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Archie Bunker for City Attorney! Edith for Chief of Police! Meathead (Power to the People) for City Manager! Gloria for City Clerk! Ah, what a city we'll have!
sailingby:
It is against Florida law for an electric utility to bury wires without charging the community the full price of doing so. The purpose of the law is to protect other communities from having to pay for the benefits received by a different community. So, if Marco residents want the wires buried, Marco residents will have to pay to bury them one way or another.
When a new community is established, the developer may wish to have the utility bury the wires for aesthetic reasons, but he pays the utility to do so (or does it himself) and the cost is "buried" in the cost of the homes.
Underground utilities are not an unmitigated blessing. Although they may reduce the number of outages, they increase the duration of each outage. In the case of a flood or hurricane, you can expect the island to be without power for a week or more while the utility locates problems underground and repairs/replaces the flooded transformers located on pads above ground. Rony will be very busy running his generators from lift station to lift station to keep your excrement flowing while the power is out. Those transformers in their ugly green boxes are not the most beautiful addition to our island either!
Of course, E. Glenn could argue that he slept through his last four years as councilman so they don't count. He only woke up now and then to bellow at citizens speaking at the podium and he never read e-mails he didn't like. He had that Archie Bunker-like quality of knowing what he knew before he knew it. Ah! "Those Were the Days". You've got a lot of egg to wipe off your face Mr. Tucker. Couldna happen to a nicer guy.
Forgot to say there's obviously more than one law (in this case a Charter Provision) E. Glenn Tucker doesn't know about!
Whew! What a relief, OldMarcoMan!
Shouldn't City Attorneys know the law? How can a man who bragged about deleting e-mails from constituents by the dozen be considered for the City Attorney position? He encouraged the persecution of Chuck Kiester for deleting e-mails but exempts himself from the same law.
Furthermore, his firm's business is based on Marco Island much of which (all of which?) is related to development. Will he not have a continual conflict-of-interest problem?
To paraphrase the man: "I retch at the very thought of him as City Attorney."
So let's rally around it and what it stands for: a free but responsible press, an educated electorate that can't be led by the nose but does its own research, individual freedom and responsibility and a capitalist system that let's individuals prosper by minimizing government interference and taxation.
Keep drinkin' the Kool-Aid.
Question is: will our military salute Barrack Hussein Obama if he does become President?
Semper_Fidelis:
Could be. We'll have to wait and see. I prefer a bartender to a bankrupt who lies about his education. At least the bartender can probably mix a good cocktail, but what can a bankrupt do? Open a bank?
Leroy,
I guess you take Mike Minozzi's word over that of the Florida DOT. Do you also fall on your knees when Mike passes by?
Yeah, Bulldog. Hurry up and buy before you miss the chance to get a sewer assessment, a fire assessment, a toll on the bridge and a chance to own your very own electric utility.
Amen!
Karen,
Undergrounding the lines has absolutely nothing to do with buying the electric company. Buying the company is simply a way of raising revenue (uncontrolled by any governmental agency) to use for other purposes. If the council were serious about undergrounding the lines (which I, personally, am not sold on), they would have used the 5% tax they slapped on our electric bills to do so. If the costs were underestimated, they could at least have gotten SOME of the lines underground. Instead, they bought 10 gadzillion ugly street lights which already are rusting and must cost a fortune to keep lit. Money is a fungible commodity. Once it's raised, you can use it for anything you bloody well please and this city knows that all too well. MONEY is the reason the council wants to buy the electric company. They have no experience in running an electric utility but they sure are experienced in fleecing the residents!
With all due respect for the charitable work the KofC does elsewhere in the country, Marco's version has become a breeding ground for follow-the-leader politicians. Messrs. Waldack and Gibson are simply their leader's yes men. Instead of one Mike Minozzi on the council, we now have two clones.
Mr. Burger,
City tax RATES have declined each of the past several years but unless your property was homesteaded, your actual city taxes increased because of the increase in property values so marcoredeagle is probably correct that his taxes doubled in 5 years. Now that property values have plummeted, the council is caught between a rock and a hard place. They would have to increase the tax RATE to make up for the reduced assessments, but the state says they have to reduce the tax rate, not increase it. Since the council simply can't resist spending money on anything, they'll have to get "creative" and come up with more "enterprises" like the water company, sewer company, etc. to milk the people for money outside the spending cap and the governor's restrictions. That's the reason they're so interested in buying the power company. LCEC has served us well and charges lower rates than FPL or Tampa Electric. There's absolutely no reason to buy them other than to find another source of revenue (uncontrolled by any regulatory agency!) to keep the wild spending intact.
Suggest you "learn the facts first."
Hey Geezer,
Guess you're getting pretty old. Can't remember Tucker bragging that he deleted e-mails he didn't like by the score? Can't remember DiSciullo saying she deleted those she didn't think were necessary? Can't remember poor old Sal Sciarrino standing before the judge with Arceri and Monte's pitchforks in his back? Can't remember that Kiester wasn't "caught"; he cooperated with the sheriff fully but, rather than pay a fine as others have done, decided to fight this stupid law.
P.S.Have a nice day :)
Smokey,
Remember the old Hogie Carmichael song "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"? Well, there sure isn't any smoke in your eyes. You can actually read! Amazing! One of the few readers left on Marco Island. Wake up people! If you don't do your own research, Foster isn't here to do it for you. If you just accept whatever city officials tell you and never question their reasoning, you will get your toll bridge, you will get your electric company, you will lose the cap on spending and you'll wonder where your money went.
Anyway, best wishes, Smokey!
MarcoFacts,
Idiot! There are links to EPA documents, state documents, university studies, etc. on the www.marcocares.com web site. There always has been. You needn't believe a thing Foster wrote. Just follow the links to real experts, not local yokels like Iglehart and Tears who just push paper around. Or are you scared you might learn something? Read the EPA's report to Congress on the viability of onsite wastewater treatment. Read the EPA's own estimates of leakage from central sewers. Read about the beach closures in communities that use central sewers.
Look, I'll make it easy for you. Just click on the link given in my previous post to the Florida Clean Water Fund. You needn't even contaminate your browser by visiting the CARES site. Learn something and maybe you'll graduate from idiot to moron.
MarcoFacts:
If you want facts rather than spider bites, check the www.marcocares.com website. Backup for what I stated can be found here:
http://www.marcocares.com/Spill%20Lin...
and backup for the spillage that occured if Florida can be found here:
http://www.cleanwaterfund.org/pdf/Sew...
Read and learn!
Boy, MarcoFacts, that's about the dumbest thing I've ever read on this blog site. Since when do a handful of people make a difference in real estate values? Are you sure you're not that financial wizard, Mike Minozzi?
dc,
Spiders always go for the nerve. Must have struck one if even Lazarus has risen from the dead. Everyone looks at the personalities; no one looks at the facts: 40 million gallons of s__t spilled in Florida in one year, billions of gallons in the United States each year, every gallon coming from a central sewer system. "Staff" knows Marco's sewers leak like sieves. They videotaped them two years ago and have refused to release the tapes. Now they're gassing the lines and, oh yes, if the gas bothers you, just move out for the duration. Why won't these name callers like Lazarus, the newly minted barfieldfly_lowus, Issler and their ilk ever address the issue instead of calling people names?
barfieldfly_lowus:
I find it offensive that you should combine two blog names to post views that are quite the opposite of what either of those people would have written. You've hit a new low in trying to deceive people. When will you use Washington_Jefferson to post Joe Stalin's thoughts? By the way, what is a "sanity sewer line"? There's nothing sane about a sewer line and all leak eventually, even plastic ones that are glued at the seams. This is especially true when they're laid in the shifting sands and muck on which Marco is built. That's why they're so dangerous on coastal islands such as ours. If you don't believe this, ask yourself why the city first videotaped the sewer lines (and never released the results!) and now is testing them with smoke. Use your brains! Think for yourself! Why continue to believe those who have deceived you in the past?
Good post, Rachael, but I support Ted Forcht in general and it is my fault that my first posting was sufficiently ambiguous as to cause him pain. I never should have used his name because it wasn't directed towards him in particular. As he said in his reply, I'm just fed up with the nonsense that passes as intelligence on Marco Island.
Excellent posting, maharg. You're absolutely correct. This is nothing more than a ploy to raise money outside the cap. Ditto for the toll bridge. "Staff" has already told us so.
It is easy to see how Ray Beaufort's name got on the list. He was one of those who brought suit to have Tucker, Minozzi and Trotter recalled. He, in fact, was the one who actually culled the city's e-mail records for incriminating evidence. He also was the one who found asbestos at Veteran's Park after the site had supposedly been clean and was interviewed on TV about that. Then, all of a sudden, he switched sides and became one of the city's staunchest supporters. There have been several theories why he did that (none of them savory, all of them personal), but considering his flip-flop, he can hardly be called "a class act."
You may think that Councilors Forcht, Kiester and DiSciullo "did not stand up and do what was right when it came to the STRP" but you might find yourself singing another tune when Marco beaches are closed by pollution caused by central sewer system problems. Every waterfront community using central sewers has had such spills, 40 million gallons worth in Florida alone in one year, over 3 billion gallons in the United States according to the EPA. It's just a matter of time when it hits us too!
Mr. Forcht:
It is unfortunate that the article carried your picture and quoted you first about Marcoites being treated as morons. My posting was not directed at you although, in re-reading it, I can see how you might take it as such. You were not responsible for the STRP; the preceding council was. They acted as morons when they cut the water-testing budget while claiming our canals were polluted. They acted as morons when they expressed complete disinterest in scientific data. They acted as morons when they bought the utility with only 3 days of technical inspections. They acted as morons when they refused to consider government-approved safe alternatives to central sewers and refused to even examine the evidence. You, Mr. Kiester, and (often) Ms. DiSciullo were the only non-morons on the council and were the only ones who even thought of examining alternatives.
I apologize if, in picking up on your "moron" theme, my posting appeared to apply to you. Nonetheless, I never called you a liar and I say now that I am impressed that you read my posting and responded to it. If you wish to see bad will personified on this blog site, read 27_Year_Resident's above. He/she is still banging on Foster, Davies, Hall, Neylon, Guidry, Beaufort, Putnam, etc. The ill-will is apparent: Foster and Davies moved off the island, and in the end Beaufort was one of the staunchest supporters of the STRP. Let us pray that we do not have a bad hurricane season.
If the Marco Island City Council wishes to stop being considered morons, stop acting like morons. The council instituted the STRP without one scintilla of evidence that it was necessary, consistently misled the public with threats of pollution and state-mandated installation which the FDEP itself denied would happen, stopped testing the water quality in our canals because there was no evidence that they were polluted with any dangerous substance that could be related to the use of septic systems, declared that their decisions were not based upon "data" and never were, and now you wonder why the Marco Island City Council is considered to be a bunch of morons?
The real reason why some want to buy the electric company is apparent from the staff report quoted in the article: "The report says potential benefits could ... provide additional revenue to pay for police, fire and parks services."
Please stop treating Marco residents as a bunch of morons! You put a tax on electricity to underground the wires and then use the proceeds to buy an incredible number of street lights. You impose the STRP on single-family homeowners who don't want it and use the money to fix your decrepit sewer plant. You want to spend more money on a survey leading to tolling the Jolley Bridge when the people don't want a toll and the state tells you the bridge is safe and, with reasonable maintenance, will remain so. Stop the BS! Tell the people the truth for a change!
merton,
When you're on the bottom, there's only one way to go: up! Question is: are we on the bottom yet? I doubt it but only time will tell, not your ravings.
Issler, why don't you get off it? Nobody cares about your one-track mind and false accusations.
Replacement costs more than repair and Marco leaders LOVE to spend money.
If there is no toll, Mike can't have the toll plaza named for him!
So now they tell us that if we suffer from any number of medical conditions we ought to abandon our homes while the city puffs smoke. Didn't the city spend a bundle having all the sewer lines video taped a few years ago? Has anyone seen the results of that survey? If not, why not?
Don't I remember Mr. Minozzi bragging that Marco property values would increase between 10% and 20% a year as far as the eye could see? When in office he based his development plans on this rosy-eyed scenario and bragged how he spent his life "in finance" and knew what he was talking about. Well, it seems he had pink eye, not foresight, doesn't it? Now he's pushing a toll bridge so he can get his name on the toll plaza. Maybe we could make the bridge an "enterprise" and use it to raise uncapped money. Now, there's a thought!
Beowulf,
Not all residents are members of MICA nor do all MICA members respond to their surveys.
The value of this survey will depend entirely on what areas are covered and how the questions are posed. As in every poll, things can be arranged to get the answer you want. Perhaps that's the point Mr. Waldack was trying to make ... but who wants to communicate with Wayne Waldack? He castigates everyone who disagrees with him and writes letters to the press condemning them.
The thousands of Marco residents who signed petitions to recall city councilors and subject the city manager to periodic votes of confidence should have told the council that there was discontent, but they refused to see that. Now that the council room has fewer seats than Mackle and much less parking, citizens are encouraged to sit home and watch the circus on TV. Unfortunately, they can't comment from their Laz-Y-Boys.
Amen, Smokey!
Mr. Issler,
My Comcast internet service often dies when the ground is wet. Comcast admitted this was a problem in areas where signal strength was low to begin with as it is in many places on the island.
Next, there is a small difference between low-voltage telephone service and high-voltage power lines. If you don't believe me, try touching each. You just might find a 10,000 volt power line a tad more shocking. It will definitely put an end to you and your factless blogs.
Lastly, I dare say LCEC would be more willing to bury power lines if that would reduce their maintenance cost. The fact that they have to be dragged to the altar suggests they might know a tad more than you.
The only things certain in life are taxes, assessments, and Ed Issler's stupidity. On Marco, you can add digging.
To bad there isn't a federal agency that oversees municipal government finances.
Wayne, stop trying to think. It strains your brain and smokes up the environment. Quit your childish threats; your sword is too limp to stand up.
John, what were you at Con Ed? I heard you were a personnel manager. Is that true? More adept at hiring and firing than at making engineering inspections? You certainly didn't inspect the water and wastewater utility before you bought them!
Councilors, why are you keep one of your members "out of the loop"? I thought the new Marco council stood for honesty and openness.
But the real clincher (and the real reason for floating this lead balloon) is: "Although Trotter did not expect municipalization to come up during Monday’s meeting, he said a feasibility study on the matter would be on the agenda at a June workshop as part of a host of alternative revenue generating ideas to decrease city reliance on property taxes."
So, they're looking for "alternative revenue generating ideas." The city wants another "enterprise" to raise money outside the cap. That's it pure and simple. The city will never duplicate the high level of service that LCEC provides and, since they will monitor themselves rather than have rates fixed by an outside commission, you can bet your last ounce of sewage that rates will rise and the money will flow ... from your pocket to the city coffers. Remember the promise not to raise water rates for 8 years? How long did it take them to "tier" the rates to raise more money? 8 months?
Don, real glad you're enjoying your "welcome inconvenience". We want our journalists(???)to be happy. After we get all the roads repaved and the swales repaired, you can enjoy the "welcome inconvenience" of digging it all up once more to put the electric wires underground. Everyone has been paying an extra 5% on their electric bills for years to put the wires underground and it ain't happened. That tax was a rip-off, an outright fraud perpetrated on the people by the last city council and city manager who lied to the people as to how the money would be used. If this council has the honesty and integrity that it claims, it should return every dollar of that tax to the homeowners. That includes everyone who was lucky enough to sell their homes and get off Markup Island. They deserve a check too; they paid the tax!
Is it true that Rony has the KY concession on the island?
Yeah Rob, with nothing in the till, spending that 13 mil was real difficult. Guess the devil made ya do it!
Hey Jerry! 40 bucks extra on a $25,000 tab makes a real big difference, don't it? Get your head out of the martini shaker.
What's with this wastewater improvement? Wastewater to me says STRP. Wasn't we supposed to get all this extra reuse water from the STRP? Wasn't that Arceri's sales pitch? Didn't we already commit money to that? Now you want more? Boo! Hiss! Fraud!
Seems like Jim is a perfect match for Marco, OldMarcoMan: he hires incompetent department heads that he can get along with (think Joel and Harrison) and a police chief with girlfriends in the closet. Fossil is correct; we need more on site background checks on these candidates by our city councilors or we'll end up with the dregs not wanted elsewhere. Not sure Trotter's the guy to do it though; he'd have to bring his wife along to tell him what he thinks and that doubles the cost. Where is Ed Foster? He knows the questions to ask and isn't afraid to ask them!
I'm for a spider memorial.
"What results if we’re not careful is overkill, rule by sledgehammer, penalizing the many while trying to pacify the few."
Kinda sounds like the STRP!
And Don, how come you're so interested in statistics, not anecdotal evidence, when it comes to rentals but you didn't need any evidence and went entirely on seat-of-the-pants opinion before concluding that the $138 million boondoggle called the STRP was a vital necessity. As artful Arceri and masterful Minozzi were wont to say about the STRp: "it's not a matter of data, it's never been a matter of data."
Don't you think that tearing h--l out of the island and spending $138 million is a tad more important than a few rental rules? Guess not!
Got any rental property yourself?
Kiester and Recker were right. The Mercer Group produced a very poor roster of candidates.
Ed Issler is correct. There's only one or two decent resumes in the lot and they may not stand up to scrutiny. If this is the best this search firm could come up with, let's agree with Kiester and Recker and start over with a different search firm. It would be very dangerous to pick from this paltry list.
Happyonmarco may be happy on Marco, but he or she apparently never ran a business. It's not that easy or cheap to terminate a chief executive and that's what the city manager is. There will be some sort of parachute written into their contract for early termination and if they are so incompetent that they must be terminated, what does that say about our council's ability to choose a manager? The council must be given an adequate choice. This isn't it. Stop the process before we make a huge mistake. Suppose we follow Happy's advice, end up with a dud because we couldn't wait, and terminate him. Would you apply for the job as the next Marco City Manager if you were a competent CM?
gernblanstone,
The barkeep is watching him. What more do you want?
Where does this rag get its writers?
Which "musicians and actors" did Lucille Ball own? I thought slavery was abolished before Lucy was hatched.
Hey OldMan, I loves fireworks as long as they don't shoot through my web. But why does the city have to pay for them at a time when money is so tight? Fireworks are a great way to celebrate our country and our island! Seems to me Celebrate Marco is the ideal organization to pay for them. Send the bill to John Arceri, Monte Lazarus, Sad Sal Sciarrino, Stef and that bunch. They want something to celebrate? Here's a great opportunity! They can become the heros they always wanted to be.
"impending" construction? Where did this girl learn to write? What a rag!
When will this woman learn her trade? How can anyone be said to have voted in the minority when the vote is a tie? Does anyone on this rag bother to read this woman's articles before they are printed? This isn't a Scripps paper; it's a Scrap paper.
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