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The Town of Southwest Ranches, Corrections Corporation of American (CCA), and DHS / ICE want to build one of the largest immigration detention centers in the nation within walking distance of thousands of homes; thus, reducing the quality of our life and our community. We do not agree with the federal government privatizing our immigration detention centers throughout the nation when there is clear evidence that privatizing our prisons creates a clear public safety threat. For ICE to continue to privatize these institutions and bring this safety threat through their "secure communities Initiative" to our community is unacceptable. Depriving someone of their liberty is a non-delegable governmental function and privatizing of such a function is infecting our nation like a virus.

The Town of Southwest Ranches has now entered into it's THIRD Fire Contract within the last year now with the Town of Davie, costing taxpayers $120,000 in ramp up fees. They are now closing several roads in western Southwest Ranches charging the tax payers $80,000 for the gates. They have paid an unknown amount of money for lobbying with ICE regarding this prison. They have several lawsuits against the Town, 1- Involving Open Meeting Violations on a November 5th meeting concerning the ICE Detention Center, 2- Open Records Violations, and 3- The Town is putting together a lawsuit to sue Pembroke Pines for breach of contract because the City utilized their exit clause and cancelled for convenience their Fire/EMS contract which included water and sewer at the last minute for the CCA prison. In the contract it states that there should be no third party beneficiaries. CCA would be a third party in this instance.

CCA has also filed suit in Federal court against the City of Pembroke Pines saying they are denying them water however the City had never seen a water application. The City did file for a Declaratory Judgement in State Court but that has been put on hold until the Federal Court hears the suit from CCA.

Is ANYONE CONFUSED as to why the Pembroke Pines/Southwest Ranches Fire Agreement was cancelled? The Town Attorney Keith Poliakoff attempted to "slip" into the agreement a portion that guaranteed water for the prison at CCA's request. This is something that should have been brought up separately. CCA should have brought it forward on their own in a water application. This is sleight of hand that CCA and the Town attempted to do because they were so afraid of CCA being on the Pembroke Pines agenda.

As of June 2012, ICE put out a statement that the site selection was no longer needed due to the fact that the extra bedspace was no longer needed. READ UPDATE HERE!


Thursday, March 15, 2012

SWR TOWN MANAGER RESIGNS

BREAKING NEWS... DATELINE, MARCH 15, 2012, SOUTHWEST RANCHES, BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA.


KEN FIELDS, WHO WAS SOUTHWEST RANCHES TOWN MANAGER FOR THREE MONTHS, RESIGNED TODAY.  KEN POTENTIALLY FACED A VERY ANGRY, HOSTILE, AND PUNITIVE TOWN COUNCIL AT A SPECIALLY CONVENED MEETING TONIGHT TO DISCUSS HIS TERMINATION.  (THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.) THIS CAME AFTER SOME OF THE MOST FIERY ANTICS SEEN IN SWR HISTORY AT LAST WEEK'S TOWN COUNCIL MEETING WHERE VICE MAYOR DOUG MCKAY WENT SO FAR AS TO POUND THE DAIS IN FRUSTRATION AT THE MANAGER'S APPARENT INSUBORDINATION.



THIS IS NOT A NEW PATH FOR MR. FIELDS.  HE RESIGNED UNDER SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES FROM HIS TOWN MANAGER POSITION IN ISLAMORADA BACK IN 2010.  A GOLDEN PARACHUTE WAS PROVIDED THEN AS IT IS RUMORED NOW.



IN OUR OPINION, ATTORNEY KEITH POLIAKOFF MUST BE A HAPPY MAN TO OBTAIN HIS SEAT AS DE FACTO TOWN MANAGER AGAIN AFTER LOSING THE REINS AND BEING CHALLENGED BY FIELDS OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS.

FRUSTRATION WITH FIELDS CAME TO A FULL BOIL LAST WEEK AFTER REPEATEDLY DISALLOWING COUNCILMEN FROM ATTENDING STAFF MEETINGS, FOLLOWING WHICH HE UNILATERALLY GAVE A NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF HIS STAFF RAISES WITHOUT SEEKING CONSENT OF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR OR COUNCIL.

THE TOWN CHARTER REQUIRES A STRONG MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT. APPARENTLY THIS DOESN'T SIT WELL WITH TOWN COUNCIL.

THIS RESIGNATION OCCURS AS SWR JUST LOST THEIR FIRE CONTRACT AND NEEDS A STAFF TO UPGRADE THE EXISTING VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT TO A PROFESSIONAL DEPARTMENT OR NEGOTIATE A NEW CONTRACT. IT OCCURS AS THE TOWN IS ABOUT TO RECEIVE A POSSIBLE 600 PAGE CONTRACT WITH ICE AND NEGOTIATE A MODIFIED CONTRACT WITH CCA.  

THIS IS FROM A TOWN GOVERNMENT SO DYSFUNCTIONAL AND FILLED WITH MALICE THAT THEY CLOSE ROADS AND DO NOT PROVIDE DRIVERS WITH AN OPTION ON HOW TO LEAVE THE AREA ONCE IN, MISTAKENLY CHARGES THEIR RESIDENTIAL UNITS $1 A YEAR FOR FIRE ASSESSMENT, AND CANNOT MAKE HEADS NOR TAILS OUT OF THEIR PERMIT FEE STRUCTURE.

FIELDS WAS THE 5TH TOWN MANAGER OR INTERIM MANAGER SINCE THE TOWN INCORPORATED IN 2000.

IS IT TIME FOR SOME RATIONALITY IN OUR TOWN GOVERNMENT?  SUPPORT CHARTER AMENDMENT CHANGES TO REQUIRE A 3 TO 2 VOTE TO HIRE OR FIRE THE NEXT TOWN MANAGER AND THE NEXT TOWN ATTORNEY RATHER THAN THE CURRENT, UNDEMOCRATIC, SUPER MAJORITY OF 4 TO 1.


AND APPARENTLY JEFF NELSON, DOUG MCKAY, GARY JABLONSKI, AND FREDDY FISIKELLI DID NOT DO THEIR HOMEWORK ON FIELDS AS WE BELIEVE THEY DIDN'T DO THEIR HOMEWORK ON A PRISON.

END TRANSMISSION...
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 15, 2012 at 9:28 PM

    Not a big surprise after seeing how Fields was ripped to shreds by councilmembers at last weeks town meeting! It was shocking and unprofessional! The residents of SWR need to "do their homework" come next election!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 16, 2012 at 5:20 PM

    Leave it to the inept council to hire someone knowing he had similar issues at a previous job. Welcome to SWR, home of incompetent leadership. My 6 year old has more intelligence on one hand than these guys combined

    ReplyDelete

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