Guest Opinion: Hometown democracy will bleed our state of jobs
Supporters of the so-called “Hometown Democracy” amendment have failed three times to gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. In a desperate attempt to reach the ballot this year, Hometown Democracy lawyers recently asked a federal judge to topple an existing constitutional amendment-the Feb. 1 signature certification deadline-which was approved by the voters in 2004. As of Aug. 29, this effort had failed, too.
Although we should not ignore the hypocrisy of a group that claims it stands for the “will of the people” while at the same time seeking to invalidate the results of an election, there are even more disturbing trends surrounding the so-called “Hometown Democracy” amendment.
As president of the Florida State Council of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and a board member with the Florida AFL-CIO, I am deeply concerned about the impact “Hometown Democracy” will have on our economy. Our state’s economy has slowed dramatically and many Floridians are worried about the cost of food, gas and other necessities. Jobs are in danger and working families stand to lose the most. During this difficult time, the lawyers behind Florida Hometown Democracy are offering us a poison pill.
They are proposing that new projects bringing jobs to our communities be deferred until an election can be held. The unintended consequence of this good-sounding idea is that communities seeking to build new affordable housing areas, public schools, hospitals, parks or churches will have to wait months, possibly years, before a vote on their project. Even if a vote takes place, important projects will be buried amidst hundredsof minor or technical plan changes. Planning will be virtually impossible and the expense of extra elections-costing millions-will fall to cash-strapped local governments already struggling to provide needed services.
Worse still, Hometown Democracy will bleed our state of jobs.
Public planning projects and new investments have created jobs for thousands of Floridians. From those workers directly impacted by the amendment, like folks in the construction and building trades, to those indirectly impacted, like municipal employees and health care workers, Hometown Democracy will take a serious toll on Florida jobs.
But that’s only the beginning.
Since becoming mayor of Pembroke Pines, I have been working hard to make sure that our police, firefighters, nurses, teachers and municipals workers-the folks who serve our city-can afford to live there. Recently, we built more than 700 affordable homes for seniors in the heart of Pembroke Pines. This important project will make a difference for hundreds of seniors and working families in my community. It will improve their quality-of-life and ensure that they can continue to live in Pembroke Pines.
If “Hometown Democracy” had been the law of the land, this would not have been possible.
This affordable housing area required changes to our city’s “comprehensive land use plan.” Under “Hometown Democracy,” articulating a vision for the project and ensuring implementation would have been red-tape ridden, if not impossible altogether. As a result, our city would have lost an important quality-of-life improvement.
This may not be what the folks behind Florida Hometown Democracy want. But it is exactly what we’ll get.
Under this amendment, it would be quite common for residents of my city-and countless other communities-to face 300 technical plan changes on a single ballot. According to the Department of Community Affairs, Florida has averaged over 10,000 comprehensive plan changes each year for the last four years. Under this amendment, each of those changes would have been individually placed on the ballot.
Hometown Democracy supporters say that these plan changes are motivated by greedy developers. In some cases, that may be true. However, that is not the case in Pembroke Pines. In fact, it is not the case with the vast majority of important public projects that are inspired by a desire to help people.
I agree with those who say we can improve growth management. However, Hometown Democracy is a step in the wrong direction.
If adopted, this amendment will make things harder on working families. It will cost jobs, ruin affordable housing, slow our economy and ensure that economic downturn becomes the new status quo.
— Frank Ortis is the mayor of Pembroke Pines, President of the Florida State Council of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and a board member with the Florida AFL-CIO.