Regarding Thursday's Palm Beach Post editorial by Rhonda Swan, "Bellissimo should accept Wellington's offer to resolve lawsuit," (see below):
On June 2, Wellington Equestrian Partners accepted the "path to settlement" offered by Wellington Mayor Bob Margolis and councilors Anne Gerwig and Howard Coates. We, like The Post, are dismayed that councilors Matt Willhite and John Greene continue to pursue a path of litigation that village staff estimated will cost Wellington residents $2,700 a day for the next three years ($1 million yearly) with no benefits to the residents who are paying these expenses.
Mayor Margolis, Ms. Gerwig and Mr. Coates provided leadership in the best interests of the community. Messrs. Greene and Wilhite continue to pursue the Jacobs-Hirsch agenda, which is focused on "preservation" of their estates and return of Wellington to being their exclusive club. Our agenda is to provide international equine events that are inclusive and bring the best horses and riders to Wellington. These events provide an estimated $200 million annually to the economy and recreational and entertainment opportunities for all.
We have been successful in defending the legality of the approvals granted by the previous village council and the South Florida Water Management District for the $8.3 million derby and dressage venue we constructed. The litigation is to restore our property rights and rescind the unprecedented revocations issued by this current council. The council has every legal, fiscal and economic reason to settle this matter, and we believe this can be achieved with the continued leadership of Mayor Margolis and councilors Coates and Gerwig.
Editorial: Bellissimo should accept Wellington's offer to resolve lawsuit
By Rhonda Swan - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
In a sign that reason might be returning to Wellington, Mayor Bob Margolis voted with councilors Anne Gerwig and Howard Coates last week to offer developer Mark Bellissimo a "path to settlement." As evidence that absurdity remains, councilors John Greene and Matt Wilhite voted to continue costly litigation.
Mr. Bellissimo has sued the council for revoking approvals that previous elected officials gave his Wellington Equestrian Partners. WEP runs the Global Dressage Festival. Mr. Bellissimo, WEP's managing partner, had proposed an $80 million commercial development on property he owns in the village's equestrian preserve. The project was the dominant issue in last year's elections.
The Jacobs family, which owns an estate near Mr. Bellissimo's land, opposed the project and spent more than $500,000 to support Messrs. Margolis, Greene and Wilhite. All of them then rejected Mr. Bellissimo's project, despite their previous support for dressage events. A vendetta against Mr. Bellissimo and pet peeves became the new council majority's agenda.
In recent weeks, though, Mr. Margolis has surprised by casting sensible votes on at least two key issues: hiring a new city attorney and negotiating with Mr. Bellissimo. Why? He declined to comment, but the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics last month found probable cause to hold a public hearing into allegations that Mr. Margolis violated the ethics code by taking $2,500 from Neil Hirsch, a former lobbyist who opposed the equestrian village project. It makes better optics if Mr. Margolis starts to at least appear objective when it comes to Mr. Bellissimo.
The council's offer would allow Mr. Bellissimo to submit new applications for the approvals the council revoked. The council could still deny or approve them. The new applications, though, would not prejudice Mr. Bellissimo's lawsuit. It would be put on hold for 180 days, saving the village six months' worth of legal fees.
The expectation, said Mr. Coates, who participated in the mediation, is that Mr. Bellissimo would get a "fair shake in front of this council." Mr. Coates noted the difficulty in convincing Mr. Bellissimo of that, given the opposition by Mr. Greene and Mr. Wilhite. Mr. Greene did not respond to a request for comment. Mr. Wilhite declined comment.
"I just don't want to create two sets of rule in this village," Mr. Greene said in the meeting, "where some people get to do things one way and others get to do things a different way." When Mr. Coates pressed him to be specific about the rules that would be applied differently, Mr. Greene was at a loss.
As Mr. Coates noted, the agreement poses no risk to Wellington Equestrian Partners or the village. It's unclear whether Mr. Bellissimo will accept the offer. He did not respond to a call seeking comment. It hardly would be surprising if he declined, but resolving this issue would benefit him and the village.
The grudge agenda is hurting Wellington.
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