October 26, 2009 You have to give Beth Dillaha credit. She certainly knows how to avoid the substance of issues and use her position on the podium to get the last word in to discredit those who would challenge the rightness of her limited policy and priority perspective. At today’s City Commission meeting she made note of one “professional blogger” as an example of the limited input the City has received after sending out 14,000 mailers announcing proposed Land Development Codes. She even managed to lop the “professional blogger” in with those who would comment about how dangerous the code…
Author: Peter Weldon
Recommendations Regarding P&Z, Comprehensive Plan, and Land Development Code
October 26, 2009 TO: Mayor and City Commissioners – City of Winter Park RE: Recommendations Regarding P&Z, Comprehensive Plan, and Land Development Code The Planning and Zoning Commission has continued to impose significant increased restrictions for commercial and multi-unit residential properties within Winter Park in both the current approved Comprehensive Plan and proposed land development codes. Important elements of both the Comprehensive Plan and proposed land development codes are effectively designed to preclude, not incent redevelopment in our commercial and multi-unit residential zoned areas. As a result of many shortcomings, I have recommended that the City Commission constitute a new…
Time for change at P&Z
TO: Mayor, Commissioners, and Fellow Citizens FROM: Pete Weldon, 700 Via Lombardy I support neither unfettered private property rights nor unfettered government rights. The only property in Winter Park in which I have any interest is our family home. I continue to believe that the best city in Florida needs rational, experienced, and professional leadership. Our City Commission will be having a “listening session” during their regular 3:30 PM meeting this coming Monday, October 26, 2009 on the subject of building codes unanimously approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) on August 18, 2009. Four members of P&Z voted…
Park these thoughts.
Our City Commission voted tonight (Anderson, Dillaha, and Bridges voted YES, Bradley and Diebel voted NO) to proceed with a “conceptual plan” for the post office property with these characteristics: Build a new 6,500 square foot retail post office to USPS specifications on the northern section of the current post office property (approximately 0.85 acres), converting the balance of the current post office property and City right of way to park space (approximately 1.4 acres). Build a new 6,500 square foot distribution center (“carrier annex”) to USPS specifications on City owned land on Denning Drive (approximately 1.5 acres). The City’s…
In the “zone”….
It is my hope that the most wise and thoughtful Winter Park citizens will review these circumstances and get involved with this issue. My last writing on the continuing saga of the post office property ended as follows: “Please contact MayorandCommissioners@cityofwinterpark.org and tell them to stop the misrepresentations and obfuscation. Tell them if they want to buy the post office they should support a referendum seeking the approval of the voters and stop playing games.” Well, today’s meeting offered some hope (see below) but confirmed that the current process is replete with misrepresentations and obfuscation, and that games are being…
“We won’t spend your money for our pet project!” Sure.
Please review this and then contact MayorandCommissioners@cityofwinterpark.org to express your opinion. City Commissioners Phil Anderson and Beth Dillaha have put forth a Motion for discussion at the August 10, 2009 City Commission meeting to proceed with fund raising related to having the City purchase the post office property on New York Avenue. This motion (see pages 54 – 58) is based on the principle that “no taxpayer funds will be used.” However, preliminary financial projections used to justify the Motion omit known critical elements and costs, and significantly underestimate the donations required to complete the proposed project where “no taxpayer…
Citizen Letters on Ethics
The City of Winter Park posted all the written correspondence received by the Ethics Board in response to its call for public input. Read the letters here. (Be patient, it takes some time to show up.) There are some interesting points made. The biggest issue with many is what are being generally called “LLC” contributions that are presumed to have a”bad” influence on elections under the presumption that such contributions constitute efforts to purchase influence for financial gain. How do you define “bad” contributions and separate them from “good” contributions? How can you ban “LLC” contributions and still permit contributions…
Better Ethics, or Unethical Power Play?
There are important State laws in place concerning conflicts of interest, campaign contribution limits, and campaign financial reporting. The recently established Winter Park Ethics Board was formed at the behest of a small group of citizens more concerned with limiting the voice of interests with whom they disagree than in doing the work required to compete for votes in the marketplace of ideas. The purpose of the Ethics Board in the eyes of those demanding its formation is to rubber stamp campaign finance restrictions more stringent than State requirements under the righteous banner of improving “ethics” in Winter Park. The…
Conflicts of Interest and Hypocrisy
Winter Park City Commissioners and acknowledged best friends Beth Dillaha and Margie Bridges have been consistently and totally opposed to including people on City Boards who make a living through any connections to real estate. For example, they fought the appointment of real estate executive Pitt Warner to the Ethics Board and then tried to get him removed. Beth Dillaha and Margie Bridges share a conviction that anyone with a possible financial interest in an issue, however remote, must have a conflict of interest and, therefore, it is unethical in their view for such people to serve on City Boards….
And the winner is…. Ken Bradley.
Ken Bradley won the Winter Park Mayor’s seat today with a vote count of 3400 Bradley to 3016 Strong. I do not offer condolences to the loser. I believe David Strong was wrong for Winter Park and am pleased we will now have the chance to face the our city’s many challenges with a more rational, positive, and professional focus. As much as I disagreed with David Strong’s priorities and policies I came to respect the man for his willingness to serve. I only learned this by running for office myself and coming to understand the vagaries and challenges involved….