Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth!

Last week was the busiest campaign week so far for City Council candidates. Fundraisers, debates, mailers and roadside signage began to appear everywhere.  All these items are in the Candidates’ effort to persuade you, the voter, to cast your vote for them in the March 13^th City Council election.

Last week, BocaWatch published a ‘Meet the Candidate’ profile on Armand Grossman, candidate for seat D, Boca Raton City Council.  This week, after observing Mr. Grossman’s performance in the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowners Association’s debate and now having read his mailer(s) and campaign handouts, BocaWatch must question Mr. Grossman’s honesty and his ability to discern truth from fiction; a concerning charge with significant consequences.

Truth be told, there are many items Mr. Grossman has stated in writing and on the debate stage that are simply not true.  Some of these are as follows:

1. Grossman’s literature, his website, and his comments state that he came to Boca Raton in 1965 and suggests that since then “he has developed a long standing, highly distinguished” participation in the Boca Raton community. Really???  After graduating from FAU, Mr. Grossman left Boca Raton for Miami Dade County, where he lived and worked for 35 years before returning to Boca Raton in 2002.  Ok…chalk this one up to ‘misleading’, perhaps not an actual lie….but what about this next item(s)…
2. When challenged at the Federation debate last week about his involvement in commercial real estate and development, Mr. Grossman unequivocally denied any involvement in commercial real estate; denied being a commercial real estate broker; denied any involvement with real estate development in downtown Boca Raton; and, denied any involvement with anything else related to real estate development…. Well, all these denials are patently untrue…why, you ask…. well here goes…
   • Grossman currently holds a Commercial Real Estate Broker license, a license that is in ACTIVE status until 09/30/2018. As of 2009, this license lists as its main address Mr. Grossman’s home address of 474 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton, Fl.  33432…so much for not being involved in commercial real estate;
   • As for downtown Boca Raton real estate development involvement, Mr. Grossman was elected a director of the Gold Coast Tiger Bay Club in 2014. His resume listed him then as Senior Executive VP of Development for Penn-Florida Companies.  Other references associating Mr. Grossman to Penn-Florida have been identified on the Internet.  Penn-Florida is the real estate development company that has brought Boca Raton the gargantuan apartment rental building on the corner of Camino Real and Federal Highway known as 101 Camino Real.  Of course, this is but one of three 160 feet high buildings planned for that location…the others will be the Mandarin Hotel and a ‘For Sale’ condo building on the adjacent lots north of the existing building…so much for no involvement in downtown real  estate development;
   • Public records reveal that Mr. Grossman’s broker license had as its initial ‘License Location Address’: 10400 NW S. River Dr. Miami, Fl. 33178. This address is the location of Miami Crane Services, Inc.  Grossman’s wife, Gina Grossman has been the Treasurer/Officer of Miami Crane Services since 2003.  So much for not having ties to any other real estate development elements in South Florida.
3. In his closing statement at the Federation Debate, Mr. Grossman stated in a stern, authoritative voice that he is “his own man” in this  city council campaign.  Really???  As pointed out last week, Mr. Grossman is closely linked to Jim Batmasian, the largest commercial land owner/developer in Boca Raton, who, of course, is deeply involved in a number of active ethics investigations involving embattled mayor, Susan Haynie, as reported by the Palm Beach Post.  Grossman is being assisted by Mr. Batmasian who is making phone calls; sending out emails; setting up appointments for Mr. Grossman; and planting Mr. Grossman’s campaign signs on all Investments Limited properties throughout the city….so much for being his own man….

There are other questionable statements made by Mr. Grossman some of which may be chalked up to bluster and others of which are ambiguous enough to not be downright lies but, I think you, the reader, get the point.  Mr. Grossman is asking you for your trust, your vote to elect him to a position of power and influence while,  at best, misleading you with his ‘facts’ , or, at worst, downright lying to you about what are easily demonstrated ‘actual’ facts.  You be the judge….

Mr. Grossman is seeking to be a policy maker for the residents of Boca Raton.  In the opening sentence of his campaign literature, he invokes the term ‘resident friendly’.  In last week’s ‘Meet the Candidate’ article, I suggested the use of this term could only be seen as a joke….I retract that statement…the use of that statement after what has now been uncovered can only be seen as a ‘lie’; a mistruth of epic proportion!

There can be no better example of a ‘DEVELOPER FRIENDLY’ candidate then Armand Grossman….

Remember, your vote is your voice; let your voice be heard loud and clear on March 13^th…

A vote for Armand Grossman is a vote for big development!!!!

Al Zucaro

P.S.:  At the time of this writing, Mr. Grossman was spotted at the Boca Raton Golf tournament in a private box….Yes, you guessed it….Penn-Florida….I wonder if the ticket’s cost of admission will appear on his financial reports later this month….AZ