THIS WEEK: PROFILES OF FLORIDA STATE SENATE CANDIDATES, DISTRICTS 25 AND 27 SEE STORIES, PAGES 5 & 7 THE
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INSIDE Former St. Pete Beach Mayor Warns Against ‘Hometown Democracy’
If Florida voters approve the proposed “Hometown Democracy” measure, Amendment 4, on Nov. 2, it could create a nightmare in communities across the state, warned former St. Pete Beach Mayor Ward Friszolowski at a Palms West Chamber of Commerce forum about the amendment Oct. 14 at the Wellington Community Center. Page 3
Gift Gathering For Boys & Girls Club Annual Dinner Dance
The Boys & Girls Club of Wellington hosted a gift-gathering party Friday, Oct. 15 for its 23rd annual Wellington Dinner Dance set for Saturday, Dec. 4. The party was held at the home of Heidi and Marty Harland. Page 9
Volume 31, Number 43 October 22 - October 28, 2010
New Wellington Municipal Complex Nears Completion By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington’s new municipal complex is nearing completion, and plans are to move into the new building by the end of the year. This week, the Town-Crier took an exclusive tour of the building, which is still under construction. If all goes well, municipal complex project manager Rick Greene said the village has tentatively scheduled the building’s opening with tours on New Year’s Eve. The 54,000-square-foot, $10.5 million building will be the new home of the village’s council chambers and administrative offices, and serve as the centerpiece for the new Town Center. The complex will include a clock tower, employee courtyard, council chambers that will seat 150 people and a “quick stop” where residents can pick up permit applications or pay utility bills. By consolidating various village offices into one place, officials expect to save $500,000 a year.
“Everything is right on schedule,” Greene said. “We fully anticipate being able to move in by the end of the year.” Earlier this month, the building received its electricity hookup and air conditioning, which allowed workers to put in tile and wooden accents throughout the building, Greene said. Landscaping is set to begin in the next week or two, and next month the building will be ready for furniture. After that, Greene and other village officials, along with representatives from the construction company, will check for anything that needs to be finished or repaired before move-in day. “Once most of the construction is finished, we’ll finish the parking lot,” he said. “It will be built up a bit and have all the lines painted on it.” Guests enter the building to an expansive, open reception area. The airy feeling and plentiful windows continue throughout the See COMPLEX, page 4
RIVERA GOLF TOURNEY
WHS Chorus Raising Money For Trip To NY’s Carnegie Hall
Wellington High School’s concert chorus has earned something many musicians strive for but few achieve — an invitation to sing at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Fundraising efforts so far have included a successful garage sale and several car washes, but the biggest event planned is a community benefit concert on Nov. 17. Page 11
Opinion Town-Crier Issues Endorsements For County Commission And Indian Trail Races
This week, we continue our endorsement series leading up to the Nov. 2 general election. In this issue, we offer opinions on the District 6 County Commission race and the two Indian Trail Improvement District races. Page 4
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The fourth annual James Ryan Rivera Muscular Dystrophy Golf Tournament took place Saturday, Oct. 16 at the Binks Forest Golf Club. Rivera was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 2007. Money from the benefit will go toward his medical bills. Shown above is Rivera with a cake shaped like his favorite video game, Halo. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 22 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Aero Club Wrangling Heads To Courtroom By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report The argument over whether to pave the grass runway in Wellington’s Aero Club neighborhood has divided the community and dissolved into legal battles, board resignations and questions over just who are the rightful leaders of the community. In the wake of controversy over the Aero Club’s board of directors’ decision to pave a 60-foot-wide runway over the community’s iconic grass strip, a group of residents has filed for an injunction to stop construction until questions about the board’s legitimacy can be heard. The Aero Club is a western Wellington community of about 250 homes clustered around a 3,900-foot grass runway. It was built 30 years ago as a 75-footwide grass runway and now is 105 feet wide. On Aug. 27, the board sent residents notice it would study paving a 55-foot-wide strip of the runway. When the two sides couldn’t agree on a compromise to pave half of the runway, the board decided to go ahead and pave it entirely, citing reasons of safety. “Pilots prefer concrete surfaces,” former board president Larry Smith told the Town-Crier Wednesday. “There’s been a lot of accidents over the past few years where planes have spun out of control or crashed during takeoff or landing.” But a group of Aero Club residents calling themselves the Wellington Fair Play Group say that the issue is not whether to pave; it’s about giving the community a voice in the matter. “The old board made a calculated decision that they wanted to get the runway paved,” said Gary Kozan, leader of the Wellington Fair Play Group. “They knew the community was not in favor of it, so they found a work-around to make it happen without a community vote.” Kozan noted that past boards have put paving plans to a vote, and they had been rejected each time. “It was their arrogance that got us triggered,” he said. “But
then when we heard there was not going to be a community vote, we got up in arms.” The group, which consists of both “grassers” and “pavers,” started a petition to get several members of the current board removed, prompting the resignation of four of its five members last Saturday. To remove the board, a petition must be signed by owners of more than half of the community’s 255 homes. Kozan said that his supporters gathered about 143 signatures, which is 56 percent. The board must then certify the petition within five business days or accept the decision, Kozan said. However, the board members resigned before certifying it. “We were trying to get the [paving] project completed,” Smith said. “But the opposition was gathering signatures to throw the board out. We resigned before that could happen.” Instead, the old board appointed like-minded new members, including two spouses of old board members. Another member, Bill Thomas, was reappointed to his former position as treasurer but resigned as a board member. Smith told the Town-Crier that the board chose members with similar viewpoints in an effort to block an ousting by opposing residents. “We swapped out our board members,” Smith said, “so they [the opposition] would have to start [collecting signatures] over again.” Though Smith said the procedure was followed according to community bylaws, Fair Play members disagree. “We contend that their resignations were improperly served,” Kozan said. “The resignations must be reviewed by the secretary of the corporation, but since she was not present at the meeting, she could not have accepted them.” The group alleges that since secretary Brenda McAdam had resigned, she was unable to accept the resignations, meaning that the former board retains its position. When it came time to certify the See AERO CLUB, page 20
An exterior view of the new municipal complex under construction on Forest Hill Blvd. PHOTO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER
ELECTION 2010: COUNTY COMMISSION
Retired PBSO Capt. John Carroll Making Second Try For The Job By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Four years ago, Republican John Carroll lost his first bid for a Palm Beach County Commission seat to Democrat Jess Santamaria. Not impressed by the incumbent’s record, Carroll is back to seek the District 6 commission seat again. Also in the race is independent Andy Schaller. Carroll spent 35 years with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, rising to the rank of captain on the executive staff. For the last 10 years, he was senior captain. “I did 10 years of executive budgets that totaled well over $100 million,” he said. “I have a very good background on government budgets… We need somebody who understands what’s going on in this county government and can recognize waste, and I feel that I’m the most qualified to do that.”
Carroll just recently received a master’s degree in public administration from Barry University. After retiring from the PBSO earlier this year, he was hired by Barry University as an adjunct professor teaching public administration. Carroll lists several top accomplishments during his law enforcement career, not only as an executive but also in heading complicated commands, including Internal Affairs under both a Republican and a Democratic sheriff. “Both those times, I was selected because of my reputation and my integrity,” he said. “I had an attitude [that] if I’m fair and honest every step of the road and no one gets railroaded for political things and everybody gets a fair shot, I’ll be successful.” Later he was appointed commander of the Organized Crime
John Carroll Bureau. “I had all the undercover agents, all the analysts,” Carroll said. “It was a huge command.” During his time there, the department created a gang unit See CARROLL, page 22
Fighting Corruption Tops Jess Santamaria’s List Of Priorities By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report County Commissioner Jess Santamaria is hoping voters will give him four more years to continue stamping out corruption and change the image of Palm Beach County. Santamaria, a Democrat, is wrapping up his first term as the District 6 representative on the Palm Beach County Commission. Again he faces Republican challenger John Carroll, a retired Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office captain who Santamaria defeated to win the seat in 2006. Independent candidate Andy Schaller, a Wellington businessman, will also be on the Nov. 2 ballot. Santamaria rose from humble beginnings in the Philippines to become a successful businessman and real-estate developer in Royal Palm Beach.
In 1962, Santamaria graduated from La Salle University in Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He went on to get a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania. Santamaria spent 10 years working for Exxon and IBM before moving to Florida. From 1974 to 2002, he worked as a realestate developer; he now owns and manages shopping centers and a hotel. He has held and continues to hold several community leadership positions in business, charity and arts organizations throughout the western communities. Santamaria is well known for his philanthropic efforts on behalf of a number of causes. “What motivated me to run the first time was the title ‘corruption county,’” he said. “It reaffirmed what I always knew.”
Jess Santamaria Santamaria said his top personal accomplishments are his honesty and his giving nature. “Before I was elected, I’ve always given,” he said. “I did not wait to reSee SANTAMARIA, page 22
Wellington Businessman Running Independent Bid For County Office By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Independent candidate Andy Schaller believes the Palm Beach County Commission needs new ideas not tied to the two-party system. He is squaring off against District 6 Democratic incumbent Jess Santamaria and Republican challenger John Carroll in the Nov. 2 general election. Schaller, 45, was born and raised in Torrington, Conn., to parents who instilled a strong work ethic into him. At 18, he moved to Florida to attend Saint Leo University near Tampa, where he got a bachelor’s degree in marketing. After graduation in 1987, he moved to Palm Beach County and became a stockbroker in Boca Raton. In 1992, Schaller went to work for a software company in the gym and healthcare business. He learned about recurring transac-
tions and spun off a separate company designed to handle them. In 1994, he founded Palm Beach Financial Exchange Inc., an electronic banking company that serves approximately 550 businesses throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. In 1999, Schaller moved to Wellington and designed and built Fine Equine, a dressage facility that caters to riders and horses competing in Wellington. He still lives in Wellington. Schaller said that his top accomplishments include his business, which hasn’t raised its rates in 16 years, and his equestrian facility. He said he is the best-qualified candidate in the race because he has “the drive, the determination and the commitment that you don’t find in the other two candidates.” Schaller said he would be a commissioner who would contin-
Andy Schaller ue to learn and grow, and would follow through on ideas from conception to completion. “I’m still young and hungry to do the right thing,” he said. “I’ve had enough life accomplishments See SCHALLER, page 20