Friday, November 18, 2011

Assistant City Manager Speaks on Sustainability

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We just can't get enough when it comes to "sustainability" in Lake Worth nor can we get enough of managers and commissioners traveling to and fro. They all sure do work hard and this has become the norm even if some of it IS a free lunch and Commissioner Maxwell won't admit it. This time the excuse is "sustainability" and it is one of our Staff.

Our Assistant City Manager was a panelist at the Tallahassee Sustainability Conference. She traveled to Tallahassee a few weeks ago to present at the 2011 Sustainable You Conference sponsored by the Collins Center for Public Policy, the City of Tallahassee and Leon County. The City Manager announced that Ms. Margoles was a participant on a panel consisting of representatives of Lake Worth (unnamed), West Palm, Lantana and Boynton Beach that featured discussion on innovative initiatives to plan for and promote energy conservation. The title of the session is "A Rising Tide Floats All Boats: New Sustainable Partnerships."

This panel, headed by Erin Deady of Lewis, Longman & Walker, (the same law firm whose request for legal expenditures in the amount of $50,658.89 was pulled from Tuesday night's agenda by Commissioner Maxwell with NO explanation--yes, I do repeat myself) featured new innovative partnerships in planning, grants, funding and initiatives to plan for and promote energy conservation among several municipalities. This certainly sounds worthwhile as we have an energy conservation program in effect and that department swears people who have complied with the energy audit results are saving big bucks.

The conference was held at the Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center, 555 West Pensacola Street Tallahassee, Florida 32306

Ms. Margoles also presented locally on Sustainability in the Public Sector on November 17 for the Palm Beach Green Building Council.

Anyone traveling on taxpayer money, particularly when it is out of State, to any conference anywhere should give a presentation in front of the public. I, for one, would be interested.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

All tax payer expense trips should be presented to the public in a work shop every time they go on our dime. Anything less than that is none transparent.

Lynn Anderson said...

That's good. I think just a 10 minute Power Point presentation at a city commission meeting would suffice.

Anonymous said...

Scott invited you along on his next trip Lyn. That would be a first hand presentation. All kidding aside, they all should make a formal presentation. We can then decide if it all was a waste which it probably is anyway.