WPB Police Not Needed with PSC on the Job!
City Commission meeting to be held 11/16/2020 item #14 below.
My comments in Italics.
14. Resolution No. 323-20 approving a Services Contract for Security Services with Professional Security Consultants at an annual fee of $1,809,017.30, which is fully budgeted in the FY 2020-21 budget.
Probably funds from the Fire Fee, and be aware the firefighters are begging negotiating a decent pay raise, and James is standing firm with his offer, take it or leave it, after raising the fire fee from $50.00 to $100.00, raising millions more from taxpayers.
RESOLUTION NO. 323-20: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, APPROVING THE SERVICES CONTRACT FOR SECURITY SERVICES WITH PROFESSIONAL SECURITY CONSULTANTS AND AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF THE AGREEMENT; PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
This contract will cost taxpayers a million + dollars more than the previous contract and this contract calls for
“The City Commission applied the City’s Living Wage requirements to the procurement. Accordingly, the contract provides that no security officer providing services under the Contract will be paid less than $15 per hour”
Is that where the taxpayer Million + dollars are going-to give pay raises to PSC security guards, better know as “Ambassadors” Shouldn’t PSC Securities be responsible for giving pay raises to their employees who by the way have their Corporate Headquarters in Los Angeles, CA. Giddens Security is based in Jacksonville Fl. Why is the money being spent out of state?
Fiscal Note:
Annual cost of $1,809,017.30 is fully-budgeted in fiscal year 2020-21. Cost over 3-year term will be $5,427,051.90.
After the 3 year contract ends do you believe PSC wont have the contract extended another 2 years for a total of $9,045,086.50?
Read the City’s agenda for 11/16/2020 meeting below.
https://www.wpb.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=2693
“The other applicants under the new request for proposals include Giddens Security Corp., which previously guarded City Hall, the library and Northwood. The city solicited competitive proposals from firms early in 2019 but James canceled that solicitation within two weeks of taking office in April, instead recommending the city commission hire PSC.”
City Commissioner’s listened to the Harvard graduate Mayor, voted approval and walked the city into a lawsuit.
“Evaluation committee picks five finalists from 15 bidders for multimillion-dollar West Palm Beach security contract.
Professional Security Concepts ties for second.
WEST PALM BEACH — The security guard company whose close ties to city hall led to the cancellation of a no-bid contract tied Wednesday for second place among 15 firms vying for the city’s multimillion-dollar security business. In fourth came Alliance Universal Security Services/Universal Protection Services with 540; and Security Alliance LLC with 532. Amid calls for investigation, James, on the advice of his new administrator, Faye Johnson, announced he would rescind the PSC contract and order a new request for proposals. PSC has continued to handle the city’s guard work in the meantime.
PSC still on the job month to month.
Meanwhile, Perez drew fire after a departing city employee in October accused him of having texted her a photo of a penis. He denied wrongdoing.
Professional Security Consultants, doing business as Professional Security Concepts, tied for second place with industry giant G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc., with 583 points.
Giddens Security, the company forced out last fall when the city handed the no-bid contract to PSC was ranked first by the evaluation committee of officials from seven West Palm Beach departments. Giddens scored 594 out of 710 points.”
Read the entire PB Post story below:
I have a question: Who’s palm is being greased?
In November, Related Cos., owner of the Rosemary Square retail venue, dropped PSC as its security guard contractor.
FYI
WPB Watch readers have questioned what happened to the petition to recall Mayor Keith James. Here’s the story.
An attorney volunteered to write the petition so we would not have legal problems with the wording.
We needed volunteers to gather signatures of registered voters. People stepped forward to volunteer with 2 residents willing to set up shop outside their grocery store to gather signatures.
Others were willing to go door to door and where ever people gathered.
What happened was the Corona Virus, and the country basically shut down. So what happened–James got lucky—again.
The end
WPB Honors Henry Flagler, Really ?
The residents of West Palm Beach have elected a Mayor and City Commission who can’t be bothered to investigate any new projects it votes to accept because it is easier to spend a few minutes and listen to staff’s recommendation. Below are excerpts from a story in the PB Post, and it tells of a new project and honors Henry Flagler.
The project manager is WGI, (Wantman Group) the project is $32 million dollars, it was decided at the CRA meeting where Commissioner Lambert voted approval of the project. When the project goes before the City Commission Lambert will vote again for approval.
The Wantman Group has received another lucrative contract from the city. This is the same company who employs Jeffrey Brophy, senior vice president of WGI and Mr. Brophy owns a home in Andros Isles and rented his home to then City Commissioner Keith James who voted approval on every contract that contained a WGI contract. James said he paid “fair market value” for the rent, but never showed proof.
It gets better for WGI after City Commissioner Christine Lambert was sworn in and 4 months later WGI hired her husband Monty as a Senior Business Development Manager.
Lambert stated previously the WPB ethics officer made the decision she had no conflict of interest in voting for WGI projects. I say WPB has no ethics since April 4,2019.
Do you believe the Lambert’s wont benefit from her vote? Read the excerpts and the entire story below.
“An old spur that was part of Henry Flagler’s railroad a century ago will become West Palm Beach’s latest park, a linear spot to rise near the northern edge of downtown.
The city commissioners, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board, last week approved a $500,000 contribution to create the park behind Flagler Station, an eight-story apartment building designed for downtown workers, at Banyan Boulevard and North Tamarind Avenue.
The 34-foot-wide, landscaped, lighted park will run behind the building, between Tamarind and Sapodilla avenues. Plans call for installing a “ghost train,” an outdoor artwork recalling the trains that once rode the rail, which will remain in place.
“Everybody deserves great open spaces close to where they live. That’s always the goal of our projects,” Christopher Roog, executive director of the redevelopment agency, said Friday.
The 94 affordable apartments and park, expected to cost a total of $32 million, are scheduled for completion in early to mid-2022.
Edwin Muller, project manager for WGI, said Flagler Station is designed as a gateway for downtown and for the historic neighborhood to its north.
The developer is HTG Banyan LLC, a Coconut Grove-based affordable housing builder, whose project manager is WGI Inc., a West Palm Beach design and consulting firm.”
If you take the time to read the Post story please notice the additional story “West Palm presses for $21 million sea-level grant to help redo Currie Park.” Where is the $30 million dollar Park Bond voters gave the city in 2020? Certainly didn’t go to Police and Firefighter contract for pay raises.
Tolerance for violence is readily accepted in 2020. America is in crisis with cities being torn apart, burning down cities, looting, destroying statues and Americans killing each other over slavery the Confederacy and shooting of unarmed black men.
Lets take a look back to Henry Flagler, who never owned a slave, he leased them, and what he did to bring the railroad to Florida, and let them ask themselves if honoring Flagler is the right thing to do. Read how “Flagler co-opted powerful news outlets to spread distorted versions of events” Get the press on your side and your side is the winner.
“How slave labor built the state of Florida — decades after the Civil War.”
From 1885 to 1913, Standard Oil founder Henry Flagler built an empire in Florida of railroads, hotels, steamship lines, resorts, even cities, from Jacksonville to Key West. He raised Palm Beach and Miami from the sand. And like another real estate tycoon, his name is blazoned across the state’s landscape: Flagler College, Flagler County, Flagler Memorial Bridge, Flagler Beach.
Few know, however, that Flagler built his tourist empire — and modern Florida — by exploiting two brutal labor systems that blanketed the South for 50 years after the Civil War: convict leasing and debt peonage. Created to preserve the white supremacist racial order and to address the South’s labor shortages, these systems targeted African Americans, stealing their labor and entrapping them in state-sanctioned forms of involuntary servitude.
Committed to preserving his and the state’s reputation, Flagler co-opted powerful news outlets to spread distorted versions of events.
When the U.S. Justice Department, African American leaders and northern muckraking journalists exposed Flagler’s labor practices, he colluded with powerful government, newspaper and business interests in Florida to whitewash public knowledge and, by extension, the historical record itself.
Flagler and Florida were not aberrations. Convict lease laws in almost every Southern state essentially criminalized blackness, providing a means for authorities to arrest freed people for pseudo-crimes like vagrancy, lease them to private companies and force their labor.”‘
Read the entire story in the Washington Post below.
The end
James and the Ethics Task Force
Prior to being elected Mayor, Keith James served as the District 4 City Commissioner from 2011 – 2019
WPB Watch posted a story on October 18, 2020 titled ” Keith James has Another Committee.” and if you read the story you are aware both committee’s went nowhere. So where did it begin, these committee’s that were finished before they began, and committee members time and effort in their attempt to aid the city, wasted. We must return to 2007 and 2010, where James received his start from former Mayor Frankel.
ETHICS TASK FORCE
Keith James’ leadership of former Mayor Lois Frankel’s Ethics Task Force was questioned. There were questions raised about whether he was committed to the implementation of Ethics Reforms. Below are excerpts:
The task force, hand-picked by Frankel, recommended establishing an ethics officer, requiring commissioners to disclose ties involving businesses and requiring ethics training by employees. The city didn’t adopt many other suggestions, including setting up the hot line where ethics violations could be reported. Some city officials say the city never went far enough to rid itself of ethics problems. “The whole thing was kind of colluded,” Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell said. “We backed into an ethics program. It was more of a moment where the city was saying, ‘See, we have an ethics committee,’ and never really took the recommendations of an ethics committee.”
Frankel said a hot line, which would have been under the city’s internal auditor’s office, wasn’t necessary because the state has its own for citizens to lodge complaints. “It keeps us independent,” Frankel said. “People shouldn’t have to call us to complain about us.” Attorney Keith James, who chaired the task force, had a more positive outlook than Badesh of the panel’s achievements. “We made some very specific recommendations, they were very well thought out, and it was very well received by the city,” James said.
You know a city is ethically challenged when the treatment of its ethics task force raises ethical questions.
Welcome to West Palm Beach, which has fed two city commissioners to federal prison in the past year but cannot bring itself to adopt some obvious reforms. How about an ethics hot line? How about registering lobbyists? How about elected officials disclosing their business clients?
(Palm Beach Post, July 5, 2010)
Modest, common-sense changes that would help restore public confidence in a scandal-ridden government, but city leaders are balking. If Moses had brought the commandments to West Palm Beach, we’d have only six of them. Why the stalling? The answer from city hall is that doing too much might interfere with the work of a state grand jury — a second one — that is investigating the corruption in the city.
Mayor Lois Frankel first said the city couldn’t take up any ethics proposals “out of respect for the grand jury,” as if some conflict existed. Now, she says the city must act “methodically” and adopt selective reforms. She has declined to bring forward all the recommendations of the 10-member ethics task force she handpicked a year ago. Two members of that task force — Scott Badesh, CEO of the United Way of Palm Beach County, and David Clark, president of Palm Beach Atlantic University — have called for a meeting, ideally with city commissioners, to discuss their proposals. Dr. Clark wrote to the city that the panel needs “to meet and report or just fade away.” But no meeting. And no action on several key recommendations.
West Palm Beach attorney Keith James, the mayor’s choice to chair the task force, recently has adopted the mayor’s position on muzzling the task force. In one of the most curious bits of commentary to wash ashore in the wake of the city’s scandal, Mr. James asserts that the panel has to remain in hibernation. “I have decided that it would not be wise to meet until after the grand jury issues its report,”
Mr. James wrote to the city. “My primary concern is that our discourse will be chilled or worse, that given our frustration and dissatisfaction with some of its past work, something might be said to trigger further investigation by that body.” The comment is intriguing for several reasons. First, the only measurable “frustration and dissatisfaction” in the city with the first grand jury’s report came from Mayor Frankel and state Rep. Mary Brandenburg.
The mayor objected to the jurors’ characterization of West Palm Beach as a “pay-to-play” city that favored developers’ interests over those of common citizens. The report was not kind to the mayor.
Rep. Brandenburg, who in a strange twist of fate happens to be a member of the ethics task force, was critical of the report for suggesting that she tried to pressure a not-for-profit group to contribute to the mayor’s campaign. Rep. Brandenburg has filed legal motions to keep the grand jurors’ references about her secret.
Perhaps the more titillating part of Mr. James’ comment is that talking about ethical reform might somehow “trigger further investigation” by the current grand jury. Keith James, chairman of the city’s ethics task force, said the grand jury misunderstood the West Palm Beach ethics panel’s job. “We are a temporary task force created to give our recommendations and then be disbanded,” he said. He said the task force may recommend the creation of a permanent ethics board.
(Palm Beach Post, September 2, 2007)
(Palm Beach Post, February 3, 2007)
So what s the outcome when people forget the past? We elected him a City Commissioner and Mayor of West Palm Beach so he can form new committee’s that go nowhere.
City of WPB Falsifies Documents
10/5/2020 I attended the City Commission meeting and was interested in item #9. It reads.
Resolution No. 220-20 finding that city owned property located at 8111 South Dixie Highway is not needed for City purposes, declaring the property surplus ,and providing the method of disposition.
Commission District: The subject property is located within Commission District No.5: Commissioner Christine Lambert.
Below you will find a video and if you have no desire to listen to the entire meeting you can forward the clock to 1.25.28 when Commissioner Lambert states “I have emails and texts and phone calls from a number of residents in my district who want to see this move forward.” Mayor James stated at the same meeting this land belonged to all residents of the city not just the south end. I couldn’t agree more but what the city does with the land wont effect me or the people out west or in the northend. It will effect the people who live and pay taxes and vote in the south end. I’m looking at educated people with not 1 ounce of common sense.
Hear meeting below:
I wanted to read these emails from a “number of residents” and placed a PRR (Public Records Request) for emails only.
10/7/2020 My request reads: I am requesting to view all of Commissioner Lamberts email concerning the 8111 Dixie Hwy. that was discussed at the City Commission meeting held on 10/5/2020. I want the emails that were both for and against the project. Thank you in advance for your help. Please acknowledge request received.
10/13/2020 “The estimated or final invoice is attached. Please pay the amount due (Deposit Due or Balance Due)
If the invoice is an estimate, pay the deposit due (50% of estimated total) to proceed with the record search. The records are not collected until the deposit is paid. Then, the remaining charges must be paid before the records are released. The total actual charges may change the final invoice.”
10/16/2020 Total charge of the invoice $16.25. I choose not to pay a deposit but the entire invoice. Note how much the city charges residents per hour for records. Unbelievable! See the invoice below
invoice Lamberts email
Now I wait for the records, and told my request was forwarded to the IT (Information technology) dept.
10/19/2020 Below is the final response from the city.
Dear Sandy Matkivich,
RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of October 07, 2020, Reference # R006665-100720
“The City of West Palm Beach received a public records request from you on October 07, 2020. Your request mentioned:
“I am requesting to view all of Commission Lambert’s email concerning the 8111 Dixie Hwy. that was discussed at the City Commission Meeting held on 10/5/2020. I want the emails that were both for and against the project.
Thank you in advance for your help. Please acknowledge request received.
Sandy Matkivich”
This email is to notify you that no records exist. Your request has been closed.
If you have any questions, please contact my office. Thank you for your attention.
Once again I have paid the invoice and received no records, or had them heavily redacted or received a response from a previous Administrator stating his salary was 1/2 of his actually salary.
10/21/2020 Sandy’s final response to the city.
Mayor James, City Administrator Faye Johnson, City Attorney Kim Rothenburg, City Clerk Hazeline Carson. Consider this a PRR for Commissioner Lamberts emails she received concerning 8111 So. Dixie Highway she claims to have received at the City Commission meeting held on 10/5/2020.
It would be a waste of time to contact the OIG (Office of the Inspector General) or the PBC COE (PBC Commission on Ethics) 2 useless forms of appointed officials. I am considering contacting Attorney Sid Garcia and suing the city, but the taxpayers would carry the cost but if the city leaves me no choice, then I don’t have a choice.
3 Politician’s Breaking the Law
What your looking at is a picture of Mayor Keith James, County Commission Mack Bernard (background) and Congresswoman Lois Frankel in front of city hall. James gave a press conferences on early voting. What’s wrong with this picture is they are standing in front of a “signed sealed delivered” campaign sign for Biden/Harris which is a no-no. Double click the picture to enlarge.
If you take the time to read the rest of the story you will read what WPB City Charter has to say on the issue, along with Florida Statues and an email from a concerned citizen.
Sec. 62-33. – Political activity by employees.
(a) No officer or employee of the city except as hereinafter exempted from provisions hereof, shall:
(1) Use his official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with an election, or a nomination of office, or coercing or influencing another person’s vote, or affecting the result thereof;
(2) Directly or indirectly coerce or attempt to coerce, command or advise any other officer or employee to pay, lend or contribute any part of his salary, kick back any sum of money, or anything else of value to any party, committee, organization, agency or person for political purposes; or
(3) Directly or indirectly coerce, or attempt to coerce, command and advise any such officer or employee as to where he might purchase commodities or to interfere in any other way with the personal right of such officer or employee.
The provisions of this section shall not be construed so as to prevent any person from becoming a candidate for and actively campaigning for any elective office in this state. All such persons shall retain the right to vote as they may choose and to express their opinions on all political subjects and candidates. The provisions of subsection (a)(1) of this section shall not be construed so as to limit the political activity in general, special, primary, bond, referendum or any other election of any kind or nature, of elected officials or candidates for public office in the state or of any county or municipality thereof. The provisions of subsections (a)(2) and (3) of this section shall apply to all officers and employees of the city whether elected, appointed or otherwise employed, or whether the activity shall be in connection with a primary, general, special, bond, referendum or any other election of any kind or nature.
(b) Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree punishable as provided in F.S. § 775.082 or F.S. § 775.083.
(c) Nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to prohibit any public employee from expressing his opinions on any candidate or issue or from participating in any political campaign during his off-duty hours so long as such activities are not in conflict with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section or of F.S. § 110.092.
A resident complained to City Administrator, Faye Johnson concerning the picture above which was included with a story by the PB Post. Below is Ms. Johnson’s response.
—–Original Message—–
From: Faye Johnson <[email protected]>
To: [email protected] <[email protected]
Sent: Wed, Sep 30, 2020 4:57 pm
Subject: RE: how ugly is it going to get?
Mrs. Levine:
The City Attorney has confirmed that the political signage on the podium could be viewed as a violation of the City Code. In keeping with the sign code, the podium was removed; albeit immediately after the press conference. This matter has been discussed with the Mayor who assured me that a repeat occurrence will not happen. Regards.
Faye W. Johnson, MPA
City Administrator
City of West Palm Beach
401 Clematis Street
[email protected]
561-822-1400 (office)
Ms. Johnson I believe you are smart enough not to take James at his word. You have received complaints previously concerning Commissioner’s Lambert and Shoaf political signs placed around city hall, and the mayors press conference was held on Sunday so hopefully you were at home and didn’t witness 3 politicians breaking the rules.
I am inundated with politics on my computer, TV and cell phone and what grabs my attention is when I’m told President Trump wants my Social Security check, which I have paid into my entire working life. I looked into it and here is what I discovered. We have Franklin D. Roosevelt, Democrat, to thank for Social Security.
“The Social Security Act was enacted August 14, 1935. The Act was drafted during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first term by the President’s Committee on Economic Security, under Frances Perkins, and passed by Congress as part of the New Deal. The Act was an attempt to limit what were seen as dangers in the modern American life, including old age, poverty, unemployment, and the burdens of widows and fatherless children. By signing this Act on August 14, 1935, President Roosevelt became the first president to advocate federal assistance for the elderly.”
Below is a video that runs 4.25 minutes and I hope you invest the time to listen to it and then decide who protects your Social Security check.
In closing I will share with you my experience when I voted in the primaries last Aug. The Supervisor of Elections suggest you update your signature periodically. Your signature is that important and don’t sign your name on the back of the absentee envelope your vote wont be counted.
I walked in and showed my picture ID and voting registration card both containing my signature. Walked to the next table and received my voting card. Next table asked for my signature. Once again I am asked to sign on an iPad with my index finger. Followed instructions and showed the woman my signature card and my signature on the iPad. Told her they didn’t look anything alike. She actually agreed, and when I went to take a picture she said it was not allowed. The old system where you actually used a pen to sign was not broken, why change it? And people wonder why they don’t trust voting in America.
The end
Keith James has Another Committee
What you are about to read is (almost) ancient history. The City Commission is about to vote (10/19/2020) on another James committee namely “Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Equality”. Let’s look at the committee’s James has formed in the past.
Mayoral Candidate and City Commissioner Keith James Launches Neighborhoods First Initiative January 31, 2019
Keith James for Mayor
Keith James, city commissioner and mayoral candidate of West Palm Beach (WPB), today launches the Neighborhoods First Initiative.
“I am proud to announce my Neighborhoods First Initiative. It’s a plan to ensure each and every West Palm Beach neighborhood is listened to, their ideas are taken into consideration and that we are all working together to make our community a great place to live, work and raise a family,” James stated. “Our neighborhoods are the jewels that define our city and as Mayor, I am going to work to make sure neighborhood issues and projects are prioritized and getting done sooner. The advisory groups that are formed out of my Neighborhoods First Initiative will provide valuable feedback and ideas to help shape policy and direction.”
Media Contact: Jonathan Cooper Keith James Campaign
Read the entire press release below.
This sounded good for a man running for Mayor of WPB. Once elected the Neighborhood First Initiative went away, never to be heard from again, but was replaced with the “Transition Team”
“First order of business for new West Palm Beach mayor: Create a transition team to evaluate policies.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — During his first weeks of Mayor of West Palm Beach, former city commissioner Keith James wants to take a close look at policies and procedures within the city, by creating a transition team that will examine several departments.
“Between 40 and 50 representatives of neighborhoods of businesses of nonprofits who are going to help us look at various policy issues and make some specific recommendations,” said Mayor James.
“We are already putting into place, me hiring what I call my public safety liaison, somebody who is going to report directly to me and help me as I begin assessing the performance and policies in our public safety operations that means police as well as fire, said James.”
First order of business was remove Police Chief Sara Mooney as Chief of Police and hire new Police Chief Frank Adderley and Deputy Chief Rick Morris. I never realized it took 2 men to replace 1 woman. Read the story below.
Well the Transition Team sounded good too. Unfortunately the 40-50 folks who volunteered their time and effort to assist the mayor walked away disappointed because none of their suggestions were used. These good folks should have suspected something was amiss when James asked them to sign non-disclosure agreements.
African American Advisory Council
The African American Advisory Council’s purpose is to keep the Commission and staff informed about the needs and concerns of African Americans in the City of Hollywood Fl. The council is dedicated to promoting fairness and equality in economic, employment, housing, education and cultural opportunities.
If you are questioning why I included Hollywood Fl. in this story it’s because James disbanded the Council in WPB after attempting to campaign with African Americans the council suggested he ignored African American’s as a City Commissioner, what could they expect from him as mayor? Possibly the Mayor’s Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Equity is meant to replace the African American Advisory Council.
Aug 11, 2020 “During a press conference at West Palm Beach City Hall, Mayor Keith James announced the appointment of the Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Equality. The establishment of the Task Force comes on the heels of calls for both local and national change in the wake of recent incidents that ignited outrage, exposed deeply entrenched systemic racism in our country, and challenged the public’s confidence and trust in our system of policing and criminal justice.” Read the story below:
https://www.wpb.org/our-city/mayor-s-office/mayor-s-task-force-on-racial-and-ethic-equality
Mayor Muoio hired retired Captain 25 year veteran of the Police Dept; named Wendy Morse as Director of the office of Public Life. James later changed the name to Community Outreach. Ms. Morse responsibility was to work with the police force and residents to challenged the public’s confidence and trust in our system of policing and criminal justice, and insure the community had a say in how public space was used. What I’m told is Ms. Morse was doing a hell of a job, before James “laid her off” soon after he was sworn in.
City Commissioners Heads Up!
City Commission meeting to be held 10/19/2020 CONSENT CALENDAR (1-7) Consent Calendar is where the city passes item’s without much notice or comment. I ask readers please pay attention to item # 6, 10 &11. I have posted sections of the agenda #6, 10 & 11 and the entire agenda can be read here.
https://www.wpb.org/home/showdocument?id=2619
# 6 Resolution No. 284-20 establishing and appointing members to a nine (9) member Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, establishing the term of office and waiving conflicts of interest.
Staff Recommended Motion: Approve Resolution No. 284-20.
Background: The City of West Palm Beach receives annual allocations of State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program funds from the State of Florida for the creation and/or preservation of affordable housing. As a condition of receiving the funds and in accordance with Florida Statutes, the governing board of the city is required to establish an Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC)
The entire list of 9 names can be read in the agenda, but the 3 named below have business relationships with the City and may have a conflict of interest, which commissioners will be asked to waive.
They are:
a. Thais R. Sullivan: The First Vice President of Valley National Bank is presently doing business with the City as a partner assisting with the City’s COVID-19 Business Loan Program;
b .Jeremy Morse: The Executive Director of Mental Health America presently doing business with the City as a social service provider and recipient of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds assisting with on-street mental health services;
c. Terri Murray: The Executive Director of Neighborhood Renaissance Inc. presently doing business with the City as a non-profit developer receiving federal funds for the development of affordable housing.
The term of the committee is three (3) years, and each member will serve for the three-year period.
Norman Ostrau, the City’s Ethics Official, has advised that both state and county law provide that no member or their outside employer can sell goods or services to the city or have any employment or contractual relationship with any business entity doing business or regulated with the city or any contractual or employment relationship that will be a continuing or frequently recurring conflict between their private interest and public duty or impede their public duties. He is of the opinion that the relationships described above violate this law thereby creating a conflict of interest. He further advises, however, that both state and county law provide that the conflict can be waived by the city commission at a public hearing where the proposed member disclose the conflict and the commission waives the conflict by a vote of a majority plus one. Ms. Sullivan, Mr. Morse, and Ms. Murray have made the disclosure on the required state ethics commission form 4A, and the commission is requested to waive the conflicts by approving Resolution No. 284-20. 6″
Commissioners when in doubt—-Don’t wave conflicts of interest. They are in place for a reason, and if they can be waived so easily why have it in the first place? Norman Ostrau, the City’s Ethics Official is the guy who told Commissioner Lambert she could vote in favor of her husbands company WGI, who has multiple contracts with the city.
# 10. Waiver of conflict for two advisory board members of the Mayor’s Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Equity.
Background:
On July 7, 2020, the Mayor executed Executive Order 2020-13, establishing the Mayor’s Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Equity and has appointed its members. Mr. Bradley Alexander Hurbert who is also the President of The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin County, (Community Foundation), and Ms. Julie Fisher Cummings who is the Community Foundation’s Board Chair are two of the Mayor’s appointees.
#11 Public Hearing of Resolution No. 149-20 authorizing acceptance of federal entitlement grants approving and authorizing submission of the City’s Five-Year Consolidated Plan (2020-2024), the One-Year Action Plan for Fiscal Year 2020-2021, and the Citizen Participation Plan and authorizing execution of all related documents.
Background:
As an entitlement community receiving U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) formula program funds, the City of West Palm Beach is required to submit a Five-Year Consolidated Plan that serves as the planning tool outlining the jurisdiction’s housing and community development needs. The Consolidated Plan is carried out through annual Action Plans which provide a concise summary of the actions, activities, and specific federal and non-federal resources that will be used each year to develop strong, sustainable, and inclusive communities. The City has established a Citizen Participation Plan to provide opportunities for citizen involvement in the process of developing and implementing the HUD-assisted programs. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21, the City anticipates receiving a total of $4,707,736.
Previously the city had problems with HUD.
“A federal agency says it wants nearly $3 million back from West Palm Beach because of how poorly the city managed low-income housing grants. The Department of Housing and Urban Development says the city missed deadlines, kept poor records and lacked procedures to oversee the spending of federal money it distributed to an arm of the Redemptive Life Fellowship church. The city had hired the organization to build houses as part of a major effort to revitalize one of West Palm’s most down trodden neighborhoods, Coleman Park” Want to read more? Google Redemptive Life. James was their attorney.
Read the story here:
HUD wants 3 million back from city
James Wants an end to Negotiations with IAFF.
On 10/13/2020 I sat in on a meeting at City Hall for a negotiation between the city and the IAFF new contract. The meeting was to start at 2:00 PM, and James entered at 2:10 PM, offered no apology for his tardiness, and the first words out of his mouth was “I told you last week you had my final offer, why are we here to negotiate again?”
At 2:11 PM I knew this meeting was going nowhere because the mayor had spoken. Unfortunately I was correct in my thinking.
The negotiations are largely formalities at this point. The city is required by PERC (Public Employees Relations Commission) to meet with Fire Fighter representatives and work out a new 3 year contract if they request it.
The representatives are making counter offers and it falls on deaf ears with the leaders of WPB. Firefighters are attempting to negotiate with the city James & Johnson) refuse.
The meeting split and city employees and IAFF leaders went to separate rooms and I was not allowed to hear negotiations for about 20 minutes when both sides met again, minus James who didn’t return to the meeting.
City Administrator, Faye Johnson did most of the talking and again told the firefighters the city didn’t have the money to make a new offer, and backed up her statement with threat’s of having to lay off and/or furlough employees in order to make that happen.
In a previous story I told readers the city had collected $20 million dollars in the “Fire Fee” where is that money and what was it used for? WPB has successfully perfected the shell game with tax payers money.
The last City Commission meeting, Commissioner Lambert gave a very nice shout out to the fire dept. with her story on her new home she had recently purchased.
Seems there was a very powerful storm, in the middle of the night when she and her husband were awakened with the thunder and lightning that brought down power lines which lit up the sky, while power lines danced in the streets. Imagine if one of the power lines landed on someone’s home, possibly starting a fire.
Lambert dialed 911 and the fire dept. responded, and according to her eliminated the danger.
Also at the last meeting James thanked Fire Chief Matty for writing a grant (on her own time) from the DHS (Department of Homeland Security), FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) The grant is for $8,007,597.36 and to be used “to hire 28 additional Fire Department firefighters”
Fiscal Note:
FEMA has waived the cost share requirement for this SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant since the submission of the application, saving the city $3,069,579.99.
City Commission approved Resolution No. 272-20.
WPB has a new Budget
I attended the final budget meeting and it was approved without loss of city employee furloughs or layoffs, although 5 jobs are on the line.
There is a new young group that attends the meetings and they are sharing their thoughts with the mayor and commissioners and are asking for an open government with full disclosure. Unfortunately for the mayor they wont be leaving anytime soon.
One speaker was upset with the report on police overtime and asked no raises be given to the police dept. in 2021. I disagree. You can’t hold an entire police dept. responsible for the failings of a few who took advantage of the system. It took the Internal Auditor to bring the issue to the city’s attention. Who really failed here?
1) A supervisor had to approve the timecards.
2) Gregory Key, Special Assistant to the Mayor ( Public Safety) is the liaison between the mayor and police dept. He didn’t notice?
3) Mark Parks, Chief Financial Officer for WPB. Why didn’t the finance department notice the abuse?
I requested, and received PRR (public records request) on city officials and “perks” they receive. Some I knew about some was a shock, and I am enclosing them with the story.
“Commissioners Discretionary Fund.” Each Commissioner receives $7,500.00 /year. I have a problem when commissioners contribute taxpayer dollars to the Chamber of Commerce, who has for many years rented city owned building and land at 401 No. Flagler Dr. for #1.00/year when the Property Appraiser has valued it at $12,653,733.00. 5 commissioners @ $7,500.00 = $37,500.00.
Read the report below:
Commission Expenses April to Sept 2019 (2)
“Car Allowance. Years ago a former commissioner complained about the paperwork involved in receiving reimbursement money he spent on gas in his private vehicle used for city business. So a resolution was passed and they voted themselves $500.00/month. My surprise was 4 other city officials who also received the benefit. So we have 9 people receiving $6,000.00/year= $54,000.00. Read the report below.
Vehicle Allowance ALL City report 9-23-2020
The real surprise to me came when Mayor James did not receive the Car Allowance. As City Commissioner he received a total of $48,000.00 over 8 years. The shocker was when I discovered the city purchased a 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV Full Size 4×2 which is assigned to James. Another surprise was discovering Gregory Key, Special Assistant to the Mayor, was driving a city owned 2019 Ford Explorer SUV Mid Size. I find it hard to believe Mr. Key received a car (2019) before James (2020). I assume James had received the Ford and was not pleased with it’s performance and ordered the Chevy. What to do with the 2019 Ford? Give it to my friend Mr. Key. Does Mayor James has a city credit card he uses for gas purchases?
See the report below.
Copy of Take home vehicle list 09.24.2020
Now the city must double-down and get on with the business of a new contract with the firefighters and police departments.
The mayor’s job is to set policy, the commissioners job is to oversee the IA (Internal Auditor) dept. and vote to spend taxpayers dollars wisely.
If the City Commissioners refused to allow a contract with PSC Security or any other security company the city would have saved eight million dollars, enough to fund the police force, hire the officers needed to protect the city.
If City Commissioners stood together and refused to waste millions more tax dollars fighting the State Rd. 7 expansion that would take care of the fire fighters and build new firehouses and buy needed equipment.
Ending on a positive note. City Administrator Faye Johnson’s probationary period ended in July, and she was due to receive her 5% pay raise of $12,450.00. Ms. Johnson informed me she did not accept the increase, and I thank her for her decision.
The end.
City of WPB vs IAFF part 2
2008 Former Mayor Lois Frankel gave us our first Fire Fee of $25.00 and the price was unchanged thru 2017. 10 years.
2018 Former Mayor Geri Muoio doubled the fee to $50.00
2019 Mayor Keith James doubled the fee to $100.00
2020 James says the $100.00 fee will not be raised.
I asked a real estate friend how many homes were located in WPB and received a number of 49,936. In fairness to the city I will use the figure 40,000 homes from 2008 thru 2017. That’s $1,000,000./year x 10 years = $10,000,000.00.
My next request was to the PBC Tax collector, below is their response.
Thank you for contacting the office of the Constitutional Tax Collector Serving Palm Beach County concerning a public records request. Below is the response prepared by our Finance and Budget Department.
West Palm Beach Fire Protection Property tax payments collected
FY 2018 $ 2,112,329.33
FY 2019 $ 4,043,560.38
12 years $16,155,889.71
2020 estimated 4 million more. With over $20,000,000.00 dollars collected for the “Fire Fee’ James, Johnson and City Commissioners need to explain why fire fighter’s are one of the lowest paid in PBC and why they must ask, with hat in hand, for a decent pay raise. They are on the front line for us and we should stand with them.
I have no reason to believe Mayor James and City Administrator Faye Johnson have negotiated in “good faith” when they tell city employees and the public that if the fireman get raises city workers will get laid off.
Below is a statement from a WPB Fire Fighter.
Request for Statement – Negotiations
Below is a short statement and they “ask the residents continue to call for a greater level of transparency and accountability on how this resource and how the freed-up general fund resources are being allocated” Personally I don’t believe they are asking to much, and hoping you feel the same.
Copy of Request for Statement – Fire Fee
After I posted part 1 of the WPB vs IAFF I received many responses from reader, but one stood out because she included her response to all city leaders.
To [email protected]
Cc [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
“After reading this article, I must say that I totally concur with Sandy in her observations. This is an unprecedented time and calls for careful stewarding of our tax dollars. Again, my taxes are being raised, but I am not happy with how the money is being spent. My pension is no way near that of some of the city officials…especially the recent hires. Give those pay raises to those who serve and protect our city and its citizens! Cut the fat and put those tax dollars in places that benefit the ones who are paying the freight.”
A few weeks ago, at a City Commission meeting, I asked the mayor if it was true the city was negotiating with the PBC Sheriff’s office to turn our police officers into sheriff deputies. He denied it. It is my understanding the City Commissioner’s were contacted and asked if they would be amenable to the idea of a contract with the PBC Sheriff Office. Commissioners if I was given bad information please let me know so I can correct the story.
This story is about fire fighters, so why am I adding a paragraph about the police? Both are unhappy with the city’s impasse and if the police are considering a move, can the firefighters be far behind? James and Johnson has nearly destroyed the 2 most valuable assets the city has, cops and firefighters. They deserve better.
Message to the PBA and IAFF.
Mayor James has broken promises to both the police and firefighters and hopefully he will pay the price when he once again makes promises he has no intention of keeping while asking for their endorsement for a second term as mayor.
The end
City of WPB vs. IAFF part1
I want to start this story on a positive note so lets begin.
I attended the budget meeting held on 9/10/2020 and listened to the presentation. When finished the City Commissioners had questions and comments. The 5 commissioners share 2 clerks, and I’m sure they are kept busy between 5 commissioners. Let me break it down for you. One clerk works for 21/2 commissioners. It was suggested both clerks be furloughed. Commissioner’s Neering and Peduzzi both suggested they forgo their $500.00/month car allowance in order to keep the clerks jobs.
IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighter) and the City of WPB have been in negotiations over a new 3 year contract and the Mayor (James) and City Administrator (Johnson) have announced they are at an impasse.
The city claims the IAFF want to much. The IAFF claims the city wont give firefighters what they deserve.
What you are reading here is my opinion, but shared by many residents.
Part 2 will be the city’s, IATT and a firemen’s opinion.
When first elected Mayor James was like Santa Clause at Christmas time handing out promotions and pay raises like the well would never go dry. Traveling to cities along with his Police Security Detail spending thousands more.
The Carona Virus struck hurting the economy and the well started drying up. If James handled the city’s finances in a responsible manner from day 1 WPB outlook may not seem so dire that the only alternative the city could see was eliminate blue collar workers.
Residents protested and the city found another way. Fight the firefighters (IAFF) and police (PBA) union and deny them a decent wage.
If the sanitation department went on strike I would find that an inconvenience. If firemen didn’t show up for work (which I don’t believe they would ever do) who could residents depend on when they suddenly feel pressure in their chest, wake up in the middle of the night smelling smoke or a loved one is involved in a serious accident? I can’t afford to take these men and women of the fire department for granted and neither should the city.
Here is one example of the Mayor James generosity with taxpayer money.
“Verdenia Baker, PBC Administrator began her career with Palm Beach County in 1987 as a budget analyst. She was promoted to impact fee coordinator and eventually became a division director with the Financial Management Department. Verdenia’s experience in financial management was a prelude to her promotion to assistant county administrator and, within a year, to deputy county administrator. She served in that capacity for 15 years before being selected county administrator by the Board of County Commissioners in 2015.”
I placed a PRR to the county asking about Ms. Baker’s annual salary and received a response within 20 minutes. After 33 years working for the County her salary is $298,513.28.
August 2019 James hired Faye Johnson at $220,000.00 annual pay.
October 2019 James named Assistant City Administrator Faye Johnson interim administrator.
Jan. 03, 2020 West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James formally introduced Faye Johnson as the new city administrator.
Jan. 13, 2020. City Commission Meeting: Establishing the salary and other compensation for the City Administrator and amending the pay grade information for the City Administrator job classification. Mayor is recommending to the Commission a starting salary of $249,000. Upon successful completion of a six (6) month probationary period, Ms. Johnson’s salary will increase by 5% to $261,450. After 11 months Ms. Johnson is at the top of her pay grade. All 5 commissioners voted approval. If I were in Ms. Johnson’s shoes believe me when I say I would have done all that is necessary to insure top pay and benefits for myself.
My question: Ms. Johnson’s increase from $249,000 00 after 6 months probation was due in July 2020. Did she accept the $12,450.00 raise?
I would once again recommend City Commissioners listen more to residents and less to staff. Please do your homework, as the city is advising you on their opinion and you need to listen to the other side of the coin. That would be the residents who’s life is impacted by your votes and decisions.
California, Oregon and Washington are ablaze with wild fires. Millions of acres burned, with loss of life. People are running for their lives while firemen run toward the inferno, risking their lives to try and save property and residents just like the Twin Towers where 343 fire fighters died and many more damaged inhaling the aftermath. Ask New Yorkers and residents of California, Oregon and Washington if their firemen are overpaid or deserve a raise then ask WPB officials what a firemen’s life is worth to them.
News just reported tropical storm heading for east coast of Florida winds at 35mph, may intensify. Please don’t worry about Mayor James keeping safe as he hunkers down at fire station #5 with a generator and full pantry.
Firefighters are always prepared. Shame the mayor isn’t.