Letter to the editor of Miami Herald:
As a long-time community advocate living in Palmetto Bay, I am very disappointed in the maneuverings occurring in the village’s election process. I know each of the candidates from my community work and cannot help but wonder what is going in our little world.
While I appreciate the efforts of the current council (not entirely, since I find some of them anti-homeowner), I sense that our village has gone from the Village of Parks and a happy family-oriented community to a conflict-ridden Village of Darkness.
I have watched the interaction of the candidates, not only for the past few years, but throughout this campaign season. It goes without saying that Eugene Flinn looks to be excited and wanting to be mayor for all the right reasons. He is experienced and led Palmetto Bay through some rough waters in our early years.
As I listen to the village meetings, I find it sad that so many community activities which made the village a great place to raise my kids have gotten lost in the political shuffle. The bickering and finger pointing between the current council and their friends is childish and just plain stupid.
Our neighborhoods are being hit with break-ins. My car’s tail light was shot with a BB gun narrowly missing me as I loaded the trunk. And congestion along Old Cutler and throughout our community is now at gridlock earlier than ever before. It can only get worse as more density encroaches on our community. How many people, how much traffic and private schools can we endure and still be able to drive to work or accomplish our daily activities as a resident?
From where I sit, Flinn is the only candidate prepared to bring us back to our roots. Eugene understands what it takes to make a community a hometown; he is a fiscal conservative; he is a forward thinker with the energy to build coalitions with other governmental entities to shape and strengthen the village’s future.
Flinn has great discernment and had great outcomes for us when he was our founding leader.
8 comments:
You neglected to tell us how Gene Flinn is going to lighten traffic on Old Cutler and prevent some spoiled rich kid from shooting you in the butt with a BB gun. Is Flinn going to stop your pathological councilman from suing everybody who takes him to task for breaking the law? If Mr. Flinn can't keep it from raining on the weekends are you going to throw him over the side for the next guy/gal? I'm not writing to endorse the current mayor or the former mayor (or the other guy, heaven forbid) but I do think you need to take a very detailed look at the real sources of the problems. The Village has bad apples - deal with them first.
You deal with bad apples by voting them out of office.
To anonymous:
I hope the lady filed a police report. If she was loading her car, one unlucky turn outward could had her dead.
As a former cop, they were not shooting at the car, they were shooting to hurt her or else they would have shot the car without her there.
The crime issues are real. Sarcasm is not going to change thar fact.
Im not sure yet about who I will vote for for Mayor But I think I will vote for Jim Shedd for council, he came by my house and seems like a nice guy also has a law enforcement background and though we have a lot more issues at least we can have someone that knows something about something.
Today at 3:30, we were almost run down by a speeding van with a STANZYCK sign on SW 178th Terrace. Obviously the existing mayor (and family) have no respect for traffic laws or for the right to a peaceful existence. A vote for FLINN is the vote to win!
A Flinn love fest! Leave Flinn in past history where he belongs at this point in time.
Interesting to read that people who live in a community that is almost entirely dependent on cars by design is complaining about car traffic. Higher density is not a bad thing per se provided that such density is allowed in smart ways (such as allowing mix-use), but I suspect that is not to the liking of these lines.
I prefer wonderful walkable communities with outstanding public transportation... Bethesda Maryland is certainly one of my favorite, I am there monthly. Alas, unless you live in downtown Miami, you need a car.
Unfortunately, I remember that growing up in West Miami was more public transportation friendly than palmetto bays current traffic jammed community. At least we could walk to the stores, schools, library and take a bus to Coral Gables bus transfer station to get anywhere we needed.
Our schools in palmetto bay produce incoming traffic. There are no public bus stops other than pb secret jittneys and that certainly doesn't work for the average person. Anyway, traffic is an issue and it needs to be addressed.
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