Residents Question Commissioner Mitchell's Commitment to their Neighborhood.
March 8, 2015
Dear Neighbor,
There has been a Coalition of Neighborhoods, Businesses and Cultural Institutions hard at work to improve our neighborhood for the last 11 months. We have been advocating for the creation of a detailed urban design plan for the Dixie Corridor. Several of us in the neighborhood have been hard at work identifying private dollars which, in conjunction with a unique opportunity for the Palm Beach County Metropolitan Planning Organization to utilize special planning dollars, will help realize that plan and make the corridor eligible for federal highway enhancement funds. Through Mayor Muoio’s efforts the City Planning staff was engaged to provide technical assistance. In addition, the Mayor provided funds to help fill the gap to cover the cost of the study. Although the dollar amount was small, it was the catalyst needed for moving forward. During the entire process, Mayor Muoio engaged with the community stakeholders to make sure the efforts of the South Dixie Corridor Planning Study team and the Urban Land Institute’s Technical Assistance team would not be in vain. Dixie Highway has been neglected for years. Fortunately for us, Mayor Muoio has become the champion for much needed change.
Along with others in the community, we have tried to dialogue with our District Commissioner, Kimberly Mitchell. But she refused to meet with any of the Stakeholders. Fortunately, the steps we have taken to implement the study did not require approval from the City Commission, as it was initiated and paid for by the community. When Commissioner Mitchell realized that our efforts had resulted in a contract with The Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council to begin this work, she criticized the project saying there were other neighborhoods which needed more attention than ours. She went so far as to say that the money raised from the Metropolitan Planning Organization to supplement the funds we raised privately, should go to area south of Forest Hill Boulevard. She did nothing to support the members of her District and, when given the opportunity, she criticized the plan and said she was not aware of the project. Watch the video below. Kimberly Mitchell has been our District Commissioner for 13 years and has never lifted a finger on our behalf. We did this ourselves, and now she wants to take it away. If Kim Mitchell was truly looking out for the City she would have done more to help bring about the much needed change we have all been advocating for. The neighborhoods and businesses along the Dixie Corridor have been the economic engine for our City for almost 100 years. To ignore our needs she jeopardizes our future.
Commissioner Mitchell said she didn’t know about the project. Maybe if she had attended our meetings or answered our phone calls she would have known. The bottom line is this is our neighborhood and we deserve to have elected officials who show up to do their job and not try to stall our own neighborhood improvement projects.
Kim Mitchell plays favorites. She chooses to reward her friends – many of whom are lobbyists – instead of helping our neighborhood. Kimberly Mitchell may have grown up in West Palm Beach, but she ignores the needs of our City, fails to show up for meetings, but is quick to criticize and complain that she wasn’t aware of what was going on in her own back yard. If Kimberly Mitchell becomes our next Mayor, she will work to prevent our project to improve Dixie Highway from going forward despite the fact that this is what our community wants and is willing to pay for.
That’s not what we need in a Mayor. What we need is what Jeri Muoio will provide: honest, effective leadership that will support the work that this community has begun.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email and view the video. We hope you find this information as important as we do.
Gregg Weiss Andy Halper
Flamingo Park Resident El Cid Resident