Different Drummer?

When this blog started, it was with the hope that the issues before North Bay Village could be laid out rationally, discussed openly and perhaps heatedly, and that varying viewpoints could be considered. I thought sincerely that the group who call themselves "Citizens for Full Disclosure" had a style problem. I thought that the histrionic, over the top, emails were the result of deep frustration.

I won't go into the long history of contentious relationship with this group. (You can read about it here.) To give credit where credit is due, the CFD has finally stopped sending emails anonymously and now sign them. This is a good thing.

But the quality of the emails remains the same. Witness the one below. It refers to the upcoming community workshop and expresses IN CAPITAL LETTERS the hope that the mayor and one commissioner "listen to the citizens and do what is right." This is of course good advice, but why just for two of the 4.5 commissioners? Why not for all?

Then of course the email does not express any viewpoint on "what is right." A well reasoned, intelligent critique would include the issues before the commission and some perspective. This includes neither. So it is just really a random insult.

The problem with the CFD is not that they are inarticulate or in their bizarre world continue to exist to fight the Alfonso administration, but that they are useful tools of the Lims-Krep and Vogel efforts to transfer large amounts of tax dollars to private hands.

Some quick examples.

City Hall moved to inferior headquarters at a cost around $80,000 for the sole purpose of supporting developer Scott Greenwald's bankrupt Lexi project.

The outsourcing of garbage pickup and the elimination of side yard pickup was so poorly done and the savings so obscured that it should be thrown out and done over to clarify the value, if any, to North Bay Village.

There is no clear version of the budget that shows what savings have been accomplished and how our reserve is doing.

There's a lot more and I will be covering these, but suffice it to say that there is reasonable doubt as to the motivations of these commissioners, especially given the large campaign contributions by Waste Management and Greenwald to one side.

Well, anyway, here's the CFD email. Judge for yourself if it adds anything to the conversation.

From: Citizens for Full Disclosure of North Bay Village Inc. cfd_nbv@hotmail.com
Sent: Sat, March 19, 2011 9:18:30 AM
Subject: PUBLIC WORKSHOP ON TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2011 AT 8:00 P.M

THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF NORTH BAY VILLAGE, FLORIDA, WILL HOLD A PUBLIC WORKSHOP ON TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2011 AT 8:00 P.M. IN THE CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS AT 1700 KENNEDY CAUSEWAY, #132, NORTH BAY VILLAGE, FLORIDA. CLICK ON ATTACHMENT TO VIEW/PRINT AGENDA.

WE ENCOURAGE MAYOR ESQUIJAROSA AND COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ TO LISTEN TO THE CITIZENS AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT INSTEAD OF ACTING TO THE BEAT OF THEIR OWN DRUMMER.

This information was sent to you by Citizens for Full Disclosure of North Bay Village, Inc., whose purpose is to help the citizens of North Bay Village obtain full and complete disclosure in all matters of government of the city of North Bay Village.

President - Richard Chervony
V. President - Alvin Blake
Secretary - James Carter
Treasurer - Flo Clein
Director - Jane Blake
Director - Gloria Carter

Kevin Vericker
March 20, 2011