We Can't Win For Losing.

 

What a mess it's been around here since the end of 2016.  Truppman, Johnson-Sardella, and Tudor did exactly what they promised to do: nothing.  Unless you count reducing Village management from functional to nonfunctional, destroying the Code Compliance Board, carrying out vendettas against critics (who are neighbors and constituents), and running up an unbelievable legal bill accomplishments.  Other than that, they sat and idled.

While deadline-containing demand notices from CITT came in, and FEMA said they refused to reimburse us, the Commission did...nothing.  Frankly, it's unclear why Tracy Truppman and her stooges paid Tracy's lawyer, Rebecca Rodriguez, as much as they did.  How much work does it take, and how much does it cost, to do nothing?

If anyone thought it couldn't get worse, they only had to see what the addition of Betsy Wise looked like.  It was never clear -- at least not to me -- what Tracy, Jenny, Will, and Betsy had against the Village.  They never explained what they hated so much about us.  They all chose to live here.  You'd think there must have been something about the Village, and us (their constituents) they didn't hate.  But you couldn't see it from their behavior.

I don't know if it was the investigation from the County Ethics Commission, or the referral to the State Attorney's office, or something else, that caused first Betsy, then Jenny, to lose their nerve.  (Of which they had a great deal.)  But finally, they jumped ship.  Not terribly long after that, and after Tracy understood that she was checkmated, she finally jumped, too.  

Those three were finally gone.  Only Will Tudor remained, but we got three new Commissioners, and Dan Samaria had already been firmly poised against the girls and Will, who conspired to have Dan thrown out of his house, so they could force him to leave the Village, so he would no longer be a Commissioner.  Because Dan did that unforgivable thing: he argued with and voted against Tracy.  So Will would be neutralized.  He couldn't do any more damage.  Or sit by while erosion and apathy did it for him.  Now, Dan Samaria, Ginny O'Halpin, Mac Kennedy, and Roxy Ross would restart the Village.  Except...

All of a sudden, Dan Samaria couldn't remember any trouble Will caused him.  Dan was still suing the Village (and still is, as far as I know), and he was suing Krishan Manners.  But Dan didn't remember anything about Will, who stayed out of the way while the girls and Krishan worked to destroy as much of Dan's life as they could.  Dan also stopped talking to, and getting good advice from, long time Village residents who had helped and supported him.  Dan no longer had an agenda.  He no longer wanted anything.  Will was starting to look like a smart, seasoned, sensible guy to Dan, and Dan decided to follow along with him.

And Ginny O'Halpin got into office, got elected mayor, and never had another useful or meaningful thought.  She almost never has a word to say, even when asked.  Neither she nor Dan nor Will wants anything, and they're all clearly terrified of doing anything, since there's nothing any of them knows how to do.  They all froze.  As David Hernandez was floundering, and failing, they couldn't make a move.  Someone told them to replace David when he abruptly quit one day, and they dutifully elevated Roseann Prado, who couldn't do her own job well, so it was natural to give her an expanded job, with the second more complicated than the first.

Dan and Ginny are in the middle of four year terms.  It would be really great if they would quit, but there's no indication they will.  So we have one chance to return the Village to competent functioning: vote out Will Tudor.  Then, if Mac Kennedy gets re-elected, and Art Gonzalez gets elected, we only need one more person with an agenda that is in the direction of proper Village functioning, and we're good.  So, who are our choices?

Well, there's William Abreu.  Don't ask "who?"  I don't know.  I'm told he's in his 20s, has lived in the Village for about three years, has never been involved in any part of Village functioning in any way, and even his neighbors don't know who he is.  He also doesn't appear to be campaigning in any way, he has no yard signs out, and there are no clues as to what he's about.

Or, there's Judi Hamelburg.  We all know Judi.  She's been around for a long time.  I could not tell you what Judi wants or thinks.  Her yard signs talk about "Civility, Integrity, and Transparency."  Or some pablum like that.  I've been in work groups with Judi.  The Code Review Committee was one of them.  Judi comes to most meetings for a while, talks exclusively about her own personal experiences about whatever is being discussed, and I still couldn't tell you what she wants, or what her candidacy is about.  I'm told she ran for Commission around 20 years ago, and didn't win.  For all I know, maybe Judi just thinks her chances, and the climate for women candidates, are better now.  But let's say Judi gets elected.  Then what?

I did hear one rumor about Judi.  I heard that she's sort of teamed up with...Will Tudor.  I also heard that she and Will display each other's signs in their yards.  I don't know if it's true that Judi and Will teamed up with each other, but I did verify the signage rumor.  So, if voting for Judi is about the same as voting for Will, and if Judi is right that her chances this year are better, then the Village is sunk one way or the other.  We lose if we don't vote Will out of office, and we lose if we do.  (You have to be really, really careful about candidates who are running for office, but who don't want anything.  You know, candidates who can't articulate a vision.  We've seen it before, we saw lots of it in 2016 and 2018, and it looks like we're seeing it again.  You know the joke definition of insanity: doing the same thing again, and expecting a different outcome.)

I have loads of confidence in Mac Kennedy.  He describes himself as passionate, and dedicated to improving the Village, and I know he's right about that.  Art Gonzalez is "Looking Forward," and he's all business.  You know what I want, and if you want me to join with Mac and Art, and return this Village to function, and improvement, I'll do it.  But you have to elect all three of us.  Any two of us and Will, or Judi, and the Village is back to spinning its wheels and dribbling down its shirt.

VOTING DEADLINES

 

Hello neighbors,

As we approach the November 3 election, I’m meeting neighbors who haven’t registered to vote here in the village and others who aren’t aware of when or how to request a vote-by-mail ballot, among other election questions. In the interest of promoting engagement in our election process (my most treasured right and duty as an American), I’ve created this short list of important dates. For complete election information directly from Miami-Dade County, click this link: http://www.miamidade.gov/elections. I encourage you to activate your personal election plan now rather than waiting too close to these upcoming deadlines.

2020 Voting Deadlines

October 5                         Last day to register to vote*

October 24                       Deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot (5pm)**

Oct 19-Nov 1                    Early voting***

The nearest early voting location to Biscayne Park is the North Miami Public Library, 835 NE 132^nd St., open 7a-7p daily from Monday, October 19 through Sunday, November 1.

November 3                     Deadline for vote-by-mail ballot to be returned (7pm)****

November 3                     Election day, in-person voting at the BP Recreation Center, 11400 NE 9 Ct.

To expedite your voting process with minimal contact with others, please have your choices ready prior to arrival, and MASK UP!

*Click this link to register to vote: https://registertovoteflorida.gov/home

**If you’re a registered voter, request a vote-by-mail ballot by visiting: https://www.miamidade.gov/global/service.page?Mduid_service=ser1512065909614490

***Use this link to locate early voting locations, dates and times: https://www.miamidade.gov/elections/library/2020-general-early-voting-schedule.pdf. The nearest early voting location to Biscayne Park: North Miami Public Library, 835 NE 132nd St., open 7a-7p daily from Monday, October 19 through Sunday, November 1.

****To ensure that vote-by-mail ballots are received back to be counted by the deadline, vote and return your voted ballot as soon as you receive it or early enough to account for mail delivery times. Vote-by-mail ballots may also be returned at secure drop boxes at Supervisor of Elections’ main and branch offices and early voting sites.*** The nearest early voting location to Biscayne Park: North Miami Public Library, 835 NE 132nd St., open 7a-7p daily from Monday, October 19 through Sunday, November 1.

I hope to see lots of I VOTED! stickers on November 3. Cheers to our Oasis in the Heart of Miami in 2021.

Mac

MacDonald Kennedy

Commissioner & Vice Mayor

Village of Biscayne Park

A Story to Go With a Word of Caution

 Maybe BP residents know this.  It was told to me as if everyone knew it, or should have known it.

Yesterday, I was campaigning door to door.  I came upon one of those double door arrangements, with an outer metal and screen door, and an inner solid wood door.  There were no cars in the driveway, and it was during "business hours," so I figured probably no one was home, and I'd just leave a card.

The outer door was already ajar -- sometimes, they're locked, but they're always closed -- and I pulled it open to knock on the inner door.  But the inner door, too, was open.  I could just look right into the house.  I called out several times -- "hello" -- and there was no response.  Not only was it not a good thing that a house was totally exposed, but frankly, this did not look like a good scene.  Let's just say there was imagery there, and it was not happy.

So, I called Village Hall.  "For police, press 3."  It rings forever, and no one answers the phone.  I called again, and I pressed 4 for the Village manager.  No answer.  On call #3, "for the administrative clerk," I pressed 0.  BINGO: Mailan Nguyen.  Mailan said there's no one to answer the police line (so why does the recording say to press 3 for police?), and I should call either 911, if it's an emergency, or the non-emergency number (305-4POLICE), if it doesn't feel to me like an emergency.  It seemed ominous, but not like an emergency, so I called the non-emergency number.  Although I suppose it was possible that the homeowner, who was not yet dead, was still on the floor bleeding from the knife wound inflicted by the person who knocked on the door, ostensibly to ask directions or something, then overpowered the homeowner, attacked him or her, and stole his or her car.  (I told you the imagery wasn't happy.)  But this probably happened some time ago, so I really didn't think it was an emergency, any more.

It took a while (maybe 15 minutes) for anyone to get to the house.  (I decided to wait.)  Two CNM cruisers went by, but they didn't stop, so they hadn't been dispatched for my call.  Finally, an unmarked SUV stopped, and it was BP police.   They entered the house -- which I had not been willing to do -- called out to identify themselves, checked the premises, did not find the corpse, and were satisfied no terrible thing had happened.  Their first thought was that the house might be abandoned, but I couldn't imagine why the doors to an abandoned house would have been open.  But they checked the refrigerator, found "fresh" food, and decided someone actively lived there.  Maybe, they thought, the homeowner absent-mindedly left the house, and forgot to close the doors.  So now, we're probably talking about someone who is not cognitively all there (I did notice a walker inside), but who's driving (or walking?), which evoked different, and less ominous, imagery.

The BP officers left, and they said they were going to close the door.  I expressed concern that the kind of person who leaves home without closing the doors might also leave home without taking his or her keys (although, if they have and drove a car, then they probably did have the keys), and one officer said "then they're going to need a locksmith."  And he closed the door.

The other thing he told me, which I didn't know, and which is the point of this story, is that BP no longer has a police dispatcher/receptionist.  It wasn't a temporary quirk that no one answered the police extension when I pressed 3.  There isn't anyone there to answer that extension.  That phone isn't assigned to anyone.  It's not even forwarded to Mailan Nguyen.  Whether or not it's a good thing for us that we saved the cost of hiring someone to answer the phone for our police department (or make use of a volunteer, as we did for years) is a separate matter.  The fact is that answering that phone, when it rings for a really long time, is no one's job.  The deal now is that any BP resident who needs attention from the BP police has to call either 911 or the non-emergency number.  The latter is run by the county.  You decide whether you think your problem is an emergency, or you think it isn't.  

And close and lock your doors.  Car doors, too.

Good News, Bad News

 

I realize my mistake.  First of all, the title of this post appears to present two equal concepts: "good news," and "bad news."  The strengths of the adjectives are the same, although the directions are different.  I didn't say Spectacular News, Slightly Disappointing News, or Satisfactory News, Disastrous News.  No, the title I chose suggests the two kinds of news are about equal in weight.  Second, I used the common way to say this, which is to say good first, and bad second.  There's a subliminal effect from using this construction.  It focuses on, or accents, the good -- because "good" comes first -- so that the reader may think the good predominates over the bad.

Last night, I got an e-mail from Mac Kennedy.  The circulation was blind, but Mac explicitly addressed his communication to all the people running for Commission: "Campaign Colleagues."  These people are his opponents.  They're the ones Mac is technically trying to beat in this election.  Mac's message was to remind his opponents that a financial report is due today, and there are noteworthy consequences if the report is not made on time.  For what it's worth, the penalty for late reports is $50 per day for each of the first three days late, and $500 per day after that.  So, yeah, "serious repercussions," as Mac warned.

Now, I've run for office here before.  Twice.  And I've gotten notices of financial reports coming due.  But I don't get these notices from my opponents.  I get them from Village administration, or specifically, from the clerk.  But compliments of a majority of our current Commission, we don't have competent Village administration now.  Ginny O'Halpin, Dan Samaria, and Will Tudor have been more than content to saddle us with one incompetent interim manager after another.  And these three Commissioners have had no ambition to find us a competent manager, despite urging from many Village residents, two of whom are their own Commission colleagues.  These incompetent and clearly disinterested interim managers fall down on the job, are uninterested in it, or actively resist it.  And that's been perfectly fine with Ginny, Dan, and Will.  This is really, really bad.  I suppose the least I could have done was to entitle this post "Bad News, Good News."

Today, I had a reason to call Chuck Ross.  It turned out he was busy.  He was at the recreation center, going over more CITT-related documents, to try to salvage more of the Village's presentation to CITT, to save us money that we then wouldn't have to pay back to CITT.  What went unspoken was that no one in the administration is blocking Chuck from helping the Village any more.  That's almost like good news.  Well, it's a bit of a relief.  David Hernandez was trying to prevent the Village from making its best case, and Roseann Prado isn't trying to prevent it.  Roseann appears not to be doing much of anything.  She's not informing candidates of upcoming due dates for reports, but she's also not preventing Chuck Ross from trying to bail out the Village from suffering loss.

Now that I think about it, maybe it's not so clear how bad is the bad news compared to how good is the good news.  Maybe "Good News, Bad News" is good enough.  Although the main good thing about it was that it wasn't too bad.  It could have been worse.

Please Don't Vote For Me.

As you know, I'm one of the candidates for Commission this year.  It's my third time running.  I was elected once, and not the second time.  So I'm batting .500.  If this was professional baseball, I'd be in the Hall of Fame.  Think about that.

I have two kinds of platforms.  One is a list of particular goals.  I was looking at my campaign handout card from the first time I ran, in 2013.  I listed five particulars.  Two have been accomplished.  In that sense, I'm batting .400.  But it's still good enough for the Hall of Fame.  This year, I'll have two goals that will carry over from 2013 (median improvement, and street repairs and lighting), and some new goals I didn't need to consider in 2013 (like re-establishing "Transparency, Integrity, and Professionalism" in Village government and management; and working toward more concise and goal-directed meetings).

The other kind of platform is very simple.  It's my slogan: "For the Best We Can Be."  This is sort of all-purpose, and it's a little like those management terms like TQM (Total Quality Management).  There's another abbreviation that implies the same thing, and they both mean always looking for ways to make something better.  So, anything that comes along that makes BP better than it is is what I want.  I want that for BP.  I want it for myself, because I live here.  And I want it for you.

But here's the thing.  I don't really have a personal agenda.  I think of myself as more of a functionary whose job it would be, and was, to keep things stable and adaptive, and to facilitate improvement for the Village.  I'm assuming that no one thinks the Village is perfect and cannot be improved.

You're getting three Commissioners after November 3.  And you'll make a big mistake if you think about the candidates.  I don't think you should vote for me or for any of them.  You should vote for the Village, and for yourself.  You should decide what you want our Village to be, and choose whichever candidates are going to give you the kind of Village you want.  If you happen to be one of the six people running for Commission, you can just vote directly for yourself.  If you're anyone else, you'll have to figure out who's going to do for you what you want done.  And hold whoever gets elected to what you elected them to do for you.

I told you what my platforms are, to the extent that I have specified them at this point.  If you want better medians, repaired streets, attention paid to drainage problems, a higher degree of ethics and responsiveness to you, and for the Village generally to be "the Best [It] Can Be," I'll try again to do that for you.  And I'll get administrative functioning restored for you, if that's what you want. 

See you in November.  And remember, you're not voting for me or any of us.  You're voting for you.

6th Avenue

There's no news here, but it's important to restate the facts.

The first and most fundamental fact is that what we know as 6th Avenue (NE 6th Avenue in Miami-Dade -- "Dade" -- County) is State Road 915.  I have no idea why the state of Florida built and controls a (short) 5.6 mile road that is entirely within one county, but they did and do.  They made it what it is -- a four lane road -- and they make all the rules for it.  It is the state of Florida that decides where and if to put traffic controls, where and if to put medians, and what plants can be planted in any medians they build.  And they acquire and install the plants.  If the lines painted in the street get faded, it is the state of Florida that repaints and refreshes them.

Second, VBP resident and then-Commissioner Harvey Bilt, and/or then-Village manager Krishan Manners, approached the state to request various adjustments in SR 915.  It is unknown to me whose idea were the various specific adjustments -- things like sidewalks.  And it's possibly worth noting here, if for no reason than that it's a curious fact, that anyone can request anything from the state.  The fact that something is requested does not mean it will be granted, but the state will receive and consider any request.  For example, I myself could request that SR 915 be converted to an overpass in BP.  Or I could request stop signs at every block of SR 915.  Harvey was a Commissioner at the moment he approached the state, and Krishan was the manager.  But none of that was necessary for the state to receive and consider any request.

Third, for whatever reasons, the state got serious enough about the requests that they commissioned a design.  That design process took a year or two, and it consumed $580K (right, for a design; man, am I in the wrong business).  The company that produced the design recommended -- either because Harvey/Krishan requested them, or for some other reasons -- sidewalks along SR 915 in BP, improved lighting, and improved drainage.  My impression from talking to a member of the design group was that they were also asked specifically to propose crossing aids, but they didn't do it.  I don't know whether they didn't do it because they didn't think it would be necessary, or they didn't do it because the state rejected the idea.

Fourth, I have an opinion about what should be done with 6th Avenue.  I also have opinions about who should be president, what kind of car I drive, and what style of attire to adopt for myself.  Some of those things are entirely within my control, and some are not.  Regarding 6th Avenue/SR 915, my opinion is simply that: an opinion.  I don't run the state of Florida.  I don't control anything about 6th Avenue.  I just think what I think for the reasons I think it.  Which I'm more than happy to explain.  And I don't, for the record, think that whatever is my opinion about something I don't control should prevail, just because I prefer it.  I live here with over 3000 people who are not me.  Not only are their opinions as worthy as is mine, but there are vastly more of them than there are of me.

And sometimes, I change opinions about things.  This is almost invariably because I learn things I didn't know.  I used to think the Village shouldn't annex any other nearby tract.  Then, I learned more, and changed my mind.  I used to think we shouldn't outsource what we still executed of solid waste removal.  Then, I learned more, and changed my mind.  But even at that, I was willing not to outsource, if a sizable enough representation of my neighbors really didn't want to, and they were willing to pay the real costs of not outsourcing.  No one reassured me of that with any degree of confidence, so I voted to do what I had come to think was best for the Village.  The last time we hired a competent manager, I was a Commissioner, and I thought Mark Kutney had, in my opinion, a slight edge over Sharon Ragoonan.  But neighbor after neighbor approached the podium to express a preference for Sharon, so I voted for her to be our manager.  The manager is the manager for vastly more people than just me, so they get what they want, as long as it's rational.

Fifth, a number of our neighbors -- most of them living on 6th Avenue -- didn't like the proposed design presented by the state-hired designers.  Specifically, they didn't like the idea that 6th Avenue/SR 915 would continue to be a four lane road in BP, as it has always been, and as it is north of here and south of here.  They wanted it to be a two lane road for its BP 1/2 mile run.  They think it's too busy, with too much traffic, and too dangerous as a four lane road.  So they're agitating to have the state offer a different design.  Suffice it for the moment to say I don't agree.  That's my opinion.  And I've stated it, and explained it, openly and repeatedly.  I've discussed this with a few people who don't agree with me.  I'm happy to have this discussion.  The responsible people who have had this "debate" with me are Chuck and Roxy Ross.  When the Rosses, or E. F. Hutton, speak, I listen.  I don't always come to agree, but I listen.  The kind of thing to which I don't listen nearly as receptively is a comment from one of our neighbors: "A 4 lane divided road will generally have a speed limit of 35 or 40, which means people drive 50."  Facts, remember?  The speed limit on 6th Avenue/SR 915 is not 35 or 40.  It's 30.  That used to be the speed limit on every BP street, until we lowered all the others to 25.  The state of Florida refused to lower the speed limit on SR 915.  So, I wrote back to this neighbor, about this correction and about a number of other particulars, and I did not hear back.

As I said, I can change my thinking about something.  I need a good enough reason to see something a different way.  Talking loud, ganging up, crying, and threatening are not useful methods someone should employ to get me to understand something differently.  Neither is making things up.  And if I'm not ultimately persuaded, then I won't change my thinking.  I'm allowed to think what I want.  The only unique position is that if I have to represent the wishes of other people, then I have to set my own wishes, which might not be in line with theirs, aside.  And I'm able and willing to do that, as long as the facts are presented correctly, and the other people's wishes are rational and decent.

But if you want someone who agrees with everything you yourself think, "good luck with that."

And Then, Along Came the Terrible Monster, Who Was Going to Eat All the Children!

And the monster's name was Roxanna*.  You could always tell when the monster was coming, because the power would suddenly go off, and it would get very, very dark, and all the oxygen would be taken out of the air.  Roxanna was 12 feet tall, weighed 1000 pounds, and she had sharp green teeth.  She was very scary.


Ginny O'Halpin recently sent the following e-mail to the wrong person.  (If I -- I! -- have to describe someone as not tech savvy, they have very serious problems):

"As I said... my choice for attorney is anyone but Herin. The reasons are the same as when they got rid of him last Time. He represents  Rox  I believe Betsy in her letter to kristan said the same thing."

I'm going to set aside the punctuation problems, the failure to capitalize the name of our last permanent manager, and the fact that Ginny appears not to know his name.  I just want to focus here on content.

Ginny is going to be part of the Commission that will choose a new Village attorney.  And Ginny wants anyone except John Herin, who is our current interim attorney, and who, as Ginny recalls (or has been told), was once before our regular Village attorney.

Ginny alludes to John Herin's having previously been "got[ten] rid of," and Ginny doesn't want John as our Village attorney for "the same...reasons" that he was "got[ten] rid of" before.  This is a little bit cryptic, since Ginny doesn't specify what she believes or has been told those reasons were.  (For Ginny's edification, the reason was that he disagreed with Tracy Truppman about two things.  So apparently, Ginny only wants a Village attorney who is approved by Tracy Truppman.  It's a bit mysterious, then, why she was so eager to let Rebecca Rodriguez and Grey Robinson go, since Tracy more than approved of them.  And why she was so eager to fire Krishan -- it's Krishan, Ginny -- Manners, who was the darling of Tracy.  Somebody probably needs to give Ginny enough information that when she says something, it will be connected to reality.)

But Ginny goes on.  John "represents Rox."  Ginny gives no insight as to what she thinks she means by this.  But "Ginny" (very clearly Milt Hunter) has been working this angle for a while.  It's pretty out there, but apparently, so is Milt Hunter.  John and Rox once worked for the same law firm, although not together.  Rox is a paralegal, and she's exceptionally talented.  Rox offers -- and John accepts -- to compose documents like Resolutions and Ordinances, so the Village won't have to pay John to do it.  And then, the Commission votes the proposed Resolution or Ordinance up, or down, or makes changes in it.  Nobody puts anything over on anyone.  Although if you're paranoid, or afraid of stories about monsters, or you just feel inadequate, you might not be able to look at it that way.

And of course, "Ginny"/Milt have proof: Betsy Wise said so.  Betsy Wise, who had no involvement in and knew nothing about the Village until she decided she should be on the Commission, was very unhinged there (was Tracy's vicious attack beast), and eventually quit and abruptly moved out of the Village.  Who would know better than Betsy Wise?

And that's Ginny's material.  Ginny, who will have an important role in choosing the next Village attorney.  Ginny, who drinks the same Koolaid that Milt Hunter serves to Dan Samaria.  Ginny, who is mostly joined by Will Tudor, whose idea about how much to pay an interim manager is what "feels right" to him, whatever an amount of money that "feels right" means.  This is the level of discretion and thoughtfulness that constitutes the majority of our Commission.

It's essentially the same degree of basis in reality that characterizes young children who get scared by stories about monsters and bogeymen.  Because they really believe the monsters and bogeymen exist, and are in the closet, or under the bed.  At least with chronological children, they have to do what the adults say.  Not on our Commission, though.  And not Milt Hunter.


*See comment

Commission Meeting 9/1/20

An auspicious beginning: Mac Kennedy pulled the entire consent agenda, because all of it is wrong.  Again.

Then, there were about 45 minutes worth of presentations and proclamations.

Consideration of the first Ordinance, which was about construction site protections, didn't fully happen, because it had to be turned back to the attorney for improvement.

The discussion about our solid waste removal system was frankly infuriating.  As usual, the detailed and intelligent consideration didn't happen without Roxy Ross' recapitulation of where we started with WastePro, where we are now, and how we got here.  And how we've been had for the past few years, because no one was watching the store.  Managers Krishan Manners, David Hernandez, and Roseann Prado didn't hold WastePro accountable, and Commissions didn't hold managers accountable.  We have been without proper management and without effective commissions.

Bob Anderson, in his public comment, said we would have to consider this water under the bridge, and Mac Kennedy said there was no value in pointing fingers.  In my opinion, Bob was right (we have no choice until December), and Mac was wrong.  Some of the same people who have gotten us into this mess are still on the Commission, and they continue to demonstrate no initiative, no interest, and no competence.  And we're stuck with two of them for two more years, and the other is running for re-election.  What damage Tracy Truppman didn't quite finish doing to the Village Ginny O'Halpin, Dan Samaria, and Will Tudor appear dedicated to completing.  Not one of them appears to get it, and no apologies were uttered.  Fingers need to be pointed.

The discussion about Commissioner stipends was pathetic.  Roxy Ross, who is the only current Commissioner who takes advantage of educational opportunities for elected officials, suggested that Commissioners only receive from the Village money to reimburse them for educational opportunities.  Dan Samaria was just hungry for every dollar he can get.  And he somehow wrongly thinks I donated my Commission stipend to charity.  (I declined it altogether.)  Mac Kennedy tried to tell his colleagues they're involved in a public service.  Ginny O'Halpin was entirely tuned out.  The vote was the predicted 3-2 against declining the stipend.

Ginny was very eager to get to the vote for Village attorney.  She had little patience for anyone else's comments.  (And there's also the other post I published today.)  Mac Kennedy gave a few reasons to want to keep John Herin.  Roxy Ross wanted to keep him, too.  Dan Samaria read a speech no doubt written for him by Milt Hunter, and extolling the endless virtues of Suarez-Rivas.  Will Tudor alleged that he explored each applicant, and he likes Nabors Giblin.  Ginny had nothing to say.  She wouldn't even answer direct questions.  So Ginny and Will voted for Nabors Giblin, and Rox and Mac voted for Fox Rothchild.  Dan Samaria was caught off guard, and he collapsed into voting with his pals.  Nabors Giblin it is.  The degree of Commission incompetence, and nastiness to go with it, is breathtaking.

Please be careful with your vote on November 3.

"A Walk in the Park"

So, once again, we're getting ready to hire a (real) manager.  It will be our sixth time since 2006.  The non-Commissioner resident committee has been seated, it's had its organizational meeting, and the first meeting at which applications (25, as of last week) will be discussed will be on Friday, September 11, at 6:30 PM.  As far as I know, this is a public meeting, and anyone can watch and listen with Zoom.

For a brief recap (see, I didn't say recapitulation, because I'm keeping this brief), our first manager was a place-holder, while we got our sea legs, manager-wise.  He was not great, and not terrible, and we didn't know how to use a manager.  We figured it out.  Our next three managers were excellent.  The next was a disaster, because he was a ghost manager, and it was really Tracy Truppman, who knew nothing about municipal management, who was running the Village.  Between managers, we had interim managers, as we do now, and two were perfectly adequate (the company we hired between manager #1 and manager #2, and later, Maria Camara twice).  The rest have been terrible.

One subject that has been discussed is manager compensation.  Some of us tell ourselves we have to pay more than we do, if we want top flight management.  And I suggest we stop the conversation for a few minutes, and think about that.  Do we want top flight management?  Do we need top flight management?

In my opinion, managing Biscayne Park, Florida, is a relatively easy gig.  A theory I have propounded before, and to which I continue to adhere, is that managing Biscayne Park is something a minimally trained municipal manager (I've conceptualized it as someone who just graduated from municipal management school, if there is such a thing) could do.  Or, as has happened to us most of the time, it's something a talented and ambitious person with related municipal management skills could do to strengthen a resume, and to show what s/he's got, on the way to that big job s/he has her/his eye on.  The one that pays the much bigger bucks than we do.  Or than we really could.  We give them (the kid out of school, or the person who was never before a full manager) a chance, they give us great service that they can parlay into something better for themselves, and everyone's happy.  And then, we find the next kid, or the next person who has something to prove.

We're sort of a one zone operation.  We're all residential, except our municipal buildings (log cabin, public works building, administration building, and recreation property) and the church.   The church almost gave up the ghost several years ago, but it got itself resurrected.  (Hmm, maybe I'm missing something here.)  But all the rest is 1200 houses, the vast majority of which are single-family.  Some of the people who live in those houses also work in their houses (I do), but there really isn't a commercial component per se.  And there are the municipal properties.  And a bunch of medians.

The work of a manager is mostly paperwork, and keeping everything functioning.  We don't really have big ambitions.  We came close twice, when we wanted to annex some nearby unincorporated county.  But we failed, first because one Commission refused to apply, and then because the next Commission did apply, but the county refused to consider our application.  I guess outsourcing the rest of sanitation (we had already outsourced recycling years before) was a kind of ambition.  It was our then manager's idea, it seemed to many of us like a very good idea, and we did it.  It helped us in several ways, and made some of us unhappy.  But we never undid it.  And we could have.  We could have the ambition of improving our medians, but we have persistently not entertained that possible ambition.

Managing here is relatively easy, especially if the Commission, and the manager, don't want to change anything.  It's been done very well three times for the salary that some of us say can't attract a good manager.  So, the theory is that we can't do something, and the reality is that we have done it repeatedly.

We don't have to pay a lot.  We don't have to have "champagne taste on a beer budget."  And if we try to do that, all we'll do is pay more for what we already have, which will deprive us of money we could spend on things we don't have, like nice medians, better drainage, streets in good repair, better lighting, solar panels, and more public art.

So I say let's ratchet ourselves down a bit, and function like the modest community we are.  It's just not that complicated.

Well, "BrambleWitch," It's Like This.

And for a frame of reference, 1) it's not "my" blog.  I started it, but it's everyone's blog.  2) "BrambleWitch" told us a month or so ago that she believes everyone knows who she really is, and she signed one comment Nancy.

"BrambleWitch"/Nancy sent me an e-mail today.  She wanted to know what my platform is, and she had some specific questions.  I wrote back to tell her that she was more than entitled to know what my platform is, and what I think about Village matters, since I am, you know, running for Commission.  And I added that anyone else should know that about me, too, and that she and everyone else should want to know that about all Commission candidates.  I asked "BrambleWitch"/Nancy if she wanted a private response to a private e-mail, or if I could transfer her e-mail to this blog, and answer openly.  She permitted the latter.

So I'm reprinting the e-mail here, I will respond to it, and I hope the other candidates will do the same.  "BrambleWitch"/Nancy will wind up with three of us, and she'll need to know which three she wants to wind up with.

Hi Fred,

I saw on your blog that you are running for Commissioner and read your summary of what you stand for and what you were involved in during that time.

I am interested in knowing a little more of your thoughts because (just like in the national election) this vote is important to the Village.  In your summary you stated that you wanted progress for Biscayne Park.  I would like to know from you what that actually means.  I think we all want progress for Biscayne Park, but I am sure that what I consider progress is different from what you or Mac might say.  By asking that question, I want to know if your vision of progress includes the “look” of the Village.

I am also interested in your opinion of the FDOT 6th Avenue project.   I believe that 6th avenue is in a unique position as the “main” street in a small town.  I would like to know what you think would be the best decision for Biscayne Park/6th avenue in possibly going forward with the FDOT project.  Would you agree with going forward as already proposed?  Are you interested at all in the 2 lane scenario?  What should 6th avenue look and function like?  What should Biscayne Park look and function like?

Thanks,
Nancy


Nancy,

Thanks for taking an interest.  And I agree with you that what I might want might be different from what someone else might want, even if we both/all refer to "progress."

I listed a number of things in my comment to "Noah."  Some of what I said had a great deal to do with the look of the Village.  I made one comment to "Noah," then realized I should clarify something, so I made a second comment, and I waited to see if "Noah," or "sezzle," would want to discuss further.  Neither appears to have wanted that.  But I did realize I forgot to mention one other specific thing, which has to do with drainage.  Several parts of the Village have drainage problems, and there are a few clusters of Village residents who always bring that to all of our attention.  I do think we should improve drainage -- it's already a problem, and that problem will get worse with a rising water table and gradual encroachment from the ocean and the bay -- and that issue segues into your other questions about 6th Avenue.  By the way, improving drainage is a big and expensive project, and the Village could not possibly do it itself.  This will require state or federal funding.

Anyway, yes, 6th Avenue is "unique" in the Village.  It's not unique in CNMB, CNM, unincorporated county, MSV, and Miami.  In those places, it's just another four lane street.  But here, it's our one and only four lane street.  And it's that way because it's a state road here, north of here, and south of here.  It's a kind of thoroughfare, and it runs through VBP.  You live on 6th Avenue.  Probably all of us drive on it.  We rely on it, because it is what it is.  And the people who come from north of here, and want to get south of here, or vice versa, similarly rely on it, because it is what it is.  (Clearly, I'm telegraphing where I'm going with this.)

So, in answer to your question of what I think would be the best decision regarding 6th Avenue, if it were up to me, which it isn't (it's up to all of us, and the state), I think it should continue to be a four lane road.  That's what it was made to be, for a reason, and that's what it is.  It's what it was when all of us decided to live in BP, and when some of us decided to live on 6th Avenue.  It has the advantages and the disadvantages of four lane roads (where the speed limit is 30, in spite of our wish that all BP streets could have speed limits of 25; and all the rest of them do).  So, no, I'm not personally interested in the two-lane scenario.  BP has nothing but two-lane streets, except 6th Avenue.  Anyone who wants/wanted to live on a two-lane street had lots of choices.

On the other hand, I also wouldn't personally agree with going forward with every facet of the proposed design.  Better lighting and better drainage are great.  I personally am all in on those.  But there is no demonstrated or even imagined need for sidewalks on 6th Avenue in BP.  No one walks on 6th Avenue, anyone who wanted to could walk on the swales, and sidewalks would cut too deeply into the fronts of these properties, even if anyone would use them, which no one will.  But better lighting and better drainage?  Yes!

Any other questions or delving?

Fred