I actually agree with Commissioner Dorrin Rolle on something, I never thought that would happen. Ever! According to an article in the Miami Herald today MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COMMISSION: FIU medical school gift bypasses voters.Rolle, who often sleeps during Commission meetings, was understandably upset that the rest of the Commission was giving a 10 million gift of our tax dollars to the Florida International University med school, according to the Herald, “bypassing complaints that taxpayers were given no say and other long-sought projects were ignored.”
Rolle said:
''Hell, it seems to me like all of us are supposed to be equal and we should all know about money coming in at the same time...''
Apparently it was a done deal and Rolle was obviously left out of the loop. He was the lone vote against the gift. According to the Herald, “The money came from a pool of interest earned on unspent proceeds from a voter-approved bond issue.”
We never voted that bond money should be used at FIU med school. We didn't vote on that. They should have saved the money for projects we voted on where inflation might have increased the cost. With billions in unfunded infrastructure, this seems like a very strange thing for the County Commission to do with found money. I am really disappointed. But here is the good part (again according to the Herald):
As the debate ended, Rolle raised the rhetorical temperature.
'This is not just a `no,' '' he said. ``It's a black no.''
Responded Martinez, a former policeman: ``I was in central district -- I worked there, Commissioner Rolle, before you ever thought of being a commissioner.''
I would hope that Commissioner Rolle will not vote with this twit Martinez ever again. I hope Rolle demands an apology of Martinez for this disrespectful statement. Like Martinez knows the Central District more than Rolle just because he was a cop there at some time in the past. Rolle has lived there his whole life. If I were you Dorrin, I would change my vote and not let the twit override the veto. And:
Audrey Edmonson, you are a sell-out. Even Dorrin didn't stoop that low. That should tell you something.
12 comments:
Here is what Herald readers online are saying about the Pinzur/Rabin Article:
Comments
Carlos Alvarez and the county commissioners do not care for the people of Miami Dade County. Talking about a vibrant community, is only for the rich and celebrities, the working class can not afford the high taxes and insurance,having no choice but to leave town.
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WAKE UP MIAMI DADE -
FIRE THE ENTIRE COMMISSION
FIRE CARLOS ALVAREZ
How dare they spend OUR money without OUR OK??
This type of arrogance towards the voters needs to be STOPPED!!!
Posted by: disgusted
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This is what we get because we don't inform ourselves and most of us don't vote.
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People are getting laid off left and right in the County, we're being told there is no money for anything and it's only going to get worse yet here goes the wonderful commission giving out money without taxpayers approval.
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ANOTHER GEORGE M. BURGESS PRODUCTION
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THE MIAMI DADE GOVT. IS SERIOUSLY FLAWED. WE NEED THE GOVERNOR TO STEP IN AN CLEAN THE CORRUPTION!
THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE CITIZEN SAY ON ANY MATTER ONLY SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS!
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when the county gives the money it takes the state off the hook. the donation of our taxpayer money was very UNTIMELY.
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The bigger question is why are projects not moving that have resulted in so much interest? When are these people going to be held accountable by the voters? Never because more than 50% of the Miami-Dade population either can't vote or won't! Mr. Mayor what are you doing to us?
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Leave it to Maidique to be devious and underhanded, as well as being excellent at convincing commissioners who have no clue as to what is best for the majority.
genius,
I read the article in the Herald and every comment listed afterward.
Why did you only list the negative ones?
There is a process for adding or amending projects on the GOB list. It's called: Presenting them before the Citizen's Advisory Committee, then the proper Commission Committee, then the Full Board.
If every change to the GOB program had to be brought directly to the voters, nothing would ever get done.
I understand why Rolle is upset. But the fact is, Martinez knew how to work the process and ask the right people, the right questions, and Dorrin didn't.
Secondly, when people voted for the GOB program, it was clearly deliniated that certain pots of money withing the program were listed for vague and umberella purposes. One of those being, to help increase access to healthcare through the construction of new facilities.
Rolle isn't upset because the people didn't authorize this project. He's just upset because he didn't think of how to access these dollars first. That's a fact.
Then he threw the frickin' race card.
When all else fails, claim racism.
Dear Not a moderate:
Glad you are back to annoy me.
No I didn't pick out just the bad ones...I picked out a group on one page...there were only a couple of positive comments out of a whole shitload of negative ones. i wasn't going to sift throught to get the positive one. You can post them. I took a page at random.
I don't care that he claimed the race card, I am more interested in Martinez's lame attempt at trying to trump it. You can't trump the race card...everyone knows that.
Personally, I don't think we should be spending the money now on this. We have too much unfunded and as I said, some of the bond expenditures are going to skyrocket and a cushion sure could help. For instance land for the EEL program, or buying development rights from farmers, both could sure use an infusion of funds.
Speaking of Central, boy does that district need some TLC. And because Rolle is too stupid to ask first doesn't mean his district should suffer. Martinez is a bully and I think he just bullied a guy who is not going to take it...or maybe he is too stupid to realize what happened.
P.S. I didn't vote for the bond because of exactly this...too little control on the end result. I knew it would turn into a boondoggle like everything else. Wait till we start to see the cost of the treatment plant for wastewater reuse. The costs there will knock your socks off...especially if we are using the water to rehydrate wetlands. This water issue....it is going to bankrupt the county. they should be squirreling away as much as they can and Vile Nat and Katy knows it and so does Burgess. I am tired of pet projects. I heard the county was crawling with Lobbyists on the med school issue. Did I say I didn't like Madique? Probably not.
Rolle isnt upset that the process wasnt followed, he is upset that someone got to that money before he did. I was there, you could just see him seethe that someone figured something out before him. He lambasted county staff with "how come some people knew about this and not others". Ive got an anwer Dorrin..they pay attention? They read agendas and follow discussions and are not so concerned with funding jesca that things take them by surprise.
I also love how there is a direct correlation between how much trouble Rolle is in and his manner of dress. When he is in hot water, its dark suits and crisp white shirts, when he is sliding he breaks out tohe orange and aqua.
I think someday he will be wearing A LOT of Orange, as in Federal Detention Facility Orange for fraud and graft. I am embarrassed for the people of his district who keep electing this clown....
Just because Rolle woke up and found he had been trumped does not make him a hero. He still makes me ashamed of my commissioner and of course the whole commissioner. Yes the lobby grunts did put this through, but only because the commissioners know which side their bread is buttered on. We all know of many many items that really could use that money and would be good for the citizens from whom they got it, but until people start to read and VOTE we will get crooks in office.
Like the Governor himself would say, "Dorrin, Oh Dorrin, you've done Goooood!"
Seriously, when taking into account that the FIU Medical School and its success is required to create a biotechnical critical mass (when coupled with UM's medical expansion) to create significant and well paying biotech/medical related jobs that the are needs. We need to diversify our workforce, and supporting FIU in this is critical. The Commission realized this, and made a good decision.
I can tell you one thing, Mitch has done a wonderful job at FIU, and I have not seen any investment go to waste there. It was a difficult decision to make, but, I think the Commission made the right decision in investing in FIU, and not letting that money go to waste on some less than helpful government project.
Well, we'll see if Madique can pull down the $100 million he said would be leveraged from this $10 million in GOB bond interest.
I'm not a big fan of his, but I've got to give the guy props on finding funding for construction. FIU has really grown under his tenure and I think in mostly a good way. Way too corporate for my comfort, but that seems to be the way they've all gone.
I agree with Rolle, this man knows what hes talking about. Stop assuming hes racist,when a black man says the word Black vote doesnt mean you are a racist. What happen to telling the truth? Rolle isn't sleep hes on the ball.
Erica
This last post reminds me of Vinny Barbarino---"I'm so confused"...
Madique --wasn't he the one who got Marty Marguilies so mad?
Erica - let's not go overboard. Rolle has never been on the ball, and I have seen him asleep during meetings. But I still think he is right -- what ever his motivation was -- this was a bad move by the commission...
mark my words, poverty will dog the county trying to pay for water woes....they will be aching for this 10 million back. And who above said it was going to generate high tech jobs. Yawn and double yawn...maybe we should build a bio-tech park!!! Oh wait, Stackhouse and Carrie Meek already tried that one.
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