Cooper City Budget and the City Manager

The upcoming budget will be a very challenging experience and it will test the commission as to where they are heading on serious issues. Are they going to massively raise your taxes again? Our Budget Workshops are upcoming to set millage rates, debt levy, adoption of initial assessment resolutions and to set times and dates for public budget hearings, all at city hall. Visit CooperCitFL.org for dates and times.

The decisions made during this upcoming budget process are going to be difficult and will affect all residents in an adverse way, and I am doing everything possible to avoid that on your behalf. It’s past time to address the issue of solutions in order to reduce costs, not continuing to promote unnecessary feel good services while continuing to neglect and not improve core services instead of select favorite programs. The likelihood is that your commission majority will massively raise taxes again because this isn’t a primary election year.

One reason I see that the city is such a mess financially is that most career politicians on the dais care far more about keeping their political jobs than about helping you keep yours. My recent challenge to my fellow commissioners is “what’s the tough choice in 2018 that you’re going to make in order to make Cooper City better, more efficient and less costly to run?” You guessed it…no responses by anyone on the commission. Just the typical rhetoric regarding the budget process which doesn’t put more money in your pocket.

I recently motioned to terminate the city manager due to this continuing fiscal incompetence, lack of providing detailed information on agenda items, lack of providing information to residents and appointed board members. You guessed it, no support on your behalf from the political alliance. How unfortunate that those who run the city seem to not care a wit about those who pay their salary.

The city faces immediate tough choices in order to make this next fiscal year a priority to increase services, reduce taxes and improve customer service. My first priority after public safety is creating local jobs and lowering your taxes. Jobs are created here in our city by local business owners, not in Tallahassee or in Washington. This is why we need to elect like-minded residents, so they can save money and create more jobs.

One final note, there are candidates running for Districts 1 and 2 in November 2018, and I'm sure there are more to come. Hopefully you will make the right decision to seat commissioners in Districts 1 and 2 who will always look out for your best interests, not the interests of themselves and their political future or those who are political hacks of those on the commission.

To those of you that are concerned about what this commission wants to do regarding this upcoming budget process, please forward your concerns to me. I will voice them but I can assure you, they may be ignored if it puts money in your pocket.

Commissioner John Sims

Cooper City Resident Speaks Out About Mayor's Corruption!

Brian:

I look forward to reading your analysis. Hey! You didn't speak to any local activists!  

Our mayor is going too far. Greg Ross seems to be the one aggressively pushing this Resolution. While I understand his concern about the letter Sims sent to the Judge, the breadth of the proposed Resolution is very disturbing. There are very serious allegations set out yet there is no clear procedure about submitting any sort of evidence backing up the allegations. The word "illegal" is even used. Is the plan by Ross to go in, the city attorney reads the resolution, someone moves to vote on the resolution, and after a member's second they proceed to vote? Commission members do not have to speak. They can vote on this w/o any real discussion. This has all the makings of a drumbeat court martial to be followed by an execution.  

Our mayor is supposed to be an experienced Florida attorney. Someone who appears before local state courts in civil and criminal matters. Yet none of the rules or procedures related to this "special meeting" seem clear. It is not even clear why Mayor Ross felt the urgent need to bring forward such a highly unusual matter.  

I wrote the mayor for information on the planned procedures & received no response. The Resolution has the appearance of a not very well thought out tantrum. Yet, because due process, notice, minutes, etc., seem to be of only marginal interest to many of those in Cooper City government, it looks like the plan is to just barrel ahead. Why not? That's the way things are done in Cooper City.  

There is a background to all of this going way back. Back to Greg Ross before he was mayor coming into meetings to criticize Sims. Back to about the very first thing Ross did when elected mayor- when he pushed an expedited agenda item to de facto censure Sims for a Sims Facebook posting criticizing Obama. Ross got away with that, his city attorney saying and doing nothing. The latter saying nothing despite a written city policy seeming to direct "hands off" on a commission member's off the dais political speech. The city got away with it in a well-established local procedure. Anything troublesome, anything possibly an impediment? Just ignore it.  And so it has gone since that first Ross move in 12/2012.  

In the last two months the majority of the commission under Ross' leadership have, in my view, taken steps towards ripping up the City's Charter. They are making changes that affect the City's most important appointive board w/o allowing residents to vote on those changes in a referendum. It has been outrageous and insulting, and it has been backed at every step by the day to day city attorney.  It is clearly the case the majority of the commission wants to exercise control over the city's Charter Review Board, and nothing is going to stop that. Even when legal opinions and analysis had no references or citations to legal authority, it did not matter. Even when a commission member made inaccurate assertions about receiving a "second opinion" from the AG on a vital question, it did not matter. Even when it meant setting aside or ignoring well-established precedent, it did not matter.  

The local political situation is that nothing gets in the way of our commission's majority. They are increasingly authoritarian and as indicated by this new Resolution, completely out of control. They are far too free from any effective oversight, and their insensitivity to the will of the people is clearly reaching critical mass.  

In my opinion Sims' perception is the city has no respect for any law or rules that impede its desires. Sims obviously believes the day to day city attorney is a mere "yes man" for whatever the majority (his paymasters) orders him to do. That is what John Sims believes. I am not defending Sims' letter. But in my opinion Commissioner Sims' actions and intent can only be understood and analyzed within the context of why he so distrusts the day to day city attorney and the majority of his colleagues. 

Sent from Skip Klauber's I phone  

Bois ton sang, Beaumanoir, la soif te passera

Cooper City Mayor Greg Ross Censures Commissioner for exposing Fraud & Corruption

@CooperCityGOV Mayor & commissioners censure commissioner for telling the truth! Corruption rules in #CooperCityFL and so does lies, deceit, fraud and political corruption (In my humble opinion)
READ The Letter to the Judge regarding lies and a FRAUD ON THE COURT by Cooper City Attorney and Mayor ('ambulance chaser'/defense attorney Greg Ross) regarding the MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR CLASS ACTION lawsuit that Mayor Greg Ross touted as "FRIVOLOUS"...another lie to the constituency (Yes, the 4th DCA approved the class) Now the citizens of #CooperCity will pay hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for the FRAUD and LIES by #JamesCurran, #GregRoss#, #LisaMallozzi, #JeffGreen...and #DavidWolpin

Repost from a Cooper City Resident regarding Campaign Sign Theft by the Opposition Candidate...

Walt Jolliff -- Recent events in the singular election contest in Cooper City has brought out the real nature of the challenger to Commissioner John Sims. The opponent and his supporters started their campaign of destruction and thievery by stealing campaign signs during the darkness of night, signs legally placed upon local property and on business locations provided to the Sims campaign. 

 Such behavior is more like that of adolescent youngsters and it is totally unacceptable for adults who seek to govern our city. The fact that destruction and thievery of political signs not only reflects upon the character of the perpetrators and the candidate they support but is a slap in the face of the residents who regardless of their political view support the freedom of speech which allows all of us to express our view openly and without concern or fear of the stealth of vandalism during the night upon our property or the property of others. 

 The financial impact of these nefarious activities has now reached the point of constituting theft at the level of Grand Theft, that’s right grand theft. Hundreds of dollars in signs, lumber and manpower paid for by well intentioned residents in support of their candidate of choice has been tarnished by the childish acts of adults thinking that this is the political process of disapproval that we in Cooper City condone. 

Can there be any excuse for such behavior? This is not the mischievous behavior of youngsters, this is the conduct of a person or persons who seek to advocate their choice of candidate to govern our community by theft of the expression of others in their choice. 
   
I think it is time to call upon the decent law abiding residents of Cooper City to show their disapproval of this disgusting and illegal conduct by doing what all law abiding people do in our country. Express your disgust with this nefarious conduct and use your belief in the manner that all good citizens believe in. 

It is up to you to decide what type of persons you want in your local community government. One which operates during the darkness of night by destruction and thievery or one that which conducts its self openly during the light of day. It’s up to you to make the call.

 Exercise your precious right to elect the person you think can do the best on your behalf by your VOTE on Nov. 4th. I am casting my vote for John Sims.

The $6 Million dollar "Soccer Park"...Can you say 'Red Herring'?

(Comments from a resident I was asked to post, and gladly obliged...)


What’s really going on?


What is really behind the planned $6+ million dollars to be spent on the soccer field, AKA West Sports Complex (Flamingo Road between Sterling & Griffin Roads),  Debbie Eisinger's Folly, you know the park..., the one on the far, far west side of Cooper City just south of Stirling Rd. on Flamingo Rd? 

I wonder if Southwest Ranches would like to join with us in providing a sports facility for their city. Just what every parent wants, is that their kids will have to traverse the dangerous roads and intersections at the corner of Flaming Road to get to this lavish Soccer Sports Field...Of course NOT!


Questions begin to arise when a meeting of the commission members (Workshop Scheduled May 8th 6:30 PM) is conducted in ‘secret’ (April 12, 2012). City officials quickly denied that the meeting was secret (The public was NOT notified regardless of what the city attorney opines). Strong responses from city officials proclaimed that a notice was posted on the bulletin board (inside the foyer) at city hall. The City attorney quickly jumped in with ‘legally sufficient’ applied to it and the minutes submitted (as an email from the city manager), all 24 words (in a meeting that lasted well over an hour and a half).


There were several slip ups on the veracity of the participants however...A recent blog comments to the lack of remembrance on the part of Commissioner Mallozzi (this one). City attorney syas he was not present contrary to Commissioner  Mallozzi in her published article (In the Davie & the Ranches Magazine) to the residents that the city attorney was there, Hmmm...


Commissioner Curran who, since 2008, has been designated by the city commission as being the 'Optimist Liaison', very aggressively proclaimed that he has attended some 18 meetings on the subject of  the Flamingo Soccer Park. (City personnel vigorously deny that it is a soccer park...) It is noteworthy that Commissioner Curran has never provided any commentary during commission meetings, sent any memos, discussion papers, or anything that could be construed as being informative regarding the agenda, topics, and agreements with the Cooper City Optimists regarding usage of the sports field. (Informal commentary by members of the Optimists seems to indicate that the Optimists have required that the field be designated, designed and constructed to meet the needs of the Optimists. The main purpose of which is to consolidate the fields for the convenience (ease of use) of the Optimists).


Does this raise the question...Has a deal been struck? If so with whom? What was given in return? (Let's not forget, the city attorney stated that the Optimist 'Field Use Resolution' was a valid and binding contract between the city and the Optimist club). When anyone asks for some sort of explanation, lockjaw sets in. It sounds too absurd to believe that the self declared righteousness of the Optimist Club believes that they are above reproach regarding any suggestions of political ‘quid pro quo’ regardless of somewhat dubious actions in handing

You draw your own conclusions....

(Note from Comm. Sims: As your 'Go To Commissioner' my sole concern regarding this issue is 1) Does the Optimist Club owe the City any 'Non-Resident Fees', and if so, 2) Who will be held accountable for not making that happen?

Commentary on the Cooper City Budget Regarding Meals on Wheels and the new 'Soccer Park'

In last month's Davie & the Ranches Magazine, Commissioner's Mallozzi & Curran wrote op-ed articles for regarding the expenses, budget and recreational facilities in Cooper City. Commissioner Mallozzi rightfully noted the sad and abrupt loss of the much needed Meals on Wheels program which is designed to supplement fixed income senior's and to keep them healthy and alive, allowing them to survive within their extremely limited means of doing so. 

Commissioner Curran's article boastfully commented on the city commission earmarking $1.6 million dollars for the new so-called 'Soccer Park' on the West side of Stirling Road and Flamingo Road, among other expenses not designed to do anything except make us 'look good' in his opinion. Needless to say, I found it incredibly but typically absurd that Commissioner Mallozzi would lament the City's loss of the Meals on Wheels program, supposedly for lack of funds (The City will profit to the tune of $13M this year, or more), while Commissioner Curran spreads the self aggrandized joy of a $1.6 million dollar seemingly unnecessary expenditure for a 'Soccer Park' that really is not needed in my opinion. In addition, there have been no meaningful discussions, nor are there any specific facts whatsoever to support this expenditure! 

While I find spending money for the new Soccer Park versus "sorry, we have no money for feeding hungry old folks" deplorable and unconscionable  I regard it as a symptom of a much larger disease that has infiltrated the current Cooper City commission, spending other people's money on 'feel good' items rather than absolute necessities under the guise of "We are cleaning up Cooper City so it doesn't look like West Hollywood"...

Many residents, including myself, want to know why we are spending millions of taxpayer dollars without any "due diligence" having been done regarding the absolute need for a 'Soccer Park', one which will more than likely not be able to be used by the public and their kids...just like at the 'other park' located just East on Stirling Road.

As a final comment, our City Commission has several members who speak of their religious faith and even practice it in government owned facilities, but fail to understand that Jesus' command to feed the hungry comes way before spending taxpayer dollars on seemingly unnecessary recreational facilities, especially one which has no data to support its construction.

To paraphrase a more secular source, pride tends to be at the bottom of all our mistakes. In this case, the self-aggrandizement of a Soccer Park supersedes any interest by the Commission in the Meals program...and oh yes Commissioner Curran, I disagree on one other subject…Kids + Sports does not equal success, Kids + Reading, Writing and Arithmetic makes success!

OPEN LETTER REGARDING THE ISSUE BETWEEN MAYOR GREG ROSS AND THE PEMBROKE PINES POLICE

OPEN LETTER REGARDING THE ISSUE BETWEEN MAYOR GREG ROSS AND THE PEMBROKE PINES POLICE

COOPER CITY, FL --August 9, 2013

To Whom It May Concern;

Regrettably and most unfortunately, negative publicity has again been brought to the City of Cooper City and in turn to our residents. The alleged actions of our newly elected Mayor, as recently reported by the media regarding an alleged confrontational situation that occurred between the Mayor and law enforcement officers of the Pembroke Pines Police Department, has again cast a cloud of disparagement upon our great city. 

I am appalled that the Cooper City Mayor allegedly espoused his political position to attempt to influence a police officer. It is not an issue of exculpatory evidence and as such, I as a senior Cooper City Commissioner on behalf of my constituents, do not condone any actions or interference, personal or otherwise, of any police officer during a traffic stop. I am appalled by any elected official, commission member, city staff member or resident, who personally chooses to engage in interference, intimidation, ridicule, political pressure or any other form of verbal or other assault upon the integrity and honesty of any law enforcement personnel in any jurisdiction, or interference during the official performance of their duties whatsoever.  

The task of performing much needed law enforcement in today’s environment is especially difficult due to the risks to the officers and our citizens when potential violence occurs, seemingly so often. The extreme challenges essential for law enforcement officers to fully accomplish their duties must be viewed by the citizenry as a required function of society, and must be fully supported while being executed in a professional manner. We ‘The People’ who place our safety and security their hands, must not intervene regardless of any profession or political office one may hold, especially in such a manner that disrupts their life safety and critical tasks at hand. 

It is my firm belief that all of the residents of our communities are very thankful and very supportive of all law enforcement personnel regardless of their function or jurisdiction. Given the multitude of cities that surround us, the name of the jurisdiction on the sleeve patch is not important, but rather what is most important is that they are on the job every day and night providing the essential safety and security that we all require and insist upon. We all believe in the end that government’s number one function to the citizenry is indeed the safety of our communities and our families. 

I am extremely grateful that those who continue to serve in the line of duty and perform their daily and extremely hazardous duties in a professional manner, will continue to do so in spite of the efforts of a few to be disruptive, and in spite those who intentionally disregard the lawful processes required of our law enforcement officers. They do so in complete disregard of the oath that they have sworn to uphold and defend. 

Further, as a long serving city commissioner, I am extremely concerned with political corruption; appearances of impropriety, unethical behavior and of course any wrongdoing of our elected public servants. I most strongly condemn any action(s) by any elected official, commission member or member of city staff who decides take it upon themselves to ridicule, impugn or condemn any police officer, to engage in any unethical behavior, suggest, infer or to solicit any special favors or special benefit which may benefit themselves, or expect special treatment on behalf of others from any law enforcement officer during the performance of their official duties. 

Anyone who has concerns regarding this issue may feel free to contact me to express your views and concerns.

/s/ Commissioner John Sims

City of Cooper City, FL

What does the Proposed Budget do?

The 6 “C”’s of leadership are; Character, Commitment, Competence, Confidence, Conviction and Courage. The essence of good Government is that they are prepared to make difficult decisions to achieve long-term prosperity. What we have is a government that is out of control regarding the recent expenditures of taxpayer dollars, especially in the legal department, not to mention the lack of response by the city commission and the county to residents regarding the Palm Avenue project.  

Believe me when I tell you that all of us have heard just how poorly these issues have been managed, and how poorly the Mayor and the city attorney conducted themselves in the last few meetings. Their bizarre behavior is not associated with proper leadership and ethical, open government actions.

As far as our upcoming budget, (public workshops of which have already taken place as you read this) a 'balanced budget' is simply not my idea of true prosperity. Costs of Police & Fire are up, along with costs associated with our utilities infrastructure and employee benefits.

We must make deep cuts regarding waste and unnecessary spending in the proposed upcoming budget in order to put even more tax dollars back into the pockets of our families and businesses. We must drastically reduce the extreme operating costs of our local government and substantially increase its level of customer service.

I feel that our city must change their ‘spend it or lose it’ attitude and must immediately tighten their belt like all of us have had to do in the recent past. The question that all of us should be asking is “What does this proposed budget specifically do?” We just don’t know. There is a severe lack of backup material, in addition to a lack of real discussion and fiscal responsibility in the process.

 

As I see it, there are two steps that need to be taken regarding our commission. It is imperative that public officials be independent, impartial and that public office not be used for personal or political gain. As public officials, we are in a position of Public Trust and as such, we have a duty to provide transparent and honest services while in office and to do our absolute best to assure absolute public confidence in the government. This simply has not been the case in our city. The public’s trust is imperative and is determined by civic values such as open government, integrity and professionalism.

No one person or party can claim to have all of the answers. In the end we all must work together, residents and this administration alike, and the people must get what they have long demanded government to do. At the end of the day what we're doing is simply our job...public service. In this process, we've got to ensure that our tax dollars are spent very wisely and only on the bare necessities.

As long as we remember that we serve The People, and we work together to do what is right, not just talk about it, putting aside our petty personal and political differences, all of these goals that all of us share and dream of can be achieved as a house divided cannot stand. In public service it is always important to remember that we serve our boss, “We The People”.

Cooper City faces many challenges, and just as I have always maintained, my primary focus remains on reducing the burden of government on you and on small businesses, fighting the fraud and waste at all levels of government that waste your taxpayer dollars, continuing to lead our city in a positive direction, and to grow the entrepreneurial spirit that will improve our local economy which in turn, will create more local jobs. If there is anything I can help with or if you have any issues that need resolved, please feel free to contact me, your ‘Go To’ commissioner at 954-445-6997.

Cooper City Redistricting

In the previous election, voters approved redistricting utilizing total population, which included revisions to the Charter in order to create districts with resident counts being as close to twenty-five percent of the total city’s population as possible and no more than a ten percent population disparity between districts. This ‘apportionment’ clause has always been in our Charter but has been willfully ignored and politically manipulated by some on the commission for quite some time, and in my opinion the district disparity issue should have been resolved many years ago.

Of course, any attempts to adhere to the Charter mandates would have quite possibly exposed questionable practices and lack of adherence to the Charter by former commission members and city attorney. Although Monterra is expected to be complete by the Spring of 2014, the city will be estimating the projected population, adjusting the district maps accordingly based on current and future building Certificates of Occupancy (CO’s) rather than actual number of residents, in addition to using a district population average scheme. The contention is that this will reduce any future districting changes, but it also does not count everyone on a real time data basis.

An additional error using CO’s also becomes apparent when you take the total number of residents and do the math, which comes out to anywhere between 2.85 and 3.06 persons per household depending on which formula you use, an error of up to five hundred residents per district. In addition, the ‘district population average’ scheme was never discussed or approved at the Charter Review Board meetings or at the city commission meetings while implementing the enacting Ordinance.

The Charter states that no district shall have a population variance of greater than ten percent from any other district. The ‘Plain Language Rule’ in law dictates that laws must be interpreted using the ordinary and plain meaning of the words used unless a law defines specific terms. In other words, the law is to be read word for word and we should not divert from its ordinary, plain meaning. This rule applies to our city ordinances and our city Charter which is our Constitution that we have sworn an oath to uphold. To avoid ambiguity, legislatures often include definitions in the law which defines important terms used. Some laws omit definitions entirely or fail to define a particular term, such as our Charter and it’s implementing Ordinance. This is part of the problem that we face in the push to change the Charter, a push that was originally and possibly still politically motivated.

The Charter Review Board and city attorney failed to define key phrases and meanings within the Charter changes, therefore key provisions and clear mandates are open to interpretation by the city attorney whose participation has been questionable within the entire Charter review process. One very questionable issue is the Charter’s ‘ten percent rule’. If you utilize the current data set offered by the vendor who performed the population analysis, you’ll quickly see that no two city districts currently deviate by more than 9.1 percent. If you look at the same data utilizing statistical analysis, the deviation is only 8.62 percent using the same numbers.

This is part of the problem, in addition to FAU utilizing a ‘District Population Average’ formula, one which was never previously discussed. In fact, the vendor admitted their numbers presented in the presentation were “incorrect”. Also, the vendor does not include Estada as a part of Monterra and the residency numbers! The question becomes, should we redistrict? Yes, it’s required by the Charter. What do we want to do then? Change districts completely or simply bring districts into parity? If you change districts substantially you may be gerrymandering and may find yourself in a lawsuit. If we change them to bring them as equal as possible, we need to concentrate on districts three and four because of size and discontinuity.

I am very sure of no need for drastic redistricting based on the 2012 base map data. As far as I am concerned, it’s just a question of not dividing residential communities in order to make all four districts nearly equal without favoring or disfavoring any incumbent, which is against the law.

The city has an obligation to allow the residents to be fully involved in the redistricting process. As such, multiple Public Meetings will be held at City Hall on advertised dates so everyone who can attends will have an opportunity to be a part of the process. Also, you can view all of the redistricting material at www.coopercityfl.org and click on the box labeled ‘election redistricting project’ in addition to watching the commission meeting videos on the issue under the link entitled ‘Government’ at the top of the page. Simply click on ‘View Meeting Videos’ and select the meeting or workshop you wish to view. Now is the time to make your voice fully heard to ensure transparent, ethical, honest and open government in Cooper City.

Response to Threats Against Cooper City Staff and Commission

October 19, 2012

RE: Written threats against Cooper City staff and commission members

To Whom It May Concern, 

During a recent review of the Cooper City attorney’s invoices and fees (they are outrageously substantial and are roaring completely out of control, with the city attorney given a recent hefty pay raise) I encountered an invoice from the city attorney substantially charging the city and taxpayers for review of an ‘anonymous letter’ threatening and alleging some sort of attack against the city and one or more city official(s), which was apparently in the possession of the Mayor and was being reviewed by the city attorney at her request. The city attorney never responded to the Mayor but was paid very handsomely. 

Given the times we all live in, I was initially shocked that this alleged written threat had never been brought to the staff or the commission’s full attention. Furthermore, as I thought of the possible implications of such a serious threat, the more concerned I became. Several questions began to arise in my opinion that I found almost incomprehensible, yet realistic and somewhat frightening. 

Why was this potential and serious alleged threat to the city, city official(s) and presumably city employee(s), not brought to the immediate attention of the city manager, chief law enforcement officer and the rest of the members of the city commission? Why was there no investigation of such a potential damaging letter and its inherent imminent threat? Why was there no initial warning of a possible threat to all persons who might be the target of such a threat? I thought immediately of many of our city employees are working outdoors who are most susceptible to possible dangers from person or persons who might seek to harm them.

I have now asked the city manager to investigate this letter, if it actually exists, and to report to the city commission on what occurred and allow the commissioners to ask questions of why no awareness was made regarding this threat. This request was made weeks ago and no response has been provided as of today. This is a serious breach of duty in my opinion. 

Most of all, I am appalled that Mayor Debby Eisinger showed so little concern for those of the city staff and her fellow commissioners that she did not take immediate action to protect them against a potential and serious threat. While in retrospect it may now turn out to have been merely a false or meaningless threat or childish attempts to scare someone, I can’t comprehend that the Mayor would simply dismiss any alleged threat based upon her selfish and personal interpretation of the alleged letter. The comments by the city attorney did not indicate that he recommended any action, nor did he advise anyone else of the threat. In fact, his response to me was that he never even responded to the Mayor’s concerns which I find incomprehensible. This of course follows the City Attorney’s long and contentious track record of not responding to commissioner’s questions, requests and demands which is a very serious issue in his line of work. 

I am clearly relieved that this threatening letter has not yet result in any harm or damage to anyone…yet. That notwithstanding, I am quite disturbed that Mayor Debby Eisinger, and for that matter the City Manager and City Attorney, lack the responsibility if not the ‘common sense’ to take the minimal steps of advising the law enforcement officials as well as the city staff and commission members to ensure the safety of all of the potential persons placed at risk by this perceived threat. 

I can only hope that my fellow commissioners will join with me and immediately demand that an action plan for any such further occurrences of this nature be developed and be available for implementation should this ever happen again. I also hope that my fellow commissioners will join with me in severely reprimanding the Mayor and City Attorney for this type of blatant irresponsibility and unconscionable behavior.  

The safety of all persons within our city, especially those who proudly and diligently serve our city need to know that their safety and welfare are foremost in our minds, hearts, and actions whenever a threat, no matter how insignificant it might turn out to be, will be treated with the upmost of urgency and seriousness, more so with the current turmoil in the world in addition to the political hatred that most of America has for incompetence, irresponsibility and lack of action to resolve problems in government at all levels.

 

Respectfully,

 

John Sims

City Commissioner, Dist. 1

Cooper City, FL 

CC:       Cooper City Commission

BSO

             Cooper City Staff

Cooper City - Seniors vs. Crime

SENIORS VS. CRIME

By Noreen S. Gilman, Volunteer Seniors vs. Crime

Many residents are not aware that there is an organization devoted to assisting Floridians of ALL ages who believe they have been victimized by improper practices, scams or other economic crimes. It is called “Seniors vs. Crime” and it is a Special Project of the Florida Attorney General. Our organization is non-profit, and we never charge a fee for our services. Our mission is to assist the Florida Attorney General in preventing crimes against the elderly, to educate and to alert seniors about consumer frauds, con games, scams, identity theft and other criminal acts that target senior citizens. There are several offices around the state including North Miami Beach, Delray Beach, and the newest office in Cooper City.

Earlier this year many of our residents were defrauded from the theft of thousands of dollars of refunds due them from the IRS. Seniors vs. Crime assisted several of these victims to file the necessary forms to recover their money. Now that we are in the middle of hurricane season, we are prepared to assist residents in roofing problems, flooding, as well as other storm damage received during a Tropical Storm or Hurricane. We regularly receive alerts concerning possible storm damage and the repair of homes after a storm by fly-by-night contractors.

As part of our outreach to the community, we have also established a Speakers Bureau which has qualified individuals who will offer a presentation, without charge, on a variety of topics such as identity theft, the current scams and many more subjects of interest. To arrange for a speaker for your organization or group, or for more information if you feel you are a victim of an economic crime,  please call our office in Cooper City at 954.441.8339. 

Also, be aware...As an FYI - the city received two phone calls this afternoon from residents in Summertime Isles who advised that a person knocked on their door (one last night at 8:00 pm and the other today) and told the residents that they were from the City and needed to speak to them.  When the resident refused to open the door last night, the person became aggressive and frightened the resident.

In both cases, the residents were told to call BSO immediately to relay this information. PLEASE, take NOTHING for granted and call BSO and 911 if you see ANYTHING suspicious...

Keeping you informed,

John

Commissioner John Sims

Cooper City Special Report

Cooper City Report: ‘Recession Hurt American Families’ Wealth; Recession wiped out nearly two decades of American families’ wealth; Net worth plunges 39% over three years; Median income dropped 7.7% from 2007- 2010’.

These are a few recent headlines reflecting our residents and businesses economic status. I mention them as we look to our city budget meetings this month (July 18^th & 19^th) and ask the question, “What are the challenges that face the Cooper City Commission?” What can we do to lighten the load on our businesses and residents?

I have asked this question to your commissioner’s previously, without a response. They responded by raising taxes for the 7^th year in a row. When I ask residents about the city’s management style, the answer seems to reflect ‘lightening the financial burden on us’. When I asked what specifically do you mean? Here are some of their thoughts…

The cost of living in Cooper City continues rise exponentially and crime is increasing. When asked for clarification, here is the consensus...The cost of overall taxes rises without any improvements in the city. Quoting one commissioner, “We are starting to look like West Hollywood” and I agree. A review of the last several years shows a 15-17% of increase in assessed property values (under Save Our Homes) and taxes and fees continue to rise, the Fire Assessment being the most confusing to many.

“We already pay for that service don’t we?” is a frequent comment. The assessment increased from $64 to an increase scheduled for this year of $164, almost 2 ½ times. One resident made several blunt comments about the Special Magistrate, implemented as a service to our residents, saying that it has become a money machine for the city. The Commission has yet to review or question its performance (or that of our city attorney) since inception. The common item complained about is the cost of water. The Water & Sewer Enterprise is still an area that the city commission has failed to review or question during past few budget workshops.

Without fully describing the business climate in Cooper City, one only has to look around and see the number of empty stores. This in turn this costs our residents more money and time if they are not able to obtain goods and services from local vendors. Again, is the atmosphere created by the city conducive for businesses to flourish, or are we too rigid in our antiquated and controlling thinking about yard sales, signs, banners, balloons or other methods needed to attract more customers?  Should we not be asking, ‘What can we do to help?’ This is the pleading I have made since elected with no solutions by your city commission as a whole.

These, and many more questions I want to raise to prompt discussion and changes to many of the things that are essential to creating a friendly attitude of what once was ‘Someplace Special”, but may have lost its luster in the last 5 to 10 years. We can do better if we try, and we must do better at the November polls. We must elect candidates with business savvy, who want to take risks to make positive change on your behalf. We must reject city commission candidates who are political operatives, who have nothing substantial to offer to vastly improve your city’s future.

This upcoming election year will be about positive change on your behalf. Its way past the time for the city to take positive action for the well-being of our residents and business owners, which means reducing ‘feel good’ spending, eliminating unnecessary assessments and lowering taxes.

I can say for certain that I will continue to work very hard to serve the public and do my very best to be the leader that our residents and business owners rightfully expect without a political agenda. There have been many problems over the past that have not been addressed effectively, timely or appropriately by the current leadership. That must change in November.

As a commission, we must improve the city’s image, address unfunded mandates, address ten year budget projections, reduce our current spending, implement more diverse programs, improve customer service and most importantly, restore fiscal responsibility and accountability to public office.

How can we make this happen? We must review every detail of how we do business as a city, and how we lead as elected officials. Visit my website www.keepsims.com or e-mail me for any city concerns at Commissioner_Sims@CooperCityFL.org.

A Message from Your ‘GO TO’ Commissioner

A Message from Your ‘GO TO’ Commissioner 

Dear Business Owners, Friends and Neighbors,

I consider it a great honor and a great privilege to represent the residents of District 1, along with all of Cooper City. As your fiscally responsible representative on the Cooper City Commission, a job I have been proud to hold since March, 2007, I have had much opposition by the career political cronies of this city. Many of you first met me during my campaign to eliminate favoritism, corruption, excessive spending and malfeasance in our city government. I was first elected in 2007 based on my vast experience in business and you convinced me that I could bring new ideas and a fresh approach to the City Commission which I have proudly done.

Since my election to the Commission one of my main focuses has been on assessing, prioritizing and expanding programs and services for senior citizens and recognizing the importance of utilizing data and technology in our current systems which has been underutilized. Earlier this year I served as the driving force for the Senior Advisory Board, which brought community elders and leaders to the table in order to discuss the troubling issue of the lack of top quality seniors programs. Providing for the needs of our elderly population is critical and will continue to remain one of my priorities. To that end, the Senior Advisory Board must be concerned with matters relating to the well-being and improvement of the quality of life for Cooper City’s elder residents, although to my extreme dismay, dirty politics, internal favoritism and prejudice have taken over that process.

I am referred to as the “Go to Commissioner” because many have said ‘Go to Commissioner Sims if you want results for your issues’. I resolve our residents’ and business owners’ problems and I timely address their issues. I know that with good business practices, and great leadership, good government will be an everyday occurrence. The one process that needs curbing is one that I am working hard to streamline: the party line bureaucratic process that is often inherent in government. I am and have always been committed to making Cooper City government more efficient and less costly.

One area that is of particular interest is the County’s bid process. Accountability is critical. Utilizing data to make decisions is in the best interest of the residents and business owners of Cooper City are paramount to our success. There have been too many issues not bid on, such our city attorney, who reports to no one and now is considered the ‘Rainmaker’ for his law firm. The position is unbridled, unmanaged and sometimes used for political purposes, which is one reason why our legal bills have soared beyond belief. 

Some of your elected officials have had long term relationships with the city attorney and failed to disclose that fact when they voted to hire him and his law firm. His decision making ability and legal advice has not always been in the best interest of the city, its residents and business owners, but sometimes made in the best interest of those he chooses to support politically and made in the best interest of making tons of money for his law firm. This must end immediately.  

One other issue of vast interest is the Charter Review Board recommendations, and the haste in which it was convened and adjourned. The issues will be placed on the November ballot and have been approved by the city commission. They will affect you greatly, and already have, as many of your rights were stripped away by a renegade few on the commission in 2006, without your knowledge. I will blog about this issue in the very near future, so stay tuned. 

In the past I served on a number of boards, committees serving our community. My involvement included alternate memberships on the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Water Resources Task Force. I also served as the Director of Government Affairs and Ethics for the Human Relations Council of Florida along with being directly involved in other entities supporting our community such as the Kiwanis Club and the American Legion.

I was raised in Dade County, but I have been a resident of Broward County for more than 20 years. My beautiful and loving wife Janet and I are proud parents and step-parents of two fine boys and now have had the pleasure of watching them grow up and remain close to our beautiful community. I want you to know that I am here to work with you and for you for any of your concerns no matter what the issue is. I understand the role of a policy maker and a leader, and I believe I have the determination, professionalism and integrity to serve you well leaving the politricks aside and doing what is right for your success. 

It is critically important to me that cities and other local governments work together for the common good of We the People. We can find the common ground necessary to create the partnerships which are beneficial and productive to you, our constituents without a lot of expense, political maneuvering and red tape.

As many of you have already discovered my office serves as a resource to all of you in our community. I regularly provide valuable and current information to our Home Owner and Civic Associations and all of our business owners on all matters affecting our city, both personal and political, and I work very hard to resolve the issues that you bring to my attention.

I strive to be fully accessible, accountable and responsive to your issues and concerns. Your opinions and thoughts are very important to me and intend to continue to put your concerns ahead of all else. As such, please feel free to contact me at any time by calling 954-445-6997 or by e-mail at: johnsims@bellsouth.net I look forward to hearing from you, so feel free to contact me at any time and for any reason and be sure to keep up with what’s happening in Cooper City at http://www.keepsims.com

John Sims
Cooper City Commissioner, District 1

*Please forward*

The Great Power Grab Caper in Cooper City

The Great Power Grab Caper in Cooper City

That is the title of a document that I received recently in an email. Upon reading I thought it warranted and I agreed to posting it for all Cooper City voters to read. It does raise the concern, “Were the voters of Cooper City in the last ballot change to the city’s charter, hoodwinked into believing that the statement on the ballot was accurate description of the actions to be taken, or were they deceptive and as a result lost a “charter right”, that being the right to approve certain major financial expenditures by the city commission when it exceeded a specific amount?”

One can only assume that there may well be some truth to it and should be viewed by the current sitting commission as an egregious transgression by the previous commission. A quote from a past virulent and outspoken dissident, who has receded into the background and is rarely vocal and then only acting as a surrogate for the Mayor or Commissioner Mallozzi.

“Unity among commissioners should never be an issue. The issue should be five individuals bringing their own independent thoughts and ideas to the people, and doing what’s right for this city, not agreeing with each other just to have a commission group hug. We’ve had enough so called commission(al) harmony, being nothing more than rubber stamp voting. The people demand you represent us, NOT each other.

Also, please don’t claim our finances are strained until a forensic audit is done, and our books are looked into in detail. You might be surprised at what you find, or don’t find.” 

 - [verbatim comments of Diane Sori, Embassy Lakes resident, at a public meeting on citizens’ concerns during a Cooper City Commission meeting.]

To: Coopercityinsider@Blogspot.com

Emailed as Follows; This is the part of the old city charter that was removed in November of 2006 which was not properly described in the ballot items and as a result can only be described as the

The Great Power Grab Caper by the

Elected Officials of Cooper City

Mayor Debbie Eisinger

November 2006

Section 5.15. Requirements for referendum. -- The City of Cooper City may borrow money, contract loans and issue bonds payable from ad valorem taxes and maturing more than twelve months after issue only to finance or refinance capital projects authorized by law and only when approved by a vote of the electors of the city.

(Added to the current Charter) The city shall have full power and authority to issue municipal bonds or to borrow funds [or municipal purposes to the extent authorized by and subject to the limitations provided in the Constitution of the State of Florida, the Municipal Home Rule Law, other applicable statutes and this charter.

(Deleted from the current Cooper City Charter) The purchase or construction of a capital project or facility or the purchase of capital equipment, the cost of which shall exceed seven and one half percent (7.5%) of the then existing current budget as adopted for the fiscal year, and which requires the borrowing of funds by the City or the issuance of bonds to fund such expenditures shall require prior voter approval of a majority of the electors voting at an election.

The referendum requirement of the section shall not apply to capital projects within the water and sewer utility systems of the city. Nor shall it apply to expenditures mandated by federal or state governments.  

Also removed in its entirety, the section noted below of almost 1000 words.

Section 3.13. Initiative, referendum, recall.—

I leave it to you the reader to determine for yourself the following questions;

What is the significance of this?

Were we told of this?
What should be done to restore the voter’s charter rights?

TheCharter changes will be voted upon at this Tuesday night’s meeting in Cooper City. Be there and watch how more of your rights will be stripped by your commissioners elected to represent you, not their best interests…

Your comments are most welcomed.

Cooper City BSO Alert!

An alert US postal carrier contacted BSO after observing 2 suspicious males parked in a driveway & knocking on front doors in Cooper City. Deputies responded & apprehended both subjects. Stolen property from other residential burglaries was also found in the subject’s possession. The location of the apprehension is unknown at this time. BSO reminds you to always be alert and dial 911 to report any suspicious persons or activity.

Cooper City's Breakfast with the Principal's meeting

Good Afternoon, I hope all of you had a great Valentine’s Day! This morning I attended the ‘Breakfast with the Principals’ meeting at City Hall, which was a great event and open to the public (see attached Agenda). The Mayor made introductions and in her opening statements commented on the State Legislature’s lack of attending to the ‘Texting while driving’ issue. Her comments were somewhat that the State did not address the texting issue, which our High School students have lobbied for and the full commission supports, yet the state legislators addressed auto racing, promoting it as the state sport.

Well, I will have to assume at this point that either the State has better things to do than addressing citizen’s texting habits, or quite frankly, they didn’t want to reduce texting revenues, which derives serious money for the state and other governments in the form of utility taxes. Think about it…if the state banned texting, millions upon millions of dollars would probably be lost in revenues to the state. How sad. What’s a life worth? If you look at your phone bill, you’ll see just how much of it is taxes, rather than actual service charges. Was it based on money? Maybe we will never know, but we need to call and write our Legislators and let them know that a life is priceless, and not be ignored in exchange for revenues to the state.

The Charter School millage issue was raised as well as the issue as to why Charter School’s don’t pay property taxes. They don’t pay, even though they are a ‘for-profit’ entity, which is based on state law. So…the Charter Schools utilize the local government’s resources, but they don’t contribute to the cost of them. The costs, police, fire, SRD’s, etc., are placed on the backs of us, the resident taxpayer and local business owner. Sounds like another famous unfunded mandate to the local government for which you pay for. Speaking of unfunded mandates, did you know that the BCSB expends over 2 million of your tax dollars to bus children to schools outside of their residential district?

The discussion then led to the School Board re-districting issue (which can be found here: http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/redistricting/welcome.shtml ) and the upcoming public workshops. I implore you to get involved! Regarding re-districting, let me comment on the issues of the BCSB wanting to change boundaries. It’s not right that the BCSB (Broward County School Board) wants to bus our students out of our schools while there are students in our local A-rated schools who don’t even live near here. Granted, some non-resident students are allowed to attend for various and sundry reasons. I’m talking about those who are deliberately being dishonest, cheating and beating the system to attend our schools to the detriment of our legitimate local residents’ and their children. Cooper City will indeed be impacted by the BCSB’s district changes along with the boundary changes. I have previously sent notices of the boundary change meetings for your review.

Fire Chief Rusty Sievers then announced an upcoming Teen CERT program and asked everyone to get involved. If you want more information on this, contact me. Our building department Director Ted Fowler stated that the Charter School on Palm Avenue will open this year and is scheduled for a March 8th ramp-up.

Matt Wood, Director of Growth Management, stated that in regards to Monterra, 600 Certificates of Occupancy (CO’s) have been issued out of 652 units (30%) for Monterra. There is estimated to be an additional 500 CO’s issued in 2012, and a further 400 estimated to be issued by 2013. This equates to about 500 additional students that will be attending Cooper City schools, based upon the average residents per household criteria.

Moving on to our Utilities Director, Mike Bailey, he reminded us that our water conservation program, now in its third year, has won the Emerald award for Broward County (See attached notice) and that we won the ‘Best tasting Water in the State of Florida’. As always, a job ‘well done’ Mike!

Our school Principal’s then made comments about their individual schools, some of which were as such; Pioneer Middle School was rated the number 2 middle school in Broward County, and number 55 in the State out of 583 schools! YEAH! Embassy Creek was rated number 36 out of about 3000 schools. Congratulations Embassy Creek! Also, Cooper City High School's drama department will be hosting the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ on March 6th & 7th. Contact me for more information if you’d like to attend.

Also, comments were made about the school's Parent/Community Involvement Task Force which consists of about 100 volunteers (Thank you!). The municipal outreach is crucial to our local schools in addition to the 6 sub-committees that were formed. This Tuesday, there will be a workshop at the BCSB building should you wish to tune in on the BCSB website, or attend.

In closing, I’d like to personally thank the Cooper City Kiwanis Club, our local non-profit organizations and our local business owners for becoming involved in the Parent/Community Involvement Task Force.

Also, don’t forget to attend some of our events sponsored by the recreation department as outlined in the attachment, and I look forward to seeing you all on Founder’s Day at the parade on April 28th! Until then, thank you for your continued support and feel free to contact me. Your ‘Go To’ Commissioner, at johnsims@bellsouth.net or at (954) 445-6997. Have a great weekend everyone!

New Year’s Resolutions for Cooper City

New Year’s Resolutions for Cooper City
By John Sims, Cooper City Commissioner

This upcoming year will be about positive change on your behalf. It’s time to take positive action for the well being of our residents and business owners, which means reducing ‘feel good’ spending, eliminating unnecessary assessments and lowering taxes.

I can say for certain that I will continue to work very hard to serve the public and do my very best to be the leader that our residents and business owners rightfully expect. I can also assure you that the commission will work to address the major issues in our city such as retirement, water and sewer issues, ordinances that should not be on the books, etc. There have been many problems over the past that seemingly have not been addressed effectively, timely or appropriately.

Now that we have an ethics ordinance, things will indeed necessitate change. As I see it, there are two steps that need to be taken. First, the commission along with all employees must, more than anyone else, play by the same rules at all times. It is imperative that public officials be independent, impartial and that public office not be used for personal or political gain. If we can’t trust our elected officials, who can we trust? Again, true leadership and trust in government demands integrity, honesty and humility.

We, as a commission, still have major issues to resolve such as the police and fire personnel issues necessary to protect our residents and new developments, water and sewer infrastructure issues, school bussing, Monterra, commission communications and leadership issues along with many others such as resident participation, which is at an all time low.

As a commission, we must implement Management by Objective, improve and maintain the city’s common areas, address unfunded mandates and liabilities, address ten year budget projections, reduce our current spending spree, implement more diverse programs, increase employee morale, improve efficiency and customer service, return our city to the residents and most importantly, restore fiscal responsibility and accountability to public office.

How can we make this happen? We must review every detail of how we do business as a city, and how we lead as elected officials. Emphasis on Open Government must rule. The value we're trying to protect here is public integrity, responsibility and accountability. The idea that we give public service not for the benefit of ourselves, but for the benefit of the public for whom we give service must prevail. I am of firm belief that leadership by example will instill teamwork and respect. Additionally, it will motivate subordinates and those on the Commission to work with enhanced vigilance and commitment toward a common goal.

My main point is this...our city’s leadership team must do the right thing based upon the will of the people even though they individually may have a vested interest in their agenda. We should diligently serve as elected public officials and do exactly that until the last second of our current term in office. The commission needs to make our municipal government more like a business; a problem solver, not a problem creator. Our focus should be combating runaway taxes, skyrocketing and uncontrolled spending along with inefficient, excessive regulation.

Working together with the residents and business owners of Cooper City, the new commission must pledge to bring back integrity, trust, responsibility, communication, commitment and accountability to all areas.

Together, we will all help and continue to make Cooper City truly “Someplace Special.” Along with that New Year’s wish, I wish you all Happy New Year. Be safe…

Visit my website www.keepsims.com or e-mail me for any city concerns at Commissioner_Sims@CooperCityFL.org

Cooper City’s 2012 Fiscal Year Budget - Just the Facts

My recent challenge to my fellow commissioners was “What’s the tough choice in 2011 that you’re going to make in order to make Cooper City better, more efficient and less costly to run?” As you witnessed in our recently approved budget, there were no solid initiatives by my fellow commissioners.

Since 2007 our surplus funds have decreased from 50% of budget to just over 15% next year, due to continued uncontrolled spending. Instead of addressing a city on the verge of bankruptcy in 2013 per a recent city manager’s report, and the auditor, your elected representatives ignored making tough choices in order to make this next fiscal year a priority to maintain basic essential services, reduce taxes, fees and assessments, and improve customer service. The millage increased from 5.0479 mils to 5.0526 mils, yet rather than maintain or reduce your tax burden, the commission has increased it...again.

While Cooper City’s nickname has become ‘the taxing champions’ due to the fact that the city raised your total taxes at a higher percentage than any other government agency, the commission majority have again demonstrated gross fiscal irresponsibility. In fact, taxes for the less expensive homes increased more than the others. This regressive taxation scheme, along with the increased taxable amount due to the increase of the SOH assessment, and the double digit increases in the fire assessment negated the decrease in the debt levy millage.

This increase was a slap in the face of residents who have paid taxes for many years to pay off the debt incurred over the past years due to fiscal irresponsibility under the current Mayor, who viewed this with a glance down the nose at those who are currently facing the ugly prospects of unemployment, rising food and gas prices and those on a fixed income to mention just a few.

Special assessments are growing exponentially. In 20 years, assessments levied by government have tripled, increasing over 170%. This is faster than population growth (25%), inflation (27%), and growth in total personal income (76%). Cities have increased non-ad valorem assessments eight-fold in ten years and Cooper City is currently leading this trend.

As an example, the fire assessment, which we are being sued for, increased over 25% annually over the last 3 years which has hurt our lower income residents more than the others. I believe the assessment was based on a fire study which was flawed and incorrect for many reasons, which I have proven and was ignored. At most, residents should be paying less than $100, yet some city businesses are facing a 270% to 365% increase! Fire assessment collections have gone from $600K to over $1.4M in just 5 years. Currently, BSO is costing us over 65% of our general fund revenues and in 7 years BSO increases will be at 100% of our current general fund revenues.

The Mayor objected to lobbyist fees which have saved the city multi-millions of dollars and will continue to do so in the future, yet won’t address our skyrocketing city attorney fees, yet she falsely accued me of unethical conduct based on a picture of me and the lobbyist at a football game. Guess what Mayor, I don't discuss business at football games, and even if I did, it would be quite alright. The commission has again ignored this uncontrolled increased expense (city attorney) and litigation costs due to long term personal and political relationships that were undisclosed by the Mayor...

It’s past time for the commission to address the issue of actually implementing real solutions in order to reduce costs. The likelihood is that your commission majority will continue to be fiscally irresponsible and support 'feel good' non-essential programs. This may change since 2012 is an election year. My take is that the majority will try every way possible to raise taxes again except telling the candid truth; that the waste franchise fees, fire tax and the huge increases in EMS transport charges are just excuses to raise revenues when the city should be doing everything possible to cut expenses and join the citizens in being more cost efficient.

If you are concerned about the city’s fiscal condition, please forward your concerns to me. I will ensure that the commission continues to hear your voice.