Bill Johnson, Miami Port Chief, has made it no secret that he has his eye on the Beacon Council spot vacated by Frank Nero. Coincidentally, Juan Kuryla, Port of Miami Deputy Director, who got the post to head the port in Jacksonville unexpectedly withdrew his name according to the South Florida Business Journal. Was Juan promised the position as port director in Miami? It is the only thing that would make sense of this sudden withdrawal of his name.
The CEO job was offered to Kuryla two weeks ago by the Jaxport Board of Directors. Bill Johnson said he wanted a replacement lined up at the Port of Miami. I guess the National search going on to fill the Beacon Council vacancy is just a big fat sham. This deal appears to be already done and the players are in place. I think I will be proven right since Johnson has already said he liked and trusted Kuryla.
Also see the article by Robin Reiter - interim president of the Beacon Council - who doesn't mention this job search at all. Who is really driving the bus with the hiring at Beacon Council? I don't think Robin is even in the backseat. Maybe Mayor Gimenez is the driving force? If Kuryla gets the number one spot in Miami you will know all the cards have been played but the public and the search firm are being kept out of the loop.
22 comments:
Juan Kuryla's wife also works at the seaport as a government affairs liaison. (What a bogus unnecessary job!) The whole place is a cesspool of corruption and nepotism. Bill Johnson screwed up everything he touched (airport, transit, PAC construction, AA Arena contract, etc.) and yet has moved from executive job to executive job at the county for 30 years without so much as a job interview. The whole system at the county makes me wretch.
The Beacon Council should be abolished. What a waste of taxpayer money. Bill Johnson was the put in charge of the Performing Arts Center project as its construction budget ballooned from $250 Bil to $1+ BILLION. Taxpayers will be paying debt service on that scam for 60 years. South Florida needs better teachers and less corruption. It does not need the useless Beacon Council and its fat "pay and benefit" packages. Fat pay package? No wonder Bill Johnson wants the position.
Politicians need a dose of reality. They should give up their taxpayer funded benefits and their chauffeur driven limos and get real jobs in the private sector. No more $125,000+ pay and benefit packages handed out "connected insiders" like candy at Halloween.
From the sound of it, the public sector is trying to co-op the Council. Robin REiter appears to want to ward this off. If Bill Johnson gets in, plan on him working with the Mayor and County Commission. He is a career bureaucrat. Another power grab by the Mayor and commission.
Since when does Terry Murphy have any clout? I thought he was finished with Natacha.
Terry Murphy wrote an excellent OpEd piece in the Herald. Maybe he has outgrown Natacha's corrupt actions? Yes, abolishing the Beacon Council is long overdue.
Terry Murphy will never leave Natacha's side. They feed off each other's venom and when they are both running empty, the master venom Maribel Balbin Murphy replenishes them. The 3 of them walk around county hall as if they are still in power. LOL
Terry Murphy works for the Jackson Hospital union.
Everyone interested in good government and in honest government should oppose the useless Beacon Council.
No, we need the Beacon Council now more than ever. What has to change is our ability to select talent over relationships. We need someone who already has major contacts and business relationships in key places around the world who can effectively market our community around the globe. It is not a cushy job for a place holder who wants a big title, we have lots of positions for these kinds of people. Instead this is a place for an energetic dynamic vision-driven personality who can lead us in our quest for survival in the global marketplace. I certainly hope that the Beacon Council 's board understands the importance of this position to the future of this community and that talent not politics should govern their selection process.
This County is full of nay Sayers!! I am glad that Kuryla was selected; I am glad that we are recognized for having one of the best ports in the nation; and finally I am glad that someone among the ranks was recognized for his talent.
The only music playing are Kuryla's pockets. You should all aspire to be recognized and someday be rewarded for your hard work.
Our County shined for a couple of days, thanks to one person!
Number 1 baby!!!!
Last poster: What the hell are you talking about?
Economists recommend abolishing Departments of Economic Development and Beacon Council type organizations. Huge waste of money and resources. Economists recommend having a great school system and reasonably priced housing. Forget lying to out-of-town companies. Lying does not work.
Economists recommend???
that is like saying teachers recommend or mothers recommend. You need to name an economist or source with that kind of information. Google recommends
Anon above--Terry Murphy is NOT an economist.
Common sense dictates that no Fortune 500 companies relocate anywhere that has weak school systems and high housing costs. The Beacon Council is useless.
Hasn't the Miami seaport been eclipsed by the Broward seaport since Kuryla and Johnson were appointed to their high paying posts without competition?
And do we really need a seaport director when he spends most of the year vacationing throughout the world on the taxpayer's dime under the guise of "research" and "factfinding?"
Take a look at Johnson's travel schedule. It's a doozy.
Also check out the seaport payroll. See how many members of the same families are on the department's dole and often hired without a job advertisement.
Bill Johnson has never worked for the private sector. It is time he went out on his own and tried to find a job in the private sector. Let him experience life and capitalism first hand. Johnson needs life experience.
Economic development. Bill Johnson should get private sector experience, otherwise he is just an empty suit. Just a talking parrot...
Gimenez just gave Kuryla an obscene 70%payraise to $300,000. Kuryla's background includes reassignment from his Public Works post to a remote field location because of improprieties, personal bankruptcy, an embarrassing incident in Dubai, coworker love affair leading to divorce, shady dealings with potential port vendors and clients resulting in Inspector General investigation, inability to show up for work before 10am, aggressive behavior toward law enforcement at traffic stops and other unstable episodes. He is favored by this administration and commission because of his ability to cater to their needs, including numerous foreign junkets using a Port Budget loophole. The Port budget includes a $5 million line item for payment in a legal judgment against the County for a judges ruling that the Port of Miami has a way of doling certain
business permits illegally protecting incumbents -- ``creating a handful of
entrenched privileged companies". The judge said evidence showed other ``established, qualified, competent and trustworthy,'' companies were denied
permits even as some incumbents who didn't use their permits received automatic renewals. This is a rare surfacing of the hidden backchannel network that exists
in the County for every major expenditure where privileged insiders are awarded business while those who are not tied into the system of lobbyists, commissioner aides and certain County staff are denied. Kuryla is person most responsible for
this lawsuit due to his ability to manipulate the formal selection process.
WOW AND THE FBI IS NOT INVESTIGATING THIS OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS??????
AND THE FBI IS NOT INVESTIGATING THIS AND HE IS THE NEXT OF KIN AT THE PORT ....WOW
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