Author: commtims

      You’ll remember that disgraced former County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion 
 
    was removed from office by Governor Charlie Crist for all sorts of devilish behavior. 
   297184732
   
       Crist’s gubernatorial duties then called for him to appoint a replacement to fill the empty seat, and community activists have been quite angry that Crist was stalling in choosing the Broward County District 9 fill- in Commissioner.  

     Crist had a problem. In a nearly all black, democratic district, Crist needed to find a black republican! 

     Crist got creative. He chose a black republican that lived elsewhere, even though the law called for the seat to be filled with a resident of District 9. Crist chose Dania Beach Commissioner Al Jones.

                                                                            
                                                                         black republican
                                                                                             ( who lived elsewhere)
     
     That action set off an unbelievable chain reaction over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Seeing that the residency rules had apparently been suspended by the Governor, pols began to move!

      Former Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Dean Trantalis announced his candidacy for Mayor of Wilton Manors, even though he lives in Fort Lauderdale.

      On the heels of the Trantalis announcement, former Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson,  not to be outdone, and looking for a new opportunity, threw her hat in the ring for Mayor of Tallahassee. Hutchinson says she will move there “soon”!. 

     
     And in the oddest of announcements,  City Manager George Gretsas, still smarting from last week’s Fort Lauderdale City Commision decision, threw himself a fundraiser for the position of Mayor of White Plains, New York, “just to hedge my bets”,. he opined ! 

     ….  Some suggest that Governor Crist should run for Governor of Alaska!  … and move there today!    ……   Tim

    

     So what happens now with City Manager George Gretsas?

                              
                                Mayor Jack Seiler and City Manager George Gretsas

     Rumors have been running wild.
 
     A published rumor,at the end of last week , on the blog of former Sun-Sentinel political reporter Buddy Nevins, seemed to have the scoop! It quoted unnamed “sources” as saying Gretsas could be out of town as early as “next week”.

  
Nevins

         The story went on to say that Commissioners were working the phones “overtime” to find a 
replacement. It even named possible replacements! And in a tone reminiscent of Nevins style while at the Sun-Sentinel, warned the City Commission against making “back room deals”. He ended his blog telling the Commission that it ” only takes hitting the send button to file an ethics complaint”.

     The only problem with all the tough talk is both Seiler and Gretsas say it’s all incorrect.

     This evening, Seiler and Gretsas called the reporting bunk and Gretsas sent me the following statement, along with Seiler’s comment to Buddy Nevins.

                                                   

      If you follow local politics, ever, last night’s Commission meeting was not one to miss!

     Fort Lauderdalians had been waiting months to find out the fate of the controversial City Manager George Gretsas.

     Though all the details weren’t ironed out about his future as City Manager last night, one thing is for sure – Gretsas had a very bad night.
 
                                        
                                                                   feeling the pain

     At first, things seemed to be going George’s way. The assembled crowd of citizens were overwhelming in their support of Gretsas. Some even coined it a ” Gretsas love fest”. One favorable commenter even compared the vibes to Woodstock!

     But then the hammer dropped!

       First in line was Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom, Gretsas’s most outspoken critic.

     She blasted Gretsas, and then, in a “smoking gun” type moment, produced 18 employment contracts that she said Gretsas had signed shortly before the new Commission was sworn in. The contracts gave Gretsas a dastardly edge. It allowed Gretsas to “fire” those 18 employees, but in doing so award long expensive severance packages to them. Gretsas could cause the City some financial pain before he were let go.

                                          
                                                 Charlotte’s “smoking gun”

     Then it was Commissioner Bruce Roberts‘ turn. In a blistering attack, Roberts, who has had a long and not so pleasant relationship with Gretsas, moved to not extend Gretsas’s contract, and the motion was seconded by Rodstrom.

                                           
                                                     Roberts – “off with his head!” 

       Not so fast, cried out Gretsas’s Commissioner supporters, Rogers and Dubose. Both sang praises of Gretsas and seemed at times perplexed, and other times angry with their colleagues.
    
                                  
                       Dubose                                                                             Rogers    


     And then there was Jack !  

     As expected, the vote was two-two. Mayor Seiler would be the swing vote.

     No one knew what Jack would do, not even Jack. But as he sat listening to two of his colleagues’s fervent opposition to the Manager, Seiler decided he could not offer Gretsas another three year contract. He explained that it was Gretsas’s job to make a believer out of Rodstrom and Roberts, and he had failed to do so. The friction left behind could be crippling.


                                                
                                                       Seiler lectures the Manager

     In one of the most open and transparent displays of political discourse I’ve ever witnessed, Seiler publicly told Gretsas he shouldn’t have pushed for a three year contract –

     – “didn’t I tell ya George? didn’t I tell you this morning not to go for the three or nothing approach?”  

     Gretsas could only manage a weak  “yes, you did”. Seiler added that he had told Gretsas to get his support out to the meeting, do what he could.

     The meeting ended with a decision to discuss Gretsas’s future with the City at a future City Commission conference meeting, now that his contract had been officially “non renewed”. Gretsas has another ten months left on his current contract, and the door was left open (though just a tad) for a reconciliation down the road. 

     Gretsas could not be reached for comment.

     Stay tuned !   ………..  Tim      P.S. thanks to Cal Deal and Art Seitz for the great pictures! 

    

     City Manager George Gretsas’s employment future should be decided at the upcoming City Commission meeting, this Tuesday night.

     Gretsas lives on the beautiful Fort Lauderdale Beach and has this beautiful view when he wakes – 
 
                                                 
                                                                         Fort Lauderdale beach at sunrise


     He’s trying to keep that view, and his job! As we’ve told you before, the conventional wisdom of him being retained as the City Manager stands at two votes for, two against, and one hanging in the balance. 

     Gretsas lives at the Points of America Condo that overlooks the inlet at Port Everglades. 

     Here are the stats on the property records that detail the value if his condo, and the taxes he pays:

                                               Site Address  2100 S OCEAN LANE # XXX , FORT LAUDERDALE   
                                                             Property Owner  GRETSAS,GEORGE
 
                                Mailing Address  2100 S OCEAN LANE # XXX FORT LAUDERDALE FL 33316  
                                         Legal Description  POINT OF AMERICAS CONDO UNIT XXX  
 
                                                                   Property Assessment Values    
                                              Year   Land        Building      Just Value  Assessed      Tax Bill
                                            2009  $37,810    $340,330    $378,140    $378,140    $6,838.35   
                                            2008  $50,670    $456,050    $506,720    $482,760    $8,854.81   

     You’ll see that he took quite a beating in the value of his condo ( and the subsequent reduction in taxes) this year. Here’s the sales history of that condo –
 
                                                          Sales History
                                          Date  Type  Price  Book  Page 
                                   6/1/2006    WD    $545,000    42373    937   
                                   5/1/1987    WD    $130,000    14466    675   
                                   6/1/1971    WD    $52,000         
                                   12/1/1969    WD    $43,500          
               
     Check back  Wednesday morning to find out if Gretsas gets to keep that stunning view!      
         
        

                  ………. not so fast !!



           ….      due to the death of Commissioner Bobby Duboses’s mother ,  the discussion on George Gretsas’s future with the City is reported to be deferred to a future meeting……. 


                                                                             ………………..  whew !!!!!!

                       Stay Tuned !!!  ……Tim

     City Managers know one thing for certain. Someday, they will quit or be fired!

     Floyd Johnson, Fort Lauderdale City Manager from 1998 until 2003, never saw his day coming. He was fired without warning in the middle of a City Commission meeting. Former City Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson, under attack with her colleagues for a tight budget year, called for his head, and off his head went!


                                                                  
                                                                     Hanbury


     George Hanbury was the Manager before Johnson. He wasn’t fired, but quit eight years into the job after relentless attacks by former Mayor Jim Naugle made the job unbearable.

     And this Tuesday, current Fort Lauderdale City Manager George Gretsas’  city employment  is on the line.

                                                              
                                                                  Gretsas
 
     Gretsas has survived for over five years now. He has both detractors, and fans, both in the citizenry and the City Commission. 
     His most vocal detractor has been City Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom, who calls for his head, or sharply criticizes him at nearly every meeting. Tuesday will be her chance to see if she can talk at least two other Commissioners into sending Gretsas packing.

     Connected insiders say it is playing out this way – 

     Rodstrom and City Commissioner Bruce Roberts would like to find a new Manager. Roberts quit his post a few years back as Fort Lauderdale Police Chief, blaming Gretsas for his exit.

     New Commissioners Dubose and Rogers are said to be fans of Gretsas. They’ll vote to keep him, making it a 2-2 tie! 

     That leaves Mayor Seiler !


                                            
                                                           Gretsas and Seiler

     Seiler says the Gretsas employment matter has been quite explosive. He’s fielded at least 50 calls on the matter, both pro-Gretsas and anti-Gretsas, but he won’t say what he’ll do on Tuesday. One thing’s for sure – Seiler likes to keep the ship in calm waters, whenever possible. 

     But Tuesday’s weather could turn stormy !

    

     So I’m up at the Peter Pan Diner on Oakland Park Boulevard, having a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, with raisins, and reading the paper,  when I spot the article –

     Governor Crist to interview two candidates today for County Commissioner appointment to replace
suspended County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion. 

     Now I’ve known all along that the chance of me getting the nod were slim (at best), but I keep reading, though I squint to protect myself.

     The article mentions two names:

           Commissioner Albert C. Jones  ( Republican ) … African American .


                                                           and


             Levi Williams  ( Republican) .. African American 


     I’m sure it’s just an oversight that my name wasn’t mentioned in the article – maybe the phone will ring any moment with a call from the GUV !


Tim Smith (Democrat)  … not African American …


   ……..   you see,  Governor Crist has denied speculation that he’ll have to appoint a Republican, to fend off the challenge from the very conservative former State House Speaker Marco Rubio in the Republican primary for the open U.S. Senate seat.

   …….    and Crist has also denied allegations that his appointment will also have to be black, to win the seat in the General Election, where some cross-over Democratic vote might be necessary to win.


          Regardless of all this speculation and punditry,  I’ve decided to step aside, remove my name from contention. Save the Governor the phone call. 

     ……..  I’ll look forward to working with whomever gets the appointment !

                         …..  Idea for the Governor –   Consider Diversity ! ……

       As most of you now know, Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion has been arrested by the Feds, after allegedly receiving $23,000 in cash in an FBI corruption sting. The Federal charges are money laundering and mail fraud.


                                                
                                                            Eggelletion leaving Courthouse…. none too happy !

     Eggelletion’s political career has been fraught with controversy, including allegations of buying a $659 briefcase with a county credit card, improperly working as a lobbyist, and fathering the child of one of his former students!

     Now, Governor Crist, after having suspended Eggelletion, will have to appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of Eggelletions’ term. 

                                                      
                                                                        The Governor  


         …………..  So, here’s a list of those I’ve heard being talked about to fill the seat:




    ……… John Billingsley ( left) , Lauderdale Lakes Commissioner …………

     ……..  Levi Williams, well known lawyer and activist ….

   ………  Bobby Dubose, Fort Lauderdale Commissioner

      ………  Carlton Moore, former Fort Lauderdale Commissioner

     ……….   Margaret Bates, Lauderhill Commissioner 

    ……… Allegra Webb Murphy, Oakland Park Commissioner

  ……….  Art Kennedy , ( OK, so that’s Congressman Alcee Hastings, but I couldn’t find a picture of his long time aid Art Kennedy!) 


                                                             and

         ……. Tim Smith …..former Fort Lauderdale Commissioner



                                                    Embrace Diversity ! …. Yes We Can !!


                ( if you agree, tell the Governor  “Smith’s the guy !”   at  http://Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com&nbsp

     I know what you’re thinking… 

     No, …….. this interview is not with him       
                                                                       Jim Naugle

….  we are planning an interview with Naugle soon , but when I asked him when he’d be available he said something cryptic, I’m not sure what he meant. He said to give him a call when “swine are in flight!” 

      
   No sillies, not him either! He should have been Mayor, but lost to the above!


                                    No No … now you’ve gone way too far back ! 
                                      Clay Shaw

  ….hmmm… I see you haven’t been paying attention !
    George Gretsas
                         
            
                   OK, I’d better help   ….. this interview is with the Fort Lauderdale Mayor from 1982 through 1986   ………. 

                                                        Meet Rob Dressler

                                              
                                 current Mayor Jack Seiler with former Mayor Rob Dressler                                         

         
 TIM:      So Rob   ………   tell us a little about yourself , after all some of us were just babies when you were Mayor !     

 ROB:     As to my roots, I am truly a Fort Lauderdale native. I was born in Broward General Hospital, grew up first in Victoria Park on Victoria Park Road and later on NE 7 Street. I went to East Side Elementary, Sunrise Junior High School and Fort Lauderdale High School.
     Fort Lauderdale when I grew up, was a small town, and we could ride our bicycles all over town, had to go past farms to get to Wilton Manors. I could ride, fish or hunt just west of State Road 7. After I graduated from high school in 1963, I was out of the area in college, law school and the Marines, but moved back to Victoria Park in 1975.
                                                
  TIM:        And when you moved back to Fort Lauderdale, had things changed?

  ROB:    yes, and not for the better. The neighborhoods were overrun with traffic and very rundown, without adequate code enforcement or trash pick-up, and prostitutes lined Federal Highway throughout the City.
     The recession in the late70’s had ended the City’s ambitious Downtown Development Plan and left nothing but empty lots, which were eventually put to short term use as tennis courts.

   TIM:     and seeing all that made you want to get involved?

    ROB:      yep …  I got involved by bringing feuding neighbors together to form the Victoria Park Civic Association. Then, after Clay Shaw’s election to Congress there was an “empty seat”on the Commission, so I became a candidate. In my first term, I served with Bob Cox, former Mayor Virginia Young, and Dick Mills, as well as John Rodstrom who was also elected that year.

    TIM:       so how did your political career end?

    ROB:       I resigned to run for the Florida Senate. Unfortunately, the sense of community and enthusiasm we had in those days seems to have gotten lost.
      However, rather than focusing on past problems, I want to say that Mayor Seiler and the new commission will lead us in a new, much more positive direction.