Are you better off?

Are You Better Off Than When

This Commission Took Office 3 Years Ago?

I resigned from the commission 3 years ago in the midst of a divisive community struggle between the Key Club developers and those in our community who felt the Key Club expansion was too massive, and would be unfair to people who had already invested in property at Islandside. Four of the seven commissioners decided to back the developers, passing Ordinance 2010-16. I was so opposed to the intervention into community affairs by the town commission that I could no longer countenance being part of what I, and later two different Florida courts, believed to be an over-extension of political power. At that time I expressed my concerns that what the commission was doing was in violation of our own codes and ordinances. I was not willing to be party to the commission's inappropriate activities concerning the Key Club expansion. 

I have always expressed publicly, in print, my belief that the town should have leaned on the two sides to create a compromise. Instead, the commission voted unanimously to approve the KC application. I still believe a compromise is the only way to avoid still more years of court battles that have so far been a stunning refutation of all the actions taken by the commission on behalf of Mr. Lesser. I find it curious that the town commission is taking the opposite position in their dealings with the various factions involved in the Colony fight, calling for compromise. Unfortunately, the commission has, at the same time, created a new extra-legal zoning district in violation of the town's codes and land use ordinances. I expect law suites by those who are adversely affected by the commission's decisions. I also expect that the town will fare no better, legally, than they have fared with their efforts at the Key Club. 

I have decided to run against Commissioner Younger in the upcoming town election. I realize that I may be a single voice of opposition at times, however, there needs to be some sort of voice for the residents on the town commission. Someone needs to be able to represent the taxpayers and non-resident property owners to balance the current business-biased, mostly appointed, commission. I am also aware that I face unified opposition from the business interests on the island that have been effective in shaping the current commission. This is a strange opposition since I am very pro-business. I am simply opposed to uninformed government driven by special interests.

This is why I am running:

1) For the past three years the commission has done literally nothing to further the economy of Longboat Key. There has been much posturing and attending off-island small business promotion luncheons, but nothing else. There has been no concrete action on the part of the town commission to improve the town's image or to actively market our community. That is Job One for any local government.

2) The current commission continues to take actions based on legal advice that time and time again has been insufficient. If I am elected I will work to find new legal representation for the town. The most recent example is the hedge cutting ordinance vote now supported by the town lawyer. The ordinance should have failed if the commission voting process had been conducted properly. Once again the commission has received advice that most likely will not hold up in court.

3) The current commission has adopted a beach management, or I should say non-management, policy that has exposed too many properties to damage and even destruction. The record will show that Commissioner Younger is willing to gamble private property against a balanced budget. I believe that if a single waterfront property is lost as a result of a lack of preventive action by the town, it will have disastrous effects on the town's reputation. If elected I will be active in protecting valuable property from storm damage resulting from uninformed beach policies.

4) Another three years has passed since the current group of people gained political control of the town commission, and the $30 million pension system beast is still on the loose. This is another example of the type of inaction that has plagued Longboat Key for the past three years. Who knows how much the commission's indecisiveness has cost the taxpayers. One fact is known and that is the number of new-hires that have been allowed to enter our retirement plan during that time. If I am elected I will make sure the taxpayers are foremost in the actions of the town commission. The pension system debacle simply cannot be allowed to be kicked down the road for another three or four years. For the past five years I have advocated that the town transfer all workers to the Florida Retirement System as the best way to resolve a situation that has not been confronted by the current town commission. How long must we wait?

5) The commission has not been successful in their public relations with town workers. One of the reasons I was previously able to defeat an incumbent, who had strong support from various interests in the community, was his part in alienating the police employees to the point where they formed a union. The same sad spectacle is taking place again, this time with the regular employees. Because of perceived inequities, which are too blatant to be ignored, Longboat Key has yet another union on its hands. If I am elected I will get rid of our highly paid labor attorney and find someone who can work one-on-one with the employees to reach some sort of solution. Dragging things on year after year accomplishes nothing. When employees, who have been loyal workers, feel abused, they form unions. This did not need to happen, just as the police union did not have to happen. This commission has had a part in unionizing the town government. Taxpayers will now pay even more to deal with three unions, where a few years ago there was but one.

6) The current commissioners would like you to believe they did great things at the north end where unsightly blight is allowed to drag down the entire community, year after year. Instead of working with commercial property owners and surrounding residents to effectively solve the problems, they instead allowed a small group of business people to run the town. As a result this commission passed an ordinance that actually restricts possible solutions at the north end. If elected I will find a way to rid Longboat Key of commercial blight. There are Florida statutes that allow the town to insist commercial property owners maintain their property or face very serious consequences. Instead this commission made things more difficult to resolve. Doing nothing does not cut it.

7) Perhaps the greatest failure of the town commission over the past three years has been its inability to stem the steady loss of business on Longboat Key. I say this because this commission has devoted most of its time talking about how the town needs to promote tourism and business, yet they have not done so. There is an old saying "planning does not make government". That certainly has been the case for the previous three years. If anything the commission has been instrumental in halting progress at the Key Club by enacting unreasonable land use codes and ordinances that have been thrown out in court. This commission has the worse record in my memory for failing to attract and retain businesses on the island. For a commission that has focused on the business community and tourism, while ignoring residential problems, their actions have been insufficient and Longboat Key is losing ground.

8) Finally, people say nothing is more attractive than a pretty face. Gulf of Mexico needs to put on some makeup, get rid of the shabby signage and create a really attractive unified commercial presentation to those visiting our community. The present commission seems unwilling to confront the business community to improve their appearance. If I am elected I will work with shopping center and business owners to improve our image. It is in everyone's best interest that we put on a happy face. This commission talks the talk but has been insufficient in improving the appearance of GMD.

That is why I am once again seeking public office. There is a pressing need to find a new direction for our town. Clearly what the current commission has been doing has been ineffective. Property owners have a clear choice. They can have a few more years of a floundering community, with leadership so focused on tourism that they have failed to improve anything. Or the taxpayers can elect new leadership with new ideas and a new sense of creative solutions for Longboat Key. 

Let's get stuff done for a change!