Tim Smith's Fort Lauderdale

A Decent Man

2012-02-05T15:39:31Z

     Richard Mancuso

                      a decent man .... gone too soon......


                              Richard hard at work, civically, as usual!

     Richard was one of those rare human beings that earned the respect of all who met him.

     He succumbed to pancreatic cancer a week back, and will be memorialized on
Monday, Feb. 6th at noon at St. Anthony's.

                             ....................................

     I last saw Richard a few weeks ago. The Mayor was holding one of his "Jog with Jack" runs, and we ran right past Richard's house.

     Richard was out in the parking lot, greeting those rolling past. I stopped to give him a hug, but there wasn't much left of him to hug. I asked him how he was. He said "just fine, doin good". He joked that his Doctor wanted him to gain some weight, that he was drinking milkshakes.

     Looking back, I suspect he knew he was on his way out. But Richard wouldn't want to bother anyone with that.

     That's how Richard was.

     I hope to see you Monday at the service. Richard earned it.

Crummy Crimi

2012-02-03T13:59:31Z

     So, I'm sitting at the counter of my favorite diner, the Quality Diner, in Wilton Manors, eating my scrambled eggs and cheese, reading the paper, minding my business.



     Over my right shoulder, I catch a discussion between the waitress, Kimberly, and a diner, eating alone at a booth -

      "yea, I ran for Mayor, and got 798 votes!", the man is chuckling with delight.

     I'm thinking - who? - what? - and sure enough ...




      I spin around on the rotating bar spool and lock eyes with the chuckling -

                         Crimi - Gabriel Crimi ...

     ..... Crimi is the shadowy candidate in last Tuesday's Fort Lauderdale Mayoral race. The "fake" candidate put in the race to force a primary.

     Crimi sees me and knows me as the guy who exposed his fake candidacy - "Oh no" ( he quits chuckling).

     "Can you believe it though", he asks. "789 votes, and I wasn't really running!"

     We chat a minute and I return to my cold eggs - " Now I'm thinking maybe about running next year"  - he calls after me.

                          Crimi - for Mayor? ...again
                                ( you couldn't make this stuff up!)

Pat Mayer's Death ...... Aftershocks!

2012-02-01T19:59:27Z

     When Pat Mayers, a well known crime activist and President of a group called Citizen's Crime Alert died last May at the age of 66, most of us that knew her were shocked at her untimely death.


         Mayers



     But when the organization's Vice President, Linda Gibboney, got a hold of the organizations' financial records, a month or so after Mayer's death, her shock and sadness turned into "just a sick feeling - all the money [in the organization] was gone", says Gibboney.

                           Here's the story


     The Fort Lauderdale City Commission helped start the Citizen's Crime Alert group in 1983 to help fight crime in the City by giving it $25,000 in seed money. It developed it's mission, "neighbors looking out for neighbors, citizens being the additional eyes and ears for the Police".

     Sometime around 2000, Mayers became the President of the group.

     Mayers became well known as the voice of the group, and ran the organization for some years successfully, without incident. But then, according to Mayers herself, (she confided to me) things got tough for her, financially.

     At the start of 2005, the organization had over $10,000 in it's coffers.

     I know that Mayers was in some financial trouble in November 2005, because she called and asked me for a $1000 loan to "make her mortgage". I did.

     About that time, according to Gibboney, Mayers began to use the organization's ATM card for her personal use. Gibboney says (and others back up) that no one other than Mayers had access to the funds during this period, and that none of the purchases or withdrawals were for Crime Alert Business, with the exception of the purchase of crime alert signs and bank and other standard filing fees.

      Here is a chart showing the downward trajectory of the group's funds from 2005 on.

     The Bank of America bank records show patterns of major ATM cash withdrawals, as well as purchases with the ATM card at grocery stores, gas stations, Home Depot, Costco, even a stop at an Italian bakery for some goodies.

     The greatest amount of pilfering took place in 2009. Here is a list of all the purchases and cash withdrawals Mayers reportedly made with the group's ATM card that year.

     Gibboney still seems traumatized by the travesty. She told me the story last Saturday during an area anti-crime march (ironically). I was wearing an old Citizen's Crime Alert T-Shirt, and she was walking behind me and says she couldn't stand it anymore, had to get it off her chest.

     Gibboney told me she went to the Police after finding out about the theft, but the Police told her there was nothing they could do, as Mayers was deceased, and there was no one to prosecute.



     Gibboney also went to the Mayor to let him know about the issue.

      As for me, Mayers paid me back most of the money she borrowed from me before her death.

     Now I'm wondering if it was Citizen Crime Alert money she paid me back with!

                     ...................................................................

      * ( Cal Deal prepared all the charts and graphics for this post)

Tonight's Victory Parties !

2012-02-01T04:28:10Z

     Tonight ..... huge wins for

              Seiler and Rodstrom   ( 75% and 78 %, respectively

           ............. the pictures at the celebrations!


               former Parks Director Tom Tapp ( with hands up!) and Barry Flannigan


                             Fire Chief Justinak and friends!


                                            John Rodstrom .... on the phone !!


                                 ......already elected Dubose and Charlotte Rodstrom


                     Commissioner Roberts ( his election is March 13th) and Seiler


                                         Police Chief Adderley and the Judge!


                                   Dev Motwani ( new Riverfront owner) - Romala's son!


                                           Mike Ferber ( came in second in District II!)


                                                     Ina Lee - Beach Tourism Czar


                                  Jackie Scott - challenging Commissioner Rogers on March 13th

Victory Parties

2012-01-31T03:32:48Z

     Tomorrow, (Tuesday, January 31st), we all go to the polls to vote for Fort Lauderdale Mayor, and District II Commissioner ( but that one only if you live in District II, of course !).

     If the current Mayor ( Seiler), wins, you should consider heading down to the

       .... I hear there might be quite a party there!!

       I haven't gotten any official word from any of the other candidates, ( though I've asked them all) but if they tell me, I'll let you know....

                                                 Tim

My Pick - District II

2012-01-29T19:14:48Z

     Yesterday, I gave you my pick for Mayor - Jack Seiler.

     Today, let's talk about my pick for the Fort Lauderdale District II seat.

     This is the seat I held for six years, and consider it one of the most fulfilling ( though difficult) times of my life.

     Here are your choices for this term -


                        Rodstrom               Ferber              Zalewski

     Let's discuss them like the Chinese would do - right to left !

     Lester Zalewski - The new guy from the beach.

     Zalewski's efforts to unseat the incumbent have been the strongest among the competition. He started with a creative YouTube Ad campaign, using his unusual last name as the predicate.

     Then Zalewski put up some signs here and there (a few were destroyed), and now he's giving Rodstrom a run for her money with Vote Zalewski T.V. commercials.

     And then there was this, just outside my house this morning !!



     Yikes...I'm glad I had already had my coffee !

   It's clear Zalewski thinks Rodstrom should go. Along with many other beach residents, Zalewski says Rodstrom has shut them out of the picture, and decides for herself what's best for the beach.

     But troubling for his candidacy, Zalewski draws criticism himself from many of his neighbors at the beach, for what they describe as a checkered local history and an acerbic public style.

                              ...........................................................

     Michael Ferber - A very interesting guy, self taught, very bright.

     But his candidacy is odd!

     Michael is running on a platform of ...." I'm not only not going to give you anything new, I'm going to take away half of the things you already have!"...

     Rumors abound that Ferber is also a fake candidate (a crimi), put up by Rodstrom to force a primary, but Ferber strongly denies that.

     Ferber should be running for Congress, under the Tea Party banner. I doubt he'll get many votes for the job of local City Commissioner (I certainly couldn't vote for him), but Ferber could certainly match wits with Congressman West!

                              .....................................................

     Charlotte Rodstrom - the incumbent.

     The best choice to serve District II for the next three years.


     Rodstrom works harder than all the other Commissioners. She's wealthy and unemployed, so she gets up every day and begins to serve her constituents (unless she's in North Carolina!). I've always been able to reach her quickly.

     But Rodstrom is controversial. She began her first term telling everyone she was against development, but now embraces much of it.

     To her credit, Rodstrom has focused a lot of attention on the most needy part of her District ( South Middle River), and has kept her word about pushing through a CRA for that general area ( and keeping her husband on board at the County level!) Unfortunately, much of that area is still struggling.

     Rodstrom does have some bad habits that people whisper about and should be mentioned publicly. She often interrupts her colleagues during meetings, and sometimes disrespects those fellow Commissioners.

     She has also adopted the Jim Naugle model " I think I'll vote against most everything and let it pass, and then go around town, and if an effort fails, I can say  -" I voted against that "- and that - and that! That's not healthy for the City, and not fair to her colleagues.

     Rodstrom is term limited, if she wins, this will be her last term as City Commissioner, (even though her husband has been trying to kill term limits at the county level).......

     Still, I say-  Vote Rodstrom ( but just this last time!)

                                       Tim

Who Should You Vote For?

2012-01-28T15:53:59Z

     As a former City Commissioner (and a pillar of the community) , people always ask me around election time who I think they should vote for.


                                                      pillar

     Most Fort Lauderdale citizens are just too busy with their own lives to pay close attention - but I do - so here goes!

        ......................................................................................................

     There is a primary on Tuesday, January 31st for two of the Fort Lauderdale Commission seats ( Mayor and District II), because there are 3 candidates (technically) in those races.

     Two other seats will be chosen on March 13th, ( District I and District IV), as they only have two contenders, and there is no election in District III as the incumbent was elected unopposed.

         Mayor
     There is really only one reasonable choice for your vote for Mayor -


                              Jack Seiler

     On your ballot it will say John "P" Jack Seiler, I guess because he's a Catholic and has to have a bunch of names!

     Seiler has been a refreshing change for Fort Lauderdale. He has brought an adult attitude to the Mayor's seat. We are no longer portrayed in the national media as some sort of homophobic banana republic, and he and his colleagues are once again running the City, instead of leaving it all to the hired Manager.

     Seiler gets some grief for his "parade" leadership, but I think it's a good thing. It's time we begin to think of ourselves as a team, as a great city, something to be proud of - Seiler is helping to make that happen.


                                              parades YEA !

     This is not to say that Seiler has finished all of his tasks. There are real concerns with the big increase in burglaries in the City, and a strong return to Community Policing should be led from the Mayor's seat.

     Also, the homeless and vagrant problems have not been successfully dealt with, and the tortured decisions about redoing the International Swimming Hall of Fame has not resulted in a plan the citizens like.

     We don't have a future vision, as the process has been marked by infighting and stagnation. While not the Mayor's fault, he is the Mayor!

                               ...................................
     Seiler has one real opponent and one fake opponent.


                                      real opponent Rynerson

     The fake opponent was a put up job by real opponent Earl Rynerson to make sure their was a primary, where Rynerson would have a better chance of getting votes from the more fiscally conservative Republican Presidential Primary voters.

     That "fake opponent" is a real, though shady character named Crimi. From here on, any fake candidate put up to force a primary will just be called a "crimi"!


                                              a crimi

     Seiler's other competitor, Earl Rynerson, is not qualified to be Mayor. But he is more than qualified to keep an eye on the City budget.


     Whether you like him or not, Rynerson is right about the City budget exploding from $335 million in 2003, to $635 million today.

      Seiler and the other incumbents tell half the story about spending. They crow about the "operating budget" being reduced, which is true, but the all funds budget, which is all the money the City Government uses each year, and which is taxpayers money, is twice what is was just a decade ago.

     Nearly all of that increase in the all funds budget happened during the two terms prior to Seiler, ( Naugle), but a $30 million dollar increase has happened on Seiler's watch, and is a concern.

     .......................................................................................................

     Vote Seiler on Tuesday.

     I'll be back tomorrow to give you my choice for District II.

                               Tim

One Way Ticket Outta Town .... Free !

2012-01-27T02:09:51Z

     The City of Fort Lauderdale might just buy you a one-way bus ticket out of town!

     Of course, that's if you are one of our many homeless that get stuck here with little hope and even less resources.

     Many find themselves hanging around Stranahan Park looking for a meal, aggressively panhandling, unnerving the tourists, heading downhill fast!

     The program is called the Homeward Bound Reunification program ( named after the Paul Simon song, I'm guessing).

     The Fort Lauderdale City Commission adopted the program a few months ago, and it started this month. So far, 10 people have taken the City up on the tickets.

          Greyhound bound for destinations north!

     The free rides cost the City as little as $40 each, and as much as $200 each. Greyhound took the people to St. Pete, Northport, and Leesburg in Florida. And the rest went to Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.

     The youngest person was 35, and the oldest 58. The notes on the chart say we sent them home with "2 sandwiches and gatorade", or "food from Mount Olive", and one guy just got "water!"

     The reasons for them needing the busing services included "out of prison - no work", "extradited back for warrant", and "son putting mom in trailer!" ...huh?.

     I called most of the people listed as being the responsible parties on the receiving side of the bus trip ( the parents/brother etc.) . They all said their people made it home, and they were all very appreciative to Fort Lauderdale.

     Now, if we can just get some tickets ready for this group below -


                                Occupy Fort Lauderdalers still living at City Hall !

The Big Debate

2012-01-25T16:48:48Z

     The primary election for the Fort Lauderdale City Commission is just a week away, and last night there was a big debate at City Hall.



     All the candidates showed up except for the fake candidate, Crimi ( though he did have a name tag on the dias!)

     Only the Mayor's race and the District II race has a primary next week, as there has to be three candidates to have a primary. District I and District IV only have two candidates, and their races take place on March 13th. District III incumbent Bobby Dubose got reelected without opposition.

    Last night's debate was pretty boring. The format asked all nine candidates to answer the same questions, and the crowd began to bail out about halfway into the debate. The Council of Neighborhoods should change that next time around.

     It's not what the candidates said that was interesting, but what their facial expressions said!


                                 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ..


                               please don't stop me...I wanna go home!


                      .....   sheesh, Rynerson and his damn lying chart again!


                                        OK, I'll pose, get it over with ...


              Boy I'm glad I took that shot of Jagermeister before this thing!


                           ha ! ...I'm Judy Stern and I'm the puppet master !!


           ... yea, sure you are the Puppet master Judy, sure you are ............


                     "hmm... wonder what I should put in my next commercial?"

                       Note: ( Art Seitz took the picture of Rodstrom) ........

More Campaign Sign Mayhem!

2012-01-24T22:20:12Z

      I'd like to outlaw campaign signs!

    They bring out the worst in some campaigns, and their supporters, and often lay around junking up the scenery for months after every election!

    Here's the latest foul play .......

                      ..............................................................

     Kevin Buckley is one of our premier shopping center developers.


                                            cool kat Kevin!

     He is a mellow guy, been around a long time, but today he's mad as a hornet.

     This is his unwanted campaign sign story -

     ....." So Tim, I drove past one of my shopping centers, Barnes and Nobles, and out front was this big.....

                                    Rynerson for Mayor sign

       ...... Now, I didn't give this Rynerson character permission to put this sign up, he never called or wrote to ask!....   and to make matters worse, I had gotten 3 Robo campaign phone calls from his campaign over the last three nights - at dinner time!

     ..... Anyhow, I decided to call his campaign and ask him to come and take the sign down, give him a chance to do the right thing... but after 3 calls and no return calls, my blood began to boil....

       ...... I grabbed my wife and we went right over and took the sign down ourselves !..... and now, I'm filing a complaint with the State Elections Board....

      ...... And ...... just to make sure this Rynerson feels the pain, I added this"

Zalewski Slashed at the Throat!

2012-01-23T22:18:23Z

Commissioner candidate Zalewski slashed ! Politics as usual !

Crime and the Neighborhoods

2012-01-22T18:02:10Z

     Since we've been talking about crime a lot lately, I thought I'd try and find some perspective.


      First, the good news - In 1994, believe it or not, little ole Fort Lauderdale was the most crime ridden city in America (per capita) ..... this past year, we're way down to #77, - serious progress.



   But here's the rest of the story!

     Some of our neighborhoods are very safe.

     Sunrise Key ( where taxi magnate Jesse Gaddis lives) had NO CRIME last year. Neither did Bay Colony (up off North US 1, behind the TGIF restaurant.)

     Bal Harbor had only 1 crime ( smart move by new City Manager Lee Feldman moving there!). Riviera Isles ( off Las Olas) also had only 1 crime. Sunrise Intracoastal, behind the Galleria Mall - 1 crime.

     Rounding out the safe places are Birch Finger Streets ( north of Sunrise Blvd., across from the beach) with 3 crimes, Nurmi Isle (Rodstrom's neighborhood) with 5 crimes, Idylwyld with 5, and Harbor Beach with 9 crimes.

                    ...................................................................

     But then, some neighborhoods are on fire!



     Progresso Village ( where they almost put the Homeless Feeding Camp), had 191 crimes , Flagler Heights ( north downtown) had 178 crimes, Victoria Park - 213 crimes, Melrose Park - 250 , Dorsey Riverbend - 267, Lauderdale Manors - 377,

                  ............... and the winner ( or loser, depends how you look at it)



     South Middle River - 473 crimes ( 240 of them home burglaries)....   SMR did have some help winning the most crime ridden award with this -



                                The Crescent House

- a group home for troubled male youths. During this past year, 58 of it's residents were arrested, and one youth has 9 pending felonies!

     I'm curious what you think about all this ....please add a comment ...

                                thanks, ....Tim

South Middle River Tonight

2012-01-21T03:36:17Z

Turn up your volume - see what it's like to live in South Middle River tonight!

Neighborhood President Handcuffed

2012-01-19T17:07:36Z

     Randall ( a.k.a Bear) Klett is mighty pissed.

     Randall is the President of the Middle River Terrace neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale ( I actually founded the neighborhood group back in 1993).

     Randall is also the owner of one of the largest leather gear providers nationally. His business is called LeatherWerks, and let's just say the Village People probably shop there!


                                        Bear ( in uniform)

     Anyhow, here is the story of why Randall is so mightily pissed:

     Randall and his partner eat at the California Pizza Kitchen a few nights ago. They arrive back home, after ten, and realize that his partner had left his cell phone at the restaurant.

     The partner rushes back to the restaurant, gets the phone and heads back home.

     He's nearly home ( they live behind the Leatherwerks store on NE 4th Ave., a few blocks north of Home Depot), when multiple Police Cars fall in line behind the partner.

     The partner is new to the area, nervous, and calls Randall to tell him he is being pulled over. The partner is pulling in to the Leatherwerk store's parking lot at the time.

     Randall jumps out of the shower and pulls a towel around him, throws on his flip flops and darts out his back door. He tells the Police that his partner belongs there, that this is his business, and his house, that all is good.

     The Police tell him to go away or he will be arrested.

     Randall says that this is his property, that he's not leaving!

     Next thing you know - Randall's wearing the metal bracelets!



     But what happens next is the real clincher - Randall's towel falls off, and he is left threadless in his own business parking lot ( and, it's a tad chilly!)

     Turns out, the Police thought Randall's partner was looking for drugs. They called the K-9 Squad out, and there was no indication of drugs.

     But, according to Randall, the Police weren't quite finished - they write his partner a ticket for " obstructed tag" on his 2010 Mercedes.


               the tag - picture taken by Randall the next day

     The Police release Randall, and leave. Randall says he understands DWB (driving while black) better now, as his partner was a victim of DWW ( in an historically known area where whites drive in looking for drugs)

     Randall sent a sharply worded e-mail the next day to the Police Chief, the Mayor, the Manager and others.

     He wants apologies. He wants the ticket quashed.

                          I'll keep you informed.

Rodstrom Missing ... Ferber Nuts!

2012-01-17T16:01:03Z

     It was the first, (and only) debate scheduled soley for the District II Fort Lauderdale Commission candidates.

     And only two of the three candidates made it.

     Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom didn't make the fun.

     According to Progresso Village President Doug Sterner, Rodstrom called a few days before and said her husband (John) surprised her with a trip out of town, and she wouldn't be making the debate.

     That left her two challengers - Lester Zalewski and Michael Ferber.


                                      Zalewski


                                                    Ferber ( with hands moving)


     Zalewski came mostly prepared. He told the audience about his background, said he was "pro-redevelopment ( the logical and reasonable kind he said), said the neighborhood was "entitled" to leave their homes feeling safe.

     But Ferber was the life of the party !!

     Ferber is an unapologetic, rabid, Libertarian. He started by saying that he knew their area well ( living in the next neighborhood over), had served on many City advisory Boards, but was probably not going to say many things the audience wanted to hear!

     He was right!

     He said he came without any "meaningless platitudes" .

     He said that "there was no Santa Claus". He said he wasn't running to "make government more responsive", but to reduce the size, cut-back, have government "abandon many of the things it was currently doing".

     He continued - they'll be calling me "Mike the Knife". He said he would "eliminate the Economic Development Department". He said he wouldn't govern by "lynch mob politics".

     He finished by saying he would " go to Def Com III in efforts to reduce the size of the City Government.

     This is probably what most of the attendees liked best about Ferber's attendance -


                                                      Ferber leaving the building

Root Canal Gone Bad!

2012-01-16T20:27:07Z

     I know this sounds like a bad, B - horror movie, but it's actually non-fiction - mine!

     And I also know that it has absolutely nothing to do with Fort Lauderdale Politics, so I'll be brief.

     Do you want to know when's the worse possible time for one of those old, used up molars to go bad?

                  ......... Christmas Day !



     I couldn't find a dentist working, even the day after Christmas, and I was getting desperate. My brilliant wife had an idea as I poured over the internet listings, calling and calling, and getting nowhere - "call one with a Jewish name".

     Sure enough, Dr. Wiener would see me, but only if I could get there by noon.

     It was a bad case, he explained, but he thought he could save the tooth. I wanted him to kill the tooth!

     Anyhow, to make a long, painful story short, he couldn't save it after all, and today ( weeks later), I found myself staring up at the bright white light in the Extraction Specialist's chair ( is it safe?)



     When the Doc left the room, I glanced up at the torture tools!



     Then, the young, very capable, Egyptian born dentist flew into the room, and in a matter of minutes ( that seemed much longer), the deed was done - Mr. Badtooth was no more!


                                                       ... the culprit

     I just got home and the wife asked if there was any pain?    I handed her this!

They're Mad as Hell, and they're .........

2012-01-14T23:27:42Z

      The Fort Lauderdale residents of NW 5th Court, just south of Sistrunk Boulevard, are mad as hell, and if they have anything to say about it, they're

                              not going to take it anymore!

     They've had 10 burglaries, just on their block, in the last month. Some of the residents say they won't leave their houses, practically sleeping with their valuables!

     Today, they assembled to protest the conditions, to speak as a group, and have a fish fry !

     The fish fry was not the odd part of the protest, the unusual part of the protest was the invitation list.

     Here's who came!


     Lots of Cops!

     The idea was to bring together the residents and the Police, to join forces, so to speak.



     The Chief and the neighborhood leaders addressed the group.

     They prayed.

     They kumbaya'd!

     The City Manager attended the fry to show support
             (while also supporting the Marlins!)



     Let's hope it all works.

You'll Like This Story !

2012-01-12T15:26:48Z

     This is a story about a truck the Cops call the


              PeaceMaker




     It's the newest addition to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department's fleet, and it's awesome for a number of reasons!

     First, it is indestructible. The tires can't be flattened, the windows can't be broken out, the doors can't be forced open.

     And it is a rolling video machine!



     The truck has inside mounted cameras on three sides that roll non-stop. They can shoot 700 hours of video, so if you have a problem area, it just sits there and does the surveillance work for you.

     But the very best thing about it ??

     It costs - ready for this?

                         $10.

     Police Chief Frank Adderley says all the credit for getting the vehicle ( and the cost) goes to City Manager Lee Feldman. Apparently, a big shot at Brinks used to work for Feldman. This truck ( and another one also on the way to the City) was slated to go to Miami, but when the Brinks people heard Feldman in Fort Lauderdale was asking for one - they sent us two !

     The Peacemaker is in District III today, off Sistrunk Blvd., on a street that had a rash of ten burglaries in just two months.

     The people on the street are thrilled.



     These neighbors told me there hasn't been any problems since the Peacemaker came to town, and they hope it stays.

     The only thing the wife was upset about ?

     "You gonna take my picture with my hair looking like this?"

First Debate..... Sort Of

2012-01-10T14:11:13Z

     There are five debates scheduled where you will be able to see the candidates for the next Fort Lauderdale City Commission, over the next few weeks.

     I'll give you those dates in a minute, but first, let me share with you the details of the first debate that occurred (sort of), last night, at the Imperial Point Medical Center.

     The debate was sponsored by the Imperial Point neighborhood, which is run by maybe the best, long term volunteer in the City - Betty Shelley.

      The crowd turn-out was substantial.




     The candidate turn-out was not.


                                    multiple missing chairs

     Only one of the three Mayoral candidates showed up, which made it tricky during the rebuttal phase!

     Apparently, Earl Rynerson sent out an e-mail ( I haven't seen it) saying not to expect him. No one expected Gabriel Crimi, as we've learned that he has been a sham candidate from the start.

     In the District I Commission race ( the debate was just for Mayor and District I candidates), both candidates, the incumbent Roberts, and challenger Mary Graham were both there, which made the rebuttal phase run much smoother!


                                          rebuttler Mary Graham

     No news was made during the debate, though Graham revealed her slow growth tendencies, and Seiler gave me a headache with his thorough recitations on budget, pension, and tax informations - ad nauseam!

     Here are your next opportunities to see the candidates

     January 20th - Downtown Council- at Doubletree on Sunrise (11:30 - $40!)

     January 24th - Council of Neighborhoods - City Hall ( 7:00 pm - free)

     January 24th - Tower Club - ( 8 a.m. - $45!)

Police Chief Tours Riot Zone!

2012-01-07T03:16:25Z

               So many of you have been waiting for a real follow up to the

                                      riot/rumble/disturbance



      that occurred in the South Middle River neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale last month.

     Today, I got a chance to give you a bit of that!
           -------------------------------------------------------------------

     I had decided to go look around South Middle River, to see for myself if the City had actually done anything about the problems there that led to last month's riot..... I had a new camera that my sweet wife Cindy had bought me for Christmas and was loaded for bear!


                                  sweet wife ( on phone as usual)

     Almost telepathically, the Chief of Police called me on some other matter, just as I was deciding to go on over to South Middle River.

     Chief Frank Adderley said "Great, I'll meet you there"!


                                       Chief pulls up, (not undercover!)

      I hopped in to the souped up Dodge, and we took off to peruse the scene.


                            Welcome to the bad side of South Middle River

     So, just a block into the Chief's tour, we ran into a staggering drunk in the middle of the road ( this was about 3:30).


                                       staggering drunk

      Adderley stopped his car and told the drunk to go home. He said OK and headed in the direction he was coming from. As he broke stride, he tossed his beer can on the side of the road.

      It was then suggested to him, (rather strongly) that he pick up his can and some of the other garbage as well while scooting down the road.


                                              drunk on garbage pick-up

     We then headed off to the riot intersection to see if anyone was around to talk to the Chief about the incident last month. Luckily, there were numerous neighbors home that gladly talked to the Chief about the incident, and the constant burglaries and other problems affecting their neighborhood.


                                 riot intersection neighbors chatting up the Chief

     We trucked on to other parts of the neighborhood.

     We came across this condemned house where the occupant, an old Haitian woman, was still living in her front yard with her meager belongings.


                                                          just a sad story

     We had been out for a few hours, the Chief had been jotting down a lot of things, so we decided to end up the tour at a bright spot in the neighborhood's life, and brand new City park that just opened last month.


                                                Chief in the new park

     Unfortunately, ( though not unexpectedly) drug dealing has been already reported there.

     The take away from today's tour is there is much that must be done. Much of it is a Police responsibility, but not all. The "broken window theory" is alive and well there - Garbage, condemned homes, code violations, massive foreclosures, poor street conditions, noise violations, lack of sidewalks, cultural issues - all will take many other departments in the City.

           Will the City step up?