Tuesday, August 26th is the Florida primary. Elections on the Palm Beach County ballot include Congress, the Florida Senate and House, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Property Appraiser, Sheriff, State Attorney, Supervisor of Elections, County Commissioner, and the School Board.

Traditionally turnout is low in the primaries. Some of the positions are unopposed in the general election, so it is important for people to vote. Every vote is significant and could make a difference in the election.

The polls are open from seven in the morning until seven at night. Make the extra effort to exercise your civic duty and vote.

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Want to make a difference in the Boca community by serving on one of the City's citizen advisory boards? Unless your areas of interest were biking or Pearl City, there was little room for newcomers at the recent round of interviews.

The City advertised the following openings: elder affairs - one position; library - two positions; bike paths - one position; historical preservation -one position; and parks and recreation - 4 positions. Multiple individuals applied for all committees except for Pearl City and bike paths. Eleven people applied for Parks and Recreation and eight people applied for the Elder Affairs Committee.

All four of the individuals appointed to Parks and Recreation were incumbents and both library appointees were incumbents. That left one new person on elder affairs, one new individual for historic preservation and the sole applicant for Pearl City, for a total of three new members.

While it is certainly in the City's best interest to obtain continuity and reward incumbents for jobs well done, it is frustrating that people who want to bring new energy and vibrancy to the community are rejected. People who take the time to apply and interview and show a sincere desire to make a difference in Boca Raton should be given the opportunity to do so instead of being summarily dismissed in favor of incumbents. If there are so many applicants for certain committees, the City should look into expanding the committees or finding other places where willing volunteers can make a difference.

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Thanks to my fellow blogger Tina Korn from West Boynton for providing the following information

Tri-Rail is offering seniors a chance to have a free ride, to introduce them to the easy access Tri-Rail wants to provide them. No purchase necessary. Must be 65 years or older. Ticket offer is non-transferable and has no cash value. Limit one round-trip ticket per person. Deadline is June 2, 2008. Call 1-800-TRI-Rail (874-7245) or www.tri-rail.com to get a form. Or- send your complete name, address, age, phone # and/or e-mail address, WITH a stamped, self-addressed envelope, to: Tri-Rail, P.O. Box 5148, Lighthouse Point, FL 33074-5148.

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Every now and then something happens that is considered a "wake up call." I think we just saw such an event with the City of Boca Raton Housing Authority debacle and it is an issue that needs to be addressed by our public figures now.

For those of you who don't know, the Housing Authority announced that it would accept applications for HUD Section 8 housing vouchers on the morning of Wednesday, March 12th. Hundreds of people began lining up at the Glades Road office the evening before and by midnight the police had been called in to patrol the crowd. At 2 a.m. the Housing Authority passed out 500 of its 600 applications, reserving 100 for disabled individuals. At 9 a.m. the Housing Authority asked for disabled individuals to come forward, which caused a crowd surge. Evidently, thereafter the police told everyone to leave and hundreds of people were turned away without even getting an application.

Leaving aside the issue of a near riot and police action in Boca Raton, what is even more troubling is the numbers and desperation of the people waiting for vouchers. Photos of the crowd show families and children who lined up for hours for the privilege of getting subsidized housing. The pictures illustrate the fact that there are a large number of individuals in our area who are in dire need of help.

In these troubled economic times with a recession looming, many people are just a step away from homelessness. The Housing Authority was clearly caught off guard by the crowd and unprepared for the number of applicants. The Housing Authority alone, however, can not solve this societal problem. Our local, county and state governments need to take action now and help people obtain affordable housing before things get worse.

The Housing Authority crowd was probably just the tip of the iceberg representing only a fraction of the numbers that need help. Now is the time, before there is a true catastrophe, for our public officials to step forward and address the issue of affordable housing.

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In response to America's Most Wanted airing the murder stories of Nancy and Joey Bochicchio and Randi Gorenberg on Saturday, February 16th, the police in Boca Raton and Palm Beach County finally released more information about the crimes. The fact that new information was divulged at this late date only serves to highlight the total mismanagement of these cases by every entity involved.

First, the owners of Town Center, Simon Property Group, Inc. (“Simon”) have been in the forefront of the denial movement. Simon has long been aware of problems in their parking lots and kept it hushed up. There are plenty of cameras in the mall to stop shoplifters but crimes against persons evidently were not as much a priority. By instituting "Up Front Parking" and taking over more spaces for valet parking Simon exacerbated the parking lot problems. Simon's initial silence on the murders and then its lame new parking proposals are troubling. The free parking is only until 5 p.m., for mothers with young children and expires Mother's Day. Are we to assume that women without children, including the elderly, women who enter the mall after five or after Mother's Day are not potential targets? Simon should take a serious look at its policies and make some concrete concessions that might even affect its bottom line.

The Boca Police Department's handling of crime frighteningly resembles the Keystone Cops. The police did not believe the woman who was kidnapped in August and even made her take a lie detector test. Then there was no warning to the public about the predator. Even after the Bochicchio's were murdered very little information was released and it was only in response to a national television show that we get more information. It has been almost a year since the Gorenberg murder and two months since the Bochicchio's and the police have no suspects. Shouldn't there be some forensic evidence? The Police Department needs to find the criminals and bring them to justice. Even more important for the future the police need to be proactive and focus on stopping predators and alerting the public to serious crimes.

The Boca Raton Mayor and City Council were also aware that Town Center parking areas are crime ridden. The initial response from the elected officials to the Gorenberg murder was null and the first reaction to the Bochicchio murders was disbelief. It was not until the City Council meeting almost one month later that they excoriated Simon. The Council should stop blaming Simon and do some inward introspection. Why were they unaware of the August kidnapping? Doesn't the police department keep the elected officials aware of town issues? Why did they wait almost a month to issue any public statements? There is a new incumbent Mayor and this is a good time to institute new procedures to assure that our elected officials do not get caught unaware again.

It is deeply troubling that three innocent lives have been lost in our community. Hopefully, Simon, the police and elected officials will learn from mistakes made in handling these cases so that they are more effective in thwarting such crimes and apprehending the perpetrators.

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“NBC and the RNC both had a concern about Boca Raton because it sounded snooty, was not a real city, like holding a debate in Beverly Hills.” This was the opening line of my first blog posted in October, 2007. Well, here we are two days from the Republican Presidential debate taking place at Florida Atlantic University ("FAU") and specious criticism of our town, rightfully so, is not an issue.

FAU and Leadership Florida have acted professionally in organizing Florida's only presidential debate. While the Democratic debate does not appear to be taking place because of party politics, the Republican campaign is in full swing. With 57 delegates at stake and the possibility for a front runner to emerge, the Republican debate has became even more significant, giving Boca Raton a greater opportunity to be in the national spotlight.

It certainly helps our tourism industry to have an event in balmy South Florida when the rest of the country is in the grip of winter. It is also an opportunity to debunk some of the myths about Palm Beach County. After the 2000 election butterfly ballot fiasco, it is good for the nation to see that there are intelligent, well informed citizens in Palm Beach County and that the snotty caricature is just that, a caricature.

Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Mitt Romney have been crisscrossing Florida to gain votes for the January 29th primary. The FAU debate presents a chance to see all the candidates in one place. The debate should provide a forum for each of the candidates to discuss important issues on the national agenda and for Boca Raton to shine.

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With each day that passes without any arrests in the Bochicchio murders, frustration mounts. Law enforcement officials have been working diligently on the case for over a month. Despite their efforts and the supposedly abundant forensic evidence collected at the scene of the crime, the police evidently do not have any clue as to who committed the atrocious murders.

The only thing they know is that it appears similar to an August incident at Town Center and another in Mizner Park, both of which have not resulted in any arrests. There are also no suspects in the Randi Gorenberg murder case which happened over ten months ago.

Reliable sources have advised me that there was an attempted carjacking at gun point on Jog Road in December and an attempted car robbery in broad daylight last week at the Military Trail post office. In early December, my car was robbed of an ipod and several of my neighbor's cars were also robbed of personal items. Credit cards taken from one of the vehicles were used hours later in Miami but to my knowledge the case was immediately closed without any arrests.

The fact that the perpetrators of murders and robberies are still walking the streets of our community has everyone in a justifiably heightened state of concern. The lack of any arrests in these high profile cases along with stories of widespread crime makes it feel like we are living in the Wild West.

Local law enforcement officials need to reassure the public that we are not living in a lawless community. A strong zero tolerance policy toward any crime needs to be adopted and enforced. While we should not compromise on-going investigations, the police do need to be more forthcoming so that citizens can be aware of potential problems and feel more secure.

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I love Boca Raton and I would not want to live anywhere else in South Florida. Even though I am a strong advocate for our city, I believe that we need to continue to strive to make Boca the best it can be. As we start 2008, I propose the following resolutions:

1. Safety first. All crime, including purse snatching, robbery, carjacking and even sadly murder, needs to be addressed and stopped now. Everyone - police, elected officials, judges, businesses, ordinary citizens - should act in concert to show that there is a zero tolerance for any type of crime in Boca.

2. Open the Spanish River Boulevard library. The slow pace of building is starting to rival Gaudi's famous church, La Sagrada Familia, as the library was approved by public referendum in 2003 with construction started in 2004. It looks beautiful from the outside and now is the time to finish the project and let everyone enjoy this new public facility.

3. Build an ice rink. Recreational activities benefit both locals and visitors, making it a big plus for our city.

4. Bring back the boat parade. Traditions are what make the most lasting memories. We need to continue and support all city wide events to create a strong sense of community.

5. Plan for the future. Give the voters proposals as to long range plans for developing a downtown that links Royal Palm Plaza and Mizner Park and address road congestion, water purification safety and hurricane preparedness.

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Boca has its own version of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. For the first time in over thirty years, there will be no holiday boat parade in Boca Raton.

Apparently, the boat parade is a victim of economic difficulties and is a casualty of our City's belt tightening.

Previously, the parade was sponsored by the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. In 2003, the Chamber of Commerce pulled out and the City of Boca Raton along with the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County and Sea Tow, groups that run the boat parade in North Palm Beach, saved the parade.

This year because of state mandated budget cuts, the City was not able to contribute the almost $20,000 that it had given to support the event. Marine Industries, a not-for-profit organization created to promote and protect the sound growth of the marine industry in Palm Beach County, stated that it could not continue this year without the City's support.

Many people on the parade route plan their holiday parties to coincide with the event. Hotels and restaurants on or near the route also have benefited from the increased traffic of the parade. Estimates of the number of watchers have been as high as 10,000 people.

As a city that is fairly new and lacking in historical tradition, the loss of one of our few annual events is a sad occasion. If you feel the same way, let me or one of your City Councilmen hear your opinion. Although it might be too late for this year, maybe we can have an impact on next year.

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The name Tom Crocker is once again back in the spotlight, as he has offered the City of Boca Raton a proposal for a "spine" connecting Royal Palm Plaza and Mizner Park. Crocker's plan calls for assembly and redevelopment of two city blocks to complete the long discussed pedestrian oriented spine. Redevelopment of the property will stretch north to south from N.E. 2nd Street to Palmetto Park Road and east to west from Mizner Boulevard to Federal Highway. Crocker's idea is to place offices, shops, restaurants, residences and a hotel along the spine.

Crocker is well known as the developer of Mizner Park. Having been at the official capping ceremony at Mizner Park in 1989, I can attest to the fact that the changes wrought by Mizner Park have been monumental and beneficial. The stores and restaurants have brought life to the area. The Museum of Art brings culture and the bandshell hosts a multitude of outstanding concerts. The proposed reopening of Liberties bookstore will continue to bring people downtown.

The negative however has been that the costs of Mizner Park to the taxpayer far exceeded the original expectations. Because of numerous unforeseen factors, it was only in 2005 that Mizner Park began to break even. The question really is what Crocker's new proposal will cost and whether the benefits will outweigh the expenses. This is an issue that the City Council is grappling with and one that all of us as concerned citizens need to monitor.

In the meantime, change is already taking place in the area. Plaza Real South from Palmetto Park Boulevard to the Royal Palm Plaza already embodies Crocker's idea. New apartment buildings and new restaurants from Nicks to Moquilla to Chops have filled in the streets and with them have come trendy shops. Although it would be nice to have a unified plan for redevelopment, the recent development of these blocks makes you wonder if market forces will eventually accomplish the Crocker plan without Tom Crocker.

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“NBC and the RNC both had a concern about Boca Raton because it sounded snooty, was not a real city, like holding a debate in Beverly Hills.” This quote refers to the nationally televised presidential debates that will take place in January on the FAU campus, but could have been about anything taking place in Boca Raton. The city is perpetually stereotyped and maligned in both local and national media and I don’t know about you, but I am tired of it.

How dare anyone say that we are not a real city? We have a strong city government that works to appropriately manage growth, lots of hardworking local businesses, flourishing schools, a vibrant cultural community, and active charitable organizations. We might have more than our per capita share of restaurants and plastic surgeons, but we are still a true society of concerned and active citizens.

Boca Raton is by no means the most affluent city in South Florida yet it gets a bad rap as being full of rich snobs. Sure there are lots of wealthy folks here, but there are just as many if not more in places like Palm Beach and Jupiter Island. More importantly, there is a broad spectrum of individuals living in Boca. There are soccer moms, retirees scraping by on Social Security, working professionals, families on welfare, college students, Democrats, Republicans, people of all religious faiths – in short, a true community of people who chose to make their home here.

I would like to use this blog to highlight the amazing things that make Boca a real city and intend to feature organizations, events and people who contribute to making our town special. Of course, I’ll be starting from my own experiences but if you have someone or something that you think is noteworthy, please let me know by responding to this blog. I’d also like to start keeping track of movies, books, magazines, and news articles that refer to Boca and checking them for derogatory connotations. Let me hear from you so that we can combat the Boca Raton character assassination!

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