by Howard Melamed
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Commissioner
Ted Mena:
Mo' Money |
Coral
Springs Fl, October 1,2006: Ted Mena , city
commissioner in Coral Springs, finally figured it out.
There is no money in being a city commissioner. Before he
put ran for office, Mena knew exactly how much he was to
receive as compensation for holding the position of commissioner: $13,000 approximately. On July 11 of this year, at a
city commission meeting he made sure that everyone knew that he
was unhappy with this amount of money. He wants this
amount to increase 215% to $28,000 per year....and all the city
commissioners except for Claudette Bruck, have agreed with him.
As a result, this issue is on the ballot of the November 7th
election and you can do something about it. VOTE NO! Tell
them to shove it. They don't deserve it, and in a time where
taxes, fuel and economy are big issues, shame on them for even
asking for such and increase.
If ever there was an
issue regarding voter turnout, I think this and the 1% BS
Broward Sales take addition should be the one to get you out
in droves!
To put all this in
perspective, the city of Coral Springs is run by a full time
City Manager, Mike Levinson, who gets paid very well, ( highest
in the state of Florida) for doing what he does best: Run the
City. The Commissioners are there to watch over his
activities but not run the city. It has been working like this
since the city of Coral Springs came into being. Not even Mike's
salary has ever increased by 300%! As a matter of fact there is
a city statute that no city employee can get an increase greater
than 10%.
However, the city
commissioner's salary has always been at a low amount, and it
has always attracted dedicated individuals that wanted to give
their service to the citizens, without the need for
compensation. In the past, there were always increases,
but no Commissioner ever wanted nor dared push more than the
increase in the cost due to inflation down the citizens throat.
The reason was simple, is that they feared, as the four in
office should fear, a backlash from the citizens who will
remember their actions at the next election, when we hold them
to task for what they promised and said to us: I am not doing
this for the money, but because I want to volunteer my time to
public office.
Mr. Mena, makes no
bones about this. I WANT MORE MONEY, He says by his statement on
July 11. And Commissioner Gold, seconds the motion, and Scott
Brook and Commissioner Boccard vote YES YES YES, or shall I put
it $ $ $. The only one individual with the
fortitudes to stand up to the others is Claudette Bruck,
who voted against any such increase. She reaffirmed her position
at the following commission meeting saying that she cannot vote
in good conscience for an increase. The others were
silent, and Mena, with a grin on his face like the Grinch That
Stole Christmas, remained silent. Bravo to Claudette who
knows exactly why she became a city Commissioner.
I am quite surprised
that those commissioners in office are actually not concerned
about their future political ambitions. Increase in salary
for those in political offices are not what I would call good "
something to remember me by" actions.
Let Them Eat Cake
City Commissioners
who think they are immune from the wrath of the public are
perhaps being very naive. Ted Mena's attitude toward the few
people that put him into office is disgusting to say the least.
Already in the last few years we have seen that his ability to
grasp issues within Coral Springs to be somewhat a joke.
He is not what I would consider to be top shelf material. Yet,
despite his shortcomings, he is the one person most vocal on
getting the most financially out of his tenure as a city commissioner.
While, Brook , Gold and Boccard will point the finger to Mena as
the one leading the charge, they will take the fall with him
should the issue of compensation actually pass the measly
8% turnout rate that is common in Coral Springs. If the
increase fails, they will certainly hope that when they run for
reelection, that the measly 8% of the eligible voters that will
turn out will forgive and forget their money grab move to bilk
the citizens of more money.
Claudette Bruck: A
Symbol of Integrity.
|
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Claudette Bruck: You got my
vote |
The one person that
has gained a lot of respect since taking office is Claudette
Bruck. Coralsprings.com did not endorse her as a
candidate, but it was a hard decision not to. While the other
commissioners are cleaning up canals, she has been helping the
people that cannot vote : The homeless and for abandoned and
neglected children. As the only woman
on the commission, she has her job cut out for her. Voting
against the other 4 , as former city commissioner Rhonda Calhoun did, was one of guts and one that is
politically the best choice for her to have done.
So far, under Mike
Levinson's leadership, our city has become strong financially
that has kept for the most part our property taxes in check.
Although some may disagree with him on some issues, no one can
ever say he is not fiscally responsible. The city
commissioners are the board of directors of the city, but make
no mistake. It is Levinson who is the CEO of the city.
There is no reason to increase the salaries of the part time
city commissioners, but every reason to make sure that they
don't get it.
On November 7
make sure that if you are eligible to vote that you spend
the 5 minutes and vote NO on the increase to their salaries
and.... at the
next city election, you make sure you remember why you did so.
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