Trying to keep lobbyists out of County politics, and just about anything else, is a losing battle akin to Jesus trying to chase the money changers from the temple. We can’t keep these people out of the fabric of Miami Dade County can we? The person who wrote this letter to "Miami Today" (hit it to enlarge) is on target with Ron Book leading this County Affordable Housing Agency. Ron is on too many boards, besides everything else he does, like pushing slots and representing two sides of the same issue with that billboard thing.
The best I can do is “out” lobbyists over and over because they like to snake around in the shadows when it comes to the public.
Activist Max Rameau said of Ron Book and his position with the Homeless Trust:
"...I don't know that a big-time millionaire lobbyist can tell us what is best for Liberty City and the black community.''
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Book is the lobbyist who was faxing "housing information" to the mayors staff when he was president of the Homeless Trust. He was the one who helped the trust president maneuver the mayor, the trust members and the federal government to convert the land granted out at the air base for use as temporary housing for the homeless into permanent housing (read that as commercial housing development). In fact, the trust membership got to take a California trip to help determine what a farmers market looked like during the mad scramble to keep Raymond's screw up quiet.
This was started when D. Raymond, the trust exec director, dropped the ball and had the federal government angry because he he did not fulfill the terms of the federal grant agreement. He covered his rear by engaging Book in the fight to convert that property into permanent housing that would give a few "formerly homeless" a crack at a low number of the homes and the rest went to general public. This is what happened in the end, in spite of all the concerns about encroachment on the airbase and it even resulted in a Miami Business paper penning an article with Shiver fussing about it.
So, Book is still well connected where it counts. Of course, everyone on the 29th floor knows that.
Hmmm.
I wonder how many sex offenders living under the Julia Tuttle Causeway will qualify for such housing with old RB at the helm, considering the efforts of Mr. Book helped relocate them to their current waterfront address.
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