Attendance was great. Our police were there, having set up a table inside, and doing bike safety checks outside. They gave out free bike helmets, and they took finger prints of anyone who wanted them on file. I'm guessing there were nearly a dozen officers.
The County had several tables all its own. The State Attorney's office (well, not the County, really) was represented by four people. There were tables for DERM, other conservation-related divisions, wildlife (the live Florida king snake was there again), and a table devoted to public services, like "SNAP." That's the acronym that means food stamps. Everyone was eager to help, advise, and even provide. By the way, if you want to know what trees the County considers invaders that are "Not Wanted," let me know. There are 31 types. Yes, those three are there.
Two guys from a martial arts gym were there, demonstrating various martial arts techniques, for anyone (the intended audience was probably the kids) who was interested. Ray Atesiano put on his own demonstration in a friendly spar with Dan Samaria. That's ex-Marine Dan Samaria. I don't know whether I'd be more afraid of Ray's gun, his Taser, or his dukes. That beer belly is a diversion. He's definitely got it.
Costco was there, of course. John Hornbuckle set up a table, to let you know he's available if you've had home damage and might be making an insurance claim. Call John before you do. He'll get you more than you could get yourself. Even Coach Joe had his own little table, in case you want to sign your kid up for soccer.
I think everyone was there. Except you. Turnout from "us" was, um, terrible. I'm happy to report that the four Commissioners anyone would have had any reason to expect were there. Dr Mr MIA was MIA. Come to think of it, I guess I don't even know what the "A" stands for in this case. Ana Garcia was on vacation, but Candido Sosa-Cruz was there. Most of the usuals were there. But not nearly as many residents and kids as I would have expected, as the vendors/displayers expected, as anyone wanted.
I have to be honest here. If this event had been held in Miami Shores or North Miami, I would not have gone. I was there out of community spirit. It's true there was content, and I wouldn't even say I didn't learn something, but that's not why I went. Those of us who did go bemoaned the very thin turnout from our neighbors. We thought maybe the event should have been bundled with some other event, or maybe one of those seasonal celebrations. Nobody suggested that word had not gotten out, but you never know.
If you were there, and especially if you weren't, would you be willing to say what you think the problem was? Is this simply not of that much interest? Was it too hot today? Is a Saturday not a good day? We've done better in the past, and they've always been on Saturdays. What do you think? Please enter a comment. If you're shy, or reluctant to "go public," send me an e-mail privately. I won't give anyone your name. But if there are useful insights, I'd like to tell Ray Atesiano, Dan Samaria, and Chuck Ross what they are. See ya next time?
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Another Sad Day. Goodbye, Ouzo's.
I was frankly very attached to Slices, the gourmet all-you-can-eat pizza, pasta, and risotto place up on Biscayne at about 138th. I ate there once a week. And I didn't have much company. The food was genuinely gourmet, the place itself was very comfortable and welcoming, and the staff became like friends. Oh, how I hated the day I went there to eat, and they had closed. There was no warning, unless the absence of patrons was a suggestion that they couldn't go on like this forever. And I must say, Alexandre, the proprietor, did say he needed more business. He and I talked about strategies to get some. And the specials started to go away: the happy hour, the early bird embarrassingly low price... But they just couldn't make it, and they had to close. To this day, it hurts me to see the building, with the sign that says turn-key restaurant for sale.
I didn't really see the end of Ouzo's coming, until last week, when I got an e-mail saying the restaurant was closing, and Saturday, June 22, would be their last day. I didn't depend on Ouzo's, the way I depended on Slices, but I always felt a special comfort and satisfaction there. The food was first rate, and I liked the people. They started out as Anise Taverna, and it was owned by Liza and her husband, Gigi. When Liza and Gigi split, the place soon became RiverShack, but only for a short time and under Gigi's ownership. Then Gigi was out, and Liza was back, and she reprised Ouzo's, which had been the name of her other Greek restaurants on Miami Beach. There was always trouble keeping the right staff in the kitchen, and for a short time, there was trouble about a couple of the waitstaff. But Liza and Gigi, then Gigi, then Liza always seemed to find a solution, and the place kept on keeping on. Even when Liza expressed concern about what seemed like inadequate patronage, she always seemed to conclude that things would work out OK. Which they did. Until they didn't.
So now, Ouzo's is gone. The last waitress, Alejandra, says she'll look for another job. Liza says she wants another place, just smaller, with lower costs, in a building in better condition, and in the same general part of town. Her headwaitress, and final partner, Andrea, is taking a month to go back home to Argentina, and she'll wait to see what Liza does. Liza says Andrea says if she can't work with Liza, she doesn't want to work at all. But Andrea will work somewhere. So says Liza. The kitchen staff are staying on, and the new place will be Big Fish, which had been down on the river, until it went belly up itself, but now the proprietor is back from licking his wounds in the Caribbean somewhere, and he's taken the space on 78th Street.
Well, we'll see what Liza does. Whatever she does, she does it well. She says she'll let me know. In the meantime, I've lost the old familiar, satisfying, homey place that made the great Greek food I loved to eat for a special meal. Ah, well. As everyone always says, it's a tough, tough business. Tough for patrons, like me, too.
I didn't really see the end of Ouzo's coming, until last week, when I got an e-mail saying the restaurant was closing, and Saturday, June 22, would be their last day. I didn't depend on Ouzo's, the way I depended on Slices, but I always felt a special comfort and satisfaction there. The food was first rate, and I liked the people. They started out as Anise Taverna, and it was owned by Liza and her husband, Gigi. When Liza and Gigi split, the place soon became RiverShack, but only for a short time and under Gigi's ownership. Then Gigi was out, and Liza was back, and she reprised Ouzo's, which had been the name of her other Greek restaurants on Miami Beach. There was always trouble keeping the right staff in the kitchen, and for a short time, there was trouble about a couple of the waitstaff. But Liza and Gigi, then Gigi, then Liza always seemed to find a solution, and the place kept on keeping on. Even when Liza expressed concern about what seemed like inadequate patronage, she always seemed to conclude that things would work out OK. Which they did. Until they didn't.
So now, Ouzo's is gone. The last waitress, Alejandra, says she'll look for another job. Liza says she wants another place, just smaller, with lower costs, in a building in better condition, and in the same general part of town. Her headwaitress, and final partner, Andrea, is taking a month to go back home to Argentina, and she'll wait to see what Liza does. Liza says Andrea says if she can't work with Liza, she doesn't want to work at all. But Andrea will work somewhere. So says Liza. The kitchen staff are staying on, and the new place will be Big Fish, which had been down on the river, until it went belly up itself, but now the proprietor is back from licking his wounds in the Caribbean somewhere, and he's taken the space on 78th Street.
Well, we'll see what Liza does. Whatever she does, she does it well. She says she'll let me know. In the meantime, I've lost the old familiar, satisfying, homey place that made the great Greek food I loved to eat for a special meal. Ah, well. As everyone always says, it's a tough, tough business. Tough for patrons, like me, too.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Disclosures, and Other Meaty and Truish Confessions
I realize it's beginning to sound like I eat a lot of beef. Not that there's anything wrong with it if I do, but I'm just noting that I think I come across as more carnivorous than I really am. Although I admit I am somewhat in flux.
I used to be a more or less typical meat-eater, like anyone else in our PC (the social style, not the computer) society, until someone sent me an e-mail joke. It had a lot of pairs of photographs, of George W Bush and monkeys. The joke was the similarity in the facial expressions of W and the monkey in each pair of photographs. The photographer included a comment at the end, to say that he had been accused of making the animals look bad and maybe disliking them. He pleaded innocence, and went on to include links to a few animal rights organizations, to show that he did not have antipathy toward animals. I followed a couple of the links, which led to my learning how animals are treated, especially those animals we raise to eat, and I got off eating animals, or any food that comes from them, completely. I put myself on a vegan diet, and I stayed there for a few years.
I later learned about the ranching movement that treats animals with respect and decency (read Michael Pollan, if you want to know what the conventional alternative looks like; if you do, you, too, won't eat meat), and I decided I could transition back to meat. I just had to be careful about what meat I eat, and I had to be willing to pay extra for it. And that's where I am now. Certain meat, little or no dairy.
I do stray at times, under special circumstances and only on condition that I feel self-conscious and bad about it. No-longer-Flip-Burger was an example. Also, there are places where I eat, and I know they don't use the meat I prefer. The newly defunct Ouzo's is an example of that dalliance. Last year, I took a date there (she wasn't really a date; I'm making more out of it than it was; you know who you are, you vixen; it's your loss, my love), and not only did I get the lamb shank (an amazing dish: the lamb, not my "date," although...), but I persuaded my companion to take a taste. Of the lamb shank. She herself is a vegetarian, but she was adventurous enough to give it a try. She agreed with me. See, I plead in pathetic defensiveness, I'm not the only one who strays.
So I just wanted to be clear about what I think looks like an obsession with eating meat, red meat, or at least a disregard for the animals from which it comes. Not true at all.
If you like meat, and you want to know where to get conscience-preserving and better-tasting meat, there are a few places. I already told you about Proper Sausages at 97th and NE 2nd in Miami Shores. On NE 2nd Avenue at about 72nd Street, there's a place called Gaucho Ranch. You have to know where it is; you can't see it from the street. Call them. I also send for beef from a place called La Cense Beef up in Montana. Excellent food. The prices are high, but they have lots of sales, often 50% off, which make it very accessible. Publix and Whole Foods both have sections of "organic" meats. Florida Fresh Beef used to have a stand at the one-time 125th Street farmers' market. You can find them online. It's possible they are the source of the Wagyu beef Proper Sausages sells. Bon appetit. Or, as my ex-mother-in-law might say, mangia.
I used to be a more or less typical meat-eater, like anyone else in our PC (the social style, not the computer) society, until someone sent me an e-mail joke. It had a lot of pairs of photographs, of George W Bush and monkeys. The joke was the similarity in the facial expressions of W and the monkey in each pair of photographs. The photographer included a comment at the end, to say that he had been accused of making the animals look bad and maybe disliking them. He pleaded innocence, and went on to include links to a few animal rights organizations, to show that he did not have antipathy toward animals. I followed a couple of the links, which led to my learning how animals are treated, especially those animals we raise to eat, and I got off eating animals, or any food that comes from them, completely. I put myself on a vegan diet, and I stayed there for a few years.
I later learned about the ranching movement that treats animals with respect and decency (read Michael Pollan, if you want to know what the conventional alternative looks like; if you do, you, too, won't eat meat), and I decided I could transition back to meat. I just had to be careful about what meat I eat, and I had to be willing to pay extra for it. And that's where I am now. Certain meat, little or no dairy.
I do stray at times, under special circumstances and only on condition that I feel self-conscious and bad about it. No-longer-Flip-Burger was an example. Also, there are places where I eat, and I know they don't use the meat I prefer. The newly defunct Ouzo's is an example of that dalliance. Last year, I took a date there (she wasn't really a date; I'm making more out of it than it was; you know who you are, you vixen; it's your loss, my love), and not only did I get the lamb shank (an amazing dish: the lamb, not my "date," although...), but I persuaded my companion to take a taste. Of the lamb shank. She herself is a vegetarian, but she was adventurous enough to give it a try. She agreed with me. See, I plead in pathetic defensiveness, I'm not the only one who strays.
So I just wanted to be clear about what I think looks like an obsession with eating meat, red meat, or at least a disregard for the animals from which it comes. Not true at all.
If you like meat, and you want to know where to get conscience-preserving and better-tasting meat, there are a few places. I already told you about Proper Sausages at 97th and NE 2nd in Miami Shores. On NE 2nd Avenue at about 72nd Street, there's a place called Gaucho Ranch. You have to know where it is; you can't see it from the street. Call them. I also send for beef from a place called La Cense Beef up in Montana. Excellent food. The prices are high, but they have lots of sales, often 50% off, which make it very accessible. Publix and Whole Foods both have sections of "organic" meats. Florida Fresh Beef used to have a stand at the one-time 125th Street farmers' market. You can find them online. It's possible they are the source of the Wagyu beef Proper Sausages sells. Bon appetit. Or, as my ex-mother-in-law might say, mangia.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
A Flippin' Nice Burger: "Vega" Burger at 123rd and NE 17th.
Apparently, I'm not allowed to call this place Flip Burger. They tried it themselves, but some joint from Broward got all over them, claiming exclusive rights to the name. The temporary sign outside now says "Same Owner, Different Name." So let me tell you about this dive, the name of which is not Flip Burger. Not any more, that is.
I was directed to it for the same reason as I was directed to The Blue Collar, and by the same person. The billing was that they make a spectacular hamburger. It gets to be, how many "Best Hamburger in Miami" places can there be? In theory, there can only be one. And let me tell you right now, if you don't mind cooking the hamburger yourself, it is without question Proper Sausages. If you want someone else to cook it, let Dan Serfer at "The Blue Collar" do it. He'll knock your socks off, and he'll throw in a pile of magnificent french fries. But that's not what I set out to talk about.
I did say no-longer-Flip-Burger was a dive, right? It needs to be redone. It sort of smells a little. At lunch time the other day, one of the smells was a faint ammonia redolence. Very faint, though. Not enough to make you walk back out, but enough to make you remind yourself of why you walked in. It's a little dingy. The way it's set up, it's almost more bar than restaurant.
The menu is spare, though you wouldn't fail to find something you want to eat. The other menu is the collection of beers. It's a little more extensive than the collection of food. And interesting selections. Some you know, and some you don't. They're almost all $6, so a little more than you want to pay, especially for those of which you could buy 4-6 for your $6. A couple are more exotic, and more expensive. We're not talking Luna Star extensive or expensive, but it's more of a beer list than you would normally expect to find.
Anyway, no, I did not order a beer. I was there to see if my friend was right about the hamburgers. They have a few recipes. They have the Classic, which is 8 ounces of supposedly high quality meat, french fries, and a pickle, the Cuban, which has some sort of Spanish-style sausage and pork mixed in with the beef, and one or two other concoctions.
It was the same friend who told me The Blue Collar made the best hamburger there is, and that the restaurant that is not called Flip Burger makes one of the best hamburgers around. So obviously, they can't both be the best. And they're not. Win goes to Proper Sausages, on condition, of course... Place goes to The Blue Collar. And Show definitely goes to the place that isn't called Flip Burger. Both the Classic, which was large and perfectly cooked, and the Cuban, were terrific. Very different, and very good. The spicy fries were not spicy enough for me, but they were quite pleasing, and the home made cole slaw was as good as you would want it to be. And the bonus was the price. The Classic was supposed to be $9, but the proprietor only charged $8.50, which was the price of the Cuban. I complained, but he said it was a lunch discount. Even $9 was a good price for a hamburger, and fries, that good. The music was pretty good, too. If they would only remodel.
I was directed to it for the same reason as I was directed to The Blue Collar, and by the same person. The billing was that they make a spectacular hamburger. It gets to be, how many "Best Hamburger in Miami" places can there be? In theory, there can only be one. And let me tell you right now, if you don't mind cooking the hamburger yourself, it is without question Proper Sausages. If you want someone else to cook it, let Dan Serfer at "The Blue Collar" do it. He'll knock your socks off, and he'll throw in a pile of magnificent french fries. But that's not what I set out to talk about.
I did say no-longer-Flip-Burger was a dive, right? It needs to be redone. It sort of smells a little. At lunch time the other day, one of the smells was a faint ammonia redolence. Very faint, though. Not enough to make you walk back out, but enough to make you remind yourself of why you walked in. It's a little dingy. The way it's set up, it's almost more bar than restaurant.
The menu is spare, though you wouldn't fail to find something you want to eat. The other menu is the collection of beers. It's a little more extensive than the collection of food. And interesting selections. Some you know, and some you don't. They're almost all $6, so a little more than you want to pay, especially for those of which you could buy 4-6 for your $6. A couple are more exotic, and more expensive. We're not talking Luna Star extensive or expensive, but it's more of a beer list than you would normally expect to find.
Anyway, no, I did not order a beer. I was there to see if my friend was right about the hamburgers. They have a few recipes. They have the Classic, which is 8 ounces of supposedly high quality meat, french fries, and a pickle, the Cuban, which has some sort of Spanish-style sausage and pork mixed in with the beef, and one or two other concoctions.
It was the same friend who told me The Blue Collar made the best hamburger there is, and that the restaurant that is not called Flip Burger makes one of the best hamburgers around. So obviously, they can't both be the best. And they're not. Win goes to Proper Sausages, on condition, of course... Place goes to The Blue Collar. And Show definitely goes to the place that isn't called Flip Burger. Both the Classic, which was large and perfectly cooked, and the Cuban, were terrific. Very different, and very good. The spicy fries were not spicy enough for me, but they were quite pleasing, and the home made cole slaw was as good as you would want it to be. And the bonus was the price. The Classic was supposed to be $9, but the proprietor only charged $8.50, which was the price of the Cuban. I complained, but he said it was a lunch discount. Even $9 was a good price for a hamburger, and fries, that good. The music was pretty good, too. If they would only remodel.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
I Know, I Know, But Better Than Never. Metro, 70th and Biscayne.
Metro's been around for at least 5-6 years. It calls itself an organic bistro, and there are two special features. One is that they use local produce and properly raised animals. The other is the cooking. It's first rate, and the food would taste great no matter what ingredients they used.
I've actually only eaten at Metro twice. The first time, my daughter had sweetbreads, I forgot what I ate, and I think I left with the misapprehension that it was pricier than it really is. But the food was undeniably terrific. This time it was sandwiches: a veggie burger and a chicken sandwich. Each came with salad, and I got sweet potato fries also, because they seemed irresistible. They were.
The food was wonderful. All was cooked perfectly, and the dressings and garnishes were exactly as they should have been. I'm not a user of ketchup, but I tried theirs, because they make it themselves. In that I don't like ketchup, I don't know if it was much better than store bought, but the effort was notable. The sandwiches were very ample. If I were a normal person, eating-wise, I probably would have taken some home, as my companion did. And considering the price, $12 for each sandwich, $6 for a huge serving of excellently seasoned sweet potato fries, and $1 for all you can drink of their special Vero water, it was frankly a good deal. And if I hadn't wanted the salad that came with the veggie burger, which I don't think I really needed, I could have substituted fries or sweet potato fries and saved myself the $6.
Metro is reasonably convenient for us to get to. In addition, the other matter of local interest is that the owner of Metro lives in Biscayne Park, at the corner of 118th and 7th. I haven't met him, but I'm told he's a very nice guy.
You probably know all about Metro. If you don't, do yourself a favor, and eat there. It's tiny, but it's funky, the service is most pleasing, the food is great, and it's not at all expensive.
I've actually only eaten at Metro twice. The first time, my daughter had sweetbreads, I forgot what I ate, and I think I left with the misapprehension that it was pricier than it really is. But the food was undeniably terrific. This time it was sandwiches: a veggie burger and a chicken sandwich. Each came with salad, and I got sweet potato fries also, because they seemed irresistible. They were.
The food was wonderful. All was cooked perfectly, and the dressings and garnishes were exactly as they should have been. I'm not a user of ketchup, but I tried theirs, because they make it themselves. In that I don't like ketchup, I don't know if it was much better than store bought, but the effort was notable. The sandwiches were very ample. If I were a normal person, eating-wise, I probably would have taken some home, as my companion did. And considering the price, $12 for each sandwich, $6 for a huge serving of excellently seasoned sweet potato fries, and $1 for all you can drink of their special Vero water, it was frankly a good deal. And if I hadn't wanted the salad that came with the veggie burger, which I don't think I really needed, I could have substituted fries or sweet potato fries and saved myself the $6.
Metro is reasonably convenient for us to get to. In addition, the other matter of local interest is that the owner of Metro lives in Biscayne Park, at the corner of 118th and 7th. I haven't met him, but I'm told he's a very nice guy.
You probably know all about Metro. If you don't, do yourself a favor, and eat there. It's tiny, but it's funky, the service is most pleasing, the food is great, and it's not at all expensive.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Which Page Did You Say You Were On?
Noah,
After our last Commission meeting, I was waiting to talk to Barbara Watts about her trip to Europe, and I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with Janey Anderson. You told Janey you don't advocate for tighter Codes, but instead you do advocate for proper enforcement of the Codes we already have. You don't seem to know much about our current Codes, but that may be beside the point.
The fact of the matter is, you have publicly advocated to reduce the stringency of our current Codes, and you have also publicly advocated to suspend enforcement of our Codes regarding people (it's not clear whether this is hypothetical, or you actually know such people) whose resources make it difficult for them to keep their properties as the Codes require.
So I'm not at all sure whether you want weaker Codes that are incompletely and inconsistently enforced, which is what you tell us at Commission meetings, or you want the current Codes to be maintained and properly enforced, which is what you told Janey Anderson. I guess it's not hard to see that you are advocating for two opposite and mutually exclusive things.
You're most welcome to reply by entering a comment at the end of this post. Or if you would like to reply, but you suspect your reply might embarrass you, you can reply to me privately. You have my address. If you would like anything you send me to be confidential, just tell me that. I'm good for it.
Fred
After our last Commission meeting, I was waiting to talk to Barbara Watts about her trip to Europe, and I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with Janey Anderson. You told Janey you don't advocate for tighter Codes, but instead you do advocate for proper enforcement of the Codes we already have. You don't seem to know much about our current Codes, but that may be beside the point.
The fact of the matter is, you have publicly advocated to reduce the stringency of our current Codes, and you have also publicly advocated to suspend enforcement of our Codes regarding people (it's not clear whether this is hypothetical, or you actually know such people) whose resources make it difficult for them to keep their properties as the Codes require.
So I'm not at all sure whether you want weaker Codes that are incompletely and inconsistently enforced, which is what you tell us at Commission meetings, or you want the current Codes to be maintained and properly enforced, which is what you told Janey Anderson. I guess it's not hard to see that you are advocating for two opposite and mutually exclusive things.
You're most welcome to reply by entering a comment at the end of this post. Or if you would like to reply, but you suspect your reply might embarrass you, you can reply to me privately. You have my address. If you would like anything you send me to be confidential, just tell me that. I'm good for it.
Fred
Friday, June 14, 2013
Nostalgia
As it happens, we had a little Commission meeting this past Wednesday, June 12. It was a throw-back meeting, held outside at the log cabin. Maria Camara used the usual name placards for the Commissioners, but she also put out name placards from our very first Commissioners. A tent was set up for the resident audience, and refreshments were served. We had special guest speakers, including State Representative Daphne Campbell and County Commissioner Sally Heyman. If this is beginning to sound like it was some sort of rah-rah, feel-good exercise, yes, that's what it was.
There was no real and meaningful agenda. The one agenda item was the second reading of an Ordinance to approve a budget from last year. '11-'12. Done. Over. In the rearview mirror. But statutorily necessary to rubber-stamp.
And because this was a formal meeting, it was necessary for the usual attendees to be there. The Village Attorney, the Manager and Assistant Manager, the Finance Director, and the interim Public Works Director were there. The Police Chief was there. Our three administrative employees, the building clerk, the finance assistant, and the general clerk were there. (Usually, these last three don't come to Commission meetings, but this was one was a special one, for old times' sake.) Four of our five Commissioners were there. (I know you're not wondering which Commissioner couldn't be bothered, or was way too busy with other things, or had much bigger fish to fry.)
The meeting took just over an hour, which is not bad for a meeting with one agenda item, that was approved without contest or even comment, and was worth maybe five minutes. After all, we did have to listen to Daphne Campbell talk about something or other, which was mostly herself and how much help to us she intended to be. But wasn't. We would also have wrapped up sooner if we had not had to wait for Sally Heyman, who was about an hour late. For a one-hour meeting. She would have given us a proclamation for something, no doubt to do with our 80th year, except she found a "typo," so she'll send it to us when it's been redone. Charming.
Most of the meeting was taken up with chatter, from the Commission and the Village Manager. Noah Jacobs spoke nostalgically, which is sort of weird, since he has no relevant perspective, and he pointed out two themes that sustain him and provide direction for him. One is that his wife had part of her upbringing in Biscayne Park, the significance of which was unclear, and the other was that he said he likes being Mayor. Roxy Ross and Bob Anderson had confirming and feel-good things to say about the Village. Barbara Watts had a bit too much jet lag. But she showed up.
An interesting topic was Village history, specifically the log cabin. The labor was provided by the WPA. Materials were paid for by the several residents of the new Village of Biscayne Park. Yes, the Village needed an administrative home, and its residents bought the materials to build one. Now, we need very substantial maintenance on our log cabin, and the ongoing question is, who's going to pay for it. That's a stumper, all right. Roxy Ross suggested we don't have a "fairy godmother" with deep pockets. So who could it be? Hmm. Here's one thought: it costs a lot more to maintain the building if we call it a historical structure. So if one of our options is to ignore it until it falls down, maybe instead we could surrender the "historical" designation, and just make it solid and to code. It's a lot cheaper. But it still leaves that sticky question: who, in the wide world, is going to pay to maintain the Village Hall of the Village of Biscayne Park? A stumper, indeed. In the good old days, the ones for which we have such nostalgia, it was Park residents who paid. Hmm.
There was no real and meaningful agenda. The one agenda item was the second reading of an Ordinance to approve a budget from last year. '11-'12. Done. Over. In the rearview mirror. But statutorily necessary to rubber-stamp.
And because this was a formal meeting, it was necessary for the usual attendees to be there. The Village Attorney, the Manager and Assistant Manager, the Finance Director, and the interim Public Works Director were there. The Police Chief was there. Our three administrative employees, the building clerk, the finance assistant, and the general clerk were there. (Usually, these last three don't come to Commission meetings, but this was one was a special one, for old times' sake.) Four of our five Commissioners were there. (I know you're not wondering which Commissioner couldn't be bothered, or was way too busy with other things, or had much bigger fish to fry.)
The meeting took just over an hour, which is not bad for a meeting with one agenda item, that was approved without contest or even comment, and was worth maybe five minutes. After all, we did have to listen to Daphne Campbell talk about something or other, which was mostly herself and how much help to us she intended to be. But wasn't. We would also have wrapped up sooner if we had not had to wait for Sally Heyman, who was about an hour late. For a one-hour meeting. She would have given us a proclamation for something, no doubt to do with our 80th year, except she found a "typo," so she'll send it to us when it's been redone. Charming.
Most of the meeting was taken up with chatter, from the Commission and the Village Manager. Noah Jacobs spoke nostalgically, which is sort of weird, since he has no relevant perspective, and he pointed out two themes that sustain him and provide direction for him. One is that his wife had part of her upbringing in Biscayne Park, the significance of which was unclear, and the other was that he said he likes being Mayor. Roxy Ross and Bob Anderson had confirming and feel-good things to say about the Village. Barbara Watts had a bit too much jet lag. But she showed up.
An interesting topic was Village history, specifically the log cabin. The labor was provided by the WPA. Materials were paid for by the several residents of the new Village of Biscayne Park. Yes, the Village needed an administrative home, and its residents bought the materials to build one. Now, we need very substantial maintenance on our log cabin, and the ongoing question is, who's going to pay for it. That's a stumper, all right. Roxy Ross suggested we don't have a "fairy godmother" with deep pockets. So who could it be? Hmm. Here's one thought: it costs a lot more to maintain the building if we call it a historical structure. So if one of our options is to ignore it until it falls down, maybe instead we could surrender the "historical" designation, and just make it solid and to code. It's a lot cheaper. But it still leaves that sticky question: who, in the wide world, is going to pay to maintain the Village Hall of the Village of Biscayne Park? A stumper, indeed. In the good old days, the ones for which we have such nostalgia, it was Park residents who paid. Hmm.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
A Very Serious Dilemma for This Village
There was a time when we had plenty of money. From what I hear, there was waste, and no one worried about it. If we didn't have all the maintenance and improvements we should have, it's because those in charge at the time didn't care that much.
Then, two things happened. The first was that we decided (duh) that we weren't doing a good enough job managing ourselves, and we decided to entrust the job of municipal management to a professional municipal manager. The new position cost us money, but the right person could save us more, maybe much more, than he or she cost. That has turned out to be true. We have done a LOT of trimming of fat, and streamlining of services and administration.
The second thing that happened was 2007, and 2008, and 2009. The economy crashed, property assessments crashed, and ad valorem tax revenues crashed. Those revenues are mostly what we live on.
The result is that we do not support ourselves in a reasonable way. With continued attrition, and doing without, we get everyone paid, and we pay our basic daily bills, like electricity, telephones, etc. But there are no frills. We have outsourced some public services, and we're thinking of outsourcing more. Our medians are not properly kept, never mind that necessary improvements are not made. We finally got some tree-trimming done, because we lucked into piggybacking ourselves onto a large project for an unrelated municipality. At that, we can't get the job done in one year, because we can't afford the measly $40 per tree (next to nothing for this kind of work) that we're being charged. So we'll do most of it this year, and the rest will have to wait until next year. We're saving up. To be able to afford tree-trimming that is almost free.
We also can't attend to the much more financially taxing project of fixing the log cabin. We can't touch it. And it's both essential and relatively urgent. Our police, who represent over half of our budget, are operating out of a trailer, which we rent. Few of their activities are in the log cabin any more, because it's not workable.
So we need money. The fact is, we can't really survive without more money, unless we want to continue to underfunction. We have five choices. The first is that we can keep doing what we're doing. Our medians will continue to look terrible, and the log cabin will eventually deteriorate until it's a tear-down. There will be nothing we can do about it, since we can't afford to do anything about it. Second, we can beg for money. We've already been doing that, and it isn't working, but we can keep doing it. What's that definition of insanity? Third, we can get ourselves annexed by someone else, like Miami Shores. Yes, it's been mentioned. Fourth, we can annex some other area, like the one east of the tracks. It changes the character of the Village, and it brings in voters who do not want what the typical BP homeowner wants, but it's a source of revenue, which we need. And fifth, we can get serious about supporting ourselves. The fact is, we can actually do this. We were doing it before property values crashed, leading to the crash in ad valorem tax revenues. It wasn't obvious, because we were wasting so much, but we were paying enough to support ourselves in a reasonable style. We could choose to return to doing that. The hard pill to swallow is that supporting ourselves this way would require us to pay more taxes than the government will force us to pay. No one likes doing that. If we did it, it would be because we thought there was a good reason. The good reason is that we like BP as it is, and we're willing to return to paying to keep it that way.
So in reality, our choices are 1) continuing to decline, 2) annexing territory to the east of the tracks, or 3) voluntarily increasing our taxes. No tooth fairy is going to give us money, just because we're so cute, and Miami Shores is not likely to want to annex us. Nor are we likely to want to dissolve ourselves. I really hope choice #1 is out of the question. But if we keep our heads buried, or stay under the covers, and take the shortest possible view, it may not be. I've already said I would not like to see us agree to choice #2, but the fact is, I do get it. We do have a big problem, and that does solve it. We're quoted an anticipated revenue increase from annexing the area in question. But we have to spend money, in police and related services, to make money. And the windfall promoted is only on condition that we keep our tax rate at 9.5 mills. If we breathe a sigh of fiscal relief, and give ourselves a break on the millage, then we get less from "over there," too. In fact, if we drop all the way down to 5.5 mills, we actually lose money on the annexation.
Please comment about this topic. It's important, it makes a really big difference to what the Village of Biscayne Park is, and who its residents are. And it's now, or nearly so. It will impact all of us, one way or another.
Then, two things happened. The first was that we decided (duh) that we weren't doing a good enough job managing ourselves, and we decided to entrust the job of municipal management to a professional municipal manager. The new position cost us money, but the right person could save us more, maybe much more, than he or she cost. That has turned out to be true. We have done a LOT of trimming of fat, and streamlining of services and administration.
The second thing that happened was 2007, and 2008, and 2009. The economy crashed, property assessments crashed, and ad valorem tax revenues crashed. Those revenues are mostly what we live on.
The result is that we do not support ourselves in a reasonable way. With continued attrition, and doing without, we get everyone paid, and we pay our basic daily bills, like electricity, telephones, etc. But there are no frills. We have outsourced some public services, and we're thinking of outsourcing more. Our medians are not properly kept, never mind that necessary improvements are not made. We finally got some tree-trimming done, because we lucked into piggybacking ourselves onto a large project for an unrelated municipality. At that, we can't get the job done in one year, because we can't afford the measly $40 per tree (next to nothing for this kind of work) that we're being charged. So we'll do most of it this year, and the rest will have to wait until next year. We're saving up. To be able to afford tree-trimming that is almost free.
We also can't attend to the much more financially taxing project of fixing the log cabin. We can't touch it. And it's both essential and relatively urgent. Our police, who represent over half of our budget, are operating out of a trailer, which we rent. Few of their activities are in the log cabin any more, because it's not workable.
So we need money. The fact is, we can't really survive without more money, unless we want to continue to underfunction. We have five choices. The first is that we can keep doing what we're doing. Our medians will continue to look terrible, and the log cabin will eventually deteriorate until it's a tear-down. There will be nothing we can do about it, since we can't afford to do anything about it. Second, we can beg for money. We've already been doing that, and it isn't working, but we can keep doing it. What's that definition of insanity? Third, we can get ourselves annexed by someone else, like Miami Shores. Yes, it's been mentioned. Fourth, we can annex some other area, like the one east of the tracks. It changes the character of the Village, and it brings in voters who do not want what the typical BP homeowner wants, but it's a source of revenue, which we need. And fifth, we can get serious about supporting ourselves. The fact is, we can actually do this. We were doing it before property values crashed, leading to the crash in ad valorem tax revenues. It wasn't obvious, because we were wasting so much, but we were paying enough to support ourselves in a reasonable style. We could choose to return to doing that. The hard pill to swallow is that supporting ourselves this way would require us to pay more taxes than the government will force us to pay. No one likes doing that. If we did it, it would be because we thought there was a good reason. The good reason is that we like BP as it is, and we're willing to return to paying to keep it that way.
So in reality, our choices are 1) continuing to decline, 2) annexing territory to the east of the tracks, or 3) voluntarily increasing our taxes. No tooth fairy is going to give us money, just because we're so cute, and Miami Shores is not likely to want to annex us. Nor are we likely to want to dissolve ourselves. I really hope choice #1 is out of the question. But if we keep our heads buried, or stay under the covers, and take the shortest possible view, it may not be. I've already said I would not like to see us agree to choice #2, but the fact is, I do get it. We do have a big problem, and that does solve it. We're quoted an anticipated revenue increase from annexing the area in question. But we have to spend money, in police and related services, to make money. And the windfall promoted is only on condition that we keep our tax rate at 9.5 mills. If we breathe a sigh of fiscal relief, and give ourselves a break on the millage, then we get less from "over there," too. In fact, if we drop all the way down to 5.5 mills, we actually lose money on the annexation.
Please comment about this topic. It's important, it makes a really big difference to what the Village of Biscayne Park is, and who its residents are. And it's now, or nearly so. It will impact all of us, one way or another.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Pride and Joy
It's 7:30 PM on Sunday, and I'm just arriving home. I passed our park, which was loaded with people. There were parents and kids, and the kids were small and medium-sized. Some of them had had it for the day, and others were still playing on swings and climbing toys. Still others were locked in little cabals, plotting who knows what.
And the ballers. It looked like dozens of them. I would estimate mid-teens to early 20s. There were too many for five-man teams. And more teams than could occupy a basketball court at one time. I imagined a round robin. Everyone appeared to be having fun. They were getting in last licks before sundown, packing-up time.
School just ended this past Thursday, so maybe this is a daily summer schedule. Most of the kids looked unfamiliar to me, and it looked like there were lots of cars filling the perimeter of the park. Most likely, these are our guests. Maybe North Miami, maybe the Shores. Who knows whence they come to us? But they're here, and they seem to be having a very good time.
I suppose I could be accused of failing to recognize some sort of problem. There was no parking left, you had to drive extra slowly and carefully, and there was more noise than there usually is, though not disturbingly so. I don't live next to the park. Not even within a block or two. But I have to say, sights like this are purely pleasing. They are delightful. They are heart-warming. Trite, but true. They appeal to my sense of pride in our neighborhood, and to my tendency to want to share. I especially like to share good fortune, and this neighborhood, with its comfortable, easy way and its accessibility, is wonderfully good fortune. I'm glad our guests like us. I hope they always find us to be the place they'd like to be. As Roxy Ross always used to say, we're "the better place to be." So it seems, and we're not the only ones who know it.
And the ballers. It looked like dozens of them. I would estimate mid-teens to early 20s. There were too many for five-man teams. And more teams than could occupy a basketball court at one time. I imagined a round robin. Everyone appeared to be having fun. They were getting in last licks before sundown, packing-up time.
School just ended this past Thursday, so maybe this is a daily summer schedule. Most of the kids looked unfamiliar to me, and it looked like there were lots of cars filling the perimeter of the park. Most likely, these are our guests. Maybe North Miami, maybe the Shores. Who knows whence they come to us? But they're here, and they seem to be having a very good time.
I suppose I could be accused of failing to recognize some sort of problem. There was no parking left, you had to drive extra slowly and carefully, and there was more noise than there usually is, though not disturbingly so. I don't live next to the park. Not even within a block or two. But I have to say, sights like this are purely pleasing. They are delightful. They are heart-warming. Trite, but true. They appeal to my sense of pride in our neighborhood, and to my tendency to want to share. I especially like to share good fortune, and this neighborhood, with its comfortable, easy way and its accessibility, is wonderfully good fortune. I'm glad our guests like us. I hope they always find us to be the place they'd like to be. As Roxy Ross always used to say, we're "the better place to be." So it seems, and we're not the only ones who know it.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Who's on First? A Little History Lesson.
The last post, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?...," led to a small discussion with one of my friends. He commented about the goings-on at the Commission meeting, which he only knows from reading this blog. I suggested, as I always do, that he come to meetings, even from time to time. He replied that he used to, which is why he doesn't come any more. I asked which meetings, and which Commission(s), turned him off and turned him away, and he said it was the change of the Commission before the current, when Roxy Ross became Mayor, and there was what he called a "free-for-all." That was my guess.
As I said at the beginning of the "Who Knows..." post, Commission meetings were not always as they are now. Commissioners receive agenda packets in advance of the meetings, and those packets contain all applicable "back-up" regarding issues to be discussed. Village staff, including the Manager, are available to confer with Commissioners before the meeting. What could happen, what is supposed to happen, and what used to happen is that Commissioners would come to the meetings prepared, there might be a small amount of discussion, if there were areas that had not been made clear or which Commissioners felt needed some discussion or public airing, and a vote would be taken. This process is why meetings used to deal with a full complement of agenda items in under 2 1/2 hours.
Then, Steve Bernard was appointed to the Commission, to fill the seat vacated by Ted Walker. To rehash for a moment, Steve was appointed unanimously by the remaining four Commissioners. He became argumentative, challenging, and obstructive, and he almost immediately alienated three of the four Commissioners who appointed him. By the end of his partial term, he had alienated the last Commissioner who was still making an attempt to tolerate him. Then, Steve got himself elected. For two years, he was a solitary thorn in the side of the Commission. He was impossible to deal with, and he protracted meetings. They were no longer over in 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Two years after he got elected, he helped his friend Bryan Cooper get elected, and Commission meetings essentially ground to a halt. It was not only Steve's crushing and sabotaging personal style, in which he reflexly opposed everything, and accused everyone of incompetence and bad intent, and the fact that his friend Bryan was on precisely the same page. There was another dynamic, too. Steve knew he was responsible for Bryan's having gotten elected, and he thought he had contributed to Roxy Ross' election as well. So he imagined, told himself, and apparently told a number of other people that at Bryan's and Roxy's installation on the Commission, an anointment would occur, and he would be named Mayor, or King, or whatever he fantasized for himself. What he didn't take into account was Roxy's independence. She did not vote for him to be Mayor, she was elected Mayor herself, and Steve, and his little pal, went on a relentless campaign, a rampage, to undermine, or sometimes just unnerve, Roxy. This was the "free-for-all." They did all they possibly could, including terrorizing the rest of the Commission, the public/audience, and engineering meetings which could never possibly have ended in a respectable amount of time. In fact, this became a game they played, wasting unspeakable amounts of time, then accusing the rest of the Commission and the Village Manager of sacrificing good government (boy, was that remote from their interest) in favor of expediency, when Roxy, or anyone, tried to keep them on topic. No longer were Commission meetings manageable, in terms of time or anything else, and a statutory limit of 11:00 was placed on them, so they wouldn't go on all night. As I said in "Who Knows..." once you liberate yourself from any requirement to say anything of relevance or value, there is no limit to how long you can talk. And they did.
If you think I'm making this up, please feel free to get the recordings of those old meetings. The way Steve and Bryan carried on, the way they operated either as a tag team or in concert to distract, disturb, and frustrate Roxy, was disgusting. And the contempt they showed Roxy was really a contempt for all of us. Try listening to one meeting. If you don't want to, or you can't, you know why my friend quit attending.
For reasons which are largely unknown, Steve did not run again. Instead, he promoted Noah Jacobs, who has no agenda of his own and no connection to Biscayne Park, except it happens to be where he currently rents a place to live. Noah, for reasons of his own personal style, as well as an instinct to do more or less what Steve tells him, has latched onto the same twisted philosophies about government, his supposed colleagues, and Village staff, and he, too, protracts discussions with elaboration of non-material, and a clear delight in listening to himself talk.
So my friend entered and quickly exited at the time of disruption and trouble, when Steve was an unhappy Commissioner, became an enraged and frustrated aborted pretender to the Mayor's seat, and cultivated a similarly sabotaging and materially irrelevant partner. Steve has parlayed that minority into a majority, although it no longer includes him, and all of this has conspired to create meetings that are too long, too empty, too combative, and of decreasing tolerability to the residents of Biscayne Park.
For the record, Steve will say, and has said, that our audience dwindled because of some other collection of Commissioners. He doesn't like to recognize that his increasing presence and influence on the Commission coincided exactly with the drop in resident attendance. History will not support his fantasies.
As I said at the beginning of the "Who Knows..." post, Commission meetings were not always as they are now. Commissioners receive agenda packets in advance of the meetings, and those packets contain all applicable "back-up" regarding issues to be discussed. Village staff, including the Manager, are available to confer with Commissioners before the meeting. What could happen, what is supposed to happen, and what used to happen is that Commissioners would come to the meetings prepared, there might be a small amount of discussion, if there were areas that had not been made clear or which Commissioners felt needed some discussion or public airing, and a vote would be taken. This process is why meetings used to deal with a full complement of agenda items in under 2 1/2 hours.
Then, Steve Bernard was appointed to the Commission, to fill the seat vacated by Ted Walker. To rehash for a moment, Steve was appointed unanimously by the remaining four Commissioners. He became argumentative, challenging, and obstructive, and he almost immediately alienated three of the four Commissioners who appointed him. By the end of his partial term, he had alienated the last Commissioner who was still making an attempt to tolerate him. Then, Steve got himself elected. For two years, he was a solitary thorn in the side of the Commission. He was impossible to deal with, and he protracted meetings. They were no longer over in 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Two years after he got elected, he helped his friend Bryan Cooper get elected, and Commission meetings essentially ground to a halt. It was not only Steve's crushing and sabotaging personal style, in which he reflexly opposed everything, and accused everyone of incompetence and bad intent, and the fact that his friend Bryan was on precisely the same page. There was another dynamic, too. Steve knew he was responsible for Bryan's having gotten elected, and he thought he had contributed to Roxy Ross' election as well. So he imagined, told himself, and apparently told a number of other people that at Bryan's and Roxy's installation on the Commission, an anointment would occur, and he would be named Mayor, or King, or whatever he fantasized for himself. What he didn't take into account was Roxy's independence. She did not vote for him to be Mayor, she was elected Mayor herself, and Steve, and his little pal, went on a relentless campaign, a rampage, to undermine, or sometimes just unnerve, Roxy. This was the "free-for-all." They did all they possibly could, including terrorizing the rest of the Commission, the public/audience, and engineering meetings which could never possibly have ended in a respectable amount of time. In fact, this became a game they played, wasting unspeakable amounts of time, then accusing the rest of the Commission and the Village Manager of sacrificing good government (boy, was that remote from their interest) in favor of expediency, when Roxy, or anyone, tried to keep them on topic. No longer were Commission meetings manageable, in terms of time or anything else, and a statutory limit of 11:00 was placed on them, so they wouldn't go on all night. As I said in "Who Knows..." once you liberate yourself from any requirement to say anything of relevance or value, there is no limit to how long you can talk. And they did.
If you think I'm making this up, please feel free to get the recordings of those old meetings. The way Steve and Bryan carried on, the way they operated either as a tag team or in concert to distract, disturb, and frustrate Roxy, was disgusting. And the contempt they showed Roxy was really a contempt for all of us. Try listening to one meeting. If you don't want to, or you can't, you know why my friend quit attending.
For reasons which are largely unknown, Steve did not run again. Instead, he promoted Noah Jacobs, who has no agenda of his own and no connection to Biscayne Park, except it happens to be where he currently rents a place to live. Noah, for reasons of his own personal style, as well as an instinct to do more or less what Steve tells him, has latched onto the same twisted philosophies about government, his supposed colleagues, and Village staff, and he, too, protracts discussions with elaboration of non-material, and a clear delight in listening to himself talk.
So my friend entered and quickly exited at the time of disruption and trouble, when Steve was an unhappy Commissioner, became an enraged and frustrated aborted pretender to the Mayor's seat, and cultivated a similarly sabotaging and materially irrelevant partner. Steve has parlayed that minority into a majority, although it no longer includes him, and all of this has conspired to create meetings that are too long, too empty, too combative, and of decreasing tolerability to the residents of Biscayne Park.
For the record, Steve will say, and has said, that our audience dwindled because of some other collection of Commissioners. He doesn't like to recognize that his increasing presence and influence on the Commission coincided exactly with the drop in resident attendance. History will not support his fantasies.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Who Knows Where the Time Goes? Commission Meeting, 6/4/13
There was a time that a typical Commission meeting lasted two hours: from 7:00 until 9:00. If the agenda was lengthy or complicated, meetings were known to drag on until 9:30. Then we hit the modern era, and meetings ended at 11:00, whether we were done or not, which we usually weren't. It's amazing how long you can talk when you no longer hold yourself responsible to say anything.
Tonight's agenda was small. Very small. With about two deferrals, there was essentially nothing on it. The fact that there was nothing on the agenda, and that one of our Commissioners was absent, allowed us to breeze through the meeting, ending not long after 9:15. It was like the old days, except nowadays, you can't accomplish anything if you hold only 2 1/4 hour meetings. If you confine yourself to avoiding talking about anything at all, it only takes about 2 1/4 hours to finish.
We did have a treat tonight, and it only took about 15-20 minutes. One of our neighbors, Brian McNoldy, is a meteorologist, with a specialty in hurricanes. He gave a special presentation, in honor of the start of hurricane season, and he included a slide show. His presentation was in fact very informative, and we were all pleased to hear it.
I know you must think I'm cheating you out of the rest of the content of the meeting, and that I'm only kidding when I say there was no rest of the content of the meeting, but I'm serious. I honestly do not know where the time went. During initial public comment, several of us coincidentally made the same complaint: that some Commissioners are not activists when it comes to improving, or even upholding, the condition of the neighborhood. They seem to endeavor to keep us as trashy as they can. There could have been some discussion about this, and even protest from the Commissioners who were identified as not caring, but either they care so little that they couldn't even be bothered to address the complaint, or they frankly fully agree. So no response was needed.
Honestly, that was it. If you check the recording, and you find out I omitted something, please lemme know.
Addendum: I'm wracking my brains here. I feel as if I must have omitted something. So here's what came to mind. There was some discussion about the Boards, and how desperately in need of members they are. How it's the Commission's job to find and approve members, and they're not doing it. I complained, yet again, about Noah's having removed a long time, valued, devoted member of Code Compliance, and replaced him with someone who has asked three times to be on this Board, been appointed three times, and never attended once. Would you think Noah would get it by now? If he weren't arrogant, stubborn, and devoted to the undermining of Biscayne Park, he would. Someone else complained about two members of Parks and Parkways, who have not attended for 9 months and 12 months. Bryan Cooper, who felt an urge to criticize the Board, but couldn't remember if one of the truants was his appointee (there's real commitment for you), declared that the two truants chose truancy because the Chairperson of the Board drove them away. So there, there's another topic we discussed: the contempt some of our elected officials have for this neighborhood and for those who are active in it and devoted to it. And Noah had a final non sequitur. In his ongoing effort to reduce us to a lowest common denominator, to degrade the Codes until there is no one of even the most meager and marginal means who can't satisfy them, he started to say something about boats. But he immediately, with no identifiable segue, talked about some (apocryphal?) elderly woman resident who for some unspecified reason couldn't maintain her property. Noah urged "compassion" over order and livability for all. This is why it's so important to keep Biscayne Park dumbed down and trashy. There might be some resident who can't afford proper upkeep. Municipal codes, and perhaps all laws, are really only suggestions, meant to provide a hypothetical concept for how life and the behavior of citizens could be, if it's convenient.
Tonight's agenda was small. Very small. With about two deferrals, there was essentially nothing on it. The fact that there was nothing on the agenda, and that one of our Commissioners was absent, allowed us to breeze through the meeting, ending not long after 9:15. It was like the old days, except nowadays, you can't accomplish anything if you hold only 2 1/4 hour meetings. If you confine yourself to avoiding talking about anything at all, it only takes about 2 1/4 hours to finish.
We did have a treat tonight, and it only took about 15-20 minutes. One of our neighbors, Brian McNoldy, is a meteorologist, with a specialty in hurricanes. He gave a special presentation, in honor of the start of hurricane season, and he included a slide show. His presentation was in fact very informative, and we were all pleased to hear it.
I know you must think I'm cheating you out of the rest of the content of the meeting, and that I'm only kidding when I say there was no rest of the content of the meeting, but I'm serious. I honestly do not know where the time went. During initial public comment, several of us coincidentally made the same complaint: that some Commissioners are not activists when it comes to improving, or even upholding, the condition of the neighborhood. They seem to endeavor to keep us as trashy as they can. There could have been some discussion about this, and even protest from the Commissioners who were identified as not caring, but either they care so little that they couldn't even be bothered to address the complaint, or they frankly fully agree. So no response was needed.
Honestly, that was it. If you check the recording, and you find out I omitted something, please lemme know.
Addendum: I'm wracking my brains here. I feel as if I must have omitted something. So here's what came to mind. There was some discussion about the Boards, and how desperately in need of members they are. How it's the Commission's job to find and approve members, and they're not doing it. I complained, yet again, about Noah's having removed a long time, valued, devoted member of Code Compliance, and replaced him with someone who has asked three times to be on this Board, been appointed three times, and never attended once. Would you think Noah would get it by now? If he weren't arrogant, stubborn, and devoted to the undermining of Biscayne Park, he would. Someone else complained about two members of Parks and Parkways, who have not attended for 9 months and 12 months. Bryan Cooper, who felt an urge to criticize the Board, but couldn't remember if one of the truants was his appointee (there's real commitment for you), declared that the two truants chose truancy because the Chairperson of the Board drove them away. So there, there's another topic we discussed: the contempt some of our elected officials have for this neighborhood and for those who are active in it and devoted to it. And Noah had a final non sequitur. In his ongoing effort to reduce us to a lowest common denominator, to degrade the Codes until there is no one of even the most meager and marginal means who can't satisfy them, he started to say something about boats. But he immediately, with no identifiable segue, talked about some (apocryphal?) elderly woman resident who for some unspecified reason couldn't maintain her property. Noah urged "compassion" over order and livability for all. This is why it's so important to keep Biscayne Park dumbed down and trashy. There might be some resident who can't afford proper upkeep. Municipal codes, and perhaps all laws, are really only suggestions, meant to provide a hypothetical concept for how life and the behavior of citizens could be, if it's convenient.
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