“Kentward C. Forbes, aka Ken Forbes, was notified by the Florida Elections Commission that there is probable cause that he has committed five counts of violating Chapter 106 of the Florida Statutes. Forbes was the driving force in a failed attempt to recall Dr. Pat Wade, a sitting member of Community Council 14, the Redland Zoning Board.”
That’s from the Redland Country News. Not necessarily a paper you pick up ever day, but a story worth recounting nonetheless.
The Redland is an area of Miami-Dade County that is severely threatened by the over-development pattern of suburban sprawl that wrecked Kendall, slightly to the north and in the western suburbs of Miami. At stake is hundreds of millions in property value locked up by zoning outside the Urban Development Boundary.
As a vocal and persuasive opponent of more suburban sprawl in platted subdivisions on farmland, Wade has incurred the enmity of big farmer/developers and their allies on the county commission, lead by the de facto chair of the county commission, Natacha Seijas.
Pat Wade was one of the leaders of the 2005/2006 campaign to recall Seijas, the first election recall since 1972. Seijas defeated the recall handily, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars from the development lobby.
On Spanish language television, Seijas said her enemies were ‘anti-Cuban’. “These are a bunch of racists from South Dade who don’t want us in power. They want everything for themselves. People really need to be careful about opening their doors. They will do anything, including lie to you about being my friend, to get your signature.”
To Miami New Times, Seijas said that the leaders of the recall effort against her were “people I despise.” In retaliation, Seijas' supporters organized the campaign to recall Wade from the community zoning board.
Redland Country News reports, “On October 6, 2006, Florida Elections Commission Investigator Keith Smith was conducting a phone interview about irregularities in Forbes’ financial reports when Forbes told Smith that he had decided not to provide any further information. Forbes was subsequently subpoenaed for his deposition. At his deposition, Forbes testified that he did not know the individuals involved with his committee. He stated that committee members did not want to be identified. Forbes said that in December, 2005, “A” approached him about starting the committee to recall Wade. Forbes subsequently obtained from DeGrandy P.A. a $500 contribution. Forbes testified that he would call “A” who would call “B” who called “C” for a conference call. Forbes stated that he could not remember when the meetings were held or what was discussed.”
(For more information reference cases FEC-06-206, FEC06-334 and FEC 06-403 at Florida Elections Commission, 107 West Gaines Street, Collins Bldg., Suite 224, Tallahassee, FL 32399-150.)
The questionable use of political action committees in Miami-Dade County includes efforts to defeat the strong mayor referendum in 2006, a measure that Commissioner Seijas strongly opposed. In that election, political action committees opposed to Mayor Alvarez used race-baiting mailers that should also be the focus of a FEC investigation.
7 comments:
Anyone who has read the editorial cartoons in the Redland Country News would be forgiven for seeing the regular contributors to the newspaper as anti-Cuban.
When you take a look at a typical cartoon, you'll note that the expected references to Commission corruption are very often joined with derisive uses of Spanish and other anti-Cuban imagery.
For the record, Pat Wade is not responsible for the cartoons. The cartoons are run, however, right next to articles under her by-line, which could easily give someone the (wrong) impression that she agrees with their content, including the racial overtones.
Unfortunately I cannot post the cartoon in Gimleteye's post in comments...however it didn't look racist to me at all. Perhaps Gimleteye will want to post it.
Anonymous said...
I don’t know how this blog got turned into an indictment of the Redland Country News but as the Chief Coordinator I must respond to Anonymous.
Mike Paskewitz is our political cartoonist and also writes a political satire column, Firing Line.
Paskewitz is his own man and selects his material from watching County government and the world around him. His columns and cartoons are popular because he says what many people in Miami-Dade are thinking. Like most political satirist he is irreverent and blunt but never racist or anti Cuban.
If politicians or county leaders are corrupt or do not work in the best interest of the people, he/she is fair game for satire, regardless of ethnicity.
Paskewitz is a champion for people abused by our political system. Indeed, no writer for the paper is racist or anti-Cuban; people of Hispanic origin are among the staff writers.
Mr. Forbes’ problems are his own doing, not due to his ethnicity. The fact that he is black has nothing to do with the charge that he probably did the wrong thing, according to the Florida Elections Commission.
Since Mr. Paskewitz’ cartoon seemed to rile Anonymous, it is shown below. His columns and cartoons can be viewed on www.communitynewspapers.com, select ‘newspapers’ and ‘Redland’. Read the paper and judge for yourself.
Pat Wade, Coordinator, Redland Country News
In response to Ms. Wade: The only paper issue I could find on the website contains a innocuous
"report card" cartoon on County Commissioners.
Mr. Paskewitz has certainly been guilty, however, of work that comes very close to the line. For example, I have a memory, perhaps incorrect, of a cartoon that depicted a mustachioed latin Commissioner (he looked like Pepe Diaz) receiving a large money sack from some nefarious lobbyist type and affirming "Si!" to some equally nefarious development plan.
What, pray tell, is Mr. Paskewitz trying to tell his largely Anglo readership with said image?
The post from Lloyd Miller is NOT from Mr. Miller. Nor does it contain any facts. Yes, it is all a lie. One does not have to look any farther than Homestead to figure out who did this post. Unfortunately, there is one sociopath who hates the Redland Citizens Association (they revolked his membership), Pat Wade (she beat him in an election), Lloyd Miller (he is a well respected environmentalist and father of Biscayne Bay National Park), the Redland Country News and all environmentalists (they beat back an airport at Homestead AFB and moves of the UDB). Sadly, this mean-spirited suporter of trashing the environment, overdevelopment and character assassination is the burden of South Dade.
Hahaha. I'm not sure whether or not I am more amused by Ms. W's diatribe on "the mean-spirited" supporter of trashing the environment or the fact that there COULD be another person named Lloyd Miller in this area.
You people need to get a life. Quit hiding behind your computers under aliases and start doing some good for those who really need it.
Well said Martin!
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