|
Formerly Larry Shaffer.com
 Please tell everyone our
Internet address, which is listed as follows:
http://RunesofAo.com/LarryShaffer.
The following letters, speeches, and columns were created by Larry
Shaffer in the pursuit of the interests, needs, and concerns of Marathon
citizens, voters, and locals. These are listed with the newest on top and
the oldest at the bottom. Please be aware that as the issues change Larry
sometimes adapted. Also, citizen, voter, and local input can cause Larry
to slightly modify his stand on some issues. His stance on the issues is
not set in stone.
Speech given at the 08MAR05 City
Council meeting
·
Mayor,
council, staff, and citizens, I am Larry Shaffer.
·
I just
handed the City Manager, Mike Puto, my letter of resignation from the City
of Marathon.
[see letter just below this speech]
·
For almost
five years, I have had the distinct pleasure of serving the citizens and
tourists on and around Boot Key. I will miss every one of them.
·
During this time, I have
met and worked with many of the fine city employees, serving Marathon’s
citizens.
o
I have become friends
with Mike Puto and value that relationship.
§
In my dealings with the
City Manager, I have become very impressed with Diane Clavier [clăv ēē ā],
who is the Executive Administrator.
·
She is the
complete professional.
o
Carl Martin, Wayne Herr,
and Dee Crosby are my friends and work very hard, interacting with the
public on and around Boot Key.
o
Susie Thomas has to be
the hardest working professional in city hall, producing timely, high
quality results.
o
Parks and Recreation’s
Jimmy Schmidt is an excellent employee who works hard for the community.
o
The Public Works dynamic
duo of Martin Runyon and Jamie Fairchild seem to be everywhere, doing
everything.
o
Richard Tanner at the
marina is the consummate professional who gets results under extraordinary
circumstances.
o
Andy Tsouchlos [too
close] at the marina is so busy that I could never keep up with him.
·
As a Marathon citizen and
former city employee, these are just some of the people that I wanted to
thank.
·
I also want to remind
middle management in city hall that the cornerstones of any successful
enterprise are the customers and the employees.
o
You need to start working
on retention policies to keep your high quality workers.
·
I will very much miss
working for the City of Marathon.
·
To city staff, thanks for
everything that you do for the citizens of Marathon.
Letter to the City of Marathon, City Manager, at the
08MAR05 City Council meeting
To: City Manager
Dear Sir:
I request that this letter be made a permanent part of my personnel
record.
After nearly five years of working for the City of Marathon, I find it my
sad duty to resign from the job that I love so much. Now that I am no
longer a proud city employee, I can talk of the situation that has led to
this point.
Starting in June 2004, a situation developed that neither my department
head nor the HR Officer would resolve to my satisfaction. Even after
documented evidence was produced, they would not correct the problem.
No valued city employee should be subjected to this kind of shabby
treatment. And taking nine months to even reach this sad conclusion is
simply appalling.
Mike, as the City Manager, you and I tried over the last six weeks or so
to work out this problem. You are not at fault here, but I do hold
responsible the conduct of my department head and the HR Officer. I
sincerely hope that some lessons learned will prevent such conduct in the
future. The cornerstones of any successful enterprise are the customers
and the employees.
Mike, you have assured me that the problems that I have discussed with you
at length will be addressed firmly. When you can offer me 32 hours or more
per week, I will be happy to come back.
I love this city and the job that I had. I will miss my fellow bridge
tenders and city employees, but I no longer can work under such
circumstances without sacrificing the honor that I earned through my 25
years served in the US Navy.
Sincerely,
L. E. Shaffer
Bridge Tender
Guest Column 28FEB05; printed in the Marathon Free
Press 09MAR05
There is no doubt that an increasing crisis besets Marathon’s
employers, which is affecting our economy and community character. How
does one retain employees in the low to middle income brackets? These
employees are the backbone of our city.
Marathon’s workforce affordable housing is practically nonexistent
and overly priced. There are a lot of people and organizations working
hard to solve the workforce affordable housing problems. There is one
problem that is particularly onerous.
With the ever-increasing property values, an owner’s tax bill is
always going up. If you own rental property and rent to workforce tenants,
you have a problem. On one hand, you want to make a reasonable profit and
keep the rental affordable for your workforce tenants. On the other hand,
with a tax bill getting bigger every year, something has to give. Usually,
the workforce affordable housing landlord has no choice but to pass part
of the increased tax bill onto the workforce tenant.
Here is where the vicious cycle begins. The workforce tenant gets a
rental increase that can’t be tolerated on their budget. Most likely,
there aren’t any rentals available that they can afford. Too many times
the workforce tenant has to leave the area. Marathon loses another
valuable workforce employee, and the city’s economy and character takes
yet another hit.
The workforce affordable housing landlord now can’t seem to rent the
workforce-housing unit. The landlord now must convert the unit into
something profitable or sell the unit. Many good workforce affordable
housing landlords sincerely want to rent to the workforce, but what are
they going to do? Lose money forever on something that is supposed to be
an investment?
Okay, so what can be done to prevent this cycle?
Several agencies receive property taxes. When you get your tax
notice or bill, you will see a number of line items detailing the taxes
collected. The entities that receive property taxes and control the
millage rates are Monroe County, public schools, the water management
district, mosquito control district, and the City of Marathon.
The best solution with the most impact to help workforce affordable
housing landlords keep their rentals affordable involves all the above
agencies and the state legislature. Capping the inevitable increase in the
tax bill at some percentage to ensure affordability would solve this
particular problem and break the cycle. But we all know that this is going
to take a lot of time and might not ever happen. There are too many
agencies, and you have to contend with the state legislature. This is
still a worthy solution that needs to be pursued. I suggest that you
contact your representatives in the city, county, and state governments.
Another solution has less impact. This possible solution is one that
the City of Marathon could quickly put into place. The city could pay an
eligible workforce affordable housing landlord a percentage of the
increase in the annual tax bill. That would help to keep workforce-housing
rentals more affordable, but not necessarily break the cycle.
Regardless, something must be done to keep workforce housing
affordable. Helping the landlords to do so is very important. Workforce
affordable housing landlords could voluntarily opt into a tax break
program, provided they can prove that they rent to eligible workforce
renters. If the landlord can’t maintain eligible workforce renters or
wants to voluntarily opt out of the program, then the tax break ends.
Their tax bill would go back to the normal rates after that.
There is a lot of work to do. This column was just an attempt to
identify a problem. More importantly, this column hopefully will stimulate
some serious discussion and lead to timely and real solutions. Helping
workforce housing landlords to keep their rentals affordable will be one
of the solutions required to solve the workforce affordable housing
crisis.
Larry Shaffer
Marathon resident
Guest Column 30JAN05; printed
and slightly modified in the Marathon Free Press 09FEB05
Going on five years now, I have had the great pleasure to observe
the ongoing transformation of Boot Key: the bridge, harbor, and island.
There are some problems, but there are far more positives. The three
elements of Boot Key are quickly becoming Marathon’s crown jewel for
citizens and visitors.
Boot Key Bridge is the gateway to this crown jewel. Our skilled bridge
tenders do far more than raise and lower the bridge. They interact with
the public, local waterfront businesses, local and federal governmental
agencies, and law enforcement agencies. Bridge tenders provide the boating
public with limited weather information and answer a ton of questions.
Tenders are glad to do radio checks as well. They manage the bridge during
special events like the December boat parade and the annual Sombrero July
4th fireworks. These are only a few of the things that our tenders do for
the public.
While the bridge is not in any imminent danger of falling into the
channel, the city is gearing up to continue maintenance, conduct needed
repairs, and make lots of improvements. We already have new windows, a
weather monitor unit, and soon new, improved gates. Meanwhile, be sure to
obey the 10 ton and 15 MPH limits on the bridge to help preserve this
treasure, until all the repairs are completed.
Boot Key Bridge has a lot of daily activities all year long. The sunrises,
sunsets, and moonrises are unrivaled. The bridge sees many types of boats
from all over the world. In January alone, there were over 600 lifts for
tall-masted vessels. Fishing on and under the bridge continues to
increase. Traffic to the island, some for the radio station compound, is
mostly the curious, the tourists, and averages over 200 vehicles during
operating hours. Pedestrians enjoy the view from the bridge on their way
to the island and many take a ton of photographs. The bridge has even seen
boat advertising being filmed in the waters nearby. These are only some of
the endeavors taken by people enjoying Marathon’s unique bridge.
Even more exciting is the transformation of Boot Key Harbor. The harbor is
home to permanent residents on liveaboard boats and a lot of tourist boats
as well. Soon, the number of mooring balls managed by the city will
significantly increase, improving the outlook and the economy surrounding
the harbor. The only improvement should be a mooring ball pay system,
whereby the permanent residents pay less than the tourists. The tourists
are the largest users of the product and should pay a bit more.
The harbor community grows stronger with a cruiser net on channel 68 that
starts at 9 AM most days. There is even a Smorgasboat that has lots of
neat items from coffee to mugs. Waterfront businesses are helping the
harbor community grow as well. These are exciting times for all the people
involved on and around the harbor.
Environmental concerns have been addressed. The clarity of the water
continues to improve. This has led to the almost weekly appearance of a
pod of porpoises and several repeat visits from assorted manatees. Fish
seem to be jumping out of the water all the time. That must be why more
people come to the bridge to do some fishing.
Boot Key, the island, is our largest open area in Marathon. This attracts
lots of different visitors. Bird watchers, people who came to observe some
rare butterflies, dog walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and an assortment of
homeless enjoy the island for many different reasons. Even school busses
come to the island to train drivers. Some day, an environmental or
research facility could sit on the small amount of buildable land on the
island.
Come on and join the growing crowd and see all the positives with Boot Key
Bridge, the harbor, and the island. These three elements certainly make
this the crown jewel of Marathon.
Larry Shaffer
Proud Marathon citizen
Humble part-time bridge tender
Letter to the Editor 29JAN05; printed
and modified in the Marathon Free Press 02FEB05; printed in
the 06FEB05 Marathon Weekly; printed
and modified in the Key West Citizen 20FEB05
Editor:
There she goes again! I’m speaking of Sandra Walters, a planning
consultant paid by Sandler at Greater Marathon Bay. She wrote a letter to
the editor to a keyswide newspaper recently. I am constantly amazed at how
poorly the Sandler organization conducts its PR, which stands for public
relations to those of us who hate acronyms.
Sandra Walters would have you believe that the Monroe County Health
Department at the behest of the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection closed Gulfstream Trailer Park and Marina. Surely, Sandler at
Greater Marathon Bay can’t think Marathon citizens are so gullible? The
telling point here can be summed up by the judge’s curiosity as to why
Sandler was on the side of the state in the court hearing. Usually park
owners are fighting such closings and legal proceedings. The truth is that
Sandler at Greater Marathon Bay found it very convenient to have the state
close the park, because the closing and evictions could be done sooner
that way.
As far as affording to upgrade sewage systems, anyone who owns the
property would be able to do that easily based on the value of the
property. Outspending homeowners who are being savagely evicted is nothing
to be proud of and certainly is not good public relations.
Sandler at Greater Marathon Bay harassed the residents, and used every
unethical and immoral method they could imagine to evict them. I find it
amazing that they then bragged about the process. Isn’t anyone at that
company aware of how badly that affects public relations? This company has
spent an inordinate amount of money to evict Marathon citizens, who were
permanent residents, and snowbirds, who came down here for six months
annually for years and years. Some of that money would have been better
spent on public relations.
During the last two years, a number of developers have started projects
that are currently in the works. They have bent over backwards to address
the concerns of Marathon citizens. They have worked with the neighbors to
tailor their projects to the community the project is joining. For those
living permanently at those projects, every effort was made to take care
of their housing needs instead of evictions. Really, why is Sandler at
Greater Marathon Bay seemly the only developer who does these things so
differently?
They have gone out of their way to do everything to stir up the citizenry
of Marathon. Sandler at Greater Marathon Bay even implicitly threatened
Marathon with a lawsuit for considering a moratorium on trailer parks,
because they exist as affordable workforce housing. That is correct, this
company threatens every taxpayer of Marathon with lawsuits if they don’t
get their way with every possible thing that they desire. What kind of
corporate neighbor is that? Certainly, that kind of public relations is
outrageous.
Let me offer a little piece of advise for Sandler at Greater Marathon Bay
and its paid minions. Your public relations are ruined. Please just be
quiet. There will always be someone around to tell the other side of the
story.
Larry Shaffer
PO Box 501833
Marathon FL 33050-1833
(305) 743-9648
Guest Column 19JAN05; printed and modified in the
Marathon Free Press
The backbone of Marathon’s economy is the strength and character of the
workforce. The workforce also makes up the unique character of our city.
The workforce is comprised of teachers, firefighters, EMS personnel, local
law enforcement, nurses, local government employees, and service industry
workers. The continued loss of the workforce due to the lack of affordable
housing is having a severe impact on businesses in our city. The problem
will only grow worse, resulting in an Aspen-like situation. In Aspen,
though, workers can live outside the city; here in Marathon that is not a
viable option.
So whenever an opportunity arises to provide affordable housing to our
middle-income workforce, we must grab that opportunity. A resolution is
before Marathon City Council that will help provide workforce housing in a
timelier manner. Since workforce housing parcels, or any parcel for that
manner, rarely stay on the market for very long, those opportunities can
easily be lost. There has to be a way to quickly seize upon such
opportunities with willing sellers. This pending resolution does exactly
that by speeding up the process of acquiring such parcels.
The process to put workforce into affordable housing is easy, but can be
time consuming. That is where opportunities with willing sellers fall
through. Currently, two organizations provide affordable workforce
housing. They are the Middle Keys Community Land Trust [MKCLT] or the
Habitat for Humanity [HH]. Let’s say a parcel is for sale by a willing
seller. The Land Trust or Habitat identifies the opportunity to provide
needed workforce housing. The MKCLT or the HH must ask the City to
nominate the parcel for acquisition by the Monroe County Land Authority.
Once that is done, and then the Land Authority can purchase the parcel
from a willing seller and convey that parcel to the Land Trust or Habitat.
If an existing building sets on the parcel, the process is complete. If
not, then the building begins. Unfortunately, due to how quickly parcels
sell around the Keys, such opportunities are lost.
The resolution to speed this up states that Marathon would nominate all
eligible parcels for potential acquisition by the Land Authority. When the
Land Trust or Habitat identifies a workforce-housing parcel, then the Land
Authority would purchase the parcel and convey it to either the Land Trust
or Habitat. The nomination process would already be done and speed up the
process to build workforce housing. The opportunity with a willing seller
would not be lost, since the additional step of nominating parcels is
already completed. There have been instances when an opportunity was
recognized but lost by the time the parcel was nominated.
Marathon City Council should pass this resolution. Anything that can be
done to keep our valuable workforce in Marathon will guarantee an improved
economy and a better future. If you would like to encourage your elected
council members to pass this resolution, please contact them soon.
Resolution 2005-004 should be in front of the Marathon City Council at the
January 25th meeting.
Letter to the Editor 13NOV04;
printed in the 17NOV04 Keynoter, modified; printed in the 20NOV04 Citizen,
modified; printed in the 21NOV04 Marathon Weekly
Editor:
I am Larry Shaffer, proud resident and citizen of the City of Marathon.
During the last municipal elections, I ran for City Council for many
reasons. We need to complete the Comprehensive Plan, craft Land
Development Regulations, and work toward solutions to workforce housing
issues. We need to help mom-and-pop businesses compete. We need to get the
most from our development and redevelopment efforts. We need to build a
new fire/EMS station, a city hall, and an events field. There are so many
more issues that need addressed.
I encourage everyone to consider running for a local political office. The
process is a learning experience and quite fun. I had promised that I
would run for Marathon City Council last election and this election if I
could, but a second run would be just as daunting as the first. I believe
that I could do far more good from the sidelines, and therefore will not
run for Marathon City Council this year.
I want to thank all those who promised support for a second run and
encourage them to support those candidates who will best address the
issues that I mentioned earlier. Finally, by all means VOTE; the future of
our fair City of Marathon is at stake.
Larry Shaffer
Marathon
Letter to the Editor 04AUG04;
printed in the 07AUG04
Keynoter, 08AUG04 Marathon Weekly, 11AUG04 Marathon Free Press
Editor:
Sandra Walters, a hired consultant for Sandler at Greater Marathon Bay,
wrote a letter to the editor of The Marathon Weekly and the Keynoter
recently. In her letter, she attempted to justify Sandler’s actions,
concerning its supposed property, Gulfstream Trailer Park and Marina.
Having been part of that community for nearly seven years, I have some
perspective to add to her comments.
Initially, I served as a director for the homeowner’s association. After
six months, I resigned to run for Marathon City Council. Among the many
important issues, Gulfstream was one that galvanized many a local citizen
and voter. The preservation of existing workforce housing and small
mom-and-pop businesses is at the core of the Gulfstream issue.
Regardless of the pretty face Walters attempts to paint on Sandler, this
Virginia Beach, Virginia, company is not replacing workforce housing with
workforce housing. Sandler did harass residents, forced them out of their
homes without reasonable compensation or assistance, and thumbed its nose
at city ordinances repeatedly.
Sandler, under different names, is still the same group that goes back to
the Savings and Loan scandals many years back. The Marathon Free Press ran
a detailed article that reviewed the unethical and immoral actions
attached to this group. Between 1991 and 1993, I was a happy resident of
Wedgewood Mobile Home Park in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Now Sandler is
forcing residents out of that park as well. Walters would have you believe
that Sandler is here to help the city and its voters.
Marathon is made up of many permanent residents who welcome snowbirds
every winter. The argument that Gulfstream permanent residents were few
and the rest were snowbirds is plain wrong. Besides, I am sure merchants
would be most unhappy if all the snowbirds stopped coming to Marathon. As
a permanent resident, I would also be unhappy, as they are part of the
community and character that makes Marathon unique and valuable. People
count more than the taxes supposedly offered by Sandler to make up for the
trouble that they continue to cause.
Marathon can choose which redevelopment projects it wants to enhance the
city. Marathon can choose who does these projects. Sandler has done this
community wrong. Sandler has a history of doing so elsewhere. Frankly, we
can do better. Why should Marathon cooperate or encourage a company like
this to do business in our fine city? There are so many others who can do
better.
Larry Shaffer
Marathon
Letter to the Editor 06JUN04;
printed in the 09JUN04
Keynoter, 10JUN04 Citizen, 13JUN04 Marathon Weekly
Editor:
Earlier this year, Marathon voters sent a strong message to City Council.
They wanted reasonable redevelopment. They wanted Marathon's character
maintained. They wanted their workforce adequately housed not evicted.
They
wanted their tax dollars spent wisely on quality projects. Voter
expectations are very high, and their patience very thin.
They expect results in a timely manner before the next municipal
elections.
The highest priority is the completion of the Comprehensive Plan and the
creation of appropriate Land Development Regulations.
The next priority is to help small mom-and-pop businesses compete. City
Council needs to ensure that Marathon doesn't lose its small-town look and
feel, while providing big-city amenities. Providing more beds and
bathrooms
helps the three big resorts, and this isn't a bad thing. Still, the small
mom-and-pop hotels and motels need this more than the big resorts. City
Council needs to find ways to help small mom-and-pop businesses refurbish,
expand, and improve themselves. This will reduce the pressures of
excessive
vacation rentals. This will keep the workforce in Marathon. This will
reduce
the unwise bussing of the workforce into Marathon.
Another priority that will always need attention is workforce housing. The
need is greater than the projects currently proposed. The Middle Keys
Community Land Trust and Habitat for Humanity are successes that need
expanded. City Council should help these outfits anyway possible. City
Council needs to find other partners as well to begin to put a dent into
the
workforce-housing crisis. Also, retirees should not be left out of
affordable housing issues.
As the city's budget process creeps up on us, there is a need to realize
whose dollars fund the city's efforts. While staff shouldn't have to count
paperclips, tax dollars need to be spent very carefully. Taxes should only
be what are needed for now and far into the future. Anything beyond the
rollback rate IS a tax increase, but taxpayers and voters will support
wise
tax expenditures budgeted judiciously.
Voter's priorities and expectations are very high, and the City Council is
headed in the right direction, but time is swiftly running out.
Thanks
Larry Shaffer
PO Box 501833
Marathon FL 33050-1833
(305) 743-9648
http://RunesofAo.com
http://RunesofAo.com/LarryShaffer
Letter to the Editor 27FEB04;
printed in the 03MAR04 Citizen and Marathon Free Press, and in the 13MAR04
Keynoter
There is a lot of talk about changing the
way Marathon elects its city council members. The goals of any method of
electing our city leaders should be that it benefits all the voters, not
just a select few with money, power, and influence. Another goal is to
make the process easier for candidates, not harder. We should also attract
more candidates, not less. Elections should not be prejudiced by big
money. We need to ensure a level playing field that helps all of our
citizens.
Any method to elect our council members needs to ensure that the
candidates receive at least 50% plus one of those voting. If a candidate
cannot gain more than 50% of those voting, why would we want them in
office in the first place? A candidate elected with less than 50% of those
voting would be crippled. This situation would hurt the citizens of
Marathon and benefit only a select few. We need a method that benefits all
of us.
Although having council members elected to seats seems confusing, this
method actually is important to attracting more candidates. It is far
easier to put together a campaign for one seat than trying to compete with
everyone at large. To say that electing our candidates at large would
eliminate personalities doesn’t make any sense. Regardless of the method,
personalities will always be involved along with issues. To ensure our
elections attract more candidates and make the process easier, the
cumbersome seat method probably should be maintained.
Term limits are necessary, but what should they be? Some want four years
with a maximum of eight years consecutive. I ask you to consider why
Islamorada is trying to go to two years vice the four years they have now?
I think keeping the two-year terms with a limit of three consecutive terms
would do more to keep a level playing field. This would benefit all the
citizens of Marathon, not just a select few.
Now changing the city
elections to November instead of February seems very reasonable. This would save
the city money and quite possibly bring out more voters. I think that we
should, for the most part, not tinker with our election process as
prescribed by our city charter.
Comments for 09FEB04 City Council Meeting
v
Mayor, Council, Citizens and voters,
v
I am Larry Shaffer, a proud Marathon resident.
v
I have met so many people and fine organizations this
last 12 months.
v
Many organizations do wonderful work and go unrecognized.
v
One such organization is the Heron House right here in
Marathon.
Ø
This non-profit corporation provides essential housing
and special services to residents who qualify.
Ø
I toured this facility recently and was impressed by the
staff and the surroundings.
v
There are way too many organizations that need our help.
Ø
Help can come many ways from the donation of time, needed
items, and, yes, even money.
v
During the city’s last budgeting process, some very
deserving organizations were helped out and rightly so.
Ø
I would like to see a permanent line item in future
budgets that is dedicated to deserving and qualified organizations.
Ø
This small fund would be used to help organizations that
have applied according to guidelines determined by the city council.
Ø
Although the city would not be able to help out as much
as they would like, at least the effort would be made.
v
This idea is not mine exclusively, but surfaced at the
last set of budget workshops. I urge the council to start such a fund
before the next budget.
v
Thank you.
Campaign essay to the Marathon Weekly for the
February 8, 2004, issue
I am Larry Shaffer, a candidate for Marathon City
Council, Seat 5. My community involvement includes the Middle Keys
Community Land Trust, the Keyswide Organization for the Preservation of
Affordable Housing, and the Florida Keys Council of Arts. A vote for me
will preserve and improve our community character throughout Marathon.
In the last 12 months I attended and participated in almost all of the
city’s meetings and workshops. I talked to many concerned citizens, who
think that their city council is no longer listening to them. They feel
that the council does the exact opposite of what the citizens and voters
expect. I believe that the citizens and voters should be in charge of our
fair city. A vote for me will put you back in charge.
Marathon’s citizens want leaders who will listen and respond to the
voter’s needs and desires. I have the experience, desire, and time to be
your next councilman. Having served 25 years in the US Navy, I will bring
a practical and common sense approach to city government. I will devote
all my time representing Marathon’s citizens. I will not have another job,
taking time away from the citizens and important city issues. A vote for
me will place the number one priority squarely on the voters.
Citizens and voters have told me repeatedly and often that we need to
protect, promote, and improve existing homes, communities, and small
mom-and-pop businesses. Citizens are outraged that the possibility exists
that good people will be displaced from their homes, be it on land or in
the harbor. A vote for me will protect what we have, and I will seek out
projects that will benefit all of us, instead of a select few.
We need to keep our workforce in Marathon by building truly affordable
housing. Bussing in our labor force is not good for Marathon’s character.
We need to keep our good people and their jobs in Marathon. A vote for me
will bring sensible decisions on the affordable housing crisis.
Development and redevelopment benefits Marathon, but we must be extremely
careful with the city’s long-term future. Restrained and cautious
development and redevelopment needs to benefit everyone in Marathon. Our
citizens shouldn’t be displaced by these projects. Small mom-and-pop
businesses shouldn’t be impacted by these developments and redevelopments.
And these projects should pay their way by mitigating their impacts on the
human and physical infrastructure. We need to do this smarter. A vote for
me will protect you from the adverse impacts of development and
redevelopment.
I will find practical and common sense solutions to the issues most
important to the citizens and voters. I will always listen and respond to
every voter. I will put Marathon’s citizens back in charge of our city.
Vote Larry Shaffer for Marathon City Council, Seat 5.
If you want to learn more about the campaign to elect Larry Shaffer for
Marathon City Council, Seat 5, please go to our campaign website on the
Internet at
http://RunesofAo.com/LarryShaffer.
Comments for 27JAN04 City Council Meeting
v
Mayor, Council, Citizens
and voters,
v
I am Larry Shaffer, a
military veteran, having invested 25 years in the Navy.
v
Some very dedicated
people staff the veteran’s office in Marathon at 63rd Street.
Ø
One such person is Abby,
who is the Transportation Coordinator.
Ø
Another dedicated staffer
is Deputy Director Jim.
v
Our veterans are, of
course, extremely important members of every community.
v
Veterans can be found at
all levels within Marathon.
Ø
Law enforcement
Ø
Education
Ø
Local government
Ø
Service industry
v
We tend, though, to
relegate our vets to the background, forgetting the sacrifices that they
made on our behalf.
v
Why do I bring all this
up?
v
I found out recently that
apparently NOT ONE councilperson, city staffer, or candidate, including
myself, has stopped at our local veteran’s office to talk with Abby and
Jim.
v
I challenge all council
members, candidates, and city staffers to visit Abby and Jim.
Ø
They will give you an
earful.
v
There are many things
that the city can do for its vets.
Ø
The first thing is to
check in with Abby and Jim.
v
Thank you.
Comments for 13JAN04 City Council Meeting; modified and
printed in the 23JAN04 Citizen
v
Mayor, Council, Citizens and voters,
v
I am Larry Shaffer, proud resident of the City of
Marathon.
v
The city has come a long way. We have much to be proud
about.
v
Of course, there is a lot left to do. This situation will
probably apply a hundred years from now, as well.
v
All of us, citizens and voters, are in charge of our fair
city. We have responsibilities to our city and to each other.
v
As citizens and voters, we must ask more of our
hard-worked city council. We must expect more. And if they do not deliver,
citizens and voters must take action.
v
We face unprecedented pressures from development and
redevelopment. Let us never forget our citizens and voters who are
affected by such pressures.
v
We face tough times for our small mom-and-pop businesses.
Let us never forget these businesses are part of the important character
of Marathon.
v
We are at a critical crossroads in the history of our
great city.
v
Let us, as citizens and voters, exercise our right,
indeed, our responsibility to vote.
Ø
By voting February 10th, we can affect the
long-term future of our city.
Ø
There are so many ways to vote. Please call or visit the
election’s office on 63rd Street.
Ø
Whatever you do, VOTE!
v
Remember that apathy will get you the exact opposite of
what you expect.
v
If you want fair and balanced representation, VOTE!
v
If you want to feel that you, as a citizen and voter, are
really in charge of your city, then VOTE!
v
Thank you.
Comments to Marathon City Council 25NOV03; also modified and
printed in the 03DEC03 Citizen and 10DEC03 Marathon Free Press
While helping big redevelopments to improve destination resort
areas, someone seems to have forgotten the law of unintended consequences.
We are potentially losing locally owned small businesses.
All of us, of course, want to keep our small mom-and-pop businesses. They
are far more important than big developments and redevelopments. They
enhance the character of Marathon. They help improve Marathon’s economy.
They hire and truly help locals. They reduce the demand for vacation
rentals.
One area of our small mom-and-pop businesses is apparently being ignored.
Small hotels and motels need the city’s help far more than big money
developers and redevelopers from out of town. The Marathon City Council
has heard several times from owners of small hotels and motels plead with
them to protect, preserve, improve, and promote their small mom-and-pop
businesses. Still, the city council seems to give whatever big money
developers and redevelopers want and damn the long-term consequences.
Now is the time for Marathon citizens and voters to wake up. The city
council should stop giving the impression that they are playing games with
our city. Every area of concern for Marathon will improve, if we stop
giving our city treasures to big money and start helping small mom-and-pop
businesses.
One place to start is with the small hotels and motels. Allow them to
compete for the tourist dollar by giving them increased density. Help
small hotels and motels by allowing them to refurbish their properties.
Give them preference over out-of-town big money developers and
redevelopers. Reward them for hiring locals and paying decent wages.
Encourage small hotels and motels to become part of the solution to
workforce housing issues.
Now is the time to help our small mom-and-pop businesses instead of
blocking their path to improving themselves and our city.
Comments to Marathon City Council 10NOV03; also modified and
printed in the 16NOV03 Marathon Weekly
1)
Mayor, Council, and citizens. I’m Larry Shaffer.
2)
Concerning the preservation of existing workforce housing,
Gulfstream is not the only issue facing the city, but Gulfstream is a
symptom.
a)
Symptoms lead you to solutions to fix problems.
3)
No development agreement exists for Gulfstream.
4)
Letter of Understanding was illegally signed.
5)
Sandler has no rights to build non-transient units based on
transient unit allocations.
6)
The Urban Residential Mobile [URM] designation doesn’t allow
vacation rentals.
7)
Sandler has no permits to move or destroy existing units.
a)
Contaminants like asbestos may exist.
8)
There is no permit to remove security fencing.
a)
Security at the park has been severely affected.
b)
Resident’s property has been vandalized.
9)
Every day ordinary people can’t get what big-money outsiders can
easily obtain from the city.
a)
I guess you have to threaten the city with a lawsuit to get
anything.
i)
Eugene Spano talked to Mike Puto about a blanket permit, after
receiving valid complaints.
ii) Note: Mike Puto told me later that he is
allowing Sandler five permits at a time upon proof of title. He also said
that no permit is needed to remove fencing, but I am not sure he is right
about that.
b)
In addition, there is a plan to allow detached dwelling units to be
built on URM designated areas. Who does this benefit?
i)
Draft ordinance #3 from the last council meeting,
proposes amending Section 9.5-234 of The Land Development Regulations,
“Urban Residential - Mobile Home District” Regulations; permitting for the
development of up to four attached dwelling units as a minor conditional
use; permitting for the development of more than four attached dwelling
units as a major conditional use.
ii) Note: Scott Janke slipped me a note later in the
meeting that said that the four-plex amendment was only for
affordable housing.
10)
Workforce housing cannot be preserved if this is what can be
expected.
11)
All that is left for voters is to again push for a ballot
initiative.
a)
Remember that voters outnumber developers, redevelopers, real
estate agencies, and contractors. Nothing wrong with this group.
12)
So, who has priority, the voters, or the developers?
13)
Thank you.
Comments to Marathon City Council 29OCT03;
also modified and printed in the 09NOV03 Marathon Weekly and 11NOV02
Marathon Free Press
1)
Mayor, Council, and citizens. I’m
Larry Shaffer.
2)
Marathon is currently facing a
worsening workforce-housing crisis.
a)
Over 25% of Marathon’s housing is
comprised of RVs and mobile homes.
b)
This is based on the 2000 US Census
data.
i)
Marathon has approximately 6700 [6786]
housing units total.
ii)
Of that total, over 1800 [1847] are
RVs and mobile homes.
c)
The loss of even one affordable
housing unit for low and very low income residents would be a crime and
affect many people such as
i)
Law enforcement,
ii)
Teachers,
iii)
Nurses,
iv)
Fire and Emergency Medical
personnel,
v)
Local government employees, and
vi)
Service industry workers.
3)
Homeowners associations have done a
good job on putting faces to this plight.
4)
It is now time to put faces on the
other side led by Sandler at Greater Marathon Bay, and all the spurious
companies connected to them.
a)
Sandler supposedly owns Gulfstream
Trailer Park & Marina.
b)
The July 2003 Marathon Free Press ran
the sordid history surrounding this latest company.
i)
This goes back to the Savings & Loans
scandals rivaling even Enron.
ii)
Financial failures, failed
developments, botched redevelopments, and broken promises are their
legacy.
iii)
Some of the characters involved then
and now are
(1)
James Larry Rutherford,
(2) Eugene
Spano,
(3)
Ken Good, and
(4)
Even Neil Bush.
iv)
All these characters are outsiders,
who don’t give a wit for locals and their concerns and needs.
v)
The new Gulfstream Park Manager is a
local and was hired to do his best to get rid of residents by hook or
crook.
(1)
The Gulfstream Park Manager should
know better and be ashamed of his behavior.
vi)
Every park employee friendly
with residents was fired.
vii) The
front office is now a war zone and avoided by most residents.
5)
Gulfstream used to be well maintained.
The park has now been allowed to run down to unsafe conditions and,
frankly, looks like hell.
6)
Those of us who live in this
long-standing community can attest to all this.
7)
To alleviate the workforce-housing
crisis, many things must be done.
8)
The first thing is approving this
ordinance on the RV/Mobile Home Park Moratorium.
9)
Thank you.
Letter to the Editors of the Marathon Free Press 22OCT03,
Marathon Weekly 26OCT03, and the
Citizen 28OCT03
Editor:
I'm Larry Shaffer, Marathon resident. There is no surprise that the newly
appointed Planning Commission would be comprised of two realtors, a
contractor, a motel manager, and a business/trailer park owner. One city
council member promised this particular group whenever the topic of
creating a new planning commission came up. This smacks of putting the
inmates in charge of the jailhouse.
The City Manager wanted to keep politics out of the process. With the
appointment of this particular group, who all represent businesses with
the most to gain, politics has come crashing in on this issue. At least
one appointee should be someone who represents tenants, like a Howard
Wright. The existing five appointees are all upstanding citizens and would
most likely do a good job, but the appearance of impropriety is strong.
What were some of the city council members thinking? Why weren't
applications taken from other citizens? This wasn't a public process but a
coup.
The contention that the composition is an excellent cross section of the
city is plain wrong and self-serving. Thank God, this planning commission
is advisory only. But wait, that is a problem as well. Anything passed to
the City Council would give its members just the excuse to say that any
recommendation is just peachy, because the Planning Commission favors the
item. If anyone thinks this issue is not going to be a big campaign topic,
then they are living in a dreamland. This situation needs rethought. We
need an advisory planning commission who represents ALL Marathon citizens.
Thanks,
Larry Shaffer
PO Box 501833
Marathon FL 33050-1833
305-743-9648
Comments to Marathon City Council 23SEP03;
also modified and printed in the 05OCT03 Marathon Weekly
1)
Mayor, Council, and citizens.
2)
I’m Larry Shaffer, a proud Marathon
citizen.
3)
I attended the Florida Department
of Transportation public hearing on the Sombrero Beach Road Improvement
Project.
4)
As I drove to Marathon High School,
it was obvious that such improvement is quite necessary.
5)
As I walked into the auditorium, I
was very impressed with the cold drinks and cookies, especially the
cookies.
6)
I walked around studying all the
charts, drawings, photographs, and various displays.
7)
I mingled with a who's who of
Marathon.
8)
After the presentation, those who
had signed up had their say.
a)
I didn’t hear any objections.
i)
Of course, this was the first such
function that I had been able to attend. There had been a lot of work done
already.
ii)
One individual stated that he was
not in favor of this improvement initially, but came around after
realizing school busses were wider than the existing road.
9)
I realized as the evening wore on
that a lot of this hard work had been built on compromise and neighbors
working with neighbors.
10) Soon,
the city will be four years old going on five. And here was a project
built on compromise among neighbors.
11) I
think that we need to see more compromise and more neighbors working with
neighbors.
12) The
city is all about this one positive, locals for locals.
13) If
we take care of each other, the environment and tourism will certainly
take care of itself.
14) I
see the City of Marathon coming together around protecting our homes,
preserving our communities, and improving our local businesses.
15) The
improvement of the Sombrero Beach Road is just the beginning.
16)
I look forward to a future filled
with promise.
17) We
all have much to be proud about.
18)
Let us keep this spirit of
cooperation and compromise going.
19) Thank
you.
To keep the download times short, we have moved the
older letters, speeches, and columns to other pages that can be accessed
by the links below.
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