In today’s Sun-Sentinel, Anthony Man reports the City of Plantation budgeted $180,000 for the election on March 8th. “Based on 2010 fall election costs, a November election would cost city taxpayers about $25,000–more than 85 percent less than the March price.” So, money grows on trees in Plantation, right?
Plantation, The Grass is Greener?
(www.sun-sentinel.com)
Only 100,000 is for actual election day cost. 80,000 is to start paying the Armstrong pension and health and dental and life annuity cost.
Greetings,
Thank you Sun-Sentinel.
Better late than never.
Every year, particularly around budget workshop and the actual two budget approval votes, for the eight or ten years (I’ve lost track. When was Lee Hillier last on the Council?) I have worn a rut in the carpet to the podium to REMONSTRATE with the Council/Mayor to point out this glaring low hanging fruit savings in order to support my plea for their vote TO THE ROLLBACK MILLAGE RATE for our property taxes (Except for the one recent year I opposed, because their vote FOR the rollback millage rate would actually INCREASE our property taxes. So, the one time they voted FOR the rollback millage rate it HURT THE TAXPAYERS.).
Regards,
Dennis
Mr Conklin do you think the Mayor should get this large Retirement perk for her and her little husband? I know you and Tom are friends try to be objective sir.
Greetings,
Kindly allow me to take the second part first.
Without putting words in his mouth, I believe that Tom might agree with me in describing ourselves as acquaintances with a Christian concern for America and our Constitution over the threat of sharia. I have loaned him a number of books and DVD’s about stealth and militant jihad in America. I believe he has one or two of the more recently published books even now. This is actually the only topic that we have ever had a conversation about.
It happened to occurred after one of the times that the terrorist groups Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan)/H.A.M.A.S. affiliated public relations organization in America, C.A.I.R., tried to insinuate itself into City of Plantation official activity and I had raised warning and objections at City Council Meeting(s), so Plantation elected officials would not find themselves in the “same boat” with C.A.I.R. as our poor Broward County sister City of Pompano Beach is.
Pompano Beach was uninformed, or ill-informed, a few years ago into permitting a radically lead Islamic Center to be built RIGHT NEXT to the C. Robert Markam Elementary School at 1501 NW 15th Avenue, Pompano Beach.
What were they thinking?
As to the pension for the elected officials that was conceived under Mayor Frank Veltri and five (5) of the Council members at the time (one of whom happened to be our current Mayor Armstrong), I have been opposed to that pension plan ever since I was aware of it. I have referred to that plan as “abusive” both in speech and in writing.
I had attended Council Meetings. However, I first became active in municipal politics when Lee Hillier and Bruce Edwards first ran for Council, shortly after Ron Jacobs first won a special election (I think to replace a Councilman who became a judge.) and I campaigned very enthusiastically for what I called “The Triumvirate Ticket” Hillier/Edwards/Jacobs because, I believed that those three and Jerry Fadgen’s fourth vote could “pull the plug” on that pension BECAUSE of the four (4) vote potential which would prevent the Mayoral Veto Power over a 3-2 vote.
I like to think that “We The People” succeeded on that one.
I will not get started, here, on the City’s other three (3) DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS, the Deferred Retirement Option Plan for employees and police (not the firefighters/ems), or the Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB). If one is interested, a recent comment and a few previous blogs concerning City financial statements (CAFR’s) that I offered can be read at PlantationJournal.com.
Regards,
Dennis
Sorry, as a Voter, I like March elections. That way the most knowledgeable, dedicated and educated voters vote. Motivated Voters
If you truly take the time out to learn the candidates and to vote, that’s the type of election I want. It’s not hard to learn about the election and go vote, and it doesn’t take a lot of time. Just some civic duty. Rare enough these days.
In November, beyond the big name offices, most voters don’t know the candidates and don’t really care until you raise the taxes.
If your primarly goals are higher turnout at a low cost, then consider getting rid of the present system, and adopt Oregon’s system of Mail In Voting Only. It doesn’t improve the quality of choice, but it does increase the number of voters at a lower cost. But then you can’t stand outside a voter precinct and annoy the voters either. (Gee, another benefit).