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OPINION
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Jim Brown talks Colony, attorneys and who will be our next Mayor
Brown is heading into his final year on the Town Commission. He has one last year to deal publically with the Colony mess, another year to wrangle over codes and tourism and most importantly – a final year to cement that Town Center vision and help it manifest.
Whether Brown will continue as Mayor for a final and fourth term is to be decided right after the March 25 election with the newly seated Commission.
Longboat Key News took the opportunity to have a beachside chat with Brown about what the new Commission will face in the coming year and what are the priorities going forward. Here is what he had to say:
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When it comes to financing their bid to gain a seat on the Longboat Key Commission, candidate Irwin Pastor leads in total campaign contributions with more than $20,000 raised as of the reporting period ending March 7. In fact, Pastor’s $20,673 dwarfs the amount collected by his rival, Armando Linde, who has raised only $5,125. Pastor and Linde are both fighting for the At-Large commission seat, which is currently occupied by Commissioner Terry Gans.
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Candidate Contributions list through 3/7/14 filings.
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On Friday, March 7, a 68 year-old Grand Bay resident, Milan Adrian, was arrested for battery. At approximately 11 p.m.,
Longboat Key Police Officer Schoepfer responded to a call from Grand Bay condominiums regarding a disturbance. The victim, 60 year-old Michael Schaffer, alleged that Adrian poured a bucket of water on him and his dogs while he was walking them in a common area outside the condominium complex, and then allegedly began spraying him with a hose. In the police report Schaffer stated that Adrian was cursing at him because his dogs were barking.
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On Thursday, March 6, Longboat Key News held the first debate of the election season at the Bayfront Recreation Center. All candidates were in attendance as were residents and former commissioners. Questions were asked of the four candidates in contested elections by Longboat Key News Editor Steve Reid, and Longboat Key News editorial columnists Peter O’Connor and Tom Burgum.
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The highly anticipated Colony Beach & Tennis Resort “public nuisance” hearings, which began and ended within a half hour, has left the Town’s legal staff on the defensive, the commission irate and the responding parties with more than two months to bolster their arguments or buttress their buildings depending on their preference.
The meeting began promptly at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The commission sat perched in the Temple Sanctuary and the crowd unfolded in front. Town co-counsel Dave Persson opened explaining the ground rules and how the town would hear testimony and the commission would make a quasi-judicial determination if any of the numerous Colony structures constitute a nuisance under Town Code. If so, the attorney said several remedies are available including corrective action or ultimately a path to demolition.
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Yume (“yoo-may”) Sushi, a popular sushi restaurant downtown, can easily be named Yummy Sushi. The intimate dining establishment was originally just a husband and wife team eight years ago. They started out simple; with a menu created late at night and a banner printed by FEDex. That same banner is still used today.
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| Thanks for reading the latest News. Look for the print edition this weekend!
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Sincerely,
Stephen Reid
Longboat Key News
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