This is pertinent to the abuses of power of some county commissioners and their lobbyist friends. This is a prime example of what is wrong here in Miami Dade. Commissioners have no shame...I have quoted all of this from the Dan Ricker Watchdog Report because his link is not working:
Ethics "examination determined 'no violation of the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter was committed by Commissioner Heyman' when she directed attorneys to craft a resolution to include Meek and Abrams as consultants on a ‘as need basis’ via work orders up to $75,000 annually to each and the legislation was passed by the full board of the county commission. This ruling was based on the fact that the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs falls under the administrative arm of the county commission." Ricker goes on to say:
"However, what is clear from this ethics report is that any county commissioner can pick whoever they want as a lobbyist, despite the competitive selection process, if the whole board agrees to it as was the case with these two people."
I have put the text of Dan Ricker's whole article in Comments (hit on the word below) because I want you all to concentrate on the Strong Mayor Vote. Don't get sidetracked, we need to stop this kind of abuse.
1 comment:
Public gets to see how Commissioner Heyman added Meek and Abrams as federal lobbyists getting up to $75,000 each By Dan Ricker of the Watchdog Report
The public got a rare opportunity to see what happens behind the scenes at county hall after an ethics commission investigation cleared Commissioner Sally Heyman of any violation of the county’s charter when she told commission staff and the county attorney’s office to craft legislation to hire former Congresswoman Carrie Meek and former state Rep. Mike Abrams. The conclusion followed an inspector general’s analysis that the Cone of Silence ordinance was not violated.
Heyman at a Jan. 18 agenda briefing “directed staff ,principally the County Attorney’s Office(via Assistant County Attorney Monica Maldonado) to include former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek and former State Rep. Mike Abrams in a federal lobbyist contract- even though their respective firms finished ‘out of the money.’ (Only the top three firms made the cut),” states a July 7, 2006 closeout memo that was part of a six inch file.
A competitive bid had gone out prior and a procurement selection committee decided the finalists but Hayman wanted the two added. About 20 people attended the non recorded briefing and many were interviewed later by ethics commission investigators and some of the comments are priceless.
The director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Joe Rasco is quoted saying it ‘was an awkward moment’ when the names came up adding it ‘came out of nowhere.’ He also “acknowledged that Abrams’ credentials as a Washington lobbyist were less impressive than other members of his firm, Akerman Senterfitt.”
Rasco also acknowledged that hiring Abrams “might be ‘redundant’ since Abrams already represents Jackson Memorial Hospital, the county’s main healthcare provider, as a lobbyist on federal issues.” However, Rasco admitted that Heyman had the ‘legislative authority’ to ask for the changes via a resolution that was enacted in April 2006.
Robert Meyers, the executive director of the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust and the commission’s advocate met with assistant county attorneys including First Assistant County Attorney Robert Cuevas.
Their examination determined “no violation of the Miami-Dade County Home Rule Charter was committed by Commissioner Heyman” when she directed attorneys to craft a resolution to include Meek and Abrams as consultants on a ‘as need basis’ via work orders up to $75,000 annually to each and the legislation was passed by the full board of the county commission. This ruling was based on the fact that the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs falls under the administrative arm of the county commission.
Why is this important?
Heyman since being elected to the commission in 2002 and reelected with a clear majority in September when less than 9,000 District 4 voters elected her has chaffed over the years under the Florida Sunshine Amendment, is unhappy with the $6,000 a year commission salary, and a few years ago was busted for using an “aggressive tone” to a county assistant fire chief who disagreed with something she wanted done in her district. That was her first brush with the ethics commission.
She also is thin skinned, and challenged the Watchdog Report publisher recently for a story I wrote speculating that she might go back to the state house in 2008 where she might feel more comfortable but she indicated that was not the case in a fairly hostile tone. Further, she did not actually read what I wrote and based her comments on what someone had told her.
She also a few months back gave me a almost hockey body check while she was getting on the commission’s second floor escalator and her physical prowess includes going through a firefighter training course along with former county Commissioner Jimmy Morales and she considers herself tough as nails.
Further, she followed Abrams in the House seat and is a hard core Democrat and her choice of Meek and Abrams in retrospect with the change of party leadership in the U.S. House and Senate last November was a good call but there is more.
Meek, in the early 2000’s created a foundation bearing her name and since then the county commission has been sending hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years into the organization. Further, the venerable congresswoman, in her 80’s has become a lobbyist representing a housing developer, the rock mining industry, and URS at the county over the years.
Meek’s son Kendrick is a rising Democratic congressman and he followed her into the congressional district in 2002 and he was picked recently to be on a number of plum House committees.
However, what is clear from this ethics report is that any county commissioner can pick whoever they want as a lobbyist, despite the competitive selection process, if the whole board agrees to it as was the case with these two people.
Post a Comment