Mayor Joy Cooper Blows Up

The following is from Hallandale Beach Blog regarding an apparent hissy fit by Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper at last night's commission meeting. Cooper apparently stormed off the dais while arguing about the budget with Commissioner Keith London, whose voice was piped in on telephone.

Unfortunately, the following is a great example of the weakness of so many citizen blogs -- it's dominated by opinion with only a few facts tossed in. The blogger, David Bruce Smith, does promise more context in a post for later today, thankfully. And he does find a way to work in the word "sclerotic," and for that, I must give props.

Wednesday night's Hallandale Beach City Commission meeting captured mayor Joy Cooper at her absolute brazen worst: by turns condescending, accusative, arrogant, sneering, abrasive and totally full of her bullying self, once again over-playing her hand.

Naturally, as this observer has seen on far too many occasions over the past few years, the mayor, as is her established custom, tried to turn the events into one where she could try to play the 'victim card' as well.
"I take offense at..."

She never really quites pulls off the victim card, though, because more often than not, Cooper is the aggressive bully, upset that people are remaining independent and not bending to her will.

It was all so unseemly and un-necessary, yet it's representative of why Hallandale Beach needs fresh faces of reform come November to prevent the continuing sense of democratic decay under the older, sclerotic members, who are not only not friends of government reform, accountability, transparency and increased citizen participation in city business, but are, by their own recorded votes, their sworn enemy.

They are the very portrait of status quo for the well-connected and the well-heeled in this community, who like things done one way - their way!