Want to shut us up?…. Fix the problems…
Dianne Templeton Gardner
July 3, 2014
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Dear Hank,
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Thank you Hank…I am tired of being labeled a “citizen activist”…I am not engaged in some frivolous act of self aggrandizement here…my tax dollars are being misspent and wasted by this city… Repeatedly. And yep..there is a back story.
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I had a specific event in my neighborhood that directly affected my family’s health, safety and welfare and I appealed directly and repeatedly to department heads and the city manager through emails, phone calls, etc. And I got no response until I took it directly to the podium and the dais and spoke directly to the mayor and council and the courts of public opinion through our various media outlets and these blogs. And we were forced to pay big money for legal advice and then court reporters so this mayor, council and city manager knew we were going to go to legal lengths to protect ourselves. And we were prepared to do that.
This is all public record. A well documented history of what happened is readily available to any one willing to do some research. On this blog and in the city manager’s read file. And finally we got a response and a resolution. I was stunned at what we were forced to do to get help. Fortunately I had the financial wherewithal and was unencumbered by employment constraints to be able to pursue this to the end. And it’s my nature and my husband’s nature. Finally we just wanted simple justice.
Our little neighborhood fought back and fought back hard. And this is not an affluent neighborhood. Just a bunch of determined folks I am proud to call my friends. We made them pay attention.
But it was a shameful failure to respond to our little neighborhood’s concerns promptly and fairly….so……here is how I see it……the city, city manager and yes the mayor made me into the “activist” taxpayer and property owner I am today. Our issue became a firestorm that the city finally was forced to address. Didn’t need to be that way.Was not a battle we sought. But that battle and attendant research finally made me recognize this painful reality…..this is just what this city and this mayor do. It’s a pattern. They ignore problems hoping they will go away, or that no one will notice and then finally take action when those problems blow up in their faces…..what they did with the Parker mess….And all that fell out from that series of horrible disclosures… firings, resignations, lawsuits…sound familiar???…huge million dollar losses to the taxpayer…. it’s just what they do…It’s a stupid way to do business. But apparently a pro active response just is not a part of their model. Of course, its not their money.
But guess what??…..those days are gone…people are sick of it…..and we are on to it…..of quietly done administrative rezoning, consent agenda pass throughs to cover up huge financial mistakes, permits issued after the fact, secretive behind closed door fixes for stuff I know now we can only guess at….they will never tell you upfront what is really going on……..and other foot dragging non response methods to taxpayer concerns.
Social media is here to stay. Rightfully worried vocal taxpayers are here to stay. And I like you Hank urge this mayor….do not try to silence these legitimate concerns…a bad political move and it will back fire…..it is back firing. Terrible interview with Lori Brown. Will only bring more scrutiny to the mayor and the city…. to the TIF sharing with Buddy LaCour and not other CRA developers, the labeling of prime riverfront land as “blighted” so as to meet the requirement for a TIF designation, the mayor’s long term relationship with Buddy, the River walk proposed land swaps that so disadvantage the tax payer, the meter mess, the failure to reconcile the check book….it’s a litany of problems ..and that’s a short list..…
And unsubstantiated allegation-
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/
Best.
Dianne Templeton Gardner
618 Ruth Street
Port Orange, Florida 32127
386-527-1641
This is all public record. A well documented history of what happened is readily available to any one willing to do some research. On this blog and in the city manager’s read file. And finally we got a response and a resolution. I was stunned at what we were forced to do to get help. Fortunately I had the financial wherewithal and was unencumbered by employment constraints to be able to pursue this to the end. And it’s my nature and my husband’s nature. Finally we just wanted simple justice.
Our little neighborhood fought back and fought back hard. And this is not an affluent neighborhood. Just a bunch of determined folks I am proud to call my friends. We made them pay attention.
But it was a shameful failure to respond to our little neighborhood’s concerns promptly and fairly….so……here is how I see it……the city, city manager and yes the mayor made me into the “activist” taxpayer and property owner I am today. Our issue became a firestorm that the city finally was forced to address. Didn’t need to be that way.Was not a battle we sought. But that battle and attendant research finally made me recognize this painful reality…..this is just what this city and this mayor do. It’s a pattern. They ignore problems hoping they will go away, or that no one will notice and then finally take action when those problems blow up in their faces…..what they did with the Parker mess….And all that fell out from that series of horrible disclosures… firings, resignations, lawsuits…sound familiar???…huge million dollar losses to the taxpayer…. it’s just what they do…It’s a stupid way to do business. But apparently a pro active response just is not a part of their model. Of course, its not their money.
But guess what??…..those days are gone…people are sick of it…..and we are on to it…..of quietly done administrative rezoning, consent agenda pass throughs to cover up huge financial mistakes, permits issued after the fact, secretive behind closed door fixes for stuff I know now we can only guess at….they will never tell you upfront what is really going on……..and other foot dragging non response methods to taxpayer concerns.
Social media is here to stay. Rightfully worried vocal taxpayers are here to stay. And I like you Hank urge this mayor….do not try to silence these legitimate concerns…a bad political move and it will back fire…..it is back firing. Terrible interview with Lori Brown. Will only bring more scrutiny to the mayor and the city…. to the TIF sharing with Buddy LaCour and not other CRA developers, the labeling of prime riverfront land as “blighted” so as to meet the requirement for a TIF designation, the mayor’s long term relationship with Buddy, the River walk proposed land swaps that so disadvantage the tax payer, the meter mess, the failure to reconcile the check book….it’s a litany of problems ..and that’s a short list..…
And unsubstantiated allegation-
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/
Best.
Dianne Templeton Gardner
618 Ruth Street
Port Orange, Florida 32127
386-527-1641
It is telling that Mayor Green often said that Port Orange does not have taxpayers, they have “investors”. Indeed, investors in building, building, building, all quite rightly so beneficial to Green construction and its allies. And let’s remember that in this LaCour Riverfront Park there is yet to be a lot of construction work available, if we only promise LaCour 10 million dollars. Green construction may not get any of the contracts, but still LaCour and his associates will be indebted to Mayor Green. This is all legitimate and something that all of American have come to realize and the implications are not taken well by most taxpayers, investors, citizens, activists, and once vice mayor Mary Martin called one of them an “anachist”. This elite bunch is arrogant , do not take well to criticism, and seldom take accountability for their failures. The game is other than serving the public, honestly with no secondary agendas.
It is all legal and protected by the Supreme Court by freedom of speech. But the idea of Freedom, of Speech by these elites does not seem to impress them to the point of acknowledging that citizens or activists also have the right to freedom of speech. We need to teach Mayor Green a lesson. He should take back what he said on public TV and amend his arrogant ways. But we know it is not in his character. He was born in Port Orange you know. And in his mind that fact makes him always right. I don’t think so!
Mayor Green, and I will NOT call you The Honorable Mayor Green because sir you are not honorable. You are going on public TV and placing all of the blame for the cities problems on a few activists as you like to call them.That’s laughable.
There would not be these activists if you had not created them yourself. It is my understanding that at city council meetings there is time set aside for citizen participation ..I’m sure you haven’t forgotten this have you? At that time tax paying citizens can come forth and air any problems or ask questions of council..When it is something disagreeable to you Mayor Green you shut down any dialog time and time again by telling people to sit down, enough and glaring at them with a look that would kill. You don’t want to hear anything unless you are prepared ahead of time so that you can have time to formulate a bull shit answer to cover your ass and the asses of your co-conspirators. You don’t like things sprung on you unexpectedly. Maybe what people are saying about you is true, that you are actually losing it. Who in their right mind would blame taxpayers for wanting answers to valid questions?
On this fourth of July I think we as citizens of Port Orange really need to do some soul searching and decide whether we have the wisdom and resolve to declare our independence from the southern plantation owner’s monarchal clutches of the non-transparent Allen Green regime. His most recent moronic statement that the citizens that he is supposed to be representing are at fault for the city’s implosion because they have a personal agenda which is not to have their taxes raised is ludicrous. How foolish he was to make this statement, and when Lori called him on that as being a questionable personal agenda, Green implied that there was another undisclosed agenda that he alluded to but was too evasive and embarrassed to disclose. Well obviously that agenda is that the citizens of Port Orange do not feel he is representing them honestly and transparently, and that he is operating out of personal and special interest. He demands tax increases without transparent disclosure or accountability for the current mismanagement of the city and its potential resources. This is a similar situation to what precipitated the revolutionary war and the slogan of the patriot citizens back then was “no taxation without representation”.
“No taxation without representation” is a slogan originating during the 1750s and 1760s that summarized a primary grievance of the British colonists in the Thirteen Colonies, which was one of the major causes of the American Revolution. In short, many in those colonies believed that, as they were not directly represented in the distant British Parliament, any laws it passed taxing the colonists (such as the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act) were illegal under the Bill of Rights 1689, and were a denial of their rights as Englishmen.
Compare this with such things as Allen Green’s unwillingness to put the Riverwalk deal to a citizen’s referendum vote. Another non-representation of citizens is his current circumvention of the city council and independent scheming with a soon to be ex-city manager to shore up his regime and suppress the emergence of organizational transparency. How about his demonization of citizen watchdogs and lack of full disclosure to the press in the presence of his opposition. How about his present hiding of his city manager from the press to avoid him having to answer the hard questions that would publicly reveal the malfeasance, misfeasance, and intentional non-transparency that he and his imported administrative FCCMA management team that is currently imploding have perpetrated on the taxpayers to further his hidden agendas.
Sadly all he can come up with is that the citizens are to blame for all this mismanagement because they have exposed it and are asking for accountability and reform, and until there is reform and transparency they do not want to see tax increases to simply throw good money after bad money, bad management, and political corruption.
It is abundantly clear that Mayor Allen Green will never admit to what the real problem is and take responsibility and accountability for it. He will never relinquish his hidden agendas and focus in on the concerns of the voters and taxpayers. He will never operate transparently because he has too much to conceal. He will never have what remains of upper management in the city operations step up and rectify all the problems because his special interests are the problems.
If Mayor Allen Green will not be dealt with once and for all he will attempt to reconstruct his opaque management team and incentivize them not for managerial competency, but for their allegiance to him in facilitating his opaque regime and executing his special interests. This is the time to declare independence from Mayor Allen Green and begin a new era of transparent governance. All Port Orange patriots need to mobilize their forces and act together to bring the Allen Green era to an end. Port Orange voters, taxpayers, and citizens need the resolve and determination to act with indomitable will and purpose to petition and vote to remove Mayor Allen Green from office and expedite the new paradigm which is transparent government for the people.
No More Special Interests, No More Allen Green, No More Greg Kisela, No More Range Riders, No More Life Savers, and No More FCCMA Manager In Transition retreads!
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/port-orange-mayor-lashes-out-watchdog-group/ngYCL/
yes, FCCMA is something not to heed. It certainly is presenting a bad track records of candidates.
Dear DJM,
I liked your post so well I re-posted it on the Port Orange Clothesline.
Your cogent essay got me thinking….perhaps one idea is to systemically begin to compare Port Orange City government’s current practices department by department with established best practices for cities our size. Agreed upon standards. And then begin to get those practices in place. Somehow. Of course we know we have the issue of this well entrenched city culture being resistant to change. A massive understatement. A separate issue. But we could at least begin to say hypothetically, what would our city look like operationally if we did that?
And of course that requires that dumb bells like me actually begin a process of self education by researching the existing data so I can bring something intelligent to the discussion. And talking with smart folks who have experience in those fields.
My guess is that we are far from being in compliance with accepted good practices by anyone’s measurement.
Maybe now as more and more citizens begin to take an interest here in Port Orange and become informed on how the city operates and how we could improve it….I certainly was far from informed when we began our quest to protect our neighborhood last fall……..then we can began to have some substantive discussions about how we can perfect our little city…
I know now that many cities do not have this level of conflict among competing interests because they have taken action to insure fairness…..Institutionalize fairness by ordinance or some other document and much of this conflict goes away…just a few ideas that resonate with me…based on my recent history..
…..following the LDC routinely, guaranteeing adequate buffers between commercial and residential areas without exception, eliminating re-zoning by negotiation, having either tightly regulated and transparent TIF arrangements or do not have TIF at all; many states have eliminated TIF because the concept can be so easily manipulated and abused. Makes any entity easier to govern because there are no surprises. Ensure that hiring practices are fair and transparent with procedures that cannot be end run. We need the best candidates. Have some big time discussions about how we are going to manage growth. We have traffic gridlock already. Add 15 thousand more folks as residents and then tourists on top of that. Not a fun place to live any more because of that impact. Have the best internal controls. Have a strong policies and procedures manual that everyone understands. I like to know what the rules are. Agree that if we are not going to encumber the tax payer with more debt…..for whatever the project is… unless we put in on a referendum……if its over a certain amount….put that baby on a ballot….its only fair. Whether its 3 million for Phase I of Riverwalk or 10 million for Buddy LaCour…put it on a ballot and allow the voters to decide…
Ensure that folks on council really are there for the public good….not to feather their own nests with contacts within the city or other cities or other business contacts as some kind of quid pro quo.
Right now….rightly or wrongly..my perception is that getting on council or being the mayor is a great source of new clients for your business or a great way to burnish your resume at the taxpayers expense.
Fairness is my mantra. Uniformity in treatment. Clearly spelled out policies. Not an impossible dream.
Dianne
Mayor Green insulted all citizens who care about what their city government is doing. It is incumbent upon all city council members to distance themselves from the ideology of Mayor Green. Any city councilman who does not stand up for the citizens and their constituents in this matter should be asked why,
by the citizens.
Excellent commentary Don Juan.
As I was un-doubtedly one of those the tyrannical Mayor sought to disparage let me tell him, and his minions and his stooge candidates that I have NO APOLOGY for my pursuit of competent transparent government in Port Orange.