Head's up, South Florida journalists: It's NOW safe -for a week- for you to come to Hallandale Beach and examine the endemic corruption & incompetency that you wouldn't do before -and have I and my friends got plenty of specific suggestions! You see, Mayor Joy Cooper is going to be away in Saudi Arabia and so HB residents can breathe for a change

Palm tree obstructing the sun at Hallandale Beach City Hall. May 28, 2012 photo by South Beach Hoosier. © 2013 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved

This blog post was originally an email that went out late Thursday afternoon to many interested parties throughout Hallandale Beach, Hollywood and points beyond, like Tallahassee, as well as the usual number of bloggers, reporters, and all the ships at sea. 

"I wonder if she will start a war?" is surely what many Hallandale Beach residents must've thought upon first hearing that HB Mayor Joy Cooper is going to Saudi Arabia for a few days -at someone else's expense thank goodness, not part of her $20K a year travel and conference fund paid for by taxpayers like you and me.

Does she and the other commissioners get to keep anything from that fund that she doesn't spend?

Some of us have been wondering about that for a while now, asking questions, but not always getting consistent answers. Surprise!

Now you may be saying that I'm exaggerating because Saudi Arabia is considered an ally, per se, not a country that we're at diplomatic cross-purposes with, so how could Joy Cooper start a war, or, short of that, a "diplomatic row."

To which I would simple ask, have you never met Joy Cooper?

Have you never seen how she treats people, esp. people she is supposed to serve?

If you have, you understand exactly what I'm talking about.

It may seem weird to her initially to be somewhere where nobody cares who she is or that her husband is a millionaire or that she can force public funds to be given to a faux newspaper that allows her to write a column full of propaganda that bears little semblance to reality, on top of what the "paper" already does reflexively to censor events around here and make sure there is never any criticism of her in its pages.

Above, the perpetually-ridiculed and taxpayer-financed faux newspaper, South Florida Sun-Times, with one of the most egregious and laughable front pages of the past few years -and that's saying something! From my July 25, 2012 blog post title, When Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper says "setting the record straight" in her "column" at the taxpayer-financed faux newspaper, grab your wallet or purse, and be prepared to endure self-serving, nonsensical rationalizations that fail both the logic and reality test; August 30, 2010 photo by South Beach Hoosier. (c) 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved; http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/when-hallandale-beach-mayor-joy-cooper_25.html

For her to be somewhere where she can't prevent members of the public from speaking simply because they disagree with her, and she can't allow that.

Oh, wait, nobody here cares either.

Personally, I wish someone from the Saudi Royal family would simply buy Gulfstream Park and the Village at Gulfstream Park and start firing people left-and-right and bring in some truly competent and creative management so that this valuable property in our city can FINALLY be free to be properly run and offer consumers what they want.

AND finally resolve the many, many longstanding maintenance problems, NOT kick them further down the road as has been the case for so many years with so many faceless people in charge who refused to engage the community.

If you didn't know, it, consider this.

They have NOT even been competent enough to figure out a way to fly an American flag on their flagpole off U.S.-1 without it quickly becoming tattered.

Free consult -get a flag that does NOT touch nearby objects that tear the flag! End of problem

Flag hasn't flown there since about mid-February; I've got the photos to show it, and yet if they can't handle small items like that, well, you can only imagine what they do with larger problems.

Oh, that's right. 

We don't have to imagine how they mishandle big things.

They ignore them and when it becomes public, they call Mayor Cooper to handle things without telling anyone else on the elected City Commission about it, and then they walk across the street and say they don't want to pay legitimate fines and promise to do better despite their track record of not keeping their word.

So to the news media I would ask that you please don't indulge our autocratic, thin-skinned and egotistical mayor and mention this story on the air or in-print.

That's what she wants -only positive spin.

That's why this press release was even created, since who else would even know that she wasn't around but for a handful of people?

In any case, her immediate neighbors must be very happy for this unexpected holiday, free of her usual melodrama and fireworks for a few days and able to not feel under-the-gun walking around with her up in the guard tower

A few hours later...

But even as I was writing the words above, elsewhere in Broward County, the Sun-Sentinel's 
Hollywood and Hallandale Beach beat reporter, Susannah Bryan, so oblivious to so many issues and concerns of local residents that ought to be getting reported upon but which  AREN'T, even while she chases her tail, once again, has largely regurgitated a press release, and in this case, it's about the same subject as my post:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-hallandale-mayor-saudi-arabia-20131205,0,6330548.story

It might interest you to know that today was the second day in a row that I needed to take Bryan to task in a group email about her very curious choices and ways of reporting.

You'll see that public criticism here quite soon, since it touches on an issue that the South Florida news media has completely refrained from reporting upon in large part because of their reluctance to cross a certain union and its always-talkative leader.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dobens, Peter 
Date: Thu, Dec 5, 2013 at 1:09 PM
Subject: Mayor Cooper joins US Mayors on Economic Mission to Saudi Arabia
To: "Dobens, Peter" 

Mayor Joy Cooper Joins U.S. Mayors on Mission To Saudi Arabia Seven Mayors Invited on Economic Tour

For immediate release                                                                              Contact: Peter F. Dobens, public relations
DATE: Thursday, December 5, 2013                                                              954-457-1493, or pdobens@cohb.org

HALLANDALE BEACH – Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper is one of seven U.S. Mayors participating in a week-long economic and cultural mission to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  The mayors will be in Saudi Arabia from Friday, Dec. 6, through Friday, Dec. 13. The trip is at the invitation and expense of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia

“It’s going to be an intense trip about economic and cultural issues. It will give us a chance to promote economic and business partnerships,” said Mayor Cooper. Several members of the Saudi Royal Family own racehorses that have run at Gulfstream Park in past years, and this is an opportunity to highlight other economic opportunities in the City. “I have already spoken with Gulfstream Park about the trip.”

Environmental issues, women’s rights, human rights and transportation issues are among the other issues on the meeting-intensive agenda, Mayor Cooper said. “Everything is on the table.” she said.

The mayors look forward to learning about the world’s largest desalination plant, exchanging ideas about shared local challenges, promoting investment between Saudi Arabia and U.S. cities, and gaining a better understanding of the policies and culture of a leading Middle Eastern nation.

The Conference of Mayors has assisted in organizing this mission at the request of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C., which selected the participating mayors, listed below:

Mayor Joy Cooper, Hallandale Beach	Mayor William Bell, Birmingham, AL
Mayor Lori Moseley, Miramar	Mayor Beth Van Duyne, Irving, TX
Mayor Setti Warren, Newton, MA	Mayor Brian Bennett, Rochester Hills, MI
Mayor Shane Bemis, Gresham, OR

Press inquiries should be directed to Mr. Nail A. Al-Jubeir, Director of Information and Congressional Affairs Office, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, D.C., at (202) 337-4134 or naa@saudiembassy.net.

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