The people were mad as hell because the County Commission raised their taxes. So what does the County Commission do to top that, they have a $200 million dollar bond issue. What are they nuts? The three running for Mayor - Joe Martinez, Carlos Gimenez and Rebeca Sosa voted against it. The rest of them, they have lost touch with reality and the people they serve. Thank you for your sanity Joe, Carlos and Rebeca.
Maybe this time Marty Margulies will fund a recall of the remaining commissioners over the bond issue. This is such a bad idea I am aghast that the County Commissioners could be this stupid. Maybe I should be beating up on me for always being surprised when something idiotic happens in County government. Shouldn't I be expecting it by now? The Miami Herald said:
"Commissioner Javier Souto, for instance, fought hard to include funding for an equestrian center at Tropical Park. His argument: The project at the regional park will help economic development and bring 'countywide benefits'."
You couldn't be more wrong Javier. We don't need your friggin' equestrian center. We would get countywide benefits if you would just stop wasting our money on "projects". I'm sorry, this vote just has to get my boondoggle rating because it is a boondoggle in the making.
22 comments:
Newly elected Commissioner Bell voted for this $200 million debt. This is fiscal conservatism? Proving the point, say whatever it takes to get elected as lobbyist money will keep you in office.
Look to some of the votes to date: Voting for separate recall elections (extra costs), banning free speech from public facilities (lawsuits and the banana republic mentality), adding $200 million of debt.
Oh, and Commissioner Bell claimed to be a reformist. Anyone hear of her advancing term limits or any of the other reforms that she so enthusiastically embraced in the runoff?
Anyone in District 8 having buyers remorse yet?
$200 million of more debt. Great sense of timing.
I see the Greer Family (Bruce with Fairchild) is once again at the County feeding trough. I am 100% opposed to one more cent of my tax dollars supporting this family. (Carlyle Group is the other entity with Bruce's son Matt). Fairchild has turned in to a private, exclusive public facility and I'm absolutely furious they're not using the revenue from Fairchild to support whatever improvements on Bruce's wish list. Hey, but if you can stick it to the taxpayer, why not!
This is the wrong time to be doing this. We don't know what are revenue shortfall is going to be, because there will be one.
I'm so sick of Burgess et al, touting "jobs". Really, can you be a bit more specific? How about the cost of the actual construction (materials, professional fees, etc. Then, how many jobs, to whom, and how much are they going to be paid?
Please take notice of another out of the box vote of newly elected commissioner Bell. $200 Million of new debt? That does not sound fiscally conservative to me. It sounds like you are another tax and spend liberal. You may be socially conservative, a right to lifer, but your fiscal record continues on upping the spending. This is the same record that you held in leading Homestead to near ruin. Your ongoing voting records at Miami-Dade shows that you are nothing more than a new member in the same unreformable club. Bell may have tried hard (or was it Lied hard) to convince everyone that she had changed her spots.
Let's see where she has or is trying to costs us more money:
Voting to hold two separate recall elections.
Subjecting the county to lawsuits for your reactionary stance against free speech in public facilities.
And now voting for an additional $200 million debt for the County sinking into the red.
Anyone in District 8 feeling buyers remorse yet?
P.S. We are still waiting for the first effort to sponsor any promised County reform legislation. Candidate Bell was pro term limits. Commission Bell is not so strangely quiet on the topic.
Yes, we thought you were serious and truthful and yes, we expect you to follow through.
Greer tried hard to get peddle her influence into Palmetto Bay by getting her for Aide elected to the Council. It became a campaign issues and that candidate lost. She also was pushing to get her former chief of staff into County government through one of the District 8 candidates. Her blow up at a recent Pinecrest Council meeting shows her true motivations.
Thankfully she failed this year in her efforts to twist government for her political and personal benefits.
Last anon, you forgot about Evelyn Greer when she was on the School Board. South Dade Sr. High lost most of it's Ag area (future farmers) for the new school, then she pushed to build a new middle school at the edge of the UDB in Redland. Oh, and let's not forget the brillant move, giving Ken Forbes (ethically challenged - legally) over $20K for one of his organizations. He was the one who tried to recall Pat Wade from CC14, all the while, Greer was claiming to be suportive of the Redland Incorporation while sticking knife in the back of our Community.
As to Bell, well, let's not her campaign promise to bring government services back to the South Dade Government Center (all the while, relocating her office to Palmetto Bay and huge taxpayer expense). She also tore Flinn up and down about the Palmetto Bay Village Hall (hiding the fact that she spent millions of Homestead taxpayer dollars on her own Taj Mahal, to replace a City Hall that already exists).
Anyone who voted for Bell in the first place didn't do their homework. I have no buyers remorse because I knew better than to vote for her. But, if you all want to do something - November would be the time to start a recall of her.
I am so glad that there are more of us now watching and keeping track of the Bell inconsistencies. She is a hypocrite and lives by the credo of do what I say, not what I do. She talks a good line of s*@t and the uninformed bought it.
Remember them at the ballot box when these thieves come up for re-election. Change in county politics is just starting with the recall of the mayor. I am so sick of these bond sales. The County has created such an empire with these bonds that most of it will crumble with the layoffs and budget reductions. Who is going to be left to manage the debt payments?
WHY are we giving the museums MORE money. They already got the land free? They got money in the LAST bond issue. WHY do we have to give them more?
I think that Bell has a impressive check-list of doing the exact opposite of what she says.
She is going to be the Rick Scott of the local community. I saw her try to pitch DERM out the window last night. Lynda is a menace to our environmental resources.
While we need protection, DERM is a beauracracy out of control
Can someone please write a guest blog about what happened at the DERM meeting with Bell? I couldn't attend.
The Young Mens Christian Association needs More of Taxpayers Monies besides the School Board's Monies, in order to build more Private Facilities on Public Lands. Miami Marlins I mean Florida Marlins in Miami??? Municipalities need these monies for their NonProfit Corporations, Soccer Parks, for their Green Space Concurrency Requirements without being on the hook for this debt, and of Course Carlyle Group needs more Million dollar Tax Credits when UP-Zoning in the CRAs with Affordable Housing rather than Low Income Housing....
I think we need to start a new Evelyn Greer watch. She appears to be not too happy being out of office. She also appears to be losing her gifted poltical touch both in Pinecrest and the surrounding areas. It it will be interesting to see where Greer and Bell find common ground and where the deal was cut for Greer to not support Bell's opponent in the runoff.
As one of the anons pointed out, she did try to place her people in various positions of authority. The first was her former Pinecrest Council confidant and later former chief of staff from her school board days, who was part of the Taddeo team (no fault to Ms. Taddeo, an outstanding person). Greer did push hard in a losing effort for one of her other former school board aides to be elected to the Palmetto Bay council.
Having friends on County and municipal commissions will provide significant access for affordable housing developers.
I am sure Palmetto Bay could use some affordable housing, as long as it is not too close to her home base of Pinecrest.
Ms. Greer is not too happy that the current Pinecrest Council, namely Mayor Lerner and current crew, want to go their own way in managing Pinecrest by choosing their own manager. Greer really launched into a slugfest at a council meeting, which was public viewing of Greer going emo at the thought of losing her last touch of control at Pinecrest, her personally picked manager.
We know the County has millions at stake in affordable housing.
I am bet Bell and Greer could work well together in filling those schools placed on farm land and near the UDB with lots of affordable home living faces if that nasty DERM and that job killing DCA were done away with.
Watch out! The next two steps are business dealings surfacing with Bell and who Greer puts up to run against Mayor Lerner in Pinecrest.
I'll continue to say this until my hand drops from exhaustion -- just from writing about it. Excuse me, but the people are NOT mad as hell. If they were, they would get off their butts and go out and vote to clean this repulsive county commission with commissioners who think these jobs are permanent! What the hell is wrong with a community that continues to elect the same crooks over and over? They should have voted this fuddie-dudie Souto out long time ago. He's like "boobs on a bull"... where's the service?
MIAMI (WSVN) -- It's the end of the road for a group of county bus and train drivers.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez has put a stop to their controversial campaigning on his behalf.
With less than two weeks to go before a recall election, Mayor Alvarez has come under fire for the project. Last month, 12 bus drivers were reassigned from their routes and replaced with part-timers, so the drivers could work an education campaign. Some even working the polls against recalling the mayor.
At the heart of the issue: A county-wide rule banning political advocacy on the clock. "At the very least, this situation does not pass the smell test," said Miami-Dade County District 7 Commissioner Carlos Gimenez.
"We'll do away with it because, really, that wasn't the intent," said Alvarez.
A meeting between Mayor Alvarez and the transit union to discuss the issue is set to take place sometime next week.
Anonymous two above - the recall is proof that voters are mad as hell. What more proof could you need? They vote these jokers in because they don't know better and believe the campaign lies-- Lynda Bell being an example of telling voters what they want to hear. Candidates poll and say whatever polls well.
I am surprise that Commissioner Bell has so quickly changed. She does not even know where the batrooms are at County Hall and she has already in a spendiing binge. That is not fiscaly responsible.
Surprised Bell changed so quickly? No, she never changed. She is a tax and spender. Look at the property tax millage rate increases in Homestead during her reign of terror.
You all are so cute. Actually thinking that the voters think. The Republican machine knows the voters are impressionable sheep. Karl Rove 'em all. Florida has been run into the ground by an absolute Republican majority for over 12 years yet the district 8 race was won by the Rs simply pouring more kool aid into this race.
Today Gov Scott took final action, post court ruling, to move $2.4 billion of our tax dollars to other states. Same day, he pledges $77 million for port of Miami dredging. Think there will be no costs overruns on the port dredging project? Will it be paid back throug port fees and not be paid by the general taxpayers? You can bet the bank its all your money.
Know what the difference between the 2 projects? The $2.4 billion was to move into the 21 century, out of the sprawl X-way gridlock for PEOPLE (the little ones without private jets), but no cargo would be carried. The port is money for BUSINESS, products brought through ancient mode of transporation on old fuel cargo ships operating under foreign registration and jurisdiction when out of port.
Why is the port improvements not paid by port charges? Because they can charge you, so we are already into the public's pocket for the cost of subsidizing business. Corporate welfare, your tax dollars at work. I guess its OK to spend on the port, assunming that we break the unions that serve the port.
"Brad, you stated Tuesday the pool was not costing South Miamians anything. When will you and everybody else understand grants are available because of tax money collected from ALL TAXPAYERS.The sooner everyone understands that the better."
read email exchange between city of south miami officials and taxpayers, in its entirety
http://www.communitynewspapers.com/south-miami/comments-about-south-miami-city-hall/print/
The port project is a boondoggle. Everyone in the business knows that it is cheaper to continue to send the container ships north up to Virginia and have the cargo off-loaded for shorter RAIL or truck trips to the final destination markets rather than truck the products starting deep south in Miami, thousands of truck miles though all the gridlock up the east coast. Miami is not a solid origination point for cargo distribution, it is at the far end of the final points.
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