We are not polite as Michael Putney is, in today’s Miami Herald editorial, “It’s time to restructure county government” whose conclusions we agree with.
But why did so many line, mid-level and even high-ranking county employees take Putney aside in recent days to whisper in his ear that county government is off its rails?
Why aren’t these same employees telling the same story to Miami Herald REPORTERS who cover local politics, the environment, and government?
Miami Herald, are you paying attention to your own newspaper?
Your reporters are not getting these same sources to speak, because news reports are so weak, truncated, and misdirected that many sources have decided it is not in our interest to talk to them.
County employees see the influence-peddling at County Hall: it goes on every day and goes on unreported in the Miami Herald whose executives and editorial board seem as a result to have more in common with the influence peddlers than their subscribers.
But they will talk to Putney: what does that tell you? that you aren't getting the story.
Putney is right: Burgess is a decent man and a good manager. But thirteen members of the county commission—especially the de facto chair Natacha Seijas—exert powerful pressure on department heads, independently of Burgess’ involvement.
George Burgess could be Superman, but not even Superman can be in thirteen different places at once.
When Natacha Seijas or her staff calls John Renfrow, or, Carlos Espinosa, both department heads, do you imagine that they pay attention to Burgess first?
This prescription for disaster is so ingrained that many county employees assume it defines reality, and THAT IS THE REASON for the affordable housing scandal, for the accounting scandals: George Burgess sits atop a massive government that cannot be managed because wealthy influence peddlers run the show from the sidelines.
No wonder employees are fearful for their jobs.
Michael Putney appears irregularly on the editorial page of the Miami Herald—but he is widely respected for television interviews that try to penetrate the incompetence and mismanagement of county government that cover up the fact that county government exists to serve a wealthy political elite, their lobbyists and industries: mostly tied to production home builders in outlying areas.
Look at the political action committee money that is funding the effort to protect Seijas and stop the executive mayor initiative.
We agree with Putney—an executive mayor will not instantly cure the dysfunction of county government, but it is a step in the right direction.
3 comments:
The sad truth is that too many County workers -particularly those in management- are too willing to be "good little Nazis," too willing to hide behind the excuse that they are "just following orders" -of their Directors, of the Commission, of the Manager's Office. This, instead of doing what even they believe to be the right thing. Some will even tell you, proudly, that they will do whatever their Director wants them to do, "as long as it isn't illegal." Nevermind what's right. Often, decisions are made on the mere expectation of what they think their bosses want -rather than on an independent and critical analysis of the facts and a desire to do what's best for the County at large. This is the County Culture that does more harm, on a daily basis, than any cellphone scandal, etc.
The place to start to change County government is term limits for the County Commission. 3-4year terms max.
TERM LIMITS, TERM LIMITS, AND MORE TERM LIMITS...These commissioners need to feel pressure, right now they get none. Two to three terms is max that they should serve, thats it. Out of there!!! Souto is the poster boy for this campaign. He has gone off the deep end.
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