Neighorhood Voice, Jan. 27, 2009

I recently returned home from the US Conference of Mayors and the inauguration in DC. The trip was great and inspiring. I met President Clinton, Mayor Bloomberg and T. Boone Pickens amongst other great speakers. One of the common themes of the conference was that the economy will rebound in time and we must be patient. President Clinton indicated that while no one could give an exact time of day and month when this would occur, he was confident in the administration of President Obama and the American people that in combination we will recover some time in the next year or so.

AS you read the papers, you learn of more and more layoffs and company bankruptcies. It can be unsettling. A personal suggestion I have for each of us to help combat the recession is to offer value. Whether you have your own business, are an employee or are looking for work, there will always be others who prefer to receive something of value. Thus, I am recommending to others who are seeking a job to consider donating some of their time to a worthwhile cause or business they can benefit. In my own law firm I have two employees who used to intern for me as a volunteer. They showed that they can perform and earned paying jobs after providing my firm with their time and strong results – they provided something of great value.

T. Boone Pickens asked each Mayor to sign a pledge for our country to be independent of the oil produced by countries unworthy of our financial support. He suggested that enough power can be generated y alternative resources and by each on if us substantially reducing our dependence on oil. IF you watched d the inauguration you heard President Obama speak about the assistance he will need from Americans as well as patience. My ultimate question to you is what will you choose to do to help yourself, help others and to help your Country?

Often people ask me how they can get involved with the community. One great way is to become a mentor. For more information on how you can become a Mentor through training here in the city, please call Pat Mirabello at 344-1019 or email me at SBrook@coralsprings.org to learn how you can help Big Brothers Big Sisters. Another great way to help is by working on one of our committees. To find out which committee has an opening, please call our City Clerk's office at 344-1065. Please look at our website, www.coralsprings.org, to earn about other opportunities.

Another recommendation I have gathered from my trip and through some reflection is to be agile. In other words, consider another approach to business and/or cash flow or new ideas that will help you to be more efficient as we are living in a much different economy than we ever have. Consequently, we must consider new ways of being in order to outlast the challenges before us.

Our City is taking action to assist with purchases of foreclosed homes and we anticipate grant money flowing into our City to help stem additional foreclosures in our community. We are also encouraging our community and neighboring communities to Buy Coral Springs in order to support our local business community while simultaneously diversifying our tax base for each one of our residents. To learn more about these potential solutions and other ideas for financial assistance, please look at our website or call our help desk at 344-1001.

If you need to meet with me, please call my Assistant, Catia at 344-5906 to set up an appointment during one of my office hours at Dunkin Donuts or Whole Foods or the Breakfast Joint or elsewhere. It is a pleasure to serve you.

Mayor Scott J. Brook
City of Coral Springs
9551 W. Sample Road
Coral Springs, FL 33065
(954)344-5906 p

Posted: Tuesday, Jan 27, 2009