Endorsement: Adam Barringer for NSB mayor

Headline Surfer photos / Adam Barringer finished first in the Sept. 22 primary election for mayor of New Smyrna Beach. Incumbent Sally Macvkay finished a close second in the three-candidate field with Marilee Walters a distant third and out of the running. Barringer and Mackay will vie for the elected post in the November elections. Peter Mallory makes the case for why Barringer should prevail in his column here below.

By PETER MALLORY

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Mayor Sally Mackay cares about the residents and their quality of life in this seaside community that offers not only the hard sands of the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, but also peace and tranquility. It's too bad the same can't be said for the governing of New Smyrna Beach, which is why the candidacy of Adam Barringer has caught fire.

New Smyrna Beach residents need tax relief and real action to cut bloated municipal salaries, benefits and questionable land purchases. The city needs to allow for economic development. New Smyrna Beach needs Adam Barringer's business acumen, strong educational credentials and his desire for a more affordable and business-friendly city government. Headline Surfer endorses the candidacy of Adam Barringer for mayor of New Smyrna Beach.

Barringer is the person we have been waiting for to lead us out of the political malaise of the last two years. Besides NSBNEWS.net, Barringer has been endorsed by the Teamsters Union, which represents city police. the International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents the city's firefighters and the Board of Realtors.

Barringer has shown through his tireless campaigning and fundraising that has the political muscle and moxie to get the job done as mayor. All we've heard for the last two years are empty pledges, way too much political infighting on the City Commission dais and laying the blame on others for the lack of action in reigning in spending that has cost the taxpayers literally millions.

Mackay, the first-term incumbent, is absolutely correct in her assertion that New Smyrna Beach has enjoyed the lowest mill rates of all the coastal cities in Volusia County over the last couple of years. But what she fails to acknowledge is that New Smyrna Beach also had the highest property tax assessments in Volusia County per capita at the height of the housing boom.

And because of that, New Smyrna Beach residents were overtaxed prior to her 2007 election. It's not coincidental that with those taxes, municipal employees, especially those in upper management saw huge increases with the city manager, city attorney and others seeing their salaries double, and in some cases, even triple (see our in-depth report: 'Show Me The Money').

Mackay's governance has done nothing to quell spending increases, relying almost exclusively on the reserves that came from over-taxation, including nearly another $1 million just earlier this month to artificially lower tax bills by an average of $35 per home while allowing employees to collectively receive an additional $1.5 million over what they received in the just-completed fiscal year.

The city's $9 million in reserves not only were fueled by over-taxation, but also reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for several natural disasters, including a tornado and hurricanes. And while Mackay has talked of "zero-based budgeting" it has not happened.

In September 2008, the proposed budget for fiscal 2009 was cut by $1.3 million after Bouchelle Island resident threatened to recall the mayor and the four commissioners. They caved and instead relied on the reserves. This year was no different. Different city manager, same result.

But this time Mackay didn't push for the budget to be lowered because of Koleszar. She lost in the Sept. 22 primary by 15 votes to a relatively unknown businessman, Adam Barringer. This time around, she was in full support of everything she had argued against with the likes of Koleszar. It was too late to make any meaningful cuts.

The reserves were too tempting and Mackay jumped on their usage. Now with Early Voting underway and the general election on Tuesday, Interim City Manager Pam Brangaccio has received her marching orders from the mayor: Make the cuts. Squeeze everyone back into City Hall. That's because the city is under the gun.

By voting once again to raid the reserves, the cap on taxes for the next fiscal year will be capped at $8.9 million, thanks to Florida tax reform, while the city spent a million more than that for this fiscal year. Anything over $8.9 million will be considered a tax increase.

Barringer says that if elected, he would have an economic plan for the entire city within the first 100 days in office. What was Mackay's response in the third and final candidates debate, all sponsored by the Public Watch Committee and Headline Surfer? "It is pie in the sky to talk economic development," the mayor said. "We need to be as efficient as possible to make sure what we have is sustainable... The people are not thinking about economic development, they are thinking about surviving." Mackay has had two full years to get the city's house in order and she hasn't gotten the job done. We can't afford two more years of stagnancy and apathy to make meaningful cuts.

Adam Barringer says that if elected, he would have an economic plan for the entire city within the first 100 days in office. What was Mayor Sally Mackay's response in the third and final candidates debate, all sponsored by the Public Watch Committee and Headline Surfer?

"It is pie in the sky to talk economic development," the mayor said. "We need to be as efficient as possible to make sure what we have is sustainable... The people are not thinking about economic development, they are thinking about surviving."

Mackay has had two full years to get the city's house in order and she hasn't gotten the job done. We can't afford two more years of stagnancy and apathy to make meaningful cuts.

What's frightening is that in the absence of real cost cutting, first responders -- police and fire -- will be among the first on the chopping block because they account for the bulk of personnel. Already, the unions representing them have agreed not to take pay raises this fiscal year, but that's not a long-term solution.

The mayor and Commissioner Randy Richenberg, who also is up for re-election, say they wanted to make serious cuts, they did manage to cut $14,000 by eliminating water and coffee for the employees. Yet, even in the new fiscal year, there is bottled water for the commissioners and the mayor.

Not only did the unions do their share by agreeing to forgo raises for a year, Police Chief Ron Pagano eliminated five open police slots from his budget.

Several veteran firefighters came to the mayor and commission in open session earlier this year saying they were willing to retire, if the city gave them a financial incentive to do so. Instead of taking them up on their offer, the mayor did nothing. Even Brangaccio, the interim city manager, said earlier this month that buyouts would be expensive in the short run but save the city far more over the long haul.

Instead, Mackay has focused her attention on questionable spending, especially in these tough economic times. Here are some glaring examples:

• DUNN LUMBER PROPERTY -- The City Commission in January voted to allow the Community Redevelopment Agency to spend $417,000 to purchase the 9,500-square-foot former Dunn Lumber property at the corner of U.S. 1 and West Canal Street, which was appraised between $373,000 and $600,000. Of course, the appraisals don't take into consideration the fact that the site is infested with arsenic.

With no stated purpose, the city, at Mackay's urging not to "quibble" over pricing, paid full-market value for a sliver of property that could have been acquired at a fraction of the cost through eminent domain. The site had been on the open market for nearly five years. At the third debate, the mayor said she didn't believe in eminent domain, but didn't elaborate why.

CRA Director Kevin Fall told the commission after its vote to acquire Dunn Lumber: "We will immediately clean it up and dress up the landscape." A full 10 months later, not a shovel-full of the arsenic tainted dirt has been removed and the only landscaping has been the boarding up of a large glass window.

And earlier this month, the city's call for proposals to develop the Dunn Lumber site had no takers, even though the city has secured a $400,000 federal grant to help clean up the arsenic. There has been talk of using the property as a turning lane off of U.S. 1, which is badly needed, but the state could have done that without the city purchasing the property. The property is off the tax rolls and the city is stuck with the clean-up and no takers.

The CRA's finances have been called into question, itself with bloated salaries to the tune of $1.8 million annually and County Councilman Jack Hayman calling for a state audit.

• AIRPORT NOISE STUDY -- The City Commission, at the urging of the mayor spent $216,000 in local tax money as part of a matching federal grant for a noise study for the Nerw Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport. The study, unveiled in February, concluded what was obvious from the start: The noise levels are within legal limits and anyone choosing to living near an airport can expect noise.

• FIRING OF CITY MANAGER -- The mayor, along with Commissioner Richenberg and Commissioner Lynne Plaskett engineered the firing of City Manager John Hagood in February at a cost of $297,000 to the taxpayers to fulfill his contract. He was do to retire in September, but was ousted for what amounted to a seven-month vacation. The mayor said Hagood was not competent in the job while Hagood countered she micro-managed the affairs of city government contrary to the city manager form of government as called for in the city charter. The cost to the taxpayers didn't end there, Tens of thousands more have been spent on not one, but two interim city managers since then with Pam Brangaccio currently receiving $10,000 a month in pay plus several thousand more in housing, car and phone allowances.

• ANGLER'S CLUB -- The city spent $20,000 for an outside attorney to determine whether the city could win a court battle with the Angler's Club over a 99-year lease, and even though he said the city would likely prevail in invalidating the lease through the courts, he recommended negotiations. He also ended up costing the city $28,000.

Barringer, a member of the Anglers said he, too, favors negotiations and has pledged to recuse himself from any future voting should he become mayor. While the Anglers ;lease is certainly important to ensuring the city gets its fair share of property values, the NSB government needs to ensure it is collecting market leases for all of its leased properties.

The gridlock on businesses being able to take foot, expand or relocate within New Smyrna Beach is a much more important issue that is hurting this city.

With that said, Barringer brings a great educational and entrepreneurial record to the table. Barringer has several academic degrees including a master’s degree in business and a PHD. He has run several successful businesses including Barringer Construction and So Napa, a wine restaurant in the Publix Plaza on the beachside.

At this point in time New Smyrna Beach is suffering an almost militant attitude toward business activities and an unsustainable level of spending at city hall. When an entrepreneur goes to city hall for permits, etc., to build a new business or extend an existing one the attitude almost seems to be “over my dead body.”

This approach with no doubt “save the charm." It will save the charm until the charm rusts and rots away.

If we are to keep the city alive something has to change. Adam Barringer is the man who recognizes this problem and will make the necessary changes in motion.

On the spending side of the problem we are suffering from too many city employees. Furthermore, many of the employees are being paid a lot more than they could be making in the private business world. We are also suffering from bad individual spending decisions.

Turning to the developing of businesses, we have driven the Super Wal-Mart out of town and it appears ready to re-emerge out by I-95. This will end up drawing even more businesses out of the city to the east. Lowes has also been driven out of the city and apparently, McDonald's almost wasn’t allowed to remake their store because of city red tape. The people who are thinking of building a Hotel on Flagler must have the patience of Job in the Bible to put up with the run around they are getting from city hall with delay after delay.

Sally Mackay is a hard-working, very. personable and well-liked politician who is doing the best she can. However, so far it appears that nothing is happening that really needs to happen. This applies to both the business friendly aspect of the city as well as the taxpayer friendly aspect of the city.

The entrepreneurial experience and enthusiasm that Adam Barringer force us to pick him over Sally Mackay to attack the severe problems that New Smyrna faces now and over the next few years with this entrenched recession. All indications are that the present economic malaise will continue a lot longer than anybody could have predicted.

The mayor points to Barringer's lack of experience in government, but we don't buy into her notion that her five years on the planning and zoning board was a difference maker for her either. She had two years to do the job, and even if one is to buy into her notion that Hagood was an obstacle the first year of her two-year term, she certainly had the second year to right the city's budget ship. On the eve of the election is too late.

We need to get on with the necessary moves to get New Smyrna healthy again. We at nsbnews.net believe that Adam Barringer is the right choice to build consensus, extend an olive branch to work with Commissioners Jack Grasty, James Hathaway and Lynne Plaskett as well as commissioner candidate Judy Reiker to have the vote on the dais, 5-0, and not the 3-2 split that has split the community.

New Smyrna Beach has renewed hope, with a promise for economic prosperity with a proposed hotel on Flagler, better scrutiny and focus for the CRA, renewed attention to the Westside and badly needed attention of the U.S. 1 corridor. Adam Barringer is the one to lead this city. He is the endorsed candidate for mayor.  

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Posted: 2009-10-26 01:27:21