An Accountable Executive

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Throughout history, societies have chosen to be led by individuals not collectives. Consuls and emperors led ancient Rome — not the imperial senate. The U.S. during the early 1930’s is known as the first Roosevelt Administration not the 73rd Congress.  La Guardia’s New York, Daley’s Chicago and Huey Long’s Louisiana are instantly recognizable.  They evoke individuals leading political entities at particular points in time. Whether famous or infamous, good or bad, the responsibility stops with the individual or, as Harry Truman stated, “the buck stops here.”

I believe that is one of the problems with the way we are now governed locally. There is no one individual in charge. There may be someone called mayor or chairperson but that person actually is a parliamentarian and not a leader with real power. We are ruled by collective, where the person actually running the governmental operation is unaccountable to the public. A communal system holds no elected individual accountable for the actual implementation of policy. Instead, implementation is left to an unelected bureaucrat, the city manager or county administrator. While that person may be competent and have the residents’ best interest at heart, they are not answerable to the public.

An example is what happened with the drainage project on North and South Carolina Avenues in Stuart. An astute politician who had to stand for election would have never let that problem occur. It does not matter whether the particular project was the right or wrong action in this instance; it was not a politic act by the bureaucracy. Political entities are best governed by an individual who is elected and held accountable by their constituents. We should not have a collective that acts as executive, legislature and, in some instances, judicial body.

Sales Tax Increase?

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The Martin County Commissioners decided not to put a sales tax initiative on this year’s ballot.  They heard from their constituents that the amount, duration and scope proposed were far too broad. Unfortunately, when that initial proposal was seen as too ambitious, there was no commission consensus on the sales taxes parameters. Concerns regarding election and state requirements made it impossible for further discussion this year.

That does not mean that the necessity of having a dedicated income stream for maintenance of the county and municipality’s road and other infrastructure repairs should be abandoned. Maintenance is clearly a function of government and should be a priority. The discussion shouldn’t be whether a dedicated sales tax should be enacted but instead it should be on how the proceeds will be used.

A majority of residents do want to maintain the roads and other infrastructure. What I and many others do not want to see happen is the use of those funds for other projects. Whether one agrees or disagrees with how past tax initiatives proceeds were used, the voters are quite skeptical of promises by politicians. That is why the manner in which a sales tax question is worded on the ballot will be very important in whether it passes.

A ½ cent sales tax with a 3 to 5 year duration limited only to road and drainage maintenance would pass.  Deterioration due to deferred maintenance affects the lives and businesses of all county residents and visitors. It is a matter of constituent trust regarding how and on what our elected officials spend those funds that is in question. Until that trust is restored, the commission and bureaucrats should be kept on a short leash.

Beach Renourishment

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Here we are in Martin County in the midst of an environmental disaster caused and allowed in large part by the state and federal governments.  In effect, they have directed the Army Corps of Engineers to destroy the Saint Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon to protect the interest of the sugar barons to the south and big agricultural farmers to the north. Now they want to take sand from our waters so that Miami can replenish its beach.

We have enough trouble just replenishing our own beaches with sand. At the rate Martin and Saint Lucie beaches are eroding, we are going to need all the sand we can get to stem that erosion from our barrier island.  Miami Beach, just as Hutchinson Island, is a barrier island which nature created to protect the mainland from the forces of the ocean. All barrier islands are meant to grow and contract to ebb and flow with the seasons and the passing of time.

In our hubris, we believe that what nature has created, man can change, alter and direct to his will.  So we develop those islands and allow homes, condos, and hotels to be built on a narrow sliver of land that is meant to disappear on occasion and then reform. Those islands are there to protect the breeding grounds for fish and birds.  The entire island is meant to be a beach with dunes and grasses.

If we just kept those incubators of life without private development and allowed nature to take its course, man would have an abundance of beaches for relaxation and recreation. The birds and fish could breed and feed and the plants would once again take root to protect the shoreline and provide habitat. That won’t happen! So I am in favor of keeping our sand here to replenish our beaches. But what happens when all the sand is gone from our area? Will we then finally have no choice but to have the islands revert to their natural state? Perhaps then we will call in the Corps to come up with a solution to stop the sands of time.

Customs and Immigration Facility in Martin County?

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Is a Customs and Immigration facility at the airport really necessary? Should local government be funding something that is totally a federal responsibility; especially a facility that would be a first of its kind in the nation. It is never good to be the subject of an experiment. That type of facility would come under the jurisdiction of Homeland Security and not the county. This, in and of itself, results in questions that I will not even attempt to answer.

One could argue, as did Commissioner Smith, that it would be a service that would be beneficial to some personal and business elements of the community. He alluded to it being on par with libraries or parks. While it may sound logical, the premise itself is faulty which results in the wrong conclusion. There is no way that parks or libraries or water projects or street repairs are remotely the same as a Customs and Immigration facility. For these are services that almost every local government is responsible for building and maintaining. If a Customs and Immigration facility were equal to the others, then we would not be the first to have one that contemplates operating in this manner.

Even if you disagree and think local government should build and fund such facilities, does Martin County at this time have the funds to do so? We are about to enact a sales tax referendum specifically for infrastructure. If the commission now wants to build a new customs and immigration facility; would there be any wonder why the citizens are skeptical about trusting more of their money to the government for another boondoggle.

If non-tax-paying funds such as grant sources could be found for the capital portion of the project, what about any ongoing shortfall in the operating budget. For argument sake, let’s assume the county is promised or assured or sworn to by various interests that those interest would make up the shortfall, how would that promise be enforced? If it will be a fee based service and a shortfall occurs, then as fees go up fewer and fewer people will use the facility resulting in a higher and higher deficit.  Once established, what if the federal government changes the parameters for the operation of the facility including even being able to close it if we wished? We have seen in the past what the feds approve and say in the present doesn’t necessarily matter in the future. We would be stuck with subsidizing something we no longer wanted and using more and more precious tax dollars to do so.

Our tax dollars should address the concerns and provide the services for the greatest number of our citizens. Once again, our county government will allow the favored few to have the larger majority subsidize their businesses and their lifestyles. This is an open ended obligation that we as a county should not contemplate nor endorse.

Save The Saint Lucie Rally Aug 3

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Last Saturday, August 3, with more than 5000 other Martin County residents, I participated in the rally at the Saint Lucie Locks. I had never been to Phipps Park or the locks before. It was a fun loving crowd but one with a purpose which was to stop the killing of the Saint Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon.

I overheard that the flow from the locks was not as great as on previous days and that there was no odor that had been present a few days before. I don’t know if this is true or not but there is no mistaking the quality of the water around Stuart where I live. You just know if you touch that water bad things will happen. Whether that is really true or not could be a matter of conjecture. The Health Department certainly believes so.

The crowd was composed of people of all ages and political persuasions. Young families, seniors, environmentalists, fishermen, boaters and people concerned with their quality of life. For when everything is said and done, we are all trying to prevent the death of a valued friend and economic resource. Where is the outrage from our public officials on the state and national levels? Have they really become so beholding to those who fill their coffers that they pay lip service to the public but do nothing concrete to stop the tragedy?

This killing of the river and lagoon began when we decided that nature needed taming and that man was the one to do it. We built the dike to tame the floods to provide the sugar fields and to build homes on a flood plain where no one should live.  As Floridians tend to do, we refuse to recognize the realities of living with the natural environment.  If the recreation and beauty provided by the flow of our rivers and the ecological health of our lagoon is no longer possible, Martin County will not have to worry whether we elect a slow growth or no growth or pro-growth commission, we will have negative growth.

Rally to Save the St. Lucie a Great Success!

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Thousands of people rallied at Phipps Park by the St. Lucie Lock to protest the ongoing release of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee that runs directly into the St. Lucie River and the Estuary.  It was a very diverse crowd….young, old, liberal, conservative…all with a united voice that these discharges must stop.  The blue-green algae bloom is visible everywhere, and warning signs have been posted that all contact with the water should be avoided.  And, all this due to the need to protect federally subsidized sugar growers?  Unconscionable.  Rally2 8.3.2013Rally 8.3.2013

Letter to President Obama

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July 31, 2013

 

 

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC  20500

 

Dear Mr. President:

This is the first time I have ever written to my President. I have voted in every presidential election except one since Nixon/McGovern.  Let me admit right up front that I did not vote for you either time. But what I am writing about is so important to the health of my community, I need to ask for your help as my President.

You visited Martin and Saint Lucie Counties several months ago for a weekend of golf and relaxation at the Floridian Golf Club. I saw the jets and helicopters before and during your visit. I live right across the Saint Lucie River in Stuart. That is the reason I am writing you. The entire Indian River Lagoon, the most ecologically diverse estuary in North America into which the St. Lucie River flows, is dying. And it is dying solely because of actions by our state and local governments, but most importantly by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Currently, there are 4 billion gallons of fresh polluted water entering into the naturally brackish river every day from Lake Okeechobee. The Saint Lucie River was never connected to Lake Okeechobee naturally.  That feat was accomplished by man so that boats could go from the east coast to the west coast of Florida. Since it had no natural connection to a large body of fresh water, the Saint Lucie was meant to have a high salinity content. This is why today the fish, manatees, dolphins, oysters and sea grasses are dying. The water is polluted and fresh. It is nothing short of genocidal for the river. Even the county health department has said that humans should not be in contact with the water due to the high level of pollutants and bacteria.

In 1928 there was a devastating hurricane along the lake decimating entire communities. In response, the Federal Government began construction of the Herbert Hoover Dike which raised the depth of the lake. This fostered further human settlement and agriculture. The lake, instead of being allowed to naturally overflow its shallow banks and send its excess water into the everglades as it had done for hundreds of years, became a big retention pond. Now to prevent water pressure from building up and undermining the dike, water needs to be released when it reaches high levels.

It can’t be released to the south, which was where nature intended, because of the thousands and thousands of acres of subsidized sugar cane that has been planted. It is not necessary to go into the ill-conceived program of subsidizing a crop that is harmful to a fragile ecosystem and can be produced more efficiently elsewhere. The stark reality is we either choose to continue sugar cane production to the south or the death of the Indian River Lagoon.  This biodiverse lagoon serves as a hatchery area for many species, and our local residents have watched as oyster beds have died; sea grasses have disappeared; and now are finding dead manatees, dolphins, and pelicans.

As far as I am concerned this should be a no brainer. If we can afford to spend billions of dollars on Afghanistan not to mention billions more on corporate agricultural greed, can we not afford to re-introduce the natural flow of water to the everglades? This particular problem has been around for years with only worse consequences occurring over time. Because of the millions and millions of dollars that the sugar industry (I guess using our tax dollars) have to contribute to politicians of both parties, those politicians will do nothing except tell us that they will further study the problem.  You are the President of the United States and no longer running for office. Please help before it is too late.

 

CITY AND COUNTY NEED TO WORK IN TANDEM

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At their last meeting, the Stuart City Commission voted “no” to the annexation of the Baker Road property. Earlier in the week, when the annexation came before the LPA, I also voted no for the reasons I expressed in an earlier post. It was heartening to see that the commissioners believed, as did I, that there were many more questions needing to be answered by the Wynne Corporation, who is the developer of the project.

Putting aside this particular vote, I would urge both the City of Stuart and Martin County to formulate an annexation plan for the present and future. Under current Florida law, cities do have the right to annex land if certain criteria are met. About a decade ago Stuart and Martin County went through a very litigious period regarding this very issue for which legal fees were paid with tax payer dollars. As the economy improves and development resumes, it is extremely important that these two government entities work together to insure that there is an agreement on the future boundaries of the city.

County Commissioner Smith was quoted in the Stuart News as being against all annexation.  I believe this is not a sustainable or defensible position. As population grows, it will be more desirable from a financial, economic and ecological perspective to have greater density in a portion of our county. Stuart, because of its definition as a city, is defined as an urban area. In the future as social and demographic changes occur, more and more of our residents will want, need and prefer a more cosmopolitan lifestyle.

This does not mean that the city does away with the 4 story height limit or becomes Delray North. It does, however, mean that its planned development encompasses more multi-family housing, office and retail buildings located not in strip malls but built as integral parts of existing neighborhoods with street presence to encourage and facilitate more foot traffic.

I love the fact that I can walk to downtown Stuart from my home within a matter of a few minutes. Walking in my immediate neighborhood is pleasant. However, in order for me to reach downtown, I must walk along Federal Highway for several blocks and then attempt to cross. There is nothing pleasant about that part of the journey. Better planning should encourage those practices that would lead me and others to leave our cars at home. A few trees, more street friendly architecture, and a safer way of crossing Federal Highway would lead to more city pedestrians.

If there is a place that does allow for a more cosmopolitan life style, such as the city, then the county’s designated urban service area can provide a lifestyle allowing for less density.  This more suburban area will give those residents and businesses that want that lifestyle a place to live and work. In this way, we will still continue to allow for a rural western Martin. This more holistic planning approach will preserve our current lifestyle for our future residents. We do not need to succumb to the South Florida disease of sprawl in the misguided hope of economic development. That will only serve a few developers and their high paid consultants. The building industry is not the way to sustain jobs and growth. Sustainable growth is achieved through residents, companies and industries that either move or remain here because it is the best place to work and raise a family.

At the LPA meeting, one of the representatives of the Wynne Corporation said this piece of property was going to be developed and it couldn’t be stopped, so it might as well be them. That argument or statement completely misses the point. Economic development of vacant parcels will happen. The question is not stopping it but allowing it to occur within a framework that will be beneficial to the community as a whole. If the city and the county can work in tandem on issues such as annexation, then all the residents of the county will gain.

Martin County’s Comp Plan

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Letter to the Martin County Commissioners sent June 30, 2013

I am once again contacting you in regard to the upcoming vote on the Comprehensive Plan. Each of you has it in your power to insure that this county continues to be developed for the majority of its residents and not for the special few. You have been elected and re-elected to specifically accomplish managed and smart growth in Martin County. With these Comp Plan amendments and changes, the good work you have done will continue far into the future.

To be for conservation and considered development is not to be anti-business or anti-jobs. What you and the vast majority of our residents are looking to achieve is the sustainability of all industry and businesses in Martin County. This is not done through the awarding of special favors to a few developers or the well connected. It is partially done with the implementation of good and open government for the benefit of all the people. In the past many citizens felt that their elected officials were subordinating their interest for that of the chosen few. The current commission has begun to change that perception.

That is why I urge you to not postpone or wait any longer to pass these needed changes. Delay serves only those who have already lost at the ballot box. We need to enshrine in Martin County’s Comprehensive Plan those principles that we believe. As we saw in the past it was too easy for a few people to obstruct the will of the majority and proceed with ill-conceived and unsustainable development. These changes will make sure that going forth only thoughtful and sustainable growth will occur.

Exciting Times for the City of Stuart

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It is very exciting times for the City of Stuart. With the purchase of the old Triangle parcel and the possible building of a new city hall, change is in the air. But whose vision for the city will we be realizing? Is there a consensus of the residents for what is to happen? The present commission and the city manager are envisioning a radically changed downtown landscape. A new city hall, four story parking garage, hotel and convention center are the ideas being discussed. Does the future of Stuart look like Delray? How do we the residents get to decide our fate instead of the select few?

We need to recognize that Stuart is no longer some small town. The proposed city budget for 2014 is approximately $20,000,000.00. There are 17,285 full time residents with an increased population of 21,000 in season. Which means the per capita budget number is approximately is $1000 per person. That $1000 does not include the county or school board per capita costs. The city has 275 employees or one for every 70 residents. So city residents pay a premium to live in Stuart.

Sleepy little Stuart has and is continuing to grow and become more and more something different from its past. That is a good thing not something to be feared or dreaded but to be embraced and celebrated. The future of the city demands that we plan for growth. But do we allow the growth to occur with the ideas of a few or do we, as citizens and taxpayers, decide Stuart’s path.

We with all of Martin County elected and changed the county commission last year to reflect our desire to live differently than the rest of South Florida.  Martin County now has a smart growth majority commission which is dedicated to preserving the character of the county. It now is time for the voters of the city to do the same. Either we through whom we elect to the city commission decide the fate of Stuart or the developers, their minions and the connected few will.  Do we want a Stuart to reflect our values and vision or will we passively allow others to decide our fate?