Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What's the weather going to be this weekend? I've started wearing sweaters and had to pull out the jacket this morning to head to work (34 degrees this am in Philly). Flying in Thursday morning with some friends for some R&R this weekend and to attend crab boil Friday night. Still warm enough to wear shorts and capris?
What's the weather going to be this weekend? I've started wearing sweaters and had to pull out the jacket this morning to head to work (34 degrees this am in Philly). Flying in Thursday morning with some friends for some R&R this weekend and to attend crab boil Friday night. Still warm enough to wear shorts and capris?
It's been chilly, and I haven't been wearing shorts. Accuweather says highs of 68-71 degrees and lows of 46 for Friday through Sunday.
The following article would be entertaining reading if it weren’t so true. I’ve been following the antics of our town council, planning board and the developer and this is just a small snippet of what’s been going on. A little snarky, but true. It saddens me to read that we should all just "be happy or leave". I believe we are a nation of laws -- even at the local level we should all be concerned about the governance of our town and what the developer plans. I don’t plan to move, as SJP does have a lot of good, but this this has been a real eye opener and my plans are to see that these #&#&#&#'s on the town council are not reelected. What I have witnessed is really unbelievable. We need town officials that will stand up for the residents and protect the integrity of our town.
From the saintjamesinsider.com website
The muck the Town Council is wading in is its own hypocrisy
The double standard is alive and well at St. James
To provide some context, let us look at the sorry saga of how the Town Council and Planning Board have done everything in their power to see Legacy Park approved. At some point in time, a plan that did not follow the guidelines for the rest of the Reserve was presented. No doubt the expectation was that it would not attract any attention and get the usual rubber stamp. That apple cart got upset when a resident of the Reserve, Bill Connor, directly affected by the plan, initiated a protest.
Panic set in when a member of the Planning Board, Stephanie Macaluso started asking pointed questions about the plan. Her questions bought an immediate call by the developer for her removal from the Planning Board on the grounds she was demonstrating bias. The Town Council fell over themselves to carry out the developer’s bidding. So anxious were they to rush to do so they could not even get the dismissal right. To add to her embarrassment Stephanie had to go through the process of being fired twice.
To justify the firing, the Town Attorney said nobody on the Planning Board could demonstrate bias. Now putting aside the fact that the firing was politically motivated, driven by the developer and totally unconscionable, that claim put a stake in the ground. Demonstrating clear bias is grounds for removal from the Planning Board.
So we come to the case of John Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan is on record as stating, “While the developer has been conscientious in keeping the Planning Board informed; basically he can do anything he wants with his own property.” The actual statement appears to have been “He can do anything he wants on his property.” The Insider is not the sharpest knife in the drawer but so far as he can tell it was bias of any kind that was grounds for dismissal, and the Insider is definitely confused if anyone can look at Mr. Sullivan’s statement as doing anything other than indicate a pro-developer bias. The matter should have ended there. Mr. Sullivan should have been gone. But no; not a peep was heard from the Town Council.
In a letter sent to the Planning Board on September 11, 2014, Mr. Connor presented further evidence of Mr. Sullivan’s bias. Mr. Sullivan made the extraordinary suggestion that the Town Council organize a neighborhood meeting at which only neighbors would be able to interact with the developers. The real kicker in this suggestion was the targeting. “This leaves Connor out in the cold.” Not only was Mr. Sullivan biased to the developers it was to the extent he would gerrymander a process so the most affected members of the community would be excluded. What was he thinking?
As Mr. Connor points out in his letter, the developer cannot do whatever he wants. However, if this is what Mr. Sullivan believes then what function does he see the Planning Board as serving? The statement makes no sense except in the context that Mr. Sullivan sees his role as making sure there is no confusion as to who rules the roost at St. James.
Is Mr. Sullivan more biased than Stephanie Macaluso could possibly have been determined to be? At least her bias took the form of uncomfortable questions posed by an expert in Town Planning. The Insider does not think any reasonable person can look at Mr. Sullivan’s remarks and conclude that he is not only biased but would manipulate the system to help the developer get his way. Grounds for firing no matter which way you look at it
In their haste to justify the firing of Stephanie Macaluso the Town Council set a standard that would need to be evenly pursued if the Town Council is to have any credibility. Mr. Sullivan has to be removed.
Let’s just recap (you might want to hold your nose):
One Councilor is a crude bully, one member of the Planning Board does not understand the meaning of “Conflict of Interest,” another by virtue of his own statements does not seem to have any reason for having a Planning Board and the last one thinks his option on golf course design should carry more weight than a company headed by the great Jack Nicklaus. To use the current idiom, none of these gentlemen (and it is noteworthy that they are all men) “Gets it.” “Folks” hello, this is the 21st Century.
However, even worse, when Mad Max sent out his threatening email the following were copied on that email:
Grady Richardson (Attorney)
Becky Dus (our worthy Mayor)
Jim Donnelly (our Finance Officer)
John Lewis (Councilor)
Judy Hughes (UDO Administrator)
Wayne Deutscher (Councilor)
Councilor Maxwell’s email was clearly an abuse of his position, yet not a single one of them thought to raise an objection, publicly dissociate themselves from it, suggest it was inappropriate, or apologize for it. What we got was stone cold silence all around. They should be ashamed. When you look at them and their actions as a whole it makes pretty dismal reading. Did they support the action, were they party to it, did they just hope the email would escape detection or are they just too cowardly to sanction one of their own under any circumstances?
The traditional way people address this is the time-honored “blame the messenger” refrain. “It is the Insider that is making us look sleazy.” To which the Insider will provide the equally traditional response. “How you appear is the result of your actions.” Nobody is contesting the accuracy of the reporting on those actions. I am pretty sure it is not just the Insider who thinks we have seen a whole lot pretty sleazy behavior. If the cap fits, wear it. Yes?
If the Town Council wants to see a unified St. James that values its representatives then they need to provide better governance. The clean up of the Planning Board and the resignation of Councilor Maxwell would be a start. Anything less would just deepen the cynicism and distrust that they currently arouse.
Was at my new home today. It is nearly completed. A number of smallish details to complete inside and landscaping outside.
It was a beautiful day in Southport. Ate lunch at Tommy Thompson's. Being a civil war buff, I was amused that Tommy Thompson was a blockade runner for the south. I assumed he was a golf pro or something
Anyway, about 3 more weeks and I'll be driving through the neighborhood playing loud music, drinking at the bars and being obnoxious, chasing your wives and putting pink flamingos in my front yard. Maybe I can get you to talking about something else other than Legacy Park.
There is always a huge turnout, always packed, for some strange reason that I cannot fathom many seem interested in this dump.... but I was at the gate most of the time with a sign that said please go back home.
There is always a huge turnout, always packed, for some strange reason that I cannot fathom many seem interested in this dump.... but I was at the gate most of the time with a sign that said please go back home.
Hi folks,
New to this thread and joined because I am trying tio get smarter on the whole area, not just SJP. I guess my first question is this, does anyone know what percentage of allowable lots within the SJP master plan have been developed to date? Has the Master Developer often changed the density from the original Master Plan? Obviously the financial climate has been horrible but has there been an uptick in interest and therefore pricing?
If SJP weren"t appealing to me for whatever reason what are the best alternatives in the area?
Are homes in SJP usually custom built or builder specs jobs?
If SJP weren"t appealing to me for whatever reason what are the best alternatives in the area?
Are homes in SJP usually custom built or builder specs jobs?
1. Try Ocean Ridge Plantation, Winding River Plantation and maybe Brunswick Plantation.
2. Custom built or built-to-order from a standard plan.
I'll let the residents answer other questions.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
