Returning From A Break

It felt good to get away and take a rest from the world of blogging for a bit. It gave us a chance to research some new material and to begin work on some of the changes we had planned for this blog. Unfortunately, they are still not complete enough to flip the switch. but they are coming along and should certainly be ready to implement by the fall. In the mean time, we have tried to catch up on the news and enjoy the summer happening around us.

We notice that there is a new computer store along Truman Avenue in Key West that specifically caters to the Mac crowd. We haven't had time to visit the new store, but we hear good things. The lonely Mac group in KW has needed a store devoted to the Mac for some time now.

And the new iphone has made its debut. Anyone out there have one and can give us the real scoop on how they like it? Can we believe all the reviews?

Here in KW, the new City Manager has taken over, and is being paid what he indicated he would accept, not what he Commission's negotiator proposed.

The politicians are beginning to get their campaigns in gear. Can you believe it, former Mayor, Jimmy Weekley, who lost by 24 votes to the current mayor, is set to make another run? So the citizens will have a chance to re-think their last choice, or to say, "none of the above."

We saw one of the candidates for the Utility Board out collecting signatures for his nominating petition the other day.

Commissioner Rossi is also running again. He and Todd German are locked in an election battle and are trading contentions. Guess we expected that.

The feds have their undies in a bundle over the Hemingway cats.

The Michael Moore movie, Sicko, is at the Tropic Cinema. We haven't seen it yet, but plan to do so.

The controversy over the assisted living facility proposed for the Truman water front is raging. We noticed that Truman Annex resident and occasional commenter here, David Lybrand, was part of a debate over the issues involved in a recent edition of the Key West Citizen. Both sides make some good points, but we have not yet decided which side deserves our support. Our current feeling is that there is much that needs clarifying and not enough plain talk at the forefront of the debate. The stakes and suspicions appear to run high on both sides.

Today is Independence Day, the day to think about "a more perfect union" and to honor our freedom that we so often take for granted. When you think about that In the larger scheme of things, some of the feuds we have over civic issues in KW seem small indeed.

TAMPOA Board Meets Again Monday

A "regular" meeting of the TAMPOA Board will be held on Monday, June 4, 2007 at 4:00 p.m at the Board offices. The agenda for this meeting appears to have been handled with more care than was the case with the Executive Session agenda. Apparently, also, the minutes for the April 30, 2007 were not approved at the Executive Session of the Board held last weekend on Memorial Day, May 28. They, along with the minutes of the Executive Session are expected to be approved by the Board on Monday.

On Monday's agenda will be a report by the Board President on the litigation with the City as well as a report on the proposal for the assisted care facility on the Truman Waterfront. Of the two items, the litigation with the City is likely to be more interesting.

We may also get a glimpse of some of the data in the year-to-date financial statements when the Treasurer makes his report, although don't expect anything earth-shattering.

The Architectural Control Committee (we love that name -- especially the control part) has been busy now that hurricane season is officially upon us. They're going to talk about what kind of policy they'll have for roll-down shutters for your front doors. The shutters have to look nice, you know. Never mind whether they're the best for keeping out the wind or, heaven help us, are the cheapest. So, the Control Committee will report on all that and whether beauty will reign at the hurricane prom. We know how that will end. But, will the resulting report be posted on the Internet like the plans for the American Embassy in Baghdad? Bet not.

The "new business" on the agenda sounds interesting. An additional set of lawyers -- you can't live without 'em can you? -- has given the Board a legal opinion on "storm drainage." That might be interesting to read, if you could get a copy of it. We suggest you ask. Couldn't hurt, even though TAMPOA may not give it to you, but who knows? If you don't ask for stuff, you'll likely never get it. That's just the way government, public as well as private, is. Just another version of "You Don't Ask, We Don't Tell."

The City wants to remove the fence around the Truman Waterfront property, so there will be a discussion of that issue. The agenda item is phrased as if the City needs to ask TAMPOA for permission. It does not, so don't think there is suddenly cooperation between TAMPOA and the City over the fence. Not a chance. The City is simply going to take down the fence if it wants. No harm in talking about it though, and it certainly does impact Truman Annex. We all know, however, that if ever the City (or someone) does start to develop the Waterfront, a fence will go back up. In the meantime, the City can play its game of smoke and mirrors and pretend it is doing something with the property.

Aside from the discussion of the legal opinion on storm drainage, the most interesting item on the New Business portion of the agenda appears to be the "review of [a] survey to expand or reduce the allowable annual rentals from 16 annually." The interesting word there is "survey." What survey? Certainly it's not the Board's survey, unless it was one among the Board itself or its friends. Of course the agenda doesn't tell you who conducted the survey or what it showed. If you didn't know better, you'd be tempted to think this piece of the agenda is one of those TV advertising ploys like "I've Got A Secret" to get you to tune in and attend the meeting so you'll learn what the secret is. Well, we'd rather know the secret up front so we can decide whether to watch or go have a Mojito.

Seriously, does anyone still care about the number of annual rentals? Seems to us there was a lawsuit about that several years ago. Are we going down that road again? We certainly hope not.

Doesn't TAMPOA have enough regulations -- so many in fact that no human can keep track of them all or even find them so as to publish a comprehensive "Book of Rules?" Now there's a project that would keep someone out of the sun for at least five years. Try to find all the TAMPOA rules, compile them, and publish them for the residents. Let's see a show of hands of how many Board members would "volunteer" for that project? Not a one do we see.

TAMPOA is like Congress. It just keeps passing laws (rules) usually without any thought as to how they are going to be enforced or how much they will cost. In TAMPOA's case, no one seems to know what all the rules even are or where to find them. That's why you get "I'll have to call you back" or "I'll look into that" when you call the office with a serious question about the rules. Sometimes you even get a guess. When there are so many rules that no one can recite them all, that's understandable, but that's also a sign of a system seriously in trouble.

Our view is leave people alone. That's why many folks came to Key West. If they want to rent their property they ought to be able to rent. Quit trying to be their keeper.

For those who are not tired of reading, here's the list of the ten items on Monday's TAMPOA Board meeting agenda:

"AGENDA

1. Call Meeting to Order

2. Determination of Quorum

3. Proof of Notice of Meeting

4. Approval of Minutes
April 30, 2007 Board of Directors meeting
May 28, 2007 Executive Session Board of Directors meeting

5. Reports of Officers
President’s report:
Discussion of litigation with the City of Key West
Update of proposal for assisted care on Truman Waterfront

Treasurer’s report:
Review the year to date financial statements

6. Reports of Committees
Architectural Control Committee:
Review roll-down shutter policy for front doors

7. Unfinished Business

8. New Business
Review legal opinion on storm drainage
Review proposal by City to remove the fence around the Waterfront property
Review survey to expand or reduce allowable annual rentals from 16 annually
Management items

9. Member Input

10. Adjournment"

Now, we can go have brunch and a Bloody Mary.

The Opportunity In TAMPOA's Malaise

When one goes to meetings in this town, it is painfully obvious that TAMPOA has a serious image problem. Unfortunately, for the residents of the Annex who care about how we are perceived, TAMPOA continues to take the low road and echo a "Frankly-my-dear-I-don't-give-a-damn" approach to its dealings with the rest of the community when it comes to Southard street and possibly other portions of the Truman Waterfront. This is very sad, as well as down right stupid.

Unfortunately the reality right now is that there is so much anger and resentment lingering in the Annex over TAMPOA's litigation strategy that the TAMPOA Board is virtually paralyzed by a circle-the-wagons mentality. About the only actions it feels empowered to take now have to be guaranteed to be undeniably safe, insular, and low profile. The Board has effectively painted itself into an insular box thanks to its reliance on some incredibly bad advice that ignored the context of the problems it has faced. In many respects, right now the Board feels and acts like its hands are tied, and it is adrift in the litigation winds. It is hoping in vain for a miracle that may lead it out of the black hole it is now in and does not seem to realize, despite some advice to which it has been privy, that the problems it faces will still exist regardless of whether TAMPOA wins or loses its litigation with the City.

Right now, TAMPOA is living its life through its litigation, a typical, but dangerous, syndrome from which many who put all their eggs in the litigation basket suffer. This has caused the TAMPOA Board to become incredibly defensive, hostile, and edgy at the slightest criticism.

The Annex right now is very polarized, but the issues over which that is occurring are at best diffuse. The polarization lines are clearly drawn. You are either with the Board, or you are viewed as a virtual traitor. Yet there is no clear line or issue on which everyone agrees; only bits and pieces. Everyone wants change, but few here seem to agree on (or perhaps even know) what that should look like. Folks in the Annex right now are stuck, and all their leaders can muster at the moment is to vent and blame, neither of which moves us closer to a resolution of the existing ill will between TAMPOA and the City that has now infected many other City residents.

For those of us who feel like it is time to stop all the nonsense the Board has continued to allow itself to become enmeshed in and to seek creative solutions based on objective criteria, the Truman Waterfront Project offers TAMPOA a renewed and unique opportunity to foster creativity and cooperation with the City and other City residents. That opportunity will require new thinking, new attitudes, the ability of TAMPOA to put itself in the City's shoes, a clear nonjudgmental understanding of the City's perspective, and decision-making based on objective criteria, not blame, finger pointing or accusations of gamesmanship. Frankly, we are not sure the TAMPOA Board, as a whole, is up to the task or has the leadership it needs to get where it needs to go. Nonetheless, the opportunity for change or doom is there in the Truman Waterfront Project.

This opportunity is not simply to successfully construct the Waterfront Project. If that is all that both sides (TAMPOA and the City) think the Project is about, the Project has already failed as far as the relationship between the parties is concerned. No, the opportunity is a renewed chance to focus on the most critical question facing TAMPOA and the City. However, the question is more critical for TAMPOA since it may involve TAMPOA's survival as an institution that purports to govern the Annex.

That question is a simple but essential one. How can we all create the respect for each other that will make it possible to constructively discuss (and even disagree over) options while uniting behind common goals? That is the hard but essential question the TAMPOA Board and those of good will in the City must wrestle with if the Waterfront Project is to succeed.

The Proposed Assisted Living Facility

The controversy over the the proposed Assisted Living Facility on the Truman Waterfront is heating up. Some in the Annex have received an email from the Florida Keys Assisted Care Coalition indicating that it will be presenting "Phase III findings" to the Mayor and City Commissioners on Tuesday, May 1 at 6:00 p.m. at the Old City Hall and asking for support. The group is requesting support for a 99 year lease to create an assisted and independent living community on the parcel of land set aside for that purpose on the Truman Waterfront.

We note that the fourth paragraph of a recent letter to the editor in The Citizen by Southard Street homeowner, blogger and Truman Annex resident, David Lybrand, refers to this controversy as the letter addresses an article appearing in the April 20 edition of the paper. While we don't agree with a lot of what Mr. Lybrand says about the motives for TAMPOA's lawsuit against the City (nor do we agree with a lot of what the City says about this lawsuit), Lybrand's letter is worth reading for its perspective on the use of the Truman Waterfront to build an assisted living facility.

What do you think about this situation? We have not yet formed a view, except to say it seems like there are a lot of arguments to be made for the various viewpoints, and likely many viewpoints not yet heard.

One question is why is this now coming alive when the notion of an assisted living facility was in the original plan for the Truman Waterfront? Another is will the citizens of Key West really hold the City Commission to the original plan for the Waterfront or allow various interest groups to modify the plan? Finally, if the plan is to be modified, what are the compelling arguments for doing so? And, what are the biases or hidden agendas of those making the arguments pro or con?

The TAMPOA Board Meets Tomorrow

The TAMPOA Board meets tomorrow, April 30, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. at the TAMPOA office. As part of the agenda, President Tukey is expected to report on how TAMPOA has been spending our money on litigation with the City, TAMPOA's legal fees, and his view of the proposed assisted living facility on the Truman Waterfront. His report should be quite interesting.

Somewhere along the way the minutes of the April 2, 2007 Board meeting will get discussed (or not) and approved. Maybe you'll eventually see them in your email, maybe you won't. But they'll be buried in the TAMPOA office if you really want to look at them. It would be nice if TAMPOA would send them out to the membership though, don't you think?

The Architectural Control Committee will also weigh in with a report. (We've got to maintain our "prestige community," after all).The Committee will tell us how we are doing in that regard. (We suspect we need more "prestige" as well as more "community," but the Committee will let us know). We're all ears.

Of some interest under "New Business" on the agenda is a review of the need for a "legal opinion on storm drainage." We had thought TAMPOA was done with that quite awhile ago.

For those transient rental fanatics, under "New Business" is also a "request to expand allowable annual rentals from 16 to 25."

Isn't it nice that there is always something interesting and entertaining going on every time the Board meets?

By the way, this is probably the last Board meeting for the TAMPOA and other snow birds. Y'all have a nice summer in Coolville.