Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on May 3, 2013

With expenses to cover and the start of a monthlong series of events just eight days away, the vice president of the Community Access Center in Miramar knew just where to turn for cash: Broward County taxpayers.

He brought a roster of backers to the County Commission, where they were able to brush off concerns raised by several commissioners and muscle through the last-minute spending request.

Their ace in the hole: Dale Holness, vice president of the community access center, is also one of Broward's nine county commissioners.

Several commissioners voiced objections to the allocation, then proceeded to approve the $15,000 cash and another $1,700 in promotional services for events celebrating Haitian Cultural Heritage Month.

Commissioners Sue Gunzburger, Stacy Ritter and Lois Wexler said they were concerned about the precedent they've set by funding a program for one group. Many other groups have months May's include Jewish-American Heritage and Asian-American and Pacific Island Heritage and the skeptics said it might be difficult to turn away the next one now that the spigot has been opened.

"I see this as a Pandora's box," Gunzburger said. "We have so many different communities in Broward County that would say: Why not me as well?"

Wexler said "there are many things I would like to celebrate in our community and put county money towards it. That's a slippery slope I think we're embarking on."

Holness and Commissioner Barbara Sharief said they'd have no problem with that. "We should celebrate all cultures," Holness said.

Holness publicly informed his colleagues he's on the Community Access Center organization's board, but it wasn't mentioned in the printed documents supporting the request. He said in an interview that neither he nor any family members receive any financial benefit from the center.

But Holness, describing his central Broward district as the territory with "the greatest needs that exist," pleaded with other commissioners for the aid. "We get all these cries and all these needs, and for me, a whole lot of it [becomes] where I access some support for this, to make a difference, to do something that is crying out for help out there."

The rest is here:
Group official, county commissioner help secure county grant

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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