Saturday, September 26, 2015

Eye on Miami Saturday Editorial Page September 26th: The Rube Rubio; Mayor Privatize it or Sell It Gimenez, PBA Foils County Again. By Geniusofdespair

The Miami Herald Almost Has An Editorial Page...But They Don't

Marco Rubio looks lovingly at his longtime pal David Rivera
PISSY LITTLE RUBIO

He is doing better in the polls, why not? No one is writing the truth about him and his scummy friend David Rivera.  They are life long friends, roommates, they even bought a house together. Do you think the sleaze didn't rub off on Norman's Braman's boy? Norman, according to a letter in the Miami Herald (and Fox News) Rubio attended a fundraiser on Yom Kippur at the Texas home of Harlan Crow alleged to display paintings done by Hitler. Did you know that? Cut off funding him.

I want to see the video of his speeches in the Florida House. I bet they are chock full of crap. He didn't get to be speaker just by kissing ass. Gimleteye, Jeb is done, concentrate on this twit.

 " SELL IT OFF" CARLOS GIMENEZ: MAYOR PRIVATIZER 

Career Ending Quote.


Clark Kent has returned to voice his displeasure with our Strong Mayor who seems to want to sell off the County to private entities.
On Friday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said what he really felt, but hadn't told the public until now: "I don’t want to operate anything." he said. Did the mayor of a major US county really say that he wants to outsource the entire government? That's insane, but that's exactly what he's doing. He wants to turn all the functions of Miami-Dade County over to private companies. That includes water, parks, public safety, sewage, transit, libraries, garbage, everything that American cities have traditionally operated to assure accountability and public trust. Last week he announced he wanted to turn the main public library and the Historical Museum into a condo. What's going on here? I don't think people understand exactly how dangerous and extreme Carlos Gimenez is. People need to wake up fast before this county's government is essentially dissolved.
Here is a news flash for you Carlos: WE DON'T WANT YOU TO OPERATE ANYTHING.  Rebeca Sosa we really have to get rid of this loopy Strong Mayor. Gimenez is getting drunk with power. He doesn't want to operate anything? So lets not let him operate anything, or for that matter, do anything. Take it over County Commissioners, do your duty, do away with the strong mayor. Put it on the ballot for 2016. And, he can't do much of anything without your votes. Don't give him your votes!

HUDSTEAD ABSENTEE BALLOT SCANDAL - MARK BELL'S MAYORAL BID

The latest is fingerprints of absentee ballot gatherers, 2 hired by Jose Luis Castillo. Tim Milton's fingerprints (hired by the Porter campaign) were found on the absentee ballots picked up by James Hendry Brady and his accomplice. The theory is Brady knew where Milton was working his magic and decided to go to the head of the line and pick up the ballots knowing they were delivered and supposed to be picked up and mailed by Milton. Anyway, who's fingerprints came first. James Brady is being charged and the trial was originally set for September 21st but that has since changed. There was a motion to take Brady's fingerprints 6/29 and it was granted. Luis Robainas is a subpoena witness. So, in other words the trial is progressing in Judge Victoria Brennan's State Court. And neither side should have their grimey hands on absentee ballots.

Jimmie Williams - he also had a restaurant financed by Wayne Rosen

In other Hudstead news, one of the Councilmen Jimmie Williams actually lives in Miami Gardens not Homestead. He commutes to Homestead to vote and pick up his paycheck. Neighbors in Miami Gardens confirm he lives there. How could a pastor be so sneaky and under-handed, and LIE? He is also in trouble over a car dealership sweetheart deal (on the grounds of the bowling alley that the city of Homestead owns).

JUMBO'S

Former owner of Jumbo's  - Bobby Flam Eating Dessert at Panera's

 The iconic 24 hour dinner in Liberty City is now closed and the land sold. I sat next to the former owner, Bobby Flam and we struck up a conversation.  He said he just couldn't make any money there anymore. Apparently Bobby's daughter is married to Author Brad Meltzer.  Brad, according to Bobby, struck up a friendship with George Bush, Sr. after he got a note from him praising his books. Brad admits to hanging out with the Bush clan but Bobby Flam wouldn't fork over any of the photos. Brad says his new novel is based on that Bush clan friendship.

We talked about all the County Commissioners. This is the way I get info...gossiping. He said he never got a penny from the County or the City but he got a lot of promises especially from Michelle Spence Jones.


PBA HAS A SECOND WIN - THIS TIME FROM THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RELATION COMMISSION - AGAINST MIAMI DADE COUNTY


 

So not only did the PBA get the Mayor's power to veto out of the picture on stand-offs with bargaining (by the Florida Supreme Court), the PBA won back some perks taken away by the County for County Employees.  These are heavy wins for the County Unions. I guess the expenses to make this right are not in the budget. Where will Jenny Moon find the funds?

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another super Saturday editorial. A Mayor that doesn't want to run anything now that is the worst thing he has ever said. Recall him.

Anonymous said...

In most cases, the privatizing of government services cost more and are less efficient. So the public tax payers get screwed. When are the voters going to wake up and stop this give away to connected companies that contribute heavily to elected officials?

Anonymous said...

The mayor makes no sense. Has he been taking his meds?

Anonymous said...

Why is councilman Jimmie Williams talking for 18 hours to a developer. Shouldn't the city manager be making the deal? Oops... Homestead. No sense town.

Anonymous said...

No wonder Gimenez didn't bother with a national search for a new transit director with experience and education in the field. All he needed was a useful fool to dismantle the department and hand it over to private companies.

Anonymous said...

When the librarians and the community mounted a successful campaign to save the public library system from Gimenez draconian cuts (which were a precursor to privitizing the system) two years ago, Gimenez glared back a vengeful look. Now we see his vengeance come to life - the proposal to sell the public library and cultural plaza with the History museum to developers. This is not governing in the public interest. This is a travesty. Gimenez is out of touch with the needs and values of the community he is supposed to serve. It's a true shame. I hope the voting public understands how much he intends to screw us if he stays in power much longer.

Anonymous said...

Too much power in one man's hand and a lazy County Commission doesn't help.

Anonymous said...

Jimmie Williams spoke with the developer on his city issued phone AND the 18 hours was over a span of 5 months, i.e., an average of 3.6 hours per month. When you look at the actual time spent, it's really not that much. If Jimmie was trying to hide something, he certainly wouldn't have used his city phone. The project is in his district and if you look at all projects and whose districts they are in, you will see how the council members take the lead for said projects. Everyone knows Judy pushed the new Herald reporter to start this investigation. Judy has told people that she intends to bring down all the council members who voted against her phony petition. Thank goodness she is on her way out.

Anonymous said...

One man with all of the power! It worked in Cuba?

Anonymous said...

Look again at the photo of Marco.
Is he looking in the magic mirror that shows him what he wants to see?

Anonymous said...

Fait accompli.

Anonymous said...

When Gimenez attacked the public library system in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, there was a system set up to syphon money out of the library's special taxing district. An insane amount of money was charged for maintenance. Without a lease, out of a $28 million budget, the Main Library building paid $5.1 million for the upkeep of the entire cultural center and its new roof. The two neighboring museums didn't pay.

Now, out of the blue, the Library and the History Museum are to become the basement of a condo?

Systematic, inclusive planning is not found in any of Gimenez plans, with public money wasted having to do and re-do projects.
For example, the history museum added a second building and moved galleries. The library spent tens of thousands of dollars moving into public areas from the administrative floor of the library. The new roof cost millions. Most was a waste of time, effort and your dollars since it wasn't coordinated with his new idea for a PPP.

This waste is hidden by county workers who are following marching orders. We are a county being run based on overnight schemes and development deals.

.

Anonymous said...

In an interview when running for office, Gimenez said that all he see as the county function is to run the air and sea ports. Although this is his vision, during his tenure, he has only made unsynchronized, piecemeal decisions.

Anonymous said...

During the yearlong budget process - especially from July through September when the numbers are made public - there was no hint about any of these PPP plans. Major changes affect departments' budgets and change how allocated money needs to be spent.
Coordinated planning is an important detail that seem not to be a part of our Mayor's thought process.

Anonymous said...

A Great Administrator my ass... What he meant to say is "I CAN'T run anything"

First line county workers don't get paid significantly more that the contractors' first line workers due to the county living wage law.

SO if the labor cost are the same why can contractors get the job done better and cheaper?

The answer? Bad management..

Every departments' operation has their managers fee baked in... it's how they keep track of what it cost actually do a widget's worth of work

Under the current system there are a lot of bad managers.. (because they were hired under the friends and family plan? They got naked pictures of their boos? who knows how they keep their jobs) )

So not only are they screwing up the operation but the operation has to carry their higher salaries baked in the labor cost.......


The part the mayor doesn't say is when they contract out the county work with contract labor they keep the old managers and re-title them "contractor monitors" ..

But since "contract monitors" salaries do not show up in the private contractors bid price, Jennifer can stand up and say contractors cost less.

The other obvious advantage of the Mayor getting rid of the unionized work force he doesn't have Union gadflies like A John Rivera pointing out to the public the King has no clothes.

Anonymous said...

The mayor wants PPP's to decrease the county's workforce. But, he is not about being fair to taxpayers. This is about a playbook that has been carried out in other places -- first starve the system by lowering the millage rate, requiring the firing of employees and diminishing services. Once that is done, privatize / sell off the remaining public assets.

"Assess" the value of the service through bogus metrics to "prove" the private company is more cost-effective. (Recall the Herald columns by Jackie Buena Sousa. Another shining example is the nation's prison system mess. Such a hell hole of a PPP that even the Koch Brothers want this fixed.)

The interested companies hire lobbyists, who raise political contributions for the elected officials to set up the system and the payoff.

We are all being set up.

Geniusofdespair said...

What is P P P?

Anonymous said...

Jimmie thanks for the answer now tell us where you live.

Anonymous said...

PPP = P3 = Public Private Partnership = (in most cases) outsourcing/privatizing.

That's how most of the rest of the world, including Europe, gets their mega public works projects and transpo/utilities systems built and maintained. Kinda funny how the left-of-center and far left-of-center political economies are the ones with the most experience with PPPs, while we here in laissez fare America watch our infrastructure rust and crumble.

In some cases it works, in others it doesn't. In most cases it's usually a substantial reduction in operating costs, even with union work forces.

In our case, it MIGHT work for a lot of our pressing needs. It all depends on the deal, of course.

I'm not ready to write off anything without seeing what kind of deal it is. Why, for instance, shouldn't a company build out and run Haulover Park. Nice marina, related retail, dining, etc. Or Baylink? Give them some land at both ends for their terminals for development).

The county just deposits their checks every month. The library downtown? That's obviously another story.


Anonymous said...

Don't forget Marco's drug dealing. This guy is a slimy weasel.

cyndi said...

drug dealing? PS another great editorial.

Anonymous said...

If there was any trust left, I'd wait to see how his deals pan out. However, the Mayor's mode of operation is to discuss the deal he's had in the works for a year and start the process with a rapidly approaching deadline to force the County Commission into a snap decision.

Anonymous said...

To be sure insiders have known about these plans all along. And lobbyists wrote it all up. I'm sure they have their talking points ready to attack the opposition, calling them naysayers and lacking vision. Or, how about the old standby - the cultural plaza is just not working, only the homeless use the main library, no one reads books anymore. Therefore give it all away to developer friends, it's better that way.
What a despicable small minded government and the apologists and hangers on who benefit from it.

Anonymous said...

This is the end for Gimenez. I am shocked he said what he did. What do we need him for? let's clean ou his closet. We can start with his latest retread, Alice Bravo and end with Moon.

Anonymous said...

We have hired 3 different garbage pickup companies for our condo. They start off good then the price jumps even though there was a contract, they miss pickups. They said our garbage weighed more than they expected so the price doubled. So much for private companies.

Anonymous said...

Remember Marco Rubio has said his mentors are Jessie Helms and Strom Thurmond two staunch segregationist of the South. So why would he miss a Hitler exhibit. I am Catholic and respect every Hebrew Holiday. Mr. Braman this is disrespectful to your family and you. You gave his cheerleader wife a job and backed financially to his road to the White House.

Anonymous said...

Re Jumbos: A real neighborhood institution. During the bad old days they were the first to truly desegregate - staff and customers. Good food, good people. I hope he enjoys retirement -- and all the desserts he can eat!!