By: Sharon Aron Baron
On Veteran’s Day, the vets are the VIPs, especially at the crowded ceremony in Tamarac, which attracts men and women from WWII to active duty members.
But once again, the Tamarac city manager, mayor, and commissioners think the day is about them and get reserved parking in a cordoned-off area – yes, a VIP parking area set aside for them.
I watched veterans cross the street on Saturday, parking far away from the ceremony. Parking spaces that should have been for heroes were used by zeros: the city commission.
You would think that they would give up the pretenses at this one event and turn over the spaces to those who deserved it. No, not in our city.
Now I want to be clear that those who had handicap placards were able to park up close. If a veteran had a disability – and parking permit, they were free to park in the area. But this excluded most everyone else.
This year, following Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine’s lead, several city commissioners came out from behind the big top and shook the hands of the veterans in the half-hour before the ceremony.
This year, Mayor Harry Dressler, Vice Mayor Debra Placko, and Commissioner Marlon Bolton shook the hands of all the vets, which was a real delight to those in attendance.
Commissioners Michelle Gomez and Julie Fishman did not step out into the crowd. I’m not sure they did after the ceremony because I typically have to leave halfway through the ceremony to cover Coral Springs.
Back to the parking: the city manager and these local representatives’ level of importance that they are more important than hundreds of their constituents baffles me and should infuriate you.
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