The Mayor At the TAMPOA Annual Meeting
Mayor Morgan MacPherson spoke (by invitation) to the TAMPOA members at at the Annual Meeting on January 29, 2007, but the public was not invited. Some of what he said was particularly interesting, although not necessarily new. We all know, for instance, that tourism is down. Some like that, some don't. Those that don't know that the downturn in tourism hurts the tourism-based Key West economy and could portend higher taxes or more belt-tightening for an already financially strapped Key West Government. Particularly interesting were the Mayor's observations about the downturn in foreign visitors to the island and the Mayor's observation that this may be due to the increased scrutiny now being paid by the government to foreign visitors arriving in the country.
Another interesting observation -- in case we all hadn't noticed -- was that Key West is changing quickly and we all better pay attention. Translation: we are moving away from being the welcoming, live-and-let-live, vibrant, economically and culturally diverse community we once were. Instead we are moving toward a community in which only the rich can afford to live, and the gap between the rich and what was once the "middle class" continues to widen. Housing, for instance, is scarcely affordable for even the middle class.
The Mayor also indicated that he still supported the Master Plan for the Truman Waterfront. Good news, but no concrete move has been made to implement it. The Mayor says that the traffic plan for the Waterfront should be revealed soon. It will be interesting to see this proposal when it is released.
The Mayor said that the City could not sell any of the Waterfront property for the development of single family homes. Not now, but since the City Commission approved the Waterfront Plan, why couldn't the City Commission go through the steps to change it?
Maybe we didn't understand this the way we initially thought it was meant, but from what we gleaned from MacPherson's remarks, the original plan for an assisted living facility would have gotten in the way of access to the waterfront and the City's asserted efforts to use all of the streets for access. The clear implication was that was changed or is to be changed.
The Mayor also indicated that the only affordable housing units to be built on the Waterfront property were to be built above the retail space. Key to the development of the waterfront at all is the development of an upscale marina, which the mayor supports, as the City would need the revenue from that to sustain the project. Where, however, will the revenue, much less the political will, to build such a marina come from when access to the waterfront continues to be a contentious issue?
Another interesting observation -- in case we all hadn't noticed -- was that Key West is changing quickly and we all better pay attention. Translation: we are moving away from being the welcoming, live-and-let-live, vibrant, economically and culturally diverse community we once were. Instead we are moving toward a community in which only the rich can afford to live, and the gap between the rich and what was once the "middle class" continues to widen. Housing, for instance, is scarcely affordable for even the middle class.
The Mayor also indicated that he still supported the Master Plan for the Truman Waterfront. Good news, but no concrete move has been made to implement it. The Mayor says that the traffic plan for the Waterfront should be revealed soon. It will be interesting to see this proposal when it is released.
The Mayor said that the City could not sell any of the Waterfront property for the development of single family homes. Not now, but since the City Commission approved the Waterfront Plan, why couldn't the City Commission go through the steps to change it?
Maybe we didn't understand this the way we initially thought it was meant, but from what we gleaned from MacPherson's remarks, the original plan for an assisted living facility would have gotten in the way of access to the waterfront and the City's asserted efforts to use all of the streets for access. The clear implication was that was changed or is to be changed.
The Mayor also indicated that the only affordable housing units to be built on the Waterfront property were to be built above the retail space. Key to the development of the waterfront at all is the development of an upscale marina, which the mayor supports, as the City would need the revenue from that to sustain the project. Where, however, will the revenue, much less the political will, to build such a marina come from when access to the waterfront continues to be a contentious issue?
Labels: Mayor
posted by Conchette at 6:06 AM
7 Comments:
What is the source of your information since you were not at the meeting?
In your arrogance you have let your belief that you think you know us mislead you into your conclusion that we were not at the meeting. Perhaps you should rethink your conclusions and begin building them on facts instead of your erroneous assumptions.
Do you seriously think that any journalist would reveal her confidential sources -- especially to you?
We are certain that had we been wrong about what we wrote, you would have been all over it. Instead, all you can do is ask about our sources while clinging to your old and incorrect assumptions.
Are you now saying that you were at the meeting? Otherwise you explanation is pretty lame?
You just don't get it, do you? You may be hopeless, or don't read. Either way, try this: we're saying you are WRONG about who you think we are and ALL of your conclusions and assumptions, including whether or not we were at the meeting. If that isn't clear enough for you, it is unlikely you'll ever wise up. The subject is now closed.
God has spoken!
Excuse us, we didn't know YOU had taken on that job. As long as YOU have taken this on, how about doing something about World Peace, the enviornment, government corruption, poverty, and a few other problems mankind faces?
"THE SUBJECT IS NOW CLOSED"
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