Don't Blink Or You Might Miss The Meeting!
The Citizens who pay attention to what the Fort Lauderdale City Commission does, or doesn't do, have had to pay close attention lately.
That's because the meetings have been so short, that if those Citizens take a bathroom break, they'll probably miss the whole meeting!
Ready to Jump and Run?
Yesterday's Conference Session, the twice monthly daytime meeting where Commissioners are supposed to discuss the City's problems and bring forward new initiatives, lasted only 32 minutes, probably a City record. Most of the Commissioners spend more time commuting to the meetings than that.
The evening meeting, a formal meeting called the Regular Meeting, where the Commissioners vote on Ordinances and Resolutions and hold Public Hearings, lasted only 47 minutes. The Regular meeting two weeks ago lasted only 45 minutes!
At yesterdays rate, if they just attended the meetings, the Mayor and his Commissioner's salaries would work out to be about $1590.00 an hour.
Some City watchdogs point to the brevity of the meetings as evidence that the Commissioners are not tending to the City's needs, but just rushing in for a short meeting and leaving the City's' bureaucrats to take on all the heavy lifting. They say that there are multitudes of issues facing the City that need full-time attention from the Policy Makers, not dash-in,dash-out diplomacy.
Some others say the brief meetings are a political ploy to keep anything controversial from coming up until the next City election in the Spring, when three of the five on the City Commission will be term limited out .
Still others say they are satisfied with the short meetings, and prefer the status quo until the new Commission is elected in the Spring.
That's because the meetings have been so short, that if those Citizens take a bathroom break, they'll probably miss the whole meeting!
Ready to Jump and Run?
Yesterday's Conference Session, the twice monthly daytime meeting where Commissioners are supposed to discuss the City's problems and bring forward new initiatives, lasted only 32 minutes, probably a City record. Most of the Commissioners spend more time commuting to the meetings than that.
The evening meeting, a formal meeting called the Regular Meeting, where the Commissioners vote on Ordinances and Resolutions and hold Public Hearings, lasted only 47 minutes. The Regular meeting two weeks ago lasted only 45 minutes!
At yesterdays rate, if they just attended the meetings, the Mayor and his Commissioner's salaries would work out to be about $1590.00 an hour.
Some City watchdogs point to the brevity of the meetings as evidence that the Commissioners are not tending to the City's needs, but just rushing in for a short meeting and leaving the City's' bureaucrats to take on all the heavy lifting. They say that there are multitudes of issues facing the City that need full-time attention from the Policy Makers, not dash-in,dash-out diplomacy.
Some others say the brief meetings are a political ploy to keep anything controversial from coming up until the next City election in the Spring, when three of the five on the City Commission will be term limited out .
Still others say they are satisfied with the short meetings, and prefer the status quo until the new Commission is elected in the Spring.
If brevity doesn't upset the status quo and if the status quo isn't intolerable or reprehensible, maybe it's not such a bad thing! At least it will give the newly elected or re-elected group something to mess up once they ascend to power.
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Coincidently Tim,this issue came up at a holiday party I attended with some notable Fort Lauderdalians last week.
The gist of the coversation was that the city has lost it's pride and enthusiasm, along with no long range plans to become the best it can be.
One is generally complacent when things are going well,but with crime on the rise,forclosures,and other maladies,this city needs leadership and action from the Mayor and Commissioners.
The meetings should be a flurry of new thoughts,ideas,and vision-instead,the folks on the dias can't wait to get home!!!!
I suppose you can't start a fire where there is no spark- THANK GOD FOR TERM LIMITS-Perhaps when the election is over,I'll once again be proud to call Ft. Lauderdale my home!!!!!
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Amen...February and March elections can't get here fast enough.....clean sweep I say because the 2 that could be remaining in office are more interested in campaigning than doing the job they already have.....5 new ones!!!
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I've been around the block longer than most, and attended many City Commission Meetings. Guess what folks? In an election year going back many years, the agendas before the election are always "short". Nothing of controversy is usually discussed in any year. This election cycle isn't any different.
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