Coral Gables | Coral Gables Watch

Number of Police Down, Public Security Up in Coral Gables

February 17, 2011 Leave a comment

Many of us recently received an email from the city of Coral Gables showing that public security had greatly improved in the last year. This is really good news.

I have also heard that the city has not filled a number of positions (19 or so) in the police department.

Ergo–fewer police, more public safety. Is that right? What does do the overcompensated police and the police union have to say about those numbers.

In spite of an economic downturn that many experts believe will push crime rates higher, overall crime declined in Coral Gables last year. According to recent police data, the total offenses, total non-violent crimes and total violent crimes in Coral Gables each declined by 7 percent in calendar year 2010 compared to calendar year 2009. A category that increased in 2010 was thefts from buildings (office space with public access) which was 28% higher than 2009. The data shows that in 2010 compared to 2009 there were:

20% fewer burglaries

15% fewer attempted burglaries

31% fewer thefts of motor vehicles

13% fewer aggravated assaults

5% fewer robberies

50% fewer purse snatchings.

eNews of Coral Gables, Feb. 16

Filed under Coral Gables

Candidates Page Updated

February 14, 2011 Leave a comment

I have listed the websites that I know of for the candidates. There you will find their relevant “blah, blah, blah.” Some comments are more complete and forthcoming than others.

Filed under Coral Gables

List of Questions for the Candidates: Comments?

February 14, 2011 Leave a comment

I intend to submit these question and other questions to all candidates for mayor and commissioner? I welcome suggestions for other questions.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the city in the next two years? What are your main priorities?
Some cities (e.g. Boca Raton) have prepared long-range financial plans that are reviewed by its citizens. Would you support the preparation of a long-range financial plan for the city of Coral Gables that would be discussed with the public?
It has been commented that there a few conduits in Coral Gables for direct comments and communications by citizens on government plans and programs. Would you support measures to dramatically increase venues for community participation and comments on government budgets, problems and decisions? Would you support regular open town meetings of the commission and city manager with citizens on big issues?
The city of Coral Gables needs a new codes of ethics? Would you support the preparation of a new code of ethics for government in Coral Gables?
Will you commit yourself to stop tax increases–that is freeze our tax bills–in the next two or three years? Will you stop increase in fees?
Are you prepared to vigorously defend the taxpayers and the city’s budget against the Biltmore’s failure to pay its lease with the city?
Will you support an evaluation of financial management in Coral Gables and the defective EDEN system in order to establish a modern, functional accounting of spending and revenues, open to the public?
Will you support the preparation of a clear and publicly-discussed plan or strategy on how to reduce unfunded pension liabilities in Coral Gables?
Will you support a code of openness and participation in Coral Gables that proactively encourages these qualities in our city’s management?

Filed under Coral Gables

Internet and Social Media Commandments: For Egypt and Coral Gables. (Thanks to “BuzzMachine.”)

February 14, 2011 Leave a comment

I have found this posting on the value of the internet and social media to revolutions and social change to be very edifying in the context of the revolution in Egypt.

Similarly, it gives some interesting perspectives on the use of the internet by our small town, the city of Coral Gables.

It is impressive to me that the internet is used mostly by city government as a one way information flow. There is very little collecting of information; the many times I have tried to use it to get feedback from a city department on a neighborhood problem, nothing has happened (well, maybe once). The city’s website is more like an empty blackboard than a telephone or email. Yes, certain financial information is published, but budgets are pretty theoretical and we never see the same budget, in the same format, at the end of the year to see what really happened to the money and the revenues. This theatrics and not transparency.

I am impressed that the candidates for public office set up really beautiful websites and some ask for questions (which I assume they answer), and that is great. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this same interest in the voters would carry over more to than 3 minute responses during commission meetings. That is about it.

The following is a list of internet and social media rights–commandments–that local governments could beneficially think about in their communications with the community. Read the original long post if you are interested.

…I keep calling for a discussion about an independent set of principles for cyberspace so we can hold them over the heads of governments and corporations that would restrict and control our tools of publicness. I keep revising my list of principles, from this, to this, to this, to this:

I. We have a right to connect.

II. We have the right to speak.

III. We have the right to assemble & act

IV. Privacy is a responsibility of knowing.

V. Publicness is a responsibility of sharing.

VI. Information should be public by default, secret by necessity.

VII. What is public is a public good.

VIII. All bits are created equal.

IX. The internet shall be operated openly.

X. The internet shall be distributed.

This, to me, is a far more fruitful discussion than whether Facebook and Twitter deserves credit for Egypt and Tunisia. The revolutionaries deserve credit. They also deserve the freedom to use the tools of their revolutions.

via Gutenberg of Arabia « BuzzMachine.