Say it ain’t so Jack! Our new Mayor selling advertising?
As most of you know, I’m a small business owner here in Fort Lauderdale. Today, I received an official-looking letter from the City of Fort Lauderdale.
As I was opening it, I was trying to think what the contents would contain. As the first formal communication from the City to me & my business, I was hoping the letter would provide introductory insight into our new Commission’s “Vision” for the City and what the Commission wants to accomplish for Fort Lauderdale residents. Perhaps the letter is to inform me of street modifications in the area. Perhaps the letter is to announce reductions to the Utility or Fire fees my business must pay each year.
But no. To my surprise, the letter comes from our new Mayor who is hawking ad space for a local map company! A family member of that company was one of his campaign contributors (contributing the maximum amount allowed), and the firm posted numerous campaign signs for Jack around their building at 430 North Federal Highway (near Broward) earlier this year.
Now, to be totally fair, this “Fort Lauderdale Map Project” (as it is called in the letter) is designed to produce a free street map of Fort Lauderdale that can be given out to tourists and residents. It is apparently paid for (at least in part) by ad space that local businesses sign up for. In the letter, our new Mayor encourages us to act fast as “it is not uncommon for a community of our size to sell out the sponsorship opportunities within a short period of time”.
In reading this letter (posted below), a number of questions arise:
1. With all the problems our City is facing, with people losing their homes to foreclosure, people losing their jobs, an “out of control” City Budget, with taxes and fees paid to the City continuing to increase, is promoting ad space to assist a campaign contributor’s publishing of an “Official City Map” the most important thing our new Mayor should be doing?
2. Why do we need an “Official City Map” anyway? Anyone with access to the Internet can print up a map of anyplace on the globe for free. Is this another example of mis-placed City priorities? And if we are trying to develop a new image of our City as progressive and ”Green”, why are we advocating the killing of trees to publish and produce an antiquated paper map?
3. Who covered the cost to send this letter out? Was it the Mayor who approved this letter? It seems so, as his signature is on it (see below).
4. What about the cost to print up and distribute these so called “Official” maps? Who is covering that besides the advertisers? How many City employees are involved in this “Project”?
5. Were Commissioners aware of this? I don’t recall hearing about this in any recent Commission meeting.
Now, while this “Fort Lauderdale Map Project” is certainly not a big deal in the greater scheme of things, it may be an indicator that our City government “still doesn’t get it”. Even if a single City employee is working on this “Project” at taxpayer expense, it shows that our City government is engaged in activities that are not crucial to the running of the City.
And Jack, as a career politician, you should know better! I had hoped that you, (as our new Mayor), would have by now promoted your new “Vision” of Fort Lauderdale, describing the new direction you would like to help move the City in, and the activities and goals that you would like the City to achieve in the next few years.
Promoting the selling of ad space to help one of your campaign supporters publish a map (and apparently using City funds to assist in the mailing), just doesn’t smell right to me.
Jack, I think you can do better as our Mayor. Let’s start seeing some initiative on your part!
Earl Rynerson
Our Mayor selling Map ads
City envelope for ad selling campaign
Reader Comments
Is this crossing the Line when a Public Elected Official is using City Stationary and the City Name and their elected Title to promote a Private for Profit Business Venture ?
Has Jack got a screw loose someplace?
You don’t ask another important question, Earl…How much money (in profits) will Dolph be raking in, thanks to Jack promoting this endeavor for them. It seems like we are heading back toward the sleazy backroom politics we have been known for here in Broward County & Fort Lauderdale….
It’s a real shame that less than 3 months into office & “paybacks” are already starting to trickle out from the Mayor’s office. Watch for some City giveaways that he’ll now suggest to many of the wealthy developers that supported him too….
Barely two months as Mayor and already he’s stepped on his “wanger”… Guess the honeymoon’s over…
Earl,
I was quite disappointed to read this post…and speaking AS A PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT PUBLISHER for over 15 years…you’re simply way off base on this one.
Your email was the first I’ve heard of this project and I have no idea of any of the contractual specifics involved here. But having actually BEEN a professional contract publisher for more than 15 years dealing exclusively with public and quasi-public entities, I can tell you quite authoritatively that this kind of ‘contract publishing’ and the introductory letter process is a common and standard process throughout the U.S., as well as all over the entire world!
I PERSONALLY have done numerous projects (though usually much larger in nature) with similar process to what’s been cited here with many public entities…including the City of Los Angeles, Broward County and Miami-Dade County, just to name a few.
As a public/private partnership model, these kinds of projects are designed to provide the public entity with usable collateral informational materials at little or no cost (and are often even a way for the entity to make some royalty revenue off of it as an ‘offset’ to any assistance it renders, such as staff time), it’s not only PERMISSABLE to use the public entity stationery and have a key executive’s introduction letter for these kinds of projects (publisher usually will reimburse cost of those materials), it’s NECESSARY, ADVISABLE and even LAUDABLE, as it clearly outlines and details the public/private nature of the project, the purpose and importance of it and the benefits to:
A) THE PUBLIC,
B) THE PUBLIC ENTITY,
and C) THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
It’s all ‘up front’ that way…and by using a contract publisher to sell the advertising and use the proceeds to pay for the production costs, it serves the necessary purpose of keeping the advertiser at ‘arm length’ from the public entity.
And of course the publisher hopes to make a profit! It’s silly to allude to any ‘nefarious’ purpose in that…particularly as there is never any guarantee of making a profit in these projects! I’d go out on a limb here and dare to guess that YOU, TOO are likely to be in business to make a profit.
As I’ve thought about this, I’m actually pretty sure this company, Dolph Maps, has previously done one or two (or more) of these maps with/for the City in the past…long before Jack Seiler became Mayor. Might be worth checking out. I’d also bet, from my own professional experience in doing NUMEROUS projects of a similar nature, that this isn’t costing the city one penny…AND THAT THE PRIVATE PUBLISHER actually paid these mailing costs (it’s standard in these kinds of projects to do so!). The public entity (the City here) is reaping the benefit of having a great and NEEDED information resource for visitors for free at a time when budget constraints would allow for this to be done in any other way!
Speaking of ‘need’…I also TOTALLY DISAGREE with your assertion that the map isn’t needed and is ‘antiquated’…and that the city is destroying ‘green’ trees to produce a few thousand maps! That’s just laughable and ridiculous! You surely don’t believe that EVERYONE carries around and refers exclusively to a BlackBerry, BlueBerry, IPhone or other device when they need a map of a strange area…or local government, emergency, dining or local business information? Of course you don’t…print is definitely changing, but it’s not ‘dead’ and never will be…just like TV simply changed Radio (which IS still around!)…and by the way, MAPS are one of the most successful and NEEDED informational printed resources that travelers use when they travel!
In any case, knowing the industry as I do, it seems to me that you should have done your homework before jumping on this as some sort of unethical transgression by Mayor Seiler.
Earl…as a concerned and active citizen myself, I have to tell you, and as I’ve said before to your supporters (ask them!), that you often DO have many good ideas and suggestions that I can and would support. But these kinds of unresearched, unsupportable and unwarranted allegations of some kind of impropriety when there is none whatsoever simply make you sound petty, jealous and bitter…not ‘civic-minded’…and serve only to discredit the actual good ideas you DO have.
Any time you’d like to chat about this, I’d welcome meeting you personally and doing so!
George Mihaiu
aka George Q. Public
http://www.GeorgeQPublic.blogspot.com
George-
Thank you for your posting and your comments. I believe that it would be natural for you, as a contract publisher, to have a unique persepctive on this issue, but I think you are missing a couple of points here that I am trying to make:
First, whether or not this “project” benefits anyone (I personally feel it benefits no one but the publisher, as the Internet has largely terminated the value of these paper maps) is not really the concern I have. I believe that this type of endeavor, given the economy, the budget and all the other problems our City is grappling with, should be way down the priority list of things the City should be engaged in. If the Chamber of Commerce or some other business group wants to get involved in this “project”, fine. But not the City Government.
Second, given that the Dolph family was a contributor to Seiler’s Campaign and the company posted numerous campaign signs for him on their building, it suggests “payback” for Seiler to get actively involved in promoting this, to help them make more money on this project. As a politician, he should know that he should avoid even the appearance of impropriety. That is the thing that I am most disappointed with Seiler on. He should know better. There are many more projects and causes he could be actively supporting to help the City. Helping out a past supporter speaks volumes on potentail “cronyism”, and I think most others in our City would agree.
You also mentioned that much larger cities than ours have been doing this type of project for years. Just because larger cities have been doing this for years is certainly no reason for us to be doing this same thing at this time. In fact it may be a good reason to NOT do it…. My thoughts. Again, thank you for your input. Earl
I voted for Jack Seiler and I read his reply on this matter on Tim Smith’s blog. But I’m confused. There seems to be some inconsistencies with his reply and with the letter that I see here.
Seiler says that this is not a City project, but this letter starts out by saying the City is working with Dolph Map Company. It’s also called a “Fort Lauderdale City Map Project” which makes it sound official.
If it’s not a City Project as Seiler says, then how did it get mailed out on City Stationary? With a City envelope? And City postage? It certainly smells like a City Project to me!
Somebody’s got some explaining to do!
Mayor Seiler you made a mistake and the longer you wait the worst for you and our City to admit it. I do not care if other Mayors have done this Your a new Mayor and we will become a better City a all inclusive city I hope someday and a City that is above any question of any back room deals everything should be in the sunshine so lets get beyond this and admit you made a mistake and Thank You Earl Rynerson for bringing this to the Residents all good Governments have oversight.
You’re welcome Raymond-
And as for those who think I have an “ax to grind” with Jack, well, I don’t. I think he was doing a relatively reasonable job for his first two months (with the exception of approving the $300K to a consulting firm for another “study” for Riverwalk…). He speaks as though he understands the need to significantly cut the budget and I & many others are waiting to see what the final numbers look like for our new budget this fall.
And I don’t think Jack is “lining the pockets” of Dolph Map, even tho the family was a supporter of his. This project frankly isn’t that big of a deal to justify any kind of backroom antics.
However, I have four concerns:
1: The letter mis-represented the facts. It was NOT a City Project. And Seiler signed the letter. Therefore, he misrepresented what the project was about.
2: If it was not a City Project, then why was it on City Stationary and sent out in a City envelope to make it look like it was?
3: Seiler says he signed the letter and doesn’t know what happened to it after that. It concerns me that perhaps other things are going on without his knowledge…
4: He says other Mayors have done this in the past. That is no reason to continue doing something that’s wrong. More questions should have been asked by him before he signed that letter.
I think if he just acknowledges that he screwed up and he’ll be more diligent in the future, we can put this to bed.
ER