The rest of the story...

In my last blog I made a brief comment in response to the Post article regarding my late property tax payments.
I am running in this race on a platform of leadership and priorities.
That is why I sent the first blog out.

I wanted you to judge me not on the article, but on my priorities for the City, which you read earlier.
I do believe however the public deserves to hear the rest of the story…

Personally, there have been times when my husband and I have had to make choices as to what bills and expenses we needed to pay and what had to wait.

It was our priority to cover the expenses of our payroll, employee benefits, mortgages and other necessary office expenses, as well as household issues first.

Today, we are blessed to find ourselves in a position where ALL our property taxes are paid and current.

Unlike many, who today may find they must face these same decisions, I feel that the awareness of how taxing taxes can be to a household brings humanity to my understanding and sensitivity of government and its spending habits. Although this is not an excuse, I believe that these decision were made with our money, not another’s money, and it was based on our personal needs at the time.

Regarding the code violation charges;
I have lived in West Palm Beach my entire life. I own several rental properties and have always kept them up to standards I would consider superior. I invite any person to talk to the tenants and neighbors of the properties called into question. We have consistently improved our properties and take pride in their upkeep.

One violations I was charged with was a vacant lot I owned in Belle Glade which abuts the sugar cane fields. Since I do not frequent Belle Glade on a regular basis, it became overgrown with sugar cane. Upon receipt of the code violation notice, I hired a “bushwhack” operator (large tractor mower) to cut down the cane.

The violations which referred to the lot on Tamarind Ave was cited for the following issues. The overgrown weeds came as a surprise to me. Ever since I bought that lot, I have paid for landscape service every month to cut the grass and clean any trash that is thrown on the property. I never imagined that I might receive a code violation, because I believed the lot was being cared for. I immediately advised our landscaper who cut the grass he had allowed to overgrow.

The same inspector later cited me with yet another violation on the same lot for dead branches in our mango tree as well as a violation for a 6” pipe (an old clothes line pole) sticking out of the ground. Again, I hired someone, to cut down the dead branches and my brother removed the pipe from the ground.

There has been the latest code violation on the home my husband and I have owned and lived in for the last 13 years.
The violation: address clarification.
The numbers on our light post were not visible enough.
We now have new numbers on our house.

So there you have it.
I broke no laws, and dealt with all my issues in a timely manner.
Anyone can look into the violations to see for themselves that they have all been addressed.

I know I am still the better candidate for City Commission in the District 1 race.
Why?
Because I want to selflessly serve our City, the City I love.
That’s why I am in this race.
That's the only reason I am in this race.

Why else would I subject myself and my family to the rigors of this campaign or the microscope of politics?

If anyone has any other questions they wish to ask, please feel free to call me on my cell phone: 346-7311.
I am happy to answer any question you may have.

I will continue to run a straight race based on the issues and hope my opponent will do the same.