Town-Crier Newspaper March 8, 2013

Your Community Newspaper Serving Palms West Since 1980Volume 34, Number 10March 8 - March 14, 2013

WELLINGTON ROYAL PALM BEACH LOXAHATCHEE THE ACREAGETOW N - C R I E RTHE

INSIDE

DEPARTMENT INDEXNEWS ............................. 3 - 15OPINION .................................4CRIME NEWS .........................6NEWS BRIEFS..................... 10SCHOOLS ............................ 16PEOPLE ............................... 19COLUMNS .................... 29 - 30BUSINESS .................... 31 - 33ENTERTAINMENT ................ 34SPORTS ........................ 41 - 43CALENDAR ...................44 - 45CLASSIFIEDS ................ 46 - 49

Visit Us On The Web AtWWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM Wellington Council Irked By More Fast Food On SR 7

LOX GROVES: McLENDON VS. ROCKETTSEE ELECTION PROFILES, PAGE 7

ROYAL PALM: PINTO VS. SALLENBACHSEE ELECTION PROFILES, PAGE 9

Wellington ZonersAgree To Plan EasingBusiness Hour Rules

See BIZ HOURS, page 22

OPINIONTown-CrierEndorsementsIn Council RacesOn Tuesday, March 12, votersin Royal Palm Beach and Loxa-hatchee Groves will head to thepolls for municipal elections.There are two seats up for elec-tion in Royal Palm Beach andone in Loxahatchee Groves. TheTown-Crier profiles all six candi-dates this week and also issuesour endorsements. Page 4

Webster Stresses CommunityOutreach And Regional Posts

By Ron BukleyTown-Crier Staff Report

Royal Palm Beach Councilwom-an Martha Webster is defendingher seat in the March 12 electionagainst a challenge from formerCouncilman David Swift.

The two veteran officials arefacing off for a two-year term toRoyal Palm Beach Village CouncilSeat 2.

I think my record speaks foritself, Webster said. I have beenvery involved. You have seen mebe an advocate for the village andthe programs that we do. As anelected official, you administer andyou govern, but I also think thereis some leadership involved. Peo-ple need to see you, and they needto be comfortable being able tocome to you to talk to you.

Webster first became involvedin local government in 1986 as amember of the Greenacres Zoning

Board. In that capacity, she firstworked with former Royal PalmBeach Village Manager David Far-ber, who was then the manager inGreenacres.

After moving to Royal PalmBeach, Webster ran unsuccessful-ly for a council seat in 2006, beforewinning a one-year term in 2008.She has since been re-elected tofull two-year terms in 2009 and2011.

Upon her election, Webster wasappointed representative to thePalm Beach County League of Cit-ies, which she considers a greatplace to learn about government.With the Sunshine Laws, learn-ing really has to come from a dif-ferent venue, she said. I can talkto peers with no conflict of inter-est and hear them explain to mehow they solve similar problems.

Webster is currently in line to

Lox Council AgreesTo Curtail BusinessCode Enforcement

See LOX CODE, page 22

ROLLER HOCKEY AWARDS

Jeremy Jacobs, Wellington resident and owner of the BostonBruins, presented trophies to the junior division of theWellington Roller Hockey Association on Sunday, March 3 atWellington Village Park. Shown here, Michael Lesh, Zach Perkinsand Blake Halverson wait for their trophies.

MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5PHOTO BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

By Lauren MirTown-Crier Staff Report

Former Royal Palm Beach Coun-cilman David Swift is asking vil-lage voters to put him back on thedais as he challenges Councilwom-an Martha Webster in the Tues-day, March 12 election.

I come from a standpoint ofworking with our residents and thepeople who come before us, Swiftsaid. For me, our residents comefirst.

The election is for a two-yearterm to Royal Palm Beach VillageCouncil Seat 2.

Swift, 68, is a 36-year resident ofRoyal Palm Beach who served formore than 20 years on the council.He resigned in 2011 due to a con-flict with his state retirement ben-efits. He lives in La Mancha withhis wife, Nixie.

Before he was first elected to the

council in 1985, Swift served as thechairman of the Royal Palm BeachPlanning & Zoning Commission.

Royal Palm Beach was the fast-est-growing community in thecountry when I was elected, herecalled, noting that he served for15 consecutive years along withformer Mayor David Lodwick, cur-rent Mayor Matty Mattioli, Coun-cilman Fred Pinto and others.

I thought it was a very produc-tive time for the village, Swift said.We worked well together, and Ifelt we achieved a lot. We reducedtaxes for 16 consecutive years.

Swift said he is proud of havinga hand not only in keeping taxeslow, but in setting Royal PalmBeach up to weather an economicdownturn without having to makemajor sacrifices.

We were growing, and we had

David Swift Wants To BringUnity Back To Divided Council

See SWIFT, page 8

See WEBSTER, page 8

NEW COMMONS PARK OPENS IN RPB

Royal Palm Beach held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday, March 2 to open the long-awaitedRoyal Palm Beach Commons Park. Guests were treated to hors doeurves by Tuxedo Gourmet aswell as a Food Truck Invasion. Kids tried out the new playscapes, and everyone enjoyed musicand entertainment. A larger grand opening celebration is set for March 22-24. Shown here, RoyalPalm Beach Village Council members celebrate the park opening with representatives from theCentral Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 11

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Singer Lexi Luca ClaimsWellington Idol TitleLexi Luca took home the title2013 Wellington Idol at thecompetition finals held Tuesday,March 5 at the Wellington Am-phitheater. A total of 13 final-ists competed in front of resi-dents and the judging panel fora chance to win. Page 5

ELECTION 2013: RPB COUNCIL SEAT 2

David Swift

Martha Webster


The Loxahatchee Groves TownCouncil decided Tuesday to dis-continue proactive code enforce-ment on commercial operationsafter learning that Palms West Pla-za, where the towns office is lo-cated, had drawn a dozen viola-tions on various tenants.

Councilman Ryan Liang said hehad asked for discussion of theproactive code-enforcement poli-cy at the request of residentHoward Voren.

I think we all need to take along, hard look at whats goingon, Voren said. I was here at themeeting when the council ap-proved code enforcement on com-mercial properties. However, thespecific wording that I recall by[Town Manager] Mark Kutneywas egregious violations. Youcut code enforcement loose,theyre going to do what theywant, and I believe they need spe-cific direction.

Voren said residents were prom-

ised that the town would avoid thestrident code-enforcement poli-cies that are happening now.

We were promised that whensomeone lodges a complaint, thecode enforcement officer would goto that property and only look atwhat was complained about,Voren said. They do not do that.They go there, and anything elsethat they notice at the same time,they cite as a violation. We werepromised that was never going tohappen, and it happens on a regu-lar basis.

Voren added that residents werealso promised there would be noanonymous code complaints al-lowed. I got a list of the code-enforcement complaints, and thereare some that are listed as anony-mous, he said.

Specifically, the list of violationsat Palms West Plaza has spiraledout of control. There is a mechan-ic shop in the back that has beenthere for 20 years, Voren said. Itwas cited for having inoperable


After months of debate, Well-ingtons Planning, Zoning & Ad-justment Board agreed Wednes-day to recommend an ordinancegoverning hours of operation forsome businesses in the village.

At present, businesses locatedwithin 300 feet of homes may beopen only from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.,while businesses outside of thatdistance are not limited to suchhours.

Last year, some business own-ers said they were at a disadvan-tage because of the code. At therequest of the Wellington VillageCouncil, village staff looked intothe issue and proposed a solutionin December to the zoning boardthat would lift the restriction on

hours of operation for indoor ac-tivities, instead using code en-forcement to govern noise or oth-er issues.

But board members rejected thatproposal, asking instead for morestringent codes. They struckdown a second proposal in Janu-ary with similar concerns and ap-pointed Board Member Mike Dra-hos to work with village staff tocome up with a solution.

The proposed rules would al-low staff to handle requests forextended hours, Long Range Plan-ning Director Tim Stillings said.

The proposal is to establish anew permit for extended hours ofoperation, he said. Instead of re-questing a conditional-use ap-proval, which would go through


The Wellington Village Councilvoted 4-1 last week to alter thecomprehensive plan and allowanother fast-food restaurant in theVillage Green Center on StateRoad 7 at Stribling Way.

Vice Mayor Howard Coates wasthe lone dissenter, but other coun-cil members cautioned the proper-ty owner that they wanted to seeplans for other uses on the sitebefore the item returns for secondreading.

Ill support this to go to sec-ond reading, Councilman MattWillhite said. But I want to seeplans for retail in the back and oth-er aspects back before secondreading. I want to see that thisproject is going forward with ad-

ditional uses other than fast-foodrestaurants in this location.

The proposed comprehensiveplan change would allow the prop-erty owner to shift 14,738 squarefeet of space formerly allotted foroffice space to general use, andalso would allow for a 4,272-square-foot fast-food restaurant.

Currently the property is hometo a McDonalds with drive-through, a Taco Bell with drive-through and Buffalo Wild Wings,an eat-in restaurant.

Council members were con-cerned that another drive-throughrestaurant was too much.

My concern is that its anoth-er fast-food restaurant with a drive-through, Willhite said. When wetalk about the vision of Welling-ton, do we see a strip of fast-food

restaurants along State Road 7?He noted that when the project

first came to the council, long be-fore anything was built, it was pre-sented as a multi-use space.

We were told it was going tohave office space, restaurants, re-tail, banks and more, Willhite said.That was what made this projectattractive to us. I was hoping for alot of these things. I wasnt hop-ing for fast food.

Coates agreed.That was one reason we

agreed to the Taco Bell and theMcDonalds, he said. We didntexpect you to be back here in themiddle of [construction] asking foranother fast-food restaurant. Yougot the [two fast-food restaurants]and now youve taken the bankoff the table, which was the incen-

tive for the original approval.Don Hearing, agent for the ap-

plicant, said that the original in-tention was to have a bank andplenty of retail space, but he not-ed that the business market is stillrecovering.

If it werent for the fast foodand Buffalo Wild Wings, wewouldnt be able to bring yousome of the other uses we hope tobring, he said. All of these piec-es work together to create an eco-nomic engine that will work.

Hearing noted that the proper-ty is waiting for approval to begindevelopment on the two retailbuildings.

My staff is aggressively try-ing to bring in companies who willbe good for Wellington, he said.If it wasnt for what is in the front

[of the property], we wouldnt beable to talk about what could hap-pen in the back.

Willhite was still concernedabout giving up so much officespace allotment.

Were giving up 33 percent ofwhat could be those high-payingjobs in that office space, he said.It feels like were settling by ac-cepting the things being built therenow with todays market valuerather than what will be marketablein the future.

Willhite said he would approvethe preliminary reading of thechanges, but wanted to see a planfor the future of the site before giv-ing final approval.

Show us what your overallplans are right now, and what your

See FAST FOOD, page 3

RPB Relay For LifeTeams Gather ToPlan FundraisersThe Royal Palm Beach Relay forLife held a team party Thursday,Feb. 28 at the MarBar Grille.Team members gathered anddiscussed fundraisers andother events to raise money fortheir teams. Page 24

ITID Getting $1.5Million From FEMAThe Indian Trail ImprovementDistrict has received approvalfor approximately $1.5 millionin assistance from the FederalEmergency Management Agen-cy for expenses incurred duringrecovery from the flooding dur-ing Tropical Storm Isaac.

Page 3

Fundraiser ForThe EquestrianAid FoundationThe fifth annual Equestrian AidFoundation Inspection Recep-tion fundraiser was held Thurs-day, Feb. 28 at the Palm BeachDressage Derby. Page 15

March 8 - March 14, 2013 WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM March 8 - March 14, 2013 Page 3

NEWS


The Royal Palm Beach Planning& Zoning Commission recom-mended approval of a request bythe Country Club Village Home-owners Association last week toreplace trees in the roadway buff-er along Royal Palm Beach Blvd.

The trees in question had eitherdied or were falling over.

Development Review Coordina-tor Kevin Erwin said the HOA wasrequesting to plant two silver but-tonwoods and six pink tabebuiasto replace eight cassia trees. Theapplicant has removed some ofthe dead and dying landscapematerial, Erwin said. The appli-cant is also proposing to replacethe dead accent plantings withgroupings of wax lilies.

Staff recommended approval ofthe application as submitted.

Commissioner Jackie Larsonasked whether the request was the

result of code enforcement actionor the HOA did it voluntarily, andErwin replied that code enforce-ment had informed them while theywere removing the old trees thatthey would need to get approvalto put in the new plantings.

Larson commended the HOAfor taking on the project. Wevegot a lot of dead vegetation in thevillage that needs to come out andbe replaced, Larson said. Itshard to be a tree city when so manytrees are dying, so I commend youfor doing it.

Vice Chairman Michael Newk-irk asked whether the buffer areais properly irrigated, and an HOArepresentative said the trees aredifficult to keep rooted sincetheyre atop a berm.

Erwin added that cassias havea shallow root system, which hadallowed the trees to fall over. Theyblow over very easily, he said.

Commissioner Richard Becher

said he drives on Royal PalmBeach Blvd. two or three times aday and had noticed that there aregaps in the screening, and the coderequires continuous plantings.

Erwin said that there is a hedgebehind the trees, but there may besome areas where it has died. Iwas out looking at them the otherday, Erwin said. Thats more ofa maintenance issue. Theywouldnt have to come back toyou to add those back as long asits the same species.

Chairwoman Barbara Powellasked about tabebuias vulnera-bility to wind damage, and Erwinsaid the yellow tabebuias are morevulnerable. The pinks are morehardy than the yellows, he said.

Commissioner Darrell Langesaid that root anchors can be usedto help improve wind resistance.All they are is they go throughthe root and they go all the waythrough the berm, Lange said.They help stand them up instorms.

Lange made a motion to ap-prove the application, which car-ried 5-0.

In other business, the commis-sion approved an application toreplace the six previously ap-proved monument signs at Con-nect Corporate Center at 9100Belvedere Road with a single mon-ument sign.

The sign would be located onBelvedere Road just east of StateRoad 7, adjacent to the Walmartplaza, Erwin said. The previousmaster sign plan was approvedmore than six years ago. The cur-rent master sign plan requires thetenant sign to be China red withblack font. A color change was re-quested, making the color of thebase sand, with a red backgroundand white lettering. The applicantis requesting a single 20-foot by12-foot marquee sign in lieu of sixpreviously approved monumentsigns, Erwin said.

Staff had recommended ap-proval of the application as sub-mitted. Erwin added that the sixapproved signs had never actual-ly been built.

Lange said he liked the designof the new sign but was concernedabout font styles since there was

no requirement stipulated. Im alittle concerned about that, hesaid. Given our recent examples,Im a little bit hesitant in letting itgo wild.

Larson said the sign looked niceand asked whether the other signapprovals would be rescinded.Erwin said the old applicationwould be rescinded and a tenantwould have to come back and re-quest approval of an individualmonument sign.

Larson shared Langes concernabout each line conceivably be-


The Indian Trail ImprovementDistrict has received approval forapproximately $1.5 million in assis-tance from the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency for expens-es incurred during recovery fromthe flooding during Tropical StormIsaac.

We have been working withFEMA to submit reimbursementsfor work done during TropicalStorm Isaac, ITID AdministratorTanya Quickel said. Were veryhappy that basically three smallproject worksheets and three larg-er project worksheets have beencompleted and are in the processof being obligated through FEMA,which is their process. The totalreimbursements we anticipate arebetween $1.5 million and $ 1.6 mil-lion for expenditures related to thestorm.

The reimbursement covers emer-gency protective measures, pump-ing, signage, overtime, equipmentused during the event, emergen-cy repairs for washouts or breach-es, and repair of unpaved roads.

Last month, Gov. Rick Scott an-

nounced that he put $8 million inhis proposed budget for improve-ments to the dike separating theJ.W. Corbett Wildlife ManagementArea from The Acreage.

During Isaacs flooding in TheAcreage, state, county and localofficials monitored the leveeclosely for a possible breach be-cause water levels differed be-tween Corbett and the surround-ing residential areas. If the bermhad been breached, it could havesignificantly worsened the flood-ing problems in The Acreage.

Material was brought in to usein the event of a breach, and a weirwas built on the east side of Cor-bett to allow some of the water toflow across the Seminole PrattWhitney Road right-of-way intothe Mecca Farms property.

Quickel added that the SouthFlorida Water Management Dis-trict is organizing another meetingthis month to review the projectwith all parties involved, includ-ing the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers, the Florida Fish & WildlifeConservation Commission, ITIDand the Florida Department ofEmergency Management.

The Wellington Chamber ofCommerce will honor three out-standing businesses with its Busi-ness Excellence Awards at a lun-cheon on Wednesday, March 20.

The awards are given to thosewho have made an outstandingcontribution to the betterment ofthe community and the chamberthrough business, philanthropyand education. The WellingtonChamber of Commerce is honoredthis year to bestow the BusinessExcellence Award to both FloridaPower & Light Company and Aes-thetic & Family Dentistry. The BestEmerging Business Award will goto Floridian Community Bank.

The businesses must be nomi-nated and then voted upon to re-ceive the award. Award winnersmust exhibit honest and crediblepractices valued by the Welling-ton Chamber of Commerce. Last-ly, each nominee must have exhib-ited stewardship by providingtheir time, leadership, talents andgifts to enhance and enrich boththe chamber and the community.

The Business Excellence

Awards will be presented on Wed-nesday, March 20 during thechambers annual installation lun-cheon at the Palm Beach Interna-tional Equestrian Center in theWellington Tent. For reservations,call (561) 792-6525 or visit www.wellingtonchamber.com. Ticketscost $25 and VIP tables of ten areavailable for $300.

FPL is the largest rate-regulat-ed electric utility in Florida andserves the third largest number ofcustomers compared to any otherelectric utility in the United States.FPL serves approximately 4.6 mil-lion customer accounts and is aleading Florida employer with ap-proximately 10,000 employees asof year-end 2012. During the five-year period ended Dec. 31, 2011,the company delivered the bestservice reliability among Floridainvestor-owned utilities. Its typi-cal residential customer bills,based on data available in July2012, are about 26 percent belowthe national average. A clean en-ergy leader, FPL has one of thelowest emissions profiles and one

of the leading energy efficiencyprograms among utilities nation-wide. FPL is a subsidiary of JunoBeach-based NextEra Energy, Inc.

Dr. Steven Miller of Aesthetic& Family Dentistry of Wellingtonis celebrating the 25th anniversa-ry of his practice. Millers love fordentistry has not wavered over his33-plus years since graduating in1979 from New York UniversityCollege of Dentistry on a U.S.Army Health Professions scholar-ship. After two tours of duty, hesettled with his young family inFlorida. In 1986, he was awardedas a fellow of the Academy of Gen-eral Dentistry and, to this day,Miller stays current because of hislove for continuing education.

Miller has served as presidentof the Central Palm Beach CountyDental Association from 1996 to1997. Locally, he was the presidentof the Wellington Lions Club from1992 to 1993. His latest and up-coming accomplishments will in-clude attending the InternationalTeam for Implantology CongressNorth America in Chicago on April

5-6, as well as offering Invisalignbraces. Aesthetic & Family Den-tistry of Wellington won the Su-per Service Award for 2011 fromAngies List.

Lee Frankhouser, president ofFloridian Community Bank, saidher company was honored to berecognized as Best Emerging Busi-ness. Management and staff ofFloridian Community Bank are tru-ly honored to be recognized withthe Best Emerging BusinessAward presented by the Welling-ton Chamber of Commerce, shesaid. Just as our name says, wedo strive to have a positive impacton the communities we serve, andthis recognition is accepted withgreat thanks and appreciation tothe chamber. The Wellington busi-ness community has been wonder-ful to work with, and we hope thatour organization can continue toprovide leadership, philanthropyand energy to the people and busi-nesses of greater Wellington.Thank you once again to the Well-ington Chamber of Commerce forthis honor.

ing a different font. I wouldntmind putting in a condition that itall be the same font because I thinkit would look a lot better than adifferent font on each line, Lar-son said.

Becher asked about landscap-ing at the base of the sign, andErwin said that was not in the ap-plication but could be included asa condition.

Larson made a motion to ap-prove the application as submit-ted, with conditions about the fontand landscaping. It carried 5-0.

RPB Zoning Board OKs Trees For RPB Blvd. And Sign On Belvedere

ITID Getting $1.5Million From FEMA

For Isaac Work Wellington Chamber Will Honor ThreeBusinesses At Luncheon On March 20

Fast FoodChanges ToSR 7 Project

continued from page 1plans are in the future, he said. Idont really think the plans are thesame as they were when this camebefore us the first time.

Hearing said he didnt expectany other major changes.

You might see us coming in forsome conditional use approval for

doctors offices, orthodontists orother uses, he said. These arethe type of things I expect wellcome back for.

Councilwoman Anne Gerwigmade a motion to approve the or-dinance, which carried 4-1, withCoates opposed.

The comprehensive planchange must now be approved bythe Florida Department of Eco-nomic Opportunity before return-ing to the council for final approv-al.


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BARRY S. MANNINGPublisher

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TOWN-CRIERTHETOWN-CRIER ENDORSEMENTS

Jim Rockett In Lox Groves; David Swift And Fred Pinto In RPB

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MEMBER OFThe Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce

The Wellington Chamber of Commerce

LETTERS TO THE EDITORAll Hail, King

Steven Abrams!When Commissioner Steven

Abrams became chairman of thePalm Beach County Commission,he felt he needed another moreimportant title to get more atten-tion and respect. He decided thatMayor of Palm Beach Countywould do it. I suggested KingAbrams for even greater atten-tion for his big ego.

At the recent commission meet-ing, King Abrams made two edicts:

(1) Over 200 Century Village res-idents who came early to speak ona very important topic (the rezon-ing of their golf course) were toldthey would not be allowed to speakand should sit quietly and behave,while the commissioners decidedon allowing the construction ofhomes and commercial buildingson their golf course.

(2) The recorded public agree-ment stating that the Century Vil-lage golf course would remain agolf course in perpetuity wouldend with the vote of four countycommissioners! The opposingthree commissioners did not standa chance, because of the veryshrewd manner King Abrams con-trolled and directed the discussion.

King Abrams has forgotten thatall county commissioners are pub-lic servants and that we still are agovernment of the people, by thepeople, for the people. The king-dom system ended in 1776!

Jess R. SantamariaPalm Beach County

Commissioner, District 6

Martha WebsterRises AboveThe Attacks

I cannot sit by and not stand upfor Councilwoman Martha Web-ster, who has served the residentsof Royal Palm Beach with dignityfor the past five years. I admire herforging ahead to be an active mem-ber of any and all organizationsthat benefit the village. She under-stands that we are a part of thisregion, and that we must all worktogether. The success of the StateRoad 7 outpouring of support wasbecause she worked with area mu-nicipalities and our chamber toactivate community participation.For her opponent to say that sheis anything but a positive consen-sus builder is simply proven false.

She has had the good grace toact respectfully toward her peersand the public who come beforethe council. She continues to car-ry on with the business of the vil-lage; even when this past year themayor, acting from the dais, and[her challenger Dave] Swift, push-ing from the council floor, went ona year of personal attacks. NowMr. Swift comes forward and veryclearly states that his platform is apersonal vendetta against Mrs.Webster. This is an appalling mo-tive to run for elected office and

certainly does not serve the resi-dents, who deserve much better.

The village has been served wellby her professionalism and pas-sion in representing the citizens.As a woman, she brings a diverseperspective to our issues. She hasbeen endorsed by former Coun-cilwoman Carmela Starace, whoworked with Mr. Swift for manyyears, yet chose not to supporthim. I value her opinion and be-lieve that Councilwoman Websterhas served us very well. I will votefor Martha this coming Tuesdayand urge every voter in RoyalPalm Beach to do the same.

Marcia BerwickRoyal Palm Beach

Be Sure To Vote InCritical ElectionAll the citizens of Royal Palm

Beach must come out in drovesand vote, or we will rue the day wedid not. We are faced with a criti-cal situation, and we have an op-portunity to protect our homes, thesafety of our communities and ourchildrens lives.

The task force that I sat on in2011 was charged with coming upwith a plan for the old wastewatertreatment plant off CrestwoodBlvd., next to H.L. Johnson Ele-mentary School. Despite our find-ings and recommendations, Ms.[Martha] Websters position hasnot changed. She still wants todesignate this land usage for com-mercial or industrial development.In my view, Ms. Websters actions,voting records and history of con-frontation at board meetingsmakes most of us feel like she be-lieves she is always right and ev-eryone else is always wrong.

Imagine the perilous situationour children will face as 18 wheel-ers barrel down Crestwood Blvd.Imagine the noise pollution andtraffic on Crestwood Blvd. Imag-ine the potential carnage from ac-cidents or hazardous materials thatcould go through this bedroomcommunity and right next to anelementary school. All things arepossible when you open Pando-ras Box.

Her ideas, if they come to frui-tion, would probably cause ourproperty values to plummet as ourhomes become undesirable. Ms.Websters voting record speaksvolumes on where her loyalties lie.Clearly they are not with the homeowners north of Okeechobee Blvd.Please, take a look at her votingrecord. The development of com-mercial/industry on this site isclearly wrong, and it does not be-long there. I am all for job creation,but it must be situated in logicalplaces. It must be conducive tobusiness development, successand growth. Further, it must beharmonious with the surroundingarea. None of her recommendationsmeet this criteria, and frankly herposition is contrary to commonsense.

To all the citizens of Saratoga,

Madison Green, Hawthorne, LaMancha, the Woods, Porto Sol,and the rest of us who reside inRoyal Palm Beach, you must comeout and vote. It is your inalienableright to vote and be heard. Standup for yourself and let your voic-es be heard. Vote and get all yourneighbors to vote, and pleasespread the word to get everyoneout to vote!

In my view, and as demonstrat-ed by his actions, not emptywords, Mr. David Swift has thevision, the experience and worksvery well with others. He is com-mitted to protecting our commu-nities. Putting industry right nextdoor to our homes and directly nextto an elementary school is irre-sponsible and shows lack of con-cern for our communitys best in-terests. Mr. David Swift, in myview, is a fabulous candidate whohas all of our best interests atheart. He deserves your support,and I know he has mine.

Michael AxelberdRoyal Palm Beach

Jarriel SupportsJim Rockett

Ive sat on the LoxahatcheeGroves Town Council for fouryears. Three of the four, I haveserved with Jim Rockett. I believeJim has done a good job in repre-senting the residents of Loxa-hatchee Groves. He has reducedour town taxes by 20 percent, atone time wanting to do away withthem completely. He has 40 yearsof experience in accounting andfinancial planning, which helps tokeep our management firm on theirtoes and allows us to spend ourmoney wisely. Jim Rockett is agood listener. When the residentscame and expressed their concernabout speed humps in the com-munity, he listened and agreed thatsomething should be done tomake them better for our residents.He took the time to drive to othercommunities, check out theirspeed tables and supported animprovement to our existing speedhumps and a 30-mph speed tablefor our future roads to beOGEMed.

Jim Rockett will strive to pre-serve our rural lifestyle. He trulybelieves that the Groves are thelast frontier of the western com-munities. He will fight to protectour home-based businesses andthe character of our town. He hasalways had a commitment for thebetterment of our community. Heis an active member of our CERTTeam, has volunteered on towncommittees, and when the stormscome, he is out there ridingthrough the Groves to see how hecan be of help to those neighborsin need.

Jim is a man of great integrity.Hes honest and has the best in-terest of the residents of theGroves at heart. He is one you cancall on and depend on if or whenyou have a problem. He will come,

listen and try to help you solve it.For myself, having grown up

(and still living) in the Groves forapproximately 52 years, I believethat most Loxahatchee Groves res-idents know me personally. There-fore, they know that my heart is indoing what is best for them. Tokeep our council on the right trackand doing what is best for all ofus, I am asking for your supportand your vote for Jim Rockett onTuesday, March 12.

The election will be held atPalms West Presbyterian Churchon Okeechobee Blvd. in Loxa-hatchee Groves. Please come andexercise your right to vote for yourtown council.

Councilman Ron JarrielLoxahatchee Groves

McLendon E-MailConcerns Schiola

The following excerpts are froman e-mail sent to the town manag-er from Loxahatchee Groves TownCouncil candidate Todd McLen-don dated Feb. 15, 2013.

Todd was questioning the townstaff and manager on the releaseof public documents pertaining tothe college petition at the requestof a town resident. Members ofthe public should not be allowedaccess to information until it is pro-cessed and copied, he wrote, add-ing, I am furious that this was al-lowed and that all documents andinformation be guarded and keptin confidence from here on out.

As most of us know, anytime amunicipality receives a letter, re-ceipt or other documents, thosee-mails or pieces of paper are opento public scrutiny and, at the re-quest of the public, can be copied.Todds campaign platform is, Illlisten to the public, but it is clearthat he might listen, but will objectto any release of public records.

Todd goes on to say that, sincethis is a $4.5 million issue, it shouldbe handled with the utmost confi-dence. Todd now admits that thestate college issue could cost thetown more than the $300,000 thathe and his petition committee havebeen advertising since this peti-tion began. How would the townpay this massive debt? Well itsreally simple our towns ad va-lorem taxes would soar 990 percentand this would be with us for manyyears to come.

If you want higher taxes and aclandestine town government,then vote for Todd McLendon. Ifyou want the lowest possible tax-es and an open and transparenttown government with a provenleader, then vote for Jim Rockett.Thats who Im voting for.

Todds entire e-mail is avail-able at the town office for thepublic to view, since it is a publicrecord.

Frank SchiolaLoxahatchee Groves

Editors note: Mr. Schiola is asupervisor of the LoxahatcheeGroves Water Control District.

Support ForMartha WebsterThere are many reasons why I

am voting again for Martha Web-ster. First, she is an active memberof the community. Martha can befound at most events and organi-zations, speaking with residents ona weekly basis not just duringelection time. She actively worksfor us, listening to our concernsand weighing all points of view.

Second, Martha is willing tomake changes to improve our com-munity. In this past year, she hasworked with staff to draft ordinanc-es to change the rear fence andhedge height from 6 feet to 8 eight,and increased the number of ga-rage sales permitted, as well as in-cluding space on the village website to promote them. Martha hasalso added a dog park to the Com-mons Park budget and a skate-board park to the village all fromresidents requests.

Lastly, and most importantly,Martha Webster is a woman of herword. She does not flip her posi-tion for personal gain. These arejust a few of the reasons why Imvoting for Martha Webster, and Iencourage all residents to speakwith her to prior to the election.

Selena SmithRoyal Palm Beach

Where Is TheLeadership?

Although unfortunate, it seemslike the lack of leadership in Wash-ington has made its way to Well-ington. Since our last election, allthat has come from the Welling-ton Village Council has been acri-mony, excess litigation, staff bash-ing, and attacks on the businessand the equestrian community.

Resident dissatisfaction withthe council and the village has ledmany in the community to want tode-annex from Wellington. On topof the that, our mayor and onecouncilman have been under in-vestigation by the ethics commis-sion for accepting large amountsof cash from influential residentswith hopes of getting their way onmany issues affecting the village.

Just like our country, Welling-ton was blessed with outstandingleadership in the early years of itsexistence. mayors Foster, Wenhamand Priore, and managers Lynnand Schofield, did an outstandingjob leading this village to be oneof the premier communities in Flor-ida. Even though there were dif-ferences on many issues, they allput aside their personal desiresand worked together in a spirit ofcompromise to do what was bestfor the village.

Since being elected, none of thecurrent council has forwardedtheir vision or strategic plan forthe village. No direction or newinitiative (except the communitycenter and tennis center) has beenbrought forward to bring the resi-dents together in a positive wayand to look at keeping our com-munity as an outstanding place tolive both now and in the foresee-able future. Lets get rid of the bigmoney politics that has corruptedWashington, and has now affect-ed our small community as well.Hopefully, the village can returnto the positive and resident-driv-en government that made it greatin the early years.

Steve HaughnWellington

Former RPBCouncilwomanSupports SwiftAs a former 25-year resident of

Royal Palm Beach who also hadthe privilege of covering the Roy-al Palm Beach Village Council forthis newspaper from the mid-1980sto 1991, as well as the honor ofserving on that same council as acouncilwoman, I heartily endorsethe candidacy of David Swift.

I met David 27 years ago when Iwas a news reporter for the Town-Crier and he was a councilman.That period was one of stunning-ly fast growth for Royal PalmBeach and council members werecharged with some challengingdecisions, which would foreverimpact the community.

Basically, there was nothing thevillage didnt need, with the grow-ing influx of residents and de-mands for services and amenities.Schools; road improvements;landscape, sign and code ordi-nances; police and fire-rescue pro-tection all needed attention andimprovement. The key was to finda way to do so without raising tax-es to unaffordable levels.

David proved his leadershipduring those earlier days by offer-ing logical, well-planned methodsto achieve the goals and needs ofRoyal Palm Beach residents.When our high school-aged chil-dren were being bused becausethere was no Royal Palm BeachHigh School, David was instru-mental in tirelessly working to as-sure that village students wouldget their own high school. Thetask was difficult, lengthy anddaunting. Thanks in large part toDavids efforts, the goal of a highschool for the community wasachieved.

I strongly encourage village res-

The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Please keep lettersbrief (300 words). Submit letters, with contact name, address andtelephone number (anonymous letters will not be published), toThe Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL33414; fax them to (561) 793-6090; or you can e-mail [email protected].

See LETTERS, page 22

On Tuesday, March 12, voters in Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves will head tothe polls for municipal elections. There are two seats up for election in Royal Palm Beach andone in Loxahatchee Groves. In this weeks issue, we profile all six candidates running in thiselection cycle. The profiles are based on their individual visits with the Town-Criers editorialboard. Here, we also issue our endorsements in the races.

Loxahatchee Groves Town Council, Seat 2 Incumbent Jim Rockett faces a challengefrom community activist Todd McLendon. At the core of this election is the battle over aplanned Palm Beach State College campus in Loxahatchee Groves.

We were impressed with Mr. McLendons extensive knowledge of the issues in this cam-paign. It is clear that he cares deeply about Loxahatchee Groves, and we applaud him forspeaking out about his concerns. He has been involved with the town since its inception, andhe knows the history well. While we believe he would bring a different view to the council, wedo not believe he is the right choice. However well intentioned, we believe he is on the wrongside of the college issue. As we have said before, we support this campus and believe it will bea great benefit to the town and the surrounding communities as well. Furthermore, we believeMr. McLendon underestimates the legal problems that would arise should he be successful inthe referendum he has championed.

Jim Rockett has been a strong advocate for the college. Not only is he on the right side ofthis issue, we believe his extensive expertise in finance and accounting has been dramaticallybeneficial to the council. He has proven that he will spend residents money only when neededand is a believer in returning unused funds to residents. We also appreciate his desire tomaintain the rural character of the community while also improving services for residents.

The Town-Crier endorses Jim Rockett for Seat 2 on the Loxahatchee Groves TownCouncil.

Royal Palm Beach Village Council, Seat 2 Two veteran council members are battlingfor this seat, where incumbent Councilwoman Martha Webster faces a challenge from formerCouncilman David Swift.

Ms. Webster has been a dedicated council member who cares deeply about the community.She brings an often alternative point of view to the council. She has also done a good jobreaching out beyond the borders of Royal Palm Beach and helping residents gain access tomore regional opportunities. She has been a strong leader in the fight to extend State Road 7 toNorthlake Blvd. and her leadership on several regional agencies would certainly be useful toRoyal Palm Beach.

Mr. Swift has served the village on and off for more than two decades. He played a large

role in shaping Royal Palm Beach into the community it is today. An advocate for residents,Mr. Swift has stood behind his constituents on issues from the La Mancha berm to the futureof the old wastewater treatment plant property. We also applaud his ability to find compromisewith his fellow council members. Royal Palm Beachs success is largely due to past councilsability to find common ground, and Mr. Swift has been a crucial element of that success.

In reality, there are good arguments for the election of either Ms. Webster or Mr. Swift.They each offer useful, but divergent qualities. In the end, though, it is unity of purpose that haslong made the Royal Palm Beach Village Council successful while other local governmentshave faltered. In our opinion, that tips the scale slightly in the favor of Mr. Swift. The Town-Crier endorses David Swift for Seat 2 on the Royal Palm Beach Village Council.

Royal Palm Beach Village Council, Seat 4 In this race, longtime incumbent Fred Pintois being challenged by Justin Sallenbach, a teacher at Turning Points Academy.

Mr. Sallenbach brings new and interesting ideas to the table, most notably his desire toprovide after school care and tutoring programs for village students. At 29, he is clearly pas-sionate about his community, and we are glad to see younger residents stepping up to the plate.His desire to encourage more community participation is a noble one. We believe there couldbe a council seat in Mr. Sallenbachs future should he seek office again, but feel that he shouldgain more experience in local government first perhaps through one of the villages volun-teer boards. No matter what he does, we believe he will be successful, and we would encour-age him to stay involved.

Mr. Pinto has been a strong voice for residents for many years and was instrumental insetting Royal Palm Beach up to weather the recent economic crisis. He had a hand in sellingthe villages water utility to the county, providing Royal Palm Beach the nest egg it has used toweather hard times. He has also kept a keen eye on that nest egg, making sure the villagedoesnt tap into it indiscriminately. He was also an early supporter of the contracting with thePalm Beach County Sheriffs Office, which has made the village safer, and most recently,helped bring Aldi to the village. Pinto has contributed a great deal, and we feel he still has moreto offer. As the village continues to grow, it is beneficial to have experienced council memberswho understand the communitys past, and who can help guide it into the future.

The Town-Crier strongly endorses the re-election of Fred Pinto to Seat 4 on theRoyal Palm Beach Village Council.

Whether or not you agree with our opinions shared in this space, more important is that youmake your way to the polls this Tuesday. Local elections tend to be low-turnout affairs, butthey shouldnt be. Show up and make your vote count!


NEWS

Jeremy Jacobs, Wellington resident and owner of the Boston Bruins, presented trophies to the junior division of the Wellington RollerHockey Association on Sunday, March 3 at Wellington Village Park. Jacobs, who is also chairman of the National Hockey League Boardof Governors, presented trophies to the champions, the Oilers, and runners up, the Panthers, after their title game. Players also receivedBruins memorabilia. PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

JEREMY JACOBS PRESENTS TROPHIES TO WELLINGTON ROLLER HOCKEY PLAYERS

Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs with WRHAplayers from the junior Oilers and Panthers.

Jeremy Jacobs and Tom Wenham of the WellingtonPreservation Coalition hand out Bruins hats. Jeremy Jacobs hands a trophy to Don Tuckwood.

Lexi Luca took home the title 2013 Wellington Idol at the competition finals held Tuesday, March 5 at the Wellington Amphitheater. Atotal of 13 finalists competed in front of residents and the judging panel for a chance to win. Runners up were chosen in each of threeage categories. Category 1 winner Adrianna Siena, Category 2 winner Meghan Ritmiller and Category 3 winner Krystie Seese eachreceived a $250 cash prize. Luca was presented with the $500 grand prize. For more info, visit www.wellingtonfl.gov.SEE VIDEO FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

SINGER LEXI LUCA CLAIMS WELLINGTON IDOL TITLE AT COMPETITION FINALS

Winner Lexi Luca with manager and coach Mike Soper.Judges Michael Lifshitz, Jason Evan Fisher and Mark

Hagan listen to the Wellington Idol performers.Krystie Seese, Adrianna Siena, Wellington Idol winner

Lexi Luca and Meghan Ritmiller with their prizes.

Runner up Meghan Ritmiller (center) with friendsMelissa Ramirez and Yolanda Lozano.

Adrianna Siena singsDefying Gravity. Krystie Seese on stage. Lexi Luca sings Feeling Good.

Meghan Ritmillersings Turning Tables.

PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER


CRIME NEWS

THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOX IS PROVIDED BYCRIME STOPPERS OF PALM BEACH COUNTY. CRIMESTOPPERSIS WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT SHOWN HERE.


MARCH 2 A Royal PalmBeach man was arrested early lastSaturday morning on charges ofdrunken driving after he was foundasleep behind the wheel. Accord-ing to a Palm Beach County Sher-iffs Office report, a deputy fromthe Royal Palm substation was onpatrol when he observed a beigeHonda Accord stopped on thewestbound exit ramp at SouthernBlvd. and State Road 7. Accord-ing to the report, the deputywatched as the vehicle remainedstationary through three greenlights, with its brake lights illumi-nated. The deputy approached thevehicle and observed the driver,19-year-old Alec Jackson, uncon-scious in the drivers seat. Accord-ing to the report, the vehicle wasstill running and in drive. The dep-uty knocked on the window sev-eral times and when Jackson wokeup, he appeared disoriented. Ac-cording to the report, Jacksongrabbed a clear cup containing anunknown clear liquid and beganto drink it while keeping it out ofthe deputys reach. The deputysaid that when he recovered thecup, it smelled strongly of alco-hol. A search of the vehicle founda black backpack in the trunk ofJacksons vehicle with 18 individ-ually packed balls of marijuana anda bottle of vodka. Jackson was ar-rested and taken to the Palm BeachCounty Jail where he was chargedwith possession of marijuana over20 grams, possession of marijua-na with intent to sell, possessionof alcohol by someone under 21years old and tampering with evi-dence.

FEB. 28 A Royal Palm Beachman was arrested on shopliftingcharges last Thursday eveningafter he was caught stealing fromthe WalMart Supercenter onBelvedere Road. According to aPBSO report, a deputy from theRoyal Palm Beach substation wascalled to the store after a loss pre-vention officer observed 19-year-old Gladimy Louis enter the elec-tronics section of the store andselect several video games. Louiswalked around the store with thegame in his hands, but the officerlater noticed Louis carrying thegames in a plastic bag and enter-ing the bicycle department. Ac-cording to the report, Louis select-ed a black bicycle, set the gameson top of the handlebars and pro-ceeded to push the bicycle out ofthe store without attempting topay for the items. The loss pre-vention officer stopped him andrecovered 16 video games alongwith the bicycle. The stolen itemswere valued at $608.36. Louis wasarrested and taken to the countyjail where he was charged withgrand theft.

MARCH 1 A Boynton Beachwoman was arrested early last Fri-day morning on charges of drunk-en driving following a traffic stopnear the intersection of LamsteinLane and Southern Blvd. in RoyalPalm Beach. According to a PBSOreport, a deputy from the PBSOsubstation in Royal Palm Beachwas on patrol when he observed asilver car driving the wrong wayout of a shopping plaza, not com-ing to a complete stop before en-tering the roadway. According tothe report, the deputy initiated atraffic stop and made contact withthe driver, 30-year-old Jennifer

Castillo. According to the report,the deputy observed that Castil-los movements were slow and shehad trouble finding her drivers li-cense. The deputy also smelledalcohol coming from the vehicleand observed a bottle of vodkasitting on the front passenger seat.According to the report, the dep-uty asked Castillo to step awayfrom the vehicle, and then askedher to perform roadside tasks.When he asked Castillo to sit onthe curb while he moved his vehi-cle, she became angry with him andrefused to comply. According tothe report, he asked her again todo the roadside tasks and she re-fused. The deputy arrested Castilloand took her to the county jailwhere she refused to submit tobreath tests. She was charged withdriving under the influence of al-cohol.

MARCH 1 A deputy from thePBSOs Acreage/Loxahatcheesubstation was dispatched to ahome on F Road last Friday morn-ing regarding a stolen vehicle.According to the report, the vic-tim parked his Ford F250 truckoutside his home under a canopy.Sometime between 7 and 10:30p.m. last Thursday, someone re-moved the truck from the proper-ty. According to the report, thevictim said he left the keys in thetruck. The victim said it could havebeen taken by a former employee,but there was no further informa-tion available at the time of the re-port.

MARCH 3 A deputy from thePBSOs Acreage/Loxahatcheesubstation was called to OrangeBlvd. last Sunday morning regard-ing a case of vandalism. Accord-ing to a PBSO report, the victimwas driving westbound on OrangeBlvd. at approximately 11:45 a.m.when an unknown white truckthrew a beer bottle out of its win-dow. The victim said that the bot-tle struck his drivers side windowand cracked the glass. Accordingto the report, when the victim at-tempted to roll the window downso he could get the trucks infor-mation, the glass shattered inward.The victim said the truck kept trav-eling at a high rate of speed andhe was unable to get a licenseplate. There was approximately$300 in damage. There were nosuspects or witnesses at the timeof the report.

MARCH 4 A deputy from thePBSOs Acreage/Loxahatcheesubstation responded to a homeon 61st Place North on Mondayregarding a theft. According to aPBSO report, sometime betweenFriday, Feb. 8 and last Wednes-day, someone entered the emptyproperty and ripped out the break-er box and the copper wiring in theattic. The complainant said she didnot see any sign of forced entry,but did not know when the theftoccurred. The stolen items werevalued at approximately $5,000.There were no suspects or wit-nesses at the time of the report.

MARCH 4 A resident of 93rdRoad North called the PBSOsAcreage/Loxahatchee substationMonday morning to report a caseof fraud. According to a PBSO re-port, the victim filed her taxes inOctober of last year and had notyet received her return. The victimsaid she contacted the InternalRevenue Service last Friday andwas told a refund was issued inher name. According to the report,

Sleeping DriverLeads To DrugArrest In RPB

Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County isasking for the publics help in finding thesewanted fugitives:

Kevyn Castillo, alias Kevyn Anduray-Castillo, is a white male, 58 tall and weigh-ing 175 lbs., with black hair and browneyes. His date of birth is 07/15/90. He hasa tattoo on his neck and a scar on hisforehead. Castillo is wanted for violationof probation, burglary, felony battery, fail-ure to appear, giving a f alse name to lawenforcement and no drivers license. Hisoccupation is unknown. His last knownaddresses were Gardenia Avenue in LakeWorth and Treasure Lane in Greenacres.Castillo is wanted as of 02/28/13.

Adam Flint is a black male, 511 talland weighing 170 lbs., with black hair andbrown eyes. He has multiple tattoos. Hisdate of birth is 12/20/82. Flint is wantedfor trafficking in oxycodone (2 counts) andattempt to obtain a controlled substanceby fraud (2 counts). His occupation is un-known. His last known addresses wereCaston Way in Boynton Beach andNorthtree Court in Lake Worth. Flint iswanted as of 03/04/13.

Remain anonymous and you may be eli-gible for up to a $1,000 reward. Call CrimeStoppers at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) or visitwww.crimestopperspbc.com.

Kevyn Castillo

Adam Flint

See BLOTTER, page 22

You Deserve Quality CARE

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SERVING OUR COMMUNITY

FOR OVER 20 YEARS


ELECTION 2013: LOXAHATCHEE GROVES COUNCIL SEAT 2


Loxahatchee Groves Vice Mayor JimRockett is asking voters to return him tothe Loxahatchee Groves Town Council fora second three-year term.

Rockett faces challenger Todd McLen-don on Tuesday, March 12 in the race forSeat 2 on the council.

Rockett, 66, is an upstate New York na-tive who has more than 40 years experi-ence in accounting and financial planning.He has a bachelors degree in accountingfrom Pace University.

He and his wife, Nancy, moved to SouthFlorida in 1980, living in several differentPalm Beach County communities beforeeventually settling in Loxahatchee Grovesto work at his sons nursery. He has servedon many homeowners associationboards, using his financial expertise to helpthe organizations.

I always have focused on finance andmaking good financial decisions, Rock-ett said.

He began his service to LoxahatcheeGroves as vice chair of the towns FinanceAdvisory & Audit Committee and helpeddevelop the towns land use and environ-mental codes.

In 2010, Rockett ran unopposed for Seat2 on the council. He said he is qualified tocontinue serving because he will work tosave residents tax dollars while protect-ing the rural lifestyle of LoxahatcheeGroves.

Im very frugal when it comes to some-one elses money, he said. If we have asurplus, I think its our duty to give itback.

As an example, Rockett pointed to themoney that was returned to residentswhen the town saw its cost for garbagepickup services decrease.

Among his top accomplishments, Rock-ett said he is proud that the town has beenable to hold taxes low. He is also proud ofthe open graded emulsified mix (OGEM)road-paving projects the council support-ed.

The cost per acre varied dependingon where you lived, he said. What Iconvinced the council to do was... bal-ance the cost for anyone who wanted anOGEM road. It made it equal for all resi-dents.

When first elected, Rockett was in-volved in settling the disagreements withCallery-Judge Grove, which opposed thetowns comprehensive plan but laterdropped its lawsuit. That was really thebeginning of when the town could moveforward, he said.

Central to his campaign is Palm BeachState Colleges new campus on SouthernBlvd. Rockett has been a proponent ofthe plan, while his opponent has stronglydisagreed.

I paid my own way through college,Rockett said. Thats one reason the is-sue is so personal to me. This will giveanyones children the opportunity to startcollege at a lesser cost. There are nothingbut good things that will come as a resultof the college.

Rockett said that the campus has beencarefully designed to minimize its impacton residents. Its classes are also designedwith the town in mind, including an eques-trian-oriented program.

Its an opportunity that will benefit thecommunity and create jobs, he said. Thecollege is a resident. Theyre not going tocome in, make a bunch of money and leave.Its going to be a 50-year process for themto develop the school. It will bring a senseof pride to our town.

Rockett criticized the petition that has

been submitted calling for a referendumon the issue.

It has been done contrary to statute,he said. They have not provided all ofthe information so that people can makean informed decision.

Rockett said that there had been op-portunities for residents to step forwardand comment on the issue, but that goingback on the deal with the college couldcost the town millions of dollars.

Their opposition is late coming, andreversing approval of the college sitewould be extremely damaging to the townand its residents, he said. This processstarted in November 2011. I cant counthow many opportunities there were forpublic input due to all the changes wehad to make.

Once the town passed an ordinance toallow the college, Rockett said that resi-dents had 30 days to make a formal objec-tion.

Another divisive issue facing the townis the future of Okeechobee Blvd. as itruns through Loxahatchee Groves bothin the roads makeup and how the landaround it will look.

I want to see a two-lane road with turnlanes at all major intersections, Rockettsaid. One of the proposals Im in favor ofis a tree-lined roadway where youwouldnt see much but trees and maybean [equestrian] trail system.

He said he thought the town had to becareful when considering commercial de-velopment along the road. In the heart ofyour town, you have to be very carefulwith what you put along your main road,Rockett said.

Instead, hed like to see developmentfocused along Southern Blvd. Its a mat-ter of what form [the development] takes,he said. It needs to meet our requirements.

It needs to be something the town needsand something residents will benefitfrom.

As for the relationship between thetown council and the Loxahatchee GrovesWater Control District, Rockett said hefelt it should be a partnership.

I think its a mutually beneficial rela-tionship, he said. Its a partnership,not a domination where we are in con-trol.

But the council has considered takingover the responsibility of maintainingroads, leaving the LGWCD to focus oncanals.

Our goal is to strip the road mainte-nance responsibility and leave them withwater, he said. Thats what they shouldbe doing best anyway. Its not something[the district] needs to do. They shouldfocus on water, and we can focus onroads.

Rockett said he supports leaving thedistrict as an independent entity ratherthan assimilating it under town control.

Rockett believes the new town manage-ment company is doing a good job.

One of the first things they did was toapply for a grant for an equestrian trail something we werent able to get anyoneto handle in the past, he said. Theyhave a lot of things on their plate, but Ithink theyve brought a lot to this town.

He said that he was happy with the cur-rent budget but thinks the council shouldscale back the $1.5 million allocated for atown hall.

I dont think its time to make that kindof investment, he said, but he noted thatthe towns government is in need of newoffice space. What we have now isntconducive for an office environment.

Though some have accused him of be-ing aligned with the interests of large nurs-

eries in the area, Rockett said he advo-cates for all residents.

Im aligned with all interests, he said.Im an avid horse person. Im a countryboy at heart. Im a resident, a father and agrandfather. Its about having a balance;thats what I look at.

Ultimately, Rockett said that he wouldcontinue to be a councilman who will pushto maintain the towns rural character whilelooking out for residents tax dollars.

I feel like Im looking out for residentsin terms of spending their money, he said.Im not interested in spending it. I loveour community, and I want to maintainour rural character. The town is still in itsinfant stages, and I want to help make it aplace that we can be proud of.

For more information, visit www.jimrockett.com.


Loxahatchee Groves activist ToddMcLendon is challenging incumbent JimRockett for Seat 2 on the LoxahatcheeGroves Town Council in the March 12 elec-tion.

McLendon, a leader in the petition driveto force the repeal of the councils ap-proval of a Palm Beach State College cam-pus on Southern Blvd., moved to Loxa-hatchee Groves in 2006 with his wife andfamily. He breeds exotic birds on the 5-acre lot where they live.

I started breeding exotic birds backwhen I was a teenager, said McLendon,who is now 38.

McLendon also owns and operates acompany that does computer-controlledair-conditioning for commercial buildings.

He moved to Loxahatchee Groves justbefore the town incorporated. I actuallyvoted against the town incorporating,McLendon said. Of course, we all knowthat it passed, so we have to make thebest of it.

McLendon became involved with towngovernment during the development ofits unified land development code. I hada problem with one of my neighbors whowas very vocal and didnt want my birdsnext to their house, so I was instrumentalin trying to guide the ULDC as to whatwould be fair to everybody, he said.

Today, McLendon believes the towncodes are too strict and are being appliedsubjectively to certain people. Certainpeople seem to be exempt from thesecodes, he said.

McLendon feels that he is a betterchoice for councilman because he is will-ing to listen to the people and go by whatthe majority want.

My opponent does not want to allowpeople to vote, he said. He doesnt wel-come input at the council meetings. Hesays that were an audience, but an audi-ence is somebody who watches a playand doesnt interact, and thats not how it

should be. Public input should be open,and decisions shouldnt be made beforethe meetings start.

McLendon said his top accomplish-ments include going out and speaking tomore than 300 residents during the col-lege petition drive. I have a good graspas to what a lot of people want in the com-munity, he said.

McLendon is also proud of bringing tolight a state statute that exempts farmstructures from the towns code, allegingthat the code was being enforced illegal-ly.

My accomplishment is I have taken aburden off of code enforcement, and a bigburden off of people out there who havefarms with farm structures where they areexempt from the codes, he said. Thatsprobably going to cut out 50 percent ofcode violations. Right now we are spend-ing probably $60,000 a year for code en-forcement.

He lists the top issues of the campaignas the college campus, town expenses andsubjective code enforcement. He believesresidents should have the right to voteon the college. My opponent doesntfeel the people should, he said.

McLendon said that his opponent, whooperates a plant nursery, has turned inanother nursery for code violations. Heis not out there to protect nurseries, hesaid. He is out there to protect his ownnursery.

He was also critical of Rocketts son,who opened a landscaping business inviolation of the code. Somehow all ofthose things are OK as long as youre inthe clique, McLendon said.

He believes the relationship betweenthe town and the Loxahatchee GrovesWater Control District should remain as itis for now, with the district remaining in-dependent. The town itself is still an in-fant and has a lot of growing to do andhas a lot of problems to work out, hesaid. Its simply not the time to take onanother government entity.

Asked whether there are services notprovided by the town that should be,McLendon said he supports more horsetrails.

The million and a half that has beenset aside for a town hall should be setaside for horse trails, he said. Thatsgoing to directly help a tremendousamount of people out here.

He envisions Okeechobee Blvd. as atwo-lane, divided road with lots of trees,which would calm traffic and be more plea-surable for motorists. However, hes notsure the town will have much say in thematter. The county is going to comethrough and do what they want to do,McLendon said.

Asked whether the town can intervene,he said: No, not if the county acts theway our local government does. If thecounty actually listens to the people, thenyes.

McLendon thinks the towns manage-ment company is doing a good job butwarned that costs have been increasing.I think they are a professional organiza-tion, he said. I dont think that they arecontrolled by a select few people like wasanticipated. I think they have allowedcosts to get out of control. Its in theirbest interest to increase government. Itsin the residents best interest to decreasegovernment.

He was critical of the town for notspending its gas tax revenue efficiently.There are a lot of drainage improvementsthat the water control district has said foryears that need to be done, and they justdidnt have the money, he said. Nowweve got this pile of money sitting there,and its not being used.

McLendon believes that the collegecampus will promote faster development.Im afraid that were going to have theneed for affordable housing, he said.Our town right now is a rural lifestyle.Were not like West Palm Beach or Well-ington or Royal Palm Beach.

While he does not support the cam-

pus, he said it could be more palatable ifaccess were only from Southern.

Everybody keeps trying to say thatPalms West Hospital didnt impact the traf-fic in Loxahatchee Groves, he said. Thedifference between the two is that one isencapsulated and the other is not. Thecollege is going to have direct access to BRoad, which leads directly into our town.

The petition submitted by the initiativecommittee was recently deemed insuffi-cient by the town, but McLendon believesthere will be a referendum even if theyhave to hold another petition drive.

I think the referendum will happen,he said. It will not happen without a lotof opposition. If we have to go out and doit again, well do it again. Going aroundand collecting the signatures, probably80 percent of the people felt we incorpo-rated to preserve Loxahatchee Groves. Thecollege is clearly not preserving Loxa-hatchee Groves.

Although he is personally opposed tothe campus, he said he would follow thedetermination of the referendum if it cameout in favor.

Some people have said that McLendonis a one-issue candidate. He partiallyagrees. Its almost a true statement, butits not in regard to the college, he said.Its in regard to time and time again, thecouncil doesnt do what the people want.They represent a small group of peopleinstead of the community as a whole.

McLendon thinks his election mightsway the balance on the council. Rightnow, theres a group of three peoplemaking all the decisions behind thescenes, he said, referring to Rockett,along with councilmen Ryan Liang andRon Jarriel.

McLendon has also criticized road pol-icy, including grading on private roadsand the recently paved letter roads, whichincluded speed humps of which he wasparticularly critical.

Im very unhappy with the speedhumps, he said. I went to the workshops

when they proposed to do the four seg-ments. I asked, Are we going to get speedhumps like we did on F Road? I was toldby [former LGWCD District Administra-tor] Clete Saunier, Absolutely not, thosewere done incorrect, were not going toget speed humps like that. My secondquestion was, Are you going to sod theside of the road thats not having pavingplaced on it, or seed it? Yes, we are. Bothof those were bald-faced lies.

He said the speed humps are danger-ous because they are rated for only 25miles per hour by the engineering specs,but the speed limit is 30.

McLendon said his vision for the fu-ture of Loxahatchee Groves is to preserveand protect it, which he said was the pur-pose of incorporation. He added that res-idents should vote for him because hewants to listen to the people and not beself-serving.

For more information, visit www.toddmclendon.com.

Rockett Puts Focus On Fiscal Expertise, Towns Accomplishments

Todd McLendon Opposes Campus, Aggressive Code Enforcement

Jim Rockett

Todd McLendon

My opponent does not want to allow people to vote, Todd McLendon said. He doesnt welcome input at meetings. He saysthat were an audience, but an audience is somebody who watches a play and doesnt interact, and thats not how it should be.

Jim Rockett said he advocates for all residents. Im aligned with all interests, he said. Im an avid horse person. Ima country boy at heart. Im a resident, a father and a grandfather. Its about having a balance; thats what I look at.


ELECTION 2013: RPB COUNCIL SEAT 2Swift

Eyes ReturnTo Council

continued from page 1a growing budget, Swift said of his earlyyears in office. Most cities took thatmoney, went out and hired more people.We did the opposite. We went smaller.

He pointed to the sale of the villageswater utility to Palm Beach County as adecision that has put the village in a primeposition.

We used that money in the last twobudget years to balance our budget, hesaid. It has been very important for thevillage.

Swift noted that he also voted to mergeRoyal Palm Beachs independent policeand fire departments with the county or-ganizations, after some persuading.

That saved us millions and improvedthe response time, he said. I was on theopposite side of that issue at first. Wedisagreed completely, but I finally saw thelight that it was a good thing.

But the prevailing attitude on the coun-cil was much different then, he recalled.We may have disagreed, but at the endof the day we were still friends, Swift said.It was different than what we have rightnow.

He said that part of what motivated himto run again was his concern about dis-sension on the council.

We need to restore civility on thevillage council, Swift said. I waswatching my opponents strident behav-ior on the council. I put my name in hop-ing that maybe her behavior would im-prove because theres someone runningagainst her.

He pointed to an incident regardingappointments to the Planning & ZoningCommission, when Webster was removedas liaison after trying to remove severallong-standing volunteers in favor of newones.

Surely, none of the council memberswere going to be in favor of dumping vol-unteers off the board, at least in the wayshe wanted to do it, Swift said. It causedall kinds of problems. Peoples feelingswere hurt, those who were on the boardor wanted to be on the board. It was com-pletely unnecessary.

Swift was also concerned that residentsvoices were being silenced, noting at leasttwo occasions where residents were notpermitted to speak about issues.

People have the right to speak abouttheir concerns, he said. It used to bethat if an issue came up from a residentand wed never heard it before, wed getthem together with the village manager to

work it out. There were two incidentswhere that did not happen.

If elected, Swift said he would continueto work for residents best interests.

He hopes to have a hand in crafting thevillages new strategic plan, and makingsure that the plan is good for both resi-dents and business owners.

One thing that hasnt been talked aboutis that we have the highest number of va-cant storefronts in the villages history,Swift said. I want to focus on how to getthose filled, whether its offering two yearswith no taxes or other incentives.

The planned Aldi project could helpbring more business to the area, Swiftsaid.

I think it will bring better jobs, hesaid. I hope there wont be a traffic is-sue with trucks lumbering onto [StateRoad 7]. But I think the council did agreat job of incorporating the needs ofthe developer with the needs of the res-idents nearby.

Another issue he plans to tackle is thefuture of the former wastewater treatmentplant property on the villages north end.Swift said he would like to see the landbecome single-family residential.

It could include a park that would bepaid for by the developer and not the vil-lage, he said. You have young motherscoming out of their homes very concerned

about two things: the possible commer-cial development and the road safety is-sue. They love the quiet streets and won-der why we have to have commercial de-velopment there.

Swift said he would always fight to notraise taxes, instead looking to use reservefunds. If reserves couldnt make up for ashortfall, he said hed have to considercutting parks and recreation allocations.

We have been very lucky to havethose reserve funds, he said. Our parksand recreation budget is 15 percent [ofthe budget], which is high. This is an is-sue that is very touchy. Some people liketo have parks, even if they arent used. Ifwe have it, we have to maintain it.

Swift said he believes Village ManagerRay Liggins has done a good job leadingthe village.

Hes very sincere and dedicated to thejob, he said, noting that attempts to com-pare Liggins to his predecessor, the lateDavid Farber, are unfair.

Several years ago, Swift led a task forceinquiring about problems at Royal PalmBeach High School. Today, he believesthe school is under better leadership.

The issue was that we had more than1,000 of our students going someplaceelse, he said. Im encouraged by theprograms that [Principal Jesus Armas] hasbrought on.

WebsterSeeking

Re-Electioncontinued from page 1

become president of the League of Citiesif re-elected. She also serves a leadershiprole on the Treasure Coast Regional Plan-ning Council. I feel as if this year is theculmination of a lot of investment in mywork for the village, she said. I can doeven more than I have been able to bysitting on these boards.

Webster added that she is working ongetting the village full membership on thePalm Beach Metropolitan Planning Orga-nization, rather than sharing a seat withGreenacres. Were always on the de-fense, particularly with regard to roadwayfunding, she said. I have made a re-quest, and its being seriously consid-ered.

As one of her top accomplishments,Webster points to getting a dog park in-cluded in the plans for Royal Palm BeachCommons Park, which she said had beendiscussed during workshops but did notmake it to the final plans.

I knew there was a desire for that, andthe timing was great, Webster said. Itwas just before the budget process, sothat allowed me to bring it up at the righttime.

She also initiated an amendment to in-

crease allowable hedge heights from 6 to8 feet. We had many variances for peo-ple who wanted 8 feet rather than 6 feet,Webster said.

Webster also noted that she goes outof her way to serve the needs of residents.For example, this year she established of-fice hours at village hall so people cancome and share their concerns or desires.She does not see such initiative in herchallenger.

My feeling is that he has spent 20years sitting on the council, diligently at-tending meetings and voting with thegroup of people he has been with, shesaid. But do I think hes actively in-volved? I feel I have a passion for it I havenot seen in him.

Over the next two years, Webster wouldlike to put a focus on road repairs. Wehad been doing one mile a year of resur-facing, she said. I asked, and it has beenupped to three miles per year.

She also wants to see the establishmentof a senior living facility near CommonsPark and a program to upgrade the vil-lages canal system.

The top issue in the campaign, Web-ster said, is whether the village will con-tinue to move forward. Are we looking atthe past or the future? she asked. I feelthat I represent the future and moving for-ward.

Traffic woes continue to be an issue inRoyal Palm Beach, even though the prob-

lem has improved in recent years. She saidtraffic can be improved by increasing con-nectivity between communities.

That is the new approach for planningpurposes, she said. What theyre try-ing to do is bring communities together,and when you have large freeways cut-ting right through the middle of towns, orvery wide streets going through them,youre isolating communities. What theyare trying to do is provide for more waysin and out.

Webster opposes urban interchangesor flyovers on Okeechobee Blvd. thathave been discussed as an alternative tothe completion of Roebuck Road to StateRoad 7, which she favors. She also sup-ports a Madrid Street connection to SR 7,which was blocked when Swift, a La Man-cha resident, was on the council.

I get calls all the time that people wantit open, she said. The thought that thereis a large majority of people who are op-posed to this is not what Im hearing. Youhave an isolated group of houses east ofLa Mancha who desperately want to getout of there. You have a group of peoplegetting in their cars and traveling throughthe community going west to get down toa light to go east.

Webster believes that Village ManagerRay Liggins, who replaced Farber uponhis untimely death, is doing fairly well. Ithink that Ray is a different person, andhe has different skills and different tal-

ents, she said. Hes a detail man, but Ithink he has done a good job.

Regarding the disposition of the formerwastewater treatment plant facility offCrestwood Blvd., she said there havebeen rumors that she wants commercialdevelopment there.

That is absolutely not true, Web-ster said, pointing out that she led a res-ident task force to look into the issue.The wastewater treatment plant is 165acres It is the largest asset we have. Igot public input when nobody else did.I reached out. They came up with a plan,and that plan wasnt considered by thevillage.

She said that Aldis decision to builda regional distribution center in the vil-lage will bring jobs and economic op-portunity. The good thing about Aldiwas that we got a reputation for being agreat municipality to work with, shesaid.

Webster recently ran afoul of othercouncil members when as liaison to theRoyal Palm Beach Planning & ZoningCommission, she wanted to replace somelongtime members. The council refusedto consider her recommendations and re-moved her as liaison. She said her recom-mendations were in keeping with villagepolicy.

Last year we had some very outstand-ing applicants, she said. We had twomembers whose terms were up for renew-

But the battle is not over, Swift said,until more students near the school at-tend Royal Palm Beachs communityschool.

The biggest issue is that we got solddown the road on boundary changes,Swift said. People living across Okee-chobee in the Baywinds and River Walkcommunities travel all the way down toPalm Beach Lakes. My strategy is to bringsome of those kids back here. I want morepeople who live in the area to go to ourschool.

Swift said he is looking out for the aver-age resident, accusing Webster of takingmoney from interests outside Royal PalmBeach.

I think I represent the voters, he said.If you look at [Websters] treasurers re-port, 80 percent of her money comes fromoutside the village. Who is she represent-ing in terms of money?

Swift classified himself as a pro-resi-dent candidate who will listen and sup-port residents needs but also look to en-hance the business community wherecommercial development is appropriate.

Id be aggressive in bringing devel-opment to the areas already zoned forit, Swift said. For me, residents comefirst.

Visit www.dave-swift.com for more in-formation.

al, and we had one total vacancy. I made aselection to make a recommendation, andunfortunately I wasnt even able to makemy recommendation.

The issue extended over two meetings,and culminated with Webster trying tomake her case and being silenced by May-or Matty Mattioli.

I very respectfully let everyone speak.They went through the process, and I amnot the person who stood up and behavedin the manner they did, she said. WhatI regret the most was the treatment thatthose people who, because I had recom-mended them, stood up in front of thatcouncil and faced public humiliation andbullying.

Swift is running a campaign that alleg-es that Webster is an impediment to thecouncil. I believe that there should bedifferences of opinion on the council,Webster said. I dont believe we shouldbe in lockstep. I believe that the publicwants us to vet every question from ev-ery possible angle.

She said voters should choose her be-cause she will work hard for residents.

Im going to go the extra mile, and thensome, Webster said. I believe in the vil-lage, and I believe we all have a place inthe village, and I believe its a place youcan be excited about, not just a little boxyou go home to.

For more information, visit Websterscampaign page on Facebook.


ELECTION 2013: RPB COUNCIL SEAT 4


Teacher Justin Sallenbach is looking tobring new ideas to the Royal Palm BeachVillage Council, challenging Vice MayorFred Pinto in the Tuesday, March 12 elec-tion. He hopes residents will see his pas-sion and dedication and elect him to Seat4 on the council.

Sallenbach, 29, moved to the village inJuly 2009. He was born in West Palm Beachand is a third-generation Floridian. He hasbeen married for a year and teaches alter-native-education students at TurningPoints Academy, which serves childrenwith behavioral issues.

Sallenbach received his bachelors de-gree from Florida Atlantic University in2006 and his masters degree in educa-tional leadership from the American Col-lege of Education in 2011. Hes now train-ing to become an assistant administratorwith the Palm Beach County School Dis-trict.

Among his top accomplishments, Sal-lenbach served as vice president of theGreenway Village North HomeownersAssociation. And although hes a politi-cal newcomer, he said he would bring freshideas to the council.

This is a first for me, Sallenbach said.But I have a hard-work attitude, and Icome with a different kind of mind-set.Often the mind-set I see from the top downin politics is about the law; my backgroundis in service.

He chose to run rather than join a boardbecause he has spent many years volun-teering and wanted to play a larger role invillage policies. I want to help better thelives of those around me, he said.

Sallenbach believes residents want bet-ter services and lower taxes, somethinghed work hard to make happen. He also

seeks to help the villages businesses byoffering incentives. Theres many vacan-cies that need to be filled, he said. Ad-ditionally, 40 percent of the land zoned forcommercial development is undeveloped.

With so much commercial space for larg-er businesses to come into the village,Sallenbach said he doesnt understandwhy anyone would want to develop thevillages former wastewater treatmentplant site.

I dont know why anyone would wantto go out and rezone the land when westill have other land on the corridor closerto State Road 7, he said.

Instead, he would like to see the prop-erty stay residential or perhaps be the siteof an assisted-living facility. The spacecould also be a location for an after-schoolprogram.

Sallenbach said he would like to seemore projects like the Aldi distributioncenter come to Royal Palm Beach so someof the property thats already commercial-ly zoned can be developed. Id like tosee more projects along those lines, hesaid, but not near residential facilities.

Sallenbach hopes additional businessrevenue could help lower the village taxrate and also help bolster programs pro-viding services to residents.

I believe in having a savings fund, hesaid. Id also like to try to build an after-school program. Many of our childrencome from working-class families, and forsome reason the school district doesntprovide after-school programs. Id like tosee us have that.

He believes the village could providetutoring and organized recreation alongwith after-school care. We have a grow-ing number of students in the area, and Ithink thats something that could keepthem out of trouble, Sallenbach said.

Money could also go to help with im-provements around the village, such asroads, Sallenbach said.

Id like to have more efficient roads,he said. People want better outlets, butat the same time other residents dontwant those outlets because theyd runthrough residential communities.

Sallenbach said its about finding a bal-ance. Right now, the commute times forRoyal Palm Beach residents are 35 to 40minutes on average, he said. To me,those can be cut.

For that reason, he supports the exten-sion of State Road 7 to Northlake Blvd.

If we could put more outlets but putthings like speed bumps in, you could gothrough residential areas without havingto worry about speeding and heavy traf-fic, he said. That is a real concern forresidents.

Sallenbach said he might support open-ing the berm at Madrid Street in La Man-cha to the SR 7 extension, but not if ourresidential communities are going to begetting blown through by traffic, he said,adding that hed like to see Royal PalmBeach consider less costly traffic calmingmeasures than roundabouts.

Id like to see resourceful spendingtoward our roads, Sallenbach said.When I did the research, I found thatroundabouts are very expensive to build.I do believe they look great, b

Town-Crier Newspaper March 8, 2013

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