I like and supported Jean Monestime, but I didn't get a warm and fuzzy feeling at the reception last night. As you can see by the last line on the graphic above, Lobbyist Ron Book sponsored the reception and was in attendance. Also in attendance was Mayor for Life from Florida City, Otis Wallace. Otis Wallace is brother of County Commissioner Barbara Jordan and arrested lobbyist Sandy Walker (she was also a former aide of Dennis Moss).
Yes, I know, attendance does not mean a lot but it scares the hell out of me. Commissioners are most vulnerable at the start before their roads are paved, when they are seeking council and forging relationships. I left early so I don't know who else came on my watch-list. Community Activists Mack Samuel and Lucie Tondreau were there, and that gives me hope. I greeted Jean and congratulated him, I don't think he knew who I was (forgot he knows me as Geniusofdespair) he was warm and friendly to me anyway.
A message to you Commissioner Monestime: We need you NOT to be beholden to the powerful in this town, or the unreformable majority of the County Commission. The people of the entire County need you and aligning yourself wrongly will shortchange them as well as your district. I was inspired by your speech at your installation as County Commissioner, please continue with your vision, not the vision of the tainted! I hope you can also embrace the vision for the environment that Katy Sorenson had. Your hiring of Sean McCrackine gives me hope for a broader view because you make decisions for all of us in the County. I want to be proud of you and look up to you, stay pure of heart. I have hope but I am still very afraid. (Also see a brief history of District 2's leadership.)
20 comments:
I'm actually really sad to see this. I thought we had some hope. I don't know now.
I know Jean and like him. I am very hopeful that the crooks do not influence him as he could be one of our best commissioners. I also know the bad guys very well so hat is why I am warning him.
Mett the new boss...same as the old boss.
Is there something in the water in Dist. 2? Geez, whowever posted Jim, couldn't you have warned him to say no to Ron Book? It's not leaving me much confidence and I hope I'm proved wrong, believe me in that!
Please Jean, keep the American dream you spoke of in your first speech as a commissioner alive and don't fall under the spell of the crooks!
He has to realize that he is no longer just Jean, but a vote on the Commission. So the smiles he is getting is not for Jean, they are for a vote on the Commission. In simple terms, they are just for his new power role. They are trying find his weak spot. Money, women, ego, relatives, family members, material or other intrinsic things. They will set up several tests soon to determine if he will play ball. The tests will continue, just in case he gets weak and succumbs later. As long as he knows what is going on, he will do fine.
Why couldn't the cities hosting the event pay for it. Why was this Ron Book involved at all? It didn't cost much, all they had was a stage and chairs. They have that for their concerts.
I can assure everyone biting their nails over this that Commissioner Monestime did not orchestrate this nor ask for Book to be involved. He probably didn't know his name was associated at all.
He got elected DESPITE the lobbyist efforts to the contrary, so his allegiance lies with the community that got him there, not with the power brokers that failed to keep him out.
Relax. Take a deep breath and count to ten.
It was just a party thrown by other people happy to have him elected to such an important post. He's going to bring the kind of clean and open government to his district that we deserve for the whole county.
One of the big issues he has to work on is finding a way to get some of the federal money sent here for poor people, actually getting to them, rather than given to middle-income and upper-income people. For example, very little of the empowerment zone money went to poor people. But the Miami Herald revealed that the Biltmore Hotel, an exclusive hotel in Coral Gables that caters to the rich and famous, got some of this money. Same thing for the stimulus money. Workforce South Florida sat on the money for months and didn't get the money on the street until 1 month before the national program ended. So I guess millions of dollars target for unemployed people went back to Washington. It is a big issue for poor people, as it is now, no matter how much federal money comes here to help them, very little, if any, actually gets to them.
I suggest people realize that Jean Monestime is a good and decent man. Better then ex-Comm. Dorrin Rolle good ever dream to be. So before the skewering begins, let the man warm up his seat a little bit and begin the process of being Commissioner.
Why doesn't Eye on Miami focus the bad coverage on the really bad people? What is our new "buy the Governor" seat Rick Scott doing, for example?
Or what is going on in Hialeah these days with the ever corruptible "city of Progress"? Of course there is always Sweetwater, the town that gave us Pepe Diaz? What are we hearing about those folks?
I am very interested to see just how Pepe spent the obscene money he raised against his $600 opponent. I wonder how much of the money went back to her for running?
Similarly in Miami, how much did Richard Dunn take from the kitty in his election? And how much did he pay the Hatian candidate to run? And where will the young Michael Jackson Joseph, whose father is a minister, end up?
There is so much political news to cover, that a party sponsored by Ron Book, hardly seems worth the ink. I would suspect it was Ron's way of saying, guess I should have backed you personally and with one of my 10+ businesses and/or relatives.
I guess you didn't know hat Monestime is of the "estime" of Joe Celestin, Genius. Goes to show you that, at times, your research is not very effective. Celestin, when he became North Miami's first Haitian mayor, was SO BAD that the Haitians were the first to vote against him on his re-election run. Not only did Ron Book sponsor the Monestime party, he will hold his hand through his term. Let's see how this whole thing ends. At least, we got rid of Rolle, who was a BIG CROOK!
Sometimes we exchange one crook for a lesser crook --- let's hope you are wrong last anonymous comment. Let's hope Jean is a good guy and that a Porsche doesn't suddenly materialize like it did for the North Miami Mayor.
The Ron Book invite is Lobbyist code for: you have to go through me to get to him.
Why would anyone believe Monestime will be any different? Doesn't Monestime own a realty company and make his living off real estate development?
Have some positive thoughts...
We would love to but this is Miami where money always wins.
"He probably didn't know his [Book's] name was associated at all."
R u kidding? Do you think we are all stupid? Of course Monestime knew of Book's involvement. It was on every invitation! I am not sure yet if Monestime is a good guy or a bad guy, but please don't play us for fools.
Lets give this guy a little break and lets see what he does or does not do. If is is another carpet bagger we will find out real soon. Remember he also represents not only District 2 he also through his vote affect the entire county.
I hope he doesn't hire all "yes" people. He needs at least one "no" person to help keep him out of trouble.
I'm very late to this thread. But let me remind you that Monestime is a true carpetbagger. When he was elected to the NM Council, he lived in the Country Club of Miami neighborhood. He was there for a short 2 years (elected to fill a vacancy by other Haitian - Desir, who quit!) He decided he wanted to be Mayor, following in the foot steps of Joe Cleistin (who proved himself a meglomaniac) whew....running sentences here. So NO, I don't have ANY hope that he is going to represent 'the people'. He's there to get rich. Ron will show him the way.
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