(I photoshopped this and put the two of them together because they are ladies of the North County, I needed an excuse to post a picture of the very bitchy Susan. She looks particularly good in this photo. They probably hate each other and would never pose together.)Term Limited State Senator and Former County Commission Chair, Gwen Margolis, is running for County Property Appraiser.
An elected property appraiser is one of Vile Natacha Seijas' bright ideas brought to fruition. I would have supported Gwen simply because Natacha hates her but I didn’t like looking at her campaign report today. Lobbyists Al Maloof, Ron Book (and relatives) and Seth Gordon gave to her campaign. Armando Codina and Krome Mining Partners also forked over money. Icky Ronald M. Bergeron is on there as well as Calder Race Course, Inc. There are some crappy attorneys I don’t like as well.
Most of all I am very unhappy with a bill that Margolis introduced recently, as Gimleteye reported on July 1st:
One way the delaying game manifested in the Florida legislature, during the past session, was through a bill advanced by Miami-Dade's Senator Gwen Margolis and Representative Larcenia Bullard to give "Developments of Regional Impact" a free pass to continue indefinitely: SB 1706 would have extended deadline dates and approvals for all DRIs for which a development order was adopted between January 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007, regardless of whether active construction has commenced.
In the Tampa Bay Tribune, 1000 Friends of Florida Director Charles Pattison wrote: "I hope the public will examine yet another intrusion into local comprehensive plans that further limits citizen rights to voice opinions on permit extensions and, above all, adds yet another traffic concurrency loophole. This is sadly being done to supposedly "stimulate the economy." CS/SB 1706 demonstrates the ability of the development lobby to always find additional ways to benefit those seeking more favors for an industry that has done so much to congest our roads, overcrowd our schools and disrupt the quality of life."
On June 25, Governor Charlie Crist did the right thing and vetoed the bill.
Gwen what were you thinking? Damn it, the chamber got to you but good. They loved this bill to death.
Sadly, no one is seriously running against her. There are 5 candidates but she has $263,711 ($200,000 of her own money). One other candidate has $800. There is one bright note, Natacha Seijas is going to get her worst nightmare: An independent property appraiser that she can’t boss around, that she hates.
6 comments:
Politicizing the property appraiser's office takes the county in exactly the wrong direction. We need less politics in county government, not more. Of course, a professional pol like Margolis will pop up to do the work of further politicizing the county. You are very very correct to be concerned.
i do like Lori Parrish the Broward County elected property appraiser.
Gwen did one thing that impressed me. She recused herself from the Michael Bauman votes on the Miami Circle years ago when she was chair. He was her Godson and the developer. Barbara Jordan should have done the same on Florida City Annexation (her brother was the Mayor of Florida City and her sister was lobbying for Lennar). Neither one of them had to recuse themselves but it was the right thing to do and Margolis did it. Jordan didn't.
It was a no-brainer for Margolis to recuse herself: her Godson made out like a bandit, anyway, for that little outparcel of Miami Circle that would have been overshadowed by the monstrosities that sprung up around it. What was it, $20 mill? Back to the point of her being a professional pol: her career dovetails with the Rustbelting of South Florida.
If there's one thing you can count on with Margolis is that she speaks her mind, has been there and done that politically so she is not likely to be easily swayed, and she has great balls!
I agree she is as tough as nails...but sometimes on the wrong side...
Lori Parrish's campaign contributions are in line with the interest that Gwen has created here in Miami-Dade. So, if that's the standard, there is really little difference.
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