FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTION visit www.hollywoodgazette.com • Vol. X No. 11 • JULY 2011
Future of city hinges on new leadership By Jennifer Sandomir Publisher & Managing Editor jennifer@hollywoodgazette.com
Communities need leaders. For better or for worse, leaders hold the vision for the municipalities they serve. It’s so easy to point fingers and criticize those who put their butt on the line to serve their constituents. Every day on the news it’s typical to see people scrutinizing the very leadership they elected, offering no solutions. In the Middle East, activists revolted to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak. But for what? Their was no leadership ready and willing to step in with a vision aligned with the people of Egypt. No one was prepared and organized to lead. No one person was willing to be responsible for creating, managing and executing the will of the people. So now the country is being managed by the government, awaiting elections in September and fearful that the very ideals they revolted to dismiss will once again gain power. Leadership is not only needed in our governments. Our families needs for us to lead by example. Our neighborhoods are waiting for us to
organize a crime watch. Our PSTA is eager for ideas and participation. Our local nonprofits are waiting for us to serve on committees. The point is, that without leadership there is no structure for success. Recently, Hollywood has witnessed drastic changes. Hollywood Gazette asked the newly appointed Interim City Manager and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Executive Director to share their vision for the future of our city and you can read what they said beginning on this page. And in 2012, you will have an opportunity to vote for new leadership -- the mayor and all commission seats are up for re-election. If you’re so inclined there’s still time to run for office yourself. On page 18 learn who is already running for office and how you can too. If you find you disagree with the direction our city is going in, I challenge you to be someone who shapes a new vision. And if we are aligned with the promises the current leaders are making, our job is to support them and hold them accountable for delivering on those promises. If they don’t keep their promises, complaining really makes no difference. Either step up and lead or get out and vote.
Interim City Manager addresses budget shortfall, explores solutions On June 15, with the departure of City Manager Cameron Benson, the Hollywood City Commission appointed the Assistant City Manager, Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark, to serve as Interim City Manager. The City is facing a projected budget shortfall for the current fiscal year of $10.3 million and is working on closing a projected budget gap of approximately $25 million for fiscal year 2012, which begins in October. The Hollywood Gazette asked the Interim City Manager about her plans, her top priorities and what residents can expect. Securing the City’s financial future is, without a doubt, the top priority for the City administration. While headlines about layoffs and salary cuts are difficult to read Swanson-Rivenbark and especially hard on our employees, we are working with a solid team of individuals, including outside experts, who are focused and committed to the tough task at hand.
We are looking at everything and developing real solutions that will preserve public safety and allow us to continue to meet the needs of our residents. There are no easy choices, and we will not be able to propose a budget to the City Commission that continues to fund every program and service we have provided in the past. Additionally, we are in substantive discussions with the three labor unions that represent most of our employees in an effort to reduce costs, and we are looking at all viable options for generating new revenue. In the coming days, residents will be able to find out more about the City’s budget and financial picture by attending the City Commission budget workshop at 3:30 p.m. on July 7 or the Commission meeting on July 13. These meetings will also be broadcast live on the City’s government access cable channel 78 for Comcast subscribers and on Hollywood Community Television for AT&T U-verse customers. City Commission meetings can also be viewed on the web at www. hollywoodfl.org.
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New CRA Executive Director addresses residents’ concerns Last March, The Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) hired a new executive director. Jorge Camejo joined Hollywood after working for the City of Boca Raton for more than 28 years as the executive director of the CRA from 1989 to 1998. In 1998, he took on the development role as CRA executive director and director of the Development Services Department until 2009 and subsequently served as director of Community Development. After having a few months to get a grip on the issues facing the Beach and Downtown, Hollywood Gazette gave Camejo the opportunity to respond to the questions our readers expressed they are most concerned with.
Camejo
Hollywood Gazette: First, how would you explain the purpose and mission of a CRA? Camejo: The purpose and mission of the Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is guided by the Community Redevelopment Plan adopted by the City Commission, serving as the local governing body, pursuant to State Statute, Chapter 163, Part III. Below I have included excerpts from the CRA Annual Report, which identifies some of the objectives of the Downtown and the Beach CRA Districts. The most
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