Showing posts with label U.S. Postal Service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U.S. Postal Service. Show all posts

Thursday, August 20, 2020

#VoteByMail - The odd, 2020 political issue that nobody could've predicted last year would arouse so much anger and passion. But it's also the issue that, like the weather, everyone feels they're an expert on, even when they aren't. To say nothing of being in the dark about how the finances of the USPS, and why it's so in the red


#VoteByMail - The odd, 2020 political issue that nobody could've predicted last year would arouse so much anger and passion. But it's also the issue that, like the weather, everyone feels they're an expert on, even when they aren't. To say nothing of being in the dark about how the finances of the USPS, and why it's so in the red.

Today's blog post serves as a bit of a follow-up to my previous comments here of July 12th regarding the realities of #VoteByMail, with some links to some interesting articles and columns on an surprising political divide in the U.S. that almost no reasonable person could have imagined last year would cause anger among some Americans: Where do you stand on the issue of local and state governments deciding to send out election ballots to all registered voters regardless of whether or not they requested them, and the potential for abuse.

SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2020
#VoteByMail - A word or two or three about the reliability of absentee ballots, via Wisconsin's recent very negative experience; Friends don't let friends vote for #JenniferGottlieb
https://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2020/07/votebymail-word-or-two-or-three-about.html

Here's a Washington Post story that's likely to be driving much of the #VoteByMail media conversation for a while, despite very few people in America really knowing all the very gruesome financial details regarding the US Postal Service and how it got that way.

It's worth remembering that U.S. Senators from more rural states -including some I know- will always be forced by virtue of public pressure to insist that their constituents not receive any less service than residents in urban areas, i.e. Saturday mail, the one thing that most urbanites are willing to do without in order to reduce costs, both institutional and long-term.

The Washington Post
Postal Service tells 46 states that mail-in ballots may not arrive in time to be counted
The warnings point to a grim possibility: Even if people voting by mail follow all the election rules, the pace of delivery may disqualify their votes.
By Erin Cox, Elise Viebeck, Jacob Bogage and Christopher Ingraham
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/usps-states-delayed-mail-in-ballots/2020/08/14/64bf3c3c-dcc7-11ea-8051-d5f887d73381_story.html


FoxNews Channel
Tucker Carlson: Media go all-in on mailbox conspiracy
Uploaded August 17, 2020
No one is stealing mailboxes. #FoxNews #Tucker
https://youtu.be/KGvpaejsrkU






















🗳 Fueled by mail ballots, Florida voters showed up this summer in remarkable numbers, turning out amid a pandemic at the highest rate seen in a presidential-year August primary since 1992. More than 3.8 million voters participated in Tuesday’s election, according to data posted late Tuesday by the Florida Division of Elections. In South Florida, more than 900,000 ballots were cast — more than two-thirds of them by mail. The increased participation generated expectations of a high-turnout presidential election between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden this November. And if Florida is expected to once again be a key electoral battlefield, mail ballots — one of Trump’s most controversial foils this year — will almost certainly play an unprecedented role. In Miami-Dade, where the number of votes in Tuesday’s election surpassed the number cast in the 2018 midterms by about 100,000, voter participation was up across the board this summer. But Democrats emerged from Tuesday’s election especially enthusiastic about mail voting, which helped boost turnout among voters between the ages of 18 and 34 and among voters who’d never before participated in an August election. Statewide, Democrats voted overwhelmingly by mail, casting more than 1.1 million mail ballots before Election Day began. Republicans, who once used absentee voting to build up pre-Election Day leads over Democrats, submitted at least 766,000 mail ballots, with results still being tallied Tuesday night. You can read more at the link in our bio // ✍️: David Smiley, 📸: @pportalphoto
A post shared by Miami Herald (@miamiherald) on   

South Florida Sun Sentinel
Editorial Board 
Big changes in Broward: Record turnout and a culture change in criminal justice  August 19th, 2020
Broward voters made history Tuesday, both in how we vote, and in who will likely lead the criminal justice system in this Democratic-rich, majority-minority county.
Contrary to elections of yore, when Broward became a national laughingstock for its untimely election results, appointed Elections Supervisor Pete Antonacci delivered a seemingly seamless election under the most trying of pandemic conditions.
Nothing speaks louder on election night than numbers. People want the results, quickly and accurately. And Antonacci's office delivered the rolling tallies without delays, far before Palm Beach County did. It also live-streamed its vote-counting and canvassing board's work. 
Also for the history books, almost 75% of Broward voters made clear that they prefer to vote by mail, which could lead to a record turnout in November's presidential election. This election proves that when government makes it easier and safer for people to vote, and people take sensible precautions, a lot more people will vote. About 25% of Broward voters turned out for this primary, up from 16% four years ago. That's a healthy sign for democracy.
And what's that about not trusting the Postal Service? The USPS delivered.
See the rest of the editorial at:
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/editorials/fl-op-edit-florida-election-takeaways-20200819-27r4kt27ljddxe6qahmxtc5qwi-story.html






President Trump has already offered $10 billion to fix Postal as part of a COVID relief package. Democrats have said no. They’re holding up a relief bill (including stimulus checks and small business relief) until they get more of their policy wishlist demands included.
— Mark Meadows (@MarkMeadows) August 16, 2020





























Latest new re #VoteByMail at: https://twitter.com/hashtag/votebymail?f=live



Dave 
David B. Smith 

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, July 12, 2020

#VoteByMail - A word or two or three about the reliability of absentee ballots, via Wisconsin's recent very negative experience; Friends don't let friends vote for #JenniferGottlieb



Over the weekend I shared this interesting news about voting by mail with about 175 or so politics-centric friends and collegues in South Florida and Tallahassee via email, and a different version of that to the folks on the local #HollywoodFL #NextDoor website, which I'm now contributing a considered thought or two more often than I have in the past.

-----

 This Reality Check re the reliability of absentee ballots comes via a tweet last week by veteran U.S. politics and elections expert Amy Walter, the National Editor of The Cook Political Report and a weekly guest on The PBS NewsHour, who also hosts one of the best political podcasts around.
It's called, logically enough, "Politics with Amy Walter" https://www.npr.org/podcasts/675388201/politics-with-amy-walter
Twitter: @amyewalter https://twitter.com/amyewalter/with_replies
Read her columns at: https://cookpolitical.com/about/staff/amy-walter/analysis

 This bit of news also serves as a real counter-intuitive slap in the face to most of the U.S. TV network correspondents reporting recently on the Wisconsin primary, who focused mostly on the effect of #COVID19 on election turnout and public engagement, NOT on the very bad blood between the Republican-majority Wisconsin state legislature and the Democratic governor, Tony Evers

The Wisconsin elections had also figured in a recent decision where the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court's decision to grant six extra days for absentee ballots to be received in Wisconsin's statewide balloting.

https://twitter.com/amyewalter/status/1281930223819333638
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “The U.S. Postal Service has identified hundreds of absentee ballots for the April election that never made it to voters or couldn't be counted because of postmark problems, a new report says.“ https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/10/wisconsin-absentee-ballots-didnt-get-counted-because-late-delivery-misdelivery-and-bad-postmarks-pos/5417084002/
I incorporated Amy's catch of this Journal Sentinel article last week after seeing an interesting tweet by Anthony Man of the Sun Sentinel about the number of election ballots being requested by Broward voters for the upcoming August 18th election, some of which will soon be making their way to friends who are smart enough to be up north in places not nearly as hot, humid, and muggy as Hollywood and Hallandale Beach in the summer.

That election includes lots of races for offices in Broward that in my opinion ought to be appearing on the November ballot, like the Broward School Board races.
More on that last point soon!

Speaking of elections and how they are run and who runs them, re #JenniferGottlieb.
Friends don't let friends vote for #JenniferGottlieb.



-----


For the most recent info re #VoteBymail: https://twitter.com/hashtag/votebymail?f=live
Dave 
David B. Smith 


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday, October 14, 2011

Comm. Keith London's take on Hallandale Beach City Comm. mtg., financial concerns re possible purchase of Post Office property on US-1 mirror my own


Below is the latest take from Hallandale Beach Comm. Keith London on last week's very odd HB City Commission meeting, which I stayed for 75% of.
I only spoke once during the meeting, though I was itching to speak 2-3 times on separate agenda items based on some of the mis-information and faulty renderings of the facts I heard from up on the dais.
But I bit my tongue each time. (After all, I can't put out every fire.)

That was especially painful while listening to the discussion of the discussion on the possibility of purchasing the Main U.S. Post Office on U.S.-1/Federal Highway, located across the street and just south of HB City Hall, and across the street from Gulfstream Park Race Track & Casino and the Village at Gulfstream Park retail complex.
In case of the latter, directly across from the Crate & Barrel.

(For the record, the Main Post Office here in Hallandale Beach is one of THE worst-designed and managed Post Offices I've ever been in, and one that under no circumstances should be located anywhere near U.S-1/Federal Highway, not least of all because it's interior is so small and yet wastes far too much space around it that could and should be bringing the city valuable tax revenue.
In my opinion, it ought to be re-located on Hallandale Beach Blvd., a few blocks west of the FEC R.R. tracks along Dixie Highway, but under the proposal offered to the city -see below- they have to get a site within a half-mile of their present location.
I'll have some very scathing news -with photos- on that Post Office and the way it's run soon, as I've been biting my tongue for MONTHS on the unsafe public safety situation there at night. Yes, directly across the street from the HB Police Dept.!
But it's all too true!)

Much as I like the abstract idea of the city purchasing the land with the idea of expanding the Bluesten Park recreational/ball field area and making that whole are from U.S.-1 to the FEC train tracks green and recreational space -City Hall/Police Dept. HQ, north of the property, would stay in place- since the city has far too little "open space," an idea discussed in the city's Parks Master Plan created by Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc., most of whose many public meetings I personally attended, videotaped and participated in, Comm. London's very legitimate financial concerns about this possible purchase are very sound.
Especially when you know as well as I do, how for years this city has purchased land with absolutely no written plan or agreed-upon strategy in place with what to do with it afterwards.

Broward Bulldog
Hallandale Beach takes a bath on land deals; properties for redevelopment sit idle for years
By William Gjebre, BrowardBulldog.org
OCTOBER 6, 2011 AT 6:13 AM

Links to Hallandale Beach Parks Master Plan (Staff Report, Supporting Docs)

There are FAR TOO MANY uncertainties to proceed now without some concrete idea of where the money is coming from, something the City Manager can NOT answer to the satisfaction of anyone I know, despite the info on the links above, esp. given how much money the city has taken from reserves.

The U.S. Post Office remaining there or anywhere within a half-mile of their present location is a flat-out terrible idea, for the reasons already stated, plus traffic.

By the way, FYI, to give you some idea how things work in South Florida, here, HB counts water, specifically, canals and lakes, as "open space" for purposes of determining the city's ratio, despite the fact that Chaves Lake is actually CLOSED to the public.
I don't know about you, but the last time I tried to walk on water...

My last post on the city's Parks Master Plan was from July 14th titled, The role of PAL in the City of Hallandale Beach, and specifically, in the larger debate about the HB Parks Master Plan and the city's priorities

Everyone,

The following is an update of agenda items and other issues discussed at the Wednesday, October 5, 2011 City of Hallandale Beach Commission Meeting.

Highlights of the Meeting

· City wants to purchase the US Postal Service property on US1, without a plan or funding source ($5 – 50 million dollars)

· Bluestein Park Water Tower is to be dismantled due to lack of maintenance which will cost the City $100,000 - $250,000

· City Attorney short list is finalized and Commissioner London makes a motion to add acting City Attorney Dion to the list. Passed 5:0

· City attorney workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, October 18, 2011 from 9:00AM to 6:00PM, in City Commission Chambers. Go to: http://www.cohb.org/index.aspx?NID=822&ART=3404&ADMIN=1 for all the resumes and back up material. The workshop provides the city commission the opportunity to openly discuss the merits and issues with each of the candidates. This meeting is open to the public.

· City staff to evaluate the hiring of potential lobbyists for the fiscal year 2011-2012 on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 from 9:00 AM Cultural Center. In Fiscal Year 2010-2011 the City budget was approximately $50,000 for lobbying.

· Commissioner London asks about the Beach Walk project on the old Manero’s Restaurant site – Please attend my next “Public Forum” when I will discuss this item in length

· Visit www.ChangeHallandale.com Recently awarded The New Times “Best of 2011 Award” – See recent post regarding CRA Land Purchases

· Please visit www.KeithLondon.com for any and all updates regarding the upcoming audit report for the City

REGULAR AGENDA

CITY COMMISSION, CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2011 1:00 PM and 7:00 P.M.

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. ROLL CALL

3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

4. STUDENT CITIZEN OF THE MONTH AND SCHOOL ACTIVITY UPDATE

5. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - Items not on the Agenda ( To be heard at 1:15 PM)

· Rosemary Gilchrist spoke regarding Item #9E – Water Tank Replacement

· Csaba Kulin spoke regarding the lack of timely information to the residents regarding the City Budget

· Jerry Biller spoke regarding the high fees the City charges for the following:

o Gross receipt tax

o Franchise fee for electric bill

o Franchise fee for cable bill

o Franchise fee for sanitation bill

o Hallandale Utility tax on water bill

o In addition, he felt the fire assessment fee was high compared to other cities

· Dave Smith spoke regarding Item 8D – Security Cameras and explained he felt the City was contradictory by not holding themselves to the same standards for signage as they require businesses in the City.

6. PRESENTATIONS

A. Proclamation Celebrating October 16-22, 2011 as "Florida City Government Week"

B. Proclamation Proclaiming October 10-14, 2011 as " National School Lunch Week"

C. Proclamation Proclaiming October 9-15, 2011 as "Fire Prevention Week"

D. Proclamation Proclaiming October, 2011 as "National Domestic Violence Awareness Month"

E. Presentation Regarding Activities at the Village of Gulfstream Park (Suzanne Friedman, Development Representative, Village of Gulfstream Park)

7. CONTINUATION OF CITY BUSINESS FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

8. CONSENT AGENDA

A. Approval of Draft Minutes - Regular City Commission Meeting of September 21, 2011

· Commissioner London voted against minutes and will continue to vote against minutes until we return to summary minutes so the residents have transparency in their government

· Please go to the link to see what Hallandale summary minutes look like: The minutes are from CITY COMMISSION REVIEW OF THE PROPOSED FY 2001-02 BUDGET

· http://library4.municode.com/minutes/home.htm?infobase=30094&doc_action=whatsnew

· Passed 4:1 London No

9. CITY BUSINESS

A. Investment Policies Update - General Employees and Professional Management Pension Plans (Staff: Director of Finance)

· The City Pension Plans required updating of the City Investment Policy plan because it was never appropriately updated in 2009 when required. Evidently, the City just forgot to update the plan accordingly.

o The new City auditors, Marcum, LLP, caught this oversight and brought it to the City’s attention

· Passed 5:0

B. Consideration of Approval of the 2011 Annual Floodplain Management and Hazard Mitigation Plan Evaluation Report (Staff: Director of Public Works, Utilities & Engineering)

· Passed 5:0

C. Pursuant to Chapter 23, Article III , of the City of Hallandale Beach Code of Ordinances, Consideration of an Extension to the Short Term Agreement with Choice Recycling, Incorporated, for the disposal of Municipal Solid Waste in accordance with the terms and conditions of said Agreement, as amended. (Staff; Director of Public Works, Utilities & Engineering)

TO BE HEARD AT 3:00 PM

· Due to increased savings the City experienced with the new sanitation disposal vendor, Choice Environmental and Recycling, the City voted to extend the existing contract for up to 5 years

· Choice is responsible for disposing of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and recycling.

· This contract does not change any existing contract for pick up of MSW or commercial waste in Hallandale

· Passed 5:0

D. Pursuant to Chapter 23, Section 105, Award of Contracts, of the City of Hallandale Beach Code of Ordinances, Request Authorization to Increase Contract for Additional Services under RFP # FY 2006-2007-004, Cameras System Upgrade and Expansion, to Aware Digital, Inc., in an Amount Not -To-Exceed $143,653.90, plus an additional $20,000.00 for miscellaneous upgrades and maintenance. (Staff: Director of Public Works, Utilities, & Engineering)

· Commissioner London made a motion to utilize 10% - 15% of the additional $20,000 earmarked for miscellaneous upgrades to acquire additional signs to make the public aware of the cameras

o The logic behind the motion is the more visible the signs, the bigger the deterrent

o Motion passed 5:0

· Commissioner London also suggested the signs be the image/picture of a surveillance camera; eliminating the need to have the sign in 6-12 different languages

· Passed 4:1 – Ross NO

TO BE HEARD AT 4:00 PM

E. Pursuant to Chapter 23, Section 105, Award of Contracts, of the City of Hallandale Beach Code of Ordinances, Request Authorization to Award RFP # FY 2010-2011-006, Hallandale Beach Elevated Water Storage Tanks Project, to the Lowest Responsive, Responsible Bidder, Worth Contracting, Inc., in an Amount Not-To-Exceed $289,025.00 for the Beach Tank Rehabilitation, and to reject the Utility Services Company Inc., bid for the Bluesten Tank Rehabilitation. Furthermore, Authorize a 5% Contingency for Unforeseen Circumstances. Also Consideration of Permanent Removal of the Bluesten Elevated Water Tank and Replacement with a Monopole for Community Utilization. (Staff: Director of Public Works, Utilities & Engineering)

· Commissioner London originally felt rehabilitating the Bluestein Park Water Tank is important because it is a critical piece of infrastructure for the following reasons:

o The water tank provides storage capacity of 250,000 gallons

o The water tanks provide “head pressure” meaning if everyone flushed their toilets at the same time this would allow for equalization of the pressure during high demand and not damage the system while still providing the service to meet the demand

o The water tanks also provide the City the opportunity to isolate parts of the community in case of a water line break

o Last but not least, the water tank is a the opportunity for enhanced fire protection

· Unfortunately, it is cost prohibitive ($100,000 - $250,000) to rehabilitate the water tank and the City has already spent approximately $39,000 renovating the interior of the tank up to the required standards, and another $45,000 in consulting fees for a detailed examination of the exterior

· Currently, the City will potentially have to spend another $100,000 to have the tank dismantled when regular proper maintenance would have allowed us to preserve this backup source of storage and capacity

· To renovate the Water Tank, it would cost the City approximately $250,000

· We are still living with the short sighted legacy of Mike Good, David Jove and Joy Cooper

· Commissioner London voted yes to remove the water tank at this time on the recommendation of staff, the advancement in pump technologically, and the fact that we are so far down the path of no return

· Passed 5:0

F. Resolution of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, Authorizing the Submittal of a Response to the Request for Proposal for the Purchase of the Hallandale Beach Post Office Property Located at 500 South Federal Highway and Authorizing the City Manager to Negotiate the Purchase of said Property under the First Right of Refusal as Set Forth in the Property's Warranty Deed. (Staff: Director of Parks and Recreation)

· Commissioner London stated he was in favor of purchasing the US Post Office property to be added to our existing park inventory, but not without knowing all the costs involved and source of funding

· The Request for Proposal (RFP) from the US Post Office has the following requirements for purchase of the existing land:

o The City must provide at least an 11,000 square foot building located on 2 acres of property with at least 150 parking spots within ½ mile from the existing property

o The property and building must be “deeded” to the US Postal Service

· Commissioner London while in support of acquiring the property asked the following questions of City staff:

o How will the City fund payment for the property (estimated cost $6.5 million) and provide a new location (approximate cost $2 million)?

o What two acres are we going to deed back to the US Post Office as required by the RFP?

o There are currently many other projects approved by the city but are unable to be funded as follows:

· Parks Master Plan (4:1 -London No) estimated cost $17 - $39 Million, the City only had $5 to $7 million dollars allocated for this project

· Prior Bluestein Park land purchase – still a pile of empty dirt 3 years after the land was acquired?

· This year the City utilized $11 million in reserves to balance the budget

o How will be able to fund this purchase and what is the plan?

· Ultimately, there are way too many unknowns and lack of funding available for the City to complete the projects it has already approved let alone purchase the post office property

· Commissioner London is in favor of acquiring the property but requested information to appropriately identify how to fund the purchase and build out of the property

· Passed 4:1 – London NO

G. Consideration of an Alternative City Budget Process (Commissioner Lewy)

· Passed 4:1 – ROSS NO – she said it was not necessary

10. COMMISSION PLANNING

11. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - Items not on the Agenda (To be heard at 7:00 P.M.)

· Jerry Biller spoke regarding the Bluestein Water Tower and the reckless spending on the US Post Office land purchase

12. PUBLIC HEARINGS (To heard at 7:15 P.M.)

A. Application #38-11-CU by Alvaro Lopez d/b/a Hallandale Reception Requesting a Conditional Use Permit to Operate a Banquet Hall Pursuant to Section 32-175(d)(1) of the City's Code of Ordinances at the Property Located at 772 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd. (Staff: Director of Development Services)

The Planning and Zoning Board Recommended Approval of this Item at their August 24, 2011 Meeting by a Roll Call Vote (4-0).

This is a Quasi-Judicial Item

· Passed 5:0

B. Application #39-11-CL by MB Gulfstream LLC d/b/a Martini Bar Requesting a Nightclub License Pursuant to Section 5-9 of the City's Code of Ordinances in Order to Serve Alcoholic Beverages Seven Days a Week Until 6:00 A.M. at the Proposed Martini Bar Located at 601 Silks Run, Suite #2497 in the Village at Gulfstream Park. (Staff: Director of Development Services)

The Planning and Zoning Board Recommended Approval of this Item at their August 24, 2011 Meeting by a Roll Call Vote (4-0).

· Passed 5:0

C. Application #52-11-AV by Julio Berrio Requesting a Variance from Chapter 5, Section 5-6(d), Relative to the Distance Requirements Between Establishments Selling Alcoholic Beverages and a Church, School or Public Park at the Property Located at 1630 E. Hallandale Beach Blvd. (Staff: Director of Development Services)

· Passed 5:0

D. An Ordinance of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, Amending the Code of Ordinances to Address Firearm Regulations Preempted by State Law by Amending Chapter 19, "Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions'; and Amending Chapter 21, "Personnel"; Providing for Conflicts, Providing for Severability; and Providing for an Effective Date. (Staff: Acting City Attorney)

· This change of ordinance was required to have the city be in compliance with Florida State Law. The law states no municipal government may have ordinances which are more stringent than the State Statutes regarding guns, gun ownership and the possession of weapons in and around municipal buildings

· Passed 5:0

13. COMMISSIONER COMMUNICATIONS - Items not on the Agenda

A. COMMISSIONER LEWY

B. COMMISSIONER LONDON

· Commissioner London requested the following information regarding the Beach Walk project which will be located on the old Manero’s Restaurant site:

o How many Flex units is the developer requesting to build condominium units?

§ Answer – 84 Units

o How many square feet is the developer asking Hallandale Beach to vacate for the project?

§ Answer - approximately 18,000 sq. ft.

o What is the number of hotel rooms proposed to build on the property?

§ Answer 432

o Is the developer requesting a reduction in the required amount of parking provided?

§ Answer - Yes

o Was the parking information included in the required mail out sent to residents in the area?

§ Answer - NO

C. COMMISSIONER ROSS

D. VICE MAYOR SANDERS

E. MAYOR COOPER

· Mayor Cooper nominated Terry Dillard as one of her appointees to the Planning and Zoning Board

14. CITY ATTORNEY COMMUNICATIONS - Items not on the Agenda

15. CITY MANAGER COMMUNICATIONS - Items not on the Agenda

16. ADJOURN

Keith S. London

City Commissioner

Hallandale Beach

954-457-1320 Office

954-494-3182 Cellular

www.KeithLondon.com

http://www.facebook.com/KeithSLondon

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)