You want to know what is wrong with the county? It boils down to money. Look at this December 9th press release from the "never find anyone guilty" Ethics Commission:
Three related complaints (C 09-16, C 09-17 and C 09-18) were dismissed by the Ethics Commission. Attorneys Juan Mayol, Joseph Goldstein and Richard Perez registered as lobbyists for a developer seeking changes in the Comprehensive Development Master Plan. However, a second count in C 09-16 prompted the Ethics Commission to clarify -- through a letter of guidance -- the listing of lobbyist expenditures that should be reported. Juan Mayol did file a required expenditure report, but it did not disclose $30,000 paid to South Miami-Dade community activist Kentward Forbes to bring speakers to public meetings to show support for the projects. It was determined that many local lobbyists have interpreted current law as not requiring a listing of fees paid to community organizers as “lobbying expenditures.”
Isn’t that a stunner? Zoning attorneys called to task for paying an OUTRAGEOUS sum to Ken Forbes for “getting” people to a public hearing? Give me a break. Genius, we are in the wrong business! I wonder if that S30,000 listed for those community services provided by Mr. Forbes is listed on his financial disclosure for the Naranja CRA. How many times is Ken Forbes going to be sitting on the short end of government ethics and election cases before he gets stopped? Ken Forbes is not a community activist. He is a paid mouthpiece for the developers and certainly is not the voice of the community that I know.
11 comments:
We can beat this in South Miami (always South Miami, we need a bookie for real). South Miami has they own lobbying employee on staff. He gets paid 40.000.00 per year plus benefits and with every important CRA meeting the employee brings in the "warm bodies' from the CRA district to vote for some kind of upzoning or rather.
The sad part is that the people typically don't know that this upzoning will ostensibly oust them from a lovely historical neighborhood. Yes folks, South Miami has their own "gentrifier" on the payroll. Now Opa Locka or Pinecrest can you beat that?
Boy, this sucks. 30 grand? For herding people?
I would not trust any public hearing that Mayol, Goldstein, Perez or Forbes were within 1000 yards of!
How can the zoning boards and the county commissioners sort out the real people with standing during the hearings from the sheep that were herded?
If Forbes rents a bus for 8 hours; spends money on lunch for 50; 1000 color copies; sweeten the bus trip and give each attendee 25.00, he spends about 3000k and pockets the rest? Nice payment for 40 hours of work ...if he actually works on the project that much.
This makes me ill. No wonder the cost of housing is so high.
Anyone think the bar association would care that attorneys are "fixing" public hearings by renting supporters to testify?
Shame on Juan Mayol and Joe
Goldstein. (Perez, as well) Shame.
Forbes is evil for using people for his own personal gain. Of course, the attorneys are equally as bad, they are enticing Forbes and others to be sleazy.
There is good and there is evil. This is evil.
Has anyone ever looked at the Commission on Ethics web site? Last posted agenda? Last posted minutes of meeting? Last posted opinion - 2007! The Commission on Ethics is just a tool utilized by moneyed special interests to oust honest elected officials from office. There is no transparency with this County agency. Robert Meyers needs to be put on trial.
Robert Meyers is stuck in the middle -- he is funded by those he investigates
The ethics commission is worst than useless. A good example is in South Miami where frivolous ethics charges are being continually filed against honest city commissioners who refuse to align themselves with the corrupt 62nd Ave Political Machine.
It appears that ethics laws only apply to the honest an unethical. It appears that the sole purpose of the Ethics Commission is to harass and discourage people who dare to buck the corrupt political establishment in this county.
Renting supporters? This goes on all the time in South Miami. The #1 zoning attorney called CRA residents to speak on behalf of his project Red Road Commons. Perhaps Mr. Zoning attorney paid them to come.
I heard a host of 22 South Miami residents took the time to go the Monthly ethics board meeting today and voice their complaints about Horace Feliu and company.
Mayor Feliu should never be allowed to hold public office and his "buddies" need to come clean.
22 south miami residents did attend the Ethics meeting today to let them know they were being used as political tools by Horace Feliu and company. They were told in no uncertain terms that they stood behind the two latest honest victims of the COE.It was a good day... Good stood up for good.
Speaking of South Miami...The new communist state where asking a question and calling the Mayor King can get you in hot water....I hear tell the the new much "respected" City Manager Roger Carlton has summoned a "resident" and her husband to city hall at 9 AM tomorrow morning. Present at the meeting will be the City Attorney, and the police chief! A bit intimidating don't you think. 8 weeks on the job and already trying to muzzle the residents? At whose direction...King Horace.
You can be sure Forbes did not report it on his disclosure just like he did not report the 20,000 from banker Losner. Nor did his wife report her income from one of Ken's PACs. The bigger question is did he or she report either of these on their income taxes?
Yet he still sits on the Naranja CRA and she sits on the Community Council. Both are cr--ks and Moss seems to like it just fine!
Moss yanked his representative off of CTAC for involvement in the Seijas recall; a perfectly legal activity. But he looks the other way when Forbes is changed with unethical behavior. Maybe Moss is rewarding Forbes for his participation in playing the race card that stopped Redland incorporation.
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