NSBNews.net video by Sera Frederick / Bob Tolley urges the City Commission to show transparency by dealing with the controversial issues of the CRA in house and in open forum or lose that opportunity to outsiders.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- I appeared before the city commission on Tuesday night in an effort to have them internally address the ongoing problems over at the CRA. I also made one final attempt to have our elected officials request an independent forensic audit of the CRAs' books by the state auditors, all to no avail.
The only two commissioners that were interested in addressing any CRA issues were Jim Hathaway and Lynne Plaskett. It appeared to me that these two commissioners were making a serious effort to try and have the mayor speak about his involvement with CRA Board member Chad Schilsky, who was appointed by this same city commission.
The only two commissioners that were interested in addressing any CRA issues were Jim Hathaway and Lynne Plaskett. It appeared to me that these two commissioners were making a serious effort to try and have the mayor speak about his involvement with CRA Board member Chad Schilsky, who was appointed by this same city commission.
All Barringer could manage was a childish smirk, refusing to discuss the issues. The real problems at the CRA concerning the lack of transparency and accountability as to how millions of taxpayers' money has been spent, or should I say misspent, for use of CRA money like snow on Flagler Avenue tonight after the last Friday's Christmas tree lighting on Canal Street.
What these amount to are a fake tree, fake snow and a fake reason to misspend your money. Tuesday's meeting was just another shining example of why the three Cs of Corruption, Collusion and Cronyism are the name of the game.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Tolley's blog regarding fake snow, in the second to last paragraph, should reflect that CRA funding was used for the event "Light Up Flasgler," but the equipment used to produce fake snow was denied by the agency and paid for by the merchants themselves.
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