Hold on to your wallets taxpayers. Wait untill the details come out about this case.

By Elgin Jones, www.sfltimes.com

INJURED WORKER FIRED Acting Deerfield Beach City Manager Burgess Hanson has fired employee Clifton Coach, who was injured on the job after Burgess decided not to give him a light-duty position until he recovers. The coach worked in the city’s parks department as an equipment operator. This may be legal, but there are other issues at play, and taxpayers should hold onto their wallets, because the lawsuits might be coming. When the details of this case are revealed, taxpayers might show up at city hall and polling places with pitchforks. I’m on the case, so stay tuned.

Deerfield City employee son, signs with the Arizona Cardinals for a one-year contract

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP)—The Arizona Cardinals have signed outside linebacker Stevie Baggs to a one-year contract.
Baggs played four seasons in the Canadian Football League, the last two with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
He had 12 sacks last season, tied for most in the CFL. Overall, he had a career-high 55 tackles.
Baggs played collegiately at Bethune-Cookman. He played for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Eskimos before signing with Saskatchewan.

Deerfield Investigating Payments Made to Poitier Family Business

Poitier Family Business
By Thomas Francis in Broward, Politics
Fri., Feb. 5 2010 @ 9:30AM


deerfield-beach.com
Poitier ​In a move that could spell trouble for longtime Broward politician Sylvia Poitier, Deerfield Beach is conducting an internal investigation to determine how a nonprofit run by the vice mayor's relatives spent federal housing dollars. As the city's registered Community Housing Development Organization, the Westside Deerfield Business Association is entrusted with the role of rehabilitating low-income housing. The WDBA's president is Felicia Poitier -- daughter of Vice Mayor Poitier.In a letter dated February 4, the city attorney's office demanded to inspect WDBA's records relating to the rehab of six homes. Although Sylvia Poitier has disclosed a potential conflict based on her daughter's position at WDBA, she has been less open about whether she has a financial stake in the association. In past years, she has voted to authorize funding to WDBA.This past summer, Deerfield Beach activist Chaz Stevens posted a background report on Poitier that lists her as a "manager" of WDBA. Stevens, who has made the Poitier family's business dealings a personal hobby over the past year, sent his findings to a slew of law-enforcement agencies in June, hoping it would lead to an investigation for public corruption. It's not clear how much money WDBA has received by virtue of its favored position in the city. But it's at least a quarter-million dollars, which doesn't include the $30,000 loan it got from the city in August 2008 to pay its overdue water bill. Among the other debts, WDBA allegedly owed Lionel Ferguson, Poitier's brother, roughly $70,000. In a coincidence that may loom large in an investigation, that's about the same amount of money that Poitier claimed to have borrowed from Ferguson as a way of keeping her dry cleaning business from going under. During a political career that's spanned four decades, Poitier has weathered critics who questioned her integrity. But in the face of that adversity, she's been resilient -- and electable. Currently serving her third consecutive term as a Deerfield Beach commissioner, Poitier was first elected to that position in 1973, remaining in office for 12 years before being appointed to the Broward County Board of Commissioners in 1985 by Gov. Bob Graham. She was a county commissioner until 1998.The timing of this internal investigation suggests that the recent change in the city manager's office was a factor. Former City Manager Mike Mahaney was fired last month and replaced in the interim by Burgess Hanson. Before that, Mahaney had relied upon Poitier's support to keep his job, especially after the March 2009 elections, when a new commission led by Mayor Peggy Noland was sworn in to office.

Tags: accountants, Chaz Stevens, corruption, housing, Sylvia Poitier

Source: Home Rehab Group Cooperating With Deerfield Beach Investigation

Source: Home Rehab Group Cooperating With Deerfield Beach Investigation
By Thomas Francis in Broward, Business, Politics
Fri., Feb. 5 2010 @ 3:52PM




According to Deerfield Beach City Attorney Andy Maurodis, the Westside Deerfield Businessmen Association has provided the city with records that purport to show how the association spent the federal dollars distributed to it through a home rehabilitation program.Earlier today, we reported that WDBA funds are the subject of an internal investigation. The association is run by relatives of Vice Mayor Sylvia Poitier. Late yesterday, the city mailed a letter to WDBA asking for records relating to the rehab projects of six Deerfield Beach homes."I believe they have produced records today, but I haven't seen them myself," says Maurodis. For that reason, he couldn't say whether they represent a complete or partial accounting of the funds that were entrusted to WDBA.There's sure to be more news on this subject as the city inspects the WDBA records next week. "We're trying to get a full picture of how the moneys were disbursed," says Maurodis, who declined to elaborate on the concerns that sparked the investigation.

Tags: corruption, housing, Sylvia Poitier, WDBA

Don't be afraid. Please call with legitimate complaints and not personal agendas

by Sun-Sentinel

Whether it be an allegation of pay-to-play, nepotism, contract fraud or pocket-lining by public officials, Attorney General Bill McCollum is urging Floridians to use a toll-free hotline or a website link to submit their complaints to a statewide grand jury.
"We've had a rash of reports of public corruption in South Florida, and it's appalling," McCollum said at a Monday morning media conference. "This has to stop."


Callers can phone 1-800-646-0444.



Online complaints can be filed here .

Did Boca Raton Police Cover Up Racial Attack on Deerfield Beach Woman to Protect It's Image?

Boca police investigate attack on elderly woman as hate crime
Written by ELGIN JONES
BOCA RATON – An elderly black woman told police she was pushed to the ground, beaten, kicked in the face, and dragged along a sidewalk last week by two young men who insulted her with racial slurs and demanded to know what she was doing at “their” beach.
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Watch the video here.

Know about Public Corruption, The State Attorney General Wants To Hear from You. 1-800-646-0444

If you've got corruption tips or leads, Florida's attorney general wants to hear from you.
Whether it be an allegation of pay-to-play, nepotism, contract fraud or pocket-lining by public officials, Attorney General Bill McCollum is urging Floridians to use a toll-free hotline or a Web site link to submit their complaints to a statewide grand jury.
"We've had a rash of reports of public corruption in South Florida, and it's appalling," McCollum said at a Monday morning press conference. "This has to stop."
Following the federal arrests of three serving or former elected officials in Broward County, Gov. Charlie Crist called for the grand jury in October to root out violations of the public trust.
Statewide Prosecutor William Shepherd will oversee the 18-person panel, which will sit for a year. It will have the authority to indict public officials and recommend changes in state law.
Jury selection begins next week.
Meanwhile, McCollum is hoping whistleblowers will come forward with specific tips and supporting documentation. Reports can be made anonymously, he said, if necessary.
"When bribery takes place, the victims often never know about it," McCollum said. "The victim is a Floridian who has had their government stolen from them. The only people who know about it are parties to it."
Callers can phone: 1-800-646-0444.
And online complaints can be filed at: http://myfloridalegal.com/19thstatewidegrandjury

Tonya Alanez can be reached at tealanez@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4542.

Making The World Safe For Corruption.

By Joy-Ann Reid, The Reid Report

Three of the court's conservatives, Scalia (left) Chief Justice Roberts (center) and Alito (right)

Apparently, public corruption is NOT like pornography. Tony Scalia doesn’t know it when he sees it. And that’s not just because Supreme Court justices live sheltered, sexless lives (had a Coke lately, Clarence…?) No, it’s because like corporations, including multinationals with substantial foreign ownership, investing unlimited sums in American elections, politicians should be allowed to trade their votes for money from time to time. Read more
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Tags: Antonin Scalia, Chief Justice John Roberts, corruption, Politics, Samuel Alito, SCOTUS, The Supreme Court

Black History Month

During the early 1970s Negro History Week was renamed Black History Week and in 1976 became Black History Month, designating all of February for the recognition of African American history

My great hope is that these and other efforts by some of our most respected Black bloggers/journalist will help to move the public perception of African American history out of its separate chapter and into the main body of the national narrative where it belongs. Clearly, African American history is American history made by Americans in America. The message of African American History Month has relevance to every American and to those anywhere in the world touched by American culture

Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Offer Details of Rothstein Relationship to the South Florida Times.

By Elgin Jones, www.sfltimes.com

Once again, the local throw away paper unfairly profiles African- Americans.

If you are a frequent reader of the local throw away propaganda machine paper, then you should know that this paper lacks serious journalism. In Thursday's edition of the local bird cage liner crime reporting by Andrea Freygang. The crime watch is on the borderline of either blatant racism or total ignorance.



It was brought to my attention that in the Crime Watch section, the paper seems to specify only blacks in it's crime reporting. this is not the first time either, go and look at past crime reporting and you will see for yourself. I know that blacks are committing a lot of crimes. The local propaganda paper appears to only single out black males, read and you will see no reference to any other ethnics group by their race. This is plain wrong and seems to unfairly profile African-Americans in the mind of someone reading the article.



Does this surprise me? Not from that garbage bias paper. Journalism died at that paper a long time ago. The local throw away paper has longed disrespected African- Americans. This paper has always been on the wrong side of history in as far as citizens of color are concerned.

Fired Manager Gets A Job

By Elgin Jones, www.sfltimes.com

FIRED MANAGER GETS A JOB-Fired on January 15, former Deerfield Beach City Manager Mike Mahaney was hired just days later by CVE Master Management Company, Inc., the board that oversees the Century Village East development in the city. Mahaney is working as a consultant for the gated community, which is not necessarily an issue. But it is interesting since that development has had so many issues before the city commission in the past.

Mahaney

The city of Deerfield Beach has just gone through another crisis which resulted in the removal of the city manager. I read with amusement the comments of those citizens who spoke in favor of retaining Mike Mahaney as the city manager. It made me wonder whether these people actually lived in the same city. They were pleased that the manager was able to balance the budget and keep the same tax rate. Whether you approved or disapproved of the former commission, they left the city with $18 million in the undesignated reserve with the warning that this coming year the budget would be difficult at best. It is easy to balance a budget when you siphon 9 million from the undesignated reserve to make it come out right. And our bond ratings were unaffected. The rule of thumb is that the reserve must have at a minimum at least 5% of the total budget although 15% is the preferred amount. That means with a total general fund budget of $81 million Deerfield would have to keep at the very least 4.5 million in reserve. So what happens next year?
Did the manager attempt to increase revenues at all? His only contribution was a possible $500,000 revenue increase by installing red light cameras. It was widely known that the cities that already have them are being sued. Cross that off the revenue stream. Another of his suggestions was to increase the fire assessment fee to $149.00 dollars from the present $99.00. Fortunately that suggestion was shot down by the commission.

These supporters should be asking why all multi-family units in the city are not paying the same basic water and sewer rates. That oversight is costing the city in excess of $455,000 dollars which directly effects everyone else 's water and sewer rates. Sixteen cities have Waste management handling their single stream recycling. Not Deerfield. We have a department that costs in excess of 2.2 million dollars while the manager never bothered to investigate what a contract would cost with Waste Management and how much the city could have earned when it delivered over a certain amount of tonnage. The employees in that department could easily have filled the jobs of those non-uniform employees with 30 years of service that wanted to retire without penalty but Mahaney opposed the proposal. If the non-uniform were firemen they could have retired after 20 years. Why wasn't there a move to close the fireman's defined pension plan and the DROP plan. Their pensions are killing us. And there are members of that department who never go out on an emergency call but yet collect the 15% incentive pay. Why wasn't that changed? Some of them are also in the DROP plan. That means they get an additional 9% increase in salary because they no longer have to pay into the pension plan. How many of you taxpayers got an increase of 24% in your salary this year and are now negotiating for a cost of living on top. Tell that to the Social Security recipients who got no cost of living this year.

And for those of you who believe that Mahaney's demise came at the insistence of the fire department. That is not true. The union was not dealing with Mahaney . but with his friend, the recently fired county administrator of Surrey, North Carolina, to do the union negotiations.

Jean M. Robb, Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach Mayor 1980- 1993

Once again, we're on the wrong side of "Doing the right thing"

On January 20, 2010 the city of Deerfield Beach fired a 16 year employee Mike Hunter, 45, Equipment Operator 3, who was involved in a vehicle accident (no fault of Mike, private citizen hit Mike) on May 20, 2009. That day the city also fired Cliff Coach who worked in the Parks and Recreation Dept. as a Operator1. Cliff was involved in a accident too (no fault of Cliff's either) another private citizen hit him too. On January 15, Deerfield City Hall was overflowing with residents seeking sympathy/forgiveness for our ex city manager.

Ironically, those two city employees were let go by the City of Deerfield. They had wives and kids/family to feed. Where's the outcry of sympathy for these fired workers? The city applied a rarely used clause in the Union's contract to fire the workers who were on light duty over 6 months. The workers had reached their (MMI) according to the contract/ city officials. The workers were at work and not sitting home getting paid. They wanted to work and continue in their job capacities, and without any warning, they were called in the office and dismissed.

What is equally disturbing here, in the past/ past practices other injured workers were allowed to continue working (if management liked them) without being fired either.

The intent of the clause which was installed by LRD, in 2001, and approved by Union membership under threat and coercion by LRD during contract negotiations( LRD negotiated on the side with workers to pressure the Union to accept the contract) was to get injured workers sitting at home( getting paid) back to work. Most of the workers didn't know or cared about the clause which Union officials fought to have not installed in the contract.

With Morale at a serious all time low, this only deepens the divide, and trust against the city administration. I know the routine, ( be glad you have a job) This sends a clear message to the workforce, don't go all the way out doing your job and get injured. If you do, the City of Deerfield will fire you, and throw you and your family in the streets. Don't believe me? ask Mike Hunter and Clifton Coach, they begged for their jobs back with their wives and the City of Deerfield said " Get lost, your fired" If this is the order of the day in Deerfield Beach, this city is in serious trouble. If these are the people i'm paying my taxes to " God help us"

"Good Old Boy Network" at the Broward Sheriff's Office lives on.

Leap frog synonymous with promotions at the Broward Sheriff’s OfficeFrom the Westside Gazette Editorial Board (WEB)Originally posted 1/20/2010

Recently, Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti promoted some career officers to the positions of Lt. Colonel and full Colonel. The officers that made Lt. Colonel were leap frog(ged) from the rank of Captain and the newly made Colonel had been a Major; the change of rank is Captain, Major, Lt. Colonel and Colonel.All three promotions were given to white males. This, despite the fact that Lt. Colonel Danny Wright, a Black male, is more than qualified to hold the office of Colonel; he was once again overlooked by Sheriff Lamberti. For the third time. Read the Westside Gazette full story here.

NOTE: Interestingly a African- American, former Sheriff candidate Wiley Thompson, is over the Human Resources Dept. What good is having African Americans in high places, if they're only ceremonial, token positions

Change you can believe in, not from the Broward County Sheriff Office. This agency has become more politically ran than under Kenne Jenne.

When Sheriff Al Lamberti was elected Sheriff in the November 2008 election, he promised transparency ( that's the new word for politicians running for political office) and a honest, less politically, professional run Sheriff's Office. Some Broward County Democratic voters crossed political party lines to elect Lamberti over his opponent Scott Israel,( who is looking like the better choice now) it is now apparent that after the fall of Ponzi fraud man Scott Rothstein, two of Rothstein pals, Undersheriff Tom Wheeler and my Deerfield Beach Middle School schoolmate Lt. David Benjamin--- basically have ran BSO. Lamberti's Deputies have falsified subpoena applications in Deerfield Beach, that was reported as a oversight to BSO superiors, who signed off on this serious infraction. The argument before the election of Lamberti, was to make the BSO less political. I would truly say after reading Norman's article. Broward County taxpayers have been bamboozled again, by a slick, smooth talking politician named Al Lamberti and his political machine.

As Bob Norman points out in the featured article below. Deputy to be reinstated after "Political firing" Read Bob Norman's article here.

Wheeler and Benjamin were tight and both were extremely political and powerful. Sheriff Al Lamberti, a hands-off guy, let Wheeler and Benjamin run amok -- and they engaged in some serious intimidation of deputies who weren't towing the Lamberti line.

Even Deerfield Beach's former Police Chief Roy Vrchota, who was fired by ex sheriff Kenne Jenne, goes political. This man Vrchota, is over the Professional Standards Committe. What a freakin Joke!

You said you decided to get political, you voted for the wrong guy and your guy lost. You work for a political department and you should have kept your head down... Anybody that doesn't see an elected Sheriff Office as a political department really has their head buried in the sand.- BSO Chief Roy Vrchota, director of the Professional Standards Committee

Deerfield Beach Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration and Speakers - Jan. 16-18

Title:MLK Celebration 2010

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1610 AM Kiwanis Brunch

MONDAY, JANUARY 18 EVENTS 10 AM - Parade from Pioneer Park, 217 NE 5th Avenue, along Hillsboro Blvd., and ending at Westside Park
11 AM - MLK Program at Westside Park
Contact:
954-480-4480

Start Date:January 16, 2010 End Date:January 18, 2010

Description:Keynote Speaker: Bishop Jonathan Ramsey, Sr. – Administrative Bishop of Southern New England.

Other speakers are Rev. Anthony Davis, Church Of Brotherly Love; Bishop Anthony Pelt, Radiant Living Worship Center; and Dr. Nathaniel Knowles, Emmanuel Christian Center

Musical entertainment will include Minister Ernest Gonder of Love Fellowship Worship Center and local choirs.Address:Westside Park445 SW 2nd St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

SOUTH FLORIDA TIMES OWNER TO SPEAK IN HOMESTEAD FOR MLK DAY

This year, Robert Beatty, publisher and chief executive officer of the South Florida Times, will deliver the keynote address at the breakfast.
Beatty is the former general counsel and vice president of public affairs for The Miami Herald Publishing Co. He bought the South Florida Times in April 2007. He is also a partner at the law firm of Adorno & Yoss.
Beatty said Monday his remarks would focus on the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.
``I'm extraordinarily excited about having the opportunity to speak,'' Beatty said

MAHANEY FIRED!

Mahaney Fired as Deerfield Beach City Manager
By Thomas Francis in Breaking News, Broward, Politics
Fri., Jan. 15 2010 @ 9:47PM
Commissioner Marty Popelsky broke a 2-2 tie on the Deerfield Beach City Commission this evening, voting in favor of a resolution that terminated Mike Mahaney, the city manager of more than two years.The meeting was civil, by Deerfield Beach standards anyway. Commissioners Joe Miller and Sylvia Poitier teamed up with Mahaney to try to coax Popelsky into agreeing to a 90-day trial period, during which Mahaney would be expected to improve his performance and hire an assistant city manager who could step in if Mahaney didn't make the grade.But that would have led to another showdown in mid-March when the city's going to be in the heat of its negotiations with its firefighters union. We'll post video when it becomes available.
Tags: Deerfield Beach, Mike Mahaney

Gov.Crist suspends Michelle Spence Jones again!

Crist suspends Spence-Jones again
Written by SYLVIA GURINSKY
Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday issued an executive order to suspend Michelle Spence-Jones from the Miami City Commission again, effective immediately.Crist’s action came just two days after Spence-Jones won the District 5 special election to take back her seat, and before she could be sworn in to office. The executive order states that Spence-Jones, who was originally suspended after her arrest on a grand-theft charge last November, “has not been acquitted, found not guilty or otherwise cleared of the charge which was the basis of her arrest.”
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Harry Reid's message to his Republician/Democratic critics

Plot to expose blog commenter exposed. Judge Jay Hurley should be removed

Judge Hurley Says He Went to Cops for Security Reasons
By Bob Norman
Mon., Jan. 11 2010 @ 8:36AM




In the recent interview with the Pulp, Broward County Judge John "Jay" Hurley defended his decision to go to Broward Sheriff's deputies over a comment on JAABlog, a leading blog concerned with courthouse issues.
Hurley went to BSO after after an anonymous commenter posted the time and place of Hurley's wedding at the Riverside Hotel two weeks ago. Hurley was married to a former courthouse cafeteria worker named Maylin Romero, who now works in furniture sales, in a ceremony officiated by Broward Chief Judge Victor Tobin and attended by U.S. George LeMieux (Crist was invited but had other commitments).
Hurley said he was upset when he learned about the comment, which he said also snarkily implied that he, along with Crist, is gay.
"I don't think that I have a big ego that I have to take down blogs; I don't do that," he told me. "If you talked to people who knew me, I think if they are going to try to criticize me; they might say I'm
not bright or I don't know the law, but they won't say that I have some huge ego."
Still, he decided to try to take down the blog comment.
"I didn't know if there was going to be a crazy showing up at my wedding," he told me. "I couldn't find the motive of the person who would put that up there. Is this a lawyer trying to be a prankster and a jerk, or is this a private investigator trying to follow me, or is this a lunatic? I didn't know. I was concerned about the post. Was this poster trying to get people to go to my wedding, bad people, criminals, people who I have handled their domestic violence cases? That's what I was concerned about."
He called JAABlog administrator Bill Gelin, who as reported last week, took down the comment. "If anyone calls and personally bitches about something, we'll pull it down," Gelin told me last week. "He felt it was an invasion of privacy and borderline threatening."
Pretty standard stuff so far, since blogs are malleable media and anonymous comments are often deleted from them after complaints. But Hurley went a step further. First he had lunch with prosecutor Morgan Rood, who he said advised him that the anonymous comment wasn't a crime but suggested he might want to take it up with the Broward Sheriff's Office. He also said he also spoke with Tobin and other judges, who advised him to do the same.
Hurley said he then went to BSO's unit on the first floor of the courthouse and told a deputy he was concerned about the blog post. Interestingly, there is no paper trail of Hurley's complaint. Equally interesting was the choice for the detective assigned to the matter: Det. Freddy Avalos, who happens to be an acquaintance of Hurley's from courthouse and Republican political circles.
Avalos, who works in the aggravated felony unit, is the husband of former Broward Judge Catalina Avalos and a Crist appointee on the board of the South Broward Hospital District.
The presence of Avalos sounded to me like too much of a coincidence to have happened in the normal course of BSO business, but Hurley said he didn't request Avalos' presence and was surprised to see him when he arrived in his chambers with Rood to talk about the matter.
"This guy Freddy walks in, and I said, 'Hey, Freddy, how are you doing?'" Hurley said. "It turns out he's the guy on it."
Hurley said he and Avalos and Rood discussed the possibility of unmasking the commenter by acquiring the Internet Protocol via a subpoena.
"My concern was, 'Who is this, is this a lunatic?'" Hurley said. "We sat there and kicked it around the room and agreed that it was something to irritate you or aggravate you but it's not a crime. To [Det. Avalos'] credit, he didn't put our acquaintance in the forefront. He said there isn't anything here. Initially I was upset about it but then I thought about it and said, "I got bigger fish to fry,' and I forgot about it."
Of course it wasn't a crime. And the judge, in my view, should have known that before he tried to make a criminal case out of it.
The commenter was almost surely what Hurley initially suspected: a lawyer (I wonder if it may have been a fellow judge) giving him a hard time. And had Avalos and Rood actually kowtowed to Hurley and unmasked the commenter, it would have amounted to a tremendous abuse of power that would have likely created a media firestorm.
The right to anonymity in the age of Internet media is an issue of great importance. Just as certain whistleblowers and law enforcement sources deserve anonymity, so do those who submit information on the Internet. Hurley's stab at violating that right was ill-advised at best and indicates he might indeed need to bone up on the law and think a little harder before he ever makes such a move in the future.
UPDATED: While I don't agree with his actions in regards to the blog comment, I've done a bit of a 180 on the contempt charge. Hurley addressed the controversial 4-month contempt sentence on the mouthing-off defendant and, in a nutshell, he said he did it to set an example, but never intended to send the defendant to jail for the full period of time. He said he personally took it upon himself to mitigate the sentence after a few days. Knowing the full story, I think he handled that situation well.

Teddy Pendergrass dead at age 59

Looks like another love T.K.O. Rest In Peace Teddy Bear

Teddy Pendergrass dies in Pa. at 59
Singer was paralyzed in 1982, underwent colon cancer surgery last year

Michael Ochs Archives
Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass performs in 1979.
View related photos




updated 12:35 a.m. ET, Thurs., Jan. 14, 2010
PHILADELPHIA - Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B's reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died Wednesday at age 59.

The singer's son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at Bryn Mawr Hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery," his son said.

"To all his fans who loved his music, thank you," his son said. "He will live on through his music."













Teddy Pendergrass dies in Pa. at 59
Singer was paralyzed in 1982, underwent colon cancer surgery last year

Michael Ochs Archives
Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass performs in 1979.
Vi
PHILADELPHIA - Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B's reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died Wednesday at age 59.
The singer's son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at Bryn Mawr Hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery," his son said.
"To all his fans who loved his music, thank you," his son said. "He will live on through his music."

Do voter apathy win again in Miami District 5 Commission Special Election?

With voting precincts in Miami reporting low voter turnout, it looks like voter apathy wins again in South Florida. In Miami, there is a Special Election in District 5, that was caused by the November arrest of Michelle Spence Jones. Spence Jones, 43, was arrested on corruption charges in relation to $50,000 of Grant money that was allocated for Miami poorest neighborhoods.

Spence Jones has denied any wrongdoing related to the Grant money, and is presumed innocent. Will the Governor suspend the defiant Spence Jones again? Miami taxpayers are paying upwards to $200,000 for the Special Election.

If history serves us, in South Florida we are known for re-electing corrupt politicians example : Sunrise Mayor John Lomelo in the 80's. In Deerfield Beach, former Mayor Albert Capellini was arrested in December of 2008 and in the March 2009 election the suspended Mayor still came in 2nd place. Either voters didn't know or didn't care about the suspended Mayor's legal problems. In Deerfield Beach predominate Black District 2, voter apathy has been a major problem since the 60's. Black commissioners in the past have not tried to motivate black voters.
Our District 2 Commissioners poor performances,being ineffective (being invisible/sleep walking after being elected) have decimated any interest by black voters. Think our Black Commissioners care? No, they know black voters won't hold them accountable. The same voters will continue to vote for them time and time again.

Where are our leadership? Most are scared to speak up for fear of losing some grant. The others don't give a damn and could care less.

The sitting Commissioner Sylvia Poitier went unchallenged in the last election. Poitier made it clear she is running for re-election again next year at the last Commission meeting.

It's time for a new leader to step up in our community and take the reigns. I wouldn't hold my breath for change though.

Next Monday, Blacks will gather at Westside Park to honor slain Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blacks will come out and honor the man that had a dream, his dream was deeply rooted in the American dream. In Deerfield Beach's District 2 that dream has become lost and somewhat a nightmare.

Dr. King vision has been scarred by a lack of leadership in our community. On Monday you will see so called community leaders, religious leaders/others at the MLK festivities. What is so hard about stepping up to the plate and leading this community in a new direction and gaining political capital? On Jan 18(MLK Day) Speakers will give their arousing, spiritual speeches, to the applause of the audience. What happens after the people are long gone and the lights are out? it's back to business as usual.

I have a dream that one day " We shall overcome" from being our own worst enemy.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

State probing death of Deerfield Beach woman

By Elgin Jones www.sfltimes.com

LAUDERDALE LAKES — The state Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), which regulates hospitals and medical facilities, is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a woman who went to the emergency room at North Shore Medical Center FMC Campus.Family members of Fannie Ruth Holmes, a 70-year-old retiree from Tamarac, allege that she did not receive the proper emergency treatment, even though she was rushed to the hospital complaining of stomach pain and vomiting.
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Deerfield Beach USA article

NEW: Citizens Are Due the Facts, Truthfully, in the Case of Mike Mahaney - 01/08/10

Miami Herald article

MIAMI-DADE COURTS
Ex-Miami-Dade judge gets 20 years for theft of public funds
Disgraced Miami-Dade judge Phillip Davis received 20 years in prison for looting county and state grants intended to help the poor.


Photos


Ex-Miami-Dade Judge Phillip Davis to be sentenced in fraud case
Ex-Miami-Dade Judge Phillip Davis to be sentenced in fraud case
Former Miami-Dade Judge Phillip Davis, who once won acquittal in a notorious bribery case, will be sentenced Friday for looting county grant money intended to help the inner-city poor.
A jury in November convicted Davis, 56, and former assistant Joan Headley on nine fraud and money-laundering charges, all felonies.
They face from four to 30-plus years in prison. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Beatrice Butchko will sentence them Friday afternoon.
•
Ex-Miami-Dade Judge Phillip Davis convicted of fraud
Ex-Miami-Dade Judge Phillip Davis convicted of fraud
Phillip Davis couldn't beat the rap again.
Sixteen years after the former Miami-Dade judge was acquitted in a notorious bribery and extortion case, Miami-Dade jurors on Tuesday convicted Davis of looting public grant money paid to his inner-city social services agency.
Davis, 55, was immediately handcuffed and taken to jail. Six jurors convicted him of nine felony counts, including money laundering, organized fraud and grand theft.
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Jury convicts ex-judge of fraud, money laundering
Jury convicts ex-judge of fraud, money laundering
Former Miami-Dade Judge Phillip Davis once won acquittal with a teary courtroom outburst and the Hollywood line, ``I could have been somebody!''
It would not work again.
A new set of jurors ignored Davis' tears on the stand, convicting him Wednesday of looting public grant money intended to help inner-city Miami residents. The verdict came 16 years after another jury cleared him in a notorious judicial bribery case.
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Ex-Miami-Dade judge acquitted of bribery now faces new charges
Ex-Miami-Dade judge acquitted of bribery now faces new charges
Sixteen years after tearfully testifying in his Operation Court Broom bribery case, former Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Phillip Davis on Monday took the stand again, this time to deny charges that he pilfered grant money intended to help the poor.
But unlike his dramatic and contrite 1993 admission that he had snorted cocaine in his chambers -- a confession widely seen as helping him win an acquittal -- Davis, 55, delivered a primarily staid, professorial performance, complete with wooden pointer.
Wearing glasses and a black suit, he used the pointer to detail a dense PowerPoint presentation on a big screen TV. Davis was arrested in October 2005 and accused of looting county and state grants to the Miami-Dade Resident College. He faces a slew of felonies, including money laundering and grand theft. Prosecutors say he stole more than $80,000.
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Liberty City Rev. Gaston Smith convicted of theft
Liberty City Rev. Gaston Smith convicted of theft
After three hours of deliberations, the jury tasked with judging Miami Rev. Gaston Smith sent out a note asking the judge some very direct questions.
What records existed to show Smith snagged a generous grant from the Burger King company? Was there any evidence he helped create a Liberty City senior citizens garden? How many fliers touting his nonprofit group actually got printed?
The jurors wanted specifics -- but got none.
BY DAVID OVALLE
dovalle@MiamiHerald.com
Blending activist zeal with technocrat buzzwords, smooth-talking ex-judge Phillip Davis tried yet again Friday to explain his thieving of public grant money.
``When the grass-roots program began, we had no procedures in place. We were asking the people, the poor and underprivileged, to run the people,'' Davis said.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Beatrice Butchko shook her head. It made no sense.
``What on earth are you getting at?'' she said.
Davis -- who cried his way out of federal bribery charges in 1993 -- couldn't talk his way out of a stiff prison sentence Friday afternoon. Butchko slammed him: a sentence of 20 years in prison for looting $82,825.30 given to his Miami social services agency.
``You've been blessed in this life with gifts that you've thrown away on more than one occasion -- shame on you,'' Butchko said.
Jurors in November convicted Davis, 56, and his former assistant, Joan Headley, 54, on nine fraud and money-laundering charges, all felonies. Butchko on Friday sentenced Headley to 10 years in prison.
Once a circuit judge in the same courthouse, Davis was arrested in 1991 in an infamous FBI sting known as Operation Court Broom. Agents recorded him arranging a $20,000 payoff from a lawyer.
At trial in 1993, Davis admitted snorting cocaine in his chambers and tearfully blamed the bribes on his addiction with the Hollywood line: ``I could have been somebody!''
In a stunning verdict, jurors acquitted him.
Davis was disbarred but rebounded in the late '90s by establishing Miami-Dade Resident College, a grant-funded program intended to teach impoverished inner-city residents job and life skills.
But prosecutors said Davis and Headley inflated salaries and submitted fake bills to steal more than $80,000. And to hide the scam, Davis created a ``sham corporation'' called Workforce Management to pay workers.
When the county, suspicious of his finances, stopped paying one of his grants, Davis sent an angry letter claiming Workforce would sue him if the money didn't start flowing again.
``A bald-faced lie and a fraud,'' Butchko reminded him on Friday. ``Workforce was going to sue you? You were Workforce!''
During trial, Davis took the stand to claim -- using a PowerPoint presentation -- that his bookkeeping methods were approved by the county.
As he did in the previous decade, he broke into tears at Friday's sentencing. Cuffed and wearing a red inmate jumpsuit for high-profile inmates, he bawled when his two daughters and wife begged for leniency.
``I love Phil. He is my life partner. He is my friend. He means more to me than you could ever imagine,'' wife Deborah Davis told the judge.
Butchko, while wishing his family the best, was unswayed.
She said the highly educated ex-lawyer's good work was ``tarnished by greed.''
``Every single cent earmarked for the community has to go to the poor. We don't have a penny to spare,'' she said. ``That money was not your money.''

You don't fire a city manager because you don't like where he parks.

You don't fire a city manager because you don't like where he parks his car, or because he doesn't like you. Frankly 2 of the 4 city managers I had when I was mayor weren't too fond of me. You fire the city manager because he presents a budget that is a complete disaster. Say what you want about the previous commission but they left the taxpayers with a 16 million dollars surplus in the undesignated reserve with the warning that the upcoming budget would be difficult at best. What did this manager do? He siphoned 8.5 million from that reserve account to balance the budget on the backs of the city employees. Did he do anything to increase revenues. Not a chance. Instead he hires his buddy from Surrey, North Carolina and pays him $146,000 when the same man who was fired from his job had only earned $106,000 after 5 years.

Did he even look at what the city could earn by leasing the fishing pier to private enterprise? No, we had to save the part-time jobs of 14 employees. Although 16 cities hired Waste Management to do their single stream recycling. Not Deerfield. Did any one look into what a contract would cost and how much would the city get back from the tonnage collected? No, we kept 22 people at a cost of 2.4 million dollars which directly affected all your garbage rates. Those workers could easily have taken the jobs of those non-uniformed employees who wanted to retire after 30 years of service without penalty. The manager said NO. Did the manager ask the commission to change the ordinance so that every multi-family user in the city would pay the same base rate for water and sewer. Not a chance, and the city's loss is $455,000 annually which directly impacts your water rates.

There are 9 members of the fire department that collect the 15% incentive pay for Emergency calls although they never go out on a call. In addition there are 5 of them that are also in the DROP plan that automatically gives them an 9% increase in salary since they no longer have to contribute to the pension plan. How many of you out there got a 24% salary increase this past year? And let us not forget those on Social Security who got no cost of living increase. Was there any move to close the defined pension plan for the new hires in the Fire Department? None of the other city employees have that plan. And how much is the recently lauded fire chief taking away from the city with an annual pension and his DROP plan? The city will pay his health insurance until he reaches the age of 65. How much longer can the city taxpayers pay for these goodies?

The city earned $90,000 dollars last year with the sale of 1800 beach parking stickers. That means over 60,000 of you are subsidizing those users and eliminating the money the city could earn if all of the meters were being fed by beach goers.

You don't balance a budget by using up the money you have in reserve for emergencies. You do it with innovative planning and increasing revenues. Neither of these came from the city manager, and that is why he should be fired.

Jean Robb, was Mayor of Deerfield Beach from 1980- 1993

Miami Dolphins unveil plans to upgrade stadium

by Sun Sentinel

Miami Dolphins unveil plans to upgrade stadium
The Miami Dolphins unveiled on Thursday a vision for revamping their stadium that includes a metal roof structure that would completely cover the stadium seating, but leave the field open to the air and allow in the South Florida sunlight. Read more...