10/04/2011 - Homestead Primary Election (Registration Closing - Sept. 6)
Candidate Qualifying Dates: August 29, 2011 - September 2, 2011. It Cost $260 to run. You need to open a campaign account and fill out forms at the City Clerk.
Candidate Qualifying Dates: August 29, 2011 - September 2, 2011. It Cost $260 to run. You need to open a campaign account and fill out forms at the City Clerk.
Mayor Steve Bateman? Mayor Lynda Bell? Mayor Steve Shiver? I have never ever seen a city that has elected worse Mayors. Really, you could do so much better.
There has to be at least one not corrupt person in a city the size of Homestead that is willing to run for office. I'll take suggestions here. Seriously Homestead people, spent a couple of hundred and register anyone breathing against this Bateman guy. I will kick in $50. You have to get rid of your Dean Martin impersonator with his sweet-heart deals to Pinky Munz for example (after Munz gave a super large donation to Bateman's campaign through a Frank May PAC). And, why is he letting Wayne Rosen from Coral Gables exert so much influence in your city? Oh yes, more PAC money was donated by him. The rest of the county is laughing at your government. Don't let Bateman run unopposed, earn our respect. On principle alone get someone to run against him. Are there any retired nuns in the city?
76 comments:
Genius, you forget the "almost Mayor for life" Roscoe Warren. He was behind the "let's pave over everything, including wetlands" before Bell came in, approved all develpment including millions to Shiver for shack houses. She only got made a Munz because he was in the way of one of her rock mining contributors. It was all smoke and mirrors.
These people walk hand in hand with the real "Mayor for Life" Otis Wallace of Florida City (Commissioner Barbara Jordan & disgraced Lobbyist Sandy Walker). And, let's not forget Councilman for life of Florida City (I think going on 40 yrs or something like that) Shiver, Sr.
There was a rumor that Homestead Councilwoman Wendy "loco" Lobos, Bell's bff may run for Mayor, I'd be ducking and running from that pick as well. Do we need more Bell influence after the Tsunami of crap she reigned in on Homestead? She makes Bateman look like a saint.
As someone had said before, arrest them all (going back to Steve Shiver), then sort it out, this is including all former Mayors & Council members of Homestead (I'd include Florida City too).
There are probably candidates in the wings, waiting until the last minute to file. Why they're doing this really serves no purpose, and I'd question the intent of anyone waiting this long. It's not like it's a County Wide race, it's Hudstead!
Once a cesspool, always a cesspool, and I don't see a huge brain trust anywhere on the current council, or some others toying with the idea.
I say, unincorporate Hudstead, let the County take it over! That will give more time for the Council & Mayor to get jobs from NASCAR or the Speedway boondoggle!
One would have thought that the political gene pool would have been expanded and improved with the arrival of thousands of new residents in Homestead. The fact that very few have chosen to get involved at all shows us why we keep getting what we get at the city, county, state and national level in terms office holders. Bateman is the ultimate opportunist. In 2007, he garnered about 200 votes in the Mayoral primary finishing dead last and far behind Bell, Steve Losner and Jeff Porter and today, through the arrogance and meaness of Lynda Bell as Mayor, he holds office by a one thousand vote majority; omething is wrong with this scenarioThe good old boys based on Biscayne Drive fear change and back only those newcomers who are easily manipulated such as current Councilmembers Shelley-Helms, Maldonado and Williams. There is a move to oust Bateman but infighting as to who the establishment will back as Bateman as gone totally and wildly out of control, twisting arms placing his partners and their families and friends on various boards and in position to profit from government contracts.
The Bateman record:
skipping controversial votes as a councilman and a poor attendance record
being allowed to build his own home in a PUD
delaying payment of his own real estate taxes
arrested for boating under the influence
allowing Redland Company to pay a fine of a million bucks when the city spent millions in attys fees, fines and mitigation costs for illegally mined fill taken from the city
giving away city land for a buck a year to a charter school operator
waiving electric bills and cost recovery for friends and contributors
packing the Homestead Housing Authority board with business partners and their friends and family
The list goes on and on and on
I hear The Herald has been trying to pin improprieties on Mayor Bateman for appointing young, intelligent,professionals with experience dealing with or living in the Homestead Housing Authority, to the board. Unless there's proof of financial impropriety, (which there isn't) I think the residents of the Homestead Housing Authority deserve to capitalize on the assets and sound program developed by the past conservative boards and have amenities and facilities commensurate with residents of other similar programs. Its about time there is some progress in Redland and South Dade camps! Why is this a bad thing? reactive and "accountable to the users" power of appointment is a tool no mayor should loose!!! Tim Williams
Redland has nothing to do with Homestead and vice versa. In the future, Mr. Williams (any relation to Tim Williams and the former potato fields east of the Turnpike now turned in to vacant housing?)
Talk about Homestead all you want but do not bring Redland and Homestead in to the same sentence in the future. It is insulting.
NEWSFLASH: Bateman reads EOM, his head explodes, bulls**t propelled by hot air and empty rhetoric rains down as far away as Card Sound Bridge. Film at eleven.
Homestead has been dysfunctional for ever. It was first run by wealthy farmers, now it is run by wealthy farmers, progeny of founding fathers and local bankers. The inbreeding is awful.
Lets dissect the above:
Bateman: Sole Qualification:"Not Lynda"
Waldman: Supported by Shiver, ergo, puppet of local banker
Maldonado: See Bateman coat-tails
Shelley: Married in to a wealthy farmer family and connected to Shiver through his wife
Williams: The Step and Fetch It of the good old boys and not on the Bell team
Burgess: Independent but always in trouble with whichever faction he did not side with
Lobos: Controlled by farmers in the form of rock miners
One rule don't insult the blogger. You did. You are thus gone. Get your own blog...
Ouuuu. I guess you were told, Gen.
Now, I will remind folks, this blog and any other blog for that matter, is privately maintained. It doesn't have to face the "fair and balanced" test that Fox news does....
If you don't like the content, then pick another blog to read and don't worry about the editorial content of Eye.
I am just sayin... (as I sit in Homestead reading this)
Dang. You deleted them before I could post :/
You all make great points. As much scrutiny and arm chair quarter backing that goes on here and the false allegations of impropriety and corruption and the numerous complaints filed by anonymous folks who have no better answer to governance than what they read about in a text book or theory from some professor type or life long student of Government (George Burgess, Merrit Steriheim to name a few)who has NEVER ran a business, if there was anything with past Mayors, Lynda Bell included, they would already be arrested. The hate mongering and bullshit rhetoric here is nothing more than that, bullshit. I say either put up or shut up and lets move on. Bateman has his hands full and have you ever thought that others refuse to run for elected office because of the unthinable media scrutiny that fuels the fire. Wasnt the Homesteadishome blgospot administrator that got a restraining order against him for his over stepping comments and rhetoric against Judy Waldman? Just saying Genius, you can probably do better.
Letting Munz off the hook, costing Homestead big bucks...that was enough for me. His appointments to the Homestead Housing Authority are icing on the cake -- Bateman has total disregard for millions of our Federal dollars and his own City dollars -- absorbing the costs for the over dredging when he shouldn't have.
Believe me, I have no love for Bateman and the relationship between he and the Berrones clan goes way back. Pinky really isn't in his camp but as an answer to Lynda Bell pink had no choice. Homestead grew at an unthinkable pace as did many areas of our country now facing the real estate fall apart we continue to see. Homestead's growth was fueled by the same corrupt money flowing through Wall Street and Washington that has crippled our Country. Homestead's leaders past and present do not have exclusivity on this one no matter how much some will it to be so. A great bible verse comes to mind that we should all pray for our President. Psalms 109 Verse 8 "Pray that his days are few and that someone will take his place."
Much love to you Genius and as always I love your point of view.
From what I know that blogger was vindicated and the order was dismissed by more than one judge. It is also noteworthy to mention Waldman claimed she was indigent and used Legal Aid.
In true Judy Waldman fashion she then went on to campaign against the judge that threw her case out.
Sound familiar Homestead?
By Homestead standards, he is a winner. In this shallow town, if you have money or the appearance of financial success, no matter how you got it ( including in the drug trade in the 80's), that is all the movers and shakers and their desperate housewives care about. Rubbing elbows at the hospital ball, being in the right club and drinking to excess at the right watering hole is all it takes to have respectability in Homestead. So long as they dont get embarassed, all is well but once the Feds take the Baitster down, no one will know him.
If anyone is looking for proof of corruption in Homestead, be advised it is everywhere.
Nothing is as it seems. They are not off the hook.
The hammer will come down. So the put up or shut up person just needs to be patient.
It ( corruption ) is a way of life among the Homestead hoi paloi. With a wink and a nudge, things just happen.
Thats right, light bills are forgiven, code enforcement is selective, drunk drivers leaving Capri, the Last Chance and Sams Hideaway are given a pass. Autistic kids with dislocated arms in the middle of the night dont get reported by the emergency rooom staff as child abuse nor do the black eyes and bruises of the wives of the power brokers and politicians. Dont get me started on the infidelity of the high and mighty who sing loudest on Sunday morning at the "right " church. Sickening.
Duh, Pinky had a choice, don't dig deeper than the DERM imposed limits. Then he had another choice, let me suffer the consequences of my actions or buy off a council, city attorney and city manager.
In both examples he made the right choice for himself. Pinky and the Biscayne Boys think only of themselves and paying off their whores who would do anything to be on Homestead Hospital's invite list.
You forgot car wrecks with city vehicles and attempted sexual battery cases get covered up by the HPD.
Unfortunately, Genius, Homestead power brokers do not want anyone educated on any Board or on the Council or Mayor. They go out of their way to pick puppets and they get elected because that's just the way it is. The only reason Bell didn't get re elected was because she was working for her own rock mining interests and not the Losner/Munz group. She is a dumb as the rest of them and picked the wrong group to lay her hat on. I guess that worked on the Commission level because people were oblivious in Kendall and the Church's just listened to their own people, not the real candidates with qualifications. Believe me, it won't happen again!
And, who are those power brokers? Get your barf bag - the "Distinguished" group, or I mean, their proxy's posing as the group. The real power brokers don't go to any public meetings!
Anyone know why the money funnel known as the Little Angels website is down?
Judy must be livid now that the IRS took away their tax exempt status.
That is the least of her worries.
Mr.Williams, please read the article before you rush to judgement. There are plenty of witnesses to the meeting in question.
Your opening sentence indicates that you have no idea what is going on. These appointees are anything but professional, experienced, or intelligent.
The Mayors actions were deliberate when appointing his friend and business partner who intern appointed his friend and business partner to a position where Federal moneys are plentiful.
Would you trust this group with your money???
Retired nuns in HoSTEAD? Now that is funny.
If not Bateman, who do you suggest ?
Anonymous said...
You forgot car wrecks with city vehicles and attempted sexual battery cases get covered up by the HPD.
FACT CHECK:
Car wreck in North Florida hours away from Homestead. Alleged sexual Battery case investigated by MDPD.........
lmao, you should have seen the look on his face when he saw the blog post. Bateman has sold his soul to the devil and the demon is here to collect!
Anyone is better than Baitman! Hell bring back Shiver!
Ramiro Orta will be utilized for the ethnic vote ... This guy must be serious .... I heard he's bank manager in Homestead, born and raised in Homestead, a coach at Dick Conley Football and a Mexican.... Every campaign will seek his support ... Just wait and see !
Even Judy... Who's campaign is ran by Ed Garza, Maria and Cip Garza son. It's a catch 22, for every latino vote they seek for Waldman will be double for Orta.... Sad, but perfect timing by Orta. Despite the feud between the Garza's and Orta.
Crap it seems like the Mexicans will soon have a mayor lol
Shiver is an amateur compared to the scams Bateman has pulled off. I think, and this is my opinion only, that he and his frends have raked in big bucks at the expense of the taxpayers.
Anyone supported by the Mayor in a Council race should not be elected.So, Ramiro and Alex, you need to get out or stand on your own two feet.
Bateman this week, can a slam dunk on Councilman Elvis "Mini Me" Maldonado be far behind ?
Love how the dirtiest little town in America comes to life on EOM. Sparkling stuff. You can get drunk reading it. If Homestead were in Belle Glade, no one would give a damn. It's all about geography. The problem with Homestead has always been so close to Miami with dreams of being Kendall. I say, pave the whole place over now with cement from CEMEX. Seal it off from the rest of humanity. Give Homestead back to the turkey vultures.
Cemex......Oh, you mean Lynda Bell's patriarch! The real reason Bell chased after Pinky Munz! As the World Turn's in Hudstead!
Don't forget, Wendy "Loco" Lobo's is tied to the hip in regard to Bell, she ain't no saint as they say!
We all love to hate Bell but this is about throwing Bateman and his cronies off the gravy train of our money.
LOS(N)ER is only one letter off LOSER!!
You should of seen the look on Losners face this morning when he showed up to work! LMAO!!
Welcome to Little Mexico. The Garzas, Berrones, Ortas, etc. keep supporting Bate-Wal for a reason.
Which Losner father or son?
The son who is going to run against Bateman. The first two campaign signs Bateman put up were across the steet from Losner's office.... at Redland Company
He who laughs last laughs loudest and gets to sit in the Mayors chair.
Can anyone provide any shred of evidence that Bell has given anything to CEMEX?
I'll wait....
FACT CHECK:
Car wreck in North Florida hours away from Homestead. Alleged sexual Battery case investigated by MDPD.........
Duh! So why was the manager's assistant at Enterprise Car rentals getting the Mayor a replacement vehicle the very next morning after the in town Homestead wreck that was covered up by HPD?
Why was MDPD called after HPD told the victim to go and take a shower? You are a lunatic to think that Bateman's chubby friend Steadman Stahl of the PBA did not involve himself in both of these issues. He did the same thing with the Biscayne National Park incident. All of Homestead knows this. So go away with your defense of this loser, the picture tells the story of the Bait-man. Loser!
You couldn't turn the power off at anyone's house for almost a year without checking if they were a friend of Bateman. He wrecks a city owned vehicle and does not report it, then tries to have it repaired before anyone notices its missing. He fires anyone who said good morning to Shehada and hires his girlfriends in their place. His friends get every contract the city puts out. He punches anyone who questions him at a bar. He bends the rule for the his friends to be put in the old pension, which was closed for over a year. The unions and cops get raises and promotions for supporting him. Is there or does there needs to be more?
A. HE (Bateman) was not even driving the vehicle.
B. If by hiring his girlfriends instead of Shehada, you mean Sergio, I think you've got it all wrong. Every politician and mayor has put their own people into positions around them. Happens in every town all over the country!
C. See you at the polls! What you don't like cannot always be changed, but instead of falsely misleading people with lies, why don't you just vote?!?!
Who is Judy's former camp mgr? and if it is former (not the current one) why do we care about dui record?
Lets not forget Homestead Air Reserve Base. Now the Feds are suing Homestead because of Baitman and Waldman's shenanigans.
Despite Zoning Staff objections, Waldman and Bateman ignored them and were able to get the clowncil to pass the Alger Farms Vested Property Rights resolution. They allowed Charter School USA to build a high school in the path of the crash zone, risking the lives of children over the greed of special interest. Now I understand Wayne Rosen got the approval to build another Charter school the area.
Great Job "Geniusofdespair". You are coming very close to lifting the cover from Bateman-Judy “Corruption Enterprise, Inc.”
Did you try to contact the prior manager or any of the directors Bateman-Judy fires, so they can help you (us) expose all the facts.
We may be able to help you connect with some of them.
Great job, you do a better job than any news paper in the region all the time. You should be a prize winner.
Keep it up. I only read your blog to know what is going on.
Can someone please let our good mayor Carlos Gimenez know to stay away from this currupt Bateman or Williams.
Bateman is like a bad dream, will never go away.
Bateman is always talking about his close and good friend Carlos Gimenez, and we know it is not true.
Jorge Lopez, you know Bateman, please let Carlos stay away from him.
If I know Bateman, he is reading this blog and going out to the local bar to get his drink on and kick anyone's butt who dares to question him.
These posts are truly enlightening. I don't know who I'd support for Mayor against Bateman though. Shiver - whoever wrote he'd be better should look back in these blog archives. Bateman looks petty compared to what Shiver did in Homestead and throughout the County as a short term Manager. Loser? Nope. Daddy is too far warped and has too much influence. When Warren was Mayor Losner Sr and Alger ran the show. Do you want a redux of that? I don't.
I'm hoping for a good alternative to all of the above.
The new charter school is not in a crash zone. Get your facts correct.
Thank you Councilman, Jon Burgess, for your previous comment. We now know that you do, in fact, read and contribute to this blog. Not a a quality we need in a city representative. Good luck in the election!
RE:
Thats right, light bills are forgiven, code enforcement is selective, drunk drivers leaving Capri, the Last Chance and Sams Hideaway are given a pass. Autistic kids with dislocated arms in the middle of the night dont get reported by the emergency rooom staff as child abuse nor do the black eyes and bruises of the wives of the power brokers and politicians. Dont get me started on the infidelity of the high and mighty who sing loudest on Sunday morning at the "right " church. Sickening.
Your vague allegations are getting old. You tried this last time. Slandering the candidates does not solve anything. You have no proof, only speculation of the above issues.
re: If I know Bateman, he is reading this blog and going out to the local bar to get his drink on and kick anyone's butt who dares to question him.
I guess you DON'T know Bateman after all!! Thanks for your attempt at valuable input.
This is great! These comments are such Comic Relief!
If there were any credability to anything being said one might be concerned.
When Warren was Mayor, Shiver and Epling ran the show through Waldman, Porter, Garner and Hodge. Get your facts and history straight.
No more alcohol comments...really who cares as long as he is not drunk at meetings.
Okay, my bad. The school is not in the APZ II (Accident Potential Zone)
However, the school is less than a quarter mile from the APZ II (too close for comfort). However the zone does encompasses three out of five of the baseball fields (still to close for comfort)
Oh...and I am not Jon. Just someone who keeps informed and supports our Military being in Homestead. They pour a lot of money into the community and without them, there would be no Homestead.
sorry, forgot to add this link: http://www.homestead.afrc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-071029-032.pdf
Sigh.
This is more of the same Homestead crap. I am telling you that Homestead is built on a hidden Indian burial ground. And they are never going to lift the curse.
Today is the day; put up or shut up.
Bateman is having a party at Capri retaurant tonight. Why dont we all show up and call for his resignation. After that, spread the word to boycott Capri a/k/a Homestead City Hall annex.. take a look at the Bateman campaign facebook page, Capri owner Jimmy Accursio is front and center standing with Bateman.
Preferably the "shut up." Capri is not the problem here. So what if Bateman is friends with Accursio.
Why don't we NOT boycott a restaurant. This conversation is not an excuse to attack everyone in town. Find a good candidate and get friends to vote.
If you have a business and people boycott you because of who you support then everyone would retreat to the background. Bateman is a viable candidate. I wouldn't vote for him but I don't think he is a loser.
No, I believe you should know about who you are supporting before you stand with them if you are lending credibilty to the campaign
Am I reading this correctly? Do I really sense an ounce of respect here? Its about time yall grew up and realized not everything is fair in politics!
I find the term "loser" quite offensive myself. It's not realistic to think you can win all the time, everyone is a "loser" at some given point in their life. Losing can actually be a good thing, it can teach and change you in ways that winning can't. Bateman, though I don't support him and think he has done a lousy job as Mayor, was a loser in a campaign more than once, but he didn't quit, and you've got to give him credit for that. One should not be so quick to attach a label such as "loser," because one day you may be eating your words.
I could give a rat's ass on what goes on in your city Jim, but when you start with Federal dollars (I read the two Herald articles on the Homestead Housing Authority) I got interested. This is my money you are wasting in Homestead and your Mayor appointed the Board. People are mad and mad people lash out.
Jim H -
I laughed when I read your comment. Votes are stolen from us every day in absentee ballot fraud by campaign workers. http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2011/07/absentee-ballot-fraud-pulitzer-or.html
That's fair?
PAC's fund campaigns with giant donations more than the $500 limits...
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-pac-i-do-not-like-by.html
That's fair?
Good Hard earned dollars given over to taxes are wasted?
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2010/07/homestead-sucks-with-bad-deals-aplenty.html
That's fair?
People are lashing out as Homer said.
It is never fair on one side of the coin and it sucks. Each time a rule is put into place to make elections fair, political campaigns find a way around it. Maybe people are tired of it and they will all vote in numbers and get all their friends to vote and their kids. That is the only way to stop the nonsense.
Genious, you know better than that. "...they will all vote in numbers and get their friends to vote and their kids." YOu have got to be kidding. The government establishments, local county state and federal are all governed by puppets who listen to the "professional" policy wonks that tell them what to do. This country got out the numbers in droves and their kids and dogs probably voted for the promised change of our current president only to fall prey to the same ole' same ole'. Fface it, the media and blogs like this control more than you want to admit. If those policy wonks who have never ran a business or practiced their theories in real life don't get their way, they become "anonymous" sources to the media hounds and we are off to the races. Politicians react to the hype and we get stalemate. Homestead is no different than Miami, MIami Beach, Hialeah, Boca, Palm Beach Gardens, Tallahassee, Atlanta and on and on. The media rules.
I stand corrected, there is clearly a lack of respect here! Call them losers if you will, its not fair. Heads not tales, its not fair. Bateman not Bell, not fair. Cotton blankets instead of wool, not fair. Empty bellies instead of full, not fair. Its a harf knock life no matter how you look at it. Like it or not, Homestead had improved in many ways since Bateman took over. Did he fix everything? No, can't be done. It will be up to the voters who decide. If more Bateman fans vote than Losner fans, he will get it. Its simple. Right now he is the popular choice because he has some accomploshments supporting him, Loser has a wallet and accusations. The proof is in the pudding. Eat slowly so you dont choke.
Anonymous above, horse shit. Bateman hasn't created or done anything that the beaurocrats there along with Richard Wiess wouldnt have done with any monkey in the seat. He one because everyone hated what Lynda became, a little tyrant that was in way over her head and created problems that she claimed to fix. Like Warren, Shiver, Demilly and those before, they all made decisions based on the time with what they felt was the best for the community and to continue the Monday Morning Quarter back is just entertaining now. Good luck whoever runs and Godspeed for Homestead and our entire country.
Unbelivable...Bateman and all his people are corrupt, what is wron with the people of Homestead, dont you care about your city, Clean it up, City Council,and the Homestead Housing Authority... kick these crooks to the curb, get some honest
officials in Homestead.
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