“In going forward, everyone who voted for me, agreed with my platform or cares about the future of our community, I ask you to support Betty Argue and Gary Dunkley, as they have this community’s best interest at heart and will work hard for the good of our community.
Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Think about this quote for a second and ask yourself, does this quote apply to the way that Indian Trail Improvement District has been run?”
Thank you Keith Jordano for your support and endorsement!
For the complete letter to the Editor, click here
If you are not able to attend but would like campaign material, please email me.
If you wish to make a donation, click here
Thank you for your continued support!
On Thursday September 22, 2016, the County adopted the GL Homes land use and comprehensive plan text amendments with only one amendment.
The one amendment was to remove the additions of Hamlin, Orange and 180th Avenue to the Long-range Thoroughfare Map because there was no notice to ITID and was a last minute change. It will however be discussed again during the zoning application which is to come before the County in January, 2017.
ITID contracted attorney Marty Perry and Jay Foy were present at the hearing and were allowed 3 minute comments each under the regular public comment period to present the concerns of ITID. The only ITID supervisor present at the meeting was Gary Dunkley. The only other candidate present was myself. Both Gary and I spoke as residents of the Acreage expressing our concerns with the application.
My concerns expressed below included the appreciation for GL’s willingness to work with our community, for their being honest and forthright and binding themselves from annexation and incorporating themselves.
Link to the Palm Beach Post Article here
The ITID Agenda on September 14th, included the GL Homes application to the County to increase their land use entitlement, the negotiations with ITID staff and a letter to the County regarding ITID’s position on GL Homes.
A summary of some points of the GL Homes application:
“We volunteered to the county that we would not annex,” GL Homes Vice President Larry Portnoy told Indian Trail Improvement District supervisors. “We would not incorporate.”
GL, however, does have a problem with the county’s proposed condition of approval regarding incorporation.
“It is not our intention to shut the door on The Acreage or (the Indian Trail Improvement District),” Portnoy said. “It’s not our druthers to shut anybody out.”
Betty Argue, a candidate trying to unseat Indian Trail Improvement District Supervisor Michelle Damone in the Nov. 8 election, said she’s concerned the county’s condition of approval regarding GL Homes could keep The Acreage from including the developer’s project if area residents decide to incorporate.
“I think that’s something that needs to be addressed,” she said. “Considering the direction the community is going, we would want GL to be part of it.”
Link to the full article is here
Please note my comments at the ITID meeting regarding incorporation as quoted above are not because I am for or against incorporation. It is simply that the intent put forward to the County by GL Homes was not to restrict them from becoming a part of the Acreage incorporation but to give the assurance to the community that they are not going to annex into Minto or incorporate themselves as Minto did. It is astounding to me that any ITID supervisor, the President of the PLAN organization (the incorporation group) or that our own County Commissioner would support the language precluding GL from participating in Acreage incorporation if it were to move forward. The most successful path would include GL Homes.
ITID Seat 4 needs someone who not only understands the intricacies of comprehensive plan text amendments and zoning applications but also that has the ability to negotiate in the best interests of the residents of ITID. To make promises to residents that will never happen is absolutely irresponsible. I will always be honest and forthright based on the facts!
On Labor Day, there was a sewage force main that broke on 40th Street just east of Royal Palm Beach Boulevard. 40th Street is the Acreage road that borders the Town of Royal Palm Beach. This sewage line was installed around 2008 in the Scripps/Mecca project. It enters the Acreage on 40th Street at 110 Avenue, runs west along 40th Street and turns north on 140th Avenue. It now serves the public schools in our community and Friedland Park on Hamlin Boulevard, west of 180th Avenue. It will likely serve all the new developments approved in the Acreage area in the near future.
This pipe has broken 3 times in the past 6 years and it is only 8 years old. This is of serious concern for our community and we must insist that our residents, animals, their properties and our canals are protected from such contamination. We must also demand this pipe be replaced as it doesn’t need a study by engineers to support the claim there is something seriously wrong with a pipe that keeps breaking in such a short period of time.
A huge thank you to Supervisors Gary Dunkley and Carol Jacobs for acting proactively to protect our canals and assisting residents with their concerns once they became aware of the break. I am confident they will continue to advocate on behalf of our residents and our assets.
To read the article, click here
The following is a quote from the Town Crier article on September 2nd, 2016
“Argue is pleased with the results in the Seat 4 race. “From what I’m hearing out talking to people, they are ready for change,” she said. “They don’t want career politicians in there anymore, and they want somebody who’s going to be their voice and represent their interests. I think the fact that I got 42 percent of the vote speaks volumes. The incumbent got 38 percent. I think that’s a rather surprising number considering she’s the incumbent and she has 15 years’ experience.”
Argue said she worked hard on her campaign, but not as hard as when she ran unsuccessfully against ITID President Carol Jacobs two years ago. She has worked on several anti-development campaigns, as well as being active with the Acreage Landowners’ Association, her children’s parent-teacher organization and in scouting.”
While my opponent claims in this article that I ran a negative campaign, I maintain that I ran a clean campaign focused on the ITID issues and the facts according to the public record. If the incumbent perceives that as negative, perhaps she needs to take a look at her record. While there is more than enough material on her personal record, I did not expose it nor use it in any way despite my personal feelings that it speaks to her credibility as an elected official. I will let those in the community who are fully aware of her personal record to judge that accordingly.
To read the full article, click here
Wow 42% of the votes! I owe each of you who voted a big thank you. The support you have shown me is deeply humbling. The message is clear, the voters of ITID want a change for Seat #4! The majority electorate is done with the direction and cronyism of the incumbent who has been there for 15 of the past 17 years. It is time for a fresh perspective, someone who will represent the interests of the voters and not a personal agenda. It is time to refocus the priorities of ITID, to make responsible fiscal decisions with your tax dollars and to allow for accountability and oversight through the Inspector General. Please continue to support me in the General Election. Tell your friends and let’s send the same message on November 8th that the ITID residents want change!
Thank you to Keith Jordano who ran a clean campaign focused on the issues and for his service to this community as well as to the Country. Thank you also to Tim Sayre and Ryan Bernal for wanting to serve this community and for running clean campaigns for Seat #2. Congratulations to Supervisor Gary Dunkley on moving on to the General Election run off for Seat #2.
THANK YOU AGAIN!!!
How would you characterize the Indian Trail Improvement District’s recreation policy? Does more or less money need to be spent on parks? Should ITID run its own recreation programs or should all recreation programs be run through outside service providers?
Parks and recreation are great assets in our family-oriented community. The recreation programs offered by the Acreage Athletic League and the Acreage Horseman’s Association provide our families with opportunities for recreational and competitive sports. The Acreage Landowners’ Association offers community events such as the music jam. ITID supports all of the service providers with maintained facilities to run successful programs. I am in favor of continuing to provide support for service providers that enhance our recreation programs. The community park expansion should be completed with a watchful eye on the costs and the progress, to ensure completion in a timely, cost-effective fashion.
Hamlin House has become a gem for private groups, families and nonprofit organizations to host events. It serves our community well as a center for all. The community gardening program is a way to bring residents together to learn how to effectively grow our own food, encouraging the agricultural aspect of our community.
The equestrian trails require improvement through developing more trails and connectivity throughout ITID and the surrounding communities. Since we are an equestrian community, we need to increase signs throughout the district to create awareness, educate our residents and visitors, and make it safer for residents to ride their horses. Nicole Hornstein Equestrian Park should be improved and maintained with appropriate footing in arenas that is safe for our riders. A long-term goal to improve the equestrian park would include a covered arena. Many of our parks require more shade, and athletic fields need shade structures.
I am the most qualified person for Seat 4, bringing a fresh perspective to meet the ambitious goals of balancing the needs of our community, preserving our rural agricultural and equestrian lifestyles, and protecting against the impact of outside developments.
To read the full article, click here
How would you characterize the drainage services currently offered by the Indian Trail Improvement District? What improvements need to be made? How should such projects be funded?
Drainage should be of paramount importance to the Indian Trail Improvement District for the health and safety of our residents. It is a primary responsibility of the district to the ITID taxpayer. Drainage services to the district include swales, canals, telemetry and drainage permits from the South Florida Water Management District. These services are paid by the ITID taxpayers and should protect all of our assets and home investments. Though many improvements were made as a result of the public outcry stemming from Tropical Storm Isaac, improvement continues to be needed in order to correct and catch up for the past 16 years of drainage infrastructure negligence.
As an ITID supervisor, I will support all efforts and work diligently to ensure increased drainage through the permitting process with SFWMD, obtaining drainage to the Moss property, as well as exploring additional drainage and storage options within the district. Our current engineer, Jay Foy, continues to be the best professional to be tasked with bringing our drainage systems up-to-date. I have confidence in the direction he has provided to the board of supervisors.
ITID needs the right leadership to prioritize rebuilding the infrastructure to ensure that the impact of a major rain event such as Tropical Storm Isaac is not repeated. Such leadership would not postpone critical projects nor would it allow our area to flood. It is worth reminding the voters that the Seat 4 incumbent was the president of the ITID board during Isaac. That lack of leadership left us underwater in The Acreage for at least two weeks!
To read the full article click here
