Wanted: Dissent in Cooper City

 

Dissent Is An American Necessity

Once again the principle of free speech and the right of citizens to question the actions of their government are being tested. The general feeling seems to be that dissent is dangerous, that critical commentary erodes our unity and diminishes our resolve, that debates over the loss of constitutional rights is somehow a negative to the betterment of the nation. Perhaps such feelings are natural.

The state of our economy. the tensions of unemployment  as well as the outrageous larceny of some corporate leaders, indifference of political leaders and the stresses of high costs gas and other necessities can create levels of distress that can be unbearable. The tendency is to close down, circle the wagons, and lash out at all who may question. But real security doesn’t come from stifling debate or muting voices of dissent. In fact, dissent may be what we need most.

Dissent is the antidote for what social-psychologists call “group-think,” the tendency to rush to judgment. (Clearly demonstrated by the recent decisions disguised as thoughtful discussions). Group-think can become a kind of herd mentality. Dissent is a guard against this mentality, a check on the unbridled stampede toward the cliff.

For this reason, as President Eisenhower once reminded us, we should never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion. A democratic society depends on dissent because, at its best, dissent is an act of courage, a real test of patriotism. The ancient Greeks understood this. They used the term, “parrhesia” to refer to speech based on moral principle, voiced by a speaker with the courage to speak the truth in the face of powerful opposition. Such dissent, they believed, represented one of the highest ideals toward which a citizen could aspire.

The American Founders also understood the importance of dissent, which is why they crafted the First Amendment. As the nation evolved, dissent became an important feature in all government institutions and processes, from Congress to the Supreme Court. Even in the executive branch -- the one most feared by the Founders because of its resemblance to monarchy and its tendency toward imperialism – even here our best presidents have welcomed and honored dissent.

Today we see government officials, powerful public figures, even our friends and neighbors asking us to be silent. Once again we are told that protest is bad, that dissent is divisive and un-American. That for the betterment and solidarity of the community we must become silent. But it is not. We must not be misled from a central truth: Free and passionate debate is essential to self-governance.

To dissent, to break from the herd, to question and offer in many cases an alternative position, is to celebrate American democracy with a ferocity that no one should attempt to suppress.Unless we let them.

Power Grab?

The Great Power Grab Caper in Cooper City

That is the title of a document that I received last night in an email. Upon reading I thought it warranted and I agreed to posting it for all Cooper City voters to read. It does raise the concern, “Were the voters of Cooper City in the last ballot change to the city’s charter hoodwinked into believing that the statement on the ballot was accurate description of the actions to be taken or were they deceptive and as a result lost a “charter right”, that being the right to approve certain major financial expenditures by the city commission when it exceeded a specific amount?”

One can only assume that there may well be some truth to it and should be viewed by the current sitting commission as an egregious transgression by the previous commission. A quote from a past virulent and outspoken dissident, who has receded into the background and is rarely vocal and then only acting as a surrogate for the Mayor or Commissioner Mallozzi.

          “Unity among commissioners should never be an issue.  The issue should be five individuals bringing their own independent thoughts and ideas to the people, and doing what’s right for this city, not agreeing with each other just to have a commission group hug.  We’ve had enough so called commission(al) harmony, being nothing more than rubber stamp voting.  The people demand you represent us, NOT each other.

         Also, please don’t claim our finances are strained until a forensic audit is done, and our books are looked into in detail.  You might be surprised at what you find, or don’t find.”

[verbatim comments of Diane Sori, resident, @ citizens concerns during a Cooper City Commission meeting.]

To: Coopercityinsider@Blogspot.com

Emailed as Follows;

This is the part of the old city charter that was removed in November of 2006 which was not properly described in the ballot item and as a result can only be described as the

The Great Power Grab Caper by the

Elected Officials of Cooper City

Mayor Debbie Eisinger

November 2006

Section 5.15. Requirements for referendum.

The City of Cooper City may borrow money, contract loans and issue bonds payable from ad valorem taxes and maturing more than twelve months after issue only to finance or refinance capital projects authorized by law and only when approved by a vote of the electors of the city.

 (Added to the charter.) The city shall have full power and authority to issue  municipal bonds or to borrow funds [or municipal purposes to the extent authorized by and subject to the limitations provided in the Constitution of the State of Florida, the Municipal Home Rule Law, other applicable statutes and this charter.

(Deleted from the Cooper City Charter.)

The purchase or construction of a capital project or facility or the purchase of capital equipment, the cost of which shall exceed seven and one half percent (7.5%) of the then existing current budget as adopted for the fiscal year, and which requires the borrowing of funds by the City or the issuance of bonds to fund such expenditures shall require prior voter approval of a majority of the electors voting at an election.

The referendum requirement of the section shall not apply to capital projects within the water and sewer utility systems of the city. Nor shall it apply to expenditures mandated by federal or state governments. 

 Also removed in its entirety, the section noted below of almost 1000 words.

Section 3.13. Initiative, referendum, recall.

I leave it to you the reader to determine for yourself the following questions;

What is the significance of this?

Were we told of this?
What should be done to restore the voters charter rights?

Your comments are most welcomed.

Don’t Be Fooled, Again

(Recieved this in an email and thought others might find it of interest. Ed.)

As many have come to recognize the ‘politricks’ of Mayor Debbie Eisinger do not have any bounds. As a practitioner of the Judy Stern school of nasty and often vile personal attacks Mayor Eisinger and her acolytes Lori, Amy, Diane, and Commissioner Liza Mallozzi have once again resorted to her favorite tactic of attempting to cloak themselves in the garment of religious persecution in order to gain a political advantage.

This election time the mayor and her appointed favorite candidate Gary Laufenberg, don’t be fooled again, he is of stout Germanic origin with a maternal Italian heritage of which he boasts strongly, are raising a flag against their opponent claiming a anti-Semitic bigotry.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The charge stands empty of both of any evidence or any commentary. In Fact, it appears that the truth while unknown to these accusers is just the opposite. Commissioner John Sims, a strong advocate of religious freedoms, he and only he was a strong supporter of the Jewish Chabad of Nova that had to sue Cooper City to win the right to be in Cooper City. The Mayor and her allies on the commission dragged out the suit for over 18 months refusing to settle it for $10,000 dollars. The federal judge finally settled it and awarded the Chabad $800,000.

When word that Commissioner John Sims had been a strong supporter of the Chabad reached others within the community an organization with a proud heritage, the Jewish War Veterans Post 177, determined that John’s military service record and his efforts on behalf of the Chabad of Nova warranted an invitation to join their group. Commissioner Sims gratefully, and I might add, with humility and pride accepted as a patron member.

As might be expected few outside of his group of friends and the members of Post 177 knew of his membership. Well, when the abominable minions of political detractors found that John’s resume contained a line indicating that membership they attacked with a viciousness of bigotry not seen in this area since the days of the KKK, claiming Sims could not be a member as he was not Jewish. (check with the website)

Not only did two of the Cooper City Commissioners, Mallozzi and one unnamed, and a pseudo civic activist named Diane Sori begin a campaign of harassment by calling national headquarters’ of the Jewish War Veterans demanding reprimanding action be taken against this post. This haranguing culminating in threats of demanding the revocation of the post’s charter, notwithstanding the age of these proud veterans.

I can hardly find the words to express my personal disgust and admittedly anger that persons of this community, two of whom purport to be of the Jewish faith would take to committing such a despicable if not vile and demeaning action to members of such a proud organization. Can we as a community of free loving, tolerant and compassionate people allow this to go unmentioned? I think not.

If there exists a group, both men and women, to whom we all owe a deep and profound debt, I can not think of another more deserving of our respect and gratitude. The fact that individuals chose to disparage, demean and castigate a veteran(s) cannot be deemed a simple political tactic. It must be seen for what it is, bigotry of the most despicable vile nature.

Please, stand with me against this type of crass behavior. It is without exception the most reprehensible act I have seen in many a year. It’s now your turn to standup for what we the citizens of Cooper City know to be an essential part of our being.

Condemn these acts by your action and vote on Tuesday Nov. 2, 2010.

Walt Jolliff

See the Jewish War Veterans' letter click on the link below

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B856dApO1AB2NjVhYWQyZjktYzdiYi00ZDgwLTkzOTUtNzA3YTJmZTg4ZTdi&hl=en

Amid corruption, Cooper City Mayor Eisinger moves to vet candidates

Reprinted from the Miami-Dade County Libertarian Examiner- Larry Warrick, author.

Examiner Exclusive - Amid corruption, Cooper City Mayor moves to vet candidates
July 12, 11:59 AM · Larry Warrick - Miami-Dade County Libertarian Examiner
Citing rampant corruption across local governments in South Florida, Cooper City Mayor Debbie Eisinger has placed candidate vetting on the agenda for discussion in the upcoming July 20 Commission meeting. According to the official request: “The City of Cooper City will conduct FDLE background checks and a motor vehicle background review on all candidates running for the office of a Cooper City Commissioner or Mayor of Cooper City beginning with the November 2nd, 2010 elections… Additionally, the city may contract with an independent agency to provide education verification and employment verification checks… Candidates may request and receive a copy of requested “investigative consumer reports”.”

The request includes a sample policy meant to be used by employers in private business, found here. In essence, Mayor Eisinger proposes to discuss the best way for the current commission to vet candidates who have declared their intention to oppose or replace them in the next election and beyond, and post their findings for the world to see. Presumably, any candidate who refused to allow intimate details of his or her past life history to be made public knowledge would in some way be blocked from filing candidacy.

Maverick Commissioner John Sims was direct in his response “This woman is crazy!” adding “Would Background checks have led the public to vote initially against Bev Gallagher, School Board Elected Official Indicted on corruption Charges? How about Fitzroy Salesman? Would background checks lead to the choosing of a better candidate than Josphefus Eggelation for County Commission when he first ran? How about Diana Wasserman-Rubin? And let’s not forget how her husband played a major role, more than hers, in her corruption indictment.” In each case, the person accused of public corruption had exemplary personal backgrounds prior to being elected.

There are also questions regarding the legality of any city ordinance requiring publication of personal information. Prior to the election, all non-sitting candidates are still legally ‘private citizens’. Post – election, those candidates who are not elected are also ‘private citizens’. Whilst it is certainly advisable to carry out due diligence when considering whom to cast a vote for, the fourth amendment to the Constitution of the United States clearly states “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Is it unreasonable (or even ethical?) for a city government to use public money in searching through the past histories of those who would replace them? Is there probable cause in utilizing that information during re-election campaigns?

Is this a strategic move on the part of Mayor Eisinger to garner publicly stated disapproval from her political opposition, providing her with a golden opportunity to imply (rightly or not) past wrongdoings amongst her enemies as the source of this opposition? Politricks as usual, perhaps, or is the mayor simply attempting to entrench herself as the ‘honest (if misguided) politician’ in a sea of corruption?

At press time, emails to Mayor Eisinger requesting more information had not been returned

Cooper City Mayor goes Clinical

The New Season has begun. Yes, the mayor of Cooper City just can't control herself. It is pretty clear that she lacks the prerequisite skills to manage a commission meeting unless the others are under the influence.

I guess you might not have heard that the Mayor of Cooper City, the now infamous Debby Eisinger really lost it the other night at a commission meeting. Yes, that’s right lost it. I heard it on the video tape as just backroom yelling then after careful questioning of the various attendees both in the audience and behind the dais the truth emerged.

The Mayor of Cooper City, Debby Eisinger, just lost it and was reported as yelling at several people to get him out of here. The “him” being Commissioner Sims.

It appears that the Mayor just can’t seem to handle any opinion or comments or just plain disagreement with whatever she doesn't agree. Initially, we thought that she just was incompetent or she failed to have that drink, oops failed to hold the glass before the meeting. (Did anyone check her purse?) The chair again showed a complete lack of leadership, creating another black eye and further disgrace to Cooper City. Several leading citizens who have not witnessed
the mayor's outbursts were heard to comment very negatively. (As we were not there it would not be appropriate to repeat the comments.)

Apology SHOULD go out to everyone in this community directly from the mayor. Unfortunately, that would require humility, leadership and a great deal of character, qualities that this mayor sorely lacks.

It seems that anytime that pesky Commissioner Sims says something the mayor
disagrees with she just jumps down his throat. Or she calls upon that bag of wind David ‘the Jurisprudence Idol’ Wolpin, (City attorney and her friend of 18 years) to come to her aid with some ridiculous ruling as parliamentarian as he pretends he is issuing an order from the bench.

I guess that is what the city gets when the commission blatantly votes to appoint a 18 year friend of the major to an important position in the city.

It appears that the Mayor is incapable of dealing with anything if there is any contention or contrary discourse that may be in any way controversial. Clinically there are several terms for this type of behavior. We will let the more medically trained persons attach the proper label as all we can do is identify the systems of this tragic and troubling malady.

It appears to many that the pressure from the Democratic powers of Broward County who have brushed her aside, confirmed by reports from Tallahassee and local elected officials, is just to much for the very ambitious political climber who has used the position of Mayor to turn Cooper City into the city of ‘we love Debby, the educational gift of Broward.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that she seeks to be elected to the school board. I wonder if they have reviewed the last election returns which indicated a minority vote. More than 50% voted for someone else in the recent mayoral vote.

One has to begin to wonder just what does the Mayor have hanging over the heads of the other commissioners that allows her to conduct herself in such a manner without the slightest indication of disapproval from anyone on the commission other than Sims.

The Notes of Summer in Cooper City

The past couple of weeks have been fairly quiet, kind of like a hiatus (oops, the pun is bad, I know). A couple of items may be of interest to those who try to follow the events of the Cooper City governmental folks.Good WishesWe all wish Susan Bernard the very best. Continues service to the city and in turn to the citizens of Cooper City should not go unheralded. Thank you for your many, many years of service to the city.

Humor

On the humorous side of things or tragic side depending on your viewpoint, the late breaking of last Friday that Mr. Elliot Kleiman has filed as a candidate to run for the office of Commissioner, CBWMD, against none other than Chris Fardelmann’s seat, I wonder if this is an attempt by Mr. Kleiman of self embarrassment or just a need to seek some sort of redemption of character. Only time can really tell. My guess is that the voters will probably not seek to place him in any position where once again he might shed some negative publicity on Cooper City.

The New Vice Mayor

Some comments on the new Vice Mayor. Oh, you didn’t know we had a Vice Mayor. Well, It seems that the newly hired or is it temporarily hired city attorney Dave Wolpin, Esq. has taken over directing activities of some of the city personnel and placed himself in the role of leader of the commission by actions not described by the city charter. Actions which replace the authority placed only in the elected officials by the city charter. I guess when you are a friend of the Mayor for a period said to be 18 years and are a neighbor of another commissioner, you get to take a few liberties.

Post Office

It seems there is a postal regulation that no postal facility can be built with USPS funds unless the property is owned by the USPS. Property can be leased if sufficient need exists. Maybe the city is going into the commercial leasing business.

Luncheon Caution

It appears to the casual observer that if you are invited out to lunch with Commissioner Neal De Jesus you will be departing the city payroll much sooner than you may have planned. We will admitted that this is only a rumor but forewarned is better than no warning at all. Brown bagging is not a bad idea either.
BTW
Those who have something that they wish to share may email us at Coopercityinsider@gmail.com. If the folks at the 'Rock Creek cabal' wish to be included on the E-Blast List to receive special emails please write to us at the above address.

Recall the Recall in Cooper city?

Recall the Recall.
It has ended. Not to be left hanging the preps have one last message (read lie) to attempt to feed us. The recall is being withdrawn. Yes, that is what we are being asked to believe.
First, let’s really look at some of the facts of the petition withdrawal. We are being asked to view this petition process as one of benevolence. The process is being halted as it would cost Cooper City $110,000 to continue. The figure head leader of the effort had been the former commissioner Kleiman who had stated when he withdrew his support just a few weeks ago, that it appeared to him that the basis of the petition was in fact very weak and probably not founded on any real facts, only allegation or suggested supposition. This is after a resident of Cooper City, the Rev. Bob Sands took Mr. Kleimen to task on the concept of hypocrisy.
We have it on very good authority that he then received a blistering phone call from the originator of the petition action, the infamous if not notorious Lori Green, campaign manager for Mayor Debby Eisinger and companion while both were seen walking of the streets of Embassy Lakes knocking on doors to obtain signatures as the petition drive lost its steam.
With that in my mind we are being asked to believe that it is the cost that is the primary consideration for the withdrawal. (Cooper City has at least $22 million in liquid assets. Based upon the last 5 commission meetings, the Mayor has a dummy on either side, ready, willing and quite able to approve any expenditure that she may desire.)
Secondly, the time frame of this process was well known to all who can read (including the lawyers leading the pack) and some of the time line discussion by the backroom manager Lori Green is really just a subterfuge. It is simply verbal condiments added to the meal of a failed petition needed to feed the hunger mob at Embassy Lakes that so passionately drank the ‘Kool Aid’ of lies, half truths, slanderous and malicious attacks upon a Commissioner who did not follow in line as the previous group (Roper and Valenti, want another beer, brother) did in order to satisfy a political agenda of the power hunger and control freak Mayor of Cooper City, Debbie Eisinger.
Last, but by no means least, the truth that was being told by a few staunch supporters and ‘Thanks’ to a perceptive and thoughtful segment of the population of Cooper City who were able to see through the vitriolic rhetoric of the boisterous if not obnoxious Greg Ross, well known ambulance chaser of the more seedy Broward streets, the hypocritical commentary of (dismissed by the voters and discarded by the Mayor) commissioner Elliot Kleiman, and the tragically flawed arguments of the well meaning group of Embassy Lakes residents who had been sucked into the mob mentality without looking. They had accepted on faith, (ponder the pun) the allegations as truth based upon a false propositions of bigotry and anti-Semitism, propagated and perpetuated by the real source of this disgusting misuse and betrayal of Judaism, Lori Green.

We, the nonjudgemental and concerned citizens, hope the lesson here is ‘Look and think before you accuse‘.

P.S. It is particularly note worthy that many unsolicited comments were made by the residents of this embattled city that we live in a country in which the process is 'one is innocent until proven guilty'.
Kudos to the residents of Cooper City whose common sense and decency
brought this horrendous nightmare to end.