Ted Noftall comments on Hank's editorial
Guys, you can add my “Amen” to your observations listed below. I am amazed how a culture has developed at City Hall by someone called “Staff” that keeps finding new ways to deplete the city treasury. I believe it is called the “Drunken Sailor Syndrome” At about every 2nd Council meeting someone called “Recommended by Staff” finds a new set of toys or some other expensive endeavor to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars.
No one ever seems to ask for the real name of the person or persons on staff that are the author for these expensive items placed on the council’s agenda, just the generic “Recommended by Staff”. Perhaps, it may be someone on the city janitorial staff just having a little fun at the council’s & taxpayers expense. LOL
Nevertheless, the Council does need to get serious on holding the line on all the frivolous spending by those named: “Recommended by Staff”. They should also be taking real names and kicking ass.
Pat
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1:14 PM ()
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While your points are well taken and would be most difficult to refute, I would remind everyone upset with Council’s decision to not implement Amendment 11 in Port Orange that democratic votes of the people have frequently caused more problems than they have solved. Two that come to mind are the new Police Station that we neither need nor can afford and the amendment to the Florida constitution detailing housing conditions for pork production. It is largely for that reason that we have a representative form of government
The decision to not further fracture an already horribly broken property system was Council’s to make and it was a legitimate one under one proviso, and that proviso is if Council is serious as a heart attack in eliminating those hidden abuses that have cost all property tax payers millions over the years including those barely hanging on to their property. One of the most self serving that comes to mind are the sick leave and vacation buy-backs that cost taxpayers in excess of $500,000 annually. This is the plan that allowed the disgraced departments heads to leave with checks ranging from $25,000 to in excess of $66,000 in the case of the former Manager. Let us also clear up also the childish notion that it is the manager’s job to eliminate these obscene perks, or that he is somehow looking out for the people when it comes to the budget. HE IS NOT. His interest is to the well being of his staff only.
If Council is not prepared to bring this excess and others contained in the just released proposed budget to a screeching halt and provide lower property taxes for all property owners then sadly they are guilty of all you have accused them of and more besides.
The fraud waste and abuse that has taken place over the last number of years and that can no longer be denied should allow anyone with the IQ of a turnip to know implicitly that a property tax reduction of 10% could be delivered in ones sleep.
We shall see.
Ted Noftall
Sent: Friday, July 05, 2013 11:59 PM
To: Hank Springer
Subject: Shame on the Port Orange City Council
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1:47 PM
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Yes we do have representatives to in their wisdom prevent tyranny by the majority over the minority. But in proposition 11, I do not see any tyranny involved.
I certainly disagree with the vote of the city council not to approve proposition 11, but of course I have to accept it.
What I will not accept in the future, since the city council refuses to help poor, senior citizens to live in their homes, are any more expenditures by the city council, for just about anything. Since we are in a financial crises, and have worked hard to cut the budget by 9 percent, remember that time consuming fiasco, I expect nothing less from the city council than a moratorium on any future spending, whether it be for ball fields for the youngsters, fixing up Ridgewood Ave., the Riverwalk Project, or anything. If we cannot afford the measly .80 cents per household to aid seniors who are in danger of their losing their retirement homes, then we can’t afford anything. That includes Police, Fire, Parks, Boy Scouts, YMCA, sidewalks, dog parks, marinas, lobbyists in Tallahassee, expensive lawyers and consultants, assessment evaluations for kayak docks and all the things the city council prefers to deal with. As far as I am concern, nothing more for anyone in this cheap city which despises the elderly who are living on fix income and not contributing to the construction industry tax base.
Until I die, I will always remind the city council when a proposition comes before them to spend money on those connected with “We Are Family”, that we are in such financial crises, that we can’t even help our senior citizens who came here into Port Orange with their nest eggs, which was readily accepted by all the God Damn banks we have in Port Orange, but now due to fiscal mismanagement by wall street, Washington and perhaps the city of Port Orange, no longer have that money to maintain living in their retirement home.
Ted, I know that you think history has always showed that the economy returns to a healthy condition. Very early when all the figures showed otherwise, Washington dc announced that the recession had ended. And it was not so. The influx of jobs in last month’s statistics was only due to summer time recreational jobs, and come Christmas, let us look at the statistics once again. People have given up looking for jobs, and so are not on the unemployment lines.
Ted, when you think the economy has gotten well again, let me know, and I will consider your judgment. Maybe then I will agree with the city council to go ahead with building ball parks and all the things so precious to their vision of Port Orange.
But for now, my position is that if we cannot help the poor elderly in this city, we shouldn’t even think of helping anyone else. I was in agreement with the bonds for the new police station, although I would have preferred a small police station on the west side, and another small police station on the East side. But if such an issue as getting a new fire station, police station, or adding more police men and fire personnel, I cannot in good conscience give my approval and I will fiercely voice my opposition to any new financial spending, reminding the city council how they voted to turn down what the voters wanted for their elderly citizens.
I am very disappointed in Bob Ford and Drew Bastian. I can only suspect that they did not think this issue through in depth and in my mind can only redeem themselves by voting no on anything costing money for the taxpayers of the City of Port Orange. And god forbid, one of them says, “Well in this case, the people of Port Orange want us to spend the money on this project.”
Thank you Council Men Kennedy and Burnette for doing the right thing. Thank you Bob Pohlmann for years ago voting no to purchase the Lohman funeral home at twice the price it was worth. I do not forget those votes which I consider very bad, and I do not forget those votes which I consider very good.
Of course others may disagree with me, and I understand their right to do so. Let us see what financial projects come up in the future for the city council, and compare those projects with the plight of seniors in danger of losing their retirement homes. I look forward to compare the city council standards.
Thank you Ted.
Hank springer
Sent: Saturday, July 06, 2013 1:15 PM
To: ‘Hank Springer’
Cc: ‘Pat Nelan’; Bob Ford; Dennis Kennedy; don@amlsfl.com; Drew Bastian; Mayor Green
Subject: RE: Shame on the Port Orange City Council
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2:54 PM
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Very well said Hank. BULLY FOR YOU, and btw I agree. Discretionary spending needs to be frozen until fiscal sanity is imposed on City Hall.
You are spot on …. If there is no 80 cents for impoverished property owners there can be no money for the big ticket excesses like the hundreds of thousands for sick leave and vacation buy backs, or for the little ticket excesses like the pension contribution taxpayers pay on behalf of the Mayor.
Why in God’s name would taxpayers ever pay into a pension plan for any elected representative. Why also are taxpayers paying additional monies into a special pension for key hold over’s from the parker administration when the contributions made to their regular pensions are the envy of the private sector. The answer I believe is one of greed and arrogance. WE DO IT BECAUSE WE CAN DO !! This is all beyond disgusting as my e-mails over the years have made clear.
The money that has been wasted in Port Orange would fill an ocean and it needs to stop.
Maybe this Amendment 11 denial will be the catalyst to do just that.
Ted
