I don't know, politicians do a lot of strange things I guess, but this was a new one on me: Miami Dade County Commission Vice Chair, Lynda Bell Names a Public Building after her mother.
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| This is the only 'mother' I would name a building after. |
Here is a part of a press release from Lynda Bell's office (yes, she released this third person sounding piece):
Vice Chair Lynda Bell dedicates and breaks ground on Marilyn Hope's Place, the newest senior community center in Cutler Bay(Actually this "Community Center", appears to be an affordable/subsidized housing for seniors that has an activity room -- see my preamble post above OR AT THIS LINK).
"In a moving ceremony attended by County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, Commissioner Dennis Moss, and municipal leaders from around the county, as well as residents and close family members alike, Commission Vice Chair Lynda Bell broke ground on Marilyn Hope’s Place...
The new facility is named after Vice Chair Bell’s mother, Marilyn. A woman who excelled as an executive and as an entrepreneur while raising six minor children as a single mother in the 1970’s."
My mother raised 5 children, lets name something after her too. She worked very hard and was very kind. Natacha Seijas never named anything after her mother and I am sure she was/is a lovely lady. If Natacha had, we would now be stuck with a building with a name that no one could identify with, except Natacha and her family. Actually Lynda and her husband OWN a perfectly good building to name, The Hotel Redland in Homestead. It would have totally been appropriate for Bell to name this privately owned building after her mother: The Marilyn Hope Hotel.
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| Lynda Bell at a County Commission Meeting Making a point with a busy finger. |
I have nothing against Lynda Bell's mom. I am sure she was a lovely lady - it just sets a bad precedent for having a county filled with public buildings named after relatives, people none of us know, except the immediate family. That is SELFISH. We taxpayers are all paying for the building to be built, with bond money, aren't we?
I like naming plazas, public buildings/streets for people like Athalie Range, Wilkie D. Ferguson, and Rebeca Sosa (when she retires) EVEN Marco Rubio deserves an edifice named after him (when he retires). I am sure there are lots of people who admire Rubio and would want to name a building after him, not me of course, but I can understand that some people would. I could walk by the building and say to myself: "Oh, yeah Marco Rubio, bad memory." That is exactly what I think to myself when I go into the Stephen P. Clarke center. At least I have SOME recognition even if it is not positive. I WOULD NOT want a building named after Marco Rubio's mom...although, I am sure she is a lovely lady. If I were going to name a building in Miami Dade County it would be after someone I admire, like Janet McAliley who has spent her whole life in public service.
I just don't understand the mother thing and how the county commission and the mayor let this happen. Doesn't anyone think about us, the taxpayers, or do the politicians just live in their own private solar system viewing the citizens as stars in another galaxy...far, far away?
I stand corrected, they do come down to earth when they want our property taxes and our votes. Be a shining star: Don't give them your votes.
ALSO READ PART 1.
33 comments:
Vote everyone out who approved this. It's beyond ridiculous. I don't want to speak ill of the deceased and am sure her Mother was wonderful. However, what exactly did she do for the people of this Community? That is a mystery. There are way too many to name great Mom's who deserve a lot of praise everyday. To name a publicly funded facility after someones Mom who happens to be in a public position looks and smells worse than the Perez Museum where at least he gave art work to it!
I'm not sure naming a public building after one's Mom who no one has heard of except her immediate family; perhaps friends too is a real good way to do the "peoples work"!
Lynda Bell is a self serving PoS, this is just another reason not to elect someone so full of themselves to even think of doing it, let along do it and get support of the BCC!
Mayor Gimenez should be embarrassed. The BCC should be embarrassed. They should all be voted out whoever is up for re elected in 2014!
I am shocked, revolted, and deeply offended.
What could be more emblematic of using political influence for personal interest? Are there no deceased community leaders in the area for whom this public building could have been named? Volunteers who selflessly and tirelessly gave their sweat and blood to improve the community within which they lived?
Is this what county government has become, a tool for Lynda Bell to exercise her vanity, narcissism, and self-aggrandizement?
What is next, a park named after her husband, a street named after her daughter, a community center named after her father? This must be forbidden.
I am deeply offended that Bell's personal interest touches me as an individual. I am deeply offended that her personal interest touches every member of the county community. The integrity of the Mayor and County Commission is surely in question for sanctioning this mockery.
This is the turning point in Bell's pretentious and unnatural political career. Lynda Bell has violated the social contract between her constituents and herself. This blaze of saccharine vanity will be her undoing.
"Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity."
This is absolutely the worst thing I have ever heard of. As a resident of Cutler Bay I would say we have people that a building in our area would be deserving of this honor. Lets start with John Cosgrove who served as our first mayor.
Lynda Bells' mother has done nothing for this village and her daughter has caused District 8 residents nothing but trouble and mayhem.
I wonder did our mayor Mr. McDougle was aware of this. Did the council know?
Gimenez, Sosa, Moss did you actually attend this stab in the back to us? Shame on you!!!!!
Bell her husband & kids are publicly funded train wrecks along with the Dist. 8 office staff. How can I find the resolution allowing this naming after her Mother so I can post it all over the place along with all who approved this. If we're making suggestions about who really did a lot for Cutler Ridge/Bay I'd add naming this after Katy Sorenson, who wouldn't be so egotistical to even breath the suggestion let alone accept it in the first place. If it wasn't for Katy's hard work this wouldn't be in the bonds. I'd like to be a fly on the wall of her thoughts on this. But knowing our former commissioner she's not going to say a word because she's too polite to do so. Unbelievable. I'm now on to a third 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of type written non sense performed by Bell as commissioner or non representative of Dist. 8 and I say performed because she's just a clown allowed to make some very serious decisions. F*** this piece of S*** political whore. I hope everyone who reads this gets their check books out & votes for whoever runs against her in 2014. She needs to be neutralized and now! Sosa? Where are you on this?
EVEN RUBIO...that is correct. Even Rubio deserves a naming. A mother has not earned the right even if she has been a good mother. Bell should have named the complex after herself, like she wanted to do with that school. Her name would have been more appropriate.
Did the Chamber pay for her and Eddie (her chief of staff) to go China. What is this trip about.
How could we go from Katy Sorenson to the imperial Lynda Bell? Didn't she pay tens of thousands to renovate her new office? Her husband just got a CRA grant for their hotel.
Are district 8 residents paying attention?
Yes, Lynda Bell wanted to name a new Dade County School located in the Villages of Homestead after herself. The residents of the Villages wanted to name the school Audubon after the famous painter of birds. After no one would go along with her naming she convinced the school board to name the school Gateway. As I remember the famous Mayor Bell won! She is setting a precedent for the other commissioners of the BCC to start naming public buildings after their relatives. This is HORRIBLE.
I also have never heard of naming a building after one's mother. I think this Commissioner is out of control. The press release saying it was "MOVING" made me think of, for whom? Certainly not for the citizens. Maybe for the family in attendance.
Very disturbing.
God Forbid Anonymous 4. We don't need politicians naming things after themselves. They have a lot of time to get arrested or thrown out of office in disgrace. Let's wait to they retire, like Genius said.
Did you see Saturday Night Live this past weekend? During the News segment they often have a 'guest' commentator named Drunk Uncle. This week he had a Drunk best friend on who kept trying to goad Drunk Uncle into a game of Marco Polo - as they were sitting at the anchor desk. But every time the guy yelled out "MARCO," Drunk Uncle would yell out "RUBIO." Very funny. (and sad at same time)
Who are these municipal leaders from around the county that were mentioned in her press release?
This certainly, is not the first time Miss Bell tried naming a public building after a family member or herself.
Gateway Elementary in Homestead she wanted that school named after her. The community wanted James John Audubon who painted birds we would never have known had not been for him. Lynda said he killed birds to paint them--well how would he get a bird to stand still or pose for painting. Many in the Haitian community said that because James Audubon was Haitian that's why she did not want the school named after him.
Lord and Savior Lynda Bell's reign of terror will soon come to an end either by vote or indictment.
Buh bye, loser.
I am praying and hoping her mother was not like her. However, the apple does not fall from the tree.
The way Lynda Bell treated Mrs. Lois Jones was terrible. Mrs. Jones is old enough to be her mother. Now she wants to give herself credit for affordable housing for the elderly. Please give me a break! I have even heard for a fact that she and a local groupie in Homestead reported lies and untruths to authorities and they maybe homeless today because of Bell. So for sure will they be eligible to move into this place. Not if Lynda has anything to do with it.
This comment was sent as an email from a reader:
If public money is building it, it seems to me that our public officials ought to have a say in naming it, and, if they have, I'd like to see a resolution and who voted for Lynda's mom's name to be on that project.
Thanks for all your hard work and your terrific blogging.
http://southdadenewsleader.com/issue/south-dade-news-leader/article/cutler-bay-breaks-ground-on-senior-living-center
Hate the finger always pointing.
Genius of Despair said:If I were going to name a building in Miami Dade County it would be after someone I admire, like Janet McAliley who has spent her whole life in public service.
I dunno isn't that what Bell did?
No.
First: Janet is not related to me.
Janet has spent her whole life in public service. For instance: She was a most effective School Board Chairman and member of the school board.
She is on the board of the Good Government Initiative.
She served on the Miami River Commission.
She served on that police board, when the city of Miami police were being investigated.
I am sure I could think of others. Although I admire my mother, that is a totally stupid idea to even consider naming a public building after her. Do you know how to read last anonymous?
Unbelievable! That is crazy.
And Janet McAliley would be the last person to want something named after herself. A great woman with a sense of humility.
I'm gonna barf. I just read the South Dade newsleader story. Shame on all of you for approving this. Her mother even got a "day" named after her. Gimenez, you're gonna go too and I'm sorry about that. You of all people know better. The Dolphins have been boosting your ego too much I guess.
The Clarke and Rubio references: lmao.
Did the commission even vote on the name?
This is disgraceful. Lynda Bell no longer represents me as a resident of District 8.
Wait a second! She named a freaking county building after a family member? What the heck motivated her to do that? That is shocking, that is beyond weird.
There is something wrong with this woman. Seriously. She is the definition of self promotion.
If she were charitable, she would have named the Building after Katy Sorenson and then maybe she would have earned some respect.
I am so confused. Lynda Bell named a building for her mother who died in 1986 or so when she was in her fifties. Why are we honoring a woman who did not live in the community, did nothing for the area that her "leadership" legacy would require such an honor? This is nothing but a campaign ploy to tug at the heart strings of all the mothers around the county. I can think of many over 55 women who should be honored for their community work, starting with Katy Sorenson and Louise Lockwood.
The naming wasn't approved by the commission. show me a resolution naming the building.
the funding is going to affordable housing for seniors but it will not be a 'public' building.
the building will NOT be run by the county any more than any of the other afforable housing projects are. in exchange for funding, the county ensures that only those eligible to live there - low income people over the age of 55. somebody else runs it and takes care of it.
the building name is entirely at the discretion of the developer. many just carry generic developer-style ones like "poinciana grove" or "the beacon" by carlisle or trump-style self naming ones like "pinnacle park" or "pinnacle palms" by (take a guess) pinnacle housing.
I guess since it appears that all of the affordable housing funds for district 8 were put into that one project, she got the developer to name it after mom.
before the market crash, that development was supposed to be a market-rate mixed use development with shops on the first floor which had the residents of cutler bay all aflutter. now its housing for poor old people.
The contact on Lynda's press release told the Herald that the county would own the building:
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2013/04/part-1-preamble-to-my-post-about-lynda.html?m=1
Miami Herald:
"The $11 million project is being funded mosty from the Building Better Communities General Obligation Bond, a $2.9 billion county program that uses long-term bonds to fund various local projects. Maurice R. Hernandez, an aide to Bell, said he didn’t know where the rest of the money will come from." But Hernandez also did say: "The county’s Public Housing department will own the apartments when complete."
Sounds public to me. Why would we give $11 million to build it otherwise.
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