Real Estate Blog

It's hard to say who is more upset and frustrated in Palm Beach County today. Taxpayers, for the corruption and waste on the Board of County Commissioners, or teachers for the waste and mismanagement on the School Board. Either way, the people who matter in our community are hopping mad and we are doing something about it. The November elections promise a shake up in the political establishment not seen in two decades in Palm Beach County.

The Classroom Teachers Association took the highly unusual step today of interviewing for possible endorsement candidate Sherry Lee. Endorsement or not, this sends a clear signal to her opponent, a 16 year school board member, that they are ready for new leadership.

The County Commission can keep giving hundreds of millions of dollars to big corporations to get them to come here and create jobs, but without quality education and a low cost of living, they will not stay. Our priorities have got to be put in order and balance restored before the economic engine of this county will fire on all cylinders. Communities that focus on education and a sustainable cost of living create a far more attractive environment for more people and businesses to thrive, thereby generating a vibrant and diverse economy and quality of life. 

To find out more about me and my campaign for county commissioner, please visit my website at www.SherryLee4PBC.com

The GOP annual Lobsterfest was ahuge success and many fine candidates spoke, including Col. Allen West, Rep. Tom Rooney, Rep. Carl Domino and Sherry Lee, as candidate for Palm Beach County Commission District 2.

See pictures and more http://sherrylee4pbc.com/category/News/

I have been hard at work campaigning, getting reacquainted with friends and neighbors and meeting many new people along the way. 

Real estate has been slow since it is off-season and the tax credit has expired. So, I am blessed to have the time to spend with people, hearing about their issues and making plans for how we will restore our local economy. 

What will I do when I am elected Palm Beach County Commissioner for District 2?

I will make a priority of getting spending back to pre-boom levels. This is about sustainability and the promises our government makes on our behalf and whether or not we can afford them.  We have examples of other cities, states and even countries who have ignored this issue to their demise. Palm Beach County is filled with generous and hard working people who need to know that government is not trying to bankrupt them. Everything else will have a way of working itself out if we can make the financial stability of our residents the focus at all times. 

I will work to make Palm Beach County Government:

Open - public involvement through technology, town halls and teamwork -People know what they need. Government officials need to listen more and talk less. Private citizens should dictate government activities and not lobbyists and special interest groups.

Ethical - workers held to the highest possible ethical standards - Palm Beach County has seen it’s reputation suffer due to corruption and ethical lapses. People need to be able to trust their officials again and officials need to do whatever is necessary to facilitate that.

Limited - lower taxes, less spending & bureaucracy - The more government attempts to do, the less individuals can do for themselves. Limiting government activities and budgets will naturally expand personal liberties.

Equitable – compensation that is in line with the private sector - Passive governing has lead to public sector compensation that is bankrupting local governments around the country. We can learn from our mistakes and take corrective action now.

Sustainable - a budget that fits the new economy - Government is trying to sustain budgets and spending based on boom era incomes and property values. We have a right to have our government live within OUR means.

We need to prioritize the budget – Palm Beach County government has grown at an alarming rate, far outpacing the growth in population and incomes. From 1996 to 2006, the county budget ballooned from 1.5 billion dollars to 4.5 billion dollars, wiping out savings accounts, home equity and ultimately trapping and bankrupting thousands of residents. Now, in spite of double digit unemployment and 70,000 foreclosures, Palm Beach County is still spending over 4 billion dollars annually, crying poor and asking for more. By prioritizing spending, we can create a sustainable budget and stop spending money that we don’t have.

We need to reduce unnecessary revenue collections – We all know the real reason red light cameras were installed. I believe this is a clear example of government over stepping its boundaries in order to collect more money. Other not so obvious examples are going on everyday, like when the county contracted with FPL to raise utility fees on PBC residents by 11 million dollars, and when Commissioner Aaronson asked for a study on putting parking meters in more places around the county, like Miami Beach, where parking is $3/hour. I don’t think the problem is a shortage of parking meters Mr. Aaronson. Miami has a 100 million dollar budget shortfall this year too.

We need to stimulate the economy – The concept is simple. When taxes and fees are lower, people keep more of their own money, and then they spend it on things like giving to the charity of their choice, instead of one the county has chosen for them, or going out to dinner and the movies, starting a new business, buying furniture or a car, or adding on to their home. I would propose a tax holiday for Palm Beach County residents. Let’s put the theory to test and see once and for all if  lowering taxes stimulates the economy. We have tried raising them and it hasn’t worked.

We need to restore economic sustainability – Once we prioritize the spending, we can look for savings in other areas, like negotiating more affordable contracts, removing overtime from pension calculations, bringing private and public employee benefits in line, repealing the fire sales surtax bills HB365 and SB100, and 10% pay cuts for commissioners. Limiting government driven priorities will reduce the overall tax burden on individuals and small businesses so they will be able to survive, stabilize, expand, and eventually thrive again.

Mike Lameyer & Sherry Lee at July 1 CV 912 Super Seniors Meeting

Mike Lameyer is running for Florida Senate District 27.  Sherry Lee is campaigning for Palm Beach County Commissioner in District 2.

All Century Village residents are invited to attend this July 1st meeting to hear these candidates and ask any questions they may have.  W Palm Beach Century Village is a gated community, but anyone outside Century Village who wishes to attend can request visiting privileges and a call-in by e-mailing to: CV912SuperSeniors@gmail.com

No free ride for Democrat Burdick as Republican joins commission race

It's official!

Today I filed papers to run for Palm Beach County Commission District 2. The seat was going to go unchallenged to yet another career politician and I just could not stand to watch that happen.

During the real estate boom, county government grew its revenues and spending at an alarming rate, far outpacing the growth in population or incomes. From 1996 to 2006, the county budget ballooned from 1.5 billion dollars to 4.5 billion dollars, wiping out savings accounts and home equity and ultimately bankrupting thousands of residents. And now, in spite of double digit unemployment, 70,000 foreclosures and no end in sight, Palm Beach County is still spending over 4 billion dollars annually, crying poor and asking for more.

I say ENOUGH already! 

By prioritizing the spending, eliminating overlapping services and negotiating sustainable contracts, we can begin to stabilize the economy and improve the standard of living for more residents. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to send someone to the county commission who will view government from the perspective of the private citizen and champion the most basic of principals: Liberty.

PB County Commissioners are showing us how out of touch they are.

A few dozen private citizens took valuable time away from work to attend a commission this week because firefighters are trying to raise the sales tax by 16%. We did our homework, spent a lot of time getting our neighbors to come and we carefully rehearsed our speeches since we have only 3 minutes to speak during the public comments part of the meeting.

Once there, we had to sit through several proclamations where the commissioners recognized members of the state legislature who were in town. This was an ugly display of government officials posing for photos and congratulating each other on what a great job they are all doing.  Commissioner Aaronson commented on what a great job State Rep. Mary Brandenburg did getting red light cameras passed.  "It took eight years," Rep. Brandenburg said, "but we got it done."  Great job sticking it to the people, Mary.

Immediately afterward, Commissioner Aaronson announced that public comments would be cut from 3 to 2 minutes per person, since there were so many people there to talk. And not one of the other commissioners objected. They came to raise our sales tax by 16% and cut our allotted time to speak by a third. They eliminated 35 minutes of public comments and did not appear concerned at all by what they were not going to hear.

But they got to pat each other on the back for an hour.

Monday May 31, 2010, 8:55 pm EDT

View the expected trajectory of the plume.