Check out the new Miami Herald columnist, Myriam Marquez’s: This group isn't worth 90,000 bucks. She is on the same page as Eyeonmiami on this one about the County Commission and their decision to put a raise on the ballot, she said:“...we can also rattle off a list of commissioners' ethical lapses and not-too-smart decisions that have left our roads jammed, our taxes high and services lacking.” She also said:
“The cozy relationship between lobbyists and politicians doesn't help earn voters' trust either.” and: “The problem is, they (the Commissioners) haven't done enough yet to show they're committed to ending business as usual.”
Read the whole column, it looks like we have a columnist who can identify with our angst. You might also note that Michael Lewis came down hard on the County Commission in his Editorial July 17th in Miami Today, on the Charter fixes:
"Commissioners don't have to agree with every recommendation. Neither do voters. This newspaper certainly does not. But there is no valid reason not to let the people vote on them all — and certainly not the commission's argument that the public has no idea what it's doing. That is the rationale of dictatorships, not democracies."
9 comments:
Implicit in your analysis of reported income of the county commission incumbents is the reason they couldn't care less about the salary increase: they are getting it, anyway, somewhere-- from some source. I agree that the US Department of Justice should investigate.
I have to disagree with your assesment so far Genius. Ms. Marquez missed key points, and I think most of us agree that the salary should be decided from now on by the state formula utilized by every county except ours. In addition, she totally missed the fact that outside employment is barred by this proposal. We all want better stewards of the public trust. I think this proposal will help, and, so did the Charter Review Committee (of course the term limits are not there as recommended).
There is no talent in recounting what is wrong with government. Give me solutions, and then, we'll go someplace. So far, Ms. Marquez is very disappointing.
Let's give her a couple of months...The fact that they removed the term limits, as I said in a previous post, is why I can't suppot this...and I would have had they left it in.
I agree with the couple of months. But, honestly, this peice looks more like a Alvarado like hit job than it does a really well reasoned opinion. That always concerns me. But, with Herald readership way down, maybe the mainstream press thinks it needs to dumb it self down to keep up with the yellow rags and the wonderful internet.
As for this proposal, I am for it, even without the term limits. We have to start someplace, and this has proposal has two very important components. Remember, if it passes, Rolle, Seijas, Moss, Martinez, and Diaz all have to quit their day jobs, and receive no outside compensation...
Yea, like they will not continue receiving money under the table.
The reason Miami-Dade BCC does not get the state formula salary is because Miami-Dade is a home rule county; the only one in the state. According to the home rule charter the voters get to set the BCC salary. So if they want a salary based on the state formula then give up the home rule charter; can't have it both ways. Most state formula-paid commissioners do not have the big perks; Broward for example. Is the BCC ready to give up perks? Be very careful because if you vote for this charter change you will never again have a say in their salaries. You will no longer have a club to hold over their heads for term limits. Who is going to make sure they don't collect money from other places, the impotent Ethics Commission (controlled by the BCC)?
She did a great job of summing up the wacky 13. Some of us need constant re-enforcing least our short memories drift to other things like the new generation of i-pods.
Those 13, including 10 idiots, get $49,000 per to over $55,000 per year each already. Perhaps Bruno "the Dim" gets more? Who voted them that money? Don't they get taxpayer paid healthcare? Taxpayer paid pensions? Taxpayer paid junkets?
I was disgusted they refused to allow the voters to consider term limits. If the job is so terrible and low paying than why do they want to serve until death or indictment?
Regarding the previous anonymous poster's comment: Miami-Dade is NOT the only home-rule county in Florida. There are 17 counties in Florida that have a home rule charter. Miami-Dade's just happens to be the most far-reaching and is the only one that hard-codes its commissioners' compensation into its governing document.
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