Disturbing news re political intimidation in Northwest Hallandale Beach, and naturally, campaign signs are involved -Comm. Anthony A. Sanders' signs. Team Sanders has been illegally placing Sanders yard signs in residents' front yards without their permission! @SandersHB
I received a phone call from Csaba Kulin this afternoon and he mentioned several disturbing things to me that I believe that all concerned Hallandale Beach residents ought to know about.
Some of the facts he shared are ones that we all might've predicted would happen at some point in the final six weeks with Comm. Anthony A. Sanders re-election effort, given,
a.) the truly abysmal job Sanders has done in office the past four years, and the fact that he's refused to meet with resident taxpayers like you and me in public and simply tell the truth about what really happened with that 2009 land sale to the city, where the only parties who profited was Comm. Sanders and his wife, Jessica,and,
b.) Sanders foolishly and illegally refused to recuse himself that Spring, and actually voting to give himself free use of the building he "sold" until it is demolished, courtesy of a motion by then-Commissioner and current candidate Bill Julian that passed 4-1.
So you have the proper context, now that he has his own yards signs, Csaba has been busy campaigning and walking neighborhoods in Northwest Hallandale Beach for the past week, sometimes with Gerald Dean, sometimes by himself.
Csaba told me that he is being told over-and-over by residents that he speaks with at their homes that someone from Comm. Sanders' campaign have been a very busy beaver, indeed.
It turns out that someone from Team Sanders has been illegally placing Sanders yard signs in residents' front yards without their permission.
According to Csaba, they're everywhere- but not by choice.
When asked why they don't simply remove them or call to complain, residents say that they know that regardless of what they do, another Sanders sign will be placed there overnight if they do anything to remove it, which is apparently what has already happened to some people who wouldn't put up with the effort to coerce the neighborhood.
Given these circumstances, some residents, esp. older residents, are quite understandably
intimidated, and reluctant to draw attention to themselves by removing the illegally-placed campaign signs from their own yards.
They have become unwilling victims of Sanders' desire to stay in office and ride the gravy train however long he can, by hook or by crook.
Not that Sanders is telling the truth to anyone in NW HB, either, since as we've all discussed previously, the truth isNOTSanders' friend!
It's one of the reasons why Sanders initially refused to cooperate with the Broward Inspector General and his team of investigators,
Additionally, one of Comm. Sanders' sons has twice been observed/caught removing Gerald Dean's campaign yard signs, and Gerald has personally called Comm. Sanders to let him know that he is on notice that: a.) Gerald knows about it, and, b.) that if Gerald's signs are illegally removed again, or otherwise tampered with, he WILL call the Police and file a formal complaint.
Keep your seatbelt on and your eyes and ears open, folks, because the next 40 days are going to be very bumpy!
Above, the property formerly owned by Comm. Anthony A. Sanders, which was bought by the city without any plan for its use. Now it is rented to a non-profit for $10 a year and Sanders can still use for FREE, courtesy of a motion made in 2009 by then-Comm. William "Bill" Julian, who was defeated in 2010 and who is a candidate again in November -as if we had forgotten all the damage he has done to this city. You won't be surprised to hear that Comm. Sanders, a Pastor, ignored the city's conflict-of-interests laws and voted YES on the motion.
As I've written here so many times, as has been the case since the city purchased the property in early 2009, and since he filed papers to run for re-election in June, Comm. Sanders has adamantly refused to speak publicly and candidly with HB taxpayers and answer questions about that 2009 land sale of his and his wife's to the city for more than the property was worth -and with no plan by the city for its use after purchase.
The two local newspaper reporters who have Hallandale Beach as part of their beat, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Tonya Alanez and the Herald's Carli Terproff, abet this pathetic and longstanding insult by refusing to write ANYTHING about Sanders, his wife Jessica, or the whole ethical cloud surrounding them, to say nothing about how they have personally profited from city spending decisions. The very things that residents care about. Why?
Below, my email of last Wednesday to Dr. Alvin B. Jackson, Jr., the Director of the Hallandale Beach CRA, sharing some well-founded concerns about what is and has been taking place with the CRA in this city. You should know that as of 5:00 p.m. on September 19th, 2012, the calendar of the Palms Community Action Coalition, the shadowy group headed by Comm. Sanders' wife, Jessica Sanders, is still showing its most recent activities as being June 2011,15 months ago. Really. That's the public's only way to judge what this politically-charged group is actually doing with the money they are given, sice the reports they file are worse than vague. Does a group that has consistently shown that it is unable to do something simple, competently, for 15 months, deserve CRA funds? No, it doesn't. I understand the final CRA budget will be voted upon next week, and you can count on hearing more about that in the days before the vote, with particular notice paid to some of the groups who receive funding and who still can't coherently explain what they do or how HB taxpayers benefit, since the CRA is supposed to end "blight," not be a social welfare agency for supporters of the mayor and the city commission. -----
September 12, 2012
Dear Dr. Jackson:
I have some questions and comments on my mind the day the CRA's 2013 budget goes final, one way or the other, which I hope you will be able to address tonight, if possible.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Northwest Hallandale Beach, that is, the area of the city west of Dixie Highway and north of Hallandale Beach Blvd., comprises only13%of the city's entire population, albeit, a larger percentage of the population of the CRA itself.
Does your office have the numbers that indicate what the percentage of the CRA's total (non-personnel) budget that goes to NW Hallandale Beach and what are the percentages of the other parts of the city served by the CRA and their respective percentages?
I've stated repeatedly at one public meeting after another for the past few years -including one this past Spring when I asked you some questions- that with the costs of awebsiteare well within everyone's budget, or even free, why is it that in the year 2012, there are Hallandale Beach groups and organizations that currently receive loans, grants or funds from the HB CRA unable or unwilling to create a websitethat could more accurately depict the activities they engage in, who runs it on a daily basis, who comprises the Board of Directors, when and where are their public meetings, and with copies of or links to updated docs re their
non-profit status from the IRS or the state of Florida Secretary of State, like Form 990's, available to Hallandale Beach taxpayers and the concerned public?
Are you or your assistants in a position to publicly explain to taxpayers why they should trust organizations that refuse to be transparent and refuse to create a websitedespite years of receiving public funds via grants, loans or CRA dollars?
Are you or your assistants in a position to publicly name any parties that have specifically told you that they will NOTcreate awebsiteto accomplish this goal of openness?
Do you believe that it is appropriate or a good policy for a small city like Hallandale Beach to allow so many of the same names and faces to be involved in either a management or Board of Directors position on multipleorganizations receiving taxpayer or CRA funds, esp. ones that have no tangible long-term funding sources other than the city?
That does NOT seem like a good idea to me.
I think it'd be better that those groups try to aggressively recruit retired business execs in this city who actually have a track record than to continue placing people, however well-meaning, who have no business experience whatsoever.
Decisions need to be based on reality, not hopes.
Where, exactly, are all the owners of HB businesses that already exist, whether successful or middling, located in and around Dixie Highway at CRA meetings?
I never see any of them -EVER.
Why aren't you and your staff doing everything in your power to get them to attend the CRA meetings to add their perspective, since shouldn't they have as much say in what is going on -or isn't- in their own neighborhood as people or groups who are asking for a handout from the city?
Most people in this city would say that those particular business owners should probably have MOREsay-so, not less,than groups without a long-term financial sustainability plan.
Especially since they at least have some skin in the game and have actually expended their own money and energy to try to make a go of it, not the CRA's money.
And speaking of the business community, where, exactly, is the taxpayer-subsidized
HB Chamber of Commerceand Patricia Genetti in all of this?
Why isn't she helping you try to get these current business owners on Dixie or 1st Avenue
more involved?
Why isn't she helping you lead an effort to get all the businesses located on Pembroke
Road from I-95 to U.S.-1 -esp. the car dealerships- on the Internet?
Especially since Google is offering free websites for a year to Florida businesses?
(By the way, personally, I don't think it helps the reputation of the Hallandale Beach Chamber one bit that its number-one employee, Genetti, and its elected President, both live outside of the city. That's not something worth bragging about.)
In all the years that I have been going to public meetings in HB and which Genetti had been on the scene, maybe I'm wrong, but I haveNO recollection of her ever being present at a CRA meeting and recognizing that it has a role it ought to be playing but is, instead, sitting on the sidelines.
Why?
In my opinion, we simply don't have enough resources to be in the position of wasting them
To me and many other observers, Dr. Jackson, after all these years, it's hard to shake the notion that there exists a small handful of myopic people in NW HB who are intent on trying to get a disproportionate share of the CRA budget, recreate/control the area in their own image(s), and trying to decide who gets money and who doesn't, when the question might be better asked, what should it get, if anything, and why is placing something -money or resources- there necessarily better than placing it somewhere else within the CRA zone that has more geographical or physical road advantages that would get more actual paying customers and make it successful?
Below is a slightly-modified excerpt from an email I sent two weeks ago that also gets to some concerns that many people I know have:
re the Palms Community Action Coalition, the group that is apparently so important that of all the non-profits in the city,Mayor Cooperand the majority of the City Commission said they must have an office at the city's Hepburn Center.
So, can you tell me what they do they do, who its Board Members are, and what do they do, exactly, that's different than what the city or another non-profit is already doing?
They can't really say.
Check out their scatter-brained website, and specifically, their website says under their "About us" menu. It reveals nothing.
About Us If you have not already done so, please join our mailing list so that you are the first to now about upcoming events, new projects and all the ways that you and your family can benefit from our organization. Our Calendar will have the latest events so please be sure to check the calendar often, as well as your inbox.
The Palms Community Action Coalition is currently teamed with over 60 companies and organizations to help bring a change to our community that will help make each and everyday brighter. Feel free to visit them on our site or their individual sites for more information about what they can do for you.
But what do you find when you go to their calendar?
Well, as of midnight August 28, 2012, it's chock full of info about what they were doing -supposedly- in June of 2011.
(Dr. Jackson: It still says the same thing today on September 12th - June 2011. How could your staff be completely unaware of this, since it indicates not only bad management at the group, itself, but their inability to do the one thing it promises -that the calendar will indeed be their the public face to the public? How can anyone have any trust in them now?)
Don't believe me?
Look for yourself at the screen-grab I just did of their website's calendar page.
It speaks volumes!
It all seems so full of vague terms and generalities about them and their activities throughout thewebsite.
It also calls into serious question why they are getting ANY money from the city if they are so mismanaged under Jessica Sanders that they/she can't so much as keep an updated calendar of their own activities.
Kids in junior high school can do it for their after-school clubs/sports team
practices, so why can't she?
And tell me again why she needs to have an office on city property and the ability to use city personnel and city resources?
It's all very, very curious.
Eagle’s Wings Development Center requested $70,000 but received $35,000
Lampkin’s Creative Arts 4 Allrequested $58,300 but received $10,000
All information below is verbatim from city documents with cited URLs.
Warning, the city's URL loads slowly, so be patient!
T h e applicant submitted an application, however it lacked some of the required attachment documentation (i.e certificate of insurance, letters of support or MOU) and detail. The applicant requested funding for an employment program to train individuals to become Certified Nurses Assistants (CNA) as the priority area.
There was confusion regarding the increase of requested funds for a smaller number of people to be served versus the amount of funding given by the City previously. The new request is for $55,000 more dollars to serve 90% less people The thought is this may be due to the new CNA program. The reviewers agreed there is a need for employment in the identified area; however the application did not provide enough detail on the implementation strategies. It was difficult to determine what portion of personnel would be providing the training program (CNA). It was also unclear who would actually provide the services. The applicant did not identify vendor, agency, or entity that would provide training, and there were no letters of support except Weed and Seed for the project. The applicant Sustainability Plan only indicated the loss of funds from Weed and Seed, therefore if not funded the organization could no longer provide support for their programs. The reviewers felt this organization had not demonstrated a plan for sustainability. The committee recommended, in review of the budget, that items related to training and support for clients should be funded; thereby reducing request to $35,000 to cover those costs.
The applicant has been known for providing free music and cultural arts programs for other
community groups in Hallandale Beach. The request is to expand services; however the
committee's assessment is that this organization appears to be new and should acquire
assistance with program development.
The applicant did not provide background information or description of current services. The
application was confusing because the program description and the implementation strategy did not coincide. It was difficult for reviewers to determine how the program would be implemented and survive. The applicant did not provide a clear referral or recruitment strategy. The applicant was very broad with scope of who would be served and reviewers felt that given a program of this nature, the organization needs to be more specific about the target population. The evaluation plan is vague and does not provide any type of plan to ensure the desired outcomes. It should be noted that this applicant was provided an opportunity to resubmit the application.
The committee feels this is more recommend $10,000 in grant funding to be used for basic
I have also copied the following for you to peruse and review. I think it is exactly what we should have here in Hallandale Beach.
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The Washington Post
Prince William changes how it will fund nonprofit groups
By Jeremy Borden, Published: August 26, 2012
Prince William County officials unveiled a process for funding community nonprofit groups and requiring stricter reporting standards.
Also, for the first time, budget officials streamed the session Thursday online. Budget director Michelle Casciato outlined a process for funding nonprofit groups that observers said is more transparent and holds organizations more accountable. Casciato said budget officials have been working on the standards over the past two years.
actsofsedition video: Local10/WPLG-TV Miami: "City's pricey purchase." On July 26, 2012, Local10 reporter Glenna Milberg went to Hallandale Beach City Hall to learn more details about the curious case involving HB City Commissioner and Pastor Anthony A. Sanders and the rushed sale of his and his wife's property at 501 N.W. 1st Avenue, to the city in 2009 -when the city had ZERO written plans for what it would actually do with the property afterwards!- for about $89,000 more than it was actually worth. For well over three years now, since the purchase was finalized, Sanders has consistently stonewalled Hallandale Beach taxpayers asking about the exact details of this deal, and he refused to speak with Milberg on the day of her appearance at City Hall, too. You'd think that if he were honest and done nothing wrong, he'd desperately want to defend himself publicly and give his side of the story, but he doesn't do that now -and he DIDN'T even before there was a Broward Inspector General. To the vast majority of well-informed HB residents and other interested parties, people who have been completely underwhelmed by his dismal puppet-like performance on the dais -including other elected officials in Broward County I have personally spoken to on the matter-the reason that Sanders won't talk to taxpayers about it is because it's exactly what it appears to be -a quid pro quo. The city purchased property it didn't need and overpaid for it, and Mayor Joy Cooper forced Sanders onto the City Commission, and in exchange, he supports Cooper regardless of what the issue is, no matter how preposterous or lacking it is in common sense. Which makes him one of the three members of Cooper's current Rubber Stamp Crew. Unfortunately, other than this Milberg segment in July, the occasional piece by South Florida Sun-Sentinel columnist Michael Mayo in 2010 and 2011, or the Broward Bulldog's William Gjebre this year, South Florida reporters have completely ignored this story and the larger issue of an elected official -and Pastor- who for well over four years has avoided responding truthfully to and interacting with HB taxpayers and business owners he is supposed to be accountable to. So why do the other reporters in South Florida refuse to report or prod on this matter?
Well, with 58 days until Election Day and with no sign that this reporting apathy is going to change, some residents wonder what's going on in particular with the Miami Herald and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, both of whose Editorial Boards rather surprisingly endorsed Sanders in 2008 over much better-qualified candidates. Some HB residents genuinely wonder if the newspaper's beat reporters, Carli Teproff and Tonya Alanez, are under orders from editors or higher-ups on the food-chain to ignore the Sanders ethics story altogether, as well as his adamant refusal to speak publicly with residents, in order to keep the mediocre and perpetually under-prepared Sanders in office.
While it may sound crazy to those of you living outside of this city, how else do you reasonably explain the complete failure of the Miami Herald and the South Sun-Sentinel to print ANYTHING about Sanders that's written by their own people, NOT the Broward Bulldog? That is, other than sheer apathy and unprofessionalism? What is that OTHER reasonable alibi that explains their abject failure to report the news that people here want to read more details about? For instance, to state the most obvious question, will Broward State's Attorney Mike Satz bring charges against Comm. Anthony A. Sanders and his wife Jessica or anyone else at HB City Hall before Early Voting begins here for the November 6th election? We'd like to know BEFORE the election! http://youtu.be/XlOgkrL9CWI
What follows is an excerpt of an email that I wrote and sent out this past Tuesday to various people up-and-down the management chain at the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel, plus other selected print/TV reporters and columnists in the area. It was also sent as well to about 150-175 residents, business owners, civic leaders and other very interested parties with a keen interest interest in seeing this part of Broward County grow and become all it can be, which will necessarily mean it becoming unshackled from the likes of autocratic and thin-skinned Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper and her very negative and alienating sphere of influence. People really do avoid moving here or locating a business here simply because of the bureaucratic fiefdom and crony capitalism culture that she has created here, one that is totally unhealthy and destructive long-term to everyone not named Cooper. Owing to the fact that at least some of the people who received it on Tuesday do NOT often hear from me or necessarily know that "What's past is prologue" here in Hallandale Beach times TEN, it necessarily repeats some pretty basic things about this city that most of you more-regular readers of the blog already know and could probably recite back to me were we ever to meet. I apologize for that but I can't assume that our common knowledge is their particular common knowledge and frame of reference, so I kept it pretty simple in some cases by bringing up come connections to things going on now as best I could. Again, keep in mind that this was sent out the day before the HB City Commission meeting Wednesday night that attracted so many people, and where everything came fast-and-furious as some new information was introduced into the equation that I didn't know when first writing this. Not that this new information in any way excuses the South Florida news media's glaring failure over the past five years to accurately and fairly report local news as it actually is, and NOT as some would have it or like it to be. Say, the way the two local Editorial Boards would prefer that you NOT know certain information, especially before an important election.
-----
First, a history lesson, since it's clear that at least some of you need it:
Four years ago last week, Pastor Anthony A. Sanders was forced down the throats of Hallandale Beach citizens by Mayor Joy Cooper ignoring the city's own rules and made an interim City Commissioner; he was elected 9 weeks later. Today marks 9 weeks exactly until Election Day, leaving only 62 days before a majority of citizens here vote in person.
Four years ago, Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper forced Anthony A. Sanders down the throats of Hallandale Beach residents by filling a HB City Commission vacancy thatwasn't even legally vacant, and wouldn't be for another three weeks, days AFTERthe second City Commission meeting of the month, where there would have been plenty of time for public comments re the city's extant policies for filling vacancies.
Cooper she did so by blatantly violating the city's own rules and protocols -used just the year before for Keith London to replace Joe Gibbons on the Commission after his election to the State House- in large part because she knew that then-City AttorneyDavid Jovewas a veritable bump on a log, someone who wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his outrageous pension by reminding the mayor that what she was doing was patently illegal under the city's own rules.
Cooper didn't care that the whole thing was a sham from beginning-to-end since she was in on it. Cooper already knew that then-City Manager Mike Goodactually wrote then-Commissioner Francine Schiller's letter of resignation, notSchiller, at her condo, or that it, supposedly, ALL happened after Friday at 5 p.m., so that way they wouldn't have to legally place anything about it on the printed agenda for the following Wednesday night's City Commission agenda.
(Not that the the agenda was on the city's website then, though, since that didn't happen until the following Monday.)
There was nothing accidental or coincidental about when and where Schiller resigned. Cooper didn't leave anything to chance, and made a point of NOT allowing basic fairness, democracy or following the rules to get in the way of her getting her way, her number-one priority.
It was a complete contrivance from beginning to end, and again, Joy Cooper didn't care then or afterwards about the spirit or the letter of the law, she only cared about getting what SHE wanted -another pliable puppet on the Commission.
Fairness? Please!
That's why she NEVER allowed any member of the public to speak before she ramrodded Sanders into the position, despite how obvious and egregious her actions were, or how many HB citizens in the Chambers wanted to speak about what she was so obviously trying to do.
Why do I bring this up? Because history is repeating itself, possibly starting tomorrow. Mayor Cooper and two of her Rubber Stamps, Commissioners Lewy and Sanders are working together on passing a proposal coming up before the Commission on Wednesday whereby they enshrine their own personal bitterness and political pettiness into the city charter.
More on that in a moment, as you see what links these stories...
Back to Sanders...
For 39 months, since May of 2009, when his property was bought by the city for more than it was truly worth by any reasonable appraisal standard, despite the the CityNOThaving a single written plan for what they would do with it afterwards, 39 months since all of that $235,000 was placed into his bank account within 48 hours, practically light-speed in this city, Anthony A. Sandershas adamantly refused to speak to the citizens of this community about this matter, regardless of how much controversy has swirled around him and his wifeJessica.
Sanders honestly believes that he is above having to explain himself to the very public he is supposed to represent, and is intent on saying nothing before Election Day.
Sanders thinks this in part because he knows, like I do, what the grand total actually has been in news coverage rehis refusal to talk to the public face-to-face -NOTHING.
That's the grand total of the Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Channel 4 News, Channel 6 News, Channel 7 News and Channel 10 News -NOTHING.
No articles, no columns, no editorials -no nothing.
Sanders laughs at and ignores his own constituents and he also laughs at and ignores the South Florida news media, whose lack of effort has been duly noted by everyone in this community.
So it this how the last 62 days of the campaign are going to go down, with the South Florida news media implicitly appeasing Comm. Anthony A. Sanders and his wife, Jessica, by refusing to say anything about it and make no effort at all?
I recently asked the woman who knows, Cathie Schanz, the head of the city's Parks & Rec. Dept., whether her dept. had officially received any formal request from Comm. Sandersor his wife reserving a room at any of the city-owned facilities to have a public meeting to finally discuss this.
You can see the answer below for yourself:
(I've removed the actual email addresses here as well as info about me.)
From: Hallandale Beach Blog Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 3:14 PM To: Parksrecreation Cc:Hallandale Beach Blog
Subject: re Comm. Anthony A. Sanders and possibly renting space at city-owned facilities
August 21, 2012
Dear Ms. Schanz:
Since you're in a position to know as Director the city's Parks & RecreationDept, can you please tell me whether as of today, if Hallandale Beach Comm. Anthony A. Sandershas reserved either a room or the auditorium at the HB Cultural Center, or any other room in any other city-owned facility -like the closed-to-the-public North Beach Building- for anynon-campaign public purpose in the next eleven weeks?
I ask because a few weeks ago, I'd heard that after his doggedly refusing for three years to speakin person to the community about what he really knew,Comm. Sanders was finally going to talk to HB residents, taxpayers and business owners about what had transpired, what with the city rushing to purchase his property without any semblance of a written plan in place, for more money than the property was worth, even to the point of the city getting the entire sale amount into his bank account within 48 hours, a quickness and efficiency that I and other concerned HB residents found quite...well, astonishing.
Especially since taxpayers have never seen the city apply similar speed and energy appliedwith respect to any other project (or purchase) in this city the past eight-plus years I've livedhere, even when it was probably actually needed.Obviously, if Comm. Sanders is scheduled to speak on this matter, I'd like to know and tobe able to tell others about it as well, so any information you can provide me about this matter would be most appreciated.
----- From: Schanz, Cathie
Date: Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 4:10 PM Subject: RE: re Comm. Anthony A. Sanders and possibly renting space at city-owned facilities To: Hallandale Beach Blog
Vice Mayor Sanders does not have any non-campaign public purpose rentals in the next eleven weeks.
Cathie Schanz, CPRE
Hallandale Beach Parks and Recreation Director
-----
And so here we are9 weeks before an election, and the very individual that was endorsed by both newspapers in 2008 has not had a single thing written in either newspaper about his deliberate refusal to speak to the public about this matter for over three years, the single biggest scandal in the city, because of what it represents about the way things have been done in this city under this mayor?
Why are the Herald and Sun-Sentinel consciously avoiding mentioning this or anything else about Sanders' embarrassing track record of ethics and crony capitalism? Why?
Why the dogged refusal to report on Sanders unwillingness to face the music with citizens as both paper's Editorial Boards would no doubt be publicly saying if this were happening in a larger city, esp. in Miami, Hialeah, Coral Gables, Hollywood or Ft. Lauderdale? The media does itself no favors by consciously avoiding unpleasant news about someone it once foolishly painted a rosy picture of, a promise that has gone completely bust, and one of the logical consequences of this is that you will have marked yourself as entities NOTto be trusted in this community.
If you keep avoiding it for another nine weeks, as many people here think you will, there'll be logical consequences, and one is that anyone in this city who pays close attention to what happens here will have nothing to do with either one of the reporters assigned to this city. Why should they (we) indulge you, after you've continually refused to simply report
news that is considered "news" by the very people who actually live here?
Once you've been publicly labeled persona non grata and someone not to be trusted
due to your calculated avoidance of news stories, there's no going back.
Just saying...
Having previously gotten rid of someone once before who was legally-elected and replaced them illegally,SchillerbySanders, now,Cooper, Lewy and Sanders together are attempting to repeat history by trying to game the electoral system.
I recently wrote some friends in the area...
In case you've forgotten or never knew, earlier this spring, Comm. Lewy tried -unsuccessfully- to actually force an unscheduled mid-August election upon all of us here in Hallandale Beach, due to his own personal and political interests, seemingly unconcerned with the fact that so many residents of this city would be out-of-town for the summer then, just as was the case in June with the vote on the Beachwalk development project on the Intracoastal, where so many of the people most-directly affected by that proposal were NOT in a position to speak to their interests.
So what's Lewy's goal?
Simple, to take away Comm. Keith S. London's ability to run for his own HB City Commission seat on January 15th, in the unlikely event he loses the Mayoral election in November.
That other people are also affected, seven possible candidates and this city's citizenry's ability to vote for candidates of their choice, ought to make angry anyone who values democratic principles for who THEY want.
Absent a public referendum that affirmatively ratifies that and makes it legal, Comm. Lewy, Mayor Cooper and Comm. Sanders have no legal authority under the city's charter or the state's constitution to attempt to shorten the term of office of a duly-elected public official in this state, absent provable misconduct resulting in expulsion- something that most well-informed people we know around here already know, or which several State offices in Tallahassee would've told them if they'd simply asked.
But like bullies and political outliers everywhere, rules aren't for this crew, so they didn't ask, mostly because it didn't really matter what the answer would be -they already knew what they'd be doing, regardless of the law.
Question: Is there any city in South Florida that currently requires a sitting elected official running for another elective office to be forced from his present office many months before an election, rather than the date of the election, as Lewy, Cooper and Sanders propose.
In a word - NO.
But that's what these three already tried and failed at.
There's certainly not one in Ft. Lauderdale or Pembroke Pines, since in both communities, ones that easily dwarf Hallandale Beach in size, population and prestige, sitting commissioners there have (or will) resigned to run for another elective office with their resignation date being that upcoming Election Day, NOT some earlier date chosen arbitrarily by their colleagues with the sole intent of scoring political points and consolidating their power, as is so obviously the case here with Lewy, Cooper and Sanders.
If you don't already know the names of those candidates in Pembroke Pines and Ft. Lauderdale, who ran for their own seats again, perhaps you'll recognize them when I say them now: Anglelo Castillo and Charlotte Rodstrom.
It's entirely possible that many citizens and elected officials in those cities didn't like what Comm. Castillo did in 2010, or even what Comm. Rodstrom will be doing in a few months, to re-capture a seat she was already elected to and resigned from.
In fact, it's probably likely.
But you don't see their colleagues in those cities attempting to change their city's charter out of spite, did you, as if that was really the appropriate response, rather than letting the public decide who they wanted and who they didn't want?
Nope, changing a city's charter, it's constitution, completely out of personal pique and political spite is what the small minds of our own small city think of first over at HB City Hall, and typically, they have the audacity to think they can actually get away with it without anyone noticing it or suffering any personal or career consequences for their naked anti-democratic efforts.
We beg to differ.
Democracy is messy, but isn't that part of what makes it compelling? Cooper, Lewy and Sanders may succeed Wednesday night at the First Reading by being too-clever-by-half, but ultimately, they ought to be careful what they wish for, since there are hundreds and hundreds of people like me who will be only be too happy to give these three the "credit" they want for limiting voter's choices -right before Election Day.
Nine weeks from today...
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My July 17, 2012 blog post was a particularly good overview of some of the issues I spoke about regarding the longstanding ethical cloud that Comm. Sanders has been under, so you may want to refer back to it:
re Hallandale Beach Comm. Anthony A. Sanders' stealthy "meetings." From the same man who's stonewalling the Broward Inspector General, who NEVER returns your phone calls or email, and who WON'T visit your neighborhood to meet with you or your neighbors; #HallandaleBeach, @SandersHB, @MayorCooper, @AlexLewy
I followed that up with this one on July 28, 2012: Video: Local10'sGlennaMilbergexamines an ethical & financial problem in Hallandale Beach that I've been writing about for over 3 years re Comm. Anthony A. Sanders, who KEEPS stonewalling the public; Keith London: "Broward Inspector General closing in on Hallandale Beach, Mayor Cooper and Vice Mayor Sanders"
