These are all the Blogs posted in January, 2011.
Monday, 31
Venice Business Signs Conforming to "Code"
Expanding into Facebook, Inside Venice can post photos and link to them
Click Here to Link directly to this article publisheed in the
Inside Venice on Facebook.
Posted By Editor at 9:35 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Saturday, 29
Council Member Jim Bennett’s Evaluation of Isaac Turner
Jim Bennett completed a six-page evaluation form on City Manager Isaac Turner, October 19, 2010, giving Turner 11 ratings of “Excellent” and 4 of “Fully Satisfactory.” Other ratings available were "Satisfactory" and "Unsatisfactory."
The “ Excellent” ratings were “Administration and Organizational Management,” “Policy and Program Development,” “Strategic Objectives,” “Short Term Goals,” “Employee Relations and Staff Development,” “Ethics and Integrity,” “Interaction with Public,”
Posted By Ed Martin at 9:51 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Friday, 28
Columnist Eric Ernst Calls for Fair Evaluation of Isaac Turner: Deplores Daniels' "Vigilante" Act.
I spoke today with several top leaders in the business community and found no support for Daniels, all supported the election of the three new Council members.
Eric Ernst, pretty well captures the feeling. In yesterday's post I suggested a period of evaluation, after conversation on priorities with the Mayor, essentially what Ernst suggests.
For Eric Ernst's column click the link below.
Click Here to Link directly to this article publisheed in the
Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Posted By Ed Martin at 3:06 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Thursday, 27
No Calls for Isaac Turner to be Dismissed in Citizen Input to Mayor/Council
Given the statements by Mr. Daniels and Earl Midlam that there was widespread dissatisfaction with City Manager Turner it is interesting that no one expressed that view in the survey.
In the past I have found that a small group of people with special interests speak with each other and feel they have the City's pulse.
I believe Council members will be intelligent enough to understand this is an orchestrated move to find a City Manager that those behind the conspira
Posted By Ed Martin at 11:08 AM in Category:
Inside Venice
Wednesday, 26
News, Rumors Spread About "conspiracy" to oust City Manager.
One of the problems with secrets, including conspiracies, is that news tends to leak out and that is what is happening in Venice.
Of course, reports are one thing, proof is another.
What do we know. According to City Hall sources, Earl Midlam collected the expense reports and collated information for the Daniels presentation. Today, Daniels asked for more reports.
Two separate reports from individuals in the aviation community saying they were contac
Posted By Ed Martin at 7:24 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Tuesday, 25
Mayor Opens Council Meeting With Admonishment to Daniels: Daniels Moves to Dismiss Isaac Turner
Mayor John Holic opened the Council meeting asking for approval to change the order and make a statement. In it he rejected the Daniels, Calamaras and Midlam meeting with City Manger Isaac Turner as inappropriate. Pointing out that the Council was seven people, not one.
Daniels made a motion to dismiss the City Manager. Jeanette Gates seconded the motion with the comment that it was to allow discussion.
After some preliminary discussion Emilio Carlesimo moved to postpon
Posted By Ed Martin at 9:05 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Monday, 24
Herald Trib Editorial Lambasts Daniels, Calamaras and Midlam: Poses Questions For Daniels
Excerpts from Trib Editorial/for full text click link.
In short, it is not the job of a council member acting alone, much less former council members, to seek the manager's resignation and present him with an exit agreement.
So, Daniels owes the council and the public an answer to these questions: Who prepared the resignation documents? Did any other elected official or city staffer participate in discussions about this incident?
Additionally,
Click Here to Link directly to this article publisheed in the
Sarasota Herald Tribune.
Posted By Ed at 10:37 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Saturday, 22
Gondolier Editorial on Council Member Daniels Improper Behavior; Calamaras and Midlam Inappropriate
The Gondolier points out how inappropriate it was for Council Member Daniels to ask City Manager Isaac Turner to resign and discuss settlement with no prior Council approval, usurping both the Council's perogatives and the Mayor's.
As a mild attempt to soften his mis-behavior the editorial implies that in the business world such direct actions might be all right but not in government.
I beg to differ. I have been a CEO and on three corporate boards and it is like
Click Here to Link directly to this article publisheed in the
Venice Gondolier Sun.
Posted By Ed Martin at 10:54 AM in Category:
Inside Venice
Wednesday, 19
Council Member Jim Bennett Sends Thoughtful Letter on His Views About Pineapple Sign Variance
Ed:
I know you were disappointed at Council's unanimous approval of the Pineapples' sign variance appeal, because you didn't see any "hardship." I thought I would comment to you, as a constituent, my own view on the subject, and that it might be helpful to you and others in the community. You may use the attachment in any way you wish. I can't say, of course, whether this point of view has any great or small currency in Florida, but it is somewhat of a rephrase of what I think wa
Posted By Ed Martin at 11:24 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Daniels, Calamaras and Midlam Intrude in City Affairs
Note: I have not spoken to Isaac Turner about this event, having my information from Venice citizens and the press. I will be following up on this story in more detail.
I received the following email from a citizen who suggests that he is going to petition the Mayor and Council to reject this ridiculous behavior and support the City Manager.
"I have NO doubt EG “Dan” Boone is behind this midnight raid. For those of you who follow the city server, about 4-6 weeks
Posted By Ed Martin at 10:49 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Tuesday, 18
Mayor/Council Meet at Waterford: Face Citizen Board Members Among Others
Mayor John Holic, facing several “chairs” of citizen committees and task forces at a special public meeting today at Waterford, apologized for having them read of his intentions to consider merging and eliminating committees in the news media, rather than hearing from him directly or having him seek their views.
The Council spent most of the time in discussion about health benefits for City Employees finding the issue, according to one observer, more complicated than some of the new membe
Posted By Ed Martin at 9:24 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Monday, 17
Marshall Happer Writes Mayor/Council on Reasons Not to Consolidate Certain Volunteer Committees
Marshall Happer's letter should provide all citizens with cause for concern. He carefully identifies weaknesses in the proposals being considered by City Council which will eliminate and weaken citizen involvement on committees. Also he points out practical problems which will reduce City efficiency.
The Mayor provides only a formal reply with no engagement in the issues being raised from his perspective.
As I wrote in the Gondolier and on this site, these serious changes
Posted By Ed Martin at 9:14 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Friday, 14
FODOR REPORT SHOWS BETTER ECONOMIC GROWTH IN SLOW GROWTH AND STABLE CITIES VERSUS FAST GROWTH.
Sue Lang forwarded the Fodor report to Council and Media outlets. The full letter and link to Fodor may be found in Guest Bloggers in the right column.
Here are some excerpts which should be of interest to the business and resident community in Venice.
Some of the remarkable findings:
Faster-growing areas did not have lower unemployment rates.
Faster-growing areas tended to have lower per capita income than slower-growing areas.Per capita income in 2009 ten
Posted By Ed Martin at 12:22 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Eben Fodor Reports that Slow Growth Cities, Stable Growth Cities, Outperform Fast Growth Economics
Sue Lang forwarded this communication from Eben Fodor to the City Council and Media. Interesting reading.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Most cities in the U.S. have operated on the assumption that growth is inherently beneficial and that more and faster growth will benefit local residents economically. Local growth is often cited as the cure for urban ailments, especially the need for local jobs. But where is the empirical evidence that growth is providing these
Click Here to Link directly to this article publisheed in the
Fodor Reports.
Posted By Sue Lang at 12:18 PM in Category:
Guest Bloggers
Wednesday, 12
Note to Kim Hackett About "5 minute rule" as Mentioned in her Article This Morning
Hi Kim, see the basketball prodigy is doing well, Congratulations to her.
About the five minutes. In a quasi-judicial hearing the City has adopted a policy of providing equity for speakers and representatives (e.g. counsel) of citizens who testify in response to the petitioner and his attorneys. This came about after the City lost a ruling in court, because the developers and attorneys would sometimes take hours to make a presentation and the respondents were given five minutes.
Posted By Ed Martin at 6:02 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Rod Warner, Advocate for Keeping 41 bypass South of Venice Avenue at Four Lanes Replies to City plan
The City's Venice ByPass Plan for six lane widening,which the FDOT designed in 2007, is a what's livable question for the residents and businesses (who we're told were last asked about it in 2006). Sarasota with the same congested US41 corridor, collecting citizen input in 2009-10,researched today's "best practice" and adopted just last March a US 41 corridor plan that retains US 41 as four-lanes featuring a multi-modal series of modern roundabouts for quicker,safer flow for all people using the
Posted By Rod Warner at 5:30 PM in Category:
Guest Bloggers
Tuesday, 11
John Ryan, Chamber President, States Chamber Position on Bypass 41 Widening and Alternate Plans
To:
Mayor John Holic, Venice City Council Members & Venice City Manager Isaac Turner
Board of County Commissions Chair Joe Barbetta, Sarasota County Commissioners & County Administrator Jim Ley
For the record, the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce has been a strong supporter of the widening of the US 41 Bypass from the current four lanes to six lanes. The Chamber was also the first organization to publicly propose splitting this project into 3 phases to make
Posted By Ed Martin at 10:07 PM in Category:
Guest Bloggers
Council Approves Pineapple’s Sign Variance, Bypass 41 Plan
Council unanimously approved a variance for Pineapple’s to double the size of one sign, and increase the size of two more beyond the zoning limit for that district of 20 square feet.
The unanimous vote suggests that my concern for the possible negative precedent of the size of signs was not similarly viewed. I was the only person to speak against the variance.
Council members expressed a variety of views from wanting to be “pro business,” to recognizing the size o
Posted By Ed Martin at 9:58 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Monday, 10
Marshall Happer Offers Suggestions to Council for Budget Savings; Hiring Police Chief.
Editor's Note: This letter appeared on the public City Email Server and was not directly submitted to Inside Venice.
Dear Mayor Holic and Members of the City Council:
During the recent City Council campaign, each of the 8 candidates (including me) agreed that the projected 2011 budget shortfall of $3.1 million was the most pressing issue for the City and I applaud your efforts to begin immediately to try to deal with it.
You have requested input fro
Posted By Ed at 5:52 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Saturday, 8
Inside Venice in Gondolier Sun: Eliminating and Merging Committees Reduces Public Participation
The proposal to merge or eliminate city boards and commissions, as described in the Gondolier Sun, presents a basket of apples and oranges, perhaps with a few lemons. It deserves careful review by the public before implementation.
For more click on the link to the Gondolier Sun. Note the Gondo article omits identification of the topic- the termination of the committee dealing with environment and the merger of the public art and historic boards. The text is present but the refere
Click Here to Link directly to this article publisheed in the
Venice Gondolier Sun.
Posted By Ed at 10:32 AM in Category:
Inside Venice
Friday, 7
Interesting Choices Face City on Bypass 41 Traffic Flow
An interesting letter from Rod Warner to Mayor Holic and Council Member Gates and the Chamber of Commerce, which has long been interested in the widening of Bypass 41, highlights possible alternatives to widening.
The City's position has long favored widening, but there is food for thought here. I opposed (prior to Mayoralty) the widening of B. 41 without traffic easing to help the businesses on the east side, and to help pedestrians cross. Revisions to that end may be possible in
Posted By Ed Martin at 6:48 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Beautification Underway at 41 and Business 41 North of City
After a long wait and multiple efforts by the City, planting has begun at the northern junction of US 41 and Business 41. What an improvement that will make.
During my years on Council we consistently highlighted the desirability of landscaping the empty areas created by the road improvements. Areas where there had been trees and plants were denuded during construction and swales for run-off water were created.
It appeared in early discussions with DOT that no pl
Posted By Ed Martin at 6:37 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Thursday, 6
Mayor Holic's Remarks at Groundbreaking for Venice H.S
Building a Stronger Community
What makes a Strong Community?
Is it the business community, the job opportunities, the quality of medical services, the history of the city, the sports teams, the quality of education, the cultural activities, or the people? I think you will agree that a strong community contains all of these pillars and in Venice, we are blessed with exceptional quality in most of these areas.
Venice has a strong business community with a mix of ma
Posted By Ed Martin at 3:08 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Excellent Pizza at Cosimo's Too
For a review of an exceptional, thin crust pizza click on Best Bytes in the righthand column. Enjoy
Posted By Ed Martin at 2:46 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Exceptional Pizza at Cosimo's Too, Westfield Mall
I wish I could tell you that this excellent pizza was in Venice, but it is found, in Westfield Sarasota Square Mall.
Cosimo's Too is found on the side of the mall where one enters to the AMC movies, south of Sears.
Looking for something more appealing than the Food Court or Ruby Tuesday's offers I tried the Cosimo's Trattoria and Tavern for lunch.
From a very attractive menu of choices I picked a 12" Pizza Margherita, tomatoes, mozzarella and what turn
Posted By Ed Martin at 2:43 PM in Category:
Best Bytes (Food)
Wednesday, 5
"PINEAPPLES" ASKS COUNCIL TO IGNORE VENICE SIGN ORDINANCE: SET TERRIBLE PRECEDENT
Hoping to get Council to override a Planning Commission denial, next Tuesday Pineapples will ask Council to allow it to expand three signs currently in place, including doubling to 40 square feet the primary sign which is limited by City Ordinance to 20 square feet. Two other signs on the building, will also be raised above the legal limit which the City has used with all other restaurants in the same area of the City.
The current signs are clearly visible from hundreds of feet
Posted By Ed Martin at 6:07 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Monday, 3
Terminating/Merging City Commissions
I am gathering information about the proposal to merge or eliminate city boards and task forces. I have some reservations about the approach and possible consequences.
I expect to publish some thoughts this weekend. Meanwhile if you have some views, please comment below.
Thanks
Posted By Ed Martin at 4:37 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
Sunday, 2
Jello Again--From the Sharks' Tooth Capital of the World, It's the Inside Venice Show!
If you live here, the odds favor your having watched the Jack Benny Show, starring Mary Livingston, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Dennis Day, Don Wilson, Mel Blanc, and more, so the chances are you are smiling and remembering.
Peggy and I returned today from cruise to the Panama Canal and back, once again visiting the engineering masterpiece of this century.
We have a couple of "hamburger favorites" see the comments on the recent posting and let us know what your favorite
Posted By Ed Martin at 7:43 PM in Category:
Inside Venice
