Village Council
I asked yesterday why the Village Council doesn't update its website and inform people of meetings and even post the minutes of their previous meetings. This blog would be an excellent source to disseminate that info. if they would like to send us meeting notices and the minutes the next day. I only brought up the subject because I get emails on a weekly basis with complaints from residents saying they don't know when the meetings are. I was only passing on the info.
The response from Gary Hecht is here in green:
Our meetings are always noticed in the Miami Herald Neighbors section that we meet twice monthly on the first Tuesday at City Hall at 7:00 and the third Tuesday at The Glass House at 7:00. Please remember we don't have a staff, we're not remunerated for our service to the community and hold full time jobs. I devote four hours daily to this community, in addition to being a full-time Realtor. My service necessitates getting up in the morning at 4:30 and attending meetings almost nightly that end often after 10:00 PM. The other Council members are similarly devoted to the Grove and our record of accomplishments clearly reflect our dedication.
I apologized for my oversight and that's that. In two years, there will be elections for the Council. I urge you to run for office. Until then, please call me to volunteer for one of our very active and labor-intensive committees. The energy you devote to being critical could be well spent in truly doing something positive for our community. Let's see if you print this, Tom.
Gary Hecht
With all due respect Gary, I spend hours on the blog and am not paid either. I also run a full time business and am my condo's president and manager among many other things. And I do volunteer for many things in the community.
I would love to run for office, but I'll be long gone from the Grove by then. The Grove and Miami are turning into an overdeveloped, scam filled, money driven place, and I am selling and moving out of state after living in the area almost my whole life. I may need someone to take over the blog at that time. I'll post a notice if that is the case. (Harry can you hear me?)
Also, Gary, the Herald buries the info as a two line blurb hidden among other catch all press releases and I would guess that 80% of the community doesn't read the Herald. And most of the other 20% miss the small blurb when it is run. This week's notice was not even accurate since the meeting was cancelled yet the Herald was telling people that the meeting was on. So much for the Herald.
If you guys can't update your website or post the minutes, maybe you can send us the info and we'll post it. People would love to read the minutes.
The meetings are important and I just feel that if more people knew about them they would attend. They show up for issues like the Home Depot and the Mercy Hospital condos, so people do care. They just need to know the agenda and when and where to be. People forget that the meetings are the first Tuesday at City Hall and the third Tuesday at the Glass House. They are in two different places. It's hard enough to remember if they are the first Tuesday or third Thursday or whatever, let alone if the meetings are at the Glass House or City Hall.
Post the meeting notices. Post the minutes. We live in a digital, electronic age. It's not hard to get the info out. I get emailings from people daily with all sorts of things they want promoted. You guys can easily send me the meeting notices and the minutes the next day. I daresay we get more Grove readers than the Herald's Neighbors section.
Aside from that, you all do an excellent job. No one was putting down your dedication. We all just want to be a part of it and if you don't tell us where and when and what happened after the fact, we can't be a part of it.
That's all. Peace and keep up thegood excellent work.
The response from Gary Hecht is here in green:
Our meetings are always noticed in the Miami Herald Neighbors section that we meet twice monthly on the first Tuesday at City Hall at 7:00 and the third Tuesday at The Glass House at 7:00. Please remember we don't have a staff, we're not remunerated for our service to the community and hold full time jobs. I devote four hours daily to this community, in addition to being a full-time Realtor. My service necessitates getting up in the morning at 4:30 and attending meetings almost nightly that end often after 10:00 PM. The other Council members are similarly devoted to the Grove and our record of accomplishments clearly reflect our dedication.
I apologized for my oversight and that's that. In two years, there will be elections for the Council. I urge you to run for office. Until then, please call me to volunteer for one of our very active and labor-intensive committees. The energy you devote to being critical could be well spent in truly doing something positive for our community. Let's see if you print this, Tom.
Gary Hecht
With all due respect Gary, I spend hours on the blog and am not paid either. I also run a full time business and am my condo's president and manager among many other things. And I do volunteer for many things in the community.
I would love to run for office, but I'll be long gone from the Grove by then. The Grove and Miami are turning into an overdeveloped, scam filled, money driven place, and I am selling and moving out of state after living in the area almost my whole life. I may need someone to take over the blog at that time. I'll post a notice if that is the case. (Harry can you hear me?)
Also, Gary, the Herald buries the info as a two line blurb hidden among other catch all press releases and I would guess that 80% of the community doesn't read the Herald. And most of the other 20% miss the small blurb when it is run. This week's notice was not even accurate since the meeting was cancelled yet the Herald was telling people that the meeting was on. So much for the Herald.
If you guys can't update your website or post the minutes, maybe you can send us the info and we'll post it. People would love to read the minutes.
The meetings are important and I just feel that if more people knew about them they would attend. They show up for issues like the Home Depot and the Mercy Hospital condos, so people do care. They just need to know the agenda and when and where to be. People forget that the meetings are the first Tuesday at City Hall and the third Tuesday at the Glass House. They are in two different places. It's hard enough to remember if they are the first Tuesday or third Thursday or whatever, let alone if the meetings are at the Glass House or City Hall.
Post the meeting notices. Post the minutes. We live in a digital, electronic age. It's not hard to get the info out. I get emailings from people daily with all sorts of things they want promoted. You guys can easily send me the meeting notices and the minutes the next day. I daresay we get more Grove readers than the Herald's Neighbors section.
Aside from that, you all do an excellent job. No one was putting down your dedication. We all just want to be a part of it and if you don't tell us where and when and what happened after the fact, we can't be a part of it.
That's all. Peace and keep up the
posted by Tom Falco at 8:33 AM
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8 Comments:
I agree with Tom. If this job is so time consuming and you can not do a complete job why are you there? Of all the folks on the board it would be thinking that someone could update the web-site. Also the city charter requires that the minutes of the meetings are require five business days after the meeting. Is this requirement being met.
although i do sometime think grapevine goes a little overboard (like his issues with the flashing crosswalk) i actually think he is making a very fair and reasonable request. why have a website if your not going to update it. and saying there it takes too much time is a bogus argument. I just watched a story on cbs sunday morning about the guy who runs the fish in the sea dating website with thousands of users daily and he only spends an hour a day maintaining the site and he is the main webserver (what a job!!!). a little old grove council website can be updated for meeting and listing of minutes without any big time commitments
Ha! and all this time I thought a woman ran this blog...
A reasonable request is responded to by an overworked, stressed out individual. Rather aggressive wouldn't you say?
It really isn't that hard to add things to a website and I'm sure that whoever manages it will have no trouble with a little announcement here and there.
Yes, meeting announcements are important. But, here is what is even more critical. The Grove is seedier than ever with the aggressive panhandlers, trash, poor lighting, vacant stores, lack of sidewalks and, most frightening, a decrepit waterfront with no consensus on what to do with it.
That's what needs attention. Are you listening, Marc, Manny, Timoney and Alvarez? Apparently not!
I have so much enjoyed this blog of late, and am sad to hear you're leaving, sadder still that it's your frustration that's driving you out. Where will you move?
I worry that if you're moving due to frustration that this website will get overly negative as that time draws nigh - senioritis, as it is sometimes called. Though the gorgeous ponciana photo last week belies that concern. We Grovites should not only attend the events where we can actively guide our neighborhood's future, but also be apprised of and show up for those events that accentuate and appreciate our locale. If great things are happening in our area and noones attending, they probably will not continue. Please, as long as you are here, continue to let us know about the fun and interesting events happening in the Grove.
I haven't been to one of those meetings, but my guess is the minutes are not a quick thing to type up, but take much retyping, etc. Doesn't the board usually have to approve the last months minutes before they would be posted? Perhaps one of the people above who think it's easy to post the minutes, would offer to record, transcribe and post them to support their local community.
As for reminders, why not remind your readers on the first Monday and third Wednesday to attend the meetings the next day? (I note here that you frequently do). No it's not your job, but word of mouth is how you create a tipping point.
Don't why some are carping about that response. I found it civilized, very toned down (compared to what some others would have answered) and very to the point.
I think we are fortunate to get volunteers to serve on our boards. CGVC is an excellent board.
The Bond Oversight Board also with volunteers does little or no oversight and it merely rubber stamps every silly request coming out of the Capital Improvements Department (CIP). CIP is the same department that saw 10-11 of its staffers arrested for stealing et al. The Bond Oversight Board recently approved a request for $2 Mil from the Miami Art Museum. BOB approved the request eventhough there was no contract and eventhough there was nothing in writing providing oversight. Nothing executed. Where was the oversight? In fact, the BOB approved the money eventhough MAM submitted a budget with no line item for parking for its proposed museum. PAC Center anyone? The Bond Oversight Board does need sharp members who are not affraid to say No.
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