2 meetings 1 PB Post Story
Posted by Sandy on November 26, 2019 · Leave a Comment
There were 2 meetings held on 11/25/19. “Special City Commission Meeting” held at 8:30AM, and the “Mayor/Commission Work Session” @ 9:00 AM. Both meetings held when residents were at work. Being retired I attended.
The “Special City Commission Meeting” had 2 items on the agenda, and I was interested in the first item concerning the CRA. Long story short. The Fleet Management Fund has a net deficit of $200,000.00. This requires a transfer of $600,000.00 from General Fund Reserves to the Fleet Management funds. On the bright side when it was reported the Internal Audit (IA) was going to be done early 2020, Jon Ward, Director of the CRA stated the City had no authority to audit them, even while they were spending tax dollars. The CRA is and has been hemorrhaging money and the audit will be very telling.
Commissioner Lambert was missing when the meeting began, but arrived on the dais at 8:39 just as James was calling for the vote@8:40. Before she put her bag she voted approval.
The 9:00 AM meeting concerned (1) “Strong Mayor Duties and Responsibilities” City Attorney Kimberly Rothenburg was to make the presentation, and (3) Security Services, City Attorney Nancy Urcheck to make the presentation. Ms. Urcheck made both presentations due to Ms. Rothenburg was a no-show.
(1) According to James the 5 Commissioners are not allowed to ask any questions of any staff member, ever. If they need a question answered they are to go through Tiffany David who answers to the Mayor. In a previous story I wrote about Ms. David who makes appointments with Presidents of Homeowner Association, who either cancels or don’t show up or ducks out 5 minutes after James leaves a meeting. They can also ask questions of Interim City Administrator Faye Johnson, who also reports to the mayor.
When residents call their commissioner with a problem they don’t want to wait weeks or months for a reply. James said staff was inundated with questions. When Mayor Muoio was in office she had a City Administrator and 2 Assistant Administrators. James has appointed 5 Assistant Administrators. Do the math: 5 city commissioners and 5 assistant administrators. In my opinion James is either trying to control what information the commissioners are receiving, or the assistant administrators don’t know the answer.
(2) Security Services. Larry Keller, Special to The Post wrote the story and it can be read in it’s entirety below. Here are excerpts and my comments in italics
“The city has set a Jan. 10 deadline for proposals with a target date of May 11 for a new security guard contract. The city commission proceeded Monday to rescind its controversial three-year security guard contract”
This could have been accomplished earlier if Commissioners Peduzzi, Shoaf and Lambert bothered to show up when Commissioners Neering and Ryles attempted to rescind the contract 9/27/19. 2 months wasted, but not for PNC who keeps their contract. Now James is telling us May 11,2020, 2 months after we vote for 3 commissioners. in March 2020. If Shoaf and Lambert are re-elected for 2 more years would you be willing to bet the contract wouldn’t go right back to PSC. The 3 missing commissioners had excuses, but with 110,222 residents living in WPB relying on them, I don’t consider this a part time job. Show up, or move along. You represent us not James and PSC.
“This month, the owner of the city’s shopping and entertainment district, Rosemary Square, dropped PSC as its security guard contractor”
And it didn’t take them 9 months either.
“Commissioners expressed remorse for their vote on PSC’s no-bid pact Monday.”
I heard Commissioner Neering and Ryles express remorse, both said they were sorry. That tells me they acknowledge their mistake which enables both of them to learn and not repeat. Lambert, Shoaf and Peduzzi have never made an admission they were wrong or explained their vote.
“Commissioner Cory Neering wondered if PSC should be given notice immediately that the contract is being rescinded and letting its predecessor take over until a new contractor is selected. My whole point is I made a mistake in terms of the initial vote … and wish I had been more outspoken regarding that,” Neering said. “Let’s not pretend this current service provider isn’t embroiled in a major issue in our city”
By predecessor he means Giddens
“Commissioner Kelly Shoaf, whose district includes Northwood, said she was vehemently opposed to the idea of using the previous security contractor. Every neighbor in the Northwood area can give you a story of previous security firms that have underperformed,” Shoaf said. “Things have vastly improved there and the merchants are the ones who will be affected.”
Vehemently opposed, what does that mean? It tells me you would not vote for Giddens or any security company but PSC. You cam certainly do that after you are re-elected. Thank you for your service Commissioner Shoaf.The merchants will be affected, how about the damn residents who have been accosted at Rosemary Square under the protection of PSC. Guess their too busy sending pictures of their penis to see where their employees were hanging out in groups, or when I attended a recent meeting and 5 PSC security were socializing on the 2nd. floor, how safe was Clematis St.?
“It isn’t known if PSC will put in a proposal to continue operating as the security contractor.”
Of course they will submit a proposal. They already have 3 votes on the commission if two of them are re-elected namely Lambert and Shoaf.
“Mayor James pointed out that only he, not the commission, can end the current contract with PSC, and he still favors doing so.”
Excuse me James, it was the Commissioners who rescinded their vote and the contract.
“Like commissioners, he said he wished he had obtained more information before approving the PSC contract. “If the administration is at fault, certainly I have big shoulders,” he said”.
Your shoulders aren’t strong enough to admit this contract was in the bag. What did you, Perez, Green, Peduzzi, Adderley and Morris discuss over drinks at the Blue Martine, all sitting at the table known as the Table of Corruption, the new fall colors?
Read the entire story below.