Seitz: We Need Charlotte Rodstrom Again

BY ART SEITZ
GUEST COLUMNIST

(Art Seitz is a long-time Fort Lauderdale activist. )

Subject: Ft. Laud. Election Day

Dear Neighbors and Friends,
 
We wish everyone a very healthy and Happy New Year.
 
Just when you thought it was over, another Election Day is coming to Ft. Lauderdale and, as always, it is important to vote.  The day is Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 when you will be asked to vote for Mayor and District 2 Commissioner.
 
From time to time, but not too often, we will e-mail you about the  beach candidates who are Charlotte Rodstrom, Howard Elfman, and Steven Glassman.  We will share information/facts that are generally not published in our local newspapers.

Do you remember that a former city commissioner conducted an opinion poll in 2007? 

A full 70% said the Ft. Lauderdale beach is already overdeveloped.  A full 83% said the city’s development rules should be changed to reduce mass, height and setbacks. 

Even the insurance industry warned in 2007 that Florida’s east coast is a hurricane disaster waiting to happen because of the “seemingly unabated coastal construction.” 

And do you remember all the talk about the shortage of water and other natural resources and how excessive development is hurting us?
 
So three years ago residents got together and overwhelmingly voted for our present commissioner, Charlotte Rodstrom.  Our mandate to her was to control development (as well as other issues).
 
Consequently, Charlotte Rodstrom has voted down every (except one) high-rise, high-density, massive building.  She has proven to be a hard working, caring, and honest commissioner who had not forgotten her campaign promises and the reasons she was elected.
 
Unfortunately, Mayor Jim Naugle and the other commissioners were “persuaded” long ago to  give developers whatever they wanted. 

So, with the coming election and a new mayor and new commissioners, Charlotte will have the votes for redevelopment instead of over or excessive development.  She will have the votes to preserve, protect, and enrich our quality of life and our unique and fragile environment.  Charlotte believes that buildings should be compatible with neighborhoods and in  harmony with the environment. 

She believes in smart growth.
 
And though the current economic situation has temporarily stopped these massive buildings, the developers have been busy going to the Planning & Zoning board and  City Commission getting their approval to build when times get better. 

We need to change this now before it is too late. We need to support Charlotte Rodstrom again.
 
Hope all is well. Happy New Year



10 Responses to “Seitz: We Need Charlotte Rodstrom Again”

  1. No Alzheimer Here says:

    Seitz is wrong. We need Steve Glassman.

  2. Mark Steinberger says:

    I know Seitz and he is CRAZY! I mean like off the deep end . I am anti-development like anybody else but people like him give people like me a bad name. Every time I leave my building i have to pass blighted areas before I get to publix and I am tired of that. I’m voting for Steve in the primary and then if he doesn’t make it then I’m voting for Howard. Charlotte just doesn’t care.

  3. broward voter says:

    Glassman is just bitter because Rodstrom didnt protect his job at the county. Howard Elfman is the only independent candidate in the race who also has the business experience to run the city right.

  4. Clint Gordon says:

    Buddy,

    Your guest columnist Art Seitz plagiarized an entire letter that Mel Rubenstein sent to beach residents. Anyone that knows this mean, rude, and hated Seitz knows that he could never have written that letter because it was civil, there were no curse words and it is just not his writing style. Thought you might like to read the email below that was sent to the beach residents in response to Rubenstein’s letter:

    From: ftlbeachres@bellsouth.net [mailto:ftlbeachres@bellsouth.net]
    Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 7:21 PM
    To: beachofftl@comcast.net
    Subject: REAL Friends of the Beach

    Dear beachofftl:

    You say “We” but remain anonymous because you are a coward. That’s OK because everyone knows you are Mel Rubenstein, an extremist on the beach who only cares about himself and his piece of the beach. You got your apartment in the sky and no one else should be allowed to have one. Shame on you! You are stuck in another era and your letter below is foolish and full of lies.

    First of all, who do you think you are that you have the “information/facts” to share that are not published elsewhere? Your version of the facts is hardly what the beach residents believe. Charlotte Rodstrom is an ideologue who has blighted the beach because unlike what you say, she is not for smart growth – she is not for anything at all. She is not hard working (City staff and Commissioners roll their eyes when she talks because she never reads the back-up and talks endlessly and stupidly); she does not care (she votes against the wishes of her constituents time and again – witness the Orion and Ireland’s Inn on the beach where we all worked for years with the development team to get projects that made sense for the beach); and she is not honest (she used another beach terrorist, Art Seitz, to file a lawsuit against Commissioner Carlton Moore on his last night as a Commissioner to prevent him from voting – disgraceful!). There are many more examples to refute the dribble in your letter, but why bother? Take a look at the beach, Mel – the neighborhood looks awful and that is because of people like you and Charlotte who don’t even have the skills to make a few parks out of the blighted areas.

    Charlotte Rodstrom has turned off the entire community, including business people and she will never be able to help our economy turn around. She is divisive and mean-spirited – just like you.

    District Two only has one sensible choice – our Central Beach Alliance president Steve Glassman who has shown true leadership these past six years as our president and has exhibited reason and judgement in everything he does(and by the way, Mel, the District is a lot more than just the beach and you would be shocked to see how Rodstrom has neglected those neighborhoods – that’s probably why all of those neighborhood leaders are endorsing Steve).

    When we have a problem in the neighborhood (and I have heard this from a lot of people), we don’t even go to Rodstrom because City staff does not respond to her. We ask Steve and he gets it done! That’s what we want – someone who gets things done and helps everyone – not just you.

    Happy New Year!

    Clint Gordon

    Beach Lover and Proud Small Businessman

  5. Fort Lauderdale Police says:

    By the way, Buddy – your “guest columnist” Art Seitz had to be removed from the Central Beach Alliance meeting last night by the police.

    FROM BUDDY: Interesting. . Anybody have more details.

  6. Fort Lauderdale Police says:

    Last night at the Central Beach Aliiance meeting at the Bahia Mar there where over 110 residents in attendance. When the meeting started Seitz, motivated by his support of Rodtrom and his antipathy towards Glassman, repeatedly disrupted the beginning of the meeting. He didn’t have a microphone so it was hard to hear, especially from where I was sitting but he was shouting and became increasingly belligerent to the point that the two officers present had to remove Seitz so the meeting could proceed. Pure fireworks!!

  7. Art Seitz says:

    PLEASE LET THE ATTACHED WIDELY ADDRESSED LETTER FROM C..J. BECK, THE ILLINI ASSOCIATION INC (A CONDO ACROSS FROM THE BAHIA MAR HOTEL) SPEAK ON MY BEHALF:

    Was the CBA board elected legally Thursday Jan 22nd? Did the police act lawfully? Was the CBA election process followed? Why was there no discussion regarding the proposed slate of candidates? Why did President Steve Glassman not re-admit the ejected candidate Art Seitz, and open up nominations from the floor for Art Seitz and Miranda Lopez? Was Steve Glassman’s use of the police to eliminate Art Seitz appropriate?

    A candidate properly calling for a quorum count, albeit rather undiplomatically, was ejected from the meeting. Nominations from the floor were not allowed. Two potential candidates were denied the right to stand. The use of police force to quash dissent and eliminate a candidate from the election is chilling. The police need to be questioned about their actions by the City Manager and Police Chief. If this sets a precedent it will constrain future debate in the CBA. We all know Art Seitz and his manner. His bellicose behavior was not unusual. You may chuckle at Art Seitz’s predicament but next time it could be you. You’ll think twice when you want to raise an objection or talk at the CBA or the City Commission. Is this how the new City Commission intends to operate? This sets a bad precedent for democracy and debate in Fort Lauderdale.

    C.J. Beck
    The Illini Assocation Inc.

  8. Long time Beach resident says:

    Hey, CJ Beck!

    You are as crazy as Art Seitz and you either didn’t pay attention or just don’t care to talk the truth. I was at the CBA meeting and I read the by-laws in advance. First of all, Art Seitz’ name WAS placed in nomination along with nine others. The motion that followed the reading of the ten names was to elect the nine people other than Seitz – is that a shocker? Furthermore, Miranda Lopez withdrew her name from nomination long before the meeting and nominations are not allowed from the floor. If you would read the by-laws then you would know that there is an advance timeline to submit names for the Board.
    What I also get a kick out of is that people like you and Seitz think that the whole world cares about this! Don’t you know how annoying you are? Didn’t you hear the residents complain about Seitz’ emails? Didn’t you see the very strong letter that circulated around the beach chastising Seitz? If not, here it is: (and can you, Seitz, Rubenstein, and the other basket cases just shut up or move away?)

    From: Sunni Prekup
    Subject: Re: Art Seitz
    To: ASeitz2690@aol.com
    Date: Friday, January 23, 2009, 11:18 AM

    What a disgrace you were in your conduct last evening at our CBA meeting. To be an adult that thinks he knows everything, maybe you shold look into taking a few courses on parlimentary proceedure! We have a great group of property owners, members, and condo presidents that run our CBA in a wonderful way. We should ask for your membership to be revolked and ban you from attending any of our meetings and, I suppose, try to show off during each meeting with your continued interuption of business.

    I certainly hope the 3 votes out of 275 against the present board tells you something about how our CBA membership feels.

    Sunni Prekup
    CBA Member

  9. Las Olas Resident says:

    Only Steve Glassman can bring reason, civility, and good judgement to the commission.

    Fortunately, he will be our man right after Feb 10th!

  10. The Illini says:

    Don’t you just love these anonymous trolls who defame people who stand up, volunteer their time and work for us? C.J. Beck has represented the fifty families at The Illini for the past fourteen years. Everything he has touched has added value to our condominium and the City of Fort Lauderdale.