Jan 12, 2010

By Rick Neale, Florida Today

VIERA—Prior to his community forum Monday, U.S. Rep. Bill Posey chatted with nine Space Coast municipal leaders during a submarine-sandwich lunch.

Officials from Cape Canaveral, Cocoa, Malabar, Palm Shores, Rockledge and West Melbourne attended the informal gathering at the Government Center in Viera.

Posey shared stories from his tenure on the Rockledge City Council, which lasted from 1976-86, and listened to local leaders’ opinions on topics of the day.

Malabar Mayor Tom Eschenberg criticized federal economic stimulus spending. Palm Shores Mayor Carol McCormack predicted future Florida Power & Light rate hikes. And Cape Canaveral City Councilwoman Shannon Roberts worried about looming job losses after the shuttle retirement.

Cocoa Deputy Mayor James McCarthy and Deputy City Manager Brenda Fettrow said they plan to research how much excess property their city owns.

Why? Posey—a Realtor—said he did the same in Rockledge, and the resulting land-inventory sale generated enough cash to build City Hall, the fire station and the police department.

Posey encouraged Brevard County officials to call his office for help with federal-funding questions.

“I thought there was a bunch of white-haired old men in the back of White House that set national policy. Everything would be all right, they knew more than we do,” Posey said. “Not.”

Contact Neale at 242-3638 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

This article is reprinted from http://www.floridatoday.com