Month: May 2017

Who let the dogs out ???

…. Beats me, but I do know who killed off  Mother Duck and her cute little ducklings mural !

 

 

The City had asked that this mural get painted on this little storage shed, that is next to a wonderful Kaboom playground that the City is building over in Middle River Terrace Park on Dixie….. They had done a similar thing on the last playground that they built in Poinciana Park ….

The city’s art group Art Serve was asked to find an accomplished muralist and they found this artist who sketched up this rough draft of this mural with a wonderful message for the park … . The muralist said she spent time in the park, and the one constant was mothers with children …. and ducks!

The plan was progressing wonderfully, until this man, pictured below, halted progress, stopped the mural, and the ducks seem to be  as good as dead …. ducks

 

Yes, that is none other than Commissioner Dean Trantalis, the duck killer !

Trantalis got a complaint from a neighborhood woman about the mural   …. The lady had said on a conference call about the Kaboom Playground that she opposed the mural, that it was “not that kind of neighborhood” …. that the neighborhood was now “elegant’….. “huh?, I replied !

I called Trantalis, but to my dismay, he said he was siding with Ms. Elegant and stopping the mural from being painted during the playground build   …… He said he would “start a process for a mural,,,, start a committee ….. have a meeting someday  ….YaDA  …yADA….yADA!

 

I tried to change his mind    ….

Sent over a formal duck to try  ….. no luck

 

Had squads of ducks ( and constituents) gang up on him   ….No luck

 

Even went the political route that I was sure would work!   …

 

….Hell no,  Trantalis still said  ……  consider the ducks dead ( or something in that vein  …)

 

……. But let’s give it one last try   …..  what do you say?  …… email Trantalis at DTrantalis@fortlauderdale .gov with this short little message

 

………………………………  # SAVE MOTHER DUCK ………………………………………………………………………..

 

 

 

 

 

Will Lee Feldman be leaving as City Mananger of Fort Lauderdale ?

 

 

A provocative question for sure…….   Let me explain ……

 

Lee has been the City Manager in Fort Lauderdale for 6 years …. That’s about the average length for City Managers in our City, but Lee is exceptionally talented, has survived a tough economy that has now turned healthy,  and is generally well liked……   But here’s the rub….there’s an election next year, and a lot of the political players will be changing, due to the term limit law that was enacted by former  Commissioner Tim Smith 🙂  ….

 

 ……. This fellow, photographed in a jovial moment, is not at all  happy with Feldman ….And he will most probably be remaining in office after election 2018.

This is Commissioner Dean Trantalis, and he has already called for Lee to resign, votes against Lee’s pay raises, and points to all the time Feldman spends out of the City due to his position as President of the International City County Managers Association.

 

 

Trantalis has a point on that, and Feldman will have to find a way to mitigate the time out of town somehow, if he does stay. Here is Feldman in China, about to meet with the Vice Premier of China  !! ….WOW !

So here is what I’m thinking….. Feldman is sharp, very sharp indeed. Commissioner Romney Rogers, who heartily supports Feldman, says Lee is “the sharpest tool in the shed”. But Rogers will be term limited out in March, as is Mayor Jack Seiler, who is Feldman’s most vocal supporter.

 

……………… Jack and Lee – all smiles !

 

So Lee, being the sharp tool that he is, and knowing that at least two of his best supporters are leaving, but his most vociferous critic is staying, and having the big name recognition as such a well known, accomplished City Manager, just might be thinking about checking out his options,,,,

 

…….. I’m hoping I’m wrong, hoping that Trantalis can soften his opinion, and that we get a few more sharp years out of the sharp Feldman tool !

……………………. Tim