Larry Metz Sides with Lauren Ritchie on Impact Fees
December 3, 2009
School Board Member and lawyer, Larry Metz, has come out flailing after Citizens for Better Government, L.L.C. called him out on his stance on impact fees. Metz has adopted the blame and motivation game tactic to defend his callous remarks and inexcusable position. What has really happened is Metz exposed his liberal ideology, and our group has dragged him out of his liberal “tax and spend” closet kicking and screaming. Unlike Metz, we will address his concerns straight forward and will not blame anyone else for our stance.
First, the motivation issue seems to be a big topic with Mr. Metz and why did our group hammer him on the impact fee issue? Well, Mr. Metz, you brought the subject up; we didn’t go after you first. Since 2003, no group in the entire State of Florida has been more of an outspoken opponent of impact fees than Citizens for Better Government, L.L.C. Look on our website at www.lakecountygov.info and ask one of your liberal Democrat friends, like Cindy Barrow, and she will tell you that we are relentless on those who support impact fees.
Next, Mr. Metz said we socked it to him for political reasons. He is grasping for straws because the issues we criticized him on deal with his current position and it has nothing to do with State issues. We guess if citizens or groups have a legitimate difference with Mr. Metz on his position, then it is politically motivated. Citizens for Better Government, L.L.C. is an issue only PAC that does not support any candidate, and creating economic growth is one of our primary causes. In Metz’s world of thinking, his campaign contributor Greg Barrow, husband of liberal Democrat Cindy Barrow, would make him a liberal Democrat.
Next, Mr. Metz said we socked it to him for political reasons. He is grasping for straws because the issues we criticized him on deal with his current position and it has nothing to do with State issues. We guess if citizens or groups have a legitimate difference with Mr. Metz on his position, then it is politically motivated. Citizens for Better Government, L.L.C. is an issue only PAC that does not support any candidate, and creating economic growth is one of our primary causes. In Metz’s world of thinking, his campaign contributor Greg Barrow, husband of liberal Democrat Cindy Barrow, would make him a liberal Democrat.
He then made the point that Don Magruder, Chairman of Citizens for Better Government, L.L.C. was not at the meeting wherein he made comments and our group is relying on single quotes from the newspaper. Mr. Metz, we have thousands of people who support our group, and at the meeting we had three individuals with firsthand knowledge of what you said. The quotes in the newspaper merely confirmed your remarks. Here is a little secret that all politicians in Lake County should know – because of the way you are running government, most of the working people in Lake County government and the school district dislike your policies and actions more than we do. In fact, many are getting downright mad that their hours and salaries are being cut because of your failure in leadership.
In Lauren Ritchie’s column on Sunday, she discussed how she agrees with Larry Metz on his impact fee stance, and quotes him with two remarkable statements. In talking about impact fees Metz said, “This is a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’”. “Right now, we can catch our breath. We’re not busting at the seams. That’s a fortunate byproduct of an unfortunate downturn.” Okay, Mr. Metz, you made the statement, so don’t blame us for calling you out on it. The “be careful what you wish for” and “catch our breath” you are referring to is people who have lost their jobs. We are wishing for jobs, why aren’t you? By that statement, you just said it is a good thing that people are unemployed so the school district can catch its breath. You call unemployment, families losing homes, and homeless students a “fortunate byproduct.” No wonder the Lake County School District is heading for complete failure – you are clueless as to the real problems working people are facing. We find your statement offensive to every man and woman who are unemployed.
The next thing Mr. Metz said in Ritchie’s column, about the building industry and which is unbelievable, “But it will return,” “Lake County is just too attractive a place to live.” Mr. Metz, The Great Depression lasted 12 years and right now housing starts are down 90% in Lake County and to their lowest point nationally since The Great Depression. Impact and building fees in Lake County on a basic $110,000 house represent $14,000, or 13% of the total value. You cannot build an affordable home in Lake County because of these impact fees and the building industry will not return because people can’t afford to live here. You are naïve in real economics to make such a statement like that and both you and Ritchie have been wrong on just about every major issue over the last three years.
In her column, Ritchie touting Metz says, “For the first time ever, the county has a plan on how it wants to come out of the recession – and it doesn’t involve tax dollars propping up an industry that has caused so much harm to the economy and the average family here.” Don’t forget, the money is being taken from builders, so it’s not the builders asking for money – that’s the liberal spin again. Ritchie and Metz are basically telling every unemployed construction worker in Lake County that it’s their fault that building is dead, because Lake County charged too much in impact fees. Metz is quoted in The Daily Commercial as saying, “I support school impact fees.” In other words, select taxing of homeowners and builders is okay with Metz.
Ritchie and Metz try to make the idea of adjusting or modifying impact fees as being rogue and people who suggest doing it in order to stimulate growth are out of their minds. However, the politicians in Brevard, Hernando, Highlands, Manatee, Orange, and Santa Rosa Counties have all taken action to suspend, reduce, or place in moratorium certain impact fees to spur growth. Maybe they are just a little smarter and are actually trying to do something to help their unemployed citizens.
Metz then tries to make the case that under his watch the Lake County School District is spending a whopping $140 million on three new schools, and they are creating jobs. Okay, Mr. Metz, the school district is in debt by a half billion dollars it can’t pay; yet, you are building three new schools when the district currently has a 10 year, plus, supply of student stations. We guess that debt will be about $700 million after this spending glut. The people who are going to be the maddest when these schools are opened will be the teachers and school workers who will be forced to take more cuts because simply staffing these schools will require major sacrifices by all. Mr. Metz, under your leadership you have utilized Obamanomics to the fullest and you will go down as the biggest tax and spend board member ever.
Finally, Mr. Metz, you and your buddies on the Lake County School Board have to defend your actions on impact fees and spending. That being said, we do hold you partially responsible for the 700 kids who are homeless because their parents can no longer afford a home. Like we said in a previous newsletter, every politician in Lake County needs to put job creation above everything else. Lauren Ritchie, that includes people in the construction industry – they have to eat, too.
Our next The Right Side of the Lake newsletter will look closer at the $140 million dollar investment in new schools, and we are predicting that after reading our next newsletter the citizens and business leaders of Lake County will be the maddest they have ever been. We are uncovering some issues that will take the sores created by this economy and douse them with alcohol. Be sure to read our next newsletter.
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