Voters get to decide the future of West Palm Beach in the upcoming citywide March elections. I believe the choice will be clear: Continue the pace and type of growth that Christina Lambert has helped create or agree with me that we can no longer continue ‘business as usual’ in our city. She used a guest editorial
to make her case and attack my call for change. I'm responding to set the record straight.I love West Palm Beach. That’s why I’m running for mayor. Yes, West Palm Beach is growing. We have attracted investment, new businesses, and opportunity. But growth alone is not the measure of success. Providing residents with a quality life should not be overshadowed by tall buildings, unbearable traffic, and shrinking opportunities for green
space and recreation. She wants you to think I’m against progress because I oppose her rubber-stamping.
I’m not. I applaud our city’s success.
So there is no misunderstanding: I am critical of Commissioner Lambert’s record of voting in favor of development after development while residents and small business owners are left with the impacts. Now, she's out on the campaign trail telling us how lucky we should feel. Forget luck. We want answers.
As elected officials, we all listen to our constituents. But listening should come before decisions are made, not after. Forming committees and holding listening sessions to learn what residents care about raises a simple question: after eight years as a commissioner, why doesn’t she already know?
Commissioner Lambert didn't listen when residents wanted a local operator to run the Sunset Lounge. She didn't listen when the city changed who's running the tennis courts. She didn't listen when residents told her they had issues with high-rises in their historic neighborhoods. Each time she picked insiders over residents.
My vision for West Palm is straightforward. Neighborhoods have a say in shaping our city's future. City Hall decisions are made in the open. And your tax dollars go to the things that matter to you: keeping you safe, fixing the infrastructure we rely on, improving mobility, and delivering safe, clean water while keeping your bill affordable.
Beyond guest editorials, I look forward to a robust debate to decide the future direction of West Palm Beach. Leaving it to those who simply want to continue the pattern of the past is unacceptable to me. We can do better.
Gregg Weiss represents District 2 on the Palm Beach County Commission. He is running for mayor of West Palm Beach and you can attend one of the straight talks with Gregg from 6 - 7:30 PM on Nov. 5 at South Olive Community Center, Nov. 10 at Okeechobee Blvd. Library, Nov. 18 at the Coleman Park Community Center or Nov. 19 at O'Shea's
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Don't mistake growth for West Palm's success | Opinion
