Carlos Gimenez is a big supporter of privatization. He says we must go private if the private sector can do it better, faster, cheaper. He said this over and over: Better, Faster, Cheaper. Is it it in the Miami Herald article today on the debate? I didn't see it. Is this important to me? Yes, I disagree with privatization. I do think the Miami Herald missed some of the negatives on the mayor. Like his insane explanation to Jim DeFede about why Ralph Garcia Toledo (His BFF) was present at a county meeting. This is exactly what privatization will bring us: cronyism. Then we have privatization gone bizzaro, mayor Gimenez wanted to hand over Management of our public golf course to, of all people, Donald Trump. An angry county Commission wouldn't let him.
Regalado said, when asked what unpopular decision she would support, that she would support a raise of the minimum raise. That was not in the Miami Herald article. I like that position. You won't read a lot of the IMPORTANT points Raquel Regalado made in the Miami Herald. Why are they not finding all the jobs that Gimenez's family holds -- connected to the county -- important? Geez, one of his son is/was an Uber lobbyist and wasn't he also a Trump lobbyist? His wife and sister-in-law work for the school system. His daughter-in-law works works for Water and Sewer and his son works for a company with a lucrative county contract. Yes let us privatize!
Gimenez brags about bringing Uber to the County. The Uber drivers are short-changed as independent contractors. You can't regulate the taxi industry and just let the Uber industry regulate itself. Throw out all the regulation if you are going to operate like that. I have been yelled at by an Uber driver for having too much luggage (carry-on bags). Some drivers are pretty nutty.
11 comments:
Just watched the video. Yes, wasn't so accurate in behalf of Regalado. She seemed to let the Mayor bully her.
The Mayor admitted he couldn't get any big companies here and all but admitted most were low wage jobs including what you call the Wet Dream Mall.
Here is what angers me. Why do we care what candidate in the Presidential race either candidate will vote for. First it isn't our business and it isn't important to the position. The Miami Herald made a big deal that Gimenez will vote for Clinton. So what. Why is that a story? Many Republicans will be voting for Clinton.
Public dollars were used to bale out the banks and insurance companies that caused the Great Recession . So now Carlos Gimenez takes credit for our tax money to undeserving banks and insurance companies helped stopped a depression.
The mayor had nothing to do with the increased jobs and lower foreclosed home numbers, but he takes credit for it.
He made county government bigger and more costly with too many connected people stirring the pot.
Time for a change in leadership.
Gimenez thinks that saying he is voting for Hillary will erase the fact that his dim-witted son is on Trump's payroll as a lobbyist and that Gimenez went golfing with Trump to discuss handing over the public golf course on Key Biscayne. Those of us who work for the Parks Department are glad Bruce Matheson got in the way, and that the County Commission was ready to reject Trump's "unsolicited proposal" to takeover our public jewel of a golf course. We want Gimenez to wear one of those body cameras to record all the shady deals he is making while out golfing.
People who regularly monitor County Hall politics have been stunned to see Black Commissioners embracing Carlos Gimenez as he desperately tries to stay in office. Facebook ads and radio spots have been surfacing recently. Earlier this year, Jean Monestime actually toyed with the idea of running against him. Barbara Jordan fought Gimenez for years about the privatization of Head Start. And Dennis Moss has been strongly critical of Gimenez for the failure to provide business opportunities to local black businesses at Miami International Airport.
It turns out, MIA is the key to this public support by Black Commissioners. Gimenez is planning to remove Emilio Gonzalez as the Director of MIA. To close the deal with the Black Commissioners, right after the election, Gimenez is going to make Dennis Moss the Director of MIA. This is unprecedented in Miami-Dade, but entirely possible with the Strong Mayor form of government. To clear up a possible nepotism conflict, in recent months Gimenez moved the wife of Commissioner Moss over to the Water and Sewer Department.
By promising to make this appointment, the Mayor was able to earn the endorsement of Barbara Jordan. Her sister, Sandy Walker, is tight with Moss. For Monestime, getting this confirmation vote accomplished while he is Chairman of the Commission secures the non-Haitian Black vote for his 2018 district election.
For Moss, this is a dream come true. Number one - he can't seek re-election due to term limits. Number 2 - this pay boost will pump his FRS dramatically to a six-figure retirement salary (Gimenez, like most firefighters, is an expert in retirement math and surely explained this to Moss). Number 3 - a special election to fill this vacancy would give an advantage to whoever Moss prefers, with the Gimenez fundraising machine backing his choice.
In this election for Mayor, Gimenez is counting on the Black vote to save him from Raquel Regalado. Her support in the Cuban exile community, with women, with the PTA, among Millennials, and the backing by major Unions (UTD, PBA, TWU, SEIU and others) has Gimenez turning to the Black Commissioners to rescue him. It may be illegal to promise a public sector job in return for a political endorsement, but this is Gimenez.
This is a mayor who has a huge blind spot for handing out public money to friends and family. The investigation into his Campaign Finance Chair getting an $18 million contract at Water and Sewer has just got underway - subpoenas have been delivered. His son and daughter-in-law work for county contractors. His other son is a lobbyist for Trump. Giving a Director job to a politician in exchange for a Facebook video ad - that is nothing in the corrupt world of Carlos Gimenez.
We can only hope that the voters are tired of this corruption. To the airport employees - the word is Raquel will keep Emilio Gonzalez as the Director of MIA.
My goodness....are we to think that "government" has all the answers? Many people don't want to see government continue to grow, all it means is more property taxes to feed it. He are some realities that should not be ignored. Gimenez cut government and taxes, reduced his salary, restored health care related cuts when the county was in better financial situation and has put the county's budget in order. Though times called for thought measures and he delivered.....those are facts and can't be denied.
Raquel is a nice person, but she has never run anything. She is buried in the school board, under the protection of an administrator. She has no accomplishments of her own in the School Board, contrary to everything she claims. Her track record of financial dealings is questionable and has had ethics investigations. If she is elected, the unions will see this as a windfall and lucrative contracts will go their way.....meaning higher taxes.
Some services or capital projects can be privatized.....nothing wrong with that, as long as the deals benefit the residents of miami dade and that can be accomplished at time of negotiating.
Leave Gimenez's son alone. Who cares if he works for Trump. In the private sector, the goal is making money, not listening to a bunch of activists who are mostly full of shit anyways. Case in point: The amount of pro-sugar Democratic politicians that environmental activists support is outrageous.
Hey, I always thought Moss was a decent guy. But Director of MIA? It does explain the bizarre endorsements, but could that really happen?
To my goodness thanks for trolling here. Gimenez got in office and hired a bevy of really high salaried assistant Mayors that more than made up for his salary discount. Who needed that? He was sued by the unions he didn't restore anything without a lawsuit. He was fired as Manny Diaz's city Manager--- he wasn't so good there, nor is he good here. He has let his power go to his head. Dismissing the qualifications of Raquel on the school board is unfair, she showed leadership in that position. She certainly is a lot smarter than Gimenez and not as nasty!
The privatization that Carlos proposed would have benefited the privateer not the public.
Gimenez's son can make all the money he wants but it is unholy to do it on projects before the county. He is certainly not off limits for his conflicts.
To the anonymous writer stating Gimenez "has put the county's budget in order"
What Gimenez did was cover up waste while he haphazardly cut budgets, cause financial & emotional chaos for staff and threatened essential resident services. Some of his worst of his actions were in 2013-14. Now he benefits from the building boom bubble which is pure luck.
There was a deep cost to the library system when this Mayor vindictively decided to
punish its now retired Director. Tens of thousands of tax dollars and staff hours were quietly wasted because of the department's eviction from the top floor of its own Main Library. Readers won't read about this kind of retaliatory waste in the Miami Herald.
His off-the-cuff plan was to rent the top floor to the private sector. No business wanted it. Plan B, rent it to the courts - well that too fell through.
250,000 sq ft sits mostly empty two + years later. In the meantime, administrative offices had to be built in public areas with thousands of books discarded.
Gimenez has the veneer of a get it done leader, but that's only because the waste is hidden by the employees he controls.
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