Michelle Spence-Jones, ousted beauty queen contender in the Eye on Miami “Politicians who are Easy on the Eye” pageant (which North Miami Councilman, Scott Galvin, ended up winning - Dec. 2nd post) is in deep shit still.I can just picture her trying to trudge her way out of this mounting evidence. Read the story in the Miami Herald Whistle-blower says Miami politician pressured firm.
I must leave you with one quote from Ms. Spence-Jones:
"There's one thing for sure: Spence-Jones didn't get no money and Spence-Jones didn't tell nobody to hire nobody.''
Ack! My ears hurt.
14 comments:
I have a question: Why did the whistleblower get fired from the City? I thought that was illegal.
They fired her for "Other" reasons. Were they trumped up? I don't know. Mary Conway hired ace attorney/bulldog Andres Rivero. I believe she got a good settlement. Not sure.
S F Business Journal - Dec. 7th Oscar Pedro Musibay:
Fired Miami department leader may get $200,000 settlement
"Mary Conway was fired following 11 arrests involving her city of Miami department, but is poised to collect $200,000 after filing a whistleblower grievance."
I would suppose this is why the city fired her: "Separately, Conway's management of millions of dollars in capital projects funded by Department of Homeland Security bonds was the subject of a city audit that criticized ballooning costs and the city's inability to track spending."
MSJ is a real class act, huh...Her use of the ebonics language is phenomenal.
Mary Conway also was fired I think only months before she retired and got her city pension, I would hope she got more than a $200k settlement
I wonder if her use of double-negatives was not just speaking in ebonics ("There's one thing for sure: Spence-Jones didn't get no money") but was really a way of avoiding lying by actually slyly admitting that she actually did get money and did tell someone to hire someone.
Mary Conway was an unclassified employee who only worked for the City for a few years. Under ordinary conditions, she should not have yet been eligible to retire with a pension-but Joe Nipples was known to create some unbelievable deals for his buddies that were hired.
I won't hold my breath that the State Attorney will find any wrongdoing by Spence-Jones as is most often the case when the accused is a commissioner or a high-echelon government official. Ethics violations that happen every day? Forget it? There's never a conflict in Fernandez-Rundle's law book.
Spence-Jones may very well have taken money for her vote. Anyone who heard her speak prior to her vote on the Mercy rezoning request knows that. But which one of Spence-Jones's "good friends" will give her up? We all know cash is hard to track.
Anyone see Spence-Jones plead guilty to Election Law violation?
$8,000 fine.
Even the attack dogs in the press are beginning to figure out that the smearing of Spence-Jones is a smoke screen to protect the REAL pile of shit Marc Sarnoff....
Friday, February 1, 2008
Investigation of commissioner could hit a dead end
South Florida Business Journal - by Oscar Pedro Musibay
As details emerge about the state attorney's review into whether money was paid to a Miami commissioner's political advisers in exchange for her vote, observers say it's increasingly clear the case may lack substance.
Those familiar with the scrutiny of Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones and prosecutorial behavior say the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office may be scrutinizing details for some time. Most of the information that has become public surrounding last year's vote on Related Group's Grove Bay Residences project is sourced back to a single person, former Related Group executive Alicia Cuervo. Unless she is a primary source, and indications are that she isn't, the information would not be substantive for charges, observers say.
Even former city official Mary Conway's testimony in a civil lawsuit filed by opponents of the condominium project proposed on Mercy Hospital land is sourcing her information to Cuervo. Conway was at two lunches with Cuervo during which the topic of payments was allegedly discussed.
Cuervo did not return calls seeking comment.
omusibay@bizjournals.com | (954) 949-7567
Anyone see the cover story in the Miami Herald Feb 2nd? Herald reports evidence Spence-Jones was taking money in 2005 and 2006. Herald writes Spence-Jones was taking money from Pastor Gaston Smith while she was on the City payroll working for Manny Diaz. Gaston Smith was arrested last week.
Why was Spence-Jones taking money from a Pastor in Liberty City while she was on the City payroll?
Did Manny Diaz give her written permission?
Let's sort out this shit-storm....
First, it appears Spence-Jones is GUILTY of election law violations. A great many campaigns rack up such violations. It's not trivial, but not earth-shattering either.
Second, it's beginning to appear Spence-Jones may have violated some employment rules by moon-lighting while working for the City. Maybe 50% of all public employees moonlight from time to time. Not wonderful, but also not a hanging offense, especially if these is no connection between their official duties and their extracurricular gigs.
Third, the jury is still out on the way the County provided funds for Spence-Jones’ mother’s business. Could be funky; could be totally innocuous. Spence-Jones’s mother did not yield her rights to legitimate support from non-City programs when her daughter got elected to the City Commission.
And forth, we now have one of the community’s best reporters – Oscar Musibay of the South Florida Business Journal – concluding that the Mercy flap is in fact a circle-jerk of rumors all traced back to one person who has never claimed to have actual knowledge of any wrong-doing by Spence-Jones.
So could the lynch-mob take a breath and reconvene ONLY if she is found guilty of actual wrong-doing. THEN by all means do what you were genetically bred to do and toss a rope over a low hanging branch.
Comment for "r28985" who asked "Why did the whistleblower get fired from the City? I thought that was illegal."
You don't become a "whistleblower" just because a braindead Miami Herald reporter calls you one. Con-woman Conway presided over a massive fraud committed by her own employees for a very long time before she mentioned it to anyone else. We have no way of knowing WHY she finally awoke from her long slumber...but she did nothing that resembled any true "whistleblowing" I have ever seen.
To eyewitness above -
Nice list but you left off at least 4-5 crimes and incidents being investigated by various government agencies. Care to list everything?
And how do you know you are even aware of all the crimes Spence-Jones may have committed? Does she tell you everything?
While we are on the topic please explain the shakedown of a charity of $18,000 during the 2005 election?
And can you explain the $150,000 in fees paid to 2-3 close friends of Spence-Jones? Close friends with no connection to the issue other than their relationship to Spence-Jones?
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