Kudos To Mayor Betty
Lake Worth Beach Mayor and Commissioners
Kudos to Mayor Betty and the City of Lake Worth Beach Commissioners for taking giant steps forward to insure the health and safety of the residents of Lake Worth Beach. I own a condominium in Lakeside Point Gardens on John Prince Park, which I rent on an annual lease, affordably, to an ideal tenant. Recently I received a copy of the Business and Occupancy License, which renews October 1, 2022.
On the back of the form : “Please provide contact information for the local property manager or responsible party within 50 miles of Lake Worth Beach.”
WOW!
I became a Licensed Community Association Manager (LCAM57368) to write POLITICS OF PLACE | Surfside Condo Tragedy, the story of the Collapse of Champlain Towers South on June 24, 2021. Chaplain Towers South began failing before the first apartment was occupied in 1981.
I am happy to report that my home in Stuart Florida is 41 miles from Lake Worth Beach. I filled out the form, wrote a check and included copies of my Community Association Manager’s License LCAM57368 and CAM Firm 5980.
Lake Worth Beach City Manager Carmen Davis
The City Manager is hired by the Lake Worth Beach Commissioners. The City Commission is responsible for passing Ordinances and other policy directives necessary for the operation of the City. The City Manager is responsible for making sure the Ordinances and other policy directives passed by the City Commission are implemented as intended by the City Commission are carried out.
Have I got that right?
If you have something to add or of you think I am entirely wrong, please email me at thecatlady@dianefreaney.com or use the comment section of this post.
The City of Lake Worth Beach’s Problem Is….
The employees of the City of Lake Worth Beach have been ignored by the City Manager, Mayor Betty and the Commissioners so they continue doing what they have always done. That works for the City employees, but has never worked for the citizens of the City of Lake Worth Beach.
The citizens of the City of Lake Worth Beach made their voice heard at the most recent election when they voted the old Mayor and City Commission out and elected a whole new slate in.
Lake Worth Beach city manager Michael Bornstein resigns after nine years on the job reported Jorge Millan in the Palm Beach Post on April 7, 2021.
"A new commission, a new city manager – it's certainly going to be challenging," [Mayor Betty] Resch said. "But shaking things once in a while is not a bad thing. … Adapt or die, that's my theory. "
Lake Worth Beach has new city manager reported Todd Wilson on Fox News on January 3, 2022, quoting Carmen Davis:
"This is not a job for one person," she said. "Yes, I'm the city manager, but I believe as we work collectively and cooperatively we can make this a great place."
Ten months later and still nothing has changed, at least from my perspective.
For example, I visited the Office of Community Sustainability to learn the processes that have changed to implement and enforce the new directive for which I was asked to supply information when I applied for my Business and Occupancy Licenced; i.e. “Please provide contact information for the local property manager or responsible party within 50 miles of Lake Worth Beach.”
The City employee had no idea what I was talking about. I showed them the copy of my license application which came from their office. They referred me to the Palm Beach County Clerk and Controller’s office in West Palm Beach, and said things were different because of COVID.
WHAT??? To quote Carmen Davis again:
Davis said the one glaring challenge the city continues to face is the ongoing pandemic.
"Dealing with the pandemic, making sure there's no interruption in services and that the citizens are served at a high level and efficiently," she said.
Finally, I asked to speak to the Office Manager. She was “on the phone” but would call be back within 24 hours, as was the promise made to the citizens of Lake Worth Beach. Of course, I NEVER received a call back.
Solution - Adapt or Die…
Commissioner Kim Stokes, a former Lake Worth High School math teacher, and the task force which Kim and her colleagues created is the ideal vehicle to implement Mayor Betty’s Adapt or Die plan. Lake Worth Beach now has an educational task force - who is on it and how does it work? Jorge Millan, Palm Beach Post. July 22, 2021.
My experience is with the Office of Community Sustainability, Business Licenses, Building Permits and Code Compliance, so I will deal only with changes I want to see happen with these departments. Basic elements of the Adapt or Die plan are:
Current executives and supervisors in the above departments - put on a one year, paid leave with full benefits.
Hire a team of Lake Worth High teachers to design and implement a training program to assure that all ordinances and policies directives of the City of Lake Worth Beach Commissioners are operational by the next regularly scheduled Commission meeting.
Identity Lake Worth High students to participate in an Apprentice program in the Office of Community Sustainability, with the goal of Apprentices being qualified to become supervisors or career clerical employees if that is their choice.
My next book in the POLITICS OF PLACE series will be Living Life on Lake Osborne in John Prince Park. This blog post will appear in the book. My hope is that I can report success of the Adapt or Die Plan.