April 7, 2008. Palm Beach Post.
LAKE WORTH — The scene at Calvary United Methodist Church was reminiscent of the civil rights era: steamy with excitement as the choir sang spirit-filled songs and public officials awaited their turn on the hot seat.
Maybe that’s why only one of the seven Palm Beach County commissioners attended Monday night’s “action assembly” sponsored by People Engaged in Active Community Efforts, a faith-based organization consisting of 18 churches and synagogues. County Commissioner Jess Santamaria was the lone commissioner among the six empty chairs baring the name of each of commissioner.
“Flood their phones with calls, because they didn’t come,” PEACE member Reuben Cooley told the 1,000-plus crowd that filled the church.
The assembly convened as an accountability session on PEACE’s past demands on public officials to make improvements in areas ranging from education to affordable housing. This year, PEACE targeted three areas: alternative education, health care and affordable housing.
PEACE gave Schools Superintendent Art Johnson a passing grade for keeping his promise to develop a web site for the district’s alternative education program. Johnson, who didn’t attend the assembly, also had his staff meet with PEACE officials to create a tracking system for alternative education students.
The final goal is still a work in progress: Raise half the alternative education schools from an “F” to a “C.”
“We have every confidence that’s going to happen,” said Barbara Roth, a PEACE member who worked on the alternative education report.
Meanwhile, Health Care District CEO Dwight Chenette had to answer why so few of the county’s uninsured residents were enrolled in district programs. Of the 226,000 uninsured residents, about 22,000 were enrolled in two critical health care district insurance programs, according to PEACE officials.
Chenette, the first official to sit in the “hot seat,” agreed to increase enrollment by more than 10 percent, streamline the application process and review the district’s marketing strategy in an effort to reach more uninsured families.
Overall, the biggest disappointment of the evening for those gathered was the no-show commissioners. However, Santamaria agreed to push for PEACE’s request for an affordable housing task force.
The task force would make recommendations to create an affordable housing trust fund. According to PEACE, families earning less than $32,000 are “overwhelmingly neglected when it comes to affordable housing” in the county.
PEACE wants the county to create a nine-member housing board, consisting of five individuals from non-profit agencies and four appointed by commissioners. Santamaria endorsed the idea, but encouraged PEACE to mobilize beyond its membership.
“The power is in the people,” Santamaria said. “You need to tell your neighbors and friends about your mission.”
The group already has an action plan. The missing commissioners can expect a host of telephone calls today from the PEACE members, who were given the names and telephone numbers of each commissioner.
They also plan to pack the county commission chambers April 15 to back Santamaria’s request to create the housing task force.
“PEACE is building its power,” said Father John D’Mello, a PEACE co-president. “And we’re becoming a force to be reckoned with in Palm Beach County.”
