Sharon McKevor celebrated her brother's 55{+t}{+h} birthday on Oct. 9 with family and cupcakes. But her brother wasn't there. She hasn't seen him since he went missing days before his 27{+t}{+h} birthday.
McKevor was holding out hope that somehow Gregory Vondell Andrews still was alive somewhere. That hope died when she got the gruesome news about his murder, days after celebrating her baby brother's birthday last month.
Andrews was killed by a shotgun blast in the back and was dumped in the woods west of West Palm Beach. His skeleton was found by a hitchhiker on Jan. 11, 1982, near Okeechobee Boulevard and State Road 7. More...........
Monday, November 9, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Civil Rights Activist Ralph Townsel Passes
In the 1950's - 70's Civil Rights Activist Ralph Townsel was one of the most powerful African- Americans in Deerfield Beach, leading protests against Police brutality and the simple rights not afforded to Negros such as going to the city beach. Townsel was secluded from politics in the latter part of the 70's and 80's Townsel once told me" it was time to pass the torch to a new generation of Negro leaders" Townsel died at around 2 Am this morning. Townsel, who was in his 80's was a very outspoken Negro leader during his time. He wasn't afraid to challenge the powerbrokers of Deerfield Beach City Hall.
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They Need It Too!
Public Meetings
Sunshine/Public Records Seminar - Nov. 9 - Nov. 10 Seminars will focus on Florida State Sunshine Laws, and attendance is mandatory for ALL department heads, pertinent staff, and Advisory Board/Committee members
City Hall Commission Chamber150 NE 2nd Ave.Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
Hours:
Monday, Nov. 9: 6 PMTuesday, Nov. 10: 9:30 AM and 2 PM
Sunshine/Public Records Seminar - Nov. 9 - Nov. 10 Seminars will focus on Florida State Sunshine Laws, and attendance is mandatory for ALL department heads, pertinent staff, and Advisory Board/Committee members
City Hall Commission Chamber150 NE 2nd Ave.Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
Hours:
Monday, Nov. 9: 6 PMTuesday, Nov. 10: 9:30 AM and 2 PM
MIA?
There are a lot of readers who want to know more about Corey Wilson, i have made repeated unsucessful attempts to contact Wilson, all have failed. I will keep on trying.
Law prof sues 'Above the Law' site for 'viciously racist series of rants'
Above the Law managing editor David Lat
Law prof sues 'Above the Law' site for 'viciously racist series of rants'
Karen Sloan
November 2, 2009
It's the kind of story that tends to get big play on the legal blog Above the Law: A prominent University of Miami School of Law professor and civil rights advocate arrested on suspicion of soliciting an undercover officer for sex. The blog had plenty of fun with the story in October 2007 with a series of posts about Donald Marvin Jones, whom it dubbed "The Nutty Professor." The only problem was that it didn't happen that way, and the blog's coverage veered into racism, according to a lawsuit Jones has filed in federal court. He alleged that Above the Law portrayed him in a false light, invaded his privacy and infringed the university's copyright on his faculty photo. Jones seeks $22 million in damages. An online article about the arrest by David Lat, Above the Law's managing editor "instigated its readers not only to read the post but also to join in what was clearly a viciously racist series of rants" directed at the African-American professor, the suit claims. Jones did not respond Monday to calls for comment on the lawsuit, which he filed pro se in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Oct. 27. The suit names Lat, Above the Law publisher David Minkin and parent company Dead Horse Media Inc., now called Breaking Media LLC, as defendants. Lat also declined comment on the suit. The incident that touched off the blog controversy occurred on Aug. 22, 2007, when Miami police arrested Jones for allegedly attempting to offer an undercover officer $20 for sex, according to the police report. In his complaint, Jones protested his innocence. He was driving through Miami in his Mercedes-Benz when he missed his exit and attempted to turn around on a street in the rough Little River section of town and was stopped by police, the document says, "The fact that Jones was driving a luxury car in an inner city area, the time of night, and the fact that Jones lives miles away aroused suspicion," Jones wrote. Jones pleaded not guilty to the solicitation charge. Authorities later dropped the charge, and Jones' record was expunged — but not before Above the Law received a tip about his run-in with police. On Oct. 17, 2007, the blog ran a short post reporting Jones' arrest and arraignment on the solicitation charge — and that Jones teaches criminal procedure. "If there's any technical defect in his arrest, we're sure the good professor will be able to get himself off," said the post, which was written by Lat. The following day, Above the Law posted the police incident report and noted that Jones had written a book called Race, Sex, and Suspicion: The Myth of the Black Male. The post also poked fun at Jones for driving a Mercedes but offering only $20 for sex. The blog revisited the situation on Oct. 25, 2007, with a post noting that The Miami Herald ran a brief news report about Jones' arrest. Finally, on Oct. 29, 2007, the blog ran a photographic collage submitted by someone claiming to be a University of Miami law student that depicted Jones apparently soliciting prostitutes outside a Miami market. The collage included a picture of Jones' face transposed onto a $20 bill. On the site, Lat referred to the collage as a "irreverent, crass, and politically incorrect humor." The same post contained the following disclaimer: "We acknowledge that he merely stands accused on wrongdoing; he hasn't been convicted of anything." Jones argued in his lawsuit that the posts were misleading and racist. "This is the equivalent of creating a billboard on a highway depicting Professor Jones as a criminal and a 'nut,' " the suit reads. "It continues to be displayed. The materially false statements, together with the racist imagery have significantly damaged Professor Jones' reputation and career." The suit alleged that the blog unlawfully used a photo of Jones taken from the University of Miami School of Law Web site. In addition to monetary damages, Jones asked the court to force Above the Law to remove all the posts that refer to Jones. Karen Sloan can be contacted at ksloan@alm.com.
Law prof sues 'Above the Law' site for 'viciously racist series of rants'
Karen Sloan
November 2, 2009
It's the kind of story that tends to get big play on the legal blog Above the Law: A prominent University of Miami School of Law professor and civil rights advocate arrested on suspicion of soliciting an undercover officer for sex. The blog had plenty of fun with the story in October 2007 with a series of posts about Donald Marvin Jones, whom it dubbed "The Nutty Professor." The only problem was that it didn't happen that way, and the blog's coverage veered into racism, according to a lawsuit Jones has filed in federal court. He alleged that Above the Law portrayed him in a false light, invaded his privacy and infringed the university's copyright on his faculty photo. Jones seeks $22 million in damages. An online article about the arrest by David Lat, Above the Law's managing editor "instigated its readers not only to read the post but also to join in what was clearly a viciously racist series of rants" directed at the African-American professor, the suit claims. Jones did not respond Monday to calls for comment on the lawsuit, which he filed pro se in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Oct. 27. The suit names Lat, Above the Law publisher David Minkin and parent company Dead Horse Media Inc., now called Breaking Media LLC, as defendants. Lat also declined comment on the suit. The incident that touched off the blog controversy occurred on Aug. 22, 2007, when Miami police arrested Jones for allegedly attempting to offer an undercover officer $20 for sex, according to the police report. In his complaint, Jones protested his innocence. He was driving through Miami in his Mercedes-Benz when he missed his exit and attempted to turn around on a street in the rough Little River section of town and was stopped by police, the document says, "The fact that Jones was driving a luxury car in an inner city area, the time of night, and the fact that Jones lives miles away aroused suspicion," Jones wrote. Jones pleaded not guilty to the solicitation charge. Authorities later dropped the charge, and Jones' record was expunged — but not before Above the Law received a tip about his run-in with police. On Oct. 17, 2007, the blog ran a short post reporting Jones' arrest and arraignment on the solicitation charge — and that Jones teaches criminal procedure. "If there's any technical defect in his arrest, we're sure the good professor will be able to get himself off," said the post, which was written by Lat. The following day, Above the Law posted the police incident report and noted that Jones had written a book called Race, Sex, and Suspicion: The Myth of the Black Male. The post also poked fun at Jones for driving a Mercedes but offering only $20 for sex. The blog revisited the situation on Oct. 25, 2007, with a post noting that The Miami Herald ran a brief news report about Jones' arrest. Finally, on Oct. 29, 2007, the blog ran a photographic collage submitted by someone claiming to be a University of Miami law student that depicted Jones apparently soliciting prostitutes outside a Miami market. The collage included a picture of Jones' face transposed onto a $20 bill. On the site, Lat referred to the collage as a "irreverent, crass, and politically incorrect humor." The same post contained the following disclaimer: "We acknowledge that he merely stands accused on wrongdoing; he hasn't been convicted of anything." Jones argued in his lawsuit that the posts were misleading and racist. "This is the equivalent of creating a billboard on a highway depicting Professor Jones as a criminal and a 'nut,' " the suit reads. "It continues to be displayed. The materially false statements, together with the racist imagery have significantly damaged Professor Jones' reputation and career." The suit alleged that the blog unlawfully used a photo of Jones taken from the University of Miami School of Law Web site. In addition to monetary damages, Jones asked the court to force Above the Law to remove all the posts that refer to Jones. Karen Sloan can be contacted at ksloan@alm.com.
Around South Florida
http://www.sfltimes.com/By Elgin Jones
STREET FESTIVAL- The Mango Festival each June in Deerfield Beach was the premier black-oriented street gathering in South Florida. It featured some of the nation’s top entertainers, along with southern food, Caribbean dishes and Afro-centric crafts. Its competition was Delray Beach’s Roots Cultural Festival, Clewiston’s Sugar Festival, Pompano Beach’s Tiger Trail Festival, Fort Lauderdale’s Sistrunk Historical Festival, and Miami’s Goombay Festival. The Mango Festival outdid them all. But now, it has fallen on hard times. This year’s event was canceled, and the festival’s future is bleak. Some of the problems have to do with the economy, but insiders say much of it is also pure and simple greed, fraud and mismanagement. For years, there have been whispers and rumors about kickbacks, and outright theft within the organization. Now, Deerfield Beach’s one-man watchdog operation, Chaz Stevens, has asked Deerfield Beach to conduct an audit and accounting of the more than $100,000 to $150,000 the city provided to the organizers of the event each year.
Something Smells Rotten at Deerfield Beach's Mango Festival
Something Smells Rotten at Deerfield Beach's Mango Festival
By Thomas Francis in Broward, Politics
Thu., Nov. 5 2009 @ 4:18PM
One of the photos that Mango Festival organizers did not want you to see.The Mango Festival of Deerfield Beach has a math problem: Its most recent festival, in June 2008, attracted a lot of people. But for some reason, it didn't make a lot of money. And for the city, which has invested more than a million dollars in that festival over the last several years, that should be cause for concern. Read the full story here.
By Thomas Francis in Broward, Politics
Thu., Nov. 5 2009 @ 4:18PM
One of the photos that Mango Festival organizers did not want you to see.The Mango Festival of Deerfield Beach has a math problem: Its most recent festival, in June 2008, attracted a lot of people. But for some reason, it didn't make a lot of money. And for the city, which has invested more than a million dollars in that festival over the last several years, that should be cause for concern. Read the full story here.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Governor Crist order flags to fly at half staff in honor of Daniel Lawson
Broward soldier honored for ultimate sacrificeHolmes
County Times Advertiser
Charlie Crist, direct that the State and National flags be flown at half-staff at the County Courthouse of Broward County and City Hall of Deerfield Beach, ...
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County Times Advertiser
Charlie Crist, direct that the State and National flags be flown at half-staff at the County Courthouse of Broward County and City Hall of Deerfield Beach, ...
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
The State Of Teen America: Please support this bill
House Bill 11, was sponsored by Fla. State Rep. Hazel Rogers and Fla. State Sen. Jeremy Ring which adds homelessness Harassment under the state Hate Crime protection law. Watch the video titled " Beating up a crackhead"
Funeral Services for Army Specialist Daniel Lawson
Pictured above is Army Specialist Daniel Lawson.
The family of a Deerfield Beach soldier killed in Afghanistan last week remembered him last night as the ultimate family man and a great dad.
Army Specialist Daniel Lawson left behind a wife and three children when he died last Thursday, Oct. 15, in Kandahar Provice, the victim along with four other soldiers of a roadside attack.
Army Specialist Daniel Lawson left behind a wife and three children when he died last Thursday, Oct. 15, in Kandahar Provice, the victim along with four other soldiers of a roadside attack.
A memorial service will be held for Daniel Lawson at St. Paul United Methodist Church on SE 2nd Ave. on Friday October 30, 2009 from 6:00- 9Pm. Funeral services will be held Saturday Oct. 31, 2009 at Deerfield Beach High School Auditorium. The body of Lawson, 33, won't be viewed per closed casket. Per Department of Defense.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Early voting has started for City of Miami
Early voting has started for City of
By Blogging Black
Miami ElectionsPosted: 27 Oct 2009 04:00 AM PDT
Excitement is picking up a bit in the upcoming City of Miami elections that will definitely result in new leadership with incumbent Mayor Manny Diaz term-limited out. The domino effect of that race opened up commission seats with several contenders.The District 5 Commission seat currently held by Michelle Spence-Jones is generating some, but not nearly enough excitement from voters. Spence-Jones has met tremendous resistance from leaders in the predominantly black areas of her district. That race between her, David Chiverton and Jeff Torain could be close. Torain is likely Spence-Jones' stronger competition; he makes an excellent presentation as a candidate and has garnered the coveted Miami Herald endorsement. Spence-Jones has amassed a tremendous campaign war chest. The District 5 race comes down to whether voters will be swayed by money or issues.Polls will be open at the following locations for early voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Voters must bring their voter registration card and another form of identification:• Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Dr.• Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW First St.• West Flagler Branch Library, 5050 W. Flagler St.• Allapattah Branch Library, 1799 NW 35th St.• Lemon City Library, 430 NE 61st St.If you live in the City, get out and vote. If you have young children, take them with you so the practice will be instilled in them. Be an informed voter. If you don't vote, don't complain.
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By Blogging Black
Miami ElectionsPosted: 27 Oct 2009 04:00 AM PDT
Excitement is picking up a bit in the upcoming City of Miami elections that will definitely result in new leadership with incumbent Mayor Manny Diaz term-limited out. The domino effect of that race opened up commission seats with several contenders.The District 5 Commission seat currently held by Michelle Spence-Jones is generating some, but not nearly enough excitement from voters. Spence-Jones has met tremendous resistance from leaders in the predominantly black areas of her district. That race between her, David Chiverton and Jeff Torain could be close. Torain is likely Spence-Jones' stronger competition; he makes an excellent presentation as a candidate and has garnered the coveted Miami Herald endorsement. Spence-Jones has amassed a tremendous campaign war chest. The District 5 race comes down to whether voters will be swayed by money or issues.Polls will be open at the following locations for early voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Voters must bring their voter registration card and another form of identification:• Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Dr.• Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW First St.• West Flagler Branch Library, 5050 W. Flagler St.• Allapattah Branch Library, 1799 NW 35th St.• Lemon City Library, 430 NE 61st St.If you live in the City, get out and vote. If you have young children, take them with you so the practice will be instilled in them. Be an informed voter. If you don't vote, don't complain.
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Monday, October 26, 2009
Educator Corey Wilson to Challenge Poitier In 2011?
Sources are telling the Black Perspective that Deerfield Beach resident and Educator Corey Wilson will be announcing his intentions to challenge incumbent Deerfield Beach, District 2 Commissioner Sylvia Poitier for the Commission seat in 2011. Wilson, 36, is the young blood this community is desperate for in local politics. Staggered terms forced the District 1 & District 2 Commission seat to be up for grabs in 2011.
Supreme Courts Briefs
U.S. Supreme Court to take up case regarding constitutionality of life sentences without parole for juveniles
The recent sentencing by Circuit Court Judge Krista Marx of three Riviera Beach juveniles – Jakaris Taylor, now 18; Tommy Poindexter, 20, and Nathan Taylor, 18, to life in prison ...
The recent sentencing by Circuit Court Judge Krista Marx of three Riviera Beach juveniles – Jakaris Taylor, now 18; Tommy Poindexter, 20, and Nathan Taylor, 18, to life in prison ...
WPBT - Political roundtable From this Weekend
From this weekend's Issues on WPBT-Ch. 2, a political roundtable on statewide races.
www.sfltimes.com
Written by ELGIN JONES
WALMART CALLING -On Sunday, Oct. 18, Walmart introduced its “Straight Talk” cellular phone service with nationwide coverage, and it is shaking up the market. The company offers two plans. One is for $30 a month and includes 1,000 minutes, 1,000 text messages and 30 MB of mobile web access per month. The other plan costs $45 per month and offers unlimited everything, including calls, texts and web access. Both plans offer nationwide coverage, and require no credit checks or contracts. Walmart teamed up with TracFone to conduct a pilot in 234 of its stores last summer. The plans are now available in more than 3,200 stores and growing. Good for Walmart! This is what competition can do, and it will force the other cellular service companies to lower their rates and change their business practices, or lose customers.
Written by ELGIN JONES
WALMART CALLING -On Sunday, Oct. 18, Walmart introduced its “Straight Talk” cellular phone service with nationwide coverage, and it is shaking up the market. The company offers two plans. One is for $30 a month and includes 1,000 minutes, 1,000 text messages and 30 MB of mobile web access per month. The other plan costs $45 per month and offers unlimited everything, including calls, texts and web access. Both plans offer nationwide coverage, and require no credit checks or contracts. Walmart teamed up with TracFone to conduct a pilot in 234 of its stores last summer. The plans are now available in more than 3,200 stores and growing. Good for Walmart! This is what competition can do, and it will force the other cellular service companies to lower their rates and change their business practices, or lose customers.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Fox News Fairly Unbalanced? Fox News: The Jerry Springer of News
Distinguished commentator ROLAND MARTIN talks with Eric Burns. The Fox News propaganda machine comes under scrutiny.
To cut through the lies of Fox News, which is a political operation. Go to www.mediamatters.org
Time for the career politicians to go!
By Gary Johnston
America has a cancer and it is spreading to the White House. This cancer is known as the career politician. Elected office should not be a career, but a finite period of public service. Extended tenure in elected office leads to a concentration of power and influence in that office, making it vulnerable to abuse by special interest groups. Not that political affiliation is irrelevant.On the local level, the recent arrests of a Broward County Commissioner, a School Board member and a former City Commissioner are examples of abuse of elected office.Looking toward Washington, it is only necessary to look at some of the legislation, past and present to see more examples. The Community Reinvestment Act of 1976 did nothing to help Americans, but it was a great payday for the banking and investment industries. It is also at the root of the current economic mess. One might ask why legislation like this was ever passed. The answer is political campaign contributions from the industries who benefited from the legislation. The current hand-wringing going on over healthcare and the nationalizing of segments of the auto and banking industries have similar roots. The three biggest campaign contributors to the current administration were the trial lawyers, Wall Street and organized labor — in that order.If health care costs are ever to be brought under control, it will be necessary to segregate the legal community from the medical industry. If the auto industry is ever to be competitive with the rest of the world, organized labor will have to be removed from the equation. Look, however at how legislation is currently being crafted. No mention of tort reform in health care and stronger positions for organized labor in the medical and auto industries. Why? Special interest campaign contributions to career politicians.Cancer is only cured through tumor removal. The tumor is the career politician. Limiting the elected official's tenure diminishes the power to influence that can be acquired through time, making them less vulnerable to the pressures of special interest groups and more responsible to the voters. Since politicians won't willingly step down after a maximum of two terms and they certainly won't pass legislation that limits their tenure, the task of renewing the blood in our legislatures is left to we, the people.
Gary Johnston is a resident of Lighthouse Point.
Copyright © 2009, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Friday, October 23, 2009
Quotes of the week: TGIF we all need it.
"I'm not going to be part of a train wreck" - Macon Sammons Jr. on the pending negotiations with Deerfield Beach Firemen.
Mayor Peggy Noland finally loses her patience with Poitier. "This is so unproductive," she says. "We all look like a bunch of idiots up here.""Well, I am an idiot," answered Poitier. "I am an idiot -- because I made a mistake." - Deerfield Beach Commission meeting on 10-20-09
Mayor Peggy Noland finally loses her patience with Poitier. "This is so unproductive," she says. "We all look like a bunch of idiots up here.""Well, I am an idiot," answered Poitier. "I am an idiot -- because I made a mistake." - Deerfield Beach Commission meeting on 10-20-09
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Bett Willet's blog: Sylvia Poitier
So sad Sad, pathetic, that is the description of last night's (Tuesday) commission meeting. The commissioners spent $15,000 on a retreat to come up with a "vision" that amounted to an agreement that the commission meetings were not run well and people didn't respect one another. I could have told them that for free. Nothing has changed, I present exhibit
#1 to support that finding:On Agenda Item - General Item #20 except for Bill Ganz they would have included the entire list of legislative priorities from the League of Cities with our Deerfield Beach list, sight unseen.Sylvia, said in addition to our ten items we should include the L of C's list also as they always have a good one, Peggy asked the city attorney if they could include it. Bill put a stop to that, saying he would not vote to include anything he had not read. Good going Bill. Joe Miller agreed they should read it first. Duh!(WRONG, Sylvia, the League of Cities is not always our good buddy, for example they were trying to repeal the County Charter and eliminate County oversight of the cities. So if one city wanted to build something the next city didn't want near them there would be nowhere to appeal. Who knows what else they want that would not be good for Deerfield Beach?)Then came the discussion about what to do with the area of the city around the Dixie Flyover which is slated to break ground in late January. That is what was supposed to be discussed, but Sylvia went off on a tirade about hiring local contractors and would not believe that the city has NO control over the project as it is completely run by the MOP. Bill explained it very carefully to her but no dice. Marty Popelsky volunteered to go with her to the MOP, but said that the local contractors to be used for the flyover are local to Florida, not Deerfield Beach. All the commissioners understood this but Sylvia. Watch the video at the city website, reality TV doesn't get much better than this.Then the vote to decide on the pier restaurant was messed up, see Tom Francis' take on it in his New Times post http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/juice/2009/10/deerfield_beach_pier_lease_poitier.phpDuring
the meeting Mayor Peggy Noland made sure the whole city knew she was ready this time, unlike two weeks ago, she had the bidders ranked 2 ways and was ready to choose either way they decided to go, she did her homework. Unlike Sylvia Poitier, shown in the video post on Francis' blog. In spite of having had 4 weeks to review she was not ready and messed up her choices which were done on the spot while everyone waited.It ended up with her changing her vote after the restaurant was picked. She was seriously confused and was unable to grasp the difference between two similarly named "Pier Grills". I would not be surprised if the losing bidder takes legal action. At this point Peggy loses her temper and says enough, stop it, we look like a bunch of idiots, the vote was called, and Sylvia kept interrupting and Peggy kept saying "Excuse me Sylvia you don't have the floor!" over and over. Sylvia then asks the city attorney if the mayor can stop her from talking at a commission meeting and is told, "Yes". Sylvia then left the room.All during the retreat veiled references to Sylvia's behavior at meetings was discussed, then at the end they finally named the problem and said she was the problem. Two weeks ago during the commission meeting Sylvia seemed especially foggy, she, at one point, asked is Crystal Lake in Deerfield Beach? Huh? Last night she acted very confused also, and not too sure what was being discussed. Perhaps her blood sugar is off; perhaps she is not sleeping well, perhaps …. Well whatever, she is no longer an asset to the commission and should take time off and get help or resign, now, at once.Up until last night the commissioners humored her, that seems to have ended. Perhaps they will take action.
.Posted by Bett Willett at 5:02
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Jeff Sayles of Deerfieldbeachusa website: Poitier Must Go!
By Jeff Sayles
Poitier Must Go - 10/21/09
There is no way to say this that is not awkward. But Sylvia Poitier has got to go. If it's not now, it must be at the end of her current term, March, 2011.
She has become, increasingly, an embarrassment to herself, to her district, and to the city. I don't know if it's age, or sickness, or what. I understand that she is diabetic. At last night's commission meeting she was completely unprepared: the commissioners had nearly a month to work out their rankings for the pier restaurant bidders. She had not, and threw the proceedings into disarray when she declared she had made a mistake in her rankings. Her mistake changed the rankings completely, and deprived someone of the contract they believed they had won. I would not be surprised if there is litigation over the way the city commission bungled the pier restaurant bidding process.
I doubt that Mrs. Poitier reads this website, or even knows of its existence. It is up to friends, or constituents close to her, to convince her that her day is over.
This reminds me of when Justice William O. Douglas retired from the Supreme Court. I remember this particularly because he announced his retirement the Friday before the Monday I was introduced to the Court when I was admitted to practice before the Court.
Even those who disagreed with many of his opinions recognized that Justice Douglas was a brilliant lawyer and jurist. Appointed by President Roosevelt, Douglas served on the Court for almost 37 years. After suffering a stroke, he continued to sit on the Court, refusing to leave, even though he was visibly impaired. When he finally retired, he declared his intention to continue to sit on the bench, even if he could not vote. The chief justice at the time, Warren Burger, had to be the one to tell Douglas that if he did that, he would embarrass himself and the Court.
And so, it should be in the case of Sylvia Poitier. She has had a long, if not entirely uncontroversial, career in public office, twice as mayor of Deerfield Beach, as city commissioner, and as a county commissioner. She has been a strong advocate for the black community of Deerfield Beach. African-Americans make up close to a fifth of Deerfield's population. She was the only African-American to serve as mayor; the first women also.
However, she cannot continue under the circumstances when she is clearly unable to perform her duties in a professional manner. Someone must convince her, because I would hate to see it come down to a commission censure or a recall.
She has become, increasingly, an embarrassment to herself, to her district, and to the city. I don't know if it's age, or sickness, or what. I understand that she is diabetic. At last night's commission meeting she was completely unprepared: the commissioners had nearly a month to work out their rankings for the pier restaurant bidders. She had not, and threw the proceedings into disarray when she declared she had made a mistake in her rankings. Her mistake changed the rankings completely, and deprived someone of the contract they believed they had won. I would not be surprised if there is litigation over the way the city commission bungled the pier restaurant bidding process.
I doubt that Mrs. Poitier reads this website, or even knows of its existence. It is up to friends, or constituents close to her, to convince her that her day is over.
This reminds me of when Justice William O. Douglas retired from the Supreme Court. I remember this particularly because he announced his retirement the Friday before the Monday I was introduced to the Court when I was admitted to practice before the Court.
Even those who disagreed with many of his opinions recognized that Justice Douglas was a brilliant lawyer and jurist. Appointed by President Roosevelt, Douglas served on the Court for almost 37 years. After suffering a stroke, he continued to sit on the Court, refusing to leave, even though he was visibly impaired. When he finally retired, he declared his intention to continue to sit on the bench, even if he could not vote. The chief justice at the time, Warren Burger, had to be the one to tell Douglas that if he did that, he would embarrass himself and the Court.
And so, it should be in the case of Sylvia Poitier. She has had a long, if not entirely uncontroversial, career in public office, twice as mayor of Deerfield Beach, as city commissioner, and as a county commissioner. She has been a strong advocate for the black community of Deerfield Beach. African-Americans make up close to a fifth of Deerfield's population. She was the only African-American to serve as mayor; the first women also.
However, she cannot continue under the circumstances when she is clearly unable to perform her duties in a professional manner. Someone must convince her, because I would hate to see it come down to a commission censure or a recall.
Premieres October 21 & 22 at 9 PM ET
PREMIERES OCTOBER 21 & 22 9P ET
By 2050, the U.S. Latino population is expected to nearly triple. This October, CNN's Soledad O'Brien explores how Latinos are reshaping our communities and culture and forcing a nation of immigrants to rediscover what it means to be an American.
CNN presents Latino in America. Read the full story here.
Presumed Innocent: Salesman Get's Arraigned Today
Former Miramar Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman is also expected in Federal Court to be arraigned on corruption charges
The lights will always be dimmer without Jasmine
August 31, 1999- October 20, 2009My friend Gerry Brown, lost her dog Jazzy Lady.
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