December 6, 2010

YOU ARE NUMBER:

IF YOU HAVE CORRECTIONS, OTHER ADVICE, OR WISH TO CONTACT US, PLEASE EMAIL THE WEBMASTER AT nsbshadow@gmail.com Published Weekly, Direct from the Web.  Look to Us for the Latest Intrigues and Tell Your Friends About Us!

Visitor on this Site This Week  (Nearly 2000 hits last week. Thank you, enjoy your visit and come back ya' heah.

DEAR PAM

As we have stated in the past, we realize that various City officials have limited resources available for pursuing cost reduction projects, so we have decided to help them out and provide draft letters for review. As we have said, this will free them up for important things, like dealing with all the serious problems of the police and fire department pensions.

Dear Mayor Barringer,

It is not that we can not manage this place. We do not see why we should work hard when we can spend other peoples' tax money for consultants and have some one else does it. Better yet, we do not have to show any of this in the budget because we are taking money from the Tree Mitigation Fund, the CRA, and conning the Feds, State, and County to provide funding based on our demands. They are real chumps. They give us money and do not even read what we send them.

PAM

1.  THE NEW BUSINESS MODEL---STARTING 20 YEARS AGO

Walmart, the Pavilion at Dunlawton, and the Target and Lowe's at Dunlawton represent the business model now dominant in the retailing community. Open seven days a week, some 24/7, and with requirements at the Pavilion, for example, that require that retailers abide by strict hours of service, are now the norm. MORE

2  AT LEAST  THE CRA TAX MONEY COLLECTED FOR INDIGENT CARE BY BERT FISH WILL NOT BE USED TO BUILD A PARKING GARAGE FOR HOSPITAL  EMPLOYEES .

So the City attorney “convinced” Bert Fish to pay its tax last year to the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).  Everybody thought that the non-payment was primarily to get the County involved in why Bert Fish was paying the CRA anything from the indigent care tax, and not getting its garage.  MORE

NOTES

1. THE MILLION DOLLAR MANAGEMENT TEAM NEEDS A CONSULTANT TO TELL THEM HOW TO PLANT TREES

Give us a break. The four top City managers enlisted the help of the City Engineer and a planning person to write the contract to hire the consultant to tell them how to plant trees in the median divide on SR 44.  See article last week. Then they have the Parks and Recreation Director who we thought had that in her job description. And we bet the Greens Keeper at the Golf Course (full costs $100,000) could show them how to water and fertilize those suckers once planted. So add another $400,000 of management costs to the $850,000 cost in the top management team----about $1.2 million we figure of management “talent”?  And they needed a consultant to tell them how to do it.

The cheapest way is to go take pictures of the median divide at Dunlawton and SR 40 going east in Ormond Beach. Ten dollars worth of gas and a camera. Of course they would have to hire somebody to identify the grass!

2. FLORIDA HOSPITAL TAKES OVER FROM BERT FISH BOARD--SURPRIZE

The new CEO from Florida Hospital will replace the current CEO in January. This was planned. Florida Hospitals only appoints adherents to Seventh Day Adventists to be CEO of its hospitals and we do not believe that Williams has converted. He said he would not. Williams, the current CEO walks off with about $1.5 million from Bert Fish in severance pay from the current board and possibly some "reward” from Florida Hospital as a parting gift for a job well done for them. If the Utilities Commission can get away with giving a retiree $150,000, why would Florida Hospital not be generous with taxpayer money?

What we do not understand is why a guy who has been found to be a violator of the Florida Sunshine laws and Public Records requirements would have trouble converting. There is a sizeable salary.

1. COUNTY ADVISORY BOARD APPOINTEE

A less than notable appointment to a County Advisory Board was “honored” by the appointee having his picture on the front page of a throw away newspaper. He had a large article to boot. We bet it was a press release from the City. We expect to hear that his wife is being considered for an equally “prestigious” board soon. The Shadow was thinking of the opening on Advisory Board for Inspection of Worn Fire Truck Tires.

2. HAVE YOU GONE DOWN TO THE BEACH RECENTLY?

At low tide there is now about a couple hundred yards of beautiful beach. A little piece of heaven.  If you do not want to drive on the beach, go up to the barrier on 2nd or 26th   avenues at low tide and look at the birds and the ocean.

3. PRIDE IN THE CHRISTMAS TREE

Of course. However, how about putting it where it can be seen at night like the Indian River shopping center, the lot on the east side of Norwood’s, or the corner of Peninsula and Flagler. There are people at night at those locations.  Also, if any of these merchants thought that it would return more business than it costs, they would have installed and paid for it themselves. Not one nickel spent by the CRA on this plastic tree will increase business on Canal Street. The SVAA contribution is a waste for furthering its purpose to bring tourists to town. We know, it makes them feel good to spend tax money.

4. CORRECTION: WE RECEIVED DURING THE WEEK INFORMATION THAT THERE WERE 278 GOLF CLUB MEMBERS.

We think they are double counting, but we will check by asking for the membership list in a week or two.

BLOGS

Date:  11/30/2010, 9:10 am

Name:  Emily

Number:  619

615,

Nice admonishment of the Shadow.

Still, the MDC-City relationship is fitted and costly for the taxpayer.

But, as you point out getting facts wrong does no good service to making a point.

Of course, neither does name calling and rancor.

Date:  11/30/2010, 8:35 am

Name:  Dark Shadow

Number:  617

I think a state censored video broadcast of the CC meetings would save taxpayers some more. And if you can't speak, why go? If that works, how about conference call CC meetings, maybe with no broadcast. Call it what you choose, we don't get minutes for months, now we can't speak. I'll bet attendance is dwindling anyway. If you have something to say, just lobby your commissioners like the big boys do up in Washington.

Date:  11/30/2010, 8:17 am

Name:  How Now?

Number:  616

How is it that the City is able to consider eliminating public participation from the CC meetings? A democratic-republic is not a streamlined form of government (while an autocracy is). Seems unconstitutional. Local government is the place for public participation.

We got what we voted for: a n'er do well Angler son of a building contractor; a mortgage title insurance sales person; a retired utility worker; a loon and a breadman - BUT NOT A Statesman (stateswomen) among them. Let us not forget the overpaid three stooges plus one (senior staff) who want to quash public participation.

If Adam runs for Dorothy's seat (not a Wizard of Oz pejorative) - how is it going to look when he has entertained a vote (or voted for) limiting public participation.

Date:  11/29/2010, 6:25 pm

Name:  Get the facts right

Number:  615

Hey Litt, you idiot... once again your hatred of MDC has blinded you to the facts. The 160,000 FIND grant was awarded many years before Mica even submitted the grant for the water taxi's. Yes, part was spent on the dock and part on the MDC tour boat.  Yes the city owns the dock.

I know it is irrelevant to you, but for once in your life get the facts right as any responsible adult would do.

The Shadow responds:

First, the Shadow does not hate the MDC. It wants it to stop taking tax money and raise its own money for its projects. How many life guards were on the boats that had schoolchildren aboard? How come it can not raise money for any of its grandiose projects other than asking for taxpayer handouts.

Secondly, none of its projects has achieved much more than paying handsome salaries to its key promoters despite a lot of tax money being wasted.

Third, almost all of what it receives is done under the table with little if any public discussion, and much is presented in such a way that it looks dishonest. Think $45,000 worth of kayak equipment.

Fourth, Manatee built the floating dock with a $60,000 handout from the Florida Inland Navigation District. The Shadow is checking the date of construction, but it was represented that it was used for the water taxi even if not built specifically for the water taxi. The original information from a reliable source was that no permit had been pulled, but the Permit office said that it found the file after two weeks of searching and that a permit had been issues. Maybe not just for the water taxi, but another handout for MDC of taxpayer money regardless.

Last edited by nsbshadow at 11/30/2010, 10:36 am

Date:  11/29/2010, 12:30 pm

Name:  Page 526 city agenda

Number:  612

Look out for tomorrows commission meeting. Our elect eds are about to silence our voice. They are about to remove the opportunity to request to appear before the commission under the guise that it will streamline

the meetings. Wake -up people!

4. TIMELY MINUTES

This past session the City Commission approved the minutes from June 2010.  Perhaps in another six months we will get the minutes for April/

3. ABOLISH THE SOUTHEAST VOLUSIA ADVERTISING AUTHORITY

A big Christmas present for the City of New Smyrna Beach: more than one million dollars ($1,000,000 +) infusion into the local economy.  More money for restaurants and businesses. Cheaper rates for the seasonal condo renters and tourists who do come. The Shadow does not believe that the SVAA adds more than a handful of additional tourist room rentals to the City of New Smyrna Beach. MORE