Tamarac City Commissioner Kicia Daniels, Vice Mayor Marlon Bolton, and Commissioner Morey Wright all voted to purchase a clubhouse where Bolton lives.
By Sharon Aron Baron
A hard look into Tamarac’s $2 million Shaker Village deal is underway as the Broward Office of the Inspector General (OIG) calls for complete access to all the associated documents.
Carol I. Breece, Inspector General, has sent a firm request to the City of Tamarac, demanding transparency and comprehensive details about the controversial purchase of Shaker Village Clubhouse and land.
The nine-point request list, issued on Thursday, focuses heavily on the records of meetings, correspondences, resolutions, studies, analyses, legal opinions, contracts, and communications from the city regarding the Shaker Village deal spanning from 2019 to 2023.
Tamarac resident Kathleen Johnson wrote to the OIG on July 16 requesting assistance on a matter she believed had several ethical concerns.
“I am so glad that this is being taken seriously. The residents of Tamarac deserve no less than total transparency and faith in their elected officials,” she said. “Unfortunately, situations like this contain neither.”
The request dives deep into the need for insight into any potential discussions between city employees, including elected officials, and the Shaker Village Condominium Association. This includes access to sign-in sheets, agendas, and meeting minutes concerning the deal.
The OIG also demands to see the East Side Parks Feasibility Study conducted by Miller-Legg and Associates, Inc. This study presumably contains valuable information about potential park facilities on the eastern side of University Drive. The OIG’s request specifically targets the resolution to adopt this study.
The investigation also calls for full access to any cost-to-benefit analysis, legal opinions, and communications regarding the Shaker Village deal. The request goes as far as to question the involvement of Vice-Mayor Marlon Bolton in the purchase, hinting at a possible conflict of interest.
All sales agreements or commercial contracts related to the Shaker Village deal are also being demanded, along with all relevant communication records.
The OIG has given a one-week deadline for the city to comply with the request.
No comments have been released by the City of Tamarac or Vice-Mayor Marlon Bolton regarding the Inspector General’s request. Letter to OIG3 Letter from the OIG
Got News? Send it to Tamarac Talk. Don’t miss reading Margate Talk, Coral Springs Talk, Coconut Creek Talk, and Parkland Talk.