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Thank you, enjoy your visit and come back ya' heah.
December 12, 2011
DEAR PAM
We realize that you have limited resources available for pursuing cost reduction projects, so we have decided to help you with draft letters. This will free you up for important things, like dealing with all the serious problems of the police and fire department pensions. Hope this helps you formulate your position to the Mayor.
NOTES:
1. PUT A TWO FOOT PLASTIC CHAIN FENCE BOUGHT AND INSTALLED FOR UNDER $100 IN FRONT OF THE CITY OWNED COLUMBUS AVENUE PROPERTY
Give Reiker a telephone and tell her to order Pagano to have police ticket parking offenders. No that is Pam’s job. Better yet, call Reiker and remind her she ran as a fiscal conservative. Or have we confused her position with Hathaway?
2. VOLUSIA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT CONCEPT VEHICLES
Last week we ran a short piece on the new concept vehicles put in service by the Volusia County Fire Department. Bloggers had some concerns why VC was purchasing these vehicles, while having the EVAC service already under County control. The VC Fire Chief has responded with the explanation at this LINK.
Mayor Barringer:
I have applied to Daytona Beach College to teach a course in filching tax money. Ex-President Sharples, who I think pioneered this course in the past, has agreed to support me. Chad Schilsky is drafting my letter for you, but promises to use flash paper this time. That is flash paper for the letter; I need my raise on the real thing .
PAM
1. EMPTY SUITS AND WHITE STOCKINGS
A large men’s store is offering a sale of “buy one suit get two free”. Think of it. You can wear an empty suit and still have two empty suits in the closet. New Smyrna Beach politicians take note of this special opportunity. Reiker, for you, we think they will subsitute free white stockings for strutting with Lott on Flagler. Flashy and classy. You remember Lott don’t you? If you don’t he is the one standing next to Dennis.
2. PROCTOR AND GAMBLE, KIMBERLY CLARK, ETC
Negotiations may be underway for creation of newer newsprint which would encourage a better end use than just recycling. Immediate negotiations with Observer and Hometown something or other would be appropriate. Interesting that both were subject to being thrown in your driveway at one time.
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BLOGS: A STATEMENT BY THE SHADOW
The Shadow generally does not edit BLOGS. Very profane comments, even in only first letters, and attacks accusing anyone of a crime are deleted or reformed even when they are about public officials. Personal attacks upon the publisher that are devoid of content are deleted. But not always. Not all postings are essays on important subjects. Not all are fully cogent. On the real positive side, there are way more than 100,000 postings over the last few years and many are excellent tip offs as to funny goings on in Mayberry. Many also are excellent essays on relevant topics. Do our readers a favor and stop attacking the opposing political party as commies or reactionaries. The Shadow does edit for spelling.
sudden donation to the Balloon Festival while they are engaged in no bid contract talk with the City. Maybe Waste Management is considering using balloons to haul away your garage and wanted a couple of test rides. We report and you decide the rationale for the donation.
c.$175,000 (County) Seawall repair for a park on the Halifax River near Deland. O.K.., half the money will come from the Florida Inland Navigation District (F.I.N.D; translate Intracoastal Waterway support). Where is the Halifax River in Deland on the Intra Coastal? We don’t know.
d. No change in the Fire Department Pension contributions in NSB. You remember this was going to be fixed three years ago, and then Pam promised the next year, and then Pam promised again the next year. And then Pam hired an outside consultant and promised again to fix it. And then the Mayor said the current situation was unsustainable two years ago. Then all of the Commissioners and the Mayor and Pam put it on their priority list to fix in the number one position and it still is not fixed. We guess Hathaway will promise to fix it if you elect him to the County Council. But then we remember he was on the Fire Pension Board for all those years and just signed off on the mess and never fixed anything. So our guess it will not get fixed again next year. Meanwhile Port Orange has essentially fixed it while NSB has slept. We owe so much to this fund we can’t spell it.
e. New Smyrna Beach pays its lawyer $374,000 for salary and benefits (line item in the budget). Another $100,000 for his assistant (hidden in other sections and departments in the budget); and a paralegal (also partially hidden in other sections of the budget
f. And do not forget the $1 million or $2 million for the needless Esther Street park, a couple of million on the needless fire house, $400,000 CRA gift to the Pennysaver Building owner approved by the city commission, the Hampton Inn fiasco (you know the hotel from nowhere), the Balloon fiasco (or Sally takes another ride on your tax money), etc.
Want more! It is not just the federal budget. It is your tax money collected from you by the state, county, and city that this City spend with abandon. And finally don’t forget the 1 million dollars plus being thrown away on the I95/SR44 welcome to NSB signage that should not be footed by taxpayers in Oklahoma but rather budgeted for right here instead of the useless beach park toilets (you know the park named after Sally’s number one supporter Grace) and the badminton courts on Esther Street. We will be running a lottery to see who can guess the dates of the first vandalism to the toilets or theft of the badminton net. Folks, if we ever want to get our house in order here in NSB, this spending spree has to stop and stop now. The freeloaders over the years like the MDC and Images need to get their own funds from their supporter’s private pockets and not those of the taxpayer.
Finally we draw your attention to one of the biggest moochers in town that returns nothing to the City; the SEV Chamber of Commerce. This is not a Chamber of Commerce as you may know it; they do not even belong to the national Chamber. They are just the good old boys and girls who want to spend more and more of your tax money. And they also want you the taxpayer to pay their expenses. For you see, the live rent free in a restored building that just cost the taxpayers of the County over a million dollars to remodel. And then they can’t even pay their own trash pickup. As a start, we need these people removed form that building unless they cough up market rates rent to the City as promised by City Commissioner Plaskett among others over two years ago.
2. THE ISSUES WITH THE NEW SMYRNA BEACH C0MMUNITY REDEVELOPMEMNT AGENCY AND THE SOUTHEAST VOLUSIA ADVERTISING AUTHORITY HAVE LITTLE TO DO WITH LEGALITY.
What they do may or may not be illegal, but the real issue is that both are sleazy in the way they operate and, in our view, improperly spend tax payer money. Fixing illegal is easier than fixing sleazy.
However lately, the excesses have come to light. Misspent money, discrimination, expenditures where the only benefit flows to friends, and on, and on, and on. The County Council members appointed the SVAA Board and they own them. The NSB City Commission appointed the CRA Board and they own them. We remember when Sally (you remember her, the former mayor and central focus of Kilgore’s art work for many years), cut off discussion abruptly and called for appointment of Steve Dennis to a fourth term. We also remember the next person ready to speak and request consideration, was an African American with a college degree. This is interesting, because normally Sally (unlike the current Mayor who refuses to allow people to talk) ran a very open discussion session on almost all issues. In the case of the SVAA, the County Council has never opened its mouth or discussed these appointments.
This NSB CRA centipede has more shoes on more feet. It now seems that another NSB CRA Board member may have done work on projects, or thought he might do work, on projects that he voted for approval on. Hard to tell what is going on. For instance, how much work was done before “we” noted the conflict? And the number of recusals is also interesting.(LINK) The County puts up at least half the money for the CRA and that share, along with the NSA side is all tax money. All of the SVAA money is tax money. The Shadow is calling for abolishing both the CRA and the SVAA. At a minimum, bring both under DIRECT County control and NEVER, NEVER EVER AUTHORIZE ANOTHER CRA. This city and its governing officials are just not up to correctly and transparently managing it. You know you have the problem. The Shadow implores you to fix the problem and do it now before we have more embarrassment for either the City or the County.
3. ANOTHER BLOG THAT SAYS IT WELL:
Date: 12/5/2011, 11:31 am
Name: Kraken Ops
If I were a shopkeeper or building owner on Canal Street, knowing that business was bad and my merchandise targets only a selected few, I would not choose to invest construction improvements entirely of my own money. Please take a look at the link to CRA applications. It looks like a laundry list of small business loans without that pesky pay back with interest. Estimating not willing to pay for a door replacement on your own property is just greedy. If you sell within a certain time frame, the grant should be repaid.
When CRA partially funds my expensive construction improvements I win. I figure that when the commercial real estate market gets better I can sell and make a larger profit. All under the pretext of improving the area. With city purchases dwindling (aka Dunn Lumber) and have little chance of selling to the tax payers, that ship may have sailed. Besides if CRA is willing to protect future earnings why should I be a party pooper?
Mr. Bruno and the rest of the parade of elected officials was nice, but it would be even nicer if he and the county would make sure all tax funds are used with public interest. It would be even nicer if Gov. Scott would use his resources to insure no hanky-panky is going on anywhere in Florida. The tide of voter concern is starting to turn. One too many slices of the tax whip for few, turn into many.
Banter from citizens with political ties puts this web site in a direct line with people in important places. We are almost positive media reads Shadow but does not see the necessity to comment until the cat is out of the bag. The rather large pot of cash CRA has amassed is causing a stir. CRA continues to receive tax funds without paying much out. Seems like an end around where the whole supports the sum and keeps the ball (CRA employees) employed. The more you can amass, the more you stay the course. This is not just local. Absent are hard hitting reporters from Fox, WESH, ABC, CBS and the rest of the usual suspects.
Come on down? No the waters aren't right.
Look at 2002 CRA employee’s viruses today. Including the four that is really under the Ms. Yancey umbrella. Perhaps the CRA chick position that was dissolved was not willing to play ball. Mr Daily is right. It's crap! Do DA, Do Da
4. SECOND RATE ART CITIZENS
Now the Shadow is having a rough time understanding how the so-called Chamber of Commerce decided that it could treat the Artist Workshop shabbily. Wall space for the display of local artists expression is being doled out as if the Chamber owned the building, which they do not. You, the taxpayer, owns the building. Look, the Chamber is a total freeloader. They do not even pay for their own trash pick up. The least the Commission can do is make them give wall space to one of the few groups that does not always have its hand out (see note below.)
Editors Note: The Artist’s Workshop did benefit from the funding fiasco of the old high school and now shares space with the Marine Disaster Center, essentially rent free. But we believe they were just included as cover and a distraction so the MDC could sail on in the private limo provided by the City Commission in the amount of a $130,000 check we could not then and still now not afford. Further during the Shadow’s efforts to stop this fish farm waste of taxpayer money, we were assured by the County ECHO staff that the Artist’s Workshop would be back in their quarters in the Chamber Building after renovations were complete. So we continue to feel the SEV Chamber and Sock Puppet are treating this group unfairly. Even those we are opposed to like the Chamber, a private business group that does nothing for the general public in NSB, should pay rent like any other enterprise.
1.THERE WILL BE NO ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN VOLUSIA COUNTY UNTIL WE STOP SPENDING MONEY.
Last week the NSB City Commission reviewed and approved grants based on taxes (translation: taxes you paid to others), from the Florida Environmental Fund, the State of Florida, from Volusia county highway grants, and federal money for the airport. They agreed with the grants and took the money without a blink of their oversized eyes. They took YOUR MONEY. The sad part is that cumulatively we are taxed to the point where living almost anywhere else than here is cheaper. We review some of these taxes that hang around your neck:
a. $17,000,000 (SEV Hospital Taxing District)--indigent tax collected by the District and handed over to Bert Fish to disappear into their stomachs
b.$442,000 (city franchise tax) extorted from the Waste Management Trash company to pick up trash. You remember Waste Management, they were the ones who made the
TO ALL LOCAL ARTISTS AND SHIPS AT SEA.
Whatever you do not earn by the sale of your art, is your hobby. Taxpayers should not have to pay for your hobby.
Worse, is that these particular “artists” are not satisfied with the generous subsidies already available to them but want the rules changed so they can get more money. Sally and her friends already have a free home, along with the MDC moochers, at the Old High School building where the Artist Workshop lives for free. We will not even throw up that the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Harris House, and a museum or two in town are off the tax rolls. So Sally we say, go thee forth to the Marine Disaster Center and demand hub space; they have plenty and should share as you and your friends are but more free loaders and the Wildlife Foundation of Florida and Brett Boston love freeloaders. Or we could say, Sally, go thee forth to the so-called Chamber of Commerce and tell them the first floor will be a hub. Or maybe a circle? Or maybe a rectangle? Or whatever you and the rest of the moochers want; you can just join the other moochers (SEV Chamber of Commerce and the Sock Puppet); after all it is a City owned building. Call it the Hub at Occupy the Chamber. We here at the Shadow feel the Hub will generate just about the same return on investment that the Chamber does; ZERO, so what's the difference.
Wherever you wander Sally, just go thee forth and get out of our hair. We have no more money to spend on artists and art galleries as we have families and children in New Smyrna Beach to feed and clothe. Just ask Sheriff Ben Johnson and he could probably find you a few in his 100 Deputies and 100 Kids program. We are sure he would appreciate your donation of both effort and money. So do something beneficial to somebody, but just stop with this Hub nonsense.
NORMAN’S CORNER
ITS’ ME AGAIN CHAIRMAN BRUNO
The Waterfront Loop remains elusive. I have ridden my bike around those roads at least three times and other than seeing a Boob and some White Stockings strolling down the sidewalk, I have been unable to find those 22 waterfront restaurants Holly and Tony keep yakking up.
I know you are busy with the Ocean Center, but if you need me to help in any way (translation; use some muscle) just give me a call on my CRA funded cell phone and I will just hop in my car from over at the Anglers Club and come a’running... (The Mayor got me some free parking there; not sure what he wants in return.)
Your Trusted Servant and Taxpayer
NSB Norman Normal -
P.S. I hear there is vacancy on the NSB CRA board and I would love to serve. I really do need some contracting work referrals and I hear it is a great place to find out who has money to do some remodeling or just plain old updates to their businesses. Again, just call me.
Attention Pat Rice, Editor, Daytona Beach News Journal: You and the NJ recently did a powder puff piece on the Waterfront Loop in NSB, but it failed to note at the end of this alleged piece of “news” that the NJ received advertising money at the same time for Christmas on Canal. Even Fox News notes where its money comes from. The Shadow thinks your failure here is not a good sign for independent journalism.
NJ Cub Reporter Mark Johnson does another powder puff article on the CC meeting, but talks about the parking problem on Columbus Ave, when the real story was about the CRA ethics issues, which he wrote on the following day and the NJ made that one hard to find. Another example of advertising winning out over the news. Hope they did not slip on the "soap flakes" on Flagler,; maybe we should call it "soap suds" reporting. Pat, We are still looking forward to some real reporting by real investigative reporters on the antics down here in New Smyrna Beach.
Apparently Mr. Rice chooses not to listen to our comments regarding the lack of investigative reporting being done by the News Journal in New Smyrna Beach. we find that strange since the CRA story, among others, cry's out for some "professional investigative journalism." Instead, all we get is a powder puff story, that never asked the important questions, about the lack of progress on construction of the Canaveral National Park Visitor Center. We guess maybe they were too busy counting their advertising revenue from the City, the CRA, and SVAA.
We will just keep reminding him...........
The Shadow Comments on the Decline and Fall of Objective News Reporting
Date: 12/10/2011, 9:44 AM
Name: To 543
For a map go to the City CRA website; Google NEW SMRYNA BEACH Community Redevelopment Agency.
As to the taxes, as printed in the Shadow several times, the tax is paid by those property owners in the CRA district, both residential and commercial. The hitch is that the amount of tax paid to the general city operations by those in
the CRA was capped at what it was when the CRA was created almost 30 years ago. Thus as the value of their property went up with the boom, as did others outside the CRA and the appraisal value and amount of tax went up, but that which paid for general city operations such a police and fire, did not not; it was capped.
Thus CRA property owners do not currently pay anywhere near their share of city operational costs, get their CRA tax money matched by the County and have a good old time at the expense of the rest of us who are making for their lack of funding of the general city operations. To make it worse, they, in many people's view, switched from redevelopment (e.g., bricks and mortar) to economic development to prop up the business owners on Flagler and Canal, many of whom do not own their buildings and thus do not pay CRA tax. Nice deal if you can get it......
Date: 
12/11/2011, 8:42 AM
12/11/2011, 8:42 AMName: Mo Yak
584,
1985 determination was less than objective, quite skewed. Do you remember 1985? Were you making money? Were others making money? I was ( still am). Other munis were growing...but not NSB. Why? And the City opted for a welfare system instead of shaping up their commercial model and attracting large employers. Skipped the Regional meetings on growth and development! And it's has not been 1985, since 1985. Funny how the CRA can expand awards by meeting to meeting decisions but can't tighten up or strengthen their efforts. Seems all they have done is hire a full time scammer and some eye candy.
You and I can agree that the local inbreeds will always make the easiest most self serving short sighted decision they can, always looking for a positive spin.
Having actually written some of Fl's CRA Statute and completing large complex projects funded by private public sources that are operating 365 days a year and creating thousands of jobs it is hard to see this local CRA as anything other than corrupt and pointless - regardless how "legal" their actions seem to be when viewed through the local lens.
Date: 12/10/2011, 8:02 PM
12/10/2011, 8:02 PMName: To Mr. Ed
Could not agree more and I am with you. Only this time I want it in writing as these idiots we currently have, have not followed through on a single thing they promised. And we do not need the one that is running for County Council there either; he does nothing to help the situation except run his mouth to look good.
Date: 12/10/2011, 7:30 PM
12/10/2011, 7:30 PMName: Pipe dreams
I heard that Merks (Bar) is owned by several people, A group..You mean to say they couldn't afford to fix there own poop chutes ?
Group welfare in NSB
Date: 12/10/2011, 7:22 PM
12/10/2011, 7:22 PMName: Mr. Ed
I think you are all forgetting this:
The CRA will Sunset, unless our Elected Officials give it a RENEWAL for an additional 5 years.....
QUESTION;
Are your willing to vote for any City Commissioner, who seems a wishy-washy on this subject.......?
Will you demand that your VOTE for them, is tied to THIER VOTE on extending the CRA?
Or, are you content on being LIED TO?
AGAIN!
Frankly, I feel we need to NAIL DOWN their position on the subject of the extension of the CRA......BEFORE WE VOTE!
Bottom line:
I'll vote for Mr. Magoo.....before I vote for anybody who wants to continue the CRA!
Date: 12/10/2011, 3:11 PM
12/10/2011, 3:11 PMName: Tomato
Was Heath's addition of a 1000+ sq ft, boardwalk and pretty landscaping to his upper middle class health food store redevelopment? Did he remove blight from an endangered community?
Date: 12/10/2011, 1:52 PM
12/10/2011, 1:52 PMName: 2 573
Think: Redevelopment v. Capital improvement. There is a difference.
Date: 12/10/2011, 11:22 am
12/10/2011, 11:22 amName: O 567
567,
It is the CRA board members preoccupation with putting their commercial interests over community that is the problem.
Date: 12/11/2011, 9:33 AM
12/11/2011, 9:33 AMName: Dead horse
Capital expenditure for the removal of blight in a park or City Gym is one thing...giving a real estate investor tax $$ as capital to improve their real property. There are real and subtle differences between Right and wrong application of the law as our unwitting board appointees are coming to realize.
This horse is as dead as government ethics!
