American Dream | Your Delray Boca

Scott Pape gets an earful of praise from City Manager Terrance Moore at his retirement party last week. Three mayors, three planning directors and a room full of current and retired city staff came to celebrate Scott’s storied career.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal published a poll that blew people’s minds.

The pollsters asked a cross-section of Americans whether they thought that life for their children’s generation would be better than it was for them.

The answer: no.

Check that: it was heck no.

By a 78-21 percent margin, Americans did not feel confident that their kids would have a better life. One percent didn’t know.

That’s a startling number and as one commentator put it: “the poll quantifies a generational and political divide that shows a rot at the very soul of our nation.”

When you use the word “rot,” good news usually doesn’t follow. Whether it has to do with your house, your marriage, or your nation, you really want to avoid rot.

Here’s what the Journal found.

Asked to describe the state of the nation’s economy, 1% (not a typo) chose “excellent.”
56% said a four-year college degree is “not worth the cost because people often graduate without specific job skills and with a large amount of debt.”
33% said they have very little or no confidence in public schools.
Tolerance for others, deemed very important by 80% of Americans as recently as four years ago, has fallen to 58%.

The numbers look even worse when compared to Journal polling data from 1998.

Patriotism is very important: Dropped from 70% to 38%.
Religion is very important: Dropped from 62% to 39%.
Having children is very important: Dropped from 59% to 30%.
Community involvement is very important: Dropped from 62 % to 29%.
Money is very important: Rose from 31% to 43%.

Blame it on politics, Covid, inflation or the very wrong decision to end Ted Lasso, but something is amiss in our society.

Patriotism, community involvement and having kids–and believing they will live in a better America— are the core values of our nation.

It’s a lot to grapple with, but grapple with it we must because so much is at stake.

As concerned locals, we should be asking what we can do here in Boca/Delray to address some of these issues?

If you are involved in a college or university, you need to be laser focused on the value you are providing students. Will they get a return on their investment of time and tuition?

I’m happy to report that I think Lynn University, FAU and Palm Beach State are focused on those very questions. As a trustee at Lynn, I’ve been impressed with the focus Lynn puts on providing “hands-on” educational opportunities and making sure students are engaged and getting what they need to succeed. As a private institution, Lynn can pivot and innovate– and they do.

FAU, coming off a basketball season for the ages, is blossoming and serves as an economic engine for our region. Let’s hope the specter of partisan politics surrounding the selection of a new president doesn’t set the school back. If the powers that be recruit a great educational leader in the seat, not a political hack who needs a job, FAU will soar.

Likewise, Palm Beach State is doing a good job preparing students for careers with low-cost certificate and degree programs in fields ranging from manufacturing and welding to construction and marine services.

As for local public schools, this requires a very deep dive.

Delray Beach schools need our care and attention. Our city has a rich history of supporting local schools and it looks like we need to undergo another visioning process to address some pressing issues which includes test scores, graduation rates and declining enrollment at local schools.

We need to empower our Education Coordinator and Education Board to bring the stakeholders to the table so we can find strategies to positively impact local schools. Promising programs to support our youth exist: Bound for College, Milagro Center, KOP Mentoring Network, Roots & Wings, EJS Project and the Achievement Center are good examples. We have a foundation in place on which to build something unique in Delray. It will take a village and a vision to knit these programs together and create a compelling narrative that this can be a learning community

The distressing numbers on community involvement are another cause for alarm.

Some of the lack of interest may stem from cynicism, some may be caused by economic strain and some by the lack of a “community water cooler” (i.e. local news) that once made it easy to find out what was going on in town.

Regardless, there was a time when city government was designed to encourage civic engagement. Virtually every department in the city was focused on getting the community involved.

Examples include citizen police academies, resident academies, police and fire volunteer programs, open houses, neighborhood dinners, neighborhood task teams, charettes, visioning, community reading initiatives, events, festivals etc. There were numerous and varied “connection” points; opportunity upon opportunity to get involved.

It’s never been easy to engage the public, but community building is critical and worth the effort.

The Journal poll was a wake-up call. I hope we answer the alarm.

AMERICAN VALUES BY THE NUMBERS:

70.0%: In 1998, 70.0% of Americans said that patriotism was very important.
38.0%: In 2023, 38.0% of Americans said that patriotism was very important.
62.0%: In 1998, 62.0% of Americans said that religion was very important.
39.0%: In 2023, 39.0% of Americans said that religion was very important.
59.0%: In 1998, 59.0% of Americans said that having children was very important.
30.0%: In 2023, 30.0% of Americans said that having children was very important.
62.0%: In 1998, 62.0% of Americans said that involvement in community was very important.
29.0%: In 2023, 29.0% of Americans said that involvement in community was very important.
31.0%: In 1998, 31.0% of Americans said that money was very important.
43.0%: In 2023, 43.0% of Americans said that money was very important (Sources: NORC at The University of Chicago and The Wall Street Journal, 3.27.23).

Odds and Ends

Congratulations to Detective Charles Lunsford who was named 2022 Officer of the Year by the Delray Elks Lodge.

Charles’ dad Scott was a legendary Delray officer, so clearly the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

Great job.

Condolences to Lt. Gary Ferreri on the loss of his wonderful grandfather Richard Lewis who passed away recently at the age of 98.

In March, Mr. Lewis received the Legion of Honor Award for his service in World War II. The Legion of Honor is the French government’s highest honor. Mr. Lewis saw action in the Battle of the Bulge.

“He was a man that never complained about anything, he literally went through hell and back as he was captured and held as a POW for 4 months in Germany. I have had the honor and privilege to hear many of his stories, about the men he saved on the front line, his time in prison camp, and so much more,” Lt. Ferreri said in a Facebook post.

His grandfather went back to Normandy to walk the beaches last June.

He will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

Recently, Delray lost a local icon with the passing of Bruce Gimmy.

The long-time owner of The Trouser Shop on Atlantic Avenue, Mr. Gimmy was known for his colorful wardrobe and lately for his participation in Delray Fashion Week.

Rest in Peace.

I’d also like to wish a happy retirement to Scott Pape, who spent 37 years—most of them in Delray Beach—working as a city planner.

Scott is not only a great guy, he is universally respected. Known as the “fixer” Scott was often tasked with the most sensitive projects in town—including Ipic and Atlantic Crossing because Planning Directors through the years knew he would be fair, thorough and professional regardless of circumstances.

It’s not easy being a city planner in any city—especially Delray which can be a challenging place when it comes to the public square. But this town has always been known for its outstanding planning department and Scott was a star among stars. We wish him well in his next chapter.

Social and economic inequality is shaping up to be a centerpiece issue in the 2016 presidential campaign.

The issue is at the core of “The American Dream”, the notion that in America anything is possible if you work hard and play by the rules.

On both ends of the political spectrum; the left and the right, there is a sense that even if you do those things it’s becoming harder and harder to get ahead in America. There’s a sense that it’s more difficult for the poor to ascend to the middle class and beyond, for the middle class to stay in the middle or move up a rung and data shows that indeed the rich are getting richer.

Democrats tend to think that government provides solutions and Republicans want to get government out of the way.

I don’t think either party has a lock on the truth or the answers and when it comes to Washington both parties have failed—a judgement in which both party’s presidential candidates and grassroots seem to agree.

So with Washington failing and hopelessly gridlocked, policy innovation and economic development seem to be left to the states, counties and cities in our nation.

I think the most action happens on the city level, where government is closest to the people and–theoretically at least– most accountable.

That’s why it’s critical to keep informed and get involved in your community.

I think local policymakers have a tough job to do.

The decisions they make are often personal and they vote not in some far off place, but often around the block from where they live. I can’t remember the last time I saw my Congressman or State Representative but local elected officials are easily located—well most of them are or should be. If you can’t find them, get rid of them.

So I think the issues of inequality being talked about by candidates ranging from Bernie Sanders to Ben Carson will actually be dealt with by mayors, council members and commissioners in cities across America.

The fate of the American Dream has been localized.

Which states, cities and regions will offer quality education and economic opportunities? Which cities will work on innovative policy solutions to create attainable housing for young people and allow the rest of us to age in place if we choose to stay?
Which cities will tap into the tremendous human capital that exists in our cities and in neighborhoods that many choose to overlook or ignore?

Which cities will aspire to create special places that will attract and retain creative people—artists and entrepreneurs?
Who will wake up every day on a mission to create opportunities and protect cherished and hard won victories?

Cities have to strike a delicate balancing act—they must respect the past, take care of the present and prepare for the future.

Often times they skip the first and last responsibilities and spend their time on the issue du jour. That’s a mistake. Respect for the journey is critical. The past informs the present and also can guide you into the future. Neglecting the future will leave your city vulnerable to communities that are working to further the American Dream.

Ask yourself where your city is on this spectrum of thought. Let’s hope they are addressing the past, the present and future.

A Wake Up Poll, Saying Goodbye To A Special Planner

The American Dream Is a Local One