By William Gjebre, BrowardBulldog.org
Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper
The Broward Inspector General’s probe of Hallandale Beach financial management practices has reached a critical stage: the questioning of the five members of the city commission this week.
The interviews got off to a false start on Friday, when Mayor Joy Cooper was to have been questioned by investigators.
Cooper said she went to the IG’s office but there was a miscommunication involving City Attorney V. Lynn Whitfield who had been out of town and was not available to attend. As a result, Cooper said, she was scheduled to meet with IG investigators Monday.
“I’m looking forward to being interviewed and the completion” of the investigation, Cooper said before her scheduled appearance. She could not be reached Monday evening for further comment.
Vice Mayor Anthony Sanders and commissioners Dorothy Ross, Alexander Lewy and Keith London confirmed they would meet with IG investigators this week. The meetings, at the IG’s office in Plantation, are by invitation, not subpoena.
The commissioners, who are also the directors of the city’s embattled Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), may be the last group to be interviewed in the probe.
Investigators have interviewed former City Manager Mark Antonio, former City Commissioner William Julian, CRA Executive Director Alvin Jackson, Human Services Director Marian McCann-Colliee, and Jennifer Frastai, an administrator in the city manager’s office.
Investigators apparently also met with Richard Cannone, a former director of the city’s Development Services Department. When asked if he met with investigators, Cannone referred request for comment to the IG’s office.
INVESTIGATION MARCHES ON
County investigators are reviewing grants and contributions to community groups, CRA loans to businesses and land acquisitions, and management practices. They are expected to eventually issue a report on their findings, with recommendations, and they may also refer some issues to state agencies, such as the Broward State Attorney’s Office.
Vice Mayor Sanders, who along with his wife Jessica, appear to be a focus of the probe, declined to comment or say when he would meet with investigators.
“I wish I could talk to you,” he said.
Investigators have asked for files of several community groups that received city funds and are linked to Sanders or his wife. They have also asked about the city’s purchase of property once owned by a group headed by Sanders.
Ross said she was not sure of the date of her appointment because it had been changed. “I’m going to ask the city attorney to go with me,” she said.
Lewy declined to say what day he will meetwith investigators. He previously stated he believes the investigators have been “fishing for information.”
London, who is running against Cooper for the mayor’s seat, disagreed with that assessment. “This is not a fishing expedition,” he said.
London said he is to meet with investigators at their office on Thursday morning. “I don’t know who else they can talk to. It doesn’t take six months to find people innocent. I look forward to the final report.”
Former commissioner William “Bill” Julian, who is seeking to regain a commission seat this fall and who voluntarily spoke to the IG weeks ago, said he thinks politics is behind the IG’s investigation.
“I don’t see any wrongdoing,” Julian said.” I think we have solid policies. Any problems in the past have been corrected. I don’t see where they can point any finger at anything criminally wrong. I’d say it’s politically motivated investigation.”
IMPASSE BROKEN
The meetings end a short-lived impasse between the Inspector General’s Office and the city regarding investigators attempts to interview city commissioners.
Earlier this month, an attorney for the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), whose directors are city commissioners, had maintained that the IG had no authority to probe the CRA under state and county law because it was an independent special district. Prior to that, the City Attorney’s Office informed the IG that the city manager’s office would not voluntarily schedule meetings between city commissioners and county investigators.
Why the city decided instead to cooperate was not immediately clear.
Steven Zelkowitz, the CRA’s lawyer, and Hallandale Beach City Attorney Whitfield could not be reached for comment. Inspector General John Scott declined comment on any aspect of the probe.
Commissioners didn’t seem to know what had changed and indicated they did not inquire.
London, often at odds with fellow commissioners, said he believes Zelkowitz was trying “to protect his clients (city commissioners) ” when he issued his opinion to the IG’s office.
The city’s opposition to having commissioners interviewed may have dissipated because it was only this past March that it officially constituted the CRA as an “agency” under state statutes. Up until then, the CRA, which began functioning in 1996, had been a sub-department or a department of the city.
Another factor could be the IG’s aggressive oversight of another Broward city where elected commissioners also comprise the city’s CRA.
In a report this March, the year-old agency concluded that Lauderdale Lakes “had grossly mismanaged public funds…The OIG investigation also substantiated allegations that the city’s CRA funds were improperly used to pay city operating expenses….”
Or it could be that city commissioners felt public pressure to at least be questioned rather than having this as an issue during an election year.
William Gjebre can be reached at wgjebre@browardbulldog.org
Pastor Sanders,
The following are a couple of questions for you to practice in front of a mirror before your meeting with the Inspector General’s office. Let’s see if you can answer these with a straight face.
In February why did you go against Alvin Jackson when he wanted to establish a program creating jobs program with $200,000 instead of giving the money to your wife?
You, Lewy, and Cooper all stated how much better you all were in obtaining jobs for people, so where are those jobs? Where is the IRS 1099 or W2 forms for ANY jobs you and your wife have helped the poor masses achieve?
Please tell us when you plan on paying back the extra $7,500 dollars that Mike Good and Joy Cooper arranged for you to receive at the closing table for the inflated purchase of your old church? You know the one that the auditors told the city commission about in January? Well when are you paying the taxpayers back their money? Can you manage that before Election Day?
Good luck this week, wear stripes you may want to try getting used to the new look in your wardrobe.
Finally, our elected officials will file in one by one and tell their story. We should note they are going in voluntarily only after considerable public pressure, and examining the political realities of holding out. Bill Julian’s breaking ranks first certainly provided the push that was needed and in a sense we can be thankful for Bill Julian seeing the inevitability of the situation and sizing the advantage. That’s it for the praise.
First, I am really perplexed on what is reported by Mr. Gjebre in this posting. Mayor Cooper and Commissioner Ross both are only attending with the City Attorney in tow. When one understands that the City is only obligated to protect the City of Hallandale Beach’s interest in such matters, in fact OUR City Attorney is duty bound to protect the interests of the People and not the interests of the Commissioners or the Mayor as individuals. When one understands that these investigations are all about “Personal” actions it makes the City Attorney’s position rather awkward. No free legal advice should be provided these individuals as individuals, only as officials taking official actions. In the event wrong doing is suspected of these Commissioners and Mayor the City Attorney is duty bound to immediately take actions to protect the Citizens and join the IG in ferreting out the truth. Interesting situation, don’t you think?
Now, with Vice Mayor Sanders standing out and apart of the voluntary process, he has surely thrown his fate to the winds.
It is my true hope that the Commission has not repeatedly and materially acted to the detriment of the People of Hallandale.
What I would like for Mayor Cooper to do is explain to the People of Hallandale Beach, the entire scope of her relationship with the Executives of the Sun Times Paper, he reasoning for forgiving $25,000. in loan repayments. The Mayor has provided ongoing exclusive publication for all City Legal Notices at tax payer expense, in the Sun Times. Concurrently, the Sun Times, with $25,000. in free cash in their pockets has granted Joy Cooper the politician and Mayor free use of substantial publication space in print and electronic publication. No attribution as to payment for this space is reflected as having been paid by the City, nor the Mayors Campaign or even as “In Kind” donation to her campaign, hence this reader must assume: Mayor Joy Cooper the politician is receiving free publication space in a “Pay and Play” scheme at the People’s considerable expense.
Madam Mayor, please detail this for the IG’s office and I for just one look forward to the outcome on this matter in addition to the host of others.
Question for Bill Julian:
In a Quote published here in the BullDog you said:
“I didn’t question use of CRA funds for charitable contributions,” Julian said of his time on the city commission. Commissioners, he added, wanted to “take a load off the general fund…I don’t know if that was legal. That will have to come to light.”
“I don’t know of wrongdoings by commissioners or myself,” Julian said. “I don’t know if I did something wrong.” Julian added that if something was done incorrectly “let’s fix it.”
Bill just to be clear, Bill you confirmed in this quote that you believed at the time it was that the duty of the City to make Charitable Contributions.
That this this duty was causing a undue burden on the Cities general fund
And you wanted to use the CRA funds to make these contributions instead of the City of Hallandale Beach.
Did I get this right?
Oh, just wondering were such Charitable Payments made to any of Vice Mayor Sander’s or his wife Jessica controlled charitable entities?
Were any donations made to any other charities doing good work within the City of Hallandale that were not associated with Vice Mayor Sanders and his affiliates?
As I have said repeatedly, there seems to be too many questionable characters, intermingling of finances and other improprieties that have transpired. It is time for a clean slate. It is apparent that the newly elected Commission will need to clean up the mess that is being left behind. It should never have come to this, but now that we are here the voters, hopefully, will understand why it is so important to elect honest and dedicated officials to represent their best interests.
My guess the answer of the day from these corrupt idiots* is going to be “I refuse to answer on the ground of self incrimination.” I bet $10K that this will be said at least a dozen times–on the advice of their attorneys. This meeting may be involuntary but I bet they will be suponaed next when the IG doesn’t get any answers out of them.
*I call them idiots becuase they engage in corruption in such stupid & obvious ways.That $7500 Saunders got back on his shady RE deal has to be on the HUD1–if the closing agent closed is correctly. I bet there is enough paper trails out there to put them away without a trial. They might as well paint a bullseye on their JC Pennys suits.
Finally! They can only stall for so long! It will be very interesting to see how Cooper and Sanders try to wiggle their way through the questioning process of how they gave and received money for votes.
It’s time for a big change in Hallandale just like Hollywood went through several years ago ridding themselves of Mayor Mara. There is no “JOY” left in Hallandale as she sucked all of it out.
The IG has the talent and the will to get the truth, even with reluctant witnesses. Let’s hope it all comes out before the election. The indictments should follow.
The city is in dire need of an honest, ethical mayor and commission. I hope the voters are paying attention.
It was only a matter of time after the first person talked to the Broward IG that all “subjects of interests” agreed to do the same. Conventional wisdom holds that the first person to talk gets the best deal from the prosecutors. The Mayor’s desire to have the City Attorney in tow raises suspicion as to why she needs legal representation when all she has to do is to answer a few questions. Is her next step to hire a defense attorney for her and the other commissioners, on our dime? One can’t help but wonder given her great reluctance to simply tell the truth about matters that she is intimately familiar with.
Though there are obviously many areas of legitimate concern for city taxpayers, one area that the IG should specifically pursue is the matter of the Neighborhood Employability Enhancement Program (NEEP). Having been watching when it happened, one of the most-troublesome matters to date that Mayor Cooper and Commissioners Lewy and Ross should be asked about concerns a post-midnight motion made by Director Lewy, seconded by Director Ross, to allocate $203,000 of CRA monies to a “ NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH AND WITH A PROVEN RECORD AS A PROVIDER OF JOB TRAINING AND PLACEMENT SERVICES”.
The IG should ask, what is the name of that intended organization, why was Lewy’s motion made in an obvious way to hide its true intention and what organization actually received that $203,000? And, of course, where is any independent third-party proof of this so-called “proven record”?
It’s abundantly clear to anyone reading these Broward Bulldog articles, as well as the Marcum report, that Hallandale Beach’s elected officials have routinely paid insufficient attention to financial details, and have instead become accustomed to routinely changing rules and procedures they feel encumber their ability to pick economic winners and losers in the community with taxpayer or CRA dollars.
The solution to that is new leadership on the dais in November. Modified for our specific case, the definition of insanity would be to continue electing the same mayor and her Rubber Stamp Crew and expecting different -and positive- results. These characters are NOT going to change their spots, so Hallandale Beach residents would be well-advised to take advantage of the chance they have to eliminate the ones who seem so reluctant to do the right thing in the first place, and reluctant to tell the truth when asked about their own behavior.
It’s vitally important that the IG resolve this issue before the November election, but if that is not possible, residents need to resolve the matter at the ballot box. Our community deserves MUCH BETTER representation on the City Commission than we have received the past 10 years, and this overdue investigation is only further proof of that.
Mr. Kulin asked a fair question and it deserves an frank and honest answer to the public from Commissioner’s Lewy, Ross and Mayor Cooper. Just what were you hoping to accomplish with this maneuver?
“Though there are obviously many areas of legitimate concern for city taxpayers, one area that the IG should specifically pursue is the matter of the Neighborhood Employability Enhancement Program (NEEP). Having been watching when it happened, one of the most-troublesome matters to date that Mayor Cooper and Commissioners Lewy and Ross should be asked about concerns a post-midnight motion made by Director Lewy, seconded by Director Ross, to allocate $203,000 of CRA monies to a “ NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH AND WITH A PROVEN RECORD AS A PROVIDER OF JOB TRAINING AND PLACEMENT SERVICES”.
The IG should ask, what is the name of that intended organization, why was Lewy’s motion made in an obvious way to hide its true intention and what organization actually received that $203,000? And, of course, where is any independent third-party proof of this so-called “proven record”?”
UPDATE:
Channel 10 news’s Glenna Milberg is now investigating the suspect purchase of property by the City Commission from Vice Mayor Sanders:
http://www.local10.com/news/Hallandale-Beach-investigated-for-possible-corruption/-/1717324/15735182/-/qh2wgaz/-/index.html
Why would the Commissioners want to line Vice Mayor Sanders pockets with so much gold? Wasn’t there a election coming up? Could the real motive been to pay for vote steering in the N.W. section of Hallandale where Sanders along with his wife claim community leadership positions? Wasn’t The Vice Mayor Bill Julian facing re election in a few short months? Would Julian seek to lock in support from the N.W. Quadrant of Hallandale by providing a “wind fall” profit to then Commissioner Sanders who could “spread it around” to influence locals to support Julian? The trusting citizens pay for vote buying under the cloak of a real estate purchase … the citizens never the wiser, could that have been the plan?
Where is the legitimate plan calling for the purchase for that property? Who is the mysterious developer who backed out leaving the city stuck with the property? Why was the purchase so urgent as to cause the City to purchase the property at such a over market price? Why didn’t the Mystery developer buy that land and building, after all isn’t that what developers do? Why was the City’s in the deal at all, what was expecged to be gained and by who?
Some have attributed Vice Mayor Sanders a shrewd business person selling at a very high price to an poorly witted buyer then Vice Mayor Bill Julian and Mayor Joy Cooper on behalf of trusting citizens of Hallandale Beach. Do you think then Commissioner Sanders was just being a shrewd businessman?
What do you think was taking place, was there something more sub rosa in play?
Your questions, Chad, are precisely what most residents of Hallandale Beach don’t demand to know- but that’s not because only a few people around here want to know or because people generally don’t care or because people don’t believe that there’s been any kind of wrongdoing.
The reason that people don’t speculate as you and the other London acolytes do so frequently on the internet and in his “community meetings” is because most other people understand that these transactions are eventually going to come to light, but until then, all of the speculation, insinuations, accusations and allegations are nothing other than political attacks.
Most ordinary voters and city residents are turned off by political attacks. They do not energize voters. Instead, they suppress votes. Most ordinary voters who are not obsessed with the political narrative in town view both the attacker and those being attacked as a bunch of no-good politicians, and that suppresses the vote. That is why negative attacks are more popular amongst right-wing politicians, because the less ordinary people who vote the better for Republicans.
The questions raised by Ms. Milburg’s report are questions that Keith London has been asking for years. Why is there a formal complaint being investigated by the IG only now, during the 2012 campaign cycle? I have a question for you: is Commissioner London asserting that for about the six years that he’s been a paid city official, he has never, ever known the answers to the questions that are always left lingering in the air by himself and his acolytes?
If there were nefarious purposes for negotiating to a higher price for the Eagle’s Wings property than could have perhaps otherwise been paid- if at all- then those purposes have to be proven, don’t they? What evidence is there of “vote steering” has there been from the last election? I certainly didn’t see evidence of that. Keith London won re-election and Bill Julian lost.
I don’t know what the motives were for the city purchasing that property, but I don’t publicly speculate about it, either. The fact is – THE FACT- that I don’t know, you don’t know, London says he doesn’t know, and Kulin, Lazaro and Dean don’t know, either.
You can toss around political attacks all you want. Unfortunately, the taxpayers have been paying Keith London to do that for years when that should have been a free service by a city activist, not an official on the payroll. All of these questions and insinuations are nothing more nor less than political attacks. It is only the officials charged with investigating and issuing a report that may know the answers. Until then, London’s acolytes running for the commission seats are not the answer to questions allowed to linger in the air for years.
The only answer we’ve had so far is that the majority in a democratic government votes to take action, and the minority loses that vote. If the majority should ever make a bad decision, that doesn’t necessarily result in a crime, even when the minority vote continually points to the majority as not the winning vote, but instead the corrupted.
More often than not, the voters in any democracy have a choice between either two evils or two not-so-greats, especially nowadays. In my close observations, London has consistently presented himself as the greater evil in democratic government. If we want what some would consider a better government and better choices on the ballot, this community has got to do a hell of a lot better than the Cult of Keith London.
Most of the voters in this city are always going to want politicians who also have a history of involvement in the community and its neighborhoods, not mud slingers who make choices about spending tax money the one and only great priority above every human being and the families that are hoping for a genuinely good quality of life in the City of Choice.
I’ll patiently wait for all of this to come out in the wash. I’m not jumping to any conclusions, because quite apparently, I don’t know anything more than Keith London knows.
Good for London. He always votes NO, so he is always right. How bad should be a guy always happy when someone gets in trouble? Do we really need London as a Mayor? Let investigate how much money residents of Hallandale have lost because of London and his permanent negative position to City development.
Copied & pasted directly from the record, which Keith London sent in an email blast today:
________________________________________
City Manager Good discussed how purchase of the property is part of a comprehensive redevelopment plan for the entrance to the Palms neighborhood from North Dixie Highway. The amount negotiated for the property, $235,000, is based on four property appraisals.
MOTION BY VICE MAYOR JULIAN, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ROSS TO AUTHORIZE THE PURCHASE OF 501 N.W. FIRST AVENUE FROM HIGHER VISION MINISTRIES, INC. FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $235,000 AND AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE ALL ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS. The motion carried on a 3/1 voice vote. (Commissioner London voted no and Commissioner Sanders recused)
___________________________________________
That’s it. That’s all we’ve got. Manager recommends a purchase and a recommended price, and the commission votes to accept his recommendation. That’s not criminal right there, nor is it unethical. It takes interrogating and a comprehensive sifting through circumstances and motives to determine if there’s anything actionable under the law.
Until then, most voters in the city are not going to throw the reins to the political hacks who do nothing whatsoever for people in the community other than insinuate, insinuate, insinuate. Continually insinuating wrongdoing may eventually hit a pothole of malfeasance, much like a stopped clock is right twice a day, but it is not a sum total of good government.
I’m sure that London’s acolytes are confused and frustrated as to why Hallandale Beach residents put up with all of this stuff, but most people intrinsically understand that there’s a lot more to government oversight than political attacks and being suspicious about expenditures. Such tactics are hardly enough for most people.
It may also be confusing to London’s cult as to why anyone would support those that everyone knows aren’t entirely forthcoming at all times, but those who don’t see most everything in black and white understand that democratic government constantly involves trade-offs and patience. People who refrain from responding to their government as reactionaries instead respond by ensuring that issues of doubt and areas of disappointment don’t result in allowing political manipulators with angry agendas and unworkable ideologies to take hold of the reins of power.
That’s why most people in this town who vote are going to vote to re-elect the President. Our current administration has been probably one of the worst ever in US history in regards to investigating and prosecuting major banking and other financial malfeasance, but like most everything in politics, there are a lot of voters who understand that there are other areas that the President and his administration have handled exceedingly well, and then there’s, of course the alternative.
Unlike Chad Lincoln and David Smith and perhaps other Keith London acolytes, most of the voters in Hallandale Beach and in Broward County are fully aware that the alternative to President Obama is far, far worse, especially in regards to fiscal management and the regulation of financial institutions. Mitt Romney made a lot of money for investors, but so did the mafia. That doesn’t translate into a qualification for President. It’s a very similar scenario in Hallandale Beach politics.
Actions by the commission that leave a bad taste are not always going to result in ceding power to the alternative, because a lot of us know that things could get much, much worse. There is nothing as yet that any of the London Cult Candidates have offered this community beyond complaining about every dollar spent on people that they just don’t trust and rarely if ever interact with.
The IG will investigate and William Gjebre will try to heighten the suspense, but in the meantime, most voters are gonna know that Keith London, Michelle Lazaro, Csaba Kulin and Gerald Dean are not the answers to any of this.
That does not mean that our situation is rosy and that people who should care don’t. It just means that that’s politics, and the rest of us outside the Cult of London are going to do the best we can until other solutions present themselves. For the Cult of London, ‘the worst we can’ is the constant refrain with not a single positive, hopeful or visionary thing ever said about a city for which paid officials sitting on the commission or otherwise should be focusing on potential, not on nothing other than the past.
We have to shut up those 5-6 noisy London friends with personal interests: Kulin, Chad, Greenbarg and few more who suddenly decided that they are a big politicians. Those people rounded up Hallandale like a dogsThey try to stop any improvment of our City. Go home and play bingo!
Leon, what I love about our Nation is we are guaranteed to live under a nation of laws and not the will of men and women in elitists government positions. Leon, no matter how prejudicial and spiteful you are towards those that don’t worship this mayor and her Rubber Stamp Commissioners, I will stand for your right to support them. However, for you to call for the silencing of others who hold strong objection to manner in which this Mayor and Commission have discharged their trusted duty, I must stand against your thoughts and ideas as they stand for repression and subjugation of the People under the steely jack boot thuggery.
You have demonstrated in great empathy precisely why this regime in Hallandale must be ended. Your stated desire to “Silence” those who do not believe as you do is exactly the way Mayor Cooper acts towards the citizens. Your lock step support of her actions and methods of exacting control over the citizens is uncannily like birds of a feather.
Time and again Mayor Cooper, like you, have acted to stifle and silence open dialogue of “The People” in Commission chambers. She has stood in the dias shouting and screaming at citizens speaking in descent of her policies and actions. Mayor Cooper seeks to command the citizens to kneel under to her boot.
Yes, Leon and you and Mayor Cooper are much kindred in spirit and apparently in thought, and represent the epitome of self centered imperious personalities. Perhaps you both should take a refresher course in American Freedom and its foundations lest you slip further down the path towards tyranny. Yes, a refresher to cure the forgotten fact that this nation and YES this city run for the benefit of the People and not the Mayor, the Commission nor the employees and with all certainty not her misguided supporters.
Leon, Next time you want to reach out to call to action Mayor Coopers minions to stifle open dialog or silence Citizens in their free and open right to seek redress from their elected officials, bring more brains and less prejudice to the table. @Leon
Leon, listen to the bagger. The bagger doth knows.