stella gaddy jordan - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-28T16:10:13Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/stella+gaddy+jordanSouth Palm Beach: Jordan: 3550 project exposes procedural problemshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-jordan-3550-project-exposes-procedural-problems2019-01-30T16:57:31.000Z2019-01-30T16:57:31.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>By Dan Moffett</b></span></p>
<p class="p2">Stella Gaddy Jordan insists that she has been an unwavering supporter of the luxury condo project at 3550 S. Ocean Blvd., the site of <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960836463,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960836463,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="7960836463?profile=original" /></a>the old Hawaiian Inn hotel.</p>
<p class="p3">The South Palm Beach councilwoman says that her frequent complaints about the building have been mostly about the construction process, not the product.</p>
<p class="p3">“I’ve always been OK with the 3550 project,” Jordan said. “I just think we need to know how we got here. We want to be sure this doesn’t happen again. There was miscommunication throughout.”</p>
<p class="p3">For months, Jordan has criticized how the town signed off on plans for the project and how the Town Council didn’t get a final review before construction began. She blames the town’s building inspector and three town managers, who have come and gone during the past five years, for failing to enforce building rules and for cutting council members out of the approval loop.</p>
<p class="p3">“The plans should have come to the Town Council after they were approved by the architectural board,” she said after the council meeting on Jan. 8. “We didn’t get to see them. That has to change.”</p>
<p class="p3">Had the council given the project that final review, Jordan says, she would have questioned the building’s height and the site’s landscaping. She believes the building, at roughly 106 feet above grade level, is 10 feet higher than code allows. She also thinks the project’s footprint doesn’t have adequate space for landscaping, as state building rules require.</p>
<p class="p3">It has been difficult to find a South Palm Beach official, elected or hired, who shares her concerns.</p>
<p class="p3">Mike Crisafulle, the town’s building inspector, told the council the project looks the way it is supposed to look.</p>
<p class="p3">“The building is being built in the way the plans were submitted,” Crisafulle said. “To me, there is no issue.”</p>
<p class="p3">The town’s last two managers, Bob Vitas and Mo Thornton, have agreed. No issues, no problems. Shortly before abruptly retiring in December, Thornton said the 3550 “conforms to the town’s code and was built according to approved plans.”</p>
<p class="p3">Council members Elvadianne Culbertson and Bill LeRoy have suggested it’s a moot point to second-guess the project — now that the building is standing and soon to be ready for occupancy.</p>
<p class="p3">“What do we do about it?” Culbertson asked with a shrug.</p>
<p class="p3">Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb has focused on the positive — and there is a substantial amount of it. With 30 high-end condos selling for as much as $5 million each, the town’s tax base could rise by roughly 30 percent.</p>
<p class="p3">“We’re going to get a lot of benefit from this project from the income the town will receive,” Gottlieb said.</p>
<p class="p3">Mayor Bonnie Fischer has said the council may consider two of Jordan’s concerns. It can close a loophole in the code that doesn’t specify height limits of garages — an omission that contributed to confusion over the 3550 structure’s total elevation. And the council can tighten its building approval procedures.</p>
<p class="p3">“The 3550 is a great building,” Fischer said. “However, it would behoove the town to examine garage height and footprint with respect to future development.”</p>
<p class="p3"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> The new condo building, developed by Manhattan-based DDG real estate investment group, is expected to open its doors sometime this summer.</p>
<p class="p5"><b>In other business:</b></p>
<p class="p3">• Joseph Kusnir, the town’s consultant from StormwaterJ Engineering in West Palm Beach, told the council that work on the town’s sewer lines is likely to cost substantially less than expected. The council set aside $512,000 to repair and replace the aging pipes, but because a main line didn’t need work, Kusnir said the project, slated for completion this spring, “definitely will come in under budget.”</p>
<p class="p3">• Robert Kellogg, the newly hired and sworn-in interim town manager, said he expects to sign his formal contract by the Feb. 12 council meeting. In December, the council agreed to pay Kellogg a $95,000 annual salary. </p></div>South Palm Beach: Gottlieb, Jordan, LeRoy win council seatshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-gottlieb-jordan-leroy-win-council-seats2018-04-04T18:57:20.000Z2018-04-04T18:57:20.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960784455,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="450" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960784455,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960784455?profile=original" /></a><em>C. W. ‘Bill’ LeRoy, who moved to South Palm 2 ½ years ago, won election with the third-most votes. <strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
<p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p>Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb went into the March election with a simple message for South Palm Beach voters.<br /> Gottlieb told them that, after 45 years of living in the town and more than a decade of service as an elected official, no one knows the community better than he does. And because of that long relationship, voters pretty much knew everything they needed to know about Robert Gottlieb.<br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960784490,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960784490,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" width="99" alt="7960784490?profile=original" /></a><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960784086,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960784086,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-right" width="97" alt="7960784086?profile=original" /></a>“In this town, it’s all about the beaches,” he said. “That has to be our priority. People understand that. ”<br /> Gottlieb’s message carried him to an easy victory on March 13 as he led the six-candidate Town Council field with 268 votes. The other incumbent in the race, Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan, finished a distant second with 190, and newcomer C.W. “Bill” LeRoy took the third open seat with 161.<br />“I’m honored, and I’m humbled and the only thing I care about is our town,” Gottlieb said.<br /> Gottlieb and Jordan claim full two-year terms, and LeRoy takes over the one year remaining on the seat formerly occupied by Joe Flagello, who died suddenly after winning re-election in March 2017.<br /> Jordan, an eight-year veteran on the council, said she will continue to press for tighter fiscal responsibility and transparency on spending. She said the council needs to take a hard look at its state pension obligations to employees and may have to consider other ways to provide benefit compensation.<br /> “Controlling expenses is very difficult with the Florida retirement system,” Jordan said. “A 401(k) might be a way to create savings for the town and encourage employees to contribute their money.”<br /> Gottlieb and Jordan agree that the town has to explore other options to restore its eroding beachfront because the long-awaited beach stabilization project with the county — a plan to install concrete groins to capture and hold sand — appears indefinitely stalled.<br /> “It seems to be moot now,” Jordan said, because of problems obtaining the necessary easements and opposition from Manalapan officials. Jordan said the council has to turn more of its attention to renovating or reconstructing the aging Town Hall.<br /> “A big priority is maintaining the town’s flavor and character,” she said.<br /> LeRoy said he won his seat without putting forth an agenda. “I don’t really have any issues,” he said. “I just want to keep South Palm Beach the beautiful town it already is.”<br /> A native of Peoria, Illinois, LeRoy moved to the town 2 ½ years ago. “I’m very grateful for the friends and neighbors who came out to support me in the election,” he said.<br /> The other three candidates in the race were Raymond McMillan (110 votes), Mary Alessandra Hall (74) and Kevin Hall (68). In all, 349 residents cast ballots, 23.7 percent of the town’s 1,277 registered voters. Fifty-two of the votes were absentee ballots.<br /> There were 175 under-votes, meaning dozens of voters either did not understand they could select three candidates for the three open seats, or consciously chose only one or two and ruled out the other entrants.</p></div>South Palm Beach: Council incumbents win re-electionhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-council-incumbents-win-re-election2016-03-30T14:56:29.000Z2016-03-30T14:56:29.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p>By Dan Moffett<br /><br /> By comfortable margins, South Palm Beach voters rejected a call for change from political newcomer Robert Gargano on March 15 and returned incumbents Robert Gottlieb and Stella Gaddy Jordan to the Town Council.<br /> Gottlieb received 337 votes, roughly 43 percent of those cast, Jordan followed with 285 (37 percent) and Gargano got 156 (20 percent). The top two finishers were elected to two-year terms.<br /> Gottlieb, 75, first joined the Town Council in 2005 and has served five terms, in part or in full, since. While all council members have cited beach restoration as their No. 1 priority, Gottlieb also has said that the town has to improve its long-range planning, upgrade its technology and lower the tax rate now that property values have risen.<br /> “At some point, we have to give some relief back to our residents, our taxpayers,” he said.<br /> Jordan, 75, is beginning her fourth term since first winning election to the council in 2010. She told voters the council has to focus on setting a five-year plan for the town’s recently hired administrative team.<br /> “We have a new town manager and a new town clerk,” Jordan said. “Now the council has to give them our priorities so they can work together and know what’s expected of them. Until now, we haven’t done as much planning as we should have.”<br /> Gargano, 68, a semi-retired chemical engineer and technology consultant, characterized council members as “nice people” who were unqualified to lead the town, especially in financial matters. During a town meeting late last year, Gargano told the council it was making a mistake in approving a 10-year contract with Waste Management.</p></div>South Palm Beach: Engineer challenges 2 incumbents for Town Councilhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/south-palm-beach-engineer-challenges-2-incumbents-for-town-counci2016-03-03T15:00:00.000Z2016-03-03T15:00:00.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p> These three candidates are competing for two seats on the South Palm Beach Town Council. Each seat carries a two-year term</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>ELECTION RESULTS (unofficial)</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Robert Gottlieb: 43.41% | 336 votes</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Stella Jordan: 36.56% | 283 votes</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;">Robert Gargano: 20.03% | 155 votes</p>
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<p><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960636676,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960636676,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="92" alt="7960636676?profile=original" /></a>Robert Gargano</strong><br /> <strong>Age:</strong> 68<br /> <strong>Education:</strong> Ph.D. in chemical engineering, University of Connecticut<br /> <strong>Marital Status:</strong> Divorced, one child<br /> <strong>Employment:</strong> Semi-retired owner of an IT consulting firm that installs software in the public sector<br /> <strong>Political/Community Service Experience:</strong> No experience holding public office <br /> <strong>Important Issues:</strong> Waste Management contract, beach renourishment<br /> <strong>Quote:</strong> “The people on the current Town Council are nice people, but they don’t have the time or qualifications to do the job. They’re in over their heads. They just signed a 10-year contract with Waste Management, whose profit margin is going to go from 10-50 percent over the next 10 years. The profit margins in this contract can only go up. I don’t think anybody on the Council actually read that contract or did their homework. They need to be looking out for the taxpayers of our town and they’re looking out for everyone but the taxpayer. Also there is a beach renourishment project coming in and there’s not one member on the Town Council who has a scientific background.”<br /></p>
<p><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960637256,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960637256,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="92" alt="7960637256?profile=original" /></a>Robert Gottlieb</strong> (incumbent)<br /> <strong>Age:</strong> 75<br /> <strong>Education:</strong> Bachelor’s degree in business administration, University of Miami<br /> <strong>Marital Status:</strong> Single<br /> <strong>Employment:</strong> Retired owner of a yarn business, Gottlieb Brothers<br /> <strong>Political/Community Service Experience:</strong> Member since 2005, South Palm Beach Town Council; board member, Palm Beach County League of Cities; member, Palm Beach Impact Fee Committee<br /> <strong>Important Issues:</strong> Beach renourishment, tax relief<br /> <strong>Quote:</strong> “I care about this town. I have owned property in South Palm Beach since the early ’70s. I also care about our beaches. We are currently working with the county on an environmental impact study. When that is completed, the [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers] will approve it and we will put groins — hard structures that will hold the beach in place — on the beach and cover them with sand. I’m also against raising taxes and I’m in favor of lowering the millage rate next year. It’s time to give back to the citizens.”<br /></p>
<p><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960636685,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960636685,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="90" alt="7960636685?profile=original" /></a>Stella Gaddy Jordan</strong> (incumbent)<br /> <strong>Age:</strong> 76<br /> <strong>Education:</strong> Studied at Florida State University <br /> <strong>Marital Status:</strong> Widow, three children<br /> <strong>Employment:</strong> Retired first vice president for Sun Trust Bank of Tampa Bay<br /> <strong>Political/Community Service Experience:</strong> Member since 2010, South Palm Beach Town Council; member, Independent Referendum Oversight Committee for the Palm Beach County Board of Education<br /> <strong>Important Issues:</strong> Real estate development, fiscal responsibility<br /> <strong>Quote:</strong> “The top of my to-do list is to prioritize all of those issues that are within our town and begin an action plan for them. At this point we have a new town manager and so we have the right management, and Council, in place to begin moving in that direction to better improve those areas of the city that need it — particularly beach restoration and financial accounting. We need to take better control of our incoming and outgoing expenses. We have no debt, but we need to reserve appropriately.”<br /></p>
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