Please tell me this is an early April's Fools joke! I need to move out of the County. Taking a lose on my home is better than two year's of "I'm not a crook" Martinez and more of VNS and the Souto babble. Not to mention Freddie Munster! And, now we have ding bat Bell on board with the unreformable!
Martinez beat Commissioner Jordan for Chair. The vote was 8-4. Racial politics were at play as usual. Let's just hope the Short Comandante is fair to the Black and Haitian minority community.
There is no silver lining. Just because he is Chair does not mean he will not run for Mayor. In fact, there is a movement afoot to create legislation that would make him interim Mayor if the recall vote is successful. The way it is set up right now, if the recall is successful, Alvarez is out of office immediately, and the Commission can either appoint the replacement, or set a special election within 45-90 days of the recall. However, there are no provisions as who fills the gap. Well, the BCC may create the mechanism to fill the gap, and one of the options is to make the Chair interim Mayor... Interesting.. The other rumor I have heard is that if the Joe for interim doesn't work, then they are going to try to leave the interim job to none other than George Burgess... Jeez... The other issue, Martinez is going to use his new position to try to lock Gimenez in... Don't think he will be successful with that.
It was moved by Commissioner Jordan that Commissioner Joe A. Martinez be appointed as the Chairman and that Commissioner Audrey Edmonson be appointed as the Vice-Chairwoman of the Board of County Commissioners, effective January 1, 2011. This motion was seconded by Chairman Moss, and upon being put to a vote, passed by a vote of 12-0 (Commissioner Gimenez was absent).
I was told the initial ballots were straw polls with secret votes. Can anyone confirm that? The video is not available on-line yet.
To Anon: Once you watch the video, it will be clear who voted for whom. And if you review the history of the BCC you'll note a very clear pattern of racial voting and racial politics. Consider this:
The first ballot was between Jordan, Diaz, and Martinez.
The second ballot was between Comm. Jordan and Comm. Martinez (since no one believes Diaz should be chair of anything).
The final vote was 8-4 in favor of Martinez. There are only 4 Commissioners of Color who all most likely supported Jordan.
It was customary political etiquette on Jordan's part to move that Martinez be selected chair "by acclamation," to avoid the specter of a racially divided Commission. The acclamation thing happens every year and is recorded thusly.
Since the BCC has been able to elect it's own chair, the Chairmanship has been passed from Black (Carey-Shuler) to Hispanic (Barriero) to Hispanic (Martinez)to Black (Moss) to Hispanic (Martinez).
I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that the next Chair will be Black. The racial politics are too thick to ignore. It is the elephant in the Commission Chamber.
Racially divided commission? You must be joking! If there is a racially divide, we can blame it on the black commissioners. We just had an African American chairman for crying out loud. Do we have to elect a black commissioner to the chair position every time? By the way, the US Census tells us that Hispanics make up 62.5% of the Miami-Dade population and "blacks" make up less than 20%. Question: When will be seeing a white non-Hispanic chair?
I watched it and the last person nailed it. Jordan was offered Vice-Chair and declined nominating Edmonson who was approved unanimously which left her beaming. Race was the vote clearly w/o Giminez in attendance.
this is great news! no one has chaired the BCC better than Commissioner Martinez. i believe he will make a great mayor in 2012.
no, i do not work for the commissioner nor am i in any way related. i am a voter in his district that has voted for him and will continue to vote for him.
his office is the ONLY one that gets things done. someone ALWAYS answers the phone and assists you.
Gimenez should "fight the good fight?" Give me a break. He has fought plenty of good fights. He also knows that the vote for the chair is always expected to unanimous in the end.
He would look petty and disgruntled if he didn't join everyone else, including opposing candidates, and vote for the new chair. He simply showed his displeasure with the choices in the most effective way possible: by staying away.
And no one can say later that Gimenez supported and voted for Martinez in a misleading political ad, especially if they square off against each other in a campaign for Mayor. I feel like I am teaching Politics 101 here.
By staying away? No “Jerry Said”. By walking way! Big difference. So when the going gets tough, Gimenez gets going… I hope your 101 political science students don’t pay to much attention to you…
To the last anon: You apparently don't realize that the word "said" is placed after everyone's name here and it is not my last name. Therefore, if you were my student, we would place you in the remedial class for slow learners.
I think Gimenez was right to walk out. I would have done the same if I had an interest in another office where footage of the vote would have been public.
Maybe "I'm not a crook" needs a new Tennis Court or something - wait, I don't think he has enough land with the big house, so maybe an adjoining lot, then the tennis court.
I don't think Jordan would have been so bad, Diaz is like a lower IQ but still sleezy Martinez. At least you can get an appointment with Diaz, try to get one with Martinez, who won't take emails for appointments anymore!
Oh well, more of the same, and we know what we'll get - move the UDB, more Rock Mining, maybe they'll increase discretionary spending too!
Yes, it's sad. If I were a commissioner I would have walked out too -- in protest to the coronation of Heir Martinez. That sweetheart deal on his house seems like a clear breach of ethical standards.
*Sigh* I just hope the recall of Natacha Seijas succeeds this time.
You know, Politics in Miami-Dade County really disappoints me. I'm an African-American and I love commnuity service...but given our minority status in this County, and lack of respect we get from Conservative, Republican, Hispanic leaers I don't feel very good about the future. What can be done to change the relationship between Cubans and Blacks???
We need to change the relationship between the Cubans and all the minorities - including Blacks, White and other Hispanics. Alvarez didn't get it, he is amazingly non-homogenized for a leader of the most diverse community in the Southeast. Martinez is not any better. Shame on all of them. Piss poor leadership.
I think we have to depend in generations of intermarriage before we lose the prejudice. That is sad. So, the blend of diversity and respect will not happen in our lifetime.
Take a look a the Chair position anyways. It is a patronage system, perpetuated by the wrong folks in this town. The Committee structure is both a joke, and a huge waste of time and money. And, who would you vote for. Lets go one by one:
(1) Jordan - Voted for tax increase.
(2) Edmonson - Voted for tax increase.
(3) Bruno - Voted for tax increase.
(4) Natasha - Doesn't want Chair, likes to be king maker instead, voted for tax increase, the beat goes on and on.
(5) Martinez - Shady deals left and right, voted for the Union contracts that created the budget hole to begin with.
(6) Pepe - There will be something coming out on him very soon, but, there has been plenty said in the past.
(7) Bell - Not going to make a newbie chair.
(8) Monestine - Same as above.
(9) Moss - Last chair, voted for tax increase.
(10) Sosa - Didn't want it.
(11) Heyman - Didn't want it.
(12) Souto - Didn't want it.
(13) Gimenez - Didn't want it.
Who would you choose?
The Chair position has been given too much power over the years. All the Chair should really do is preside over the meetings. The additional funding should just go to the agenda coordinator. The committees, well, they do nothing, cost money to staff, clutter up the calendar. The only reason they have them is to give 6 commissioners a little more power. I am sick of it!
Commissioner Martinez as Chairperson + Bell - Sorenson - Gimenez (if he runs for Mayor) + Lopez-Cantera (who runs for Dist.7 if Gimenez leaves) = ?
Hold The Line folks should be very afraid.
Add the possibility of Hialeah Robaina as Mayor to the equation, and I'd starting investing in concrete production, because they're going to be selling a ton of it.
Martinez has the train and MDX all lined up - the train to carry off the rock (hmmm, that is called ag land)- and the MDX to get concurrency just in case he needs to approve residential.
25 comments:
the herald didn't cover this story. wow.
Please tell me this is an early April's Fools joke! I need to move out of the County. Taking a lose on my home is better than two year's of "I'm not a crook" Martinez and more of VNS and the Souto babble. Not to mention Freddie Munster! And, now we have ding bat Bell on board with the unreformable!
There is a silver lining with this black cloud, it means Martinez won't run for Mayor
Martinez beat Commissioner Jordan for Chair. The vote was 8-4. Racial politics were at play as usual. Let's just hope the Short Comandante is fair to the Black and Haitian minority community.
There is no silver lining. Just because he is Chair does not mean he will not run for Mayor. In fact, there is a movement afoot to create legislation that would make him interim Mayor if the recall vote is successful. The way it is set up right now, if the recall is successful, Alvarez is out of office immediately, and the Commission can either appoint the replacement, or set a special election within 45-90 days of the recall. However, there are no provisions as who fills the gap. Well, the BCC may create the mechanism to fill the gap, and one of the options is to make the Chair interim Mayor... Interesting.. The other rumor I have heard is that if the Joe for interim doesn't work, then they are going to try to leave the interim job to none other than George Burgess... Jeez... The other issue, Martinez is going to use his new position to try to lock Gimenez in... Don't think he will be successful with that.
This is from the legislative history:
It was moved by Commissioner Jordan that Commissioner Joe A. Martinez be appointed as the Chairman and that Commissioner Audrey Edmonson be appointed as the Vice-Chairwoman of the Board of County Commissioners, effective January 1, 2011. This motion was seconded by Chairman Moss, and upon being put to a vote, passed by a vote of 12-0 (Commissioner Gimenez was absent).
I was told the initial ballots were straw polls with secret votes. Can anyone confirm that? The video is not available on-line yet.
Looks like someone needs another free house!
To Anon: Once you watch the video, it will be clear who voted for whom. And if you review the history of the BCC you'll note a very clear pattern of racial voting and racial politics. Consider this:
The first ballot was between Jordan, Diaz, and Martinez.
The second ballot was between Comm. Jordan and Comm. Martinez (since no one believes Diaz should be chair of anything).
The final vote was 8-4 in favor of Martinez. There are only 4 Commissioners of Color who all most likely supported Jordan.
It was customary political etiquette on Jordan's part to move that Martinez be selected chair "by acclamation," to avoid the specter of a racially divided Commission. The acclamation thing happens every year and is recorded thusly.
Since the BCC has been able to elect it's own chair, the Chairmanship has been passed from Black (Carey-Shuler) to Hispanic (Barriero) to Hispanic (Martinez)to Black (Moss) to Hispanic (Martinez).
I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that the next Chair will be Black. The racial politics are too thick to ignore. It is the elephant in the Commission Chamber.
Racially divided commission? You must be joking! If there is a racially divide, we can blame it on the black commissioners. We just had an African American chairman for crying out loud. Do we have to elect a black commissioner to the chair position every time? By the way, the US Census tells us that Hispanics make up 62.5% of the Miami-Dade population and "blacks" make up less than 20%. Question: When will be seeing a white non-Hispanic chair?
I watched it and the last person nailed it. Jordan was offered Vice-Chair and declined nominating Edmonson who was approved unanimously which left her beaming.
Race was the vote clearly w/o Giminez in attendance.
Why was Giminez out? You would think he would be there for an important thing like this. Is this some sort of red herring?
Good point. I voted for Gimenez and think he’s a stand up guy. But I was disturbed that he walked out on that vote. Poor display of leadership.
Gimenez took a walk because he doesn't support any of those crooks.
That’s childish “Jerry Said”. You fight the good fight. Under your premise he might as well resign then.
this is great news! no one has chaired the BCC better than Commissioner Martinez. i believe he will make a great mayor in 2012.
no, i do not work for the commissioner nor am i in any way related. i am a voter in his district that has voted for him and will continue to vote for him.
his office is the ONLY one that gets things done. someone ALWAYS answers the phone and assists you.
Gimenez should "fight the good fight?" Give me a break. He has fought plenty of good fights. He also knows that the vote for the chair is always expected to unanimous in the end.
He would look petty and disgruntled if he didn't join everyone else, including opposing candidates, and vote for the new chair. He simply showed his displeasure with the choices in the most effective way possible: by staying away.
And no one can say later that Gimenez supported and voted for Martinez in a misleading political ad, especially if they square off against each other in a campaign for Mayor. I feel like I am teaching Politics 101 here.
By staying away? No “Jerry Said”. By walking way! Big difference. So when the going gets tough, Gimenez gets going… I hope your 101 political science students don’t pay to much attention to you…
To the last anon: You apparently don't realize that the word "said" is placed after everyone's name here and it is not my last name. Therefore, if you were my student, we would place you in the remedial class for slow learners.
I think Gimenez was right to walk out. I would have done the same if I had an interest in another office where footage of the vote would have been public.
Maybe "I'm not a crook" needs a new Tennis Court or something - wait, I don't think he has enough land with the big house, so maybe an adjoining lot, then the tennis court.
I don't think Jordan would have been so bad, Diaz is like a lower IQ but still sleezy Martinez. At least you can get an appointment with Diaz, try to get one with Martinez, who won't take emails for appointments anymore!
Oh well, more of the same, and we know what we'll get - move the UDB, more Rock Mining, maybe they'll increase discretionary spending too!
I am suicidal.
Yes, it's sad. If I were a commissioner I would have walked out too -- in protest to the coronation of Heir Martinez. That sweetheart deal on his house seems like a clear breach of ethical standards.
*Sigh* I just hope the recall of Natacha Seijas succeeds this time.
You know, Politics in Miami-Dade County really disappoints me. I'm an African-American and I love commnuity service...but given our minority status in this County, and lack of respect we get from Conservative, Republican, Hispanic leaers I don't feel very good about the future. What can be done to change the relationship between Cubans and Blacks???
We need to change the relationship between the Cubans and all the minorities - including Blacks, White and other Hispanics. Alvarez didn't get it, he is amazingly non-homogenized for a leader of the most diverse community in the Southeast. Martinez is not any better. Shame on all of them. Piss poor leadership.
I think we have to depend in generations of intermarriage before we lose the prejudice. That is sad. So, the blend of diversity and respect will not happen in our lifetime.
Take a look a the Chair position anyways. It is a patronage system, perpetuated by the wrong folks in this town. The Committee structure is both a joke, and a huge waste of time and money. And, who would you vote for. Lets go one by one:
(1) Jordan - Voted for tax increase.
(2) Edmonson - Voted for tax increase.
(3) Bruno - Voted for tax increase.
(4) Natasha - Doesn't want Chair, likes to be king maker instead, voted for tax increase, the beat goes on and on.
(5) Martinez - Shady deals left and right, voted for the Union contracts that created the budget hole to begin with.
(6) Pepe - There will be something coming out on him very soon, but, there has been plenty said in the past.
(7) Bell - Not going to make a newbie chair.
(8) Monestine - Same as above.
(9) Moss - Last chair, voted for tax increase.
(10) Sosa - Didn't want it.
(11) Heyman - Didn't want it.
(12) Souto - Didn't want it.
(13) Gimenez - Didn't want it.
Who would you choose?
The Chair position has been given too much power over the years. All the Chair should really do is preside over the meetings. The additional funding should just go to the agenda coordinator. The committees, well, they do nothing, cost money to staff, clutter up the calendar. The only reason they have them is to give 6 commissioners a little more power. I am sick of it!
So... let's see what the math adds up to here:
Commissioner Martinez as Chairperson + Bell - Sorenson - Gimenez (if he runs for Mayor) + Lopez-Cantera (who runs for Dist.7 if Gimenez leaves) = ?
Hold The Line folks should be very afraid.
Add the possibility of Hialeah Robaina as Mayor to the equation, and I'd starting investing in concrete production, because they're going to be selling a ton of it.
Martinez has the train and MDX all lined up - the train to carry off the rock (hmmm, that is called ag land)- and the MDX to get concurrency just in case he needs to approve residential.
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