On Mayor Carlos Alvarez by gimleteye

Michael Putney is one of the brightest observers of Miami Dade County politics: he’s seen and heard it all.

In his column today, "Strong Mayor, weak politician", he expresses frustration with Mayor Carlos Alvarez. “The fact is, Alvarez has not only failed to acquire any political skills in the two-plus years he has been mayor; he seems to have gone out of his way to not acquire them,” Putney writes.

That’s not quite fair.

The truth is closer to what follows in Putney's words: that Alvarez abhors the example set by Alex Penelas—his predecessor—who never found an issue that he couldn’t milk for political advantage, private profit, and fostered the corruption that pervaded County Hall when Alvarez arrived.

As a result, Mayor Alvarez set out a pragmatic and limited course based on accountability of county department managers.

The column takes Mayor Alvarez to task over his lack of sensitivity in the recent firing of the transit chief, Roosevelt Bradley. Why didn’t Mayor Alvarez reach out to the African American county commissioners who, everyone knew, would be angered by Alvarez’ actions?

We’d ask another question. Why hasn’t the mainstream media ever criticized the leadership in the African American community for trading unassailable incumbencies so long as they play the game of the dominant Cuban American majority on the county commission, controlled by lobbyists and developers? (The last African American leader to try to resist was Art Teele in the 1996 mayoral election, and the Miami Herald never once acknowledged what he was trying to do...)

As we have noted in this blog, African American county commissioners stood by while the Housing Agency was being pilfered under the supervision of individuals they trusted and who owed them loyalty. Instead of paying attention to the needs of their own disadvantaged constituents, these commissioners lead the charge to assist zoning and permitting changes sought by big production home builders in places like Florida City.

It is a shame that the mainstream media wasn’t vigilant to reporting the set of alliances that defined an unmovable political reality at County Hall.

These are not Mayor Alvarez’ supporters, and that is putting it politely.

It is a tough road that Mayor Alvarez is following.

In the absence of any model of governance that he can trust—because the county commission is so dysfunctional—Alvarez is relying on the skill set that served his career in the police department and the people of Miami-Dade County: he is straight and to the point.

The biggest change, since he became strong mayor, is that county department chiefs no longer have to listen to the shrill and insistent commands emanating from the offices of county commissioners like Natacha Seijas, who ran rough-shod and unchallenged over professional managers like Bill Brandt, Miami Dade Water and Sewer chief who took the fall when the State of Florida called out the county for avoiding any significant improvements to its water management programs.

Mr. Putney’s concludes: “Mr. Mayor, stop issuing orders like you’re still the police chief, stand in front of the commissioners—and the people of the county—and explain what you’re doing and why. Yes, you’d look like a politician. But, like it or not, that’s what you are.”

For the time being and until proven wrong, he is trusting the chain of command, lead by county manager George Burgess, to provide professional government services. Is he being too quiet, in terms of media exposure?

Perhaps. But how does Mayor Alvarez advance his leadership by crashing into that wall of indifference?

Mayor Alvarez does not have a history in which to trust the Miami Herald or the Miami business elite which stood by and cheered while Alex Penelas and his predecessors turned Miami Dade County into an indescribable mess.

And, in the first part of his political life, Hispanic TV news ignored Mayor Alvarez, as did bought-and-paid-for Spanish language “commentators”.

So we are sure that Mayor Alvarez and his staff ask the question, daily, what is to be gained by exposures to battles in the media, where the portrayal of a contest between opposing political forces is not going to improve the situation?

Mayor Alvarez is governing, by reinforcing professionalism in the ranks of one of the largest county governments in the United States. That message does need to be reinforced, with the public, at every opportunity.