Welcome to the 2008 Balance Sheet. We are starting a new edition, given the new political climate taking hold in Hollywood. Like a wave of fresh air, we expect to see a new respect for innovative ideas and citizen contributions, and we think more residents will want to become involved in our city.
To understand the difference between our past and present, take a look at these two comments made shortly after the election that brought us a new mayor and three new commissioners:
Peter Bober, Hollywood's New Mayor: "One of the first changes people will see is that there's going to be a mayor that stresses respect."
City Commissioner Fran Russo on Hollywood's new mayor: "A lot of people didn't vote for him in my district, and I openly supported Mara. I am sure he's going to try to make me pay for it."
The old regime stressed loyalty, and people were indeed "made to pay" if they dared to diverge. Many Hollywood residents, and even Commissioners, seemingly could not imagine a climate of respect and chose to conform rather than face the vindictiveness and marginalization that were doled out to those who did not go along. We expect that the new city commission will leave behind the old ways. Fear not, Commissioner Russo.
The new city commission may need a little time to settle in, but they will need to do their homework quickly because many pressing issues must be addressed. From time to time, we will cover some of them on this website. The Balance Sheet seeks to provide information about a wide range of Hollywood issues that are not generally covered in any depth in the mainstream media: issues like our water and sewer capacity, the health of our beach, neighborhood conditions, the city budget, development and growth, and many more. Our goal is to inform, and to create a public forum for discussion. Use the CONTACT link to send in your views, your comments, and ideas. We will post the comments we receive unless you instruct us otherwise. Let's get Hollywood humming with possibilities!
Balance Sheet Website Wins "Best of 2006" Award
"... this site seeks to better balance the public's role in decisions made by city officials. The philosophy underlying the site is that Hollywood's city government doesn't give average citizens much say-so about how their taxes are spent.... This all comes at a crucial time for residents of Hollywood, as its elected officials oversee the explosion of development in a small town in the throes of either remaking itself into a kingdom of looming condos for the wealthy or maintaining its Old Florida charm as it grows. An editorial on the website opened with this salvo across the bow: "The city commission continues to slip millions of our public dollars and valuable tracts of our public land into private hands: developers, attorneys and former city staff members are the major beneficiaries."
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