By: Sharon Aron Baron
Tamarac’s Mayor Harry Dressler enjoys continuing his education which by all means should be commended, however, his latest trip to Harvard isn’t the first time he’s done so on the taxpayer’s dime.
Dressler graduating from Harvard’s Kennedy School in 2016. Submitted Photo.
As the mayor of a mid-size, mostly retirement city on the outskirts of Fort Lauderdale, Dressler is getting ready to head out on a two-week trip to Cambridge, Massachusetts to attend Harvard’s Kennedy School to learn about tax policy and what the implications will be ethically and practically to the people being taxed, ironically costing taxpayers $12,000.
But this isn’t the first time Dressler has taken a course at the prestigious school. Last July, he attended the “Senior Executives in State & Local Government” for three weeks at a cost of $12,400. In the course, participants “analyzed and discussed real-life situations selected to provoke insight into a wide array of strategic management and leadership issues.” The aim was to get them to think through problem-solving methods and possible solutions.
Outward Bound Thompson Island.
But the best part, was at the end of the first week when participants participated in a one-day “experiential program” at Outward Bound in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. This program typically combines a challenging outdoor activity to enhance team building.
You heard that right, taxpayers paid for an “Outward Bound” expedition for the mayor.
Sounds like summer camp for elected officials with no financial checks and balances who coincidentally don’t have anything planned on their summer calendars. Too bad Dressler didn’t take that team building back to city hall where he’s generally loathed by his own employees.
