[Email] Fwd: Deerfield Beach Politics

[Joan Maurice]

If you saw the letter to the Editor in the  Observer  this week. Bett has correctly responded to Mayor Robb's statements  this is intended as an FYI for our residents


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Begin forwarded message:

From: Bett Willett <bettwillett at gmail.com<mailto:bettwillett at gmail.com>>
Date: April 18, 2014 at 8:29:23 PM EDT
To: Undisclosed Recipients <bettwillett at gmail.com<mailto:bettwillett at gmail.com>>
Subject: Deerfield Beach Politics

http://blogbybett.blogspot.com/

Deerfield Beach Politics
It is easy to deny something, but facts will win out.  In Mayor Robb’s latest bluster to the Observer Newspaper, she puts an interesting spin on some events. Here is the reality:

Joe Miller described Jean Robb’s phone call to him, he said she screamed at him in a loud, caustic voice, questioning his vote and voicing harsh criticism of his decision. I have been on the receiving end of Jean’s displeasure and her default setting is loud and condescending.

Why would she call any commissioner to voice her displeasure with an appointment AFTER the vote was already taken. There was no upside to that phone call, just an opportunity to vent her displeasure and be nasty.

As the matter will most probably be taken up by the commission, again and commissioners may not discuss matters that might come before them, she was skirting on the edge of violating the Sunshine Law.

She was upset because Chaz Stevens’ father was the appointee, a man who from his resume was quite qualified but his crime, being related to Chaz the blogger who has written about Jean in unflattering terms, made him, by association, a pariah to Jean.

Ben Preston, our Commissioner in District 2, which is heavily African American has never to my memory, or anyone else’s that I have checked with, said anything about her husband Dr. Robb, being racist.   To accuse Commissioner Preston of this is outrageous, and seems to be a political move.  The mayor does not want Ben to be re-elected and she has made sure that everybody knows this.

Commissioner Richard Rosenzweig, of District 3 repeated what he heard about why Keven Klopp quit, and Jean does not deny that she wanted Klopp gone.  I didn’t hear the Commissioner say anything about Jerry Ferguson, Planning Director retiring because of Jean’s actions.  To accuse him of saying this is again revisionist history; Jean blaming the wrong person.  I have been told Jerry fast forwarded his retirement because of Jean, but I did not hear it from Ferguson or Commissioner Rosenzweig.

After this same April 1st. commission meeting I saw Mayor Robb rush up to Commissioner Rosenzweig’s wife, shake her finger at her and viciously tell her that Jean did not like what her husband said. Jean screeched that Richard’s words hurt her more than any of the other commissioners. She loved Richard, but did not love him any longer.

I hope at a future meeting Commissioner Rosenzweig puts her in her place for daring to approach his wife in such a manner. That was offensive and wrong on many levels. It is unbelievable that an innocent person was confronted in such an unprofessional manner.

The CRA has done wonders for our Cove and beach area. The pier restaurant and decks are delightful, and the pier was in desperate need of restoration after years of erosion and Hurricane Wilma.  To say, as Jean does, that it was a waste of money is ridiculous.

The mayor has been told over and over that the motels on the entry to the beach could be bought as the CRA funds are available for them.  In fact they are in the original CRA plan which she also should know. Any time the owners and the city can come to an agreement, they could be bought.   The buying of the hotels was NEVER put on the back burner because of Sullivan Park. Again Jean is dishing out false information.

Whether the city should take tax paying properties off the rolls and add maintenance of a little park to our expenses is a discussion for another article.

Jean’s vendetta against Commissioner Ganz stems from his doing his homework and trying to keep the city from making some bad mistakes.  For example he questioned her wanting to jump the gun and award contracts without going to bid.

She wanted to give away city property to Habitat for Humanity to build homes for the needy, and in fact had gone ahead and contacted them on her own.  Both Bill Ganz and Keven Klopp spoke for going to bid on such a large project and making sure the city got the best deal.  In return for saving her from a costly mistake, Ganz was on the receiving end of her vocal displeasure.

Jean is whining that she can’t get her way, if she had good ideas, she could get the votes.  However, what she is asking for is bad for the city. If not, she could convince the other commissioners to vote her way, and she would not have a chamber full of residents speaking against her proposals.

Jean continues her quest to rescind the referendum, which placed protection of the beach in the charter.  In spite of all 4 other commissioners and uncounted residents objecting, she continues.  This vendetta smacks of her favoring certain property owners on the beach who want massive development on an undersized lot.

Why would a mayor Listen to a developer regarding beach codes instead of listening to the 75 percent of the citizens of Deerfield Beach who are her constituents and who voted in favor of protecting our beach from congestion and traffic?

Anyone who thinks the public has changed on this issue should gather petitions and prove to the commission that they can get enough signatures to get it on the ballot.

The sober house problem is not unique to Deerfield Beach, Delray, Boynton and other cities are in the same fix, it is not the codes that are to blame.

Moving the election to November is something some cities have done and most have not.  It puts the local issues way at the bottom of an overlong ballot and forces the commissioners to run at the same time that dozens of other seats are vying for the voters’ attention.  The local issues are important and should not take a back seat in a general vote.

Jean says that the sale of the Hillsboro and Federal fire station is going nowhere, that is incorrect as usual, and jumping the gun again.  There is a study in the works by the City Manager who is looking at the cost of moving the station versus the cost of the many repairs and upgrades are needed.  No decision has been made, but it is being looked at.

Going out to bid on contracts is seen as unnecessary by Jean.  Even if the city is not required to go to bid for a project, why would a fiscally careful commission not want the best offer?  Requirement or not, it is the only way to make sure that politics are left out of the process and fiscal responsibility is paramount.

Jean is fond of saying the mayoral candidate supported by people, like me who stand up at commission meetings, lost the election.  Not true.  I had no “candidate” as I often said that that election was for the lesser of 2 bad choices.
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