Miller Dawkin's obituary in the Herald was very troubling; disgraced and honored, convicted and upheld. Former Congresswoman Carrie Meek called Dawkins' federal corruption conviction, "one little blip on the screen". On this Meek is plain wrong. I disagree, and I also disagree with power brokers who see nothing wrong with African American public officials and lobbyists kicking and scrambling inside and outside the law for their piece of the pie. See, Miami International Airport contracts. Maybe Miami-Dade is no different than any other large metropolitan area, but the ethnic edges of political corruption are depressing, and no summation of Miller Dawkins would be complete without expressing it. Without endorsing law-breaking, there is a double-entendre in T. Willard Fair's comment praising Dawkins: "He believed that black folks needed to have every chance to be equal, and he spent all of his time articulating that." Along the line of public integrity, I disagree with the Herald's endorsement of Miami Garden's Mayor Shirley Gibson, to fill the congressional seat occupied by Kendrick Meek. I would vote for Haitian American activist Marlene Bastein. On behalf of the Haitian community in District 17, Bastein is solid gold and not the kind that is exchanged for political influence. Too bad the Herald didn't take note.
Posted on Mon, Aug. 02, 2010
Obituary: Miller Dawkins, 85, former Miami city commissioner
BY ELINOR J. BRECHER
ebrecher@MiamiHerald.com
MIAMI HERALD FILE
This 1983 file photo shows former Miami city commissioner Miller J. Dawkins. Dawkins, the four-term Miami city commissioner whose federal corruption conviction tarnished his legacy as a champion of the black community, died Monday at the University of Miami Hospital.
Miller J. Dawkins, the four-term Miami city commissioner whose federal corruption conviction tarnished his legacy as a champion of the black community, died Monday at the University of Miami Hospital.
Dawkins, born March 10, 1925, in Tampa, was 85.
Dawkins was first elected to the commission in 1981, before the city was divided into districts. He resigned in 1996, ensnared in the FBI's Operation Greenpalm sting, which also ended the careers of Miami's finance director, its city manager and a high-powered lobbyist.
He pleaded guilty to accepting bribes for influencing a city contract, and in June 1997 began serving a 27-month sentence at the Miami-Dade County Federal Correctional Institution in West Kendall.
Even so, ``he is still recognized as somewhat of an icon,'' said Charles Wellons, a retired Miami police detective. ``He offered a lot and did a lot.''
Wellons was among the loved ones and close friends at Dawkins' bedside in his final hours, as was T. Willard Fair, president of the Greater Miami Urban League.
Fair said Dawkins suffered from leukemia and diabetes, the same disease that took the life of his and his wife Nancy's only child, Myron Dawkins, in 2003.
Friends hoped that Dawkins' legal troubles would not overshadow his contributions to the inner-city neighborhoods he represented, where facilities like parks and swimming pools bear his name.
``Miller Dawkins was my friend of 50-plus years,'' said a tearful former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, who was also at his bedside hours before his death.
``He was outspoken, fearless [and] was very rooted in his pride as a strong black man -- a focused man who celebrated his people. This community has suffered a great loss.''
Dawkins pushed for an Olympic-size swimming pool in Liberty City's Charles Hadley Park, for the Carrie Meek Senior and Cultural Center at the park, and for the Tacolcy Economic Development Center, created after the 1980 riots to kick-start business development.
He ``fed a lot of hungry people,'' Meek said. ``He would be sort of blustery at times, but he had a heart of gold.''
She called his legal problems ``one little blip on the screen.''
Dawkins, a U.S. Merchant Marine veteran, earned degrees from Florida Memorial College and the University of North Colorado.
Before entering politics, he worked as a community organizer with the Model Cities program in Miami, and was director of special programs for Miami-Dade Community College.
``This community owes a debt of gratitude to the service of Miller Dawkins and his family,'' said the Rev. Richard P. Dunn II, a friend and Omega Psi Phi fraternity brother appointed to fill Dawkins' seat after his resignation -- and reappointed in January to the same seat after Gov. Charlie Crist suspended Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones.
``Miller was the first among the first,'' Dunn said. ``He was instrumental in the city getting its first African-American police chief, in Clarence Dickson. The first African-American city attorney in George Knox. The first African-American city manager in [the late] Howard Gary. Personnel director, Angela Bellamy. City clerk, Walter Foeman.''
``I wanted him in my foxhole,'' said Fair, the Urban League leader who, like Dawkins, ``didn't worry about being politically correct . . . He believed that black folks needed to have every chance to be equal, and he spent all of his time articulating that.
``Miller had a low tolerance for folks who did not want to push the envelope for black people,'' and, said Fair, who managed some of his campaigns, ``didn't give a damn about being reelected. He was a voice that people understood, recognized and respected.''
But Dawkins fell hard, due to what Fair called ``bad judgment'' -- and an informant wearing a wire: former city Finance Director Manohar Surana.
Caught soliciting a kickback from a city vendor, Surana cut a deal with investigators to stay out of prison.
He taped Dawkins asking for $100,000 from the computer firm Unisys, and accepting $30,000 at a Denny's restaurant. Busted, Dawkins immediately pleaded guilty and refused to cooperate with the FBI and Miami corruption detectives.
The tapes also sent then-City Manager Cesar Odio and lobbyist Jorge de Cardenas to prison.
Meek said that his decision to take the plea "would be the less egregious [choice] for the black community. He sacrificed himself for this community.''
Added Richard Dunn: ``He was a real man because he owned up to it. He didn't make it a black-white issue, and he didn't pull the community into it.''
Still influential behind the scenes after serving 24 months -- ``You could see him walking around, listening to people's problems,'' said Wellons -- Dawkins turned much of his attention to the AARP's Northwest Miami chapter, based at the Meek cultural center.
In addition to his wife, a retired teacher, Dawkins is survived by a sister and two grandchildren.
For information on public memorial services Aug. 8 and 9, call the Poitier Funeral Home at 305-638-5030.
A Going Home service will follow at noon Aug. 10 at New Birth Baptist Church, 2300 NW 135th St.
6 comments:
The problem with this race is there are too many good candidates to choose from and there is no 50% the winner can win with 20% - a majority. There are at least 4 viable Haitian candidates and two very strong African American candidates. North Miami Councilman Scott Galvin is also in the race. This actually is an impossible one to predict. The winner will face the one Republican. I could not narrow down my choice in this race so there is no official Eye on Miami endorsement. But having this many Haitian's in the race will not help any of them as they don't have enough voters.
Very good call, Genius, on endorsing Marlene Bastien.
I have not seen Ms. Bastien for a long time but while I was working for Cong. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on immigration issues and later for Gov. Bush, I had the great pleasure of working with her on this and many other matters of community importance.
I can personally attest to her genuine passion, her very hard work and just plain awesome attitude to everyone she comes in contact with. I may be a Republican but if I could vote for her, I would without thinking twice.
She will make a great Congresswoman!
I repeat I MADE NO ENDORSEMENT IN THIS RACE. this is gimleteyes endorsement ONLY. I am not endorsing in this race can't you guys read--- there is no Eye on Miami endorsement .
Hmmmm - I like SHirley. She seems like a straight up person.
The time for change is now. I will not vote for any current elected offical who seeks re-election. I will not vote for a former elected offical either. We need new elected officals and lets see if they can do a better job, than what we have now. The time of do nothing but steal money politicans are over, lets kick out the old and welcome the new.
Marlene Bastein is not lily white. She bent to the demands of indicted commissioner Michelle Jones-Jones by meddling in a zoning issue in which she had no expertise. On cue she gave a one-sided speech for Spence-Jones's position. She was wrong to allow her opinion to be influenced. She was wrong to have an opinion on a matter where she had obviously false information.
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