Palm Beach Post Editorial - Sunday, October 26, 2008
Reelect Jennings, Vespo
The joke is that Lake Worth is where the tropics begin and the bickering never ends. So it’s no surprise that The Post doesn’t agree with any Lake Worth candidate on all the major issues facing the city or all the actions the city has taken in the past few years.
But The Post continues to believe that Lake Worth is working its way through many of its problems and that incumbent commissioners Cara Jennings and David Vespo on the whole have contributed to that progress. On Nov. 4, voters should return Ms. Jennings to the District 2 seat and Mr. Vespo to the District 4 seat.
Ms. Jennings voted against merging the police department into the sheriff’s department - a merger The Post strongly supported. Given Ms. Jennings’ unique alliance with active protest groups - she calls herself their “diplomatic person” - a concern is whether she held a grudge against the sheriff or could engage in the wrong confrontation with the law enforcement agency responsible for safety in her city. But Ms. Jennings says believably that “I don’t have any plans to stir the pot with the sheriff.” Her politics might be radical, but her political style is careful. She is well-prepared, asks lots of questions and is constantly involved with residents.
Ms. Jennings says she voted against the merger because the contract has no long-term cap and could become too expensive. If she’s right, Ms. Jennings could help solve the problem she warned against. That also might be the case if the city’s deal with Greater Bay to redevelop the beach casino falls apart, as she warned it would and it is in danger of doing. With $5 million from Palm Beach County and $3.2 million from other city accounts, Ms. Jennings thinks that voters might finally realize that they won’t get a private developer or some other government to pay and would approve a $5 million to $9 million bond to complete a modest redevelopment plan.
Ms. Jennings showed political courage when she took the lead on establishing an immigrant labor center. It will provide education that will help immigrants adapt and move those seeking jobs off street corners.
Mr. Vespo pushed to bring in the sheriff because “public safety in Lake Worth had deteriorated to the point that good residents were leaving.” He makes a good case that even if the city pays more, it will get far more than the city department could have provided. He has strongly supported the Greater Bay beach plan, but would consider a bond issue if it falls through. He voted against the immigrant jobs center, he said, because he didn’t like the recreation center site, not because he opposes the idea.
Both incumbents have helped make progress on difficult water and electric utilities issues. Both want the city to renegotiate a better deal or leave the cooperative that provides power. Both think that the city needs to complete a water treatment plant that has environmental issues. Both also acknowledge the need to replace Robert Baldwin, whose stint as a semi-permanent “interim” city manager has been just plain weird.
Both incumbents also have capable opponents. Mary Lindsey, running against Ms. Jennings (along with perennial candidate John Jordan), is very involved and fully informed on issues. Mr. Vespo’s opponents, Suzanne Mulvehill and Rene Varela, also know their stuff and are passionate about improving the city. The good field provides reason to hope that Lake Worth will continue to improve no matter who is elected, even if the bickering continues.