
Problem is, they couldn’t find much.
At the Senate Ways and Means committee, Sens. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, and Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, offered an amendment to the budget to divert $491 million out of the state Department of Transportation’s budget for road projects to fund a handful of others they said had been diverted due to the SunRail project.
“We’ve had $600 million that’s been sitting there for three years. It’s a disservice to the people,” Lawson said.
------------------------
Wow!!!
I think it's fantastic that in the year 2009, the Florida legislature is full of people who STILL don't know how FDOT is actually funded.
Perhaps in the future, Senate and House committee assignments could be based totally on test performance of standardized tests on Florida govt. history, along with essays on how FL govt. is supposed to work according to the FL State Constitution.
Their own FCATs.
And reveal the results LIVE on TV, like the NFL Draft!

That sort of stupidity is almost as great as the sheer apathy and laziness shown by so many elected officials and pompous public policy types from South Florida in February, based on the paltry number of them who actually showed-up in person at the regional Transportation Summit in Fort Lauderdale on the 21st.
Nothing quite says lip service like folks acting all concerned with transportation policy and Quality of Life issues when being interviewed by reporters, but then skipping the chance to appear at an informative Saturday morning event where actual concerned South Florida citizens are present and accounted for.

Plus there was a great speaker like Gordon Pricof Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, the noted Smart Growth expert, who made a truly fantastic presentation that had most attendees wistful as they watched it, and even more angry than they expected
at seeing once again how much worse this area is than it ought to be compared to other places.

Mr. Price flew across North America from beautiful Vancouver to deliver a powerful message in Fort Lauderdale, and I made time to make the relatively short trip up to the Broward County Convention Center to hear him - and was very glad I did, as many other attendees told me as well.

(These were the exact same well-informed people who asked me over the couple of hours I
was there, with evident concern in their voice, if I, too, had noticed the same changes they had at the Transit Miami blog. http://www.transitmiami.com/
Changes which they uniformly thought were very much for the worse.
Had I noticed TM not even mentioning the very Transportation Summit we were all at in advance -or have anyone attendand the extent to which it had become become something of a combination Biker newsletter and very bitter social screed.
Yes, sadly I had.)

Based on her pathetic track record and apparent fear of actually interacting with knowledgeable taxpayer citizens, instead of the govt. officials and trade groups she clearly
prefers to interact with, which I've written about here before, I completely expected FDOT Sec. Stephanie Kopelousos to be a no-show.
She didn't disappoint, so her non-appearance was NOT exactly Breaking News.

But where was my own State Rep., Joe Gibbons?
Or my State Senator, Eleanor Sobel?

Gibbons, the former Hallandale Beach City Commissioner who now acts oblivious to all the self-evident unethical and incompetent activity taking place here in HB, happens to be the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Committeeand yet was a no-show that morning, as were South Florida
Senators Alex Diaz de la Portilla and Chris Smithboth of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations.

Nice going!
Way to represent!

The folks who actually attended the Summit won't soon forget who all the no-shows were.

Well, among the few elected officials who actually WERE there was SFRTA Governing Board Chairman and Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion, Jr.,
http://www.broward.org/eggelletion/ and http://www.tri-rail.com/, and Palm Beach County Commission Chairman Jeff Koons,

I spent some time talking to Comm. Koons in FTL and found him to be not only EXTREMELY well-informed and conversant, but also someone who was clearly
very conscientious and possessed of a good sense of humor, someone who didn't take himself so seriously.

I'm no expert on Comm. Koons, but my initial sense of him, after previously reading articles and columns on him and now finally meeting him was that we could use a couple dozen clones of him here in Hallandale Beach and Broward County, as well as in Miami-Dade
County, where part of the larger problem is is the dozens and dozens of people who take themselves FAR TOO SERIOUSLY.

For examples of this, see WFOR's I-Team report A Spending Tale of Two Counties

People like Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper to name but one glaring example, who continues to think so highly of herself -despite her awful track recordand thinks you ought to as well,.
In fact, she thinks so highly or herself that she asked HB City Manager Mike Good to find money in the city's budget to create a brand new office for her at HB City Hall, despite the fact that there was nothing physically wrong with her existing one.

No matter!
She said "Jump!" and he said "How high?" and it was done and completed in January for about $3,700.

So, with that all said, here's the letter Tomas wrote so you could know what's going on, too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your support is needed to minimize the $4 million budget cut to Palm Tran and save Tri-Rail. Effects will greatly impact the $5 monthly bus pass program and Senior Transportation Services!
Last year the commissioners put an additional $1 million dollars back into Public Transportation because advocates came out to the meetings! We can do it again!
Join Citizens For Improved Transit at the
County Budget Workshop
Monday June 8 at 1:45 p.m. (will last about 1 hour)
P.B.C. Governmental Center - 301 N. Olive Ave., W.P.B. 6th Floor
(RSVP to this e-mail if you or an agency representative is able to attend)
Please also put on your Calendars to attend budget meetings on July 13th, September 8th and 21st
The time when public transportation comes on the agenda is determined a week before the meeting.
It is also very effective to make phone calls, write letters and send e-mails and tell your experiences. See the attached letter to get information on the issues:
THE ISSUES (See Attached letter for further details and attachment for All proposed cuts and fare increases)
1. Maintain the $5 price for the TD bus pass for everyone living below 150% of the poverty level or if absolutely necessary create a sliding scale fare system so individuals making less then $1,000 per month will stay at $5 and raise the price to $7.50 for individuals making between $1,000 and $1,353 per month.
2. Instead of funding the ADA program with money currently designated for the DOSS program in order to charge for the transportation service, the same funds should be used to reinstate the County Senior Transportation program with new criteria
-- The eligibility age raised from 60 to 65 or 70
-- Amount of trips limited to the funds available
-- Trip destination limited to medical, employment, grocery stores and meal sites, and socialization trips to adult daycare centers
-- Qualifying seniors can not have a driver’s license or car registered in their name
-- The cost of the fare be based on a sliding scale: Seniors living:
- below the poverty level of $902 per month pay $3 per round trip
- between $902 and $1,354 pay $4 per round trip
- above 150% of the poverty level pay $6 per round trip which is the same fare the ADA program would charge.
3. Provide Tri-Rail with the minimal required funding obligation of $1.6 million and set aside an additional $1.25 million in reserves that will only be allocated to Tri-rail if:
-- Broward and Miami/Dade make the same financial obligation
-- The state contributes the remaining $3.75 million regional short fall in addition to the funding used to match the counties contributions.

CALL TO ACTION: It is essential Transportation Advocates attend and Nonprofit Agencies send representatives and clients to the meetings to stress the importance of Palm Tran, Palm Tran Connection and Tri-Rail on peoples lives.Not everyone will be asked to speak put we are looking to have a large attendance. Nonprofits please make sure to send at least one representative from each agency to the budget workshop this up coming Monday at 1:45.

Please pass on this e-mail to get the word out.

RSVP to this link: Citizens For Improved Transit or call 561-249-4181

E-mail the county commissioners today at BCC-Allcommissioners@pbcgov.org to say that Public Transportation Services are essential and should not be cut.


June 1, 2009

In regards to: Palm Tran Budget, Tri-Rail, Palm Tran Service Board

Dear Commissioners:

With the high cost of living in Palm Beach County and the scarcity of employment the populations effected the most by the current economic environment include seniors, low income earners, the unemployed, and the mentally and physically disabled. Palm Tran and Palm Tran Connection are the only form of transportation for many of these individuals to access life sustaining destinations.

The proposed Palm Tran Budget will significantly impact the quality of life for these vulnerable populations. Citizens For Improved Transit wants to ensure the commissioners are aware of the consequences of some of the proposed changes and alternative solutions that can still reduce the budget and provide for the transportation disadvantaged.

Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) Bus Passes:
This proposed change will have the greatest impact on the transportation disadvantaged by raising the cost of the TD bus passes 300% from $5 to $15 for individuals and families that live below 150% of the federal poverty level or less then $1,353 per month. Many of the families who are eligible for the TD bus pass live far below this level and cannot afford the additional $10 per month per family member. Approximately 7,000 people use the Transportation Disadvantaged Bus Pass program on a monthly basis which is about 20% of the fixed route riders.

Citizens For Improved Transit’s Recommendation
Maintain the $5 price for everyone living below 150% of the poverty level or if absolutely necessary create a sliding scale fare system so individuals making less then $1,000 per month will stay at $5 and raise the price to $7.50 for individuals making between $1,000 and $1,353 per month.

The county has only one distribution site for the TD bus passes at the Palm Tran Connection Lake Worth facility. It is advised that the secretarial position proposed to be terminated at the Palm Tran West Palm Beach office be changed to administer the sales of the TD bus passes. Since it will only be one position it is advised that registering for the TD program still be done in Lake Worth. The use of the WPB facility as a distribution site was proposed by Palm Tran staff but was sidelined due to lack of funding for a additional staff position. Currently the Lake Worth office is running at capacity with sometimes over 200 people coming a day.

Transportation Cuts to Seniors
According to the 2008 Palm Beach County Profile there are over 365,000 seniors over 60 living in Palm Beach County. Nearly 25% of these seniors live alone. The Division of Senior Services (DOSS) program provides transportation for seniors to receive one nutritious meal a day and simultaneously provides for socialization for those who would otherwise be isolated in their homes. Palm Tran wants to roll the DOSS program into the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) program. Under ADA Palm Tran can charge $6 per each round trip.

The problem with this is based on Palm Tran’s calculations, 15% of the current DOSS meal trips go to low income seniors that do not qualify for ADA trips. For the seniors that do have a qualifying disability Palm Tran estimates an additional 15% can not afford the $6 daily roundtrip cost. Based on discussions with a DOSS representative, Citizens For Improved Transit is confidant the number of seniors who will not be able to access the meals because of the additional $120 per month increase will be significantly higher.

Citizens For Improved Transit’s Recommendation
Instead of funding the ADA program with money currently designated for the DOSS program in order to charge for the transportation service, the County Senior Transportation program should be reinstated with new criteria:
  • The eligibility age raised from 60 to 65 or 70
  • Amount of trips limited to the funds available
  • Trips destination limited to medical, employment, grocery stores and meal sites, and socialization trips to adult daycare centers
  • Qualifying seniors can not have a driver’s license or car registered in their name
  • The cost of the fare be based on a sliding scale: Seniors living
    • below the poverty level of $902 per month pay $3 per round trip
    • between $902 and $1,354 pay $4 per round trip
    • above 150% of the poverty level pay $6 per round trip which is the same fare the ADA program would charge.
The new criteria will ensure seniors who do not have a qualifying ADA disability do not become isolated and can access life sustaining destinations. The current Palm Tran Connection trip scheduling software is already separating clients based on income and charging $2 instead of $3 for eligible riders. This subsidy is also proposed to be eliminated.

Tri-Rail
South Florida’s long term future growth necessitates mass transit of which Tri-Rail is the backbone. Tri-Rail has broken numerous ridership records, putting it among the nation's fastest growing commuter trains. Even as gasoline prices have dipped, the majority of passengers who flocked to the train when prices spiked to more than $4 a gallon last summer have continued riding with 4 million passengers last year, 22.9% more than in 2007.

Supporting funding for Tri-rail will continue a path of progress by:
  • Supporting economic development and smart growth planning as county and regional master plans have been developed around Tri-Rail infrastructure.
  • Improve quality of life by decreasing traffic congestion and the perpetual need for costly road expansions. Tri-Rail reduces 3.5 million car trips per year on I-95.
  • Contribute to a cleaner environment with 102 million less car miles on I-95.
Palm Beach County is required to contribute $1.6 million towards tri-rail which is $2.5 million less then its 2009 funding level of $4.1 million. In jeopardy is the future of regional transportation in South Florida and the stimulus money that is expected to be dedicated to rail transportation. The South Florida Region will not be eligible for the funds if it defaults on the federal funding used to create tri-rail.

Citizens For Improved Transit’s Recommendation
Provide tri-rail with the minimal required funding obligation of $1.6 million and set aside half of the $2.5 million shortfall (an additional $1.25 million) in reserves that will only be allocated to Tri-Rail if:
  • Broward and Miami/Dade make the same financial obligation
  • The state contributes the remaining $3.75 million regional short fall in addition to its matching funding.

Palm Beach County’s budget will be completed before Broward and Miami/Dade. Taking the leadership role will pressure the other counties to do the same and then put the ball back into the state’s court. If the criteria are not meet the county keeps the funds in reserve.

Sincerely,

Tomas Boiton
Citizens For Improved Transit, Founder
Transportation Consultant For Nonprofits
Office: (561) 249-4181
Fax: (561) 207-7763

Tboiton@Comcast.net
1406 Flagler Boulevard
Lake Park, FL 33403
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world.” - Margaret Mead