What the Miami Herald didn’t report today about the six county commissioners who met to discuss the January 23 referendum for executive mayor against the advice of legal counsel and in violation of government in the Sunshine—is that these six are the core of the unreformable county commission.
Barreiro, Seijas, Jordan, Edumunson, Rolle, and Martinez. The only one missing: Javier Souto.
They said the Sunshine wasn’t violated because no county business was discussed—but unless we are off our rockers, the subject of discussion was how, where and with whom to spend the money to defeat the executive mayor referendum. County commissioners defend private meeting
Money they collected like iron filings to a magnet from every special interest whose county contracts they approve.
Here is how some of the money was spent. On a poll that shows them losing, badly. On a fear-mongering mailer to African Americans: “A secret group came up with their Charter amendment behind closed doors. Outside the Sunshine. And with no input from anyone but themselves.”
Um, isn’t that what THEY are doing?
“Their amendment would strip the power of the County Commission and give the Office of the Mayor the power to hire and fire County employees.”
Wait: wasn’t it African American county commissioners who coddled corrupt employees at the county housing agency—to the detriment of their own constituents—while they plotted to move the Urban Development Boundary for big production homes their constituents can’t possibly afford to buy?
County Hall lobbyists are getting cotton-mouth as the vote grows closer.
What can you do, when Natacha Seiajs calls with her incessant list of demands? You reach out quietly to Mayor Alvarez, looking over your shoulder and say with a more humble tone of voice you have summoned in recent memory, “Once the people have spoken, we stand ready to help” and hope he believes you.
9 comments:
So what do they claim to have been discussing? Kitty cats and pink ribbons?
Also, you forgot to include Moss in your list of unreformables.
My first thought was that they were learning to quilt.... A good quilting bee requires quite a few hands. And goodness knows, there is plenty of things in pieces down there....
TOTALLY ANGRY AS I CAN GET
I was going to write about this: the biggest story in the Herald, and Gimleteye beat me to it.
I am astounded that the Herald buried this story -- was it page 5 of the metro section. You would think the herald would have gotten a quote from an independent lawyer on this:
I submit, they have been spending and voting on public dollars, how the hell can they say it is not County business. The idea that they were not under sunshine reminded me of the Merchant of Venice - Shylock's famous speech:
I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die?
In other words, if it quacks like a duck - it is a duck. My message to these 6 commissioners: You should have been in the sunshine and you MUST STOP SPLITTING HAIRS TO GET OUT FROM UNDER ETHICS AND THE LAW, DAMN IT! You all suck for doing this. (and one of our commenters said, he was worried that a strong mayor would escape "sunshine" -- well look at this commenter!)
Thank goodness Mayor Alvarez raised that $ 875,000 from NOT ONE special interest to conduct this campaign. Why doesn't someone here take a look at the donations to his campaign?
You forgot Pepe Diaz, in the "unreformable" majority, Mr. Getalong to Goalong.
Disgusting.
Call me crazy but I remember that it's illegal for elected officials and county staff to CAMPAIGN on county property and on county time.So Bruno the Dim's quick response that they were only discussing the campaign should not keep them out of trouble. Where's the Ethics Commission and the IG when you need them? But maybe the rules are just for the rest of us, commissioners exempted.
to the last anonymous:
I checked on your information here is the answer I got:
There is a criminal state statute that outlaws the solicitation or acceptance of campaign contibutions in public buildings. There is also a statute that makes it illegal to use one's official authority to influence an election. However, the matter of simply campaigning on public property is not a criminal issue, although it may involve ethical questions within the province of the County Ethics Commission.
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