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Clemens, Burkert and Garcia speak at November Meeting of Palm Beach County Young Democrats
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Lake Worth's mayor Jeff Clemens spoke at the PBCYD meeting at Brogues in November
Three speakers, Lake Worth Mayor Jeff Clemens, Senate District 27 hopeful Peter Burkert and Democratic National Committee Member Evelyn Garcia spoke to the members of the Palm Beach County Young Democrats at their November 3 meeting. Clemens is also a hopeful for House Seat 89, which is being vacated by Rep. Mary Brandenburg, who is running for a seat on the County Commission. The meeting was held at Brogue’s on the Avenue, located at 621 Lake Avenue in Lake Worth. Also of interest on that date was the Lake Worth Municipal election with six candidates running in hopes of being the next Lake Worth Mayor. The two top candidates who emerged from the race were Rene Varela and Laurence McNamara, and neither candidate emerged with a fifty percent needed to win the race so the runoff is scheduled for November 17.
Before introducing the speakers that evening, the club’s President Matt McWatters spoke about other election news taking place in the country, including a heated race in New York’s District 23. The moderate Republican, Dede Scozzafava, who had been running for that seat had decided to drop out of the race and support the Democratic candidate, Bill Owens, due to entrance of the tea party candidate, Douglas Hoffman, in that race. The outcome of the race showed the splinter effect that was taking place in the Republican party, with the moderates battling the more conservative or tea party elements within the party. Owens won the race but Republicans won two gubernatorial races that evening, in New Jersey and in Virginia.
“She was a pro-union, pro-gay marriage, pro-choice Republican,” said McWatters. “She was the official Republican candidate for the 23rd District, and it was thought that the moderate views would appeal to moderate conservatives and Democrats. The conservative part of the Republican party has rebelled, and a tea party candidate, Hoffman, had emerged in the race. Hoffman had garnered support from Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. In the end, the moderate Republican dropped out of the race and endorsed the Democrat, Bill Owens, who was running for the seat.
“She announced she was suspending her campaign,” said McWatters about the moderate Republican who had dropped out of the race. “It’s so much fun to see a family fight when it’s not Democrats. The conservative part of the Republican party is literally tearing the moderate part of the Republican party to shreds. It was just an interesting race to watch.”
McWatters also said he had spoken recently at the meeting of the Boynton Beach Democratic Club, and he had given an update of what the Florida Young Democrats had accomplished at the recent Democratic convention in Orlando. McWatters also shared some exciting news at the meeting about the National Young Democratic Convention to take place in Orlando in late November. He encouraged anyone who was interested in going to get in touch with him.
“That’s a huge deal,” said McWatters. “Florida has not hosted the National Young Democratic organizations in a long time. If you are interested, there is still time to get signed up.”
McWatters then introduced Evelyn Garcia, a representative of the Democratic National Committee, who was a long-time friend of his and asked her to say a few words about some recent activities with that agency, including the recent Democratic National Committee meeting that had taken place in Texas with four hundred Democrats attending the meeting in that state. Garcia said she was the first Haitian American representative to that agency and also was the first representative from Palm Beach County. Garcia spoke of how important it was for Palm Beach County to have a seat at the table because of all the financial and logistical decisions that took place with the Democratic National Committee at a national level.
“We now have a seat with the finance and budget committees,” said Garcia. “These committees do some work. I think we work together very well, and we are able to speak with one voice. We are trying to bring some of the action down here.”
Organizing for America was the largest endeavor for the Democratic National Committee, she said, and they wanted a presence in every state. Garcia also said that she worked closely with that agency as well. If anyone had a concern, she said, she encouraged people to get in touch with her, and she would forward their issues to the Democratic National Committee.
“Send me an email about what you are thinking about, and what you would like me to tell them,” said Garcia. “I hope to be your conduit and do the best job I can.”
Garcia also said that she had just organized a new Haitian American statewide caucus, and that one of the issues sure to grab everyone’s attention would be immigration reform. The battle for health care reform was bloody enough, she said, but this was sure to be bloodier.
“It’s an important issue for Haitian Americans and other groups,” said Garcia. “We will do our part to elect good Democrats to local, state and national office. We would like to see people from our community run and be good Democrats.”
Peter Burkert, a hopeful for Senate District 27, that was currently held by State Senator Dave Aronberg, spoke to Young Democrats about his hopes in being successful with the run for that seat. Despite impressions to the contrary in the 2008 election cycle, Burkert spoke of how Seat 27 was really a 50/50 Palm Beach County/Lee County seat.
“It’s as close to a 50/50 seat as you can get,” said Burkert. “It’s neither Palm Beach County nor Lee County.”
What was most important, he said, was that the seat stayed in Democratic hands. The Republicans were targeting this particular seat, he said, in hopes of cutting down the fourteen seats currently held by the Democrats. If the Democrats had only thirteen seats, said Burkert, they could not block Republican legislation. That held true even if the Democrats got Alex Sink in as governor.
“If we get Alex Sink in as governor,” said Burkert, “that gives her the ability to veto Republican legislation. If we are down to thirteen, we cannot uphold the veto. The primary emphasis should be on winning the seat and keeping it in Democratic hands.”
Burkert felt that his background as a lawyer who worked in workers compensation would give him an edge in battling the insurance companies who did not always take the side of the workers.
“You represent the injured workers and their families,” said Burkert. “I honestly feel it gives me a bend to the working man. I spent literally hundreds of hours in Tallahassee, advocating on behalf of the injured workers. It was something that I felt needed to be done. I understand how Tallahassee works.”
With his mediation background, Burkert also felt he had the tools to work with both Democrats and Republicans in Tallahassee.
“I feel I have the kind of experience that is necessary for the job,” said Burkert. “I’m a mediator. I think that’s a skill that can work well as a legislator. As Democrats, we are not going to run the show up there right away. Hopefully with Fair Districts happening, we will but we have to be able to work well with the other side. The other thing I wanted to mention about my work is you have to stand up to insurance companies, corporations and bureaucracies.”
With the Fair District legislation being considered, he said, there also was the understanding that the seat he was seeking was going to be a two year job as that particular seat might see some modifications in two years time.
“Because of its geography,” said Burkert, “it may be redistricted and gone in 2012. It could be a two year gig, and it’s gone in 2012.”
As someone who resided in Ft. Myers, Burkert said he was prepared for the back and forth driving, as it was something he already did.
“I am prepared for the back and forth,” said Burkert. “I can make inroads with Republicans and Independents. The person who must be able to hold this seat in Lee County must do well in Lee County. I can do well in Lee County.”
Lake Worth Mayor Jeff Clemens, who was actually a lame duck mayor that evening, spoke of how much love he had for the city had been representing for the last two years. He said he hoped he could continue to represent residents as House District 89 had portions of Lake Worth, West Palm Beach and Greenacres within it. Clemens said that representing the City of Lake Worth had been an honor and a privilege because of all the amazing people within its borders.
“What a cool couple of years it has been,” said Clemens, about the city he had represented for the last two plus years. “We are doing so many fun and cool things in the City of Lake Worth that resonate with Democrats and people with a liberal bent.”
The city of Lake Worth also had the honor of partnering with Compass, the GLBT community center that now had its home within its borders.
Formerly of the City of West Palm Beach, Compass had been looking for a new home two years ago and had settled on the City of Lake Worth. The partnership between the City of Lake Worth and Compass was a good one, and it benefited both sides. Clemens said that the partnership was a good example of a private/public partnership that a municipality had with a private agency and also noted that municipalities who had partnerships with the GLBT populations benefited enormously. All municipalities who struck like partnerships with GLBT populations saw the benefits from them. Not only was it a mutually beneficial relationship, he said, but it was the right and moral thing to do.
“We were able to structure a deal with the local GLBT organization called Compass,” said Clemens. “They had their home in West Palm Beach. We went out on a limb and gave them the use of a city building for little money. We believed in this mission, and it fit well with what we want to be as a community. In the end, the city that welcomes such partnerships, they thrive and prosper. It also was the right thing to do. They put 1.2 million dollars into it. The Palm Beach County League of Cities has had meetings here, and the city has had workshops here.”
When he came on board two years ago, Clemens said he had done his best to enhance the image of the City of Lake Worth. Some embarrassing things had taken place with past officials, but that was all behind them now.
“We have tried to make it more professional,” said Clemens. “We have a new city manager, a new finance manager, a new assistant city manager, a new utilities director, a new code enforcement director and a new community development director. We need to transform how we operate in the City of Lake Worth. We are slowly changing that attitude by bringing in new people.”
Clemens also said that the City of Lake Worth was doing its best to be environmentally friendly, and it was one of the only cities in Palm Beach County that had single stream recycling. That meant that people taking items out to the curb to be recycled did not have to put them in separate bins. Doing recycling this way saved on tipping fees.
“You can put paper, metal and plastic into the same bin,” said Clemens. “It increases our recycling ability, and it’s environmentally and fiscally responsible. We are dumping less and putting more into recycling. We are doing the right thing fiscally and financially.”
On the ballot that evening was a charter amendment opposing dredging, said Clemens, and that opposition also was environmentally sound. Palm Beach County had done some dredging in the past, he said, but dredging was environmentally damaging to the beaches within a community. Clemens also spoke about the partnership that the City of Lake Worth had with the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office. He remembered well the night he was elected two years ago, and how the focus of the evening was not on his election but on the shooting of seven people that had occurred within the City of Lake Worth.
“We had a crime problem and a gang problem,” said Clemens. “The night I was elected in March of 2007, seven people were shot in the City. I remember looking up at the television and seeing what was going on. The question to me was congratulations, and now what are you going to do about the crime. We took some extraordinary steps. We reached out to the community. We started using churches and started rallying people. We got more involved with the County’s gang task force which eventually lead us to the decision that we needed to merge our own police department with the PBSO. The officers also became more community oriented as well. They didn’t just come in and crack down on criminals. PBSO has not only been a great success on crime but in the community as well.”
The City of Lake Worth, Clemens said, also had the distinction of hiring a transgendered city manager, and it was the first city in the United States to have that honor. What mattered really, he noted, was that she did a good job, and she was doing that.
“We are the first city in the United States that I know of to hire and employ an openly transgendered city manager,” said Clemens. “She was fired when she announced she was going to have the surgery. We decided that none of that mattered. We said we would hire the best city manager we could possibly find. She’s doing a good job.”
Clemens spoke about his background, which was in journalism and in political science. He was a reporter for about eight years and he ended up getting a job with a state representative. Falling in love with public service and politics, he decided, he needed to run for office, and now setting his eyes on a higher goal, he felt he could still represent his constituents but at a higher level. He felt his municipal background would serve him well in higher office.
“We have to think about someone who has the energy, the experience and who has served as an elected official,” said Clemens, “and has the ability to go up there and get things done. I think my record in Lake Worth speaks for itself. I know the numbers are against us in Tallahassee but I think you are going to see a change. I think we will see some changes with Alex Sink in office. I think there is an opportunity for us to go up there and get things done, and to make sure that everyone in Florida, regardless of their sexual orientation, their gender or religious affiliation needs to be treated the same way.”
Clemens also spoke up about oil drilling and about education in the same breath and said both issues needed to be addressed.
“We also need to make sure we don’t have oil drilling off the coast of Florida,” he said. “That absolutely should not take place. We have to protect our natural resources. Frankly, we cannot be 48 or 49 in the nation in education. We have to do something to change that. I am going up there as someone who has municipal experience.”
Clemens answered some questions about Hometown Democracy and also about Senate Bill 360. He felt that Senate Bill 360 was a bad idea and that Hometown Democracy would throw a real monkey wrench into the workings of local governments by hamstringing officials who would not be able to get their jobs done. The bill sounded like a good idea, but he said that opening up a municipality’s comprehensive plan to the general public was just not a good idea, and the only people who would likely benefit would be corporations who wanted to spend money trying to sway public opinion.
“Hometown Democracy will be on the ballot in 2010,” said Clemens. “This is a concept that citizens should be able to vote on changes in the Comprehensive Plan. It sounds in theory like it’s a good idea but comprehensive plans are thick documents. They include all kinds of complicated information. I’m not saying the electorate can’t understand it. Someone will want comprehensive plan amendments to build a Wal Mart or a Whole Foods, and in order to do that they would have to go to the people. We would have to go to the polls to decide whether we want a Whole Foods or not. It sounds like a great democratic idea. What could be wrong with going out and voting. What’s wrong is that we live in a representative democracy. We elect people because we put our trust in them to make decisions because we can’t all be there 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I’d like the people to go to the public officials and say we don’t like it, and the officials would vote it down.”
Closing his comments, Clemens spoke about the election taking place that evening, and spoke warmly about Lake Worth mayoral hopeful Rene Varela.
“If any of you live in Lake Worth, I would like you to consider Rene Varela,” said Clemens. “I think he’s the best candidate. I would encourage you to vote for him. He was very involved with the Obama campaign. He’s a solid, solid citizen.”
For more information about the Palm Beach County Young Democrats, contact President Matt McWatters at (561) 315-8788.
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