Monday, June 2, 2014

JUST AS I HAD HOPED ...


UPDATE: Steve Boyd has registered as a candidate in the Ward 5 Councillor's race. Great news! Mr. Boyd now has the opportunity to back up his opinions on the future of Crystal Beach.  Also, a Mark Wilkie has also registered to run in Ward 5. 

This is interesting: Seniors Given Wrong Voting Information. Sure hope that doesn't happen here.


My remarks to potential Ward 5 candidate Steve Boyd did not go unnoticed. Now that "it" is out there, those who read the other site will probably end asking the same questions I have for Steve about his "parking lot" on Erie Road in Crystal Beach. For the past several years, Steve has leased the property of CBTYC developer Tiburzi, then newer owners, a Molinaro and a DiCenzo that runs along Erie Road in Crystal Beach. In the summer, he charges for parking in that lot, anywhere from $3.00 to $5.00 per car. The lot is often filled to capacity. Nice little side gig for Steve. It becomes a problem if he chooses to run for office. And, you, dear reader, know why. 

I merely pointed this out to Steve because, as we can all guess, the coming municipal election in Fort Erie is going to very nasty. The mayor was already on local radio this morning blaming "his council" for all the woes of Fort Erie and the reason that investors are not coming to Fort Erie. (Like they were lined up at town hall in his previous administration.) Steve has taken a page out of certain blogger's playbook and made a video of Crystal Beach showing the derelict and empty storefronts. Steve blames the fact that the people didn't want the Molinaro Project as the cause of the empty storefronts.  Like many, he is offering a simplistic approach to a complicated issue. He seems to forget that Crystal Beach was "red-lined" for several years. No one could get a mortgage through normal channels. The town engaged in "Engineered Blight" as to the public beach properties and a former councillor sold out her ward to a developer. All these years of fighting to save our public beachfront land have taken a toll on the community. With the threat of a high rise temporarily gone, volunteers are already planning to make the summer of 2014 memorable. With a renewed feeling of hope, ideas are being tossed about for Crystal Beach's future by those who nearly despaired at the loss of the beachfront land to a high rise developer. A couple of new businesses have already opened and the news that Nigh's Chocolates will open a shop on Erie Road is very sweet indeed.

But Steve is locked into the notion that the only hope for Crystal Beach is the Molinaro high rise. He is entitled to his opinion of course, but he had better be ready to defend it and himself if he decides to run for council. As I once said to a candidate (who lost an election) "Be careful, politics is a blood sport." As a veteran of many campaigns in the States, I can attest to that fact.  I was mentored by one of the best campaign organizers in the States. I worked on several presidential campaigns and numerous local and state elections. I am also a local volunteer for the very large and powerful Democrats Abroad. Canada, especially Ontario, has adopted American campaign strategies.  Even Tim Hudak, currently running for premier for the Tories, took a crash course in electioneering from Republicans in Washington, D.C. 

So, with that in mind, I am going to be very active in the upcoming election. I will soon apply for my Canadian citizenship and might be able to vote in the election. But this time, I will not be quiet. There is too much at stake. Mayor Martin already declared recently that "things will change with a new council," meaning: these guys are getting too close to the truth; we need to get rid of them.

Fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy flight.


28 comments:

  1. Red lining is what banks do to certain areas of Town, in the states it is usually a black area and those who live in one of those areas, find out that the value of their property becomes practically worthless, they become what is known as a GHETTO, a term applied from old Yiddish, to parts of Town, where the jewish people live, on the European continent.

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    1. Yeah, that was what the town and the banks did for Crystal Beach right after the amusement park closed. Investors were buying up properties for a song. Some fixed them up, but most just rented them out as they were. As the area picked up, and people were able to get mortgages, the formerly rundown cottages started to be rehabbed, but it was a very depressing period in CB's history. As if losing its main source of revenue wasn't enough, a developer came in and swooped up the property that the amusement park stood on and then was allowed to construct a gated community right in the midst of the town. That is why many got their hackles up over the Molinaro Project. One more assault on the people as their public lakefront property was being given away in exchange for an ever-diminishing list of "amenities."

      Hope those dark days are gone forever.

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  2. Sharon, when you say Martin says things will change with a new council, and then suggest that these guys , and I am guessing you mean THE FOUR, are getting close to the truth, you remind me of a conversation I had with Richard Berry. It was about five years ago or so. He told me that there was so much evidence against Martin that he would be charged with conflict of interest and a number of other charges very soon. Knowing R B for years and understanding his passion for change, I waited for the forthcoming charges and proof that he and A M proclaimed they had. I am still waiting. Meanwhile , the only ones that are answering charges are THE FOUR! Has the world gone mad? Maybe you should alter your view, or find some evidence that you can take your pal Doug to court for. .

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    1. You are right; no proof has come forward. It's there, though. For a myriad of reasons it has not come forward. It is like we're waiting for the one drop that will burst the dam and it will all come out.

      I am very disappointed in that fact, but I will not give up the hope that justice will be served. The people of Fort Erie deserve better.

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  3. CorruptionFighterJune 3, 2014 at 9:36 AM

    As long as dougie remains around and not answering charges or disappearing in disgrace......the opportunists and scumbags feel legitimized and enabled. That would be you jimmie, kimmie, marina, peter k, leslie, greggers, stevie 1 and now 2....

    AMN would not have made a great Mayor imho, but she would have started a house cleaning that is long overdue and at least turned this rotting ship around. This would have been about a THOUSAND % better than our current leader who spends his days blaming everyone else and using his office and our taxes to do it. Almost unheard of that a mayor sues his own council but our asswipe has and we all pay for it just to keep King dougie and his entourage in the royal seat doing what they best, looking out for themselves and not the Town.

    SUPPORT THE FOUR they speak for all the people not the connected few.

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  4. I had been reading those post on the CBFB site, and I'm trying to figure out why he removed his post if he thinks you said something wrong. Wouldn't you think he would want to keep it up so others can see? What about the Rude comment he said about anyone who didn't agree with his view? Maybe that was the reason he really removed it? It was obvious in his writings that he was pushing for the condo because he had something to gain.

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  5. He is not the only one who has removed comments. I have noticed Sharon has removed her comments towards him on the KCBAPB page also. Why is that?

    I wouldn't be too rushed to judge Steve, and I am not taking anyones "side" here. I don't know too too much about him but believe in giving the guy a chance and see what other things he has to say and his opinions on other issues surrounding not only CB but all of FE, not just Bay Beach,before stringing him up !

    There is a lot more to CB than just that can/needs to be addressed and we should be focusing on those aspects as well

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    1. I did not remove my remarks. Perhaps whomever the administrator is removed all the remarks. There was a rather nasty exchange between Steve and David on that site as well. I do not apologize for what I said to Steve. He needs to understand that he is as liable to scrutiny as anyone in this town who has an opinion. We have seen proof that the ninjas have invaded people's private lives just because they do not agree with them. It's not nice, but it is the way things have broken down in this town. Steve presented a very negative view of Crystal Beach and blamed it on the fact that the Molinaro Project has failed. That is not accurate at all.

      I see on another Facebook froup that Steve has called me some nasty names. Why, because I warned him that, if he chooses to run, he will be asked questions that he may not want to answer?

      And he calls me negative. LOL

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    2. Steve's post (the one that selectively showed all the un-pretty things he could find in Crystal Beach and empty streets early on a Sunday morning before the summer season starts) was removed from two different sites pretty much simultaneously. A number of Crystal Beach residents had expressed displeasure at it. I suspect it was Steve who did the removing. Since he had been the one who had made that first post, everyone's responses were deleted at the same time when he removed his posts. He also at that same time said that he would make no more posts on one site, although I'm glad that he has re-considered that. I suspect Steve is not a bad person, but I think he's picked up a lot of rhetoric from the pro-condo folks who appear to be influencing him.

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  6. Darn rain. I just had my flower beds ready for planting and now they are soaked again. We just got back from Florida a couple of weeks ago and when we came to the cottage last weekend, and I was so fretful that I would see our beach torn up.

    Nice to be back. Maybe tomorrow I can get my flowers in. What's with the bikes? Kind of gaudy. Is the city going to place flowers again?

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    1. I like the bikes! Flowers are being planted all over the place. Ridgeway now has a dedicated group tending to the flowers and trees. Well, at least this summer, we won't have to worry about the beachfront land under construction. Just remember to vote before you leave for Florida this year. Very important.

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  7. Can't vote. I'm American.

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    1. Me too, however I am going to apply for Canadian citizenship this year. Kept putting it off. You can still help by correcting any misinformation you see repeated around town. Welcome Back!

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  8. I will keep my eyes and ears open. I was so scared last year.

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  9. OMG! The ninjas are accusing me of intimidating candidate Steve Boyd because I mentioned that he would be asked to prove that the parking lot he ran for the past few years has an Ontario Sales Tax Permit and that the income he received is shown on his income tax records. He has alluded to "employees" on Facebook, so I also assume that he has made the proper payroll deductions for them. He might also consider joining the Crystal Beach Business Improvement Area as that is his main concern - bringing business to Crystal Beach. Of course, we all would like to see CB thrive; it's just that we have opposing views on how. Steve claims he has a business; we have all seen the handmade signs with the price for parking at the lot on Erie Road currently owned by a Molinaro family member and a DiCenzo family member.

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  10. What is the difference between Boyd running a legal business in Crystal Beach and Steckley running a legal business in Crystal Beach?

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    1. Nothing if Steve's business is legal. Steckley runs his business out of Fort Erie, in Bridgeburg. I have serious doubts that Steve has done his due diligence regarding his business. Normally, who would give a damn? Except that Steve is now running for councillor as, as such, he should be mindful that he must be like Caesar's wife: "above reproach." Steve has opened himself up to scrutiny by throwing his hat in the ring. The ninjas should talk about intimidation. Whew. Guess that calling the police several times and taking pictures of people is not intimidation in their limited view of same. (Cripes, Bonito called the police on me when I took a picture of someone else at a council meeting that included a bundle of clothes later identified as his sleeping daughter. I was called a pedophile for that one.) Yeah, they know all about intimidation.

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  11. Does it not seem irresponsible to make assumptions on unfounded information. You may or may not have doubts, but they are just that. Is it a requirement for candidates to disclose their personal and business income tax information etc.

    Did Steckley and all of current council have to disclose that information publically and if so I am curious as to where it can be found.

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    1. Not irresponsible at all. Candidates and the four councillors recently have had their lives picked apart by certain people in this town. The councillors do not advertise what they have endured, but every aspect of their lives has been under scrutiny. I was merely offering Mr. Boyd a taste of the medicine that his friends have given out in the past couple of years. Mr. Boyd is under no legal obligation to disclose his information, but there are ways to find it out. If everything is on the up-and-up, Steve would have not gotten so offended and cry foul over what I wrote. He makes himself look like a rank amateur by his response.

      I became annoyed with Steve when he started a Facebook group presumably to talk about politics and the future of Crystal Beach. Great idea, I thought and invited friends to participate, which they did. What started out as an adult conversation soon took a turn for the worse when people like Peter Koutroulakis and Greg Bonito chimed in and started the nasty name-calling. Then the pile-on continued until most have left the group. It could have been a chance to heal the rift between those in favour of the condo and those against. I now believe that Steve had another motive for starting the group. He was looking around for support in his candidacy and hoped to manipulate people into thinking his way. Prior to that, I thought that Steve was an OK guy. Didn't care if he was for or against the Molinaro Development; I had hoped that people would engage in a meaningful, adult dialogue. Didn't happen and Steve did not take control of the issue and ban or delete remarks of that nature. Sorry, I can no longer trust him to do the right thing, thus he has earned our distrust and scrutiny.

      The newest Ward 5 new candidate doth protest too much, me thinks.

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  12. Can someone tell me who puts up the fence between the private and public beach on Bay Beach?

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    1. If it's on the East side, it would be the CBTYC. Have no idea on the West side who would have put it up. Aren't fences illegal on beaches in Fort Erie? Perhaps you should contact Shorewalk. That's disturbing. I wrote an article about the huge boulders that Tiburzzi put on the private beach at CBTYC.

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  13. The fence does not interfere with walking the shore..I thought I had heard town put it up. Just was wondering as people say the private beach isn't private, why would town put it up?

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    1. Good question; have no idea what the answer is.

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  14. It is nobodies business but the tax people about taxes, but I do know that fees for parking are subject to HST, Hospital parking is subject to HST and City parking is also subject to HST, if you operate a parking lot anywhere in this Province of Ontario you are responsible to file HST taxes.

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  15. So Steve is pretty convinced he is going to bring the condo back to the table??? He will not win!! Martha wanted to ram the condo down our throats and she lost by a landslide. If Steve is so worried about more public beach, point a finger at our town. They could have bought the land with beach instead of the tennis and yacht club in the recent past. Our town should have jumped on that.

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  16. It seems that most of those that are pushing for giving away Beach Front property to their developer Friend all have a vested interest. Council should make it a habit to ask anyone speaking to council if they have any vested interest for which they are speaking for. Some Sincere Honesty would really be nice!!

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  17. Ok so you seem to be against Steve Boys and have your reasons. I am trying to keep open mind still and see what else is brought to the table.

    Now I see we have another candidate running in CB as well. Mark Wilkie. What is his story do you know ?

    And is Donnie Lubberts going to seek re-election ? Does anyone know ?

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    1. I have nothing against Steve Boyd except that he is a poor excuse for a candidate. He has called those against the Molinaro Project stupid and other nasty things. He does have a lot of 'splaining to do regarding his business arrangement with the Molinaros. Any other candidate would be subject to the same scrutiny - and has.

      As to Mr. Wilkie, I know nothing much about him. The more the merrier. And I hope Donnie runs again. I think he will.

      Delete

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