Showing posts with label Eagles Wings Development Center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eagles Wings Development Center. Show all posts

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Is Hallandale Beach Comm. Alexander Lewy -Lewy the Liar- running for FL House 100 in 2014? Yes, but opponents/voters have a treasure trove of evidence to show why he's a poor choice to represent anyone anywhere, given his uncontrollable know-it-all personality and pro-govt. mindset, and penchant for always thinking he knows best, even when self-evident facts show why he's wrong; Friends Helping Friends Dept.: Last Tuesday Lewy was honored by group at the same address he voted to give $200k CRA loan to (that still owed taxpayers money for previous loan) and voted $50k to just weeks ago. Plus, another deal for Rabbi Tennenhaus; @AlexLewy

Today, after being in cold storage for a week, I'm posting an expanded and corrected version of my email of last Tuesday to some folks in and around South Florida who like knowing what's really going on around here, instead of waiting for the South Florida news media to stumble across it.

----- 

If it's not too much trouble, could someone from the South Florida news media please ask Hallandale Beach Comm. Lewy what specific day he's going to make it official and file his paperwork with the Broward Supervisor of Election's office to run for FL House District 100 next year against Joe Geller?

I mention this because Lewy the Liar doesn't do coy very well.

With lobbyists like Bernie Friedman in attendance last Tueday night, Alexander Lewy could well have chosen to make that expected announcement then, with everyone saying what a great guy he is, notwithstanding all evidence to the contrary -like his own words and actions, in and out of office.

Like, well to name but five or 7 anti-Hallandale Beach taxpayer and anti-HB homeowner issues I can think of off the top of my head:

a.) Lewy supported the Joy Cooper-led HB City Commission in their vote for the Diplomat LAC in 2009 over the neighborhood's strenuous objections, which is part of why he received campaign contributions from the Westin Diplomat's law firm when he ran for the City Commission a second time after the Broward County Commission killed the incompatible plan in early 2010. 

b.) Despite Northeast HB neighborhood residents being overwhelming AGAINST Mayor's Cooper's absurd and un-safe proposal to make two-way streets out of N.E. 8th & 10th Avenues between Hallandale beach Blvd. and atlatic Shores Blvd., Lewy initially supported it
and chastised NE HB residents who opposed it. 
But the plan was so lacking in both common sense and safety that in the end it wasn't just the NE neighborhood residents who were AGAINST it, but even the sleepwalking geniuses over at Gulfstream Park, who woke-up long enough to feel obliged to publicly speak out AGAINST what he and the mayor wanted;

c.) Lewy has supported the expansion of the city's VERY, VERY unpopular Red-Light Camera operation, a policy that is so unpopular in this city that it was the number-one cited complaint on a questionnaire for HB residents according to an independently-run survey the city paid for. But he didn't care and has continued to support the policy, 

d.) Lewy supported the Ben Gamla Hebrew Charter School being placed in a largely single-family NE Hallandale Beach neighborhood over the neighborhood's reasonable and common sense objections, despite the fact that students from HB would've been in the strong minority of overall students attending, meaning that it would not have been a neighborhood school but a drop-off site for out-of-town people, with the neighborhood getting all the problems and little positive in exchange, 

e.) Last summer Lewy saw nothing at all wrong with voting on The Beachwalk development project next to the Intracoastal Bridge in August -a project which the city's Planning & Zoning Advisory Board unanimously rejected- despite the fact that most of the affected homeowners in the neighborhood were out-of-town, rather than simply wait 2-4 weeks, so they could actually show-up in-person and have their say about what they and their families will have to live with forever -a 31-story building.

f.) Lewy has publicly stated that despite the fact that the entirety of the city's CRA District does NOT reside within Northwest HB, he DOES believe that almost all of the city's the CRA funds should go there.


That this would be contrary to state law and sound public policy and likely lead to lawsuits the city would lose probably makes no difference to him, seeing as how he's consistently shown thru his actions that he believes that it's his job for as much of Hallandale Beach taxpayer and CRA funds to wind-up in northwest HB.

g.) Who can forget Lewy's attempt in July of 2011 to funnel $200,000 to Comm. Anthony A. Sanders' group, Eagles Wings, after midnight at a meeting with few members of the public present and WITHOUT his actually saying their name?

You remember, don't you?

August 27, 2012

To prevent repeat performances of Hallandale Beach Comm. Alexander Lewy's egregious post-Midnight gambit last July to funnel over $200k to Comm. Anthony A. Sanders' Eagles Wings, the new process for funding community nonprofit groups in a suburban Beltway county is precisely what Hallandale Beach needs to emulate; Jeremy Borden in Wash. Post: Prince William changes how it will fund nonprofit groups
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/to-prevent-repeat-performances-of.html

Time after time, Lewy has proven that Hallandale Beach residents and small business owners' initial negative feelings and perceptions of him were correct all along -he was exactly what he seemed to them: a career politician in-training who planned on using them as a stepping-stone.

This fact has been proven repeatedly as concerned residents found themselves face-to-face with him on public policy matters,
As the concerned residents from Northeast HB can attest to, more times than they could count, they've been condescendingly told by Lewy that THEY had "their facts all wrong" when it was actually Lewy who was wrong.

That refusal of Lewy's last August to even consider delaying the first hearing on The Beachwalk for less than a month, something that I honestly thought that even he would be smart enough to see the wisdom of, really left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Hallandale Beach residents who live in that area.

But what Lewy and his band of acolytes fails to understand is how much other concerned HB residents see that refusal to do the right thing as yet another piece of the puzzle in revealing Lewy's true nature, and the larger picture that is his CONSISTENT unwillingness to put the interests of HB residents and homeowners first -and above real estate developers.

In every case, Alexander Lewy has supported real estate developers, NOT the interests of Hallandale Beach residents, parents, home owners and small business owners.
Those were his votes and his opinions and he now owns them for posterity.

It's hard not to notice who almost always seems to come in second with him.
It's also hard not to notice over time that he seems to prefer the momentary flash and illusory pretense that he's an important player who gets to make important decisions, instead of the more low-key and more important role of one of five people in this city entrusted to provide genuine oversight over an unwieldy and generally poorly-performing city bureaucracy that fails too consistently taxpayers.
But we know why, and that's because Lewy genuinely loves government bureaucracy.

In my view and that of many others in this community, Lewy keeps making the wrong decision and keep putting the wrong parties first in part because Alexander Lewy is as stridently pro-government and anti-taxpayer and resident as any politician in South Florida could possibly be in the year 2013.

That strikes me as a very poor starting-point for a candidacy, especially for someone who's actually done very little of consequence or accomplishment in two years in office, and something which even an opponent of average intelligence will no doubt exploit to the fullest.
Lewy has certainly provided the public and any 2014 opponent with an overwhelming mountain of evidence to prove just that.  

-----

In 2011, a group at the same address as last Tuesday's get-together, Chaya Aydel Seminary, was given a $200k loan for property improvements on property that they didn't even own themselves, under the guise of it creating "jobs."

NOT that the city has ever checked to see how many jobs, if any, were actually "created" as a result of CRA loans, as last week's Broward Inspector General report mentioned.
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-joy-coopers-rubber-stamp-crew-set.html

This, even though this organization STILL hadn't entirely repaid a previous loan from the city.
Must be nice to have such good friends with money to lend! 
And with such generous 15% forgiveness terms!  

The first link is to the city's staff report, the second is to their support documents.


See my May 23, 2011 blog post on that agenda item: 
Why? Joy Cooper's Rubber Stamp Crew set to give $200k in CRA loan to entity that fails to meet city's OWN RULES; may already owe $170K from past loan!
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-joy-coopers-rubber-stamp-crew-set.html


Just a few short weeks ago, Rabbi Raphael Tennenhaus, the person who, in all reality, was  the real host of last Tuesday's event, was the recipient of CRA largess to the tune of $50k for purposes that many if not most in this city have a hard time wrapping their heads around.

Which is to say, is there's really THAT MUCH drug abuse going on among Senior Citizens in HB, and it's such a problem, why has it never been publicly mentioned before at a City Commission or CRA meeting?
Very curious...

Should the HB City Commission, acting as the HB CRA, really be giving money to yet another group, for a problem that few who here really thinks exists, and to quote the city's own documents, "However, the statistical impact on Hallandale Beach/HBCRA District

specifically was not provided."

On the face of their own documents, they seem to have almost nobody with either a medical or Social Work background involved:

More recently, just two weeks ago, yet another Rabbi named Tennenhaus, Levi Tennenhauswho is also associated with that very same address, was the name party in another CRA agenda item, one that gave him and his wife a real financial break, too.

Below, in blue, are some excerpts from a Draft of comments written by my friend and HB civic activist Csaba Kulin, who was at that CRA meeting, who wrote his thoughts down for the benefit of myself and others who didn't attend the meeting.
I've slightly tightened it up here-and-there for grammatical and syntax purposes, but it's well over 99.99% Csaba's hard work.

The points Csaba makes are just as fundamentally sound now as they were when he first wrote them down, and echo many of the very same points that he and I and many others in this community have been making for many years regarding how things are routinely done in Hallandale Beach. 

Which is to say, why do so many things involving financial grants and loans from the city's CRA and City Commission seem to only benefit a small handful of people, and not just any people, but rather ones who are 'connected' and who have some degree of either social, financial or political pull in this community, especially the latter?

And why is it that the average Hallandale Beach taxpayer and small business owner always seems to come up last on the Totem Pole when it comes to the City Commission/CRA's priorities, compared to their friends and political allies?

Comm. Julian wanted to ask questions about 9 A, the Levi Tenenhaus item. Julian said that he has not seen that as one of the entities getting a grant. He was 100% right to ask questions. I have never seen the Tennenhaus item before, it was not part of the other items. Julian just asked for a simple explanation and he did not get a straight answer. I would love to hear a bit more about it.
 
The way I understand, the applicant got the $40,000 First-time homeowner loan in 2010 to purchase a $215,000 house. The questions in 2010 should have been, was he a first time home owner or just a first time home buyer in HB? Did he really in need the $40,000 or it was just nice to get it? That is water under the bridge, we cannot talk about it, but I'd like to know. It was probably one of the 350 “exceptions” mentioned in the last audit.
 The City/CRA had a second mortgage, on the property to insure that the City/CRA gets re-paid in case of a default. Mr. Tennenhaus wants to expend the house and in order to get a loan he wants HB/HBCRA to "subordinate" its claim to the lender giving the loan. With the construction loan added, the loan amount exceeds 80% of the appraised value and it is NOT allowed.
 
Now, here comes HB/HBCRA to the rescue. We do NOT care if HB/HBCRA gets repaid, as long as the lender of the construction loan gets repaid.

The CM/ED said "no fiscal impact at THIS time". True, but do you think a "second" mortgage is worth as much as a "third" mortgage? I do NOT think so. We will see it in the future.
Just some things to think about today as you wonder why this city that clearly ought to be so much better and attractive than it is now, remains in such state of funk and confusion.

In case you have problems with the link below, which is how I found out about this
event, it's at 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

More tough questions for Hallandale Beach taxpayers to ponder as voting draws near on 2013 budget for controversial CRA; Why can't the city provide real oversight and criticize Jessica Sanders' continued inability to properly manage the Palms Community Action Coalition, which gets CRA funds? Because her husband is a commissioner, the same man who hides from savvy taxpayers rather than answer their questions about his land sale to the city in 2009 -for MORE than property was worth!; @MayorCooper, @SandersHB, @AlexLewy


Above, the property formerly owned by Comm. Anthony A. Sanders, which was bought by the city without any plan for its use. Now it is rented to a non-profit for $10 a year and Sanders can still use for FREE, courtesy of a motion made in 2009 by then-Comm. William "Bill" Julian, who was defeated in 2010 and who is a candidate again in November -as if we had forgotten all the damage he has done to this city. You won't be surprised to hear that Comm. Sanders, a Pastor, ignored the city's conflict-of-interests laws and voted YES on the motion.
As I've written here so many times, as has been the case since the city purchased the property in early 2009, and since he filed papers to run for re-election in June, Comm. Sanders has adamantly refused to speak publicly and candidly with HB taxpayers and answer questions about that 2009 land sale of his and his wife's to the city for more than the property was worth -and with no plan by the city for its use after purchase.
The two local newspaper reporters who have Hallandale Beach as part of their beat, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Tonya Alanez and the Herald's Carli Terproff, abet this pathetic and longstanding insult by refusing to write ANYTHING about Sanders, his wife Jessica, or the whole ethical cloud surrounding them, to say nothing about how they have personally profited from city spending decisions. The very things that residents care about. Why? 
May 22, 2012 photo by South Beach Hoosier. © 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved

Below, my email of last Wednesday to Dr. Alvin B. Jackson, Jr., the Director of the Hallandale Beach CRA, sharing some well-founded concerns about what is and has been taking place with the CRA in this city.

You should know that as of 5:00 p.m. on September 19th, 2012, the calendar of the Palms Community Action Coalition, the shadowy group headed by Comm. Sanders' wife, Jessica Sanders, is still showing its most recent activities as being June 2011, 15 months ago.
Really.

That's the public's only way to judge what this politically-charged group is actually doing with the money they are given, sice the reports they file are worse than vague.

Does a group that has consistently shown that it is unable to do something simple, competently, for 15 months, deserve CRA funds?
No, it doesn't.

I understand the final CRA budget will be voted upon next week, and you can count on hearing more about that in the days before the vote, with particular notice paid to some of the groups who receive funding and who still can't coherently explain what they do or how HB taxpayers benefit, since the CRA is supposed to end "blight," not be a social welfare agency for supporters of the mayor and the city commission.

-----

September 12, 2012

Dear Dr. Jackson:

I have some questions and comments on my mind the day the CRA's 2013 budget goes final, one way or the other, which I hope you will be able to address tonight, if possible.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Northwest Hallandale Beach, that is, the area of the city west of Dixie Highway and north of Hallandale Beach Blvd., comprises only 13% of the city's entire population, albeit, a larger percentage of the population of the CRA itself.

Does your office have the numbers that indicate what the percentage of the CRA's total (non-personnel) budget that goes to NW Hallandale Beach and what are the percentages of the other parts of the city served by the CRA and their respective percentages?

I've stated repeatedly at one public meeting after another for the past few years -including one this past Spring when I asked you some questions- that with the costs of a website are well within everyone's budget, or even free, why is it that in the year 2012, there are Hallandale Beach groups and organizations that currently receive loans, grants or funds from the HB CRA unable or unwilling to create website that could more accurately depict the activities they engage in, who runs it on a daily basis, who comprises the Board of Directors, when and where are their public meetings, and with copies of or links to updated docs re their
non-profit status from the IRS or the state of Florida  Secretary of State, like Form 990's, available to Hallandale Beach taxpayers and the concerned public?

Are you or your assistants in a position to publicly explain to taxpayers why they should trust organizations that refuse to be transparent and refuse to create a website despite years of receiving public funds via grants, loans or CRA dollars?

Are you or your assistants in a position to publicly name any parties that have specifically told you that they will NOT create a website to accomplish this goal of openness?

Do you believe that it is appropriate or a good policy for a small city like Hallandale Beach to allow so many of the same names and faces to be involved in either a management or Board of Directors position on multiple organizations receiving taxpayer or CRA funds, esp. ones that have no tangible long-term funding sources other than the city?

That does NOT seem like a good idea to me.
I think it'd be better that those groups try to aggressively recruit retired business execs in this city who actually have a track record than to continue placing people, however well-meaning, who have no business experience whatsoever.
Decisions need to be based on reality, not hopes.

Where, exactly, are all the owners of HB businesses that already exist, whether successful or middling, located in and around Dixie Highway at CRA meetings?
I never see any of them -EVER.

Why aren't you and your staff doing everything in your power to get them to attend the CRA meetings to add their perspective, since shouldn't they have as much say in what is going on -or isn't- in their own neighborhood as people or groups who are asking for a handout from the city?

Most people in this city would say that those particular business owners should probably have MORE say-so, not less, than groups without a long-term financial sustainability plan.

Especially since they at least have some skin in the game and have actually expended their own money and energy to try to make a go of it, not the CRA's money.

And speaking of the business community, where, exactly, is the taxpayer-subsidized
HB Chamber of Commerce and Patricia Genetti in all of this?
Why isn't she helping you try to get these current business owners on Dixie or 1st Avenue
more involved?
Why isn't she helping you lead an effort to get all the businesses located on Pembroke
Road from I-95 to U.S.-1 -esp. the car dealerships- on the Internet? 

Especially since Google is offering free websites for a year to Florida businesses?

(By the way, personally, I don't think it helps the reputation of the Hallandale Beach Chamber one bit that its number-one employee, Genetti,  and its elected President, both live outside of the city. That's not something worth bragging about.)

In all the years that I have been going to public meetings in HB and which Genetti had been on the scene, maybe I'm wrong, but I have NO recollection of her ever being present at a CRA meeting and recognizing that it has a role it ought to be playing but is, instead, sitting on the sidelines.
Why?

In my opinion, we simply don't have enough resources to be in the position of wasting them

To me and many other observers, Dr. Jackson, after all these years, it's hard to shake the notion that there exists a small handful of myopic people in NW HB who are intent on trying to get a disproportionate share of the CRA budget, recreate/control the area in their own image(s), and trying to decide who gets money and who doesn't, when the question might be better asked, what should it get, if anything, and why is placing something -money or resources- there necessarily better than placing it somewhere else within the CRA zone that has more geographical or physical road advantages that would get more actual paying customers and make it successful?

Below is a slightly-modified excerpt from an email I sent two weeks ago that also gets to some concerns that many people I know have:

re the Palms Community Action Coalition, the group that is apparently so important that of all the non-profits in the city, Mayor Cooper and the majority of the City Commission said they must have an office at the city's Hepburn Center.

So, can you tell me what they do they do, who its Board Members are, and what do they do, exactly, that's different than what the city or another non-profit is already doing?
They can't really say.

Check out their scatter-brained website, and specifically, their website says under their 
"About us" menu. It reveals nothing.
About Us
If you have not already done so, please join our mailing list so that you are the first to now about upcoming events, new projects and all the ways that you and your family can benefit from our organization. Our Calendar will have the latest events so please be sure to check the calendar often, as well as your inbox.
The Palms Community Action Coalition is currently teamed with over 60 companies and organizations to help bring a change to our community that will help make each and everyday brighter. Feel free to visit them on our site or their individual sites for more information about what they can do for you.

But what do you find when you go to their calendar?

Well, as of midnight August 28, 2012, it's chock full of info about what they were 
doing -supposedly- in June of 2011.

(Dr. Jackson: It still says the same thing today on September 12th June 2011.
How could your staff be completely unaware of this, since it indicates not only bad management at the group, itself, but their inability to do the one thing it promises -that the calendar will indeed be their the public face to the public? How can anyone have any trust in them now?)

Don't believe me?
Look for yourself at the screen-grab I just did of their website's calendar page.
It speaks volumes!



It all seems so full of vague terms and generalities about them and their activities 
throughout the website.
It also calls into serious question why they are getting ANY money from the city if they are so mismanaged under Jessica Sanders that they/she can't so much as keep an updated calendar of their own activities.
Kids in junior high school can do it for their after-school clubs/sports team
practices, so why can't she?  

And tell me again why she needs to have an office on city property and the 
ability to use city personnel and city resources?
It's all very, very curious.

Eagle’s Wings Development Center requested $70,000 but received $35,000
Lampkin’s Creative Arts 4 All requested $58,300 but received $10,000

All information below is verbatim from city documents with cited URLs.
Warning, the city's URL loads slowly, so be patient!
---------------------

Eagle’s Wings Development Center 
416 N.W. 4th Avenue
Hallandale Beach, FL 33008 

From CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH FY 2012 COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS GRANT REVIEW PACKAGE
Exhibit G-1


NAME OF ORGANIZATION  Eaqles Wings 

GROUP  DATE-  24,2011 

TOTAL COMBINED SCORE  396/500  

RECOMMENDED FUNDING  $35,000 

GROUP COMMENTS 
T h e applicant submitted an application, however it lacked some of the required attachment documentation (i.e certificate of insurance, letters of support or MOU) and detail. The applicant requested funding for an employment program to train individuals to become Certified Nurses Assistants (CNA) as the priority area.
There was confusion regarding the increase of requested funds for a smaller number of people to be served versus the amount of funding given by the City previously. The new request is for $55,000 more dollars to serve 90% less people  The thought is this may be due to the new CNA program. The reviewers agreed there is a need for employment  in the identified area; however the application did not provide enough detail on the implementation strategies. It was difficult to determine what portion of personnel would be providing the training program (CNA). It was also unclear who would actually provide the services. The applicant did not identify vendor, agency, or entity that would provide training, and there were no letters of support except Weed and Seed for the project. The applicant Sustainability Plan only indicated the loss of funds from Weed and Seed, therefore if not funded the organization could no longer  provide support for their programs. The reviewers felt this organization had not demonstrated a plan for sustainability. The committee recommended, in review of the budget, that items related to training and support for clients should be funded; thereby reducing request to $35,000 to cover those costs.

-----

Lampkin’s Creative Arts 4 All 
222 S. Dixie Highway 
Hallandale Bch, FL 33009 

From CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH FY 2012 COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS GRANT REVIEW PACKAGE
Exhibit G-1

NAME OF ORGANIZATION  Lampkins Creative Arts 4 All 

GROUP  DATE  May 24,201 1 

TOTAL COMBINED SCORE  293/500  

RECOMMENDED FUNDING  $ 10,000 

GROUP COMMENTS 
The applicant has been known for providing free music and cultural arts programs for other 
community groups in Hallandale Beach. The request is to expand services; however the 
committee's assessment is that this organization appears to be new and should acquire 
assistance with program development. 
The applicant did not provide background information or description of current services. The 
application was confusing because the program description and the implementation strategy did not coincide. It was difficult for reviewers to determine how the program would be implemented and survive. The applicant did not provide a clear referral or recruitment strategy. The applicant was very broad with scope of who would be served and reviewers felt that given a program of this nature, the organization needs to be more specific about the target population. The evaluation plan is vague and does not provide any type of plan to ensure the desired outcomes. It should be noted that this applicant was provided an opportunity to resubmit the application. 
The committee feels this is more recommend $10,000 in grant funding to be used for basic
operating costs (facility, consultant, equipment, supplies).


I have also copied the following for you to peruse and review. I think it is exactly what we should have here in Hallandale Beach.

------------------
The Washington Post
Prince William changes how it will fund nonprofit groups
By Jeremy Borden, Published: August 26, 2012
Prince William County officials unveiled a process for funding community nonprofit groups and requiring stricter reporting standards.
Also, for the first time, budget officials streamed the session Thursday online.
Budget director Michelle Casciato outlined a process for funding nonprofit groups that observers said is more transparent and holds organizations more accountable. Casciato said budget officials have been working on the standards over the past two years.

Monday, August 27, 2012

To prevent repeat performances of Hallandale Beach Comm. Alexander Lewy's egregious post-Midnight gambit last July to funnel over $200k to Comm. Anthony A. Sanders' Eagles Wings, the new process for funding community nonprofit groups in a suburban Beltway county is precisely what Hallandale Beach needs to emulate; Jeremy Borden in Wash. Post: Prince William changes how it will fund nonprofit groups


 

Above, Hallandale Beach City Commission on dais at some of the mundane FY2011-12 budget hearing workshops I caught a few hours of at City Hall. Little did I know what would happen hours later... July 19, 2011 photo by South Beach Hoosier.
© 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved

This morning while the outer bands of Tropical Storm Isaac were continuing to lash the area, I discovered a very interesting public policy story while reading the Washington Post online. 
It concerned what suburban Prince William County (VA) was doing to greatly increase the public transparency in their funding of local non-profit groups by raising the bar in some very important respects.

Given the frequency and seriousness of all of the longstanding complaints in this city about the unabashed crony capitalism with public dollars that's taken place here in Hallandale Beach the past ten years under Mayor Joy Cooper and her Rubber Stamp Crew, there's an awful lot in the article to not only ponder, but seriously consider importing whole to this part of Broward County, and perhaps other parts of South Florida as well, since it's not like blatant crony capitalism is limited to only this city.

While I lived in Washington, D.C. and Arlington County (VA) for 15 years from 1988-2003, other than a few friends at work who lived down there, roughly about a 35-minute drive south on I-95, and who took commuter buses to and from work, my only real frame of reference for the area was the Ikea store there in Woodbridge at the Potomac Mills Mall, which I probably went to about six times a year with friends, usually on Fall Saturday afternoons when the Hoosiers or Hurricanes weren't playing on TV, or Sundays if the Redskins or Dolphins had byes or Monday Night games.
Unlike densely-populated Arlington, you could really see the stars in the sky at night there.


View Larger Map

-----

The Washington Post
Prince William changes how it will fund nonprofit groups
By Jeremy Borden, Published: August 26
Prince William County officials unveiled a process for funding community nonprofit groups and requiring stricter reporting standards.
Also, for the first time, budget officials streamed the session Thursday online.
Budget director Michelle Casciato outlined a process for funding nonprofit groups that observers said is more transparent and holds organizations more accountable. Casciato said budget officials have been working on the standards over the past two years.
Read the rest of the article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/prince-william-changes-how-it-will-fund-nonprofit-groups/2012/08/24/df261d1e-ed70-11e1-a80b-9f898562d010_story.html
-----
"The organizations’ activities must directly support the goals of county departments, Casciato said. If organizations re-apply for funding, they must submit a list of “performance measures” they achieved in the last fiscal year.
Casciato said groups that had historically been funded should not expect to get money from year to year."
Sounds like music to our ears, and if not quite music, well, at least a tune we like!

If implemented here in Hallandale Beach, under this sort of scenario, many of the very groups that we've all been complaining about loudly for years will finally face genuine accountability and develop a genuine fear of the axe, and have to prove that they have a plan for being self-supporting, including the Hallandale Beach Chamber of Commerce, which does NOT have such a plan now.
http://www.browardbulldog.org/2012/08/hallandale-beach-chamber-of-commerce-gets-%E2%80%9Csweetheart-deal-from-city-critics-say/

(And could someone please explain why, if the city really wanted to improve things for residents and taxpayers, there are now, demonstrably, LESS covered bus shelters in this city since the HBCoC took over, rather than more? 
Explain why after all these years, there's STILL no covered bus shelter directly in front of and across-the-street from the city's largest retailer, Walmart?
There are all sorts of reasonable questions in search of reasonable public answers from Patricia Genetti that she has NOT been interested in providing.) 

IF supposedly non-profit groups in this city can only exist because of our wallets and purses routinely being pried open against our wills by Mayor Cooper and the Rubber Stamp Crew
these groups better figure out a Plan B quick, because positive change is going to get here very soon after the January 15th Special Election, and I for one will NOT be throwing them a life preserver, and I suspect most of you won't be, either

Below are two specific groups who I believe will have a troubled future if genuine reform comes to HB City Hall.
I think you will be quite interested in what it says, and I use the city's own words to make the case against them. 

Eagles Wings, controlled by Comm. Anthony A. Sanders and his wife Jessica, just like the Hallandale Beach Chamber of Commerce, still has NOT demonstrated a plan for their own sustainability

Oh Eagles Wings, how high you fly away with city money despite not meeting the city's own requirements!

Yes, Eagles Wing Development Center, the very same group that Comm. Alexander Lewy wanted to give over $200,000 to in his post-midnight gambit of last July 19th, without ever referring to them by name in his original motion.
Instead, he declared that he wanted to give it to a group who had had demonstrated success.
So where's the independent third-party proof of that success?
It can't be found -there is no such proof.

Why did Lewy do it then, and why does he continue to refuse to offer any public explanation for his actions in the year since then?
Now there's a good question I'd like to see the South Florida news media ask him to answer to HB taxpayers' satisfaction.


My blog post of August 1, 2011 on Comm. Alexander Lewy's stealthy post-Midnight gambit proved to be one of my most popular posts of last year, owing to its very brazeness, While you were sleeping: Comm. Alexander Lewy's budget chicanery & Liberal Guilt just cost you another $200,000-plus. For what and for whom, exactly?

To quote from that post:
In fact, in the year 2011, despite all the money that the city's taxpayers have poured into it over the years -taxpayers like Y-O-U- plus all the free rent and use of your govt. facilities it has taken advantage of, would you believe that Eagles Wings still DOESN'T have a website of their own that explains what they actually do and who the people are behind it.

One well-informed person I know has suggested to me that one of the principal reasons that residents of NW Hallandale Beach are SO thoroughly unhappy with Comm. Anthony Sanders' performance in office -and his wife Jessica- a theory I've heard expounded from dozens of people the past six months, is precisely because of these kinds of nonsensical deals where city funds are mysteriously allocated to the N.W. community, but, somehow, for reasons that they can never really quite explain, the funds don't filter down to the actual members of that community in a way that's productive or satisfactory for HB taxpayers.

Yes, just more of the chronic lack of accountability at HB City Hall that Csaba Kulin, Mike Butler, Judy & Bob Selz, Etty Sims, myself and many others here have been decrying for years, where public transparency is the VERY LAST THING the City of Hallandale Beach wants.
The stone cold reality of the behavior described above ought to dispel any fairy tale spun now or in the future by Alexander Lewy.

Lewy is like the bank insider who occasionally robs from the bank containing HB taxpayer's money, but then has the gall to act like he's Robin Hood.

It's already insulting enough, but then Lewy wants to act like we are none-the-wiser.

He fools us not a whit!


© 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved

And just think, when I wrote the above last August, that was before I was fully-aware of the fact that Comm. Sanders and his wife and their cronies in Northwest Hallandale Beach had created yet another group that had Jessica Sanders in charge that comes to City Hall seeking a handout of public funds.

Just to confuse people with an existing civic group, they specifically called themselves the 
Palms Community Action Coalition, the group that is apparently so important that of all the non-profits in the city, Mayor Cooper and the majority of the City Commission said they must have an office at the city's Hepburn Center.

But when they say it ought to have an office, what they really mean is that Jessica Sanders should have an office.
Why?

So, can you tell me what they do they do, who its Board Members are, and what do they do exactly that's different than what the city or another non-profit is already doing?
They can't really say.

Check out their scatter-brained website, and specifically, their website says under their "About us" menu. It reveals nothing.

http://palmscommunityactioncoalition.org/about
About Us
If you have not already done so, please join our mailing list so that you are the first to now about upcoming events, new projects and all the ways that you and your family can benefit from our organization. Our Calendar will have the latest events so please be sure to check the calendar often, as well as your inbox.
The Palms Community Action Coalition is currently teamed with over 60 companies and organizations to help bring a change to our community that will help make each and everyday brighter. Feel free to visit them on our site or their individual sites for more information about what they can do for you.

But what do you find when you go to their calendar?
http://palmscommunityactioncoalition.org/calendar

Well, as of midnight August 28, 2012, it's chock full of info about what they were doing -supposedly- in June of 2011.

Don't believe me?
Look for yourself at the screen-grab I just did of their website's calendar page.
It speaks volumes!




It all seems so half-assed to me, what with all the vague terms and generalities about them and their activities throughout the website.
It also calls into serious question why they are getting ANY money from the city if they are so mismanaged under Jessica Sanders that they/she can't so much as keep an updated calendar of their own activities.
Kids in junior high school can do it for their after-school clubs, so why can't she?  

And tell me again why she needs to have an office on city property and the ability to use city personnel and city resources?
It's all very, very curious.

Eagle’s Wings Development Center requested $70,000 but received $35,000
Lampkin’s Creative Arts 4 All requested $58,300 but received $10,000

All information below is verbatim from city documents with cited URLs.
Warning, the city's URL loads slowly, so be patient!
---------------------

Eagle’s Wings Development Center 
416 N.W. 4th Avenue
Hallandale Beach, FL 33008 
(954) 457- 9292
ewdcburton@gmail.com

From CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH FY 2012 COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS GRANT REVIEW PACKAGE
Exhibit G-1
http://www.cohb.org/files/2011-07-1402/Item%205A/SUPP_DOCS/Documents/Doc7.pdf


NAME OF ORGANIZATION  Eaqles Wings 

GROUP  DATE-  24,2011 

TOTAL COMBINED SCORE  396/500  

RECOMMENDED FUNDING  $35,000 

GROUP COMMENTS 
T h e applicant submitted an application, however it lacked some of the required attachment documentation (i.e certificate of insurance, letters of support or MOU) and detail. The applicant requested funding for an employment program to train individuals to become Certified Nurses Assistants (CNA) as the priority area.
There was confusion regarding the increase of requested funds for a smaller number of people to be served versus the amount of funding given by the City previously. The new request is for $55,000 more dollars to serve 90% less people  The thought is this may be due to the new CNA program. The reviewers agreed there is a need for employment  in the identified area; however the application did not provide enough detail on the implementation strategies. It was difficult to determine what portion of personnel would be providing the training program (CNA). It was also unclear who would actually provide the services. The applicant did not identify vendor, agency, or entity that would provide training, and there were no letters of support except Weed and Seed for the project. The applicant Sustainability Plan only indicated the loss of funds from Weed and Seed, therefore if not funded the organization could no longer  provide support for their programs. The reviewers felt this organization had not demonstrated a plan for sustainability. The committee recommended, in review of the budget, that items related to training and support for clients should be funded; thereby reducing request to $35,000 to cover those costs.

-----

Lampkin’s Creative Arts 4 All 
222 S. Dixie Highway 
Hallandale Bch, FL 33009 
(954) 573-5137
lampca4all@yahoo.com

From CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH FY 2012 COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS GRANT REVIEW PACKAGE
Exhibit G-1
http://www.cohb.org/files/2011-07-1402/Item%205A/SUPP_DOCS/Documents/Doc7.pdf

NAME OF ORGANIZATION  Lampkins Creative Arts 4 All 

GROUP  DATE  May 24,201 1 

TOTAL COMBINED SCORE  293/500  

RECOMMENDED FUNDING  $ 10,000 

GROUP COMMENTS 
The applicant has been known for providing free music and cultural arts programs for other 
community groups in Hallandale Beach. The request is to expand services; however the 
committee's assessment is that this organization appears to be new and should acquire 
assistance with program development. 
The applicant did not provide background information or description of current services. The 
application was confusing because the program description and the implementation strategy did not coincide. It was difficult for reviewers to determine how the program would be implemented and survive. The applicant did not provide a clear referral or recruitment strategy. The applicant was very broad with scope of who would be served and reviewers felt that given a program of this nature, the organization needs to be more specific about the target population. The evaluation plan is vague and does not provide any type of plan to ensure the desired outcomes. It should be noted that this applicant was provided an opportunity to resubmit the application. 
The committee feels this is more recommend $10,000 in grant funding to be used for basic
operating costs (facility, consultant, equipment, supplies).