Tim Smith's Fort Lauderdale

     As luck would have it, just this past week, my mad scientist, grossly talented, computer guru buddy, NAME REDACTED,  , found a way to hack into the  “Super – Top Secret – Never Before Detected – City Hall Gretsas Cam!”    

                                                                       

        Yep, it’s the dreaded and feared G.G.SPYCAM  that has been whispered about  City Hall for years; ….”Gretsas has us bugged”, …..”Watch what you say”, ….”Where are those friggin cameras?”  are the common refrains.

     And just in time for the new Commission, we hacked in successfully, and thought we’d listen in to the very start of new District I Commissioner Bruce Roberts’ term. 

     Here’s the audio account:


     Day 1 – Roberts walks in his Commission office for the first time. Secretary follows him in.
 
Secretary  –  ” hello Chief …   er, uh, …Commissioner…er, uh …Bruce , er uh

Roberts – ” Commissioner will do” , “just don’t slip and call me Teel, or your you-know-what will be you-know-what!  …. ha ha ha ha ah ha ha ah ha  !

                                                 (Roberts seems in high spirits)

Secretary – ” Yes sir, Commissioner, you can count on me sir “.

                              ( Interrupted by ringing phone ….. 

    Secretary  – “OMG, it’s the Gretsas HotLine!    

Roberts – “I’ll take it, and maybe you ought to give me some privacy!”

                                             (Secretary leaves quickly)

Roberts – “hello, brand new City Commissioner Bruce Roberts speaking”


 Gretsas – “well er uh, hello Chief, er uh, Commissioner, er uh, SIR”


Roberts –  …  click

Gretsas – “Commissioner, Sir, ….. *#!%, he hung up !”

                                           (Gretsas hits redial)

Roberts – “you were my boss, now I’m your boss, Commissioner Bruce Roberts speaking!”

Gretsas – “yes sir, is everything to your liking? , SIR! – did you enjoy the little breakfast muffins made into the little Police Cars?” … “And I noticed your car was a bit dirty, and I have Hebert down there scrubbing away!”

Roberts – ” get that little peep squeak away from my wheels!…And NOW! …. and by the way, you have 24 hours to repaint this office. It’s Pink, for God Sakes !! And it smells like woman’s perfume!…… Are you trying to test me already Georgy?”

Gretsas – ” uh, no sir, er, new paint – first thing – and the smell, I’ll take care of it personally!”

              (Roberts hangs up and fall into his chair chuckling…. rings secretary)

Roberts – “ Secretary, get me Lt. Bellsy on the phone, and tell him to get over here tout suite with his bug detector equipment……   Somebody told me these offices are bugged!”

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

                                                                                        

                        
                                                                                          


     The General Election. 

     It happens every three years here in Fort Lauderdale. And as is usually the case, just a smidgen over 10% of us went to the voting booth and elected our fearless leaders for the next cycle.


                                                                     
                                                                            
                                                                lonely voting booth!

     So we now know that the team of Seiler, Roberts, Rodstrom, Dubose, and Rogers will fill out that most important roster and decide how much to tax, what roads to fix, whether we need new Fire trucks, etc.

     But the new City Commission were not the only winners yesterday. There were other winners, even though they weren’t on any ballot.
                                                …………………………………………………………….
   
  Here’s how I see it:


     ……. Fort Lauderdale’s Voting Process –

     It’s a big winner for sure. The term limit law that finally and completely kicked in this year gave us a new City Commission that has four new members. That will guarantee the City new ideas, new energy, and a positive feeling that we can shed off the ugly baggage of the past.

     ……. Decorum,Decency,Manners –
 
     It’s been fun and entertaining at times to watch all the shenanigans and insanity on the Commission dais, but unproductive. This new group seems to get that. It’s the people’s business, and it should be done with respect. We should see a whole lot more this time around.

    …….. New King Makers –

     We love to hate Judi Stern, the queen of brash politics, but there are new campaign consultants quietly surging onto the scene. Mark Ketcham is the most notable, having just won another election against an incumbent ( he led Bruce Robert’s campaign to victory over incumbent Teel this time, and had a big win for Ken Keechl over incumbent Jim Scott last year). Also, former State Rep candidate Alain Jean won strong as campaign manager for Bobby Dubose.

                                                                                
                                                                       
                                                          New King Maker Ketcham ?


     …… Fort Lauderdale Police – 

     If it wasn’t Mayor Naugle calling them lazy, or City Manager Gretsas likening their Union boss to a feral cat, it was Teel blaming them for an out of control budget, (even if it was only a tiny fraction of the increase in City spending). Now, one of theirs (Roberts) will be sitting on the dais, and Mayor-Elect Seiler and Commissioner Rodstrom are expected to be Police friendly.

                                                                              
                                                          Mounted Division FLPD               
   

      …… Me! 

      I endorsed four out of the five City Commission winners on this blog over the last month ! 
Whew …
I’ve been sweating it!
                                                                                  
                                                                          
                                                      Tim Smith – Student Council Pres. 1969

     It’s finally over!

     Fort Lauderdale has a brand – spanking new City Commission. Three of the five have never served as elected officials before !….  This is about as close to a clean slate that you’ll ever get in politics.

     Here’s how it went down:

     In the hard fought race in District I, it’s Bruce Roberts beating the incumbent Christine Teel, by a tiny margin.  

                                                                   
                                                             Commissioner Roberts


     In District III, the winner, by a wide margin, was Bobby Dubose

                                                                    

                                                                                                   
                                                         Commissioner Dubose


     And in District IV, it’s Romney Rogers, by a comfortable margin.

               
                                                                      
                                                            Commissioner Rogers

      These three will join Mayor-Elect Seiler and re-elected Commissioner Rodstrom on the dias.


      Congratulations New Commissioners, and Congratulations Fort  Lauderdale ……
   

                                       ……………..   more in-depth analysis tomorrow!




                                                        
             
             
                                                     

                                                          

     ( sing the following to the tune of  “The Candy Man”!)


                            Who can take the Flintstones ? ( who can take the Flintstones )
               
                             Add in E. Clay Shaw ? ( add in E. Clay Shaw )

                             Driver Romney Rogers in Bedrock they’ll have a ball !

                             The Cal Deal Man Can ( the Cal Deal Man Can !)


                             
                                


          to see the rest of Deal’s political message, you click http://www.fortlauderdaleobserver.com


                                ………….. and Vote Tomorrow

     In less than a week, on Tuesday March 10th, we will know the full make up of the new Fort Lauderdale City Commission.   

     But before we get to that uplifting news, the bitter battle between District I Commissioner Christine Teel,  and former Police Chief Bruce Roberts will have to be settled.

     It’s been a tense tussle. Here they are debating last week!

    
 
                                                                       If looks could kill !


      You might recall that the Teel/Roberts grudge match started heading south a few weeks back when a shadowy group called the Integrity Counts Committee started sending mailers with Teel’s face stuck on a package of Oscar Mayer Bologna (and other such indiscretions).

     Mayor Naugle complained loudly at the next Commission meeting and demanded that the group sending the Bologna mailer come out of the shadows and claim who they were. Naugle even proposed that the City send out mailers in Teel’s defense.

     But what a difference a few weeks makes! Now, mailers are hitting mailboxes by a new shadowy group, Fort Lauderdale Responsible Government Committee, that paints Roberts in the most unfavorable lights! 

     Here is one of the mailers:

   

                                         

    
     If there is a way to find out conclusively who is behind this clandestine effort, I couldn’t find it. These groups time their efforts so they don’t have to show who they are until after the elections are over. By then, no one cares! 

     But rumors do abound, and some political insiders told me that they think the powerful Forman family, and developer Jack Loos might be two of the likely suspects behind the new anti-Roberts efforts!

     Maybe it’s time for some more campaign finance reform!

     What’s  your Vision? 

     You might soon be asked that question by the brand new Fort Lauderdale City Commission.
 
     You see, this year is a special year for our City. We will finally elect a new City Commission with at least a majority of new faces, due to the first ever Term Limit law.
    
                                                                           
      Also, our 100th birthday is just around the corner (in 2011). That makes the timing just right to regroup, and/or reaffirm our Plans for the Future of Fort Lauderdale.A great time to figure out just what we want to be when we grow up.

     Plus, the idea of holding that big meeting of Citizens to talk about the future of the City is being pushed by at least two different groups. The “Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations ” ( a collection of the City’s neighborhoods)  and, an “Ad Hoc” committee, made up primarily of former Mayors/Commissioners and Business leaders, and led by former Mayor Rob Dressler,  have been meeting for months to formulate proposals to do just that.

     These kind of questions could be discussed at such a meeting (but there are hundreds of others). Note: [ In 1994, a few hundred Citizens created a  Visioning Document called New Century – New City. It could be helpful to see what great ideas surfaced then, and if they were ever implemented.] ….. We’re talking about these kinds of issues, below;

                          …………………………………………………………………………………………………….
….. Should there be more to do at the beach… Should there be a Pier, an Amphitheater, more events,  a new Swimming Facility, different zoning to stop more Condos, or Hotels, or big buildings? And if so …. , why, what, where, and when?…. Maybe even how and who. 

                                                   
                                                             Las Olas at A1A
….. How much responsibility do we all have as a City to get the North West and other rough parts of the City on the mend? ….At What Cost?. …To Who? … and How?

                                                                           
                                                             
                  
                                                                blighted neighborhoods
….. What to do with Lockhart Stadium, the Airports and Ports, the City Government… Should there be more Community Policing, is the Downtown moving in the right direction?  You get the picture. 

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

     Sure, lofty questions, but important questions…… and the timing couldn’t be better. And we have the brain power in this community to do it.

     So, to get to the point of this blog posting, I’ve been asked by the Dressler group for My Vision of how I think our Visioning session should be conducted, as I’ve said that I think their current proposal needs tweaking (Dressler’s plan takes 6 months and costs the City budget $100,000 !)  I have another idea! … First,  I think this process should cost the City nothing but in-kind help……….  It shouldn’t be hard to get enough private donations to accomplish this as a grassroots week-end.  How about something like this;    

     We ask our new, (hopefully fearless) leaders to pick one hundred or two hundred leading Citizens, including them,  to commit to a weekend in early June. They all convene on a Saturday morning at 9 am at a location like Holiday Park, or the Executive Airport, or the Peele Dixie Water plant!

                                                                                      
               
                                            

                                                         
                                                         citizens’ meeting outside
  
      A professional “facilitating firm” leads a targeted discussion over coffee and donuts and bagels (donated by area businesses). The group then breaks down in about four or five groups and further discusses the five issues picked for the day. Notes are taken, themes are identified! 
   
      At noon, they all board four TMA’s Sun Trolleys and head to the second location. They take their brown bag lunch they brought with them from home and sit on blankets at George English, or Stranahan, or the Galt  (or use the War Memorial in case of rain) and listen to some experts talk (while the attendees eat) about things like – how to encourage Community Shopping Districts, or the state of the City’s Water, Wastewater, and Buildings, or the future workforce, or what economic opportunities the City might have.

     Break -out group discussions continue for the afternoon with topics ranging from “how the City should involve themselves with the City’s schools“, to ” how we could control the homeless issues better” , to ” should we bring back the Air and Sea Show, or Cydeco,or Octoberfest!” 

     About 4pm, it’s back on the bus and off to the Ocean at Las Olas, or South Beach, to finish the day with a beach bonfire, hot dog/hamburger, open microphone, a toes in the sand or surf  kind of Mega Citizen Advisory Board meeting  ……… where an overview of the days work, and the issues for the following day (voting day) are boiled down and agreed upon.

     Sunday, 2 pm, everyone meets at the donated Riverside Hotel Ballroom, or the Convention Center, or the Broward Center, where they snack on donated goodies and share in open discussion and then forge consensus on an updated document …….One Fort Lauderdale, … a Plan for Fort Lauderdale’s Future……. it’s been a long weekend. but a good start.

    ………. from there, the hard work begins!

     Note: Please comment on this process, and if you’d like to be involved, you can send me a private e-mail to Tim@TimSmith.com

    

     

   

     Remember when Mom advised –  “please don’t talk about politics or religion at the dinner table”?

     She said it would ruin appetites, and lead to discussion, (or something only slightly resembling discussion!)

     Well, she was right. It certainly does get the fur up! And the current manifestation of Mom’s well known axiom is currently playing out in the District IV Fort Lauderdale Commissioner race.

      It pits religious conservative Romney Rogers against liberal new-comer Coleman Prewitt.  Last week, the Roger’s campaign’s “Prayer Coordinator”  sent out an e-mail declaring that “God lifted His mighty hand and allowed Romney to receive the majority of the vote”, in the primary. The e-mail goes on to plead with supporters to go to the polls on March 10th for the run-off election. It says that God could do His part, but the voters would have to do theirs!

     I reported this on this blog and it drew a lot of attention, to say the least.

     And this evening, an activist,  District IV resident Cal Deal,  has sent around his own comment on the matter, in graphic splendor. 

     But he sent me only a piece of his graphic comment………. Here that is……..

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

     …….. He says you’ll have to go to his site to get the full view…… If you’re interested, go to http://www.fortlauderdaleobserver.com 

     If only we’d listen to Mom !!!!

     As we travel down the road of life, we learn lessons, some the hard way.

  One Certainty!

And one of the most painful lessons we learn, is that you can’t always trust what some tell you!

Most of us learned early on when we tried the “my dog ate the homework” excuse, and the teacher gave us an “F” anyhow!  Then we learned that when the dentist said “It’ll be just a little prick”,  we should steel ourselves for pain!. And when we started buying our automobiles from the car dealership, we learned that the used car salesman only sold cars that were “only driven on Sunday’s by little old ladies”!

Yesterday, a new life lesson was learned by a group of  Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods and a Business Association trying to find a solution to the problems surrounding NE/NW 13th Street.

They were at the County Commission meeting, pushing for an extension of Fort Lauderdale’s Community Redevelopment Agency. The agency’s borders stopped at Sunrise Boulevard, and they knew if they could get it pushed north to 13th Street, help could be on the way.

Enter the area’s County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion.

                                                                               
Eggelletion

     In the weeks prior to the meeting, the area reps had started a discussion with Eggelletion, as he was their Commissioner. He had told them “not to worry”, he would shepherd it through. So imagine the shock when Eggelletion started the conversation at the County meeting by opposing the effort!

Lucky for the neighborhoods, County Vice Mayor Ken Keechl and County Commissioner John Rodstrom jumped in to help. They spoke strongly against Eggelettion’s contrary position, and all but Eggelletion postured in favor and the neighborhood and business group left victorious, and thrilled, but understandably angry with Eggelletion.

Life lesson for Josephus: For your next campaign, don’t wait for the check to be in the mail!
                           

     It’s the campaign support that most candidates could only dream about !

     The Heavenly Father’s !

     And it’s happening right here in Fort Lauderdale’s District IV, the southern portion of the City, according to a memo sent out by the Romney Rogers campaign prayer team coordinator! 

     The memo follows:

 Romney Rogers Campaign Prayer
 Written by Barbara Moody

Date: February 16, 2009

Dear Friends,

Thank you for all your prayers. God lifted His mighty hand and allowed Romney to receive the majority of the vote. However, we are still not finished with this election. Please take action and vote in the run-off election on March 10th. God will always do His part, but we must do ours. The best plan of action: (1) Tell you neighbors to vote! (2) Volunteer to take one street and distribute flyers. (3) Write a personal letter endorsing Romney and leave it at your neighbor’s door. PLEASE BECOME INVOLVED!

” The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord. He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases. All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (A portion of this prayer is taken from the Presidential Prayer Team Website.)

Heavenly Father, You have laid out the oceans and rivers, the mountains and the valleys; You set the planets on their paths and You know the name of every star in the universe. Please Lord, give us elected officials here in Broward County whose hearts are attuned to You. Let them be men and women whose hunger to serve You and do Your will above all else. Protect us, O God, from trusting in our own ways and keep our hearts turned to You so that we will be acceptable to You in all things and in all our ways.

Lord, Your Word says that God will always give what is right to His people who cry out to Him night and day. He will not be slow to answer them (Luke 18:7.) Oh Lord, we are crying out to you and asking for Your mercy. Give us godly leaders who will rule with Your heart and Your laws. Protect us from those who choose to depart from Your love, Your mercy, and Your protection.

Oh Lord, You said that there is not anything that is too difficult for you. Please stir the hearts of Your people to become involved in these next few weeks so that  Your will shall be spoken loud and clear. Lord, you said that for those of us who fear your name the Son of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. Oh Lord, heal our nation, our state, our county and our community. We are totally relying on Your power and Your wisdom.

Protect Romney and his family in these coming weeks. Give us wisdom. We thank You and praise Your name for what You have already accomplished. We give You all the glory, In Jesus mighty and powerful name we pray these things…. AMEN

Barbara Moody

Prayer Team Coordinator

     Any thoughts? …. Tim

     Somehow, I got that last blog post a little wrong…….   Roberts is to be released tomorrow or Saturday……..  

     All the rest is correct ! … sorry about the screw-up ! ….   reporter in training! …… Tim