Page 4 July 5 - July 11, 2013
The Town-Crier
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OUR OPINION
Tougher Manure Dumping Rules Needed, But Enforcement Is Key Last week, the Palm Beach County Commission gave initial approval to changes meant to shield residents in unincorporated areas from uncontrolled animal waste dumping. The issue has brought out people on all sides — from farmers and waste haulers, to annoyed neighbors and those with small backyard farms worried about meeting regulations. Though not perfect, these changes to the county’s animal waste regulations are necessary to protect our communities. But it will take strict enforcement to eradicate the problem. For years, residents of Loxahatchee Groves and The Acreage have complained about illegal dumping of manure on empty lots, and Wellington recently tightened its regulations on manure haulers to make sure the loads get properly disposed of. While we believe the county must be mindful of small property owners — those on little more than an acre who don’t necessarily cause a problem by spreading manure on their own property for gardening purposes — the fact is that illegally dumping manure is wrong and must be controlled. It’s a significant problem that has long been an issue not adequately addressed. Aside from being a nuisance to neighbors who don’t appreciate the smell, there is concern about the manure seeping into the groundwater. New Environmental Protection Agency water control guidelines are on the horizon, and many communities are struggling with controlling phosphates in the water. The county’s unin-
corporated areas have a higher density of horses and other livestock, which means more work must be done to meet those standards. This is a good first step toward meeting the new standards. It’s a regional problem, and having each community coming down harder on violators is important to keep it from spilling over into an unprotected community. Having strong regulations on all sides will hopefully make manure haulers think twice before dumping illegally. But a major issue in this has been a lack of enforcement. For these regulations to really make a difference, it is crucial that the county enforce them — especially against egregious and repeated violators. Critics of the new regulations have pointed out that the county has not been effective in policing the problem with its current rules. We hope that the increased regulations make it easier for county compliance officers to identify and curb problems. While it is prudent to have more discussion about some provisions that would affect backyard farms, the message to those who dump illegally must be strong: dispose of manure through proper channels. The regulations will face another round of scrutiny from county commissioners later this summer. To learn more about the new rules, see the story on page 7 of this week’s issue or visit www.pbcgov.com.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To Understand Today, Look Back To Yesterday To understand the present on the main issue, one needs to understand the past. The previous Wellington Village Council had an open-door policy for developers, and then went as far as them not coming into the front of our village offices and checking in (like I must do) but rather, rear building parking and back doors were facilitated. That’s wrong. Next, the citizenry has no lobbyist, but as we recently found out, Mark Bellissimo’s lobbyist had continuous access and was recently faulted by our ethics committee for not registering as a lobbyist. The obvious question: Why was this allowed, especially since the affected citizenry’s voices are quashed by this favoritism? Is this our village manager’s fault? No. He was fulfilling his responsibilities to the majority of the previous council, who never said no to commercialism, larger signage than permitted and overlooked Mr. Bellissimo’s initiating construction without completed paperwork and even worse, tearing down a village sign concerning safety. Mr. Bellissimo admitted this to some degree, saying he was revamping his process. The Wellington Chamber of Commerce, which put forth the majority of the “business-only” council, having lost the council’s control (by their members losing their election), started from day one to denigrate the new council, and even the village as a whole, making statements to local press and later others outside Wellington, calling this an “anti-business Wellington,” which hurts the entire village. Now the whipping boy for Bellissimo is Jeremy Jacobs, a gentleman who lives on a property contiguous to Bellissimo’s plans. Mr. Jacobs wants to protect his investment, doesn’t want a huge hotel and commercialization next door to him, so using his deep pockets, he gets involved in Wellington politics. Prior to any of this, he was not an active participant in our elections. Fortunately, he is on the side of the majority of Wellingtonians because the preserve, and the insight of the vision conference of Wellington citizens, always proclaimed the Equestrian Preserve, just that. Hotels, commercialism
and traffic and horses don’t mix, especially in our exquisite equestrian community. Village Manager Paul Schofield has had to do a balancing act, first under one administration and now another, and with the truly pugnacious attitudes now prevailing, it has become untenable and difficult for him, because he is only a facilitator of the majority of the council, which changed dramatically in one election. Here in our village, we see a new developer, with lobbyists, having access that John Q. Citizen does not. We witness initiating construction without permits that no average citizen can, and so, in short, favoritism based on money, political influence and in this arena, the mutual aid society of the Wellington Chamber. The Town-Crier has suggested meetings (council/staff and the developer), and I see this as the only available reasonable option. I don’t think Bellissimo’s numerous lawsuits show any Wellington respect for the citizenry, but I do understand his right to fight for what he wants, even though I vehemently disagree with him. As of late, the only news we get on this is a constant flow from Wellington Chamber letters, friends of theirs and what appears to be a monthly letter from Mr. Bellissimo in the press. Our elected officials cannot and do not engage in tit-for-tat letters of accusation, but that lack of information has hurt them and the village. It is my hope that the dressage aspect, which has never been negated by anyone, even though it is constantly mentioned, be allowed and facilitated immediately, and a truly scaled down, commercial aspect be considered and that any hotel be built on the State Road 7 corridor (for aesthetics and traffic considerations) or perhaps at the K-Park site. George Unger Wellington
Which ‘Informed’ Voters? Ah, yes! My longtime friend Frank Morelli trusts “informed voters” — also known as those voters whose position on political matters mirror his own (“Morelli Trusts Informed Voters,” Letters, June 28). The thought of “Mayor” Steven Abrams having or offering a “brilliant” idea gives me
pause and makes me shudder a bit. I can see why “in the name of saving money,” a thought which eluded him in other ideas, like the recent Waste Management garbage site on Southern Blvd., but I digress. To continue, the idea to merge the inspector general’s office with and under the control of the county clerk, or some such office, may give special interests a way to control too much “oversight” by an independent inspector general’s office, and God knows we can’t have independent oversight. It would threaten the very foundation of the “honest government” that we’ve enjoyed all these years. I don’t believe it was an accident that the 72 percent that Judge Morelli used in his example matched the voter approval for the creation of the inspector general’s office. It was merely that Frank did not believe anyone would notice the mocked comparison. I did notice, and so did many in the 72 percent you mocked. And I, for one, do not see anything worthy of satire going on in Palm Beach County. Your observation is correct though, that most voters prefer the activities of an independent inspector general’s office be monitored by the voters and not special interests. The merger on the table (the brilliant idea of Mayor Abrams) may be cheaper than doing it another way in the short term, but in the long term, in terms of benefit to special interests, would, in my opinion, just continue the same deals that have plagued us for years. “Republican form of government,” Frank? That’s just another coded message and double entendre. Use of the word Republican in this case presents not a form of government, but just double speak for party preference. Opinions are like elbows, and we all have a right to them, but what we don’t have a right to is our own facts cloaked in opinion but failing the “smell test.” Mayor Abrams “brilliant” idea would cost us less. We have 14 cities suing over funding the office now. Will you guarantee that adoption of his plan will eliminate all those litigants? And who says and what evidence is there to support this conclusion? No, Frank, what we are left with, in light of no concrete evidence or proof, is someone’s opinion cloaked as fact. And yes, it is “replete,” just not factual. I would leave it up to the 72 percent who
voted for the inspector general whether they wanted an independent office, or controlled by the very people the office was created for oversight. I would leave it up to these voters whether the money spent now for an independent inspector general’s office wisely may result in a much-needed reduction in “Corruption County” of deals they will have to pay for with their taxes. Richard Nielsen Royal Palm Beach
Kudos To The Council It was reported in the Town-Crier’s June 14 issue that Wellington was offered $10 million for the KPark property. Is this the same property that some members of our previous council wanted to give away for nothing? If so, I hope this council plans to stay on the job awhile. This proposal is a $1.5 million profit, and some members of the council want to entertain more proposals. I like this council. Alfred R. Longo Wellington
Keeping Liggins Right Decision This month, the Royal Palm Beach Village Council deliberated on Village Manager Ray Liggins’ annual performance and whether to renew his three-year contract. Five years ago, when Mr. Liggins took the interim position of village manager, the question was, was he the right person at the right price? Much has changed in the past five years, both in the expertise of Mr. Liggins and in the state of the village. First, Royal Palm Beach is now in a maintenance position with its focus on infrastructure of roads, canals, drainage and a large number of parks. It is clear that Mr. Liggins’ engineering background is a real plus for the tasks facing the village. Second, Mr. Liggins has shown exceptional perseverance in learning the broader skills of municipal management. He has actively expanded his certifications and encouraged his staff to earn professional credentials and expertise. He has reached out as a leader on numerous boards and has played a valuable role in contributing to solutions during regional crisis, notably the recent flooding in the western communities.
These attributes do not mean that Mr. Liggins is lacking in vision. It is his task to serve the council; so when and if the current council decides on visionary leadership, he is able to take them where they wish to go. Ray is serving the village well, however, it is also the time for the village and the council to allow Mr. Liggins to come out of the shadow of his predecessor and recognize him for his own unique contributions to Royal Palm Beach. Martha Webster Royal Palm Beach Editor’s note: Mrs. Webster is a former member of the Royal Palm Beach Village Council.
Recent Police Shootings A Terrible Thing I am appalled that the shooting of our fellow American citizens/ residents has continued unabated with no end in sight. Why are so many law enforcement officers so trigger happy? Why are their bosses so “quick” to jump to their defense (even before the official investigation) and conclude that all these shootings were justified? The fact that these trigger-happy cops are very seldom charged, and if charged, are almost certain to be exonerated, has led to complacency by law enforcement and muted outrage by the general public. I urge everyone to obey the instructions of all law enforcement officers at all times. It is far better to comply, then complain later. It might just save your life. Do not say or do anything that could be interpreted as a threat. Even the most trigger-happy cop will not shoot you if you obey his or her instructions. There are three levels of threat: no threat, likely threat and obvious threat. I firmly believe that more respect for law enforcement should be shown. I also firmly believe that proper meticulous training and respect for human life by the cops would eliminate most if not all of these deadly shootings. Why
can’t our American cops learn from the British cops? Just recently, in South London, a British soldier (in uniform) was murdered in broad daylight on the street in London. The attacker cut his throat from behind. When the cops arrived on the scene, one attacker fired his gun at them but it misfired. Despite the obvious threat, these British cops shot the attacker in the leg then arrested them both. In America, these armed attackers would most certainly have been shot dead, no doubt about it. Regarding a recent such shooting in Martin County, for Sheriff William Synder to say that, “At the end of the night, the deputy (Sgt. James Warren) went home to his family” is insensitive, troubling, outrageous and offensive. What about the victim’s family? Where is the remorse? I am still trying to figure out the recent shooting in Royal Palm Beach. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw is by far the best sheriff we have had in Palm Beach County for decades. I have told him to keep up the good work. The humanitarian efforts by Bradshaw and his better half, Dorothy, should be applauded. The work of Chief Deputy Michael Gauger is also worthy of much praise. Having said that, I disagree with Sheriff Bradshaw’s quick defense of deputies who are involved in fatal shootings, also his defense of overtime hours, which need to be reduced. Karl Witter The Acreage
For The Record The photos that appeared with the Wellington Chamber of Commerce ribbon cuttings for Hack Tax and Accounting Services and attorney Daniel Alan Terner published last week were inadvertently transposed. The Town-Crier regrets whatever confusion this might have caused.
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OPINION
‘Spiking’ Pensions Violates The Reasons Why Pensions Exist Ever wonder how so many industry and business bigwigs wind up with huge pension payoff , often higher numbers in retirement than when they were working full time? Say hello to “pension spiking,” that shady procedure which sweetens the end-of-career padding of the pension structure. Let’s look at Ventura County,
Footloose and... By Jules W. Rabin
Calif., for example. Here its chief executive wound up with a pension of $272,000 per year-for life. In her last year on the job, she earned $228,000. This financial whiz piled up added bucks by inserting unused vacation time and sick leave plus education incentives into her retirement numbers. There are actually some 60 cate-
gories on non-salary payments that local rules allow for conversion according to The Los Angeles Times. In the past 18 months, the California State Controller’s office has investigated many cases of suspected pension abuse. It confirmed over two dozen “inappropriate benefit enhancements.” In Ventu-
ra County, the pension system is already underfunded by $761 million. Yes, pension guideline vary by state and county. Thus far at least 11 states have enacted “anti-spiking” legislation. Bills are pending in four more as more public officials realize how the game is being played. Such actions go against
the spirit of what a pension plan is supposed to do — provide income during retirement to help people maintain their standard of living, noted expert Jean-Pierre Aubry of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. It seems there are endless numbers of greedy people who don’t get it.
when the issue was last discussed, there was some debate among council members about the exemption in the rules for professional offices. A motion was made at that meeting by Councilwoman Anne Gerwig to table the issue until the council could hear from business owners. “You can see how there would be circumstances that there
would be someone there besides yourself, and you may be doing more than checking your e-mail,” she said then. But her motion failed on a 3-2 vote. Businesses that are denied an extended-hours permit can always appeal the decision, Nemser said. The new code goes into effect July 15.
NEWS
Biz Hours
Grace Period Ending
continued from page 1 influx of applications now that the grace period is ending because most businesses in Wellington
can operate for 24 hours if they wish, but most of them don’t. This ordinance affects only those located within 300 feet of residential areas. The new code also makes clear that business activities are defined as work with patrons. So, businesses owners who want to go into the office at 3 a.m. and catch up on work can do so, as long as
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the owner doesn’t bring clients onto the property, Nemser said. Here is how the new language in the code reads: “As defined in Article 5, Chapter 12, for the purposes of this section, business activities shall consist of any and all activities which involve patrons of the business (either public or private activity) and do not include activities such as setup/prep,
stocking or cleanup provided those activities comply with all other Wellington regulations.” Connor is worried that distinction may be confusing for some businesses, especially accountants at tax time who may have clients at odd hours. How that will play out remains to be seen, he said. At the May 17 council meeting,
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