Boynton Beach Commissioners Oust CRA Director After Investigation into Relationship with Vendor

BOYNTON BEACH -After months of back-and-forth allegations, the city commissioners, acting as the Community Redevelopment Board, voted 4-1 not to renew the contract of Lisa Bright, the CRA executive director.

Commissioner Woodrow Hay cast the dissenting vote.

The decision came just days after commissioners were hand-delivered the final report from a private investigator hired in August to look into the ties between Bright and one of the CRA's vendors. The investigation concluded Bright did not disclose the connections to the board.

Bright's contract would have automatically renewed for another year at the end of September. The board voted at last week's CRA meeting to put Bright on administrative leave with pay, but the commissioners were split 2-2 on not renewing Bright's contract, with Commissioner Bill Orlove undecided.

Commissioner Marlene Ross, who spoke in support of Bright last week, said that her decision was made based on the findings of the investigation.

"Based on all of these reports, I can see that according to this information, some procedures were not followed and some disclosures were not made," she said.

Orlove said that he found some information revealed in the report to be "troubling."

"In my opinion, Lisa Bright, as a government employee, should have disclosed her relationship regarding Joseph Ferrer to the CRA Board and let it determine the outcome of the contracts," he said.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, prior to the discussion about the investigation, Bright's attorney, Isidro Garcia, spoke on behalf on his client, calling the investigation a "witch hunt."

The report states that evidence shows that Bright has known the vendor, Joseph Ferrer, for at least 10 years, and that she lived at and leased a cottage on Ferrer's property prior to her employment with the Boynton CRA.

It also says that Bright was "untruthful or misleading" at a July 20 CRA Board meeting when she publicly said that she never lived at Ferrer's home and only used that address to get her daughter into a different school.

Hay, who voiced his support for Bright last week, said tonight that Bright should be given back her job.

"The problem is not the CRA," he said. "The problem is the CRA Board. I've lost confidence in many of us who are sitting up here with me tonight."

Bright, who sat calmly composed in the audience during the discussion, declined to comment after the vote was made. She will get a severance package of 150 days paid, according to her contract. The Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office also is investigating Bright, according to Bright's attorney, but the reason is not known.

Due to time constraints, the commissioners voted to table the appointment of a seven-member independent CRA Board until the Oct. 5 commission meeting.



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Kerry Katona tells detective: Find me a decent man

Having clawed her way back from the brink of bankruptcy after her ex-husband Mark Croft wasted all her cash, Kerry Katona, 30, could be forgiven for being a little wary of the next guy who comes sniffing around.

Now can reveal that Kerry has hired a private investigator to complete background checks on all potential suitors.

‘Kerry was very hurt by Mark and he took her for everything she had,' a friend tells Now.

‘She was totally destroyed, emotionally and financially.'

Kerry, who now lives in Surrey, split with Mark, 38, seven months ago.

But instead of being able to make a clean break, she was left with nearly £500,000 of debt after discovering he'd spent all her money on fast cars and fruitless business ventures.

Kerry has since dated painter and decorator Adam Waldron, 33.

But that soon ended in tears after she dumped him, citing his drinking as a reason.

Adam's family have denied the accusation.

Now she's dating kick boxer Scott Gibson, who she met on the dating website Match.com.

And it seems her investigator - who's helped Kerry with various situations in the past - has put her mind at rest as she happily arranged to meet Scott for a drink two weeks ago at a bar in Brighton.

‘The private eye finds out where they live, what their financial situation is and if they have children, ex-wives, a criminal record or any other skeletons to hide,' says the friend.

‘Although Kerry loves a bad boy, Mark lost a lot of her money and she doesn't want to end up high and dry again.

‘Her management fully support her decision to safeguard her finances.'


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Be Mine (and Mine…and Mine…)

Cheating Partners Exposed with PInow.com’s Valentine’s Day Infidelity Quiz

DENVER, CO — February 6, 2009 — For years private investigators have been touting Valentine’s Day as the number one day for cheaters. However, most people do not even recognize every day activities as signs of cheating. Affairs often continue for years without the other spouse’s awareness. PInow.com, a directory of local pre-screened private investigators, has created a free online quiz for suspicious spouses. This quick and easy quiz will create awareness for attentive partners who are ready to act. To take the infidelity quiz, visit http://www.pinow.com/resources/infidelity.php

“This year, PInow.com hopes to offer a bit of reassurance to those who may have infidelity concerns, and help those who may be correct about those suspicions,” said PInow.com Co-founder Trent Carlyle. “It is often easier to catch cheaters around Valentine’s Day because they want to spend time with both their spouses and lovers so slip-ups occur. Many cheaters will withdraw large amounts of money to purchase extravagant gifts for their partners — ringing alarm bells for those who aren’t on the receiving end of the gifts.”

Using these and other tell-tale signs of infidelity, partners can arm themselves with evidence and stop the disastrous pattern of infidelity. The best thing a worried partner can do is to prepare. Oftentimes, what started out as just an inkling of suspicion will prove to be accurate. Studies have confirmed it, showing that 85 percent of women and 50 percent of men who suspected that their partner was cheating were ultimately correct.

About PInow.com:

PInow.com is the most widely used source for finding private investigators worldwide. PInow.com assists legal professionals, insurance companies, corporations public institutions, government agencies and the public in locating local pre-screened investigators.

PInow.com’s search technology allows you to locate an investigator by location and investigation type - and it’s FREE to use. Visit the PInow.com private investigator directory at http://www.pinow.com. Need additional assistance? Call us toll-free at (888) 997-4669.

Contact:
PInow.com
3215 Osage St.
Denver, CO 80211
T - (888) 997-4669
F - (877) 824-2482

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Private Spies

Think private detective and what springs to mind? The worldweary, chain-smoking Philip Marlowe? Sherlock Holmes solving another crime with his sidekick Watson? Even Magnum P.I. and his impressive moustache jaunting around Hawaii in a flashy sports car? And really, who could blame you?

Over the last century, few professions have been infused with as much daring, glamour and intrigue as that of the private detective. As a trip to the crime section of any book shop will reveal, authors have always been fascinated with private investigators, while Hollywood and television annually churn out yet more films and shows on detectives, the vast majority of which only add further mystique to the sleuth. Still, one thing holds true: as you might expect, private detectives are a suspicious bunch and none of those I spoke to would allow me to use their full names or have their photographs taken.

"Sad to report, but for the most part, the reality of being a private detective is not like it has been depicted in television, films or books," says Ron, a private detective with Dublin firm Eye Spy. "No two days are the same but it's not international espionage or fortunes-at-stake stuff. I've yet to see a private investigator driving a Ferrari, although there are a couple who wear sunglasses day and night -- but that wouldn't be my idea of blending in."

Cheating on Your Spouse? Beware Someone is Watching

Two weeks ago the CEO of a blue-chip Nairobi-based company told his wife that he was flying to Mombasa on company business.

Instead of heading for the airport, the man drove to Kitengela where he rendezvoused with his girlfriend. They spent the rest of the day and the night drinking and canoodling.

His suspicious wife contacted a private eye firm to track down and expose the man. It did not take them long to compile a dossier on the philanderer.

Sex, Lies & Surveillance

Damien Delzoppo of Avenue Investigations says he was playing a clean game — "well within the limits of the law" — during an episode that ended with one Melbourne contractor blackmailing a rival into pulling out of the tendering for a local council job.

It seems that the rival — owner of a construction business, 20 to 30 workers — had been winning council jobs left and right. He was significantly undercutting everybody else. It was a mystery.

It didn't take long to find out the guy was having an affair with his materials supplier. She was selling him the materials cheap.

Stamford Private Eye Reveals Case Secrets

Vito Colucci likes to call the days leading up to Feb. 14 Valenslyne Day. Those are the days this Stamford private eye's phone rings incessantly.

On the other end of the phone, usually, is a suspicious spouse looking for someone to spy on their cheating mate.

So when Colucci saw the Mercedes pull into his driveway and a well-dressed, good-looking man of 38 step out, he expected much of the same.

"He comes in, sits down and tells me he wants me to follow his wife," Colucci recalls. "He shows me a photograph of a beautiful blonde woman. So I start asking him the usual hundred questions — her name, the type of car she drives, where he thinks she's going. Then he tells me he wants me to start following her at 2 p.m. and asks if I can go past midnight to 2 a.m. I say sure. Then he says he wants me to call in a report every 15 to 20 minutes."

If You Suspect Your Lover of Infidelity, Tank Rolls into Action

The instant you lay eyes on the guy, you know exactly how Sherman "Tank" Jones got the nickname. The resemblance is remarkable.

With the body of a bulldozer and head like a wrecking ball -- let's just say you'd be ill advised to diss his mama.

Yet a big part of his job requires being invisible. Him and his size-15 alligator shoes.

As a private investigator, Tank Jones sees what isn't meant to be seen, hears what isn't meant to be heard, knows what is supposed to be secret. He's pretty sure, for example, that a client's boyfriend who ducked out the door at 5:30 for an early-morning run didn't mean to be videotaped indulging in a little side-dish activity on top of a picnic table in Elderberry Park.

How to Tell Whether a Partner is Having an Emotional Affair

Investigation News - How to Tell Whether a Partner is Having an Emotional Affair - PInow.com Investigator Directory: "Look out for the signs of an emotional affair. Emotional cheating can lead to a traditional affair, so keeping an eye out for the classic signs can help partners outwit pain down the road.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with a friendship. However, friendships do not involve the deception and the type of inappropriate emotional closeness that an emotional affair entails. Despite its name, an emotional affair can involve physical intimacy, although it does not always. What this type of infidelity always dishes out, though is pain: pain caused by a partner who invests more emotionally into another relationship.

Emotional affairs involve someone who builds an inappropriately intimate relationship with someone outside their partnership. This may mean that a husband suddenly starts confiding all his personal and work-related problems to a female co-worker rather than his wife. It could also mean a wife suddenly confiding all her successes and desires to a new male friend rather than her husband. An emotional affair is usually also marked by secrecy – a partner may downplay or outright lie about the amount of time spent with a new partner. Sexual attraction is almost always part of the equation, too, although it is not always acted upon.

How to tell?

There are several signs that a partner is having an emotional affair:"

Find out all of the Emotional Affair signs by clicking the link below:
How to Tell Whether a Partner is Having an Emotional Affair

When Does Online Cheating Cross the Line?

Investigation News - When Does Online Cheating Cross the Line? - PInow.com Investigator Directory: "Online cheaters connect with other partners in cyberspace for adventures that range from erotic virtual encounters to basic flirting. While some don’t consider it cheating, many experts agree that online infidelity crosses the line – and can lead to real cheating in person.

Online cheating has many forms. Some internet users log onto online dating sites – or specifically, online dating sites designed especially for discreet married people – to meet someone in person. Many others simply flirt and have affairs online, without ever meeting the person they are speaking with.

What is online cheating?

Some justify “hot chats” as harmless fun, but this sort of behaviour has caused marital rifts – and has even lead to in-person affairs offline. At best, cybersex means that a partner starts spending time with someone besides their partner – time that can better be invested in the relationship. Since online flirting or online sex is simpler and fantasy-based, it can fuel desire even more, leading someone to seek a real-life affair. Of course, there is always the real possibility that the cheater’s partner will be upset and hurt when they find out about such online activity."

Read the entire article and comment on it by clicking the link below:
When Does Online Cheating Cross the Line?