"HOMETOWN DEMOCRACY WILL BLEED OUR STATE OF JOBS

By Frank Ortis

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 February
1stsignature certification deadline-which was approved by the voters in 2004. As of August 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 hundreds of 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 over ...