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CRA new leadership


The City Commissioners also sit as the CRA board, and as you may be aware Mayor James has fired Jon Ward who was the head of the CRA. Now we need a new leader so the city sent out RFP (request for proposal) and received 5 finalists.

Artie Jones, III

Allison Justice

Kristin Mory

Giovanni Moss

Jeffrey Oris

Next thing we know the PB Post reports:

“Both Giovanni Moss, a former Davie redevelopment official who works for Innovative Emergency Management, in Fort Lauderdale, and Kristin Mory, Deerfield Beach’s director of Economic Development, were city commissioners’ first picks for the key West Palm Beach post after interviews in February. But Johnson told commissioners, who act as the CRA board of directors, that both candidates have withdrawn for the key West Palm Beach post after interviews in February.” Read the entire story below.

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200407/new-west-palmrsquos-top-two-picks-for-redevelopment-chief-withdraw-now-what

At this point I am questioning why, after interviews, both Moss and Mory withdraw their names for consideration. What do people from Fort Lauderdale and Deerfield Beach know about the CRA that residents of WPB don’t?

So the city comes up with plan B and decide to look “in house” for a replacement, and the 2 finalists are

Allison Justice interim director of the CRA. She was next in command after Jon Ward and obviously WPB still has a contract with RMA (Redevelopment Management Associates) owned by Kim Briesemeister and Chris Brown. Here is one story about RMA, and there are many others.

“But Local 10 News has learned that Briesemeister may be taking advantage of one of those business opportunities, purchasing a two-building property in 2015, right in the middle of the district where she has been directing millions of the public’s dollars. She and business partner Christopher Brown purchased it for $750,000 two years ago. Today it’s assessed at nearly $1 million.

“The city didn’t know anything about it,” Pompano Beach Commissioner Beverly Perkins said.
Perkins said she believes it is a clear conflict of interest. “We’re paying RMA $1 million a year, and we’re not paying them to buy personal property,” she said. “That’s a no-no.”    Read the entire story below.

https://www.local10.com/news/2017/12/13/conflict-of-interest-could-womans-property-purchase-be-taking-advantage-of-taxpayers/

The second candidate is Chris Roog, Director of Economic Development for WPB.

Now the city held a Zoom meeting on the CRA which I watched and you can see the entire meeting below. I would appreciate you viewing the meeting when you have time and it runs for less than an hour. I want to bring attention to a couple of things such as Commissioner Kelly Shoaf’s comments and James facial expression at comments made.

The CRA has a budget of over 30 million dollars annually and a decision should not be made easily or in haste. The Community Redevelopment Agency’s two districts — Northwood/Pleasant City and Downtown receive the lions share of tax dollars.

Commissioner Shoaf asked that 3 meetings be held on the issue.

1st meeting: Listen to the presentation and commissioners to ask questions and gain knowledge.

2nd meeting: Allow public comments from residents. We are the people who will fund the changes in the above mentioned districts.

3rd meeting: Commissioners would decide who will oversee the WPB CRA.

I loved the idea of 3 meetings. Commissioners would hear from the public (2nd. Meeting) and actually go away and consider our input and decide in the 3rd meeting. Hopefully by now you have noticed James expression. He doesn’t like the idea. Lambert and Neering seemed to like it, but Peduzzi saw no reason for 3 meetings. Next thing I know everyone wants 2 meetings, so Shoaf goes along with the majority.

Commissioner Shoaf raises the question if it was time to open city hall and begin public meetings again. James rolls his eyes heavenly. If James can prolong public meetings until his term in office ends he will be a happy man.

The two meetings below were held this week in the Commission Chambers:

Tues. 6/16/2020 @ 6:00 PM Planning Board Meeting COMMISSION CHAMBERS

Wed, 6/17/ 2020 @ 9:AM Special Magistrate Code Compliance Hearings

COMMISSION CHAMBERS

Watch the meeting here:

https://vimeo.com/channels/781228

My last thought before publishing this story. How about city leaders abolish the CRA and spread the money around like on drowning Flagler.