Goose Eggs for the Citizens

It’s a good thing that Easter is right around the corner because Mayor Shelly Stanczyk, Councilman Tim Schaffer and Councilwoman Joan Lindsey are doing an excellent job hiding those Easter eggs. Back to this later.

Monday night’s Council meeting, from its start at 7pm to its conclusion at 12:15am, should be considered the Mayor Shelly Stanczyk show. If you’re buying crap she was selling, I have some land in the Everglades at a special price for only you. I’ve never seen anyone avoid and disseminate as much misinformation as the Mayor did last night. From her agenda of converting the much loved Palmetto Bay Skate Park into soccer fields to her success in perverting the NPO ordinance, that she and Councilwoman Joan Lindsey fought so hard to pass in November of 2012, so that it doesn’t apply to the Village Parks but only the Schools and Churches that she so inexplicably despises.

The Mayor would like you to believe that the Palmetto Bay Skate Park, which is now closed due to Village mismanagement, is a blight on the Village. According to her, juvenile delinquents, hooligans, criminals who don’t actually reside in the Village hang out there causing damage to the surrounding business, are an insurance risk and, horror of horrors, lean again the fence that separates the skate park from the roadway. Funny thing is that no one, not even the Village Park Manager, had any information to support her position. If it was really a litigation nightmare don’t you think she would have referenced a lawsuit in her 15 minute soliloquy? The parks been open since 2006 and not one lawsuit being filed against the Village was mentioned.

As far as the NPO is concerned, the former Council, spearheaded by Councilwomen Joan Lindsey and supported by Mayor Shelly Stanczyk, passed a restriction on the height of light poles in the Village. This restriction relates to single family homes, Churches and Schools, but apparently not Coral Reef Park. I agree the tennis lighting at the park is in need of repair or replacement, but at a cost of 250,000 dollars? What’s even more absurd is, as was mentioned last night, that no one from the Village (and we have a lot of Park Staff on the payroll) has even attempted to change any light bulbs. This reminds me of when I was a kid and my friend’s mom called the TV repair man just to find out the television wasn’t plugged in. The fact is that if two new tennis courts were built at both Coral Reef Park and at a School or Church in Palmetto Bay, the park would be able to have taller light poles. I would assume by the actions of the Council that what is good for the goose is definitely not good for the gander. Or can we just say that the Churches and Schools got “goosed.”

In regards to my opening comment regarding Easter eggs, even though there continues to be no legal reason to keep the Shade Session of concluded litigation private per the Village Attorney (stated numerous times at the Council meeting,) Mayor Stanczyk, Councilman Schaffer and Councilwoman Lindsey voted to hide them from their constituents. I’ll give Councilman Schaffer a pass for voting against an open and honest government since I’ve come to the conclusion he still doesn’t get it. In fact, I’m starting to believe he doesn’t get much of what’s going on while he’s on the dais. He’s an honest soul, but he’s apparently lost.

As far as Mayor Stanczyk and Councilwoman Lindsey are concerned, they are simply covering their behinds. They have said repeatedly that they will attempt to hide these matters for as long as possible. Rumor has it that they didn’t even listen to their own outside attorney’s advice in ending the litigation against Palmer Trinity’s zoning approval. It is said that the former Council were told they had a 20% chance of winning but still voted to continue with costly appeals. And who was the attorney that advised them of this? Raoul Cantero, a former Supreme Court Justice who now works for the distinguished firm of White and Case who billed the Village over $650.00 an hour for his informed expert opinion. I love it when Politicians gamble with my hard earn tax dollars – it sure gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling – especially when someone with the experience of a pit boss advises them that the house odds are so stacked against them and that they can’t win unless they pull a rabbit out of a hat. If you were Mayor Stanczyk or Councilwoman Lindsey who ignored that advice, would you want that ugly little Easter egg found? Probably not. So the shade sessions will probably remain in the dark until somebody besides John Dubois and Patrick Fiore get some backbone.

I walked away from the meeting last night very tired and with a major headache wondering why can’t these people just stop all the madness and concentrate on things that municipalities are supposed to do – simple stuff – like fixing potholes. We did not incorporate to get into litigation with friendly private Village institutions and then have our anti-transparency Council hide all the facts when it turns out to be a major screw up. Maybe this Easter we can wish for something new, maybe a basket full of coherence, sensibility and good governance. Or next election maybe some good eggs.

David Singer