I read an article that mentioned the growing concern among commissioners about oversight of the busy airport (FLL) and the rebuilding of the airports management to ensure there is the depth of leadership that the Commissioners want.
For the Commission to have the depth of leadership required to oversee the management of the airport, the Commission itself needs an oversight board.
The Broward County Commission lacks the knowledge, the expertise, the experience and the collective integrity required to run an airport, yet they want full control of FLL. Sure. The six Commissioners that voted for the expansion at FLL all have ties to the construction management company that oversees all construction at FLL, or to their lobbyists. One is married to one of the lobbyists, and she is the Commissions' liaison to the airport.
As far as I can see, this can only mean the anticipation of financial gain, which is the reason for choosing the most costly alternative. The more money involved, the more opportunities for more people to put some of it in their pockets.
The company hired by the Commission to develop the environmental impact statement has prepared several rough drafts over the past decade that are riddled with inconsistencies and erroneous information, but they work for the Commission, and the impact statements are in many ways influenced by the desires of the Commission.
When six people can commit the citizens of Broward County to a pork barrel project of the magnitude of this airport expansion "lack of plan", it is past time to review the system of government presently in effect.
We are not the sleepy little community we were when the commission system was put into effect, and our growth demands that the government of Broward County catch up to the growth of Broward County, and I personally am in favor of the three-branch system espoused by our national and state constitutions. Failing that, an oversight board should be appointed to prevent mistakes of this nature in the future.
To this end, I sent the following email to our new Governor, Charlie Crist:
The Constitution of Florida declares that "All political power is inherent in the people" With the passing of each election, those to be governed choose those who will lead their government.
The Constitution also provides that the power to govern shall be among three branches of government: the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch: Although Broward County has grown considerably in the past few years, oursystem of government is still from that bygone time when the County was a sleepy little community that only came alive during Spring Break.
Broward County has progressed far beyond the County Commission system, and is sadly in need of a system that governs for the good of the most people.
When six people can override the wishes of the community as a whole, and make choices that adversely affect the lives and dreams of thousands of their constituents, when there are more viable alternatives, I believe that it is time for a change.
The citizens of Broward County can vote only for the candidate from their own district, and have absolutely no say in what happens in the other districts, and that is outrageous. The County Commissioners make decisions that affect all of Broward County, not just their own district, so all of the citizenry should be involved in all of the decisions.
The Broward County Commission has voted for an expansion plan for Fort Lauderdale International Airport that is both ill-timed and ill-planned.
Mayor Josephus Eggelletion was joined by commissioners Stacy Ritter, Ken Keechl, Ilene Lieberman, Kristin Jacobs and Diana Wasserman-Rubin in favoring the plan. Commissioners John Rodstrom, Suzanne Gunzburger and Lois Wexler opposed it.
Commissioner John Rodstrom accused his colleagues of making a hasty and unnecessary decision. He said the commission was relaying on flawed data about travel projections and did not know enough about how much the runway, neighborhood assistance to offset noise and the subsequent need for new gates will cost.
"We come to a decision that is long overdue and one which no one takesl ightly", Mayor Josephus Eggelletion said. However, the Commission seems to have taken it very lightly because, by and large, they ignored the arguments of the concerned citizens and only listened to those who voiced an opinion that was in agreement with their own. At the end, the vote was cast as it was engineered to be before the public even became involved.
The three Commissioners who voted against this "lack of plan" did so for a very good reason, and that is because of a lack of qualified or convincing information, and I feel that an oversight board would have prevented the plan from passing for the very same reason.
In view of the sophomoric decisions reached by the County Commission, I feel that it is past time to review the need for a better form of government for Broward County, and I believe whole-heartedly in the three-branch system espoused by our National and our State Constitutions. Failing this, I believe that at the very least, an oversight board is the next best option.
It is time for the Broward County government to catch up to the growth of Broward County, and the citizens of Broward County need your strong leadership now, more than ever before.
Grant Campbell
Governor Christ's office responded with this rather non-committal email:
Dear Mr. Campbell:
Thank you for contacting Governor Charlie Crist. The Governor appreciates your concerns about the current form of Broward County Government and asked me to respond on his behalf.
Governor Crist wants to know how Floridians feel about the many critical issues we face, and appreciates you taking the time to share your concerns and views, as they are important to him. Rest assured he will keep yourcomments in mind when speaking with state and local officials.
Thank you again for contacting the Governor's office. Please continue to bring to the attention of this office those matters of concern or interest to you.
For information about the Governor's initiatives and to subscribe to hisweekly "Notes from the Capitol" newsletter, please visit our Web site athttp://www.flgov.com/.
Sincerely,
Rex T. Newman
Office of Citizen Services
This project is estimated at in excess of $650,000,000.00, and when the cost overruns, and the annual rise in construction costs are factored in, final cost could be well over $1,000,000,000.00.
I feel that decisions of this caliber should be made by the people who will be affected by the decision, not by six people who are in a position to profit by their association with the project they are voting for, and at the very least should be controlled by an oversight board if not through a public referendum.
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