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In
the follow-up commentary about The Villages’ Annual Survey, the Daily Sun
has given itself a compliment that the POA thinks is not justified. The
POA believes that the critiques of the Annual Survey by various department in
The Villages operations are vague, self-serving, and a whitewash exercise that
avoids the really important issues that should have been addressed in the
Survey. In
the Media Group’s comments, Mr. Larry Croom, Executive Editorial Manager of
The Villages Daily Sun, said that the newspaper doesn’t practice blowing up
“...some stories out of proportion and creating a stir in the community when
the story simply doesn’t warrant it.” Mr.
Croom is whitewashing the issue to counter a general belief of many residents
that the newspaper is slanted toward a favorable view of The Villages and that
it routinely censors news to the benefit of The Villages.
CEEB members were from outside either The Villages, Sumter County, or even the state. Most had a direct financial involvement with the planned construction. You
could scarcely not pick up a copy of the Daily Sun without seeing story after
story describing the CEEB goals of starting the construction and discrediting
Dan Farnsworth. Farnsworth was
effectively ridiculed for his belief that the development would destroy the
rural way of life in Sumter County that he and many others valued.
Many residents could see what appeared to be the Daily Sun’s
one-sided coverage. Farnsworth’s
reasoning was never given much if any coverage in the paper.
You might not have agreed with his reasoning, but you never saw it
fully explained in the Sun Was
this fair and balanced? Don’t think so! Commissioner
Roberts - The Daily Sun went out of its way to demonize Sumter County
Commissioner Jim Roberts over a variety of issues, most notably the library
for The Villages. Roberts
correctly pointed out that the developer of The Villages had promised to build
a library in its original development plan and appeared to be reneging on that
promise. Roberts was right –
but the Daily Sun printed story after story that mercilessly criticize Roberts
for his position that Sumter County should not be the one to build the
library. The developer apparently
does not like Roberts on the Sumter Board, and we think it shows in the
articles in the Daily Sun. Was
this fair and balanced? Don’t think so! Was
this fair and balanced? Don’t think so! The
2002 Elections - The newspaper’s leanings toward the Republican
candidates was noticed by many. The
lack of coverage of Democrats was equally noticeable.
Democrats complained about obstacles in even placing ads in the paper.
Favored candidates for the developer looked to be the darlings of the
newspaper and its frequent stories. These
attitudes throughout The Villages operation, apparently engendered by the
developer’s ideals, were so pervasive that Democrats even complained about
their roadside signs being taken down by Villages officials. Was
this fair and balanced? Don’t think so! The
Villages Hospital - Why do you think the Daily Sun has never fully
investigated the issues identified by the POA about the expansion of the
Villages hospital and the related tax?
We think it is because the developer wants the tax and its 20% off the
top and the Daily Sun doesn’t want to rock the boat on these issues against
the will of the developer. Frankly, any journalist organization worth it salt would have
jumped head first into this story
because these are important community issues and the main community newspaper
should have investigated every aspect of the tax and the expansion for its
readers. This would have been a
great investigative reporting series for the Sun.
Why didn’t the Sun do that? We
think it wants to support the developer’s line and not rock the boat. Is
this fair and balanced? Don’t
think so! The
POA and The VHA - Do you ever wonder why the VHA is favored by the
developer and has its stories published in the Daily Sun, whereas the POA does
not? We think this is because the
developer favors the VHA and actively and aggressively shuns the POA.
If the Daily Sun was really fair and balanced, you would think that it
would at least publish the full notices of POA monthly meetings in the paper.
But, it doesn’t. It has
even in the past excluded mention of the POA in the obituaries of POA officers
or directors. The POA led the
fight for the remodeling of the Paradise Center.
You would think that somewhere along the line the paper would have
mentioned this. It hasn’t.
The Daily Sun even distributes the VHA newspaper.
Why? We think the VHA is
developer-friendly and the Sun likes to promote that fact and accommodate the
VHA whenever possible. When the
POA advocates Residents’ Rights issues, the Daily Sun makes a point of
ignoring the POA Is
this fair and balanced? Don’t
think so! Summary
- Some might say that the developer owns the paper and that our national
tradition of a free press allows the developer to say whatever he wants.
The POA thinks this is OK on the editorial page; objectively reported
facts should be the rule in news stories.
The
POA thinks that the newspaper has an obligation to this community to report
the news in a fair and balanced manner with integrity and objectivity.
Less than that breeds the propaganda and misinformation that is seen in
totalitarian states. Are we
coming to that? So,
Villages Daily Sun, please don’t preach to us about fair and balanced
reporting and don’t tell us that the paper is a model of integrity and
objectivity in this community. Many
people would laugh at this assertion. The
Sun should be ashamed that its journalistic integrity is so easily compromised. This
community deserves a fair, balanced and objective newspaper and media to serve
the interests of residents. Maybe
if enough people speak up about this issue, we will see some changes.
Hope so! The
CEO of the Leesburg Regional Hospital System (LRMC), Mr. Richard Wooten, has
resigned his position. The
POA viewed Mr. Wooten as the main obstacle in the effort to start the
expansion of The Villages Regional Hospital (TVRH) soon and without the tax. The
POA believes that one of the reasons Mr. Wooten resigned was that he set his
feet in concrete on the tax issue. We
further believe that he was inflexible in the face of overwhelming community
opposition to the tax. We
believe that LRMC no longer needs the tax now that the objectionable 20%
payment off the top to the Morse family foundation was eliminated.
We
have said often that there should not be a need for a public tax handout in
our community where there is high demand and favorable demographics. The
POA also believes that any further delay in starting the expansion is
morally wrong because people will die waiting for the expansion to be
completed. To reemphasize,
further delays are morally wrong. We
would ask that the LRMC board now honor a request that the POA originally
submitted to Mr. Wooten. This
is: to provide to the POA copies of the two Ernst & Young feasibility
studies that examined the financing requirements for the expansion.
It would be a sign of good faith for the LRMC board to provide this
information for community review. The POA is hopeful that wiser minds will now prevail and that the LRMC board will start the expansion in the near future. The
following letter was sent to LRMC directors by the POA president in early
March along with a copy of the March POA Bulletin: Dear
LRMC Director: Enclosed
is the March, 2005, copy of the POA Bulletin. This
lead article summarizes the wishes of Village residents for the hospital.
Foremost on this list is the desire that the expansion of TVRH should
start as soon as possible. The
resignation of Mr. Wooten was announced after this issue was printed.
I am hoping that with his departure, the Board will be able to decide to
either start the expansion now or to sell TVRH to some other hospital management
company that can start the expansion now. Please
also note an article on page 3 about TVRH emergency room.
We think the existing facility on the east side of highway 441 should be
converted into an urgent care facility to relieve some of the delays and backup
that now exist with the ER in TVRH. Please
contact me in confidence if you have any questions or comments. Sincerely, Joe
Gorman POA President We
received this letter from Eva Hawkins from her home in Arkansas.
Eva is a past president of the POA and one of the first inductees into
the POA Hall of Fame: Please
forgive me for not sending this note sooner.
I was sick for some time after the January meeting.
Leo and I returned home safely and now that mail has been read and taxes
prepared, I can gather my wits about me to do some writing. The
POA has always been dear to my heart. It
was and is a tool for the people and Lord knows in this time
of powerful forces
imposing their wishes, despite the consequences on anyone else,
it is not only refreshing but wonderful that a group such as the POA will
work for all of us who would not
otherwise have a voice. The POA has
always been our voice. It
was my honor to lead the POA, with a lot of help from other dedicated members,
for three terms. Now you have
honored me with that beautiful (Hall of Fame) plaque.
Thank you all and keep on in the spirit in which this group was formed
because there are a lot of us little people who need a champion to protect our
rights and benefits. Keep
up the good work, Joe. I enjoyed
watching you conduct a few meetings. A
message to the membership, your dues help, but your attendance and support are
also needed. Very
truly, your forever member,
Eva The
POA has often commented on the Pete’s Place column written in the Thursday
supplement to the Daily Sun. We
believe that Mr. Wahl’s comments are often worthwhile and helpful but are many
times inappropriate or frivolous. The
latest case in point is Mr. Wahl’s March 10th column in which he described his
hip surgery. Approximately 90% of
that column discussed various aspects of the surgery, preparation, recovery,
etc. The
POA suggests that if Mr. Wahl want to write feature articles about his life and
personal issues, then he should submit those stories separately to the Sun’s
feature story editor. On
the other hand, the Pete’s Place column should be reserved for Mr. Wahl’s
comments on our community and the operation of our governments in The Villages. If
Mr. Wahl needs some story ideas, perhaps he could address some of the following: -
Why the Christmas parade was canceled with no apparent good faith effort on his
part to address the problem issues and find a solution to save this popular
annual event, -
Why residents cannot vote for Mr. Wahl or the supervisors of the VCCDD or the
SLCDD in any election, -
What future purchases of common property from the developer at inflated prices
are planned by either the VCCDD or the SLCDD, -
How the developer and the VCCDD decided to cover the recent $174,000 sinkhole
expense when it “should have been the responsibility of the (Sumter) County in
the first place,” according to Sumter County Commissioner Mike Francis, -
Why Mr. Wahl and two of his senior staff scored so poorly in the recent POA Mock
Vote and what they plan to do about it, -
How would Mr. Wahl justify about $400 million of debt obligations forced on
residents to purchase common property from the developer and paid back out of
the monthly amenity fees (which could be much lower without the debt service), -
The thinking of the VCCDD and the developer when they tried to stampede the
supervisors of CDD #1 into allowing The Villages Water Treatment Plant to pump
sewer treatment discharge into Lago Del Luna for irrigation storage. In
summary, the Pete’s Place column can be a worthwhile vehicle for providing
information about the workings of our community.
But, it should not be a vehicle for self-gratification of Mr. Wahl’s
ego. The
POA is initiating this monthly column that will list ideas submitted by
residents describing what they would like to see in The Villages.
This is your opportunity to tell us what you want.
This could be a new feature or amenity; or a fix-up; or whatever. Just
send us a note via email or snail mail. Please
include your name, in case we have to verify your comments, but we won’t
publish names in these short paragraphs of wants. So,
here is the start of this column. We
can’t guarantee results; but, we can at least publicize these various issues
and wants: 1.
Path To Wal/Mart - We should have a golf cart path established
that would allow someone from the northwest corner of the east side of The
Villages to go to Wal/Mart by golf cart. This
would involve getting the permission of various businesses that need to be
passed. But, this might be a good
thing for these businesses to have Villagers traveling close-by, whereas we
don’t do that now. 2.
Christmas Parade - Please bring back the Christmas Parade on the Spanish
Springs Square. 3.
Post Offices - Please get auxiliary post office stations in Southern
Trace and Mulberry Square where packages can be mailed and stamps purchased. We
are sending out POA 2005 membership renewal letters now.
We would ask all members to respond with their renewals if they are
satisfied with the efforts of the POA to pursue Residents’ Rights on your
behalf. You
can either use the form enclosed with the renewal letter or the form in this
issue of the Bulletin on page 7. Either
way, your generous support of your POA will be greatly appreciated. Memberships
run annually from January 1st to December 31st.
Dues are $6.00 per household and cover all residents in the household. If
you enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope with your renewal form and check,
we will mail your card back to you. If
you don’t enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope, we will hold your card
for pick-up at one of our monthly meetings. Remember
that you need your 2005 card to take advantage of various discounts in our
Discount Partner Program (see the Bulletin’s page 6 or the POA web site for
details). Our
Bulletin printing and distribution expenses will increase by $3,000.00-$5,000.00
this year as we expand our distribution into the newer areas of Marion County
and Sumter County west of Buena Vista Blvd and south of Highway 466. So, any additional contribution you can make will be a big
help to us and greatly appreciated. Thanks
again for your support of your POA. We
recently heard of an impromptu resident survey of about 260 Villagers
regarding the annual Lions Club Christmas Parade.
This parade had long been an annual tradition. You
may remember that this parade was cancelled last year on short notice by Mr.
Pete Wahl, District Administrator. Mr.
Wahl claimed that the parade was too big and too unwieldy and lacked support
of merchants on the Spanish Springs Square and had no good place for staging.
Many residents viewed this reasoning as bogus baloney. The
informal survey was done in three small groups totaling about 260 Villagers. When asked if they support the return of the Lions Christmas
Parade and the Christmas Decorations displayed in previous years, all 260 people
responded “yes.” Not one “bah
humbug” was heard in the entire group. The
sponsors of the survey plan to poll additional clubs during
April and the Bulletin will publish these results when
available. It’s
very disappointing when our non-elected VCCDD officials determine without our
input to cancel such an important event. As
a result of the survey, Village residents would like the VCCDD to work with the
Lions club to bring back the annual Christmas Parade and make it a success.
If there is ever again a VCCDD intention to cancel the Christmas Parade,
Village residents should be allowed to vote on the issue beforehand. If
residents would like to comment on this issue, please contact the POA with your
thoughts. The
Citizen’s First Bank’s (CFB) president, Mr. Mike Killingsworth, commented on
the bank’s evaluation in The Villages Survey.
The
POA concurs that the bank is doing a nice job based on a good customer service. However,
one question that it should have asked in the Annual Survey concerns ATM
machines. Why is it that there are
no other banks’ ATM machines located in various postal stations?
How is it that the Citizen’s First Bank has a 100% monopoly?
Do you think that our residents would like to have a choice of other
banks and the convenience of having their bank’s ATM machine located close-by? In
the spirit of customer service to our community, would CFB be willing to allow
some of the other banks in the area to provide their ATM machines in our postal
stations? So
why wasn’t this question included in the annual Villages Survey?
The
Villages recreation department announced the formation of the Bridge Fishing
Club. Membership is open to all residents who like to fish and
won’t start crying when putting a worm on a hook. The
Bridge Fishers plans to travel to at least one bridge a month in the state of
Florida over either fresh or salt water.
Residents will fish from the bridge for whatever local denizens of the
deep are there. Prizes will be
given for the biggest fish and the ugliest fish. Unfortunately,
several charter members of the club decided to try out their bridge fishing
skills on the golf cart bridge spanning highway 27/441.
One of the anglers got his line snagged on a semi traveling under the
bridge and was jerked away, never to be seen again. The
Villages developer announced plans to build a 125 room hotel northwest of the
Rialto Theater across from the Church on the Square. Although
this might seem like a good idea on the surface, we are concerned about the
great loss of parking spaces behind the Rialto. Parking
is already scarce during regular nightly events as well as special events. We would not want to complicate this further by eliminating
many parking spaces for the footprint of the hotel, not to mention the needed
spaces for the hotel’s operations. Before
this idea goes too far, we suggest a study of parking and traffic patterns in
the Square’s general area. This
should be done, at the developer’s expense, by an independent traffic
consultant. We might need a
multi-story parking structure build at developer’s expense to replace the lost
parking spaces. In
a bigger sense, however, we see this hotel idea as a violation of the
Residents’ Right number 10 (see page 2) which calls for consultation with
residents before any major change is made to our community.
After all, this is our community, not the developer’s. And,
frankly, a five or six story hotel building would be out of character with the
architectural themes already established for the square.
But,
let’s ask why this hotel has to be crammed into the already congested Square
area? Why not put it in the new Target shopping center?
Why not in the Villages Financial Center on highway 466 (we don’t need
all those banks)? Why not on the
Polo Club grounds (lots of parking out there).
Why not on the land next to the Village of Homewood on the corner of el
Camino Real and Clemente Ct.? Or at
the southwest corner of the Morse Blvd. and highway 27/441?
There
are many alternatives. Why cram it
into an already congested area? The
POA has suggested recently that the Daily Sun do a better job of reporting on
the VCCDD and the SLCDD meetings, as well as the various residential CDD
meetings in The Villages. What is
a better use of the newspaper than to report on the operations of our local
governments? The
Daily Sun has not told us why its coverage is so spotty.
We don’t know if it is because the paper does not have the staff to
cover these meetings, or the cost would be too much, or they don’t have the
space, or they don’t want to do it, or what? So,
we think it is surprising that the Daily Sun has a periodic column in the
paper about the Spruce Creek softball leagues. We
think the Daily Sun has a distorted sense of priorities when it covers the
softball leagues of a non-related community and then skimps on coverage of
important government meetings in our community. Wouldn’t
you like to see a timely report on these meetings written by professional
journalists and published in our local newspaper? We
still have the position open for an advertising manager to help sell advertising
for the POA Bulletin. This is a
part-time position with a generous commission.
You can work your own hours contacting local businesses about advertising
in the Bulletin. Previous ad
selling experience would be helpful but not necessary.
Please call Joe Gorman (259-0999) for details about how you can help the
POA and also make some money for yourself. Listed
below is a Letter to the Editor: Well
here we go again -- now Sumter County is in trouble with what to do with all
the trash they are collecting. And,
of course, the natural thing to do is raise the fees for trash pick-up to the
residents of Sumter County so that the County Trash system can be fixed,
right? I mean they are only 3.5
million dollars in debt over this issue and the fastest easiest fix is to
raise the fees to the residents, right? Wrong.... I
have only been a resident of the Villages for just over a year now and it is
becoming quite clear to me that every time there is a shortage of funds to
accomplish something in this area, (they) go straight to the residents and
charge them or raise their respective fees as a solution to the problem.
First
it was "let's ask the County residents to approve a 1% tax on their
property to fund an expansion of the Villages Hospital," which is a
completely private business that should be self-sustaining and shouldn't have
to come to the public for help. Then
it was "raise the amenity fees for the new people in the Villages because
more money is needed to pay off the ever increasing debt we are being asked to
pay back to the Developer" ($400 Million and growing). If
the trash program was not adequate why didn't someone do something about it
before now? Why wait until $3.5
Million is needed to fix the problem? The
County has been working on this trash thing since 1990 and they are just now
finding out there is a real problem? Hellooo
¼ maybe we need new Commissioners to direct County services.
Perhaps we have the wrong people in place to handle these jobs.
Maybe those in charge should be tried in court for mismanaging the
County's budget and sent to prison for their failure to do the job right.
I'll bet you would see an immediate turn around in behavior on the part
of people taking these jobs if they were truly held accountable. The
same applies to the Villages Developer. When
was the last time someone in authority audited him to see if all he has been
charging the residents was on the up and up? All
I know for sure is that if private business, the Villages Developer, and the
Sumter County Board of Commissioners keep coming to me to pay for all their
incompetence at handling major civic functions such as Hospital expansion,
"over charges for land development", trash pick-up, and sink hole
repairs, etc., they will force me to move elsewhere. Take
heed my friends ¼ just as quickly as the Villages has grown, it could also
quickly become one of Florida's biggest ghost towns with it's bogus
"over-inflated" price tags on typical houses, property, golf, food,
and furniture. We are just plain
tired of being asked to fix your financial woes.
There may come a point in time when the residents here will have had
enough and will begin to evacuate this area, leaving you all holding the
proverbial bag with all your greed and financial misery!
At this late stage in our lives, we don't need all this BS. Larry
Mckenzie Village
Resident
We
can mail the POA Bulletin to you anywhere in the U.S.
This is especially good for part-time residents who might like to receive
the Bulletin at their out-of-town address.
Cost is just $1.00 per issue for as many issues as you want to receive. So, for example, for 6 issues, the cost is $6.00.
Just send us your check and your address.
Alternatively, you can always follow the POA Bulletin on our web site,
which is at www.poa4us.org
. The
Daily Sun has a lot of fun With
slanted news stories it doth spun. But
residents want facts and analysis Without
the Sun’s objectivity paralysis. Perhaps
our reading of the Sun should be done?!
Third
Wednesday of the Month – 7:00 p.m. Main
Auditorium – Paradise Recreation Center Presentation
by Summerfield Suites Describing
its Assisted Living, Memory
Care, and Hospice Facilities
COFFEE
AND DONUTS FOR
ALL AFTER THE MEETING ALL
RESIDENTS WELCOME – COME AND JOIN US |
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