too much experience?

While its true that a lack of experience, good judgement, and qualifications are problems that have faced the City in their past hiring situations, it did NOT stop them from hiring those without the aforementioned credentials! A case could be made that city employees have TOO MUCH experience- making handshake deals instead of contracts, fabricating resume checks and various other things, giving away the use of city facilities for pennies on the dollar, being clueless regarding City revenues and how they were derived, overpaying 300% and more for City construction projects, repeated change orders and cost overruns,and taking over TWO years to complete a 4-month project, among other snafus. Maybe we just need to wipe the slate clean and start over.

commentary

Flyers are not a problem and are in the works as an educational tool for the residents. Finding a new City Manager may very well be an answer but just because his performance has NOT been in the best interests of the taxpaying residents. Arrogance, deception, secrecy, and fabrications aside, its not personal. HUGE profits of 300%, 400% and more for the contractors are NOT in the best interests of the residents! We need somebody who will protect amd preserve our City and its assets. We do NOT need those who make backroom handshake deals for private businesses that only benefit the private businesses, and leave the residents footing the bill so that those private businesses can prosper at our expense. ENOUGH!

commentary

Being a competitors news and political site, you could almost expect the Gazette to rip this blog site. ALMOST. Almost because it IS a problem reading some of the posts, in that the Editor is right in some ways - its wrong to defame, degrade, and desecrate people WITHOUT knowing ALL the facts, which are NOT know as of this date. Altho somebody may know all the facts, I certainly dont. I assumed that some of the strongest stuff came from parents and friends of the young ladies involved, from the passion and vitriol that was expressed. Their outrage might be understandable IF all those things that have been accused, really happened like it was said. The problem is we dont HAVE all the facts, even tho some sort of investigation was supposed to have been done. I have mixed feelings- while its not fair to try and convict a guy in a court of public opinion without OVERWHELMING proof beyond reasonable doubt (and this isnt court), its also not right to sweep a possible serious problem under the rug like it never existed. I reserve the right to come to a firm conclusion until I have heard ALL the facts. If all the facts are not forthcoming I will probably wonder Why Not, perhaps in this spot? I, for one, am more concerned with the very questionable resume and the manner in which he was hired - both of which seem to have semi-serious fabrications attached to them (was he actually Rec Director in Wilton Manors and did Gym do the proper background checks and follow the policies before hiring him that he said he did?). For the Gazette to say it is anti-new gym forces behind this makes NO sense, because even if he were gone, Gorland will just take back over without any problem of administrative continuity. The new gym Director has no experience with construction anyway so its not like there would be a void in the construction process, right? The Gazette editor did have at least one other idea that I would like to try- I am signing my name... Dr. Mel P. Johnson

enlightenment needed

IF there has been information posted here that is DEAD wrong, please enlighten us with the correct information! The City Manager SAID that the MDAC rate has been $200 a month for the past 2.5+ years, and now they are paying $500 a month. Of course, Gym also said there was an Optimist connection at the pool and THAT turned out to have NO basis in fact! Until there are confirmed facts that support those numbers, the jury is still out. Ms Gannon spoke about the benefits of water aerobics, and that may be true, but there hasnt been any proof of a consistent water aerobic program for MONTHS! There is also LITTLE evidence of many swim lessons being given from Oct-March of last year and from October 2008 thru the present, from the reviews that have been done. There is NO evidence of the $500 per month rental charge to MDAC having been paid either, but if it has been missed somehow, please fill us in as to where that revenue information can be found! In addition, there is NO evidence of the $750 per day meet pool rental fees Gym has claimed have been charged in the past. If those revenues are located somewhere else, other than the daily logs, please let us know where THEY can be found also! Education is wonderful thing! Please, educate us regarding the RIGHT numbers, and put them here, for all to see. God forbid we should ever have outright FABRICATIONS or unapproved secret backroom handshake deals regarding City businesses!

A Xmas wish

Happy Holidays!! There is a sign-in sheet when you go to lift weights. You have to fill out a sheet with complete information when you want a FOI request. Why not at the pool? It is curious that the Mayor and the Council, now that they know there is NO contracts or use agreements, only a handshake deal with MDAC, they are not DEMANDING contracts be put into place immediately!!? Does it mean they believe that handshake deals are sufficient? Does the Mayor or the Council even KNOW what the handshake deals ARE? Has it ever been discussed? After knowing the Optimist connection was a pure fabrication, how can they trust the City Manager's word on ANYTHING? He SAYS that Columbus and Reagan HS have paid $1500 each for the past 2 seasons, but there is NO proof of that being true, and he offers NO proof ? He SAYS that MDAC has paid a paltry $200 a month to practice at our pool but a review only finds 5 months accounted for out of the last 36 months! Perhaps he cannot find the records because several of them appear to be missing. In that case all he has to do is request MDAC to provide THEIR cancelled checks, deposit slips, and bank statements! Simple, no ?! Or perhaps the City Manager thinks that 5 payments of $200 out of the past 36 months is sufficient rent for the use of our pool, since he said he had NO IDEA what other pools charge for their pools ? If THAT is the case then he is just INCREDIBLY INCOMPETENT and should be allowed to "pursue other oppurtunities" elsewhere. Any way you slice it, the pool is just ANOTHER fiasco the City Manager is involved in that costs the residents a LOT of money. As this is Xmas and a time for being kind - set him free...Let him go, start with a clean slate, somewhere else. We simply cant afford him any more.

doubters remain

There is a BIG difference between SAYING you paid something and PROVING it. For instance, the City Manager SAID there was an Optimist connection with the concessions at the pool BUT that didnt turn out to be true. It was a complete and total FABRICATION. Fabrications happen, like for instance when the MDAC website claims the team has multiple places to practice, and the coach says its only one. That may only qualify as only a half-fabrication because he apparently FORGOT to mention that we are the only pool local heated pool during the Winter and that during the warmer months they DO practice at many other sites. Another possible fabrication could involve the pool rent payments. A Springs resident has reviewed daily logs back to 2006 and only found FIVE months payments documented- yet MDAC says they have paid them ALL. Someone is fabricating a story again. If you can, prove the resident in error. Once you are known for fabricating its hard for honest people to believe you. Ask our City Manager. We HOPE that MDAC will tell the truth, no matter what it is, and back it up with credible sources- cancelled checks, bank statements, deposit slips, etc., like we HOPE the City Manager will do. Until that happens, can you blame us for having our doubts?

fabricated figures

IF, as it currently appears, pool rent was only paid for FOUR of the past 36 MONTHS, what is the Mayor and/or the Council going to do about this? Are they going to investigate this ANY further? If Gym says that MDAC is now paying $500 a month, why would ANYBODY believe him? Is there ANY evidence that they are REALLY paying that amount? Gym has a tendency to fabricate things- is THIS another one of his fabrications? Four out of 36 months of payments seems to be enough for Gym. Is it enough for the Mayor and the Council? If so, they need to go!

issues

You are right when you say the resident has issues. He has issues when connections to the Optimist Club are fabricated; issues when a roster of Springs kids on a private swim team we subsidize isnt available for inspection; he also has issues pool practice rents that were claimed to have been paid to the city for the past three years do NOT stand up to any inspection (possibly 4 months paid out of the past 36). He has issues when the City Manager tells him that, as the City Manager, he has no way of knowing what the revenues and expenses that made up the lump sum figures that he claimed in the city's budget report, were(even tho he took out an itemized quarterly report right there, in his office). He has an issue when the City pays $400 a square foot for bathrooms that should only cost $125 a square foot! He has issues when the plumbing, electrical, and sewer hookups are FORGOTTEN for the bathrooms! How can THAT happen? one expensive fiasco after another! The list of issues goes on and on.