Friday, July 15, 2016

City of Miami Chair Hardemon Thinks Historian Arva Moore Parks Unfit for Citizen Slot On Historic Preservation Board. By Geniusofdespair

Arva Moore Parks is a historian, author and preservationist in Miami, Florida. 

Commissioner Ken Russell was trying to appoint Arva Moore Parks To the Historic Preservation Board. Hardemon insisted that the slot was his. It was a citizen slot. There were still two other openings: Real Estate Agent and Landscape Architect. Was Hardemon saying that the Black Community is only fit for one slot, that there is no Black Real Estate Agent or Landscape Architect? Why should he claim this opening when Russell had a candidate? All you daffy City Commissioners, stop folding to Hardemon. Arva Moore Parks was a suitable appointment and that should not have been questioned. Parks only qualifies under Number 3 perhaps (she is not an architectural historian by trade) but surely she qualifies under 7. And qualified she is. Hardemon was off-base. They should have voted on this. Russell: Get some cojones when it comes to Hardemon and the rest of you too. He is a bully. I hate bullies. Hardemon just doesn't like Arva because of the Lemon City - Little Haiti naming controversy.

See Al Crespo report on these two commissioners.

More on the Historic Preservation Board:

Composition; appointment. The historic and environmental preservation board (hereinafter referred to as the "board") shall consist of nine members and one alternate member, to be appointed by the city commission.

Qualifications. It is intended that members and alternate members of the board established by this article be persons of knowledge, experience, mature judgment, and background, having ability and desire to act in the public interest and representing, insofar as may be possible, the various special professional training, experience, and interests required to make informed and equitable decisions concerning preservation and protection of the physical environment. To that end, qualifications of members and alternate members shall be as follows:

1. One member shall be an architect registered in the state.
2. One member shall be a landscape architect registered in the state.
3. One member shall be a historian or architectural historian qualified by means of education or experience and having demonstrated knowledge and interest in county history or architectural history.
4. One member shall be an architect or architectural historian having demonstrated knowledge and experience in architectural restoration and historic preservation
5. One member shall be an experienced real estate broker licensed by the state.
6.One member shall be a person experienced in the field of business and finance or law.
7.Three members shall be citizens with demonstrated knowledge and interest in the historic and architectural heritage of the city and/or conservation of the natural environment, and may also qualify under any of the above categories.
One alternate member shall qualify under one of the above categories.

27 comments:

Harry Emilio Gottlieb said...

Arva Moore Parks is a "Community Treasure". She is our very own version of David McCullough, only more glamorous. For decades she has willingly contributed her talent, passion, experience, knowledge and grace. We are all blessed to have her fighting the good fight for the greater good to benefit us and future generations.

Tom Falco said...

Arva would be my first pick on any project, at any time, anywhere. Arva is stellar.

Anonymous said...

The real concern should be... Is Mr. Hardemon unfit to be a City of Miami Commissioner? The answer seems to be obvious.

Anonymous said...

I would block every appoint Hardemon makes in retaliation. Sounds like Russell is just another wimpy sheep.

Anonymous said...

How is someone who has lived in the community, written books and is a historian, not able to be appointed to the board. This is pure politics at its worst. The chair is showing himself as just another sleazy politician.

Anonymous said...

He didn't want Arva Parks insinuating she would be too strict with the designations.

alcrespo said...

What? Someone is calling Commissioner a wimpy sheep? How dare you. he's not a sheep, he's just a clueless amateur. Time to catch up to what's really been going on a Miami City Hall, peeples: http://www.crespogram.com/index_public_html/THE_HUSTLER_AND_THE_AMATEUR.html

Anonymous said...

Novice Commish Ken Russell is showing himself to be the coward many predicted. Thug Keon Hardemon is a bully. Ken Russell has no backbone. Russell's district needs a better commissioner.

Anonymous said...

Keon Hardemon insulted Afro-Americans and Bahamians? He insults taxpayers. Now he insults Miami icons?

Anonymous said...

Mayor Tomas Regalado made a huge mistake making a Keon Hardemon the Chair of the City Commission. Hardemon is a racist bully. It appears the voters in District 2 made a huge mistake electing the novice, Russell, to represent them. Bullys win if no one stands up to them.

Unknown said...

So happy that Crespo made such an effort to get Russell elected. Guess he just wanted another commish to pick on. Thanks Al. Maybe you should have talked to people that had actually dealt with Russell. Clueless and arrogant, he didn't care enough about our city to actually vote. Then, when he fought for the park in front of his house because he was worried about his property value, he became a hero and, shucks folks, a really nice guy. At least that's how his handlers sold him. What did Crespo call him? The Real Deal? Guess he faked you out too. What a joke!

alcrespo said...

I'm not interested in getting in a big pissing match about this but my first and foremost goal was in making sure that Teresa Sarnoff didn't replace her husband. I felt, and still feel to some degree that Russell was then, and continues to be to this day - the best choice given the choices available. That doesn't mean that I'm not sorely pissed off at Russell's behavior on some issues. Understand however, that what I do involves not sowing any favoritism. If I didn't pound of Russell for his failings then some of you would call me a sell out. I deal with the issues as they come up, and Russell has not behaved as I would have liked. In part, I blame his supposed Chief of Staff, the Doe-Eyed Millennial moron Eleazar Melendez who came in very late in the campaign and saw an opportunity to get next to Russell and played him like a fiddle. So, while Russell isn't the strongest shaft if wheat in the field, a major problem is that he has, with probably only one or two exceptions - a piss-poor staff to back him up.

That too is a fault of Russell, but it's a fault that I'm afraid will only continue unless, and until everyone who has a bad experiences with Melendez or anyone else on his staff tells Russell to his face that they've had a bad experience.

And Javier Gonzalez, yes it's that easy to recognize your whining above, even as bad as Russell has behaved on some issues, he's a damn sight better than you would have been.

Al Crespo

Anonymous said...

Russell couldn't get Arva Moore Parks appointed to a Historic Board? He only needed two other votes? How can Russell get anything for residents if he cannot get Parks on a historic board? Recall time?

Anonymous said...

Arva knows more about zoning as well as historic preservation, than just about anyone. She headed the City of Miami Planning and Zoning Board for several years. What did Mr. Hardemon do before he was elected Commissioner on the coattails of the disgraced Spence-Jones? How did he serve our community? He is an embarrassment! The City of Miami and our African-American community both deserve better.

Anonymous said...

Hardemon? The dude has no private sector experience. He worked for the Public Defender for a year making $31,000 per year. No life experience. No zoning experience. Quit his public defender gig to run for commissioner where he makes $105,000 year, plus City paid limo service. Plus, whatever his aunt and uncles get shaking down developers.

Anonymous said...

This is the Year 2016 in the U. S of A. The country that put several man on the moon. Tsss Tsss. And we are still plagued by the likes of Hardemon, Pric Snot, Trump et all.
What could have been!
Puts a real damper on the hope that pressing problems will ever be addressed, never mind tackled.

Elvis Cruz said...

It is difficult for me to imagine anyone more qualified to serve on Miami's Historic Preservation Board than Arva Moore Parks.

Miami would be very, very lucky to have her service.

I hope this was a mistake that gets corrected soon.

Elvis Cruz
631 NE 57 Street
Miami, FL 33137
305 754 1420
ElvisCruz@mac.com

Anonymous said...

Wow. Arva Parks McCabe not allowed to be on the Historic Preservation Board? Because of what reason? And Commissioners cave to this bullying? How low can you all go? Though I always agree with Arva and with Al Crespo - thanks, Al, for bringing us to our attention. Arva has stellar credentials in terms of historic perspiration. Denying her appointment could become a major issue. Again, what reasons are there for this action? This action/inaction should be rectified ASAP- not simply for Arva's sake, but for the fact that historic preservation and sanity needs to return to the city,

Greg Bush said...

I just left the comment before but my name was not identified. Greg Bush Miami Fla (actually unincorporated Miami dade).

uel.org said...

Reviewing my comment done in haste- I said always agreeing with Al and Arva. Not so. But they make a difference in letting us know about important issues.

alcrespo said...

That's okay, uel. I don't always agree with myself. Sometimes I even wonder who sneaked into my body while I was sleeping.

al crespo

Anonymous said...

J.L. Plummer, Johnny Winton, Marc Sarnoff..... who do you expect to be elected from that district?

Russell looked pretty good at election time, all things considered. Don't forget that the entire ruling class, news media and bloggers included, ignored him. All of the campaign consultants on the other campaigns looked mighty stupid how wrong they were, too. Wildly wrong.

I'm willing to withhold judgement a while longer before I write him off.

Chill, guys.

Anonymous said...

Petition time!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

They say that hindsight is 20/20. It sure looks like the best qualified and most civic minded District - 2 Candidate was good old Grace Solares. Too bad that most of you Grovites preferred an unknown, with no experience, no understanding of zoning, Grove history, the issues, government process and lack of familiarity with the stakeholders and leaders. You preferred to cast your vote for a candidate that seldom even voted and only got involved in our community, when the issue with the park near his hose affected him. The writing was on the wall when he surrounded himself with the likes of Winton, Gordon and Crespo. Shame on those Grovites that voted for him. Looks like you may have a bit of “Buyer’s Remorse” now! But don’t despair, he will only be around for 3 and ½ more years.

Anonymous said...

Grace Solares was not the answer. A major turnoff to anyone who has had to deal with her.

She thought she could run as a Democrat in a non-partisan race and coast to victory. She surrounded herself with all the Democratic hacks in town. Humiliating defeat. We don't need more partisan hacks, from either party.

Anonymous said...

Yup. Clearly Grace Solares would have made the best commissioner. The novice and his no life experience staff are not up to the task.

Anonymous said...

Grace Solares has the courage and the depth of knowledge to handle a bully like Keon Hardemon. Novice Ken? Not so much.