City of Deerfield Beach: What's Going On?????

The below email was sent to the City of Deerfield Beach Commissioners and City Manager on November 16, 2011 at 8:55AM, after I reviewed the Commission meeting video from November 15, 2011.  It has become blatantly obvious that the current regime of Commissioners, City Manager, and City Staff seem to feel that they have Carte blanche to do whatever they want and we the residents just have to deal with it.  It is time "we the people" stand up for ourselves and begin demanding accountability at City Hall.  They have gotten away with their schemes and plots for far to long!!!

City Officials,

At last nights meeting long-time resident Laurie Dickens of District 2 approached the Commission regarding creating safer streets in her residential neighborhood by re-stripping and making it clear the two directional sections of the road.  She humbly asked if the City could do something so she, a taxpayer, could continue to drive at night without fear that someone would run into her because they don't know which side of the street to drive on because it is not clearly marked.

The City Manager, Burgess Hanson basically advised her that he understood her concern, but because the County disbanded road re-stripping 4 years ago there is nothing the City could do to protect the District 2 residents like Ms. Dickens.  He continued on to say that the City did not have any funds available to put toward this safety and precautionary measure to protect the lives of the City residents who traversed these haphazard roads.  Hanson half-heartily and almost sarcastically agreed with Ms. Dickens when she stated "it's Sad!" regarding the long-time conditions of the roads in question.  

Burgess, I can only assume that after repeatedly saying you understand and that it's sad and seeing that Ms. Dickens was not satisifed with your response that you came up with the whole utilizing CDBG funding to re-surface the roads in the target area, which would require another re-scheduling of funds from the housing rehab or outreach to go toward the re-surfacing that the CIty already took $250,000 from in the last two years and yet from the comments by Ms. Dickens, D2 and the "target area" are still unsafe for motorist.   

What is going on?  The City has a road and bridge fund that I assume can be used to make such needed repairs and improvements to the neighborhood streets in question, why should the residents of District 2 have to wait and hope that there is no accident or just not drive those many streets that are in the condition Ms. Dickens discussed until such a re-scheduling of funds take place.

At the October 18, 2011 City Commission meeting D2 Commissioner, Ben Preston, discussed my email asking the Commission to research putting reflective pavers at the corner of MLK and Hillsboro and other D2 areas which need some form of pedestrian safety measure put in place as they are not well lit and are a potential for disaster, the Commission, well namely Ben Preston, stated that they would look into it.  Three emails later and I have not heard anything back from any of you on this situation.  Now, Ms. Dickens ask basically the same situation asking the City to provide protection for the motorist residents the City tells her "there is nothing that can be done".  Then the Mayor attempts to put blame on the County by stating "it's not us it's the County".  

Wow!!!

I recently posted concerns about the raises given to upper management, like Mike Milanowski who received a $20,000.00 raise, whiel the City is crying broke.  This is a prime example of the City Management and Commission having it's priorities mixed up.  It has become very clear that the City ad the Commission's main priority is not a concern for the many residents of Deerfield Beach.  The actions taken since the removal of Sylvia Poitier clearly demonstrate this.  From the imposition of the 10% utility tax, the employee negotiations, the selling of the Fire department to BSO, the many many raises handed out to management, the underhanded and nefarious tactics, schemes, plots and manuevers implored against residents who show any dissension against the City, namely the anti-utility tax petition drive, and all other actions the City has taken clearly demonstrate to all residents of Deerfield Beach, Broward County, and the world how the Noland/Ganz/Hanson regime show concern and care for the people, PEOPLE they have sworn to protect.

Not to mention at the very same meeting the City, who has indicated that it has no money to make improvements on it's streets that would protect the lives and well-being of Deerfield Beach's residents, voted on a resolution that would memorialize SW 10th Ct into Bethelehem Court and waived all the fees.  Where is the money coming from to pay for the signage change and other incidentals concerning this change?  Ms. Tanner, who addressed the Commission regarding this matter brought up a very good point as to why this was pushed through without a vote by the Memorial Committee and why the City broke its own rules and allowed this old application to be put through, even though the City had clearly advised the public that all outstanding request would have to be re-submitted under the new guidelines, which public record clearly shows that.

We as concerned citizens of Deerfield Beach have to wonder about the priorities of our elected officials, especially in this small town which has had so much corruption and scandal involving elected officials and mismanagement by the City's past management staff.  We have to be cautious and it would seem that we are dealing with a runaway Commission, who does not have the best interest of the citizenry in mind when they make decisions that affect all of us. 
I have said it before and I will say it again it is time to have a full investigation of the City of Deerfield Beach...an accounting of all funds, expenditures and allocations.  

Please consider thsi request and respond, as all of you so frequently comment on the dais that you respond, but I have several emails still awaiting responses from some of you.  
I am a citizen and resident of Deerfield Beach who deserves a response from my City's elected officials ...you work for me and the rest of the residents not the other way around...read the Charter!!!

All I can say after viewing last nights meeting was WOW!!!

Suffice it to say that after all of my emails to the City, my breaking the story about the City's attempt to cove-up the fact that Deerfield was audited by HomeSec OIG related to FEMA funding, and the subsequent complaints that I filed against the City Manager (October 8, 2011) for blatantly lying to the public to cover up the whole Homeland Security OIG FEMA fiasco, and many others (all of which he is aware of) I received an email from the City Clerks office November 16, 2011 at 4:58pm indicating that the City Manager had instructed their office to deny my request for public records. 


Now, if that ain't a retaliatory action, I don't know what is.  


So, I promptly fired off a complaint to the State Attorney's office and the Broward Inspector General regarding this matter because it is a violation of Sunshine Law for the custodian of records to do anything to hamper or interfere or circumvent a citizens right to access of public records.


The post is soon to come detailing this incident so look out for it.