Coconut Creek Candidate Works For Firm Suing City

BY BUDDY NEVINS


If Colleen LaPlant gets elected to the Coconut Creek Commission in March, she won’t be able to vote on one of the key issues in the city.

LaPlant can’t vote on the already-expensive law suits by some residents trying to block expansion of the Seminole Casino.

The residents’ lawyers work at the same law firm as LePlant Becker and Poliakoff.

LaPlant is an executive assistant at the Hollywood-based firm.

She is running against sales engineer Steve Harrison and incumbent Commissioner Lisa Aronson for Commission District E.

The suit Barbara Turcotte et. al. versus the City of Coconut Creek–  has already cost the city in excess of $120,000 to defend.

 
The city’s outside counsel is Ruden McClosky.

Bernie Friedman, a partner at Becker Poliakoff, says: “Colleen has nothing to do with that suit.

“She became very active in Coconut Creek, in part through our practice and all the government and charity work we do, Friedman says

She would not vote on anything involving the law suit, he adds. 

Still, if LaPlant is elected, she will be working for the firm that is suing the city.

Hmmmm.



9 Responses to “Coconut Creek Candidate Works For Firm Suing City”

  1. Ms. Anonymous says:

    Colleen LaPlant is a very dedicated and hard working person. She always puts others before herself and always makes sure everyone is accomadated.

    She knows what is right from wrong and tries her best to make everyone happy. She is conscientious and very trustworthy.

    I don’t know anyone who would put as much effort or more effort to this job than Colleen would.

    Colleen would never vote for something that she would consider to be a conflict of interest. I can be 100% sure of that.

  2. Broward voter says:

    geez Buddy, still printing everything David Brown gives ya?

  3. Broward voter says:

    How come the Sun-Sentinel or any other newspaper doesn’t investigate that Ruden has been getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars as the City’s outside counsel on Indian gaming matters with the expansion of the Seminoles casino, while at the same time Ruden comes before the City Zoning Board and City Commission on a regular basis for other clients to get rezoning?? And while they are investigating, if they are capable of such a thing, someone should look into who Ruden is donating contributions to in Coconut Creek!!

    FROM BUDDY: This is a very interesting point of view.

  4. CREEK voter says:

    Who is Lisa Aronson kidding? Maybe she shouldn’t be able to vote on anything that involves the laws of our community, since her husband clearly has no respect for them!!

  5. An Employee says:

    It seems to me that Miss LaPlant has been placed in this race by a law firm that represents gambling interests that want to stop any tribal gambling because they can’t compete. I work at the casino and I am not a Seminole. They provide employment for many who live in Coconut Creek including me. The law firm Miss LaPlant works for represents other casinos and gambling ships who can’t compete with us on a level playing field so they try to win by putting her up for commission. Reject LaPlant and save jobs.

  6. Kimberly Petitt says:

    This is a letter sent to Commissioners explaining why we started to suspect their intentions and requested their campaign contributions to see where their alliance was. With the exception of Len Freund we have a City Commission I, think was bought and paid for, and to me their vote against us proved that.

    Good Morning Everyone,

    Before we go to the meeting on Thursday night I would like to shed some light on how the issue of campaign contributions came up. Within a couple of days after Lisa Aronson, was elected she came to one our meetings at the invitation of one our committee members. She spoke with us offered advise on how to fight the developer, gave us titles to and even brought along a couple of books for us to look at. I got the impression that she was on our side, she even told us she was all about the green space. Never once did she mention her relationship with Ruden. Then the Sun Sentinel came out with an article about how much money she raised and named Ruden by name. That is when I requested the lists it was not personal, just to see what we are up against. Within one week of the meeting C. Pasche a planner for Ruden contacted a member of our group saying that Ms.Aronson had called her on our behalf, I do not recall giving her permission to do so. That is when we got a very bad taste in our mouth. We already were not feeling good about meeting with her after the newspaper article; we felt she should have disclosed this prior to sitting down with us. I would not have met with her under such casual circumstances and I certainly would not have trusted her to the extent that we did. I consider myself to be a very honest straight forward person, this is how deal with everyone in every facet of my life. I feel she behaved very duplicitous and after seeing her behavior over the last couple of weeks, I am sorry we ever trusted her.

    On Thursday, I hope you give us a level playing field, I would like be to be able to be heard before one o’clock in morning and if looks like it is going to go long then maybe out of respect for your constituents you should move for a continuance so everyone can be heard. I am also pleading with you to take a step back look at the evidence that was presented last week and new evidence that’s coming your way and forget your vote and act like its the first time you are voting and vote like this was going directly behind your house.

    Regards,

    Kim Petitt
    954-661-9000
    This letter is tru and if you want to talk to me about what I believe to be a dishonest Commissioner, please call me. VOTE THE INCUMBENTS OUT SHE ATTEMPTED TO TURN MY NEIGHBORHHOD INTO A GHETTO FOR RUDEN AND MCCLOSKEY! SHE IS AN OVER AMBITOUS TRICK.

  7. Barry says:

    I have known Comm. Aronson for over 30 years and have never known her to be a person that would compromise her beliefs nor her VOTES on issues of importance to her community. We need more elected officals like Lisa, who has worked her way up from a legislative aid and former City Manager to the position she holds today. The City of Coconut Creek would do well to Re-Elect Lisa.

  8. kim says says:

    What diffference does it make who Collen works, Lisa takes money from people who present to her, Aronson is over ambitous and in my oponion bought and paid for.

  9. kim says says:

    Barry who are you her Husband, Aronson is a typical politician, Collen is for the people