Tim Smith's Fort Lauderdale

      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.
    

     Yes, you read the title right!

     I thought I had seen it all.  Here’s how it went down:
                                   
                                             …………………………………….

   ……..  It’s the most insidious drug there is – crack cocaine. It makes people insane, violent, destroys them. The dealers often hide it in there mouths, so they can swallow it should the Cops take them down.

                                                         
                                                         care for some crack?        

     So, today I’m up on NE 13th street in Fort Lauderdale, working at my plant nursery. Though there has been massive efforts to clear the area of drugs,  it’s hung on for decades, like a bad rash!

     I spot a charcoal gray Honda  slowing down and pulling into the median on 13th. It’s got smoky windows and I think to myself ” undercover cop, checking out the scene”. I give a nod of appreciation and walk toward my truck.

     The gray Honda spins around and pulls up beside me, and rolls the window down half way. ” Yo,  how do I find 1842 N.Dixie Highway“?   It was an FPL employee, replete in their recognizable blue shirt with FPL emblazoned on the front.

     As I start to give him directions, he motions me closer to his car. ” Yo man, do you need some“? I thought I was hearing things! This FPL guy is trying to sell me drugs ! I think quick, tell him I’ll have to get money. He scribbles his name and number on a scrap of paper and shoves it out the window. “call me” , he says, and pulls off.

     I call the Chief of Police (sometimes it’s real nice being a former City commissioner!).


                                                                  
                                                                   Chief Adderley 

     In minutes, a top level Narcotics Officer is on the phone. “I’m on the way over”. He picks me up and we drive around the corner where some rather seedy characters are parked under a tree in the shade. They get out and the Top Cop introduces them as “his team“! ….. I give them the 411.

     “Damn, this is just like the movies”, I muse. 

     Before I know it, they are in action. They call Mr. FPL /dopedealer and one of the Cops  (as he pretends to be a dope head) , tells the doper that I am too afraid to come, but he’s going to pick up the crack for me. The doper buys the story. 

     I get back in the car with the Top Cop and before we know it he gets the call – “We got him”, the undercover agent tells his boss,

                                  

     “he’s got $1100. in cash, but only the $20 worth of crack he bought for the sale.”

     Just another day in the war on drugs –  but we expect FPL is hiring!

     It didn’t look good.

     Big storm clouds were gathering. …. Fort Lauderdale’s  Middle River Terrace Neighborhood Association was scheduled to meet …4 pm sharp…Sunday, September 13th …… 2009
             
                
                          ……..  oooooo ………

     But civic responsibility was the call of the day! 
   
     Would the incoming monsoon stop the neighbors from showing up ? …. after all, the meeting was to be held in an outside Park Pavilion! ….  You’d be excused !  


                            
                                              neighbors eat their B.B.Q. ….  under cover ! 

      The rain was torrential ! … a reminder of summer in Fort Lauderdale!   …..but the masses still came …huddled together …. ate the soggy beans….. hoped for the best !

                                                             and then !!!

                                          


                                                              the skies cleared……….

                                                           politicians pontificated……..
 
                                                       serious issues were discussed ! 




                                 
                                            

                                                            Awards were bestowed!                      


                                           Fort Lauderdale Civic Spirit Lives On !! 
                                                        

       He’s a British citizen ( by birth),  but more often than not, you’ll find him soaking up the sun in his ocean – front condo on the famous Fort Lauderdale Beach!

     If he’s back in England, chances are, he’ll be seeing his personal Doctor for some troubling ailment…..free of charge!

He is C.J. Beck, ….. internationally famous author, ….. dual citizen,…..  taker of Free British Health Care.


C.J. Beck at a signing for his new best selling book “Sixteen stories, no pets”


     “the British Health Care System is a National Treasure” …. says C.J.  …he calls it a ” mark of a civilized society” …..

          …………………………………………………..

…….C.J. has an English National Health Care “number”, which guarantees him Free Health Care at any urgent center like the urgent care Carle Place and so on. Here are some of C.J.’s more recent experiences with the English Health Care System:

   ” I had a sudden surge of extra floaters and flashes in the right eye, warning symptoms of a retinal tear and imminent retinal detachment.  I was seen quickly by two consultants and they claim it’s posterior vitreous detachment, which one can get as the vitreous dries over time.  Whew. So far so good.  No charge.

…..   But of course there are trade offs, no system is perfect! ….

   “Ingrowing toe nail:  National Health Service will cover some chiropody but it’s been six weeks and I’m still waiting.  Tolerate the discomfort or go private is the unspoken rule.  No charge for waiting…”

……  But then, ….

“Mystery soreness in palm of hand:  Referral to a great physio within two weeks and an astute diagnosis of compressed ulna nerve or “handlebar palsy” that foxed two GPs.   Seems to be improving.  No charge. ”

…….  But I had to ask Chris about those reported long waits for care ….. He says ….

      ” If you have something like a cancer scare, they have a guaranteed two-week turnaround. If you’re prepared to wait at the end of the day, and claim to have an urgent problem, the GP will se you the same day, and you can avoid a three day wait”

……………………………………………………………………………..

…….. So there is an actual Brit, with real – life British Health Care experiences ! …. He likes his system. But I bet we could do even better here in the 

United States of America….. Let’s try !