Vote NO on City Amendment !

     We will ALL vote in  just two weeks! Right?

     Probably most importantly, we will decide if President Obama, or former Governor Romney,  should serve as our President for the next four years………

                                      
   

                      But we will also vote on things that are important  …..

                                    only to us in  …  Fort Lauderdale!

    
                                          
                                                  Mayor and Commishes

     On your ballot, you will see an amendment to the Fort Lauderdale Charter. It will ask if you want to change the City’s Charter ( Constitution) to allow for a change in the way we elect our Mayor and Commissioners.

     Vote against it!  ….. 

     The problem with this amendment is that it extends the amount of years that the  Fort Lauderdale Mayors and Commissioners can stay on the Commission!

      Now, the Mayor and Commissioners can serve for 9 years, and that’s enough!

                  

     If the Amendment passes, Mayors and Commissioners will be able to serve 12 years!

     Just Vote No !

    

         

                                            
 

                 

Neighborhood President About to Explode!

     Sal Gatanio, President of the South Middle River Civic Association is MAD MAD MAD! 

                                  
                                Gatanio, when smiling



    
South Middle River has more crime (5th in per capita) than any neighborhood in the City. Last night, there was another disturbance in his neighborhood, and what follows is Sal’s e-mail to one of the residents that lives near the disturbance.

     Here is Sal’s text from last evening

     2 cops arrived and did nothing.

     I was there, they drove by and I asked for a call back and nothing. As a matter of fact I got photos of the people who were with the guy that pulled a gun on me and still no call back.
 
     The group of women hanging out at the house across from you by nw 11 st told me clearly to go Fuck myself while police cars were behind me. Still no call back from the police.
 
     To top it off I am blasting on facebook and our website a video of one of the riots that took place directly there. Maybe our mayor and city manager are waiting for one of the innocent people to get shot. Can’t be any other reason for the city to ignore this community.

     Nick, it is clear now that we cannot depend on the mayor we elected to give one damn about South Middle River. It is clear the city manager will not put any money towards us. The mayor asked me to talk to Lee Feldman to help clean up the trash all along nw 11 st from Nw 4ave to Nw 3 ave. Excuses about the city having to foot the bill so now since my bike ride with Jack 13 weeks ago, the trash still sits there, the guns are flying free and the third world country lives and breaths is south middle river.
 
     I will walk by and if I get shot or beaten from these violent animals, well at least our mayor and city manager will have one less person to worry about. Apologies for my grammar as I am in the car and at an absolute shock at the neglect from the police and city management. One can only come to the conclusion that the city has given direct orders to let South Middle River rot in hell.
 
     I especially apologise that I have been pushed to thiis point as no citizen in our city deserves this. I extend my sympathy to you Nick for having to live next door to a bunch of criminals that our city cannot control. You have a wonderful home and I ask you to lock your doors and if you have any weapons to protect yourself, use them cautiosly.


     I’ll keep you informed…. 
Tim

To Be Or Not To Be …..

     Represented?

The rules for the special District II City Commissioner election (Rodstrom seat)  is on the City Commission agenda tomorrow.


    
      Controversy proceeds tomorrow’s discussion.

      Former beach area President (and former Commission candidate)  Steve Glassman, has sent out an e-mail to  District II leaders,( and the City Commission), complaining about the months that the District II seat will remain empty, making District II residents unrepresented on the City Commission. Others have been commenting on Glassman’s e-mail (below) all weekend.

     

                                                
                                                                          Glassman


         Dear District II Neighborhood Presidents, Activists, and Neighbors-


      Attached you will find a memorandum from the City Attorney to the Mayor and Commission for discussion at this Tuesday’s Conference meeting (BUS 6).  Without assigning blame and going through a long litany of “would have, could have, should have,” the bottom line is that we, the residents of District II, are facing four months with no representation on the Commission dais.  I find this to be unacceptable, and I hope you do, too.  Four months is a long time: at least 16 Commission meetings, workshops, daily issues facing each neighborhood, crime, development projects, and on and on. 


      The Charter requires the special election(s) because of the time served thus far in the term, but does it actually preclude the Commission from placing an interim person in the seat until the election?  Isn’t there some way to guarantee that the large number of taxpaying citizens (and this district pays quite a bit of taxes!) have a voice in the decision-making and that there is a point person looking out for our interests?  Who would residents call?  (One would assume, and fairness to all of the candidates dictates, that once the Commissioner steps down on November 19, then the Commission aide must step down as well.)


      If you find this situation troubling, please take a moment to contact the Mayor and Commission ( I have copied them on this as well) before Tuesday and express yourself.  Also, I apologize if I omitted anyone on this distribution list; hopefully, the presidents can share this with your boards and neighbors.


      Thank you for taking the time to consider this; enjoy your weekend.


                                   Steve Glassman


          
Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom didn’t take kindly to Glassman’s e-mail

  
Tim
     First of all Mr. Glassman’s email is inaccurate in so many ways. He obviously has not read or understands the charter.

     I feel confident that the District 2 citizens will be represented well by the Mayor and my colleagues, city staff, the manager and the hundreds of employees that serve them everyday and who will continue to do so. I have out reached to the district leadership and they understand that I will continue to advocate on their behalf. I will be working to ensure the shortest possible time frame.

     Perhaps his email was a reaction to the item on the agenda Tuesday. I hope that gives you a little more perspective.

Thank you
Charlotte 

    
       Glassman and Rodstrom used to be friendly.

           
              now-a-days? …not so much!

     Some District II leaders have sent e-mails mostly supporting Glassman’s opinion.

     And, all the other candidates in the District II race weighed in on Glassman’s concerns.
 
    Dean Trantalis – “if Charlotte had made her resignation take effect 13 days earlier, we would not be having this discussion, nor would the City be saddled with a potential expense of over $200,000.

     Chuck Black
– “the Commission can and should defer all significant items [affecting District II] until a time that the seat is filled”.

     Robert Walsh
– “I absolutely agree with Steve Glassman.”


    Even local irritant Charlie King jumped in the debate. 

    King is a strong supporter of Rodstrom,(and Newt Gingrich), and took Glassman to task on Glassman’s estimate of four months of no representation for District II. 

    Glassman pointed out in a return e-mail that the general election for the seat will take place in March, four months from now. 


                      
                            King
        
              
          I’ll keep you informed!  … Tim


     

A Few Things to Report!

     We looked at crime, per capita, a few blog posts ago, and one of the neighborhoods high up on the list is taking action!

     Dorsey Riverbend, who had the third worst crime rate per capita in 2011, is a small neighborhood just north of Broward Boulevard and south of Sistrunk Boulevard.. The total Part I Crimes for 2011 was 176, breaking down like this –

                                          48 Robberies
                                          66 Burglaries
                                          35 Car break-ins
                                          18 Cars stolen

     The 2012 statistics are marginally better, down 1%. And, interestingly, the Chief of Police, Frank Adderley, lives in the neighborhood!

                                         

     Here is a flyer about Dorsey Riverbend’s anti-crime march, Friday, October 19th. I’ll be there! Expect to see Commissioner Dubose, the Police Chief, and Mayor Seiler as well.
                               

                   

                     ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

     And, a quick update on the School Bus invasion in the Middle River Terrace neighborhood.

                   
     
      Neighborhood President, Laura Croscenco, says the situation is improved, as the Broward School Transportation Chief Jerry Graziose implemented a better plan, and School Board member Maureen Dinnen has been working hard to get the buses out of the neighborhood, although she is out of office on November 19!

     The hope is that the busses will leave the neighborhood altogether within two weeks.
 
  

On a Personal Note!

     Today is me and my wonderful wife’s Anniversary!

                                         33 Years Together

     We both find that hard to imagine, as neither of us are hardly that old!!

            Ok, here’s a fun quiz. Which picture below is Tim and Cindy Smith?

                                                 
                            Nope, that’s some strangers named Ken and Cindy Smith

                                  
                   
well, that’s me…but not Cindy (don’t worry, Cindy took the picture

                                     
                                      again, that’s me…but who is that woman?

                              

           Yup, you got it this time….. that’s me, and the wonderful Mrs.Cindy Smith

                                                    …love you honey!

     

C. Rodstrom Argues Against City Position

     Some of the City leaders are mad as hornets against Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom.

                    

                                 Here’s the background ….

     The kerfuffle blew up over yesterday’s joint meeting of Broward County and Fort Lauderdale, concerning a resolution to the 911 Dispatch and Communications system’s controversy.

      Fort Lauderdale used to have their entirely own system – paid for by the County, (since we had our own Police Department, and most of the County’s cities got their policing from the County’s Sheriff’s Department.)

                                           
                                                         911 Dispatch
    
      Now, the County no longer wants to pay Fort Lauderdale, as most cities in the County have been working towards a county-wide dispatch system, which is planned to go into operation in 2014.

     Yesterday was billed as a dispute resolution meeting, but it didn’t turn out that way.

     After a cantankerous hour, a break was called, and the sides went to their corners. The City came back in, and Mayor Seiler offered up a compromise –  give the City about half what the County gave us in the past (the City used to receive 5 million yearly).  Seiler’s proposal called for 2.75 million yearly, until 2014 when the new County-wide system would take over.

                                                      

       Seiler said he couldn’t run that counter offer by his Commissioners during the break ( the Sunshine law), and asked each Commissioner to publicly talk on the compromise. Much to the surprise of many in attendance, Rodstrom began to fight  …….  but for the County!

      One participant told me this – “it was truly shocking and embarrassing  …. we offered a reasonable compromise, and she took the County’s position! …… she was out of control….. …. ……. throughout the two hour long meeting, she was always siding with the County and against the City at every step!” ….

     I tried to reach Rodstrom for her side of the story, but I’m still waiting for a return call from the six messages I left last month!

Per Capita Crime in Your Neighborhood!

     This blog has been talking about crime and crime rates in the Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods this year.

                                           

     Just last month I declared one neighborhood the winner ( or the loser, out of the 83 neighborhoods that crime stats are kept) for having the most crime in the City in 2011, and many years before that  – South Middle River.

     But some residents of South Middle River asked me if I use the per capita figure ( how many crimes per population of the neighborhood), or just the raw totals. Truth is, I used the raw totals, so the larger neighborhoods probably would expect higher totals. So I went back to take another look.

     I used the City’s figures for population in neighborhoods, and although South Middle River had more total crimes than any other neighborhood ( 530 Part I Crimes – 2011), they actually drop to 5th place when you use the per capita figures – Congratulations?

                       The neighborhood with the most crimes per capita is …….

                              
                                                     
Progresso Village
     
     
This picture is Progresso’s neighborhood entryway sign, a few months back, when thieves stole the metal letters ( probably for the scrap value.)

     The neighborhood President, Bradford Cohen, says property crimes like the sign letter theft above is what’s driving up their totals.
 
     [Cohen is rather new to the President post in Progresso. He is locally famous for appearing on Trump’s “Apprentice” show, and numerous appearances on Fox News as a legal expert.]

                                                  
                                                             Cohen

     Cohen says he was “not surprised” that they hold the dubious distinction of  most crimes per persons in Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods. But he said he is glad that there is progress so far this year ( the neighborhood crime is down 2% over this time last year).

       Here is a list of some of the City’s neighborhoods and their per capita rate

     1.) Progresso Village –           1 out of 11 people was a victim of crime in 2011
    
2.) Flagler Heights –              1 …….. 13 people …
    
3.) Dorsey Riverbend –         1 ……… 14 people ….
    
4.) Central Beach –                1 ……… 15 people ….
    
5.) South Middle River –       1 ……….15 people ….
    
6.) Durrs –                               1 ……….17 people …
    
7.) Lauderdale Manors –       1 ………. 19 people …
    
8.) Melrose Manors –            1 ………..23 people …
    
9.) Melrose Park –                 1 ………..24 people …
    
10.) Middle River Terrace –  1 ………. 27 people  …

      … and just for comparison, some of the safer neighborhoods  …

          Coral Ridge  …….         1 out of 40 people was a victim of crime in 2011
           Rio Vista ……               1 out of 70 people ….
           Idlewyld …….                1 out of 76 ….
           Galt Ocean Mile ….     1 out of 125 ….
           Bal Habour ….              1 out of 320 …..
           Sunrise Intracoastal ..  1 out of 977…. ( they had no crime)..