The following letter was submitted to BocaWatch after being sent to City Council from a beach condo resident Joe Pedalino regarding incorrect statements made at a recent City Council meeting.
At the July 26, 2016 City Council Meeting, a Beach Condo Association (BCA) spokesperson and board member Emily Gentile read a letter written by Jack Fox, President of the BCA.As a sixteen year member of the BCA, serving several years on the Executive Board, I was appalled at the statements made by Jack Fox. The “FACTS” presented are a complete misrepresentation of the truth. The number of condos and owners quoted are not all from Boca Raton, many are from Highland Beach. Β Also, the numbers quoted are inflated, as many condos and owners are no longer active in the BCA. Β More importantly, the BCA does not “represent” the views of the member condos, nor the views of the owners. Β There was no vote taken at any BCA meeting. Β The most recent meeting held on April 19, 2016, with the next meeting not scheduled until October 18, 2016. Β Furthermore, there was no correspondence or communications with condo owners to determine their views on the issue as discussed in Jack Fox’s letter. Β In fact, the BCA has no master list of owners that are members of the BCA. Β At best, the views presented in Jack Fox’s letter only represented the views of the Executive Board, which is comprised of five members, one of whom is not a condo owner, two are from the same condo and one is from Highland Beach. Obviously, this is not a true cross-section of member condos and their owners. Β Notwithstanding my comments, I do admire Jack Fox’s ability as an excellent writer of fiction.No matter what the issue, and no what your position…one must hold themselves up to a standardΒ of integrity and honesty, particularly as aΒ representative speaking for others.Respectfully submitted,Joe Pedalino
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It’s OK to have a viewpoint. It’s OK to have a controversial viewpoint. But it’s not OK to lie to our city council in a quasi-judicial environment. I wonder how different some things in Boca would be if we were to prosecute sworn speakers at our quasi-judicial proceedings that intentionally misrepresent the truth. In fact, why DON’T we prosecute sworn speakers at our quasi-judicial proceedings that intentionally misrepresent the truth?