COOPER CITY ATTENDS BROWARD DAYS IN TALLAHASSEE

Issues that matter...

I recently attended ‘Broward Days’ at the state capitol in Tallahassee, along with the entire Commission and the City Manager, which provides a venue for the citizenry and focuses on issues that matter and directly affect all of us at the state legislature. Broward Days hosts monthly meetings and promotes receptions and workshops dealing with appropriations, Sunshine Law, and advocacy in Broward County, and also publishes a magazine distributed throughout Tallahassee and Broward. Broward Days also coordinates the annual two-day state legislative issues forum at the state capitol at Tallahassee, Florida. With less and less tax money coming to the state for supporting health, safety and welfare issues, it's not going to be easy getting anything out of the Florida Legislature this year, especially if it involves any substantial sums of tax dollars.

Broward Days has become a voice to be reckoned with in Tallahassee with teams posturing on positions regarding various legislative issues. Broward Days is the local county organization that melds residents from the business world with those in government and politics, and attempts to present united, bipartisan leadership. Broward Days is one of the largest, most diverse and focused organizations of its kind, with over 600 actively involved participants and sponsors serving as a voice for your valued concerns in Broward County.

Here is the meeting itinerary that I had planned out, and what I accomplished while attending Broward Days this year in Tallahassee...

I arrived on Monday afternoon and after checking in, I greeted Governor Charlie Crist while he was at the Florida Hospital Association press conference, then I took a quick tour of the old Capitol building before they closed.

On Tuesday (3/10), at 10:45 a.m. I met with Joslyn Wilson, Director of Opinions, at Attorney General Bill McCollum’s office regarding public records and open government issues. We had a very lengthy and productive meeting, and clear direction was given to me regarding some of my constituents concerns regarding public records and requests.

At 11:15 a.m. I met with Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink regarding the Cooper City Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR) and Monterra Community Development District Annual Reports. We also had a very productive meeting and clear direction was given to me regarding some of my constituents concerns regarding the CAFR and Monterra financials and issues to address.
At 12:30 p.m. I attended the Buffet Luncheon & Welcome at the Governors Club and was able to privately speak at length with Hon. Senator Jeremy Ring, District 32, State Senate, and Chair of the Broward Legislative Delegation. We then listened to Hon. Bill McCollum, Attorney General of the State of Florida, give a synopsis of the plan of action regarding his fight against child pornography and internet child predators. Attorney General McCollum also highlighted his plan of action on other priorities including developing a statewide gang reduction strategy; consumer protection; combating Medicaid fraud; improving the state’s security against terrorist threats, and fighting crimes against the elderly, especially identity theft.

At 2:00 p.m. I was able to privately speak to Attorney General McCollum at length regarding public records, public records requests, open government initiatives and issues along with his direction on my constituents concerns regarding these issues. I certainly let him know that he has my full and unwavering support on these issues, and his initiatives, particularly the street gang reduction issue, consumer protection and child safety initiatives that he espouses.

At 2:30 p.m. I attended the Panel at the Governors Club on Florida's Economic Recovery. They provided their current assessment & future proposals. In attendance were Karen Woodall, Florida's Center on Fiscal & Economic Policy, Deborah Wilkinson, Broward County Office of Economic Development and Florida Economic Development Council, Mark Wilson, CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce and Harvey Bennett of Florida Tax Watch. Afterwards, I asked lots of questions and received lots of great answers from these individuals regarding your concerns.

At 3:45 p.m. I attended the Panel at the Governors Club on Florida’s Open Government. I was able to subsequently speak at great length to JoAnn Carrin, Director, Office of Open Government, Barbara Petersen, President, First Amendment Foundation and Pat Gleason, Director of Cabinet Affairs & Special Counsel on Open Government. Our discussions were about promoting open government and transparent dealings with all government entities. Also in attendance were Jo Moskowitz (Broward Days Immediate Past Chair) and Stella Tokar (Chair).

At 6:00 p.m. I attended the evening reception featuring Alex Sink, Chief Financial Officer, State of Florida. She discussed the state of the economy and how Florida and it's local and county governments can be fiscally responsible and successful through these tough economic times.

On Wednesday (3/11) I attended the 7:30 a.m. Leadership Breakfast, featuring Governor Charlie Crist at the top floor of the Capitol building. Other speakers and attendees were Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottcamp, Hon. Max Osceola, Seminole Tribe Councilman, Stella Tokar, Jo Moskowitz, Tim Rodriguez, Calvin Giordano, Hon. Franklin Sands, Florida House of Representatives, Dist 98, and Hon. Jeremy Ring, Florida Senate, Dist 32, Sen. Howard Forman, the Executive Director of the Broward League of Cities, Rhonda Calhoun along with the entire Cooper City Commission and Cooper City Manager.

The featured speaker was Hon. Charlie Crist, Governor of the State of Florida. The Governor spoke at length and was very enlightening on issues facing the State of Florida and it's counties regarding the budget. The Governor also spoke on the three 'E's', the Environment, Education and Ethics. I let him know that he has my full support on these initatives.

At 9:30 a.m. I briefly attended the Education Panel on 22nd floor of the Capitol. In attendance were Maggie Zalamea, Director of Government Relations for Broward County Public Schools, Shane Strum, Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Charlie Crist, Alan Stonecipher, Florida's Center for Fiscal & Economic Policy, Joy Frank, General Counsel and Legislative Director for the Florida Association of School District Superintendents and Ruth Melton, Director of Legislative Affairs for the Florida School Boards Association.

At 9:45 I attended the Senate Governmental Affairs Policy Commitee hearing, which concentrated on balancing the budget, fostering economic growth and job creation, lowering the tax burden on families and businesses, restraining or reducing the growth of government, promoting public safety and educational accountability and protecting Florida's natural beauty and resources. The committee also spent a great deal of time discussing government employee's pension plans, retirement benefits and budgeting. The committee also discussed the Open Government Sunset Review Act which requires the Legislature to review every 5 years, each public rcord and meeting exemption for re-enactment. The commettee also talked about the issue of secret ballots when exercising the right to vote.

At 11:00 I attended the presentation SB 2018 by Senator Mike Fasano & Secretary George H. Sheldon of the Department of Children and Family Services, which creates the community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment and Crime Reduction Act. The Act provides goals for the community mental health and substance abuse forensic treatment system and requires the DCFS, in consultation with the AHCA, to develop and implement such forensic treatment system.

At 11:30 a.m. I went to a sponsored Luncheon at Clyde’s & Costello’s, and discussed Secretary Sheldon's initiatives along with other local issues such as Transportation, Technology and Pre K-12 matters with local elected officials from various parts of Broward County and Florida.

From 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. the Senate Select Committee on Economic Recovery had a hearing mostly on repealing tax exemptions. Rather than attend that hearing since other members of the Cooper City Commission attended, I elected to meet with privately with House of Representatives members Joe Gibbons, Ari Porth, Gwendolyn Clarke-Reed, Hazelle Rogers, Evan Jenne and Martin Kiar, Jim Waldman, Ellen Bogdanoff and Sen. Nan Rich between 1:30 and 5 PM. The issues I discussed with them were the Transportation, Technology and Pre K-12 Education initiatives that the Broward Days committees were instrumental in developing.

As a member of the Metropolitan Planning Organization Board, I supported the Transportation team's mission which is to seek legislative solutions to provide the residents and businesses of Broward County, and more importantly the South Florida Tri-County region, with a viable funding source for smart regional transportation facilities. These smart regional transportation facilities will improve the quality of life for the flourishing urbanized South Florida community in a current time of increased Traffic Congestion on the existing transportation facilities.

The mission of the Technology team is to educate Members of the Florida State Legislature on issues of importance to the high-tech industry, and demonstrate the critical role that the high tech industry plays in the health and diversification of Florida's economy. The mission of the Pre-K-12 Education Team is to raise public awareness about the lack of adequate funding for Pre-K-12 public education in the State of Florida and to provide holistic solutions to key policymakers, such as the Governor and State Legislature.

also spent a good deal of time between meetings in the afternoon voicing my opposition to SB 0074 (regarding the use of the Term ‘Illegal Alien’, which prohibits the term's use by a state agency or official in an official document of the state) and meeting with Sen. Lawson, Rep. Coley, Rep. Zapata and Sen. Storms staff voicing my opposition to SB 1488, SB 2292, HB 817 and HB 1477.

All in all, I had a great and safe trip, and I accomplished and learned alot on behalf of the People of the great City of Cooper City, and Broward County. If you have any questions of would like to convey issues to me or your Senate or House Representatives during the current Legislative Session, please let me know.

Cooper City Code Red Alert

CODE RED ALERT

3/12/09, 5 PM EST

This is a Broward Sheriff’s Office, Cooper City information alert.

A series of home burglaries has occurred during the past few weekdays while homeowners are at work.

Burglars are pulling into empty driveways and knocking on front doors to see if anyone is home.

If nobody answers, they smash rear sliding glass doors and enter the home.

Please activate your home alarm system and be extra watchful for suspicious vehicles or persons around homes. If you see suspicious activity, please call 911 immediately so we can respond.

Thank you for working with us in keeping your community secure.

Cooper City population and other facts

The University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research paper, “Florida Estimates of Population 2008” is now published. Based on that study by the University, Cooper City’s 2008 population as of April 1, 2008 is estimated to be at 30,074 people.

The BEBR population study is an estimate, as Cooper City does not qualify to be a part of the actual American Consumer Survey. Cooper City will however will be a very comprehensive part of the 2010 Census from which the city will receive very valuable data from the actual count, along with other very important demographic data. Why is this important? For many reasons...

The U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 2 mandates that an apportionment of representatives among the states, for the House of Representatives, be carried out every ten years. Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 seats in the US House of Representatives among the 50 states. Congress decides the method to carry out the apportionment and since 1940 has used the method of ‘equal proportions’ in accordance with Title 2, US Code.

Using equal portions, each state is assigned one congressional seat as provided by the Constitution. The apportionment formula then allocates the remaining 385 seats, one at a time among the 50 states, until all 435 seats are assigned. In addition to apportionment, the decennial census results are used to distribute almost $200 billion annually in Federal and state, local, and tribal funds; deliniate state legislative districts; evaluate the success of programs or identify populations in need of services, along with many other purposes.

More than 120 federal programs use census data in funding formulas. Examples include WIC, Unemployment Insurance, Job Training Partnership Act, Airport Improvement Act, Highway Planning and Construction, Head Start, Medicaid, and so on. The data collected by the Census is needed to administer, fund and/or monitor these taxpayer funded programs.

While the federal government uses census data for many purposes, businesses, students, and many others also user census data. Businesses may use the data to decide where to locate a store, or to select products for a specific geographical area. From the large corporation considering opening a new facility in a specific neighborhood to John or Jane Doe next door who dreams of starting his or her own business, both need census data to make their decisions.

Census data tells them if an area can supply the customers or clients they need for their product or service. It tells them if the area can supply the workforce they need. It gives them information about the area--is it growing, stable or declining, and how has it changed over the past decade? It gives them a good idea of location.

When making a decision to open a business, there are many demographic characteristics to review-- population by age and possibly by gender or ethnicity, income levels, commuter patterns, educational attainment, nativity, occupations and industries.

Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Organizations and Small Business Development Centers all rely on this data to draw business to an area and help individuals start their own businesses. Combined with Economic Census data, it is powerful.

Students research neighborhoods and cities for class projects and the local parent-teacher organization may use data to track trends in the local area. Historians, writers, and other researchers use census data to get information on what a part of the the country was like at a particular point in time.

All levels of government--national, state and local--use census data in the formulation, administration and evaluation of public policy. The census gives a comprehensive picture of the social and living conditions of our residents. Only a census can provide such complete details. The census is not, however, an end in itself! Rather, the results are essential tools for effective policy, planning and decision making purposes at all levels of government, along with your valued input. Local governments use it to determine if schools have sufficient space or if the tax-base is shifting, or if the area becomes a bedroom community for commuters working elsewhere.
Planners look at demographic, social, economic and housing trends over time to determine changes and their impact. They can then plan and prepare for the future. This would include whether new schools are needed, land use, parks and recreation areas, public services, roads, traffic lights, transit, grants, and comprehensive plans. Virtually every census data item is of use. Planners cannot prepare for the future, without looking at today and comparing it to the past.

In the meantime, here are some other interesting extractions from the BEBR report; Cooper City is the 20th largest city by population of the 32 municipalities in Broward County. Cooper City is the 83rd largest city by population amongst the entire state, and Cooper City has a larger population than 18 counties in Florida.

As far as the upcoming mid-year review of the budget and city operations, my cautious outlook and approach to what we need to do to get this city back on track (such as the Land Development Code re-write/review) just might prove to be indicative of far more than what we see on the surface as to what is going on in our city.

What I'm beginning to see, and what I've said to my constituents in a positive, tempered and realistic assessment of our economic situation is this...while things continue to be as bad as we have ever seen them, the precursors to the end of this decline should now be taking shape by the city commission, and now is the time to plan to take advantage of it as it comes about.

All of which gives me great confidence as a leader of our city, via my recognition of these factors coming into play at this time. With experience and knowledge of how the budget really looks, how the process works, and the players that facilitate it, I am already working to create a plan to utilize those funds and prepare our city for the new directions and opportunities that ARE coming with the end of this economic decline. We just cannot be caught into the trap of spending what we have for unnecessary projects and operations expenses.

There is a light at the end of this tunnel...and it's not another train as some would like you to believe. What I see in that light is a new attitude, new direction and new opportunities for all of us to capitalize upon. All it takes is teamwork by the full commission and staff.

Cooper City Planning and Zoning Board Appointment

I would like to proudly announce my appointment of Reverend Bob Sands to the Cooper City Planning and Zoning Board. Please welcome him, as he is an invaluable resource, wealth of knowledge, and a great person! Rev. Sands will indeed be a great asset to the operations and recommendations of the Board. Welcome Bob!

Saving Water in Cooper City, and lowering your bill!

Understanding where and how much water your Cooper City household consumes is the first step in beginning to conserve one of our most precious resources and lowering your water bill. This simple home water usage calculator will allow you to track your household water consumption for both indoor and outdoor use.

After calculating your estimated water usage, you can start to conserve in ways that work best with your lifestyle and in ways that will help you save money on your water bill and help Cooper City conserve our most precious resource.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about your estimated usage of household water. With this knowledge, you will be able to start conserving water in your home in ways you never thought about.

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW TIERED WATER RATES TO PROMOTE CONSERVATION
If you have any questions on the new tiered rates please contact the Cooper City Customer Service Office at 954-434-4300.

HELP SAVE WATER COOPER CITY!

DISCLAIMER: For estimate usage purposes only! Not to be used to calculate your previous, current or future water bill!

It's Time to Set Real Priorities in Cooper City

It's time that we set real priorities for 2009 in Cooper City, particularly in response to the latest economical issues that we all face. We, the Cooper City Commission, need to be using our moral values, beliefs, vision and strategy as a guide to establish and address the priority issues for the coming year, and implement the Commission's priorities that were collectively adopted approximately seven months ago.

We, along with Staff, must immediately establish a complete and detailed set of strategic priorities, measures, goals and initiatives, along with action plans and contingencies, milestones, resources requirements, and timelines - built upon a sound end result and designed to realize our collective vision. This enactment will indeed be a successful foundation and business plan on behalf of the residents and business owners of the city.

Amongst the issues we must address are the budget, along with standard business practices such as ‘product’ development, market penetration, revenue and profit, customer satisfaction, technology implementation and product quality, intellectual capital, increased productivity, strategic relationships, new customer growth, geographic issues, employee issues, and community/area impact.

These are the issues that now face the future operation of our city government, your government, not a government beholden to a few, or those at city hall. 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. The City must tighten their belt like all of us have had to do in our private and business lives in order to succeed, without unnecessarily raising your taxes.

With many serious issues facing our city, business owners and residents alike, I sincerely hope that the City Commission transcends their clique mentality, takes a striking leadership role, and engages the whole Commission to move the city on to a more positive path. Making sound decisions in response to a problem or event is occasionally difficult to do without allowing personal agenda to intercede, but doing so is good business practice and engenders good public relations.

Indications are that the current economic climate may not improve for quite some time. Doing the things mentioned herein will help Cooper City as a community to prosper in these hard times. As Max Robespierre said "One can't expect to make an omelet without breaking eggs", similar to the fact that it takes thousands of people to make a pencil go from a forest to a desktop. As such, a little cooperation goes a long way toward success.

Home values in Cooper City, among other things...

According to the latest Zillow Real Estate Market Reports, home values in Cooper City decreased -20.60% in the third quarter of 2008, compared to the third quarter of 2007. Nationally, home values decreased -9.7% during this same period. U.S. home values continued to slide for the seventh consecutive quarter, declining 9.7 percent from a year ago, and falling 12.8 percent since the market peak in 2006.

This is also the first quarter that a significant number of markets show flat or negative five-year annualized change. Additionally, one-third of homes sold in the past 12 months sold for a loss, and 14.3 percent of all homeowners have negative equity.

This report highlights that the current national crisis is affecting our Cooper City residents regarding their home values more than it is affecting the nation as a whole.

As such, I believe that it is incumbent upon my fellow commissioners and city staff to economize to the maximum extent that is prudent, not to stick to a budget that increases the cities expenditures by 18.5%, including numerous "nice to do" and pork barrel projects. Things like a 150% increase in the item for the city's anniversary seem beyond the pale in spending for items that have no true need for such an increase and are largely for show and tell. This is a small item, but it is symptomatic and a mere example of a budget that contains a lot of "wish list" items that included $250K for a records building, $900K for subsidies for water conservation, a code re-write to the tune of $300K to $500K by the time its all said and done.

This is not the year to indulge desires and personal agenda's, but rather the real needs of the city. It is also becoming clear that there is also more bad news on the way for the city and its residents...

1. The large losses in the city's pension funds will have to be made up, largely from the tax payers and those using city services, along with our reserves. So far, the new commission has done nothing to even recognize and face the problem, let alone to develop a short and long term plan to resolve the apparent problem. Pensions and benefit solutions are not easy, but ignoring it simply makes it worse. The commission recently appointed a few so called 'experts' to the Pension Fund Board. Where are they and what are their specific plans of action? Nary a word has come from the Pension Board.

2. The "recovery" and build-out of Monterra will be further delayed. Even when it begins to build out again, those 1,700 new residences will be a drag on the value of all other existing residences in Cooper City. This means either a further decline in existing home values, or a much longer time for existing homeowners to recover some of the declines they have experienced. That is, those 1,700 new homes will not help the average existing resident at all for many years to come. Quite the opposite...

Regarding the future homeowners in Monterra, the special development district has been increasing their borrowing that is to be repaid, not by the developers, but by the future homeowners. As the build-out is extended the interest charges climb, accrue and the future burdens (special annual assessments) get to be bigger and bigger. This will increase the overage cost of home ownership in Cooper City and decrease the economic attractiveness of our community. One can believe that those new homeowners will look to the city to provide funds to help mitigate their burden in one form or another---that is the other 10,000 owners of existing residences.

The state Governor, legislature and the people have voted to reduce the burden of local and state taxes and fees on all Floridians and the residents of Cooper City. They rather obviously want the governments to spend less money in total, be more efficient, and cut out the waste and pork barrel largess going to special interests and their lobbyists.

The response of many governments has been, on the contrary, to hike fees and other assessments. This has happened in Cooper City. Some of our elected officials and staff just do not seem to want to do what the people, on the whole, want them to do. Therefore, we have the 18.5% increases in the city budget at a time where doing so is simply unconscionable.

It is past time for the commission to start going over the 2009, budget part-by-part, line-by-line, with an approach that says: If you cannot justify your request with an objective benefit to cost evaluation, then the item will be held to an amount for 2009 that is 1% les than the rate of inflation. I will expect the city staff to obtain 1% efficiency improvements as being well within the abilities of competent professionals.

Cooper City Economics

I continue to be struck by the relevance of Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson even though it was published over sixty years ago. Hazlitt pulls no punches from the outset, reminding us that "Economics is haunted by more fallacies than any other study known to man." As we have seen, the human costs of these fallacies are massive. The 'Lesson' Mr. Hazlitt teaches continues to be timeless. If we are going to evaluate policies, whether they are policies enacted by governments, corporations, institutions, or individuals, then we have to look at how those policies affect everyone, not just favored constituencies or select, special interest groups.

The recent severe financial crisis and resulting worldwide economic recession that has been forecasted for years is finally unleashing it fury upon us. State tax collections are at their weakest level in years and one key revenue source, sales taxes, are showing no growth in the first three quarters of 2008. Continued slowing in the economy, especially as of late, means further declines in tax incomes can be expected. The result is that our city leaders who have just completed action on 2008-09 fiscal plans are likely to face the need to make budget cuts and major adjustments in the short months ahead.

States and local governments have been squeezed from several sides in recent years. Fiscal savings from falling welfare caseloads are much smaller now, so there’s less money for states and municipalities to shift over to services. Federal grants have been falling, and non-health, welfare and safety services will be further strained by the recent growth in those non-essential expenditures. Recent weaknesses in state and local tax revenues are definitely creating new pressures to cut spending right here in our city.

Public and publicly induced private investments have provided fuel for neighborhood-level development, enabling community-based activity to go to scale. Flexible federal and local dollars, generally in the form of tax credits and block grants, together with federal regulations prodding banks to lend, have previously contributed to a significant flow of capital available for community development, but no longer.

We will have to soon deal with hard truths and tough choices if we are to responsibly deal with local reforms. Nationwide, there are over 18 million state and local public employees, making up 14 percent of the nation's total work force. These employees do much of the real world of domestic governance. We literally could not live without them, yet that 14 percent of our national workforce are actually dependent on your hard earned tax dollars. They provide our water, collect our trash, vaccinate our children, police our communities, and administer traffic safety, airports, and the systems we need to communicate with each other.

They do much of the teaching, training, and counseling in our public schools, universities, and community colleges to prepare our children for fulfilling careers. They are responsible for environmental clean-up and protection programs. They design and carry out programs to lift our most needy out of poverty and into jobs and housing. They operate the hospitals that are the last hope of the uninsured. They staff most of our prisons, as well as our court system.

Not a day passes during which their work does not touch and shape our every day lives. Yet, there is a growing consensus among both citizens and public officials that state and local institutions of government need to drastically improve their efficiency, reduce their capacity and improve performance if we are to meet the challenges of our rapidly changing economic and social systems.

Any new cuts in social services or assistance will be imposed on spending levels already below where they were several years ago. Several shifts in recent years in the relationships between fiscal capacity and city expenditures for unnecessary ‘feel good’ programs have hampered our ability to provide for necessary services without raising taxes or going into debt. This year’s deficit is $1.6 Million dollars of your hard earned wages and income, yet I still espouse that we should have begun this new fiscal year with a zero-based budget, as I always have.

Making the tax system in our city more responsive to economic growth is a high priority for us all. It is good policy to have a relatively balanced system with significant reliance on a variety of taxes and methods of taxation for several reasons. Six of the most important tax revenue schemes that Cooper City is likely to focus on in the near future are: 1) making our tax system more responsive to the immediate lack of local economic growth; 2) broadening our options in relation to local tax bases; 3) making the local tax system more balanced between residents and businesses; 4) paying more attention to how our local tax burdens are distributed; 5) giving local government departments more revenue options, and; 6) employing additional user fees and charges in appropriate contexts when dealing with local government ‘non-essential’ services.

The dilemma facing Ben Bernanke and his Federal Reserve Board, as well as the other central banks (beginning with the European Central Bank), is not at all comfortable. For years they have shirked their fiduciary responsibility, and now they find themselves in a blind alley that will definitely affect each and every one of us. They can either allow the recessionary process to begin now, and with it the healthy and painful readjustment or they can procrastinate with a "hair of the dog" cure. With the latter, the chances of even more severe ‘stagflation’ in the not-too-distant future will increase exponentially.

As someone recently stated on a financial blog, “Even as government races to fix the financial crisis, it still makes time for the more mundane tasks that serve its constituents. To that end, my township trustees recently approved October 31 as Beggar's Night. So while I struggle to explain the credit crunch to my children, I can send them off to dream of costumes and candy, all thanks to government.”

Now is the time for courageous leadership, not politics as usual. Now is the time for empowered public servants, an engaged citizenry, and new ideas. I believe that the path to a high performance government based on the trust and lead strategy is clear: Give the city leaders the authority to act and keep petty politics out of the issues we now must be forced to face. We must engage citizens in the business of government without personal agendas, while at the same time encouraging them to be partners in the problem-solving process, not ignoring them or allowing them to become victims of government. This can be accomplished by removing the barriers to a stronger leadership from the Commission, a lean, responsive government, a high performance work force, and also removing the barriers to fiscal responsibility, along with the uncertainties, and a previously mentioned responsive citizenry.

I believe that all of us in Cooper City can benefit from a close look at how we frustrate high performance. We will soon find that ‘piecemeal change’ will not produce the brand of reform that is now necessary to get us back on a solid financial track. Too many governments, especially ours, have scattered authority among too many other non-local officials, boards, and authorities. The city council needs to set broad policy in concert with department officers and then put that policy to work. That means avoiding the tendency on the part of staff to parcel out executive-level proposals to a patchwork of committees and various special interests and consultants. You can delegate the decision, but you certainly can’t delegate the responsibility.

I echo and reinforce what many residents have been saying for some time now: To affect real reform, the structures and systems that underpin our local city government must adapt. Internal bureaucracies need to be de-layered so that the front line is in touch with upper-level management. Personnel, procurement, and budget systems need to be amended so that those tasks are not filtered through myriad layers of management or subverted by reams of rules.

The role of our public employees in pursuing future commission policy cannot be overstated. They need to be both encouraged and challenged. Those employees who no longer care about challenging their daily work or accomplishing something worthwhile should (and will be forced to) leave; those who still want to make a difference must develop and broaden their skills. Far too many of our front-line employees have spent their entire proud careers learning narrow specialties that no longer serve the public well.

Far too many managers are still stuck in the micromanagement mindset that substitutes for the mentoring, coaching, and team-building that our front-line employees need. Given a chance to participate, those front-line employees have to be ready to take up the challenge, wear many hats, and share their ideas. In turn, their managers need to listen to them and to trust them to accomplish agreed-upon goals in the way they think best, and to lead them by coaching and championing, not by politics of dictation and discipline.

Ours is a frank and urgent call for change in the nature of these relationships. How they evolve in the months and years to come will offer Cooper City a choice between two quite different futures. The first is mired in the hidebound, outmoded ways of doing business that too often get encrusted in our governmental institutions. The second emphasizes leadership and trust on a basis that I believe is fully appropriate to a strong constitutional republic and a trustworthy local government.

Achieving a higher performance level will not be easy. Comprehensive reform never is. The temptation will always be toward tinkering with the process, making safe and small-scale adjustments, escalating turf protection and continuing with politics as usual. After all, some on the commission have been recently asking for all of the stakeholders in local public service to give up something, and to take on more responsibility in return. Yet, I firmly believe that whatever any one group gives up, it will receive much more in return. I also believe that if all the various interest groups view this mindset in terms of one broad quid pro quo, positive momentum for comprehensive action will be automatically created.

If we don’t act now, the result from a stand-firm approach that allows elected officials, public servants, and some ill-informed citizens to hide from the kinds of tough choices that would infuse new energy and purpose into public service, would force nonresponsive bureaucracies into the forefront of “no apparent change”. I have a deep disappointment in the way that the city commission and city staff have handled themselves in regards to the budget, both past and present. I just want to make it very, very clear that I see myself as a minority on the dais who will continue to be increasingly responsible to our residents and business owners regarding the way we spend their hard earned money.

The Dangers of Going Green...In Cooper City

Cooper City has a new 'Green Advisory Board'. It's purpose, among others, is to provide recommendations for improving cost saving measures and energy efficiency for city owned facilities. The Board's duties also incude research and recommending the implementation of rules and regulations regarding the subject-matter, if and when required.

Green building is a growing trend across the country. Eco-friendly homes are being built with recycled wood, solar panels and energy efficient appliances -- but what is healthy for the environment could hide a growing problem in its walls.

Amanda Keating is glowing about her new green home. "I’m really proud to live here, and I like to show off." But before you build green, you need to know that if you don’t build these eco-friendly homes right -- you could be facing a costly problem.

"You can very quickly get into mold, rot and corrosion kinds of problems," said Roger Morse, a green home consultant with Morse Zehnter Associates in Troy, N.Y.

Morse says knowing where and how to go green is important. "Materials that are recycled, which take in water much easier than natural materials, end up in a place where they absorb water," he said. Industrial hygienists who often solve mold problems say the materials most at risk for mold include recycled wood, oriented strand board and paper. The more recycled it is, the more risk of being damaged by water.

Keating’s home is mold free -- since she used protected recycled wood for walls. She also used 40 percent more insulation than code, which cost about $5 thousand extra. Keating says her choice is paying off. "I was pleasantly surprised by how much the house was appraised for," Keating said. Building green increased the value of her home by 10 to 15 percent.

Mold, Rot and Corrosion can be increased drastically by recycled materials as they take in water more easily than natural materials. Mold's good side is that Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin by accident in London in 1928 when he left plates of bacteria cultures unwashed in his lab for several weeks. When he returned, he found that mold had grown on one of the plates, and the bacteria were not growing around it.

Difficult solutions exist yet recycling is an excellent concept, but we often waste more precious and costly energy reprocessing our recyclables than we gain, creating more greenhouse gasses and defeating the purpose of 'going green'.

Furthermore, to date, no one has found a cost-effective means of recycling used food containers into new food containers. More efficient processes will bring us closer to the goal of not wasting our resources.

Although there is a demand for recycled bottle-grade plastic, the high cost of cleaning post-consumer beverage bottles, strict FDA requirements, and outmoded technology have favored the use of virgin plastic instead of recycled in the manufacturing of beverage bottles. Instead, most beverage bottles collected for recycling are reprocessed into non-food products such as fiber and strapping.

We must also consider and address the exceptionally high Mercury content of those cost effective flourescent light bulbs. Now, if only they made one that works on a standard dimmer switch...

Learn more about the dangers of 'going green HERE and HERE.
www.ivanhoe.com/science Used with permission

Cooper City FY '09 Budget Synopsis

While we all are a bit down on free markets this week, and as we hear local governments complain about tight budgets, the case for lower taxes and limits on new government programs still makes sense for all levels of government, particularly at the local level. Officials close parks because it's easier than fighting fraud, unable to say no to unsustainable pension plans for their employee/supporters or choosing to fire their overpaid friends, thinking it will provoke a backlash of folks screaming for higher taxes....yes, that is how out of touch our 'leaders' are these days.

It really is simple. The taxpayers must make them hold the line on spending as next year’s budget deficit will be much larger, and make no mistake about it, we will have to look at real cuts right here in Cooper City. The problem is exemplified when only 4 of our constituents showed up at the final budget hearing and only three objected to the excessive and unnecessary planned spending. Yikes!

Has any critical review determined that a park, teen egg hunt, mommy-son/daddy-daughter day or any of the other 'fun' programs, paid for by your hard earned tax dollars, constitutes a "valid municipal purpose," one that promotes the health, safety and welfare of the city? It’s not a question of how much it costs (it really is very minimal) or why Cooper City' s 'fun programs' exist, or why they may make Cooper City “Someplace Special” or why we intend to keep it that way. I believe it is a flawed opinion by a misguided commissioner and a department director that state that these types of services are for a 'valid municipal purpose'.

It truly makes me question the priorities of this Commission and staff, that our previous city manager strenuously reminded each of us about. And, it is most definitely a question of priorities. Is there is any doubt that these programs do not promote the health and welfare of the city, are not directly related to a valid municipal purpose and that there is no doubt the provisions of those programs are not in any way related to a municipal purpose? Are they rationally related to the health, morals, protection and the financial welfare of this municipality?

Maybe a certain commissioner along with some employees should stick to other ways of justifying the haphazard utilization of very hard earned tax dollars, not utilizing flawed arguments and ad hominem attacks to justify their fundamental lack of knowledge of the ‘how and why' government exists.

I was also somewhat dismayed at the waste of valuable time and taxpayer’s money at the budget hearings, particularly the excessive time spent to entice a department director to facilitate an opinion and to join in a fallacious attack on me (subsequently along with a prominent resident) which had nothing to do with the logical merits of my arguments or assertions that directly related to our next budget. Yet, that director can't seem to get a handle on sub-par performance by a contractor.

I suppose he was too busy supporting the attack and justifying a flawed position rather than finding out how to correct poor performance or how to terminate the 'contract' for nonfeasance. Any future contract with the city should have a cancellation provision or two for non-performance and/or poor performance of contracted work. Yet, it should be clear to all that the purpose of the characterization offered was to discredit my offering of logical arguments, and specifically, to invite others to gang up and discount my arguments regarding the prioritization of how we must begin to implement new ways in which we spend the taxpayers' dollars.

I believe that it is irresponsible fiscal management to pursue such 'fun' things and new programs until we can assess our financial state in more comprehensive terms. There may be a questionable degree of integrity here, and I believe there still may be a hidden agenda. This is why I believe that my motion to order a forensic audit (at a very miniscule cost) should have been supported in order that we would all know exactly where we stand at this point. No second was even offered yet the rumor was that others on the dais wanted the same opportunity.

This is the first time that this city commission has faced a deficit and has chosen to tap into reserve funds in a very, very long time. The current commission and manager didn’t create the problem but were compelled to address it. I am not yet convinced or quite sure that increased tax dollars spent on landscaping, new park equipment, grand parties for founder’s day, increased mowing and tree trimming and all of the ‘fun’ stuff, along with new programs, are the answer to our future financial stability and success.

My priorities for this budget year were the big ticket items; abolition of the 'records building' at the cost of a quarter-million dollars, a three-hundred thousand plus dollar water conservation program, at least four automatic contract renewals to the tune of multi-millions of dollars and a 'code re-write' at the potential cost of up to one-half million dollars, among others.

A preliminary search & review of the minutes of the P&Z since January 2007 reveal the following: Since Jan of 2007 P&Z has only had to address 10 variances. How many came before the Commission are unknown because that information is for some reason not readily available. Most of the variances that came before the P&Z are minor in terms of the magnitude of the requested change. The amounts of variances have been trivial except for the Chevron station.

It sounds as though $350k + (more like $500K before it’s all over and done with as stated previously) to rewrite the many ordinances involving zoning or other minor issues, including any barber pole colors or design, seems totally unjustified. What I would like to know is, why didn’t staff do an analysis and a complete justification on this matter before recently asking us to approve this matter and place it on the budget agenda? How many of the ten items for a variance were brought before the Commission?

I would also like to know why P&Z cannot handle this issue, particularly when it consists of land use attorneys, litigation attorneys, ex-commissioners and others, including seasoned staff, who are fully capable of addressing this particular issue on an as needed basis, along with one of the biggest law firms in the county, if not the state, Weiss-Serota now working for us! They even state that they have 'decades of collective experience' in the constantly evolving area of land use and zoning law.

They further espouse that 'As counsel to local government entities, [their] attorneys possess knowledge of the local government planning and zoning process. Their work includes the drafting and preparation of state mandated comprehensive land use plans and land development regulations, as well as the representation of boards and commissions considering development decisions within a wide variety of local government environments.'

If P&Z cannot handle this germane and seemingly trivial and non-invasive issue as far as workload goes, this commission needs to immediately and seriously look at re-appointing members of the P&Z board who can indeed handle the issues. I would like to have kept the money in reserves and direct the Manager to do his homework and come back to us with full and complete justification for spending upwards of up to a half million dollars if not more. Now I tend to really wonder why they were hired, being touted as the best available and how much research was (claimed to have been) done, and here we are not taking full advantage of a fully capable in-house counsellor/contractor on this subject matter. Again, priorities are not apparently a concern, and there are definitely personal agendas involved here.

One question posed by me was 'Is the proposed budget consistent with the Commission's recent goals and objectives?' I think not...yet I am happy that the manager chose to support my contention that all contracts should be send out for bid under an RFP process. Not only are we more likely to get the best mix of quality and price, but the residents can have more faith that the commission and administration are conducting city business and spending our money efficiently and honestly. The process will also better enable Cooper City residents and businesses a full opportunity to bid.

I also believe that we have businesses in Cooper City that can provide these services. If they are competitive, I would feel much better about our own residents and business owners getting the work that is paid for by Cooper City taxes. There has been a lot of rhetoric at commission meetings about supporting Cooper City businesses, entrepreneurs and working folks. It is time to put our money where our mouth is. There is no guarantee, of course, that businesses in town would win the bids on price and/or quality evaluations. However, providing a 120 day bid period would provide for sufficient notice and time for local people to compete.

Cooper City, its commission, employees and residents need to be ahead of the curve regarding the current economic situation and how it directly affects our great city. We should be way ahead of the situation, not lagging behind and spending every dime we have, and then some. There should exist very clear objectives and checkpoints, every 90 days or so, in order to be apprised of the real time costs, and we must take action where and if appropriate.

Governments should seek ways to cross-train employees, or seek other efficiencies to compensate for the loss of revenues instead of raising fees and taxes. In any event, local governments have few other options, and they should be doing everything possible to cut expenses.

In closing, I fully agree with a comment at the 8-14-08 P&Z meeting which stated, "Everybody is feeling the crunch and you [the current commission] are spending our money like it is yours and not ours, it’s ours." My feeling is that it's too bad that this person didn't attend the budget hearings, or contact me in order to voice his concerns...

Cooper City Strategic Issues and Project Goals for 2008-09

Cooper City Strategic Issues and Project Goals for FY 2008-2009

The Cooper City Commission met on July 24th in a 'goal setting workshop' to discuss strategic issues in regards to the future of the city and its Strategic Plan. These are long term issues for which either a discussion opportunity for the Commission will be scheduled or which staff will prepare a recommendation for Commission consideration or possible future action.

The full Commission, senior staff and directors participated in the workshop and agreed on the following priority issues for Commission discussion:

1. Community safety
2. Ensuring that the distinctive features of the City are retained

The Commission, senior staff and directors agreed on the following issues approved for Commission discussion:

1. A strategy for Monterra
2. Support and expansion of the business community
3. Promotion and support of the community schools
4. Balancing efficiency and effectiveness to ensure quality services are provided at reasonable cost.
5. Management and measurement systems such as Management by Objectives, Workload Measures, etc?

The Commission, senior staff and directors agreed on the following issues to be assigned to staff for initial planning:

1. Community and public engagement
2. Measures to assess our progress and impact
3. Redevelopment
4. Common transportation (public or privately operated)
5. Maintaining and developing infrastructure
6. Naming rights for public facilities
7. Bike paths/greenways
8. Internal communications
9. Employee outsourcing

The Commission, senior staff and directors participated in the workshop and agreed on the following priority goals:

1. Establish Cooper City Marketing Committee
2. Establish cameras as red light

The Commission, senior staff and directors agreed on the following endorsed goals:

1. Update Hurricane preparedness plan
2. Review needs for city equipment
3. Improve web-cast capacity
4. Report to community on status of school facility plans
5. Hold meetings with HOA directors
6. Review car take-home policy
7. Examine increase in user fees for recreation
8. Revise citizen survey

The Commission, senior staff and directors agreed on the following discussions to be scheduled at a city public presentation, workshop or meeting:

1. Senior Advisory Group
2. Utility Advisory Council
3. Outsourcing options for internal services

If there are any ideas and comments that you may have in regards to these issues, feel free to contact me and convey them so that I, along with the rest of the Commission, can formulate a successful plan to implement these goals and objectives.

When a Tax is not called a Tax in Cooper City...

When a tax is not called a tax in Cooper City...

Municipal budgets are shrinking rapidly and money is getting really tight at all levels of government. While it's no secret to savvy residents and smart Commissioners, some wonder how the city can keep up its spending habits on non-health, safety and welfare issues without eventually becoming bankrupt. In response to this immediate and legitimate challenge, municipalities like Cooper City are going to be soon looking for new, imaginative ways to finance municipal services, including that of extra feel good programs along with necessities such as police protection. One of the options that were addressed by one commissioner is the imposition of a ‘special assessment’ relating to police and ‘crime’ services.

Commissioner Lisa Mallozzi (Dist.2) has asked about the possibility of imposing a law enforcement assessment. The Commissioner is on the Broward League of Cities Sustainability Transportation sub-committee that meets later this month and would apparently like this to become a legislative agenda issue, apparently statewide. Specifically, she asked for a definition of what would constitute a property crime. Apparently, the purpose would be to determine the proportionate amount that those crimes are of the total crimes to be the basis for the development of a law enforcement special assessment. The interim City Manager has asked the City Attorney and the BSO Commander to develop that information. The attorney stated that any property that is impacted by the crime would be improved real property and the crimes would likely be burglary, criminal mischief, etc.

It sounds like the Commissioner is talking to the wrong people; other politicians in government, and not her constituents. My immediate response was that "We already have an assessment in place. It's called TAXES!" This is nothing but a ploy by some municipalities, and now a Cooper City Commissioner, to double tax and to that end we must not follow. It is improper by any means. Any special assessment tax would also require enabling legislation to authorize it by the Florida legislature that finds that such services would yield a special benefit to real property.

A special assessment is a term used in to designate a unique charge that the government can assess against real property parcels for certain public projects. The most universally known special assessments are charges levied against lands when drinking water lines are installed; when sewer lines are installed; or when streets are paved. A special assessment may only be levied against parcels of real estate which have been identified as having received a direct and unique "benefit" from the project.

While this type of assessment holds some merit for certain municipal services, it should be equated with simply imposing an additional and somewhat unnecessary tax. In fact, a law enforcement special assessment has been deemed unlawful because those services provide no special benefit to real property. See this opinion by the State Attorney General.

The test for determining whether a special benefit is bestowed to real property is not whether the services confer a ‘unique benefit’ or are different from the benefit provided to the community as a whole. Rather, the test is whether there is a ‘logical relationship’ between the services provided and any direct benefit to real property. Only certain real property can be specially assessed. The "property" to be assessed must be real estate as opposed to "personalty". Personalty is a taxation term which means personal property.

Special assessment levies are not ad valorem property taxes even though they may be collected on a property tax bill. A special assessment is based strictly upon the concepts of "need" and "benefit." Special assessments must confer a specific and special benefit upon the real property affected by the assessment. A special assessment is like a tax in that it's an enforced payment from the real property owner and may possess other benefits similar to a general tax. However, it is entirely different and governed by entirely different principles. It is imposed under the theory that the portion of the community required to bear it receives some special or outstanding benefit in the enhancement of value to the property against which it is imposed as a result of the improvements made with the proceeds of the special assessment. This equates to the fact that if you do not pay the special 'tax', they can sell your house on the courthouse steps.

I think that if something waddles like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's more than likely a duck. In simple, plain English, if it seems like a tax, it probably is a tax (of some sort, just by another name). However, there is an important distinction between special assessments and taxes. A legally imposed special assessment is not really a tax per se looking at it from a legal sense. While the payment of both taxes and special assessments is actually deemed mandatory like property taxes, there is not a requirement that general taxes provide specific benefits to the property. Instead, they are levied throughout the city for the general benefit of residents, business owners and real property.

The City of North Lauderdale attempted to impose a special assessment on owners of property for the purpose of providing an "integrated fire-rescue program." The city created an ordinance that would fund the cost of an integrated fire, rescue and emergency medical service program through a special assessment tax levied on all property owners in the city. A group of commercial property owners sued the city in opposition to the tax and the case of City of North Lauderdale v. SMM Properties, Inc., wound up in the Florida Supreme Court.

The property owners agreed that a portion of the special assessment that provided services imposed a special benefit on their properties and did not oppose it. However, they sued on a portion of the special assessment which was deemed as improper because their properties were not deriving any special benefit from the services. They argued that the assessment provided a service to all citizens in the city.

It appeared that the city had a good case regarding the commission’s support of the special assessment. Another Florida case, Lake County v. Water Oak Management Corp., 695 So. 2d 667 (Fla. 1997), delineated a two-pronged test to be used in reviewing the validity of any special assessments. The first prong was whether or not the services at issue provided a special benefit to the assessed property. The second prong was whether or not the assessment for the services was a properly apportioned tax. In the City of North Lauderdale case, there was not an issue as to the apportionment of the assessment. The only issue to be reviewed by the court was the determination of whether the services provided a ‘special benefit’ to the property.

In the Lake County case, the court upheld a special assessment imposed for fire protection services that was correctly opined by the 5th District Court of Appeal in Case No. 94-2729. The City of North Lauderdale said that Lake County's fire-rescue program was similar to its own as both programs were funding more than just fire protection and suppression services.

The property owners argued that Lake County's program was limited and did not confer a special benefit. The opponents further argued that the assessment was paying for a function provided by employees as part of their normal duties, the property owners in Lake County were really only paying for the normal services, and the special assessment in Lake County did not assess property owners for services outside the employee’s regular job duties. The court looked at the differences between the Lake County program and the North Lauderdale program. Having made a determination, the court then went on to ruling whether the assessment met the first prong of the test by providing a special benefit to the assessed property.

The city went on record to say that their services would enhance the use of property in the city. This, in turn, would enhance the value of the property, and this enhanced value could be anticipated to be reflected in the real estate tax charge for value of the property.

The court disagreed, finding that the service was not a special benefit to the property. The court noted that services benefit people, not property. The court ruled that the city's opinion that the assessment conferred a special benefit on property was frivolous and had the indication of a tax because it was proposed to support many of the general sovereign functions of a general tax.

The court said that the city made comments its ordinance that there was a 'special benefit' to the assessed properties but stated that there was nothing in the record to support these assumptions by the city. There was no evidence of any special benefits that would be provided to the property from the provisions of such services, no studies conducted by the city documenting any specific benefits, and no testimony or expert witnesses were offered to indicate how the portion of the assessment providing for special services would specifically benefit the real property.

The court ruled that the services portion of the special assessment by the City of North Lauderdale was a general tax because it failed to provide any unique or special benefit to real properties. There were no indicia how the services would directly enhance the value of the real properties of which the assessment was imposed upon.

Although some services, particularly those of police or fire services, may provide a sense of security to individuals, neither the service nor the sense of security is provided to the real property. Consequently, the court concluded that the services in question did not provide any special benefit to the property, and therefore that portion of the program could not be funded by a special assessment.

Of the utmost importance to any property owner who feels aggrieved by a special assessment levy is a legal concept known as the "presumption of validity". This means that the courts must regard the actions of local government with deference and presume that the government did everything correctly. At a minimum, any challenge to any special assessment must prove that the government did not act lawfully. That challenge is vey difficult, time consuming, costly and significant. For all of these reasons, it is critical for any person or property owner, particularly a business facing a special assessment, to fully participate in any and all public hearings and monitor the special assessment process from its earliest stages to completion.

Tighter budgets will require greater creativity in funding at all levels of government both county and local. However, when considering the use of special assessments as an additional revenue source under the guise of some alleged 'special benefit', particularly at the local level, keep the following in mind...it’s still just another tax.

The First Amendment Means Nothing In Cooper City...Here We Go Again!

"Here we go again...The First Amendment means nothing in Cooper City." These are the words of Attorney Frank Zemel, who plans to file another federal lawsuit if the Cooper City Commission approves the new 'Community Assembly' ordinance which is scheduled for the second reading at tomorrow evening's commission meeting. According to today's Sun-Sentinel story, Cooper City "may be flirting with yet another federal lawsuit centering on religious freedom." "It's about money in Cooper City," Zemel said in one article I recently read online. Former Cooper City attorney Alan Ruf said he is confident the city's ordinance complies with federal law, based on their review. Apparently not...

We need to resolve this issue now! It has been dragged out for way too long and this lawsuit is not in the best interests of the city. I have been the sole commissioner who has openly supported the Chabad of Nova and have pushed feverously to get this issue fully resolved to no avail. As I stated to the Sun-Sentinel, we are at this point in a 'survival' and 'mitigate the damages' mode, while simply trying to comply with a federal court order that was issued quite a while ago. We had no choice but to update the ordinance because it neglected to allow religious assembly in certain parts of town, and that's what got us, more correctly the previous commission, into trouble in the first place.

The commission allowed the P&Z Board to recommend the appropriate ordinance changes, and according to our lawyer David Wolpin, the city has a right to limit the number of religious institutions allowed in one shopping center. The amount of people and cars that too many 'community assembly' businesses bring to a retail center causes proven ingress, egress and safety issues thus interfering with the other businesses. This was just one of the reasons it was limited to three according to my recollection of the discussions held at a May commission meeting. It's not discrimination, it's called common sense although the issue should have never come to the commission without full approval by the legal wizards.

While some may agree with these public comments, I firmly believe that Rabbi Posner has his synagogue and his congregation's absolute best interests at heart. The story also reported that Attorney Zemel said that he will continue to sue Cooper City "on Posner's behalf" until he gets the city's attention. Apparently, we are going to trial in August without the commission being afforded the opportunity to discuss the issue in the shade or being provided with a strategy. We have three lawyers working on this issue and we can't resolve it? My position is this; stop screwing around! How can I defend the city's position or explain anything to my constituents on this issue without an update from the attorney? I can't say why...

The bottom line...The treatment of the Chabad Nova that has resulted in a lawsuit against Cooper City is just downright shameful. The past Commission and the Mayor took a 'back seat' regarding this issue and have not demonstrated the necessary leadership to fully address this issue. The legal fees alone in this case will be astronomical (they already are) and the residents of Cooper City will be penalized financially just as the residents of Hollywood have been. How embarrassing...

I believe in the First Amendment...

I would like to thank most of the voters in Cooper City for their awareness and perceptiveness in not signing the recent unwarranted, frivolous and malicious attempt at a recall effort. By seeing it for what it really was, you have reaffirmed my faith in the voters of this city that when fallacious and shameless lies are perpetrated, the wisdom of the public see's though it and that the truth will always prevail.

Many issues were brought up by the recall perpetrators during the effort that were outright false statements with no actual basis in fact nor demonstrable proof to support them.

The facts are that the allegations in the recall petition were patently false, and the entire democratic process was deliberately abused by a few extremists with a hidden agenda in order to discredit me and those that I associate with and publicly support.

These perpetrators and signators are the same people who have never once contacted me either via e-mail nor telephoned me personally in order to express themselves or learn of my concerns and to come to know what I stand for. They have simply taken the lies, rumors and smear campaign tactics from the past incumbents and their supporters and assumed them to be truthful without any attempt at verifying their truthfulness.

I strongly believe in the First Amendment, however with that there comes a equal responsibility. Every person has the right to say how they feel about another person.

Unfounded accusations, such as a person is a wife beater or is guilty of something as despicable as Anti-Semitic remarks, which I personally abhor, without any verifiable facts or actually labeled as being Anti-Semitic when the person is not, is not acceptable under any circumstances.

Political commentary or satire doesn't constitute Anti-Semitism nor rise to the terms of 'Slander and Defamation of Character' nor merit any type of criminal hate crime or legal action, as no such Anti-Semitism or hate crime actually occurred concerning this contrived debacle. The fact that I was falsely accused of these things directly by Mayor Debby Eisinger, Ex-Commissioners Elliot Kleiman, Bart Roper, Lori Green, Greg Ross and many others greatly disturbs me, as it should you. This is the kind of unethical disparaging and frankly extremely dirty 'smear campaign' politics and violations of the law that has given Cooper City such a bad reputation over the past few years, which I have personally not participated in, and it should not be tolerated whatsoever by any of the good citizens of this community.

Based on what I perceive to be the expectations of the majority of Cooper City residents, I am fully committed to the following; a more effective, efficient and reduced budget, saving more money for the taxpayers, using what we are getting and what we have in a better manner as far as tax revenues, hiring the absolute best city manager we can afford, reducing the over taxation by utilizing any budget overages and excessive revenues in a more prudent manner, performing a forensic audit so that we all know exactly where we stand (I have been advocating this for the past 18 months) and assuring the new city manager of a clean slate, and opposing the purchase of property for $3.5+ million for new post office that Cooper City will never, ever see regardless of the opinion of a few.

Based on what has been communicated to me by the majority of Cooper City residents that I have spoken with, I am committed to making the Cooper City government run more like a business. To act as a problem solver in dealing with the challenges facing Cooper City over the next few years. My focus will continue to oppose runaway taxes, uncontrolled and unnecessary spending, inefficient and excessive regulations, and to always observe the limited, enumerated powers of our Constitution and our Oath of Office, and insist that the entire Commission abide by them and our City Charter, not ignore them.

Thank you, and I look forward to your continued input and support

Effort to Recall Cooper City Commissioner Falls Flat

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Effort to Recall Cooper City Commissioner Falls Flat

Cooper City, Florida – The effort to recall a popular commissioner in Cooper City has been abandoned. The petition to recall Commissioner John Sims stemmed from a blog that Sims allegedly owned. At issue was a picture posted on the blog of the Mayor of Cooper City, Debby Eisinger, with a superimposed Hitler moustache on her upper lip. Sims denies any involvement or wrongdoing.

The Broward Sheriff’s office initiated a hate crime investigation into Sims involvement with the blog but suspended it when there wasn’t sufficient evidence to proceed. The recall effort was started by former Cooper City Commissioner Elliot Kleiman and the former campaign manager for Mayor Debby Eisinger, Lori Green. According to Kleiman’s website, the group obtained the necessary signatures to fulfill the first requirement but said the continued effort would be too costly and that “In these times of economic hardship it was felt that requiring Cooper City to spend approximately $110,000 at this time was not prudent and, therefore, it was decided not to pursue the petition drive beyond the current stage”.

However, inside sources to the recall effort said that the required number of signatures was never obtained. “I’m not sure why they started the petition in the first place other than to make a political statement. Had the governor chose to remove Commissioner Sims, we wouldn’t have a choice. We would have to pay for a special election anyway” said Renee Delotta, community activist and consultant on several local campaigns. Delotta said the die was cast right after Sims was swept into office just over a year and a half ago. “There is a group of people in this city that despise Commissioner Sims and would do almost anything to see him out of office”, Delotta continued.

When asked how he felt about the failed recall bid Sims responded, “It didn’t really bother me one way or the other. It was a politically motivated move by several sore losers who simply wanted me out of office and used spurious, misinformation to try to accomplish their purpose.” Long time Cooper City resident Victoria Bikos agrees. “Commissioner Sims is edgy, forthright and has strong convictions. Because of that he has challenged the status quo. He has endured orchestrated and relentless attacks but still keeps on going. He’s the only one on the Commission dais that regularly votes his conscious.”

Sims said he’s glad the matter has been put to rest. “Now we can get back to the business of our great city. It’s time to put all of this behind us and move on.” When asked if he would run for reelection at the conclusion of his first term he responded, “The verdict is still out. Let’s just say I am weighing my options.” Commissioner Sims can be contacted via phone at (954) 439-5612 or email at johnsims@bellsouth.net.

I am your Commissioner

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am YOUR Commissioner.

I was duly elected by YOUR votes.

I stand on the merits of my record.

I am the lone commissioner who supported the CHABAD NOVA, attempted to resolve the issue and still attempt to do so to this day.

I proposed the Hate Crime Resolution for this City, and have taken my own initiative in meeting with Rabbi Pinney to clarify any misconceptions.

The anti-Semitic comments and illustrations were not registered, sponsored nor authored by me, and I vehemently condemn any such act or participation in any such act, which depicts an affront to any member, or, any part of our civilized society.

I am, and will remain, fully committed to the position that the people of this great city have elected me to serve in.

Thank you.

Cooper City Manager Replacement Proposal

The purpose of this communication is to provide the City Commission with my thoughts and a typical general overview of the correct process for selecting and hiring a new municipal City Manager along with standard options regarding the process of hiring the new City Manager, an estimated budget, minimal requirements, and a tentative time frame among others. Because the future success and growth of our community depends on having a great Manager, filling the shoes of our departing Manager can indeed be extremely stressful, not only for Staff but for the community at large. The following is a summary of my expectations followed by a somewhat detailed dissertation and analysis of the required process.

Due to the complexity of hiring a City Manager, many municipalities utilize the services of an Executive Search Firm (ESF) to assist Commissioners with this important process. Conversely, some municipalities have continued to utilize their in-house Human Resources staff. Utilizing in-house Human Resources staff is not recommended for Cooper City due to their relative inexperience and lack of short-range planning regarding this most important matter.

Staff should provide a short list of executive search firms who have extensive public sector experience for our reference and review. The purpose of engaging the services of a ‘Public Sector Executive Search Firm’ is to seek out and recruit experienced candidates and to assist the City in selecting only the highly qualified individuals who meet the profiles and needs of the City of Cooper City and who might not otherwise apply. Prior to the 1990s, cities, counties, and states governments approached their work with a more localized focus rather than regionally or even nationally.

Today, the climate and needs of our city, Broward County, and the State has changed to encompass a more collaborative approach with our neighboring communities and beyond. Public Sector Executive Search Firms can greatly assist the City of Cooper City in reaching the best qualified candidates for the position no matter their current location.

Public Sector Executive Search Firms specialize in searching, recruiting and placing the best qualified candidates for a specific position. The long-term and short-term needs of the city and its residents are considered as well as the culture and dynamics of the organization. Public Sector Executive Search Firms who work with clients in the public sector spend most of their time networking with city managers, assistant city managers and others who have vast expertise in the public sector and know who might be looking for a new position.

Indeed ,what Cooper City does next to replace Chris Farrell could be the second or third most important decision we have ever faced. This is no time for politics. It is a time for clear mindedness and a definite plan. Let's ensure that it happens as it needs to happen. Positive feedback is welcomed...

View the standard proposal HERE (Word.doc, 152Kb) or HERE (Adobe.pdf, 92Kb). (For the benefit of those falsely and maliciously accusing me of plagiarism, portions of this document were used with permission by the Colorado Municipal League, and its legal counsel, as it is deemed Public Domain, available for use by all and for any purpose)