February 9th, 2009

NSBShadow.com....

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You are:

1. This is another chapter in the strange story of the City’s refusal to make available the employee W-2s. Well it seems the City Clerk did not fully understand that what the Shadow asked for was the same Excel format which they sent to the Shadow last year. We do not buy that they did not understand, but they had this explained to them last week and more than a week later they still had not figured out how to click the right mouse buttons a few times. Could one of the taxpayers spare an eight year old for a few minutes to show the IT people how to do it?

2. They must think you were born yesterday. The same auditor hired by the City for the last 11 years is doing the audit of the finance department and the current budget. They also have been the auditor for the Utilities Commission for ten years or more. In charge of the finance department for the last two yeas was an ex-employee of this same audit company. Chortle, chortle, chortle, and chortle again as to their mindset as to how to handle, shall we call them aberrations, in the City’s books. When you want to be really helpful we are told that you patiently wait for the client to explain in their own words what originally may appear to be glitches. We are sure there will not be many.

“Best Blogs of the Week”

(Edited for grammar and punctuation)

A POTPOURRI OF CITIZEN COMMENTS IS

AGAIN PROVIDED THIS WEEK IN ORDER

FOR YOU TO GET IN TUNE WITH THE

MOOD OF OUR READERS

2/2/2009, 2:51 pm  To The Shadow

Dear shadow: Janice & sally may have well promoted a "Smear" campaign, But the fact still is that Jim Vandergrift used VERY VERY poor judgment and then tried to weasel out of admitting it. He led to his own demise, trying to make a quick buck. We collected another poor excuse for a mayor that is noted for back room deals and a " Selective Memory". One that still can't find her diploma or school records, She should have never been elected with her " Connection" to the utilities commission and association with Jeanie Dieson.

2/3/2009, 1:38 pm  NSBConcerned

The ethical test attributed to Cdr Drossman by SGT Griffith, was in fact developed and published by a police department in MD in early 1992. Parts of it were obtained by that department from guidance given to IBM systems engineers working in the public sector. Finally, those words were in fact displayed on the empowerment cards issued by that MD police department and a copy of the card was on the cover of the White House document issued by then VP Al Gore on Reinventing Government. So it would seem that we, citizens of NSB, are again subjected to the misinformation and outright deceptions of Cdr  Drossman. Only now he has the complicity of the Teamsters representative (who has only loathing for the taxpayers who pay the bill for his job) and SGT Griffin. At some point we need to recognize that Drossman, whose college career lasted but about 7 months at the Naval Academy (he left under unknown circumstances) only continues to impress and thus diminish our police personnel with his less than correct and smooth tongue. The fact is Drossman did not write these words and should clearly tell his attentive subjects, the NSB police, so and do it now publically.

2/3/2009, 10:49 pm News Journal rips Litt off

I think the news journal stole the "tighty whities" comment about fire fighters from Litt http://www.nsbshadow.com/5-05-08.html

2/4/2009, 11:30 am  Paul

530; Remember this:

"A motley crew of malevolent misfits and malcontents" overthrew the French Monarchy... And then tried Louis and Marie for treason and had them executed!  Charles II of England, was also overthrown by "a motley crew of malevolent misfits and malcontents" lead by Oliver Cromwell.  Charles II was later charged with Treason and executed.

So it seems motley crews of malevolent misfits and malcontents have been around for a long time. In fact, our own nation was founded by a "motley crew of malevolent misfits and malcontents".....

BUT NOW THEY ARE CALLED OUR "FOUNDING FATHERS".....

NOTES

1. Karen Clancy favored the Shadow with an e-mail that was a newspaper article favoring her position for taking the Old high school property from the School Board. We decided to answer her publically.

Hello,

You sold this as a project to bring a world-class marine science facility to New Smyrna Beach. The Shadow supported your view that if that could happen it was a better use than a sale where the School Board kept the money. You not only did not produce either the money or the University that would use the property for the purpose you proposed, but now you are proposing a waste of this valuable  asset. A salt water hatchery would be better located at Ponce Inlet. That facility already has much of the infrastructure and funding in place.  Your project will only have about 40 low paid employees in four or five years after being built. The idea of the Marine Police and the Mosquito control functions being on this property represent a descent to the lowest possible use. All of the proposed uses at this point will add little or nothing to the City. None of them will induce tourism. What you are now advocating is expensive “pork”.

If your original plan were still in play you would have a case. But you sold Bush and Crist on something that was not viable and is no longer even being considered. Neither Congressman Feeny nor Congresswoman Kozmas  supported your plans. People at Sea World have reportedly stated the facility was not suited for a hatchery. There is no reason to put a demonstration fish hatchery on this land and there is no reason to put any of these other functions on what now might be the most valuable chunk of property in Volusia County. It should be sold for its highest use, put in the tax base, and benefit the taxpayers.  By the way. it is unseemly for you and Richenberg to go up to Ponce Inlet and brow beat the people at the Marine Science Center that if they do not support  NSB project for eco-tourism NSB will oppose funding of the Ponce Inlet Marine Science Center.

Yours truly,

The Shadow

2. There was no surprise that Edgewater voted last Monday night  to authorize Restoration (an eight to ten square mile housing development in Edgewater and New Smyrna Beach west of I-95 in wetlands and third or forth growth timber). There was no surprise that New Smyrna Beach, bought and paid for by Clay Henderson who is the lobbyist for Restoration, voted  Monday after noon not to interfere. After all it is apparent that 60 telephone calls to Richenberg alone by Clay Henderson were not wasted. And last, there was no surprise that the Daytona Beach News Journal ran an article trying to refurbish Clay Henderson’s reputation as an environmental stalwart on the morning of the day these votes were to happen. The only surprise is that the feel good article about Henderson was so patently placed on the very day of the votes. We call it pandering. Maybe this is a good project. How will we ever know considering that its review has been sullied by rank lobbying.  Maybe the County will make a review absent the aura that this was “fixed” in both jurisdictions. But it is hard to clear out the smell.

DEAR JOHN

We know of the limited resources available to John Hagood, the City Manager, and to his inability to get all of the important letters written that he would like to send. So we decided to help him and provide him drafts that will simplify his tasks and free him up for more important tasks.

To: Mayor Mackay

From: John Hagood, City Manager

Sally,

We are in a depression. The town is sinking and the demands for money for crazy projects like those proposed by Richenberg, the failure to do anything about leases of city property that are impossible to defend, and the plummeting revenue, including the losses at the Utilities Commission, will not pay for all of the excessive pay raises like the recent police Union deal. We will have to raise taxes by 20% or more to avoid a catastrophe in cash shortfall. Randy wants to raises taxes and said he was sorry he voted not to do it this year. It looks like a real bad year.

John

Hidden for four years by your Utilities Commission

A  free  $300,000,000 dollar co-generation plant in the City. Now that would have been, and still could be, a stimulus package.

The following letter was received by the Shadow on January 28, 2009. It follows a posting on the BLOG that disclosed the proposal that Mr. Barnett had made for his organization four years ago and apparently has been ignored as the New Smyrna Beach Utilities Commission figured how to take more and more money from its ratepayers and give the money to their friends. Think of Clay Henderson and that gift of a $250,000 plus contract (at a ‘reduced’ hourly rate of $375). They hid this proposal for four years and refused it seems to even disclose that a project was put forward as a way to spend $300,000,000 in 2005 dollars in town and cut electric rates here in half.  Holy Moses, they are so intent in looting the town that they did not even raise an issue that on its face is almost like a gift from heaven. Read the letter and weep. Ask Richard Spangler, Sally’s husband who was then a member of the Board of Directors at the Utilities Commission,  why they buried this proposal that would have brought money, jobs and cheap power to New Smyrna Beach when we needed it most. Did he tell Sally? Ask him at an open meeting where the public can hear his answers.

Read the proposal below and weep.

“Gentlemen

  My name is Richard Barnett and I am President of Florida Rural Cities and Communities, Inc. I write this letter in response to a posting from one of your readers of the Shadow. Based on the phone calls I received due to that posting and its content (which was supposed to be a confidential communication) I feel a little background information might help. 

A tremendous amount of effort went into FRCAC’s proposal to the Utilities Commission (UC) in 2005. The FRCAC board of directors drew on their 150 plus years of combined experience to develop the Facility plan that we felt to be a perfect fit for NSB and possibly surrounding communities. 

First:   It would supply NSB with low cost Power/Water and with an added Plasma Torch configuration a safe method for disposal of Hazardous Waste and allow the production of Hydrogen fuel.

Second:  The facility would be Clean/Quiet and Compact and be located next to the Waste Treatment Facility on property already approved for a Power Generation Facility which helps greatly in the  permitting process.

Third:  The financing of the projected cost of Construction of $300,000,000.00 (Yes Million) had already been acquired. No monies were asked for from NSB nor was any Federal Grant money required! Financing was in place to cover all cost by a Group that is involved in the Power Industry and believe me when I say they did their Homework on our proposal. Cost and revenue estimates from the plant producing 160 megawatts of electrical power and 10 million gallons a day (mgd) of potable Water were thoroughly and professionally analyzed.

Based on current rates published by the UC our cost to residents and business concerns in NSB would have been approximately half of what they are paying now. Also important to the consumer is there would be NO DEMAND CHARGE! This means that no matter what amount you use our rate charge stays level. 

The Desalinated water would be Pure. That means zero filtration costs to the city and only the normal chemicals along with a lime bed to provide taste would be required.

I appreciate the chance to provide this information through your venue. The one important thing I noticed on the Shadow’s Opinion segment is very few seem to be concerned over what they pay for Utilities. Perhaps that is as important as are  Fire and Police retirements.

Realizing our proposal was in 2005 our dedicated price for fuel with the contracted increase raised the cost of power to the City was still less than half.

thank you for your time and if you wish you visit our home page at   http://frcac.org/

Richard N Barnett

President FRCAC”

BERT FISH MANAGEMENT

WASTING  YOUR MONEY?

Let us see if we can just list what we picked up in the last few weeks that leaves you to wonder about how Bert Fish is managed:

A. Interest free loans to employees. At least five of them in amounts between $10,000

and $30,000;

B. The purchase of the old Wachovia Bank building (under the bridge at US 1) for $1.8

million which purportedly has friable asbestos and can not be used until it is cleaned

up at an unknown cost. Interestingly it sold for only $673,000 at almost the top of the

real estate market (Sept. 2004) and they paid more than $1 million more at near the

bottom of the market . As of last Thursday it looked unused. We called Gary Mac last

Tuesday. He is the public relations man at Bert Fish and we wanted to find out more

facts like whether the alleged asbestos was in the floor tile that has been removed. He

did not return the call;

C. A petition for the Florida State Ethics Commission signed by we are told 25

doctors alleging mismanagement by the Chief Executive Officer. We do not know

whether it was sent (rejected we think over the telephone on the basis that the

Commission lacked jurisdiction); and,

D. Full page ads in the Observer Newspaper placed at $850 a pop by Bert Fish where

the wife of one of the members of the Board of Director of Bert Fish owns the paper.

Now do not forget that Bert Fish collects tax money for indigent care and spends three quarters of a million plus to the City for its Community Redevelopment Agency fund. Now also do not forget that its tax bill went up this year and that it has the highest cost l in the State of Florida for indigent care per taxpayer than we believe any other hospital.

See LINK for assessment and ownership of old Wachovia Bank building.

Tolley's Court Records

“While another 600,000 more jobs were lost in January across the US, all five New Smyrna Commissioners voted pay increases to government employees. Think about it. Can’t  you see the national headline showing New Smyrna Beach as the town in Florida that cared so little about its taxpayers plight in a depression that it gave pay raises to its police department Union.”

“That is about what you pay each month on your car.”

Attached as a LINK is the full five page summary of the Report by the investigated unit as well as the table showing the punishment of various fire department personnel.  LINK