When it matters to you

A dear friend of mine sent me an email the other day that reminded me that decisions made by local government have the greatest impact on our daily lives, more than at any other level of government.

She recalled an axiom attributed to former Speaker of the House, the late Thomas Phillip “Tip” O’Neill, Jr., (Dec. 9, 1912 – Jan. 5, 1994). O’Neill served as the 55th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and he had the privilege of serving under three different U.S. Presidents: Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan.

During the span of his political career, O’Neill embraced the essence of public service and embodied the idea that elected officials could make a positive difference in the lives of the people that elected them.

Based upon those principles, O’Neill coined the phrase “All Politics Is Local” which suggests that the success of an elected official is directly tied to his or her ability to connect and act accordingly toward the concerns that matters to the people.

In other words, the everyday concerns of those who we ask to elect us to office should become paramount to our service while in office.

With that said, over the past year or more the following items have dominated the local media and I can’t help but wonder if they have not been the main topic of discussion around the family dinner table:

The reduction by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of freshwater flow down the Apalachicola River System; the exorbitant amount of property taxes imposed upon the citizenry by local government; a return to an at large voting system; and a stable educational system for our children, one that’s conducive to learning.

Whether you are a proponent or opponent of any of the above is unimportant, what is important is the ability of our elected officials to comprehend and act accordingly toward your concerns.

O’Neill had it right when he said, “I have been in politics all my life. I am proud to be a politician. No other career affords as much opportunity to help people. Let us not concern ourselves with what we have tried and failed, but with what it is still possible to do. Let us spare no energy that the nation and the world may be better for our efforts.”

When it matters to you, than it should matter to us and not just during an election year but also, during our entire term in office.

H’COLA to host second Political forum

Candidates running for Sheriff, Property Appraiser, and Superintendent of Schools will be on hand Oct. 23 for a second political forum hosted by the Hillside Coalition of Laborers for Apalachicola (H’COLA).

The forum will start at 6PM at the Franklin Square Recreation Center on 6th Street on the North side of Apalachicola.
In late July, the H’COLA group held a similar forum before the primary election that featured candidates running for Circuit Judge for the Second Judicial Circuit as well as countywide races. The format at that forum allowed each candidate two minutes to make an introductory statement before the moderator fielded written questions from the audience.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend this second and final forum sponsored by this group to find out where the candidates stand on the issues before the Nov. 4 general election.

For more information, telephone Tami Ray-Hutchinson at (850) 653-7515 or email: tamirh@fairpoint.net.

2008 Presidential Debate Schedule

The importance of the Presidential Debates are self evident and I hope that you find the following schedule useful.

All four debates will begin at 9:00 P.M. EST, and last for about 90 minutes. Each debate will be broadcast on the major broadcast networks, including CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX. They will also be aired on cable news channels CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and C-SPAN.

1. First Presidential Debate

Friday, Sept 26 - Site: University of Mississippi (Oxford, MS) - Topic: Foreign Policy & National Security - Moderator: Jim Lehrer

2. Vice Presidential Debate

Thursday, October 2 - Site: Washington University (St. Louis, MO) - Moderator: Gwen Ifill

3. Second Presidential Debate

Tuesday, October 7 - Site: Belmont University (Nashville, TN) - Moderator: Tom Brokaw

4. Third Presidential Debate

Wednesday, October 15 - Site: Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY) - Topic: Domestic and Economic Issues - Moderator: Bob Schieffer

City’s Annual Audit Report

Click on the image to review a copy of the City of Apalachicola’s 2006-2007, Annual Audit Report.

City reduces Millage Rate

Residents of the City of Apalachicola can expect some relief on their property tax bill because of action taken by the City Commission at our final public hearing held Tuesday, Sept 23 to adopt the City’s Fiscal Year 2008-2009 annual operating budget.

Staff and commissioners worked diligently last night to reduce the proposed millage rate from 6.125 to 5.96 during the city’s final hearing to address the budget before Oct 1.

Cuts from the proposed budget included, $14,000 to cover part of the expense to purchase a new vehicle for Betty Taylor-Webb, City Administrator, $12,000 to cover the operating cost to be accrued by Bill McCartney to lobby on behalf of the City. Plus, $8,400 due to a miscalculation of group insurance premiums; $2,000 due to a change in our overtime policy and $1,500 for the Dixie Theater as requested by Commissioner Valentina Webb.

At the suggestion of Betty, the Dixie Theater will now receive compensation from the Recreation budget to show free movies at the Dixie as part of the City’s recreation program.

Also included in the budget is a onetime bonus for city employees instead of a permanent salary increase. Employees will now receive a 3% bonus with a minimum of $1,000 at Christmas time.

The city commission made these last minute budget reductions due to a growing concern over the future of our national economy brought on by the collapse of some of our largest financial and banking institutions throughout the country.

As Mayor, I like to thank Betty Taylor-Webb, Lee Mathes, Chief Bobby Varnes, and the City Commission for their comprehension of the economic concerns facing the residents of the City of Apalachicola and I like to thank our Citizens Budget Committee for helping us get through this year’s budget cycle.

Orman House State Park Management Plan

Representatives from the Florida Park Service held a public hearing on Monday, Sept 22 at City Hall to gather input for their management and land use plan of the Orman House Historic State Park, which include Chapman Botanical Garden, and Veterans Memorial Plaza.

In July of this year, the City of Apalachicola and the Three Servicemen Statue South, Inc. signed a long-term management agreement with the State of Florida Park Service to manage under the umbrella of the Orman House Historic State Park the aforementioned sites.

Plans for Botanical Gardens include removing invasive plants and planting plants named by Dr. Alvin Wentworth Chapman, building a large shelter for wedding and family picnics, replacing broken light fixtures, installing restrooms and placing a resident ranger house on site.

The portion of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue between fifth and Market Street will be closed and the asphalt removed to accommodate parking, a sidewalk system and green space. Pedestrian traffic will be able to enter the Park from either 5th Street or Market Street, with parking on the Market Street side of the complex.

The small gathering attending the hearing agreed to help solicit volunteers to assist with the construction and maintenance of the parks.

For more information on how you can help contact Tony Tindell, Park Manager at tony.tindell@dep.state.fl.us.

Ramp Fees vs. Merit

The following is an email message received from another resident concerned over the proposal to implement ramp fees at Battery Park Marina.

Dear Mayor Van:

Just wanted to follow up with you on something I commented about in the past. I realize that there are no immediate plans to institute ramp fees at the Battery Park Marina, but I wanted to make you privy to a little informal survey I did at about noon today (9/17) as I was walking my dog in the area under the bridge.

I counted a total of 33 vehicles with trailers parked in the area of the renovated slip. 28 had Franklin County tags on the trucks, 2 were from Jackson County, 2 from Gulf, and 1 from Wakulla. Judging by the size, construction, and general condition of the trailers, (the majority of which did NOT have license plate or taillights) they carried working boats like small shrimp boats and oyster boats.

I understand there was discussion of an exemption for seafood harvesters, but I report the above to you as snapshot of information from a weekday, that may or may not be representative of the amount of potential income from ramp fees. It would be interesting to do a similar survey on a weekend.

You probably think I am beating a dead horse with this issue, but I think it always pays to look at the potential negative fallout from a fee versus it’s potential merit or revenue. I certainly didn’t know who was using the ramps, and I was surprised by the findings of my informal survey.

Yours truly,
Robin Vroegop

Weber voices concerns over Budget

I received the attached letter today via email from local resident Jerry Weber. Weber is voicing concerns over the City’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2008-2009.

The final public hearing on the budget is scheduled for next Tuesday, September 23 at 6PM at City Hall, 1 Bay Avenue. As always, the public is encouraged to attend. Click HERE to access a copy of Weber’s letter and read about his concerns.

What’s Good for the Goose

Posted on my website is a “Citizens Satisfaction Survey” that I placed there to gauge the effectiveness of city services in order to improve upon those services when the need arise.

Today I received the following message through the survey: “The salaries of city employees should not be posted on the internet. It is just asking for identity theft”.

In early August, I posted here on “The Mayor’s Blog” the salary schedule of all city employees including the city commission and myself. There was no pertinent information listed within the schedule such as social security numbers, date of births or street addresses to cause one to be overly concerned about identity theft. The only information listed on the schedule was the name of the employee, the department where they work and a breakdown of the amount that you the taxpayer pay toward their salary.

In fact, the purpose of initiating this blog was to bring transparency to our city government, one of the issues I brought forth during my campaign for Mayor. I truly believe that an open and transparent government hold elected officials and their staff accountable and provide for fewer opportunities for abuse of the public’s trust.

Employee’s salaries are part of the expense of running a City, as such; they are subject to public review.

At any rate, to dispel any concerns over identity theft, I have posted here my salary schedule as Mayor and as a county employee, which are both part of the public record.

What’s good for the goose, is also good for the gander!

With that said, as soon as they become available, I will post here the employee salary schedule for fiscal year 2008-2009, alone with a digital copy of the City’s 2007 Annual Audit Report”.

My Salary Schedule

Happy Birthday Fran

On a beautiful Apalachicola morning, friends and colleagues of Fran Edward gathered at Water Street Hotel to wish her a happy sixty-ninth birthday.

Fran, a bookkeeper at the Hotel was quite surprised when greeted by the gathering of well-wishers arranged by Hotel owner Curt Blair.

According to Blair, Fran joined the Water Street family after a brief employment with Resort Vacation Properties, a St. George Island Vacation Rental company.

A former restaurant owner from southern Louisiana, Fran moved to Franklin County with her husband and built a home outside of Eastpoint at Gramercy Plantation off Hwy 98.

Along with her bookkeeping duties, she also handles the accounting affairs for the Franklin County Tourist Development Council. She loves catering to her grandchildren and at the fresh age of sixty-nine, she still participates in water aerobics.

In addition to the many other gifts Fran received, she was given the key to the City of Apalachicola and “The Mayor’s Blog” would like to wish her a happy birthday and to congratulate her on achieving this significant milestone.

To review photos of the event click on the video below.

Photos provided by Lois Swoboda.

A call for Community Volunteers

The Apalachicola Community Pride Partnership Program is calling for volunteers to help with a wide variety of community projects aimed at fostering a sense of ownership, belonging, and pride within our community.

To accomplish this important task, we need a group of volunteers from every neighborhood within the City.

At present, we are targeting two distinct projects:

First, we are looking at implementing an Adopt-A-Block program and we need block Captains and a crew to canvass the neighborhood in which they reside to identify overgrown lots, dilapidated buildings, abandon vehicles and other infrastructure problems that exist and to report the findings back to the overall group at the monthly Community Pride Meetings.

Secondly, we need volunteers of all ages to participate in the development of a community garden to be located off 8th Street where the old City trailer park used to sit. The community garden will give residents the opportunity to reflect on their shared and individual experiences and provide an environment where understanding and friendship can grow as well as flowers, fruits, and vegetables.

For more information on the activities of the Apalachicola Community Pride Partnership Program, contact Betty Taylor-Webb, City Administrator at 653-9319 or email apalachadmin@fairpoint.net.

Mayor joins fight against Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer among women and affects the lives of all women regardless of age, race, or nationality. The risk of developing Breast Cancer increases with age, with three-quarters of all Breast Cancer cases occurring in women over the age of 50.

This is why Gail and I have joined with Franklin Needs, Inc., to help raise needed funds for use in Franklin County, by Franklin County women in their fight against this dreaded disease.

Please join Franklin Needs, Inc., and Gail and I, on October 25 from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM at the Fort Coombs Armory in Apalachicola, for the Calendar Girls Cabaret fundraiser.

The show will begin at 9:00 PM with great local talent (singers, dancers, and actors), there will be a raffle, and snacks and beverages will be available for a donation. A $10 admission charge will apply and you can turn in your ticket stub for your first drink.

Prior to the event, you can purchase luminaries in honor of a friend or loved one to line the sidewalk around the Armory. You can pick them up at any local branch of Gulf State Community Bank or purchase them the night of the event at the door.

For more information about the Calendar Girls Cabaret fundraiser, or the local fight against Breast Cancer please email Elaine Kozlowsk at tootsek@aol.com.

Poloronis Transferred

The Apalachicola City Commission had a lengthy and sometimes heated discussion last night while determining the fate of Timothy Poloronis who had his Non-DC Certification to supervise State Inmates revoked by the Department of Corrections (DOC).

According to an August 4 DOC incident report handed to the Commission by Daphne Davis, Poloronis lost his certification after a K-9 unit alerted to the scent of narcotics in a City owned vehicle with tag #86709, the narcotics tested positive for marijuana. Poloronis operated the vehicle to transport Inmates that were assigned to his work crew. The report further stated that an Inmate assigned to Poloronis supervision tested positive for marijuana and that other Inmates assigned to his crew gave statements that Poloronis had smoked marijuana with the Inmate who tested positive.

However, members of Poloronis family in attendance and City Commissioner Jimmy Elliot charged that the Department of Correction and Major Pittman had insufficient evidence to warrant the revocation of Poloronis certification to supervise Inmates. Leann Poloronis, Timothy’s wife informed the Board, that her husband (Timothy) had taken a drug test voluntarily and the results came back negative. Daphne Davis stated during the meeting, that she had been in contact with State Representative Will Kendrick’s office to look into the matter on behalf of Poloronis.

I informed both Davis and members of the audience that the loss of Poloronis certification was between Poloronis and the Department of Corrections, and at this time, the City Commission role was not to judge his guilt or innocents, but to determine what to do with his employment since he no longer held the necessary certification to perform his duties. And, should the Commission decide upon termination, at that time he would be entitled to a hearing before the Board to state his case.

I further shared some pertinent facts with the Commission, the fact that former city employees; Brian Myers, Ben Jefferson, Demetrice Cummings, and Albert Page all lost their certification or licensure to carry out their duties and the Apalachicola Board of City Commissioners terminated them all.

I then read excerpts from the minutes taken at a May 9, 1995, City Commission hearing called to determine the employment status of Ben Jefferson who had his certification revoked to supervise State Inmates. I read, “Mayor Howell stated Mr. Jefferson lost his job because he lost the required license to perform his job. The prison system revoked his right to watch Inmates . . . these employees are hired to watch prisoners, and when they lose their rights to watch prisoners, then they lose their job”.

Davis then questioned whether the Commission had allowed other employees that lost their certification to transfer into another department. Betty Taylor-Webb, City Administrator stated that to her knowledge no such transfers had occurred.

Commissioner Jimmy Elliot offered a motion similar to the one he offered during the Sept 2 meeting, this time Elliot motioned to allow Poloronis to transfer into the Street department instead of the Water department, his motion failed 2 to 3.

On October 14, 1993, the Apalachicola Board of City Commissioners voted unanimously to terminate the employment of Brian Myers for having an Inmate repair a watch and then refused to pay the Inmate $5 for the repair. Myers had his Non-DC Certification to supervise Inmates revoked by the Department of Corrections for bartering with the Inmate.

On July 2, 1996, City Commissioner Jimmy Elliot voted alone with his fellow board members to terminate the employment of both Tony Davis and Dana Walker for playing football with the Inmates. Both Davis and Walker also had their certification to supervise Inmates revoked.

Neither of these incidents can compare with the allegations of illegal drug activity with an Inmate. However, neither Commissioner Elliot nor his fellow board members afforded Myers, Davis, or Walker the opportunity to transfer into another job or position.

In the end, City Commissioner Frank Cook’s motion to transfer Poloronis into the Water Department received a second from Commissioner Val Webb and the motion passed 4 to 1.

In an attempt to be consistent and fair, I cast the lone no vote.

Hurricane Ike 5-Day forecast

Barely a week after Hurricane Gustav threaten the State of Florida, communities along the Gulf Coast are battening down the hatches again in anticipation of Hurricane Ike.

Hurricane Ike labeled by the National Hurricane Center, as an extremely dangerous storm is already responsible for at least 20 deaths in Haiti.

The graph to the left is a 5-day projection of the path forecasters are expecting the storm to take. Click on the image to enlarge the graph.

Also, for up to the minute information on the storm’s path, login to the National Hurricane Center’s website at www.nhc.noaa.gov.

Apalachicola Honors Jimmy Mosconis

At the regular scheduled September meeting, City Officials honored Jimmy Mosconis, founder of the Three Servicemen Statue Southeast, Inc., with a plaque for his dedication and hard work in bringing the replica of the Three Soldiers Detail and the Circle of Freedom to his hometown.

Local residents will also have an opportunity later on to honor Mosconis. At our August meeting, the Commission voted unanimously to designate July 12 as Jimmy Mosconis Day throughout the City of Apalachicola.

Mosconis, a former County Commissioner from 1982-2006 was elected the same year I went to work for the County. He is the only man I know of, whom I disagreed with half of the time.

However, I hold him in high regard with profound respect. His leadership as a fiscal conservative while on the County Commission served as an inspiration to my service as an elected municipal official. I enjoyed working with him both as a county employee and in my capacity as a city official in the development of Veterans Memorial Plaza.

Thanks Jimmy for all that you have accomplished and meant to not only your hometown but also to the entire Franklin County community.

A Community Garden in Apalachicola

Under the umbrella of the Apalachicola Community Pride Partnership Program, the Franklin Promise food pantry and other community organizers are making plans to start a Community Garden here in Apalachicola.

At our Sept 2 meeting, Clarice Powell received the go ahead from the Commission to place the garden on City property located on 8th Street the site of the old city trailer park.

The Community Garden not only will produce nutritious victuals for the food pantry, but it will also serve as a catalyst for neighborhood and community development.

The garden also has the potential of reducing the food budget for families who participate, beautify the neighborhood, create opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education, but most of all it has the potential of stimulating social interaction and opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections that will help bridge the Apalachicola Community.

For more information, email Clarice Powell at victimadvocate@fairpoint.net or Joe Taylor at palme2blue@yahoo.com.

Commission Report: September 2, 2008

The selection of a pool of city engineers, personnel matters, and temporary road closures topped the City’s agenda at our regular scheduled meeting held Tuesday, Sept 2.

Selection of a pool of City Engineers

The City Commission selected four engineer firms out of 10 to complement the services provided by the City’s current engineering firm Baskerville and Donovan.

At the April 8 meeting, the Commission agreed to advertise for Requests for Statements of Qualifications. The Commission took this approach to give us the flexibility to choose from a pool of engineers instead of one when contracting out design and engineering projects.

The pool will consist of the engineering firms of Baskerville and Donovan, Inc., Bailey, Bishop & Lane, Inc., Environmental Consulting and Technology, Inc., Inovia Consulting Group and Preble Rish, Inc.

Personnel Matters

The Board discussed at length what to do with employee Timothy Poloronis who recently had his certification to supervise State Inmates revoked by the Department of Corrections.

The Apalachicola Board of City Commissioners in the past has terminated the employment of at least eight former City employees who lost their license or certification to perform the job in which they were hired.

At our November 6, 2007 regular scheduled meeting, I proposed an Inmate Supervisory Policy which passed unanimously at our November 13, special meeting. The policy makes it a Class IV offense for an employee to lose his/her license or certification to perform the duties in which they were hired. Employees found in violation of this policy could find themselves subject to discharge for a first offense.

A motion made by Commissioner Jimmy Elliot to allow Poloronis to transfer into another department in lieu of termination failed 2 to 3. The Commission tabled the matter for further discussion at our Sept. 9 special meeting.

Temporary Road Closures

At our August 5 regular meeting, Anita Grove, Executive Director for the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce asked for approval to close a portion of Commerce Street for the Chamber’s Annual Oyster Roast.

The City Commission routinely approves such requests for temporary road closures; however, there was an objection to this particular closure. The objection came from Hollis Vail and Jan Gorman owners of one of the businesses operating near the proposed closure.

The Commission deferred the matter for further discussion at our Tuesday, September 2 meeting, where both Vail and Gorman appeared to voice their concerns. Both women informed the Commission that their business has suffered revenue loss from the closure of Commerce Street during the high traffic weekend of the Annual Seafood Festival.

City Commissioner Frank Cook motioned that we again table the matter to gather further information for resolution at our special meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Worst of Gustav missed Apalachicola

As Hurricane Gustav followed the same path as Katrina in 2005, it shoved a 3-foot storm surge upon the coastline of Apalachicola that caused some localized flooding alone our waterfront. In addition, with winds gusting up to 40 mph during the night, a power transformer exploded that caused a temporary disruption in lights and cable service in an isolated area of the City.

Compared to other northwest communities bordering the Gulf of Mexico, the City of Apalachicola fared a whole lot better.

We were very fortunate considering the devastation left behind by this Category 3 storm as it crossed the Caribbean’s en route to the Big Easy. Nearly 2 million people had to evacuate Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Texas days before the eye of Gustav hit Louisiana’s coastline.

Authorities at the National Hurricane Center are now calling attention to Tropical Storm Hanna. Hanna formed in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, August 28 and has winds currently at 50 mph. Forecasters are showing the storm’s path as traveling up the eastern coastline of Florida and making landfall near Savannah, Georgia early Friday morning.