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| A Bully in the making? |
I have always practiced the benefit of the doubt with Ms. Becky Sosa. She was the first to address Sea Level Rise on the County Commission. I always cut her slack EVEN on votes I didn't like because there were good votes too. But as she prepares to run for Mayor of Miami Dade County in 2020...I am very worried. Usually the bullying trait comes AFTER the power is obtained not before. Mayor Philip Levine is a bully and Mayor Carlos Gimenez is a bully. Donald Trump is a Bully. By the way Philip, even though you are a Democrat, I would not vote for you for Governor...because you are a bully. I hate bullies!!
We all know that the Ethics Department and the Inspector General's office are there to help us the citizens by keeping our leaders ethical. Conmissioners making threats against either is very dangerous as it looks SOOOO BAD to us the Voters. These two are off limits. Criticize them maybe, but do not be so bold to bring up their funding. That to me is so off limits. According to Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald:
Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa was furious to see her sister’s name in a county ethics report last month critical of elected officials using VIP services at Miami International Airport, including the occasional security bypass for a relative.A rule that doesn't exist? Wasn't there indeed a "policy violation"? How about the MIA PROTOCOL PROCEDURES MANUAL Rebeca? Taking advantage of a costly service is important to us. Do you need a rule to tell you that? And it is the job of the Ethics Commission to investigate complaints. That is what they do. Fred Grimm of the Miami Herald said on Sunday:
This week, Sosa grilled the county’s ethics director on why Miami-Dade should continue fully funding his watchdog agency in light of an investigation she found to be a waste of money since it found no evidence of any policy violations at the county-owned airport.
“We have to approve the budget of every department,” Sosa told Ethics Commission director Joe Centorino during a Monday meeting with fellow commissioners Audrey Edmonson and Sally Heyman. “How will I feel to approve the budget of a department when you are telling me that department had investigators for more than a year investigating a rule that doesn’t exist?”
To be sure, MIA does indeed provide protocol escorts to guide certain dignitaries through the airport. The county’s “Protocol Procedures Manual” lists the kind of grandees who rate this VIP service: Heads of states (“including reigning kings, emperors, queens, empresses and heads of dukedoms and principalities”) presidents, vice presidents, cabinet officers, ministers of state, their various chiefs of staffs, ambassadors, and immediate family members of reigning royal families rate the airport express lane.
I’m looking. I’m looking. Nope. No mention of “county commissioner."
Apparently, some local grunt, stewing in the security line, was not pleased to see a county commissioner getting the royal treatment. A complaint was filed with the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust. The ethics commission investigated and issued a report last month. “In an age when security issues abound at airports, including those related to possible terrorist activities, a policy of routinely offering such unnecessary courtesies that create diversions from necessary security activities is highly questionable,” the investigator (former Miami Herald columnist Robert Steinback) concluded.
Maybe. Maybe not. But then Steinback got at what drives us commoners crazy, suggesting that “the image of local public officials being specially escorted through security lines for non-emergency trips, including personal family excursions, while other taxpayers wait patiently in line, is likely to be offensive to the traveling and taxpaying public.”Honestly, I think all the County Commissioners that threatened the funding of the Ethics Department over this, owes Joe Centorino an apology for overreacting. Bullying by dangling funding is offensive to me and has no place in Miami Dade County. We adhere to the the Home Rule Charter that favors Citizens 'the governed' over 'the governing body.'
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| We know Carlos Gimenez is a Bully now, Is Rebeca Sosa Catching the Affliction? |
33 comments:
The elected officials should be part of the same services that ordinary travelers are required to encounter except in emergencies. This is just another blatant example of county commissioners, the mayor and their not so immediate families gaming the system.
Instead of welcoming and helpin Commissioner Levine-Cava she continues to bully her, dismissing all her proposals. I think that is bullying behavior.
I am happy you are looking at Sosa with a more critical eye. The debacle over Sanctuary designation made me upset with all of the Hispanic Commissioners of Cuba descent that got a package deal of entrance and free services in our U.S. They should have been more empathetic for those who were not so privileged.
Bullying "let them go Joe" for doing his job? I would say; it is about time he did something meaningful for us. Good work Joe. Keep it up. The commissioners are parasites.
Increased funding for ethics watchdogs in this county would be the best investment we could make.
What do you mean "turning into a bully"? Rebecca Sosa has been a notorious bully for years. Look at how she has systematically opposed her colleague Daniella Levine Cava despite their philosophical alignment on many issues of apparent contention. Sosa's quip to Centorino is perfectly in character for her, and thoroughly disgusting behavior for an elected official. God help us if Sosa becomes County Mayor.
For awhile, it seemed that the world was attempting to reign in bullies. Now, with the bully-in-chief, everyone is becoming a bully. Removing the monarchy was a founding principle, but now everyone wants special privilege, Queen Sosa is no exception.
WoW. Maybe she thinks she IS a Queen and thus all relatives members of a royal family. This is simply appalling. I am so so so tired of the "nya nya, I can take advantage of this and you can't" posture that too many elected officials have. Go get em Joe!!! You are as honest as the day is long and a nice guy too. I don't think she would dare defund you all.
I do think Rebeca Sosa has changed. She might have gotten cocky with Rubio solidly as her boy, with so much Federal power. I liked the OLD Rebeca, better. Please Commissioner, go back in time and be the nice lady we all liked.
Commissioner Sosa is my Commissioner. I too read the two articles you mentioned. I don't mind that she does game the system, but I do mind the threat of unfunding a much needed Department. If anything, they should get more funding.
Have VIP treatment for all your relatives for all I care but don't be surprised and angry when you are called out on it. According to the article you were the only one that threatened Centerino, that surprised me Commissioner.
It is the height of arrogance for these Commissioners, who obviously misused the propocol service to then go on the attack for being called out on doing so. Hugely disappointing. Term limits count come soon enough! They should have acknowledged their errors and promised they won't do so again. Still waiting for the appropriate response from them!
Trump behavior. Threaten the messenger, hold grudges, take no responsibility. Way to go!
To think Joe Centorino runs an autonomous office is elementary. Centorino as well as Mary Kagle of the OIG are Kathy Rundle puppets, occupying a spot to ensure contractors and lobbyists rip us out of our last tax dollar. Comm. Rebeca Sousa on the other hand has always been an opportunist, forming alliances with Gimenez to destroy county government. Maybe you are not aware she is also Little Marco's political godmother. Good luck with getting elected as county mayor. She is not fit to run a candy store in a third world country.
This is why the Florida Election Commission (or / are both) is Florida Commission on Ethics are paid from the candidate qualifying fees. Meaning that they are funded independently. Free from political pressure.
Hey wait a minute... "threaten the messenger, hold grudges"... that would mean I am toast. OMG what have I done! Note to me, learn to grovel, it will also come in handy when America is Great Again and Donald comes to Town.
This Thanksgiving, I'm giving thanks for term limits for so many of our antique county commissioners. They have been sitting in their dais seats for so long that there are permanent butt imprints on their chairs.
LOL: Rebecca apologizing to anyone.
Sosa has been a bully for years.
Beca must go. She is one of the most ill-informed members on the CoComm which also includes Souto and Heyman.
Ross says, "Increased funding for ethics watchdogs in this county would be the best investment we could make."
Perhaps Ross, but the CoE is weak. Most investigations are dismissed. Those that are not have little sway. It's a generally useless process. Nobody besides a relative few who care pay attention to the CoE cases.
We need a State Attorney that is willing to prosecute. Until we get one, it will be status quo in the 305.
Sosa is in the mayor's pant's not his pocket, she is that low
I've always wondered why this blog treated Sosa with kid gloves. She is BAD for our local democracy. If she lays a hand on the IG's office or the Commission on Ethics then she should be recalled. Shameful Sosa. She will NOT be my mayor.
RE: mayor's pants
that could be a fun reality show... we should be able to earn returns on the lives of our politicians... i am sure it would reveal a lot... could you imagine? following becky into a hotel scene where the mayor is ready to do business .... andy cohen could become really rich if he hosted a politicos 305 reality show...
The Ethics Commission and the Inspector General are the top political positions in the county. Haven't you noticed our county political arena has been devoid of the turpitude of days gone by? Did you think that Miami just started elected honest politicians? No. They just have gotten smarter. The presence of the inspector general gives a false sense of protection or a facade that there is a higher level of policing...
The Ethics Commission is able to make any case sway in favor or against whomever is in front of them.... sooooo..... there you go....
I cannot wait for her to become the first female mayor... Something about her modus operandi is quite fascinating. They should never turn her mic off at the board meetings... It's that attraction like when you can't stop staring at something when you know you should look away...
I would love to read her autobiography... If Rubio cannot get her elected as mayor, there will be trouble in that lovers' paradise...
We should outsource the oversight boards... Miami-Dade has a long history of sustaining corruption and rewarding dirty politics. I cannot help but agree with her. We should dismantle the Ethics Commission. We should completely outsource any authorities who oversee the elected offices...
The ethics commission is in our charter. They cannot do away them , only defund them.
Mary Cagle the commissioners pal was invited to the meeting. Why was the inspector general there?
Superintendent Carvalho gets special treatment at MIA...he is not even an elected official. You need to start looking into what is happening with MDCPS. It's probably just as bad or worse than Miami-Dade County politics.
I have known Rebeca for almost 20 years, and unfortunately I cannot think of one nice thing to say about her. Rather than attempt to defend her from all of the people she has irritated, it seems best to simply allow her to thrash around in the barrel and let the insults rain down on her.
Ay, yi yi; where to start ?! Joe Centorino is either incompetent or has sold his soul to the devil for a great paying job with even better benefits. Based upon my experience, he and his staff could not find a violation if it hit them in their over paid butts. Read any given opinion; they seem to go out of their way not to find wrongdoing and they never go where the trail of wrongdoing naturally leads. The path of inquiry is crafted to reach the answer most beneficial to the alleged wrongdoer. I agree, until we have an SAO who is committed to ferreting out corruption, the COE will be a paper tiger. Sosa's reaction is typical of an official who has the entitlement mentality who once called out on receiving a special priviledge not available to all, deflects and blames. On one hand, I'd say save the money and disband the COE, but where would we be without any oversight. A tough call. A final problem, there is no accountability. Try bringing in the FDLE, SAO or Florida Attorney General when the COE does not do its job. They each say either there is no jurisdiction or that another agency is in charge. The circular firing squad thing. Either way, Joe and his minion Karl Ross need to go and be stripped of all pesion and benefits.
She is a terrible person, a pretender. She and all of them get trips through the Beacon Council. They keep the funding of the Beacon Council (30% of the business tax), and the Beacon Council rewards them with free trips to Europe. Rebeca is a bully, and a bad one. I see all the meetings and only Levine Cava, and sometimes Ms. Jordan show some common sense and brains, the other commissioners are milking the system.
All of the Commissioners live in a fantasy world. County employees are expected to create this world for them. This pales in comparison to other county commissioners.
I get that they are supposed to be executive officers of the county, but they are part timers who are paid a salary of $6K. They all have special parking at MIA. Some even take golf carts and escort service around the airport. How can they help improve things, if they do not experience the county facilities like the rest of us?
Traffic engineering works traffic patterns for the commissioners to not experience the same amount of traffic that the rest of us deal with every day... How will they know the severity of the problem, if they are not experiencing the traffic?
Instead of looking at Becky, maybe we should be looking at the airport's staff that give out VIP privileges... ?
Why is it our government likes to manipulate reality? The truth is scary...
Sosa is scary mean to those who cross her. County staff know her outbursts, just ask around. She is a control freak. As Mayor she would be a disaster and would flame the fires of ethnic conflict to get her way. She tried to "punish" the small Anglo minority in the City of West Miami years ago. Outside of her ethnic enclave she has no future. She always knew it, now after all these years power has finally blinded her to reality. Gimenez, kept the power trip under control till the last 2 terms of mayor, Sosa is already letting it loose and she is nowhere near the Mayor's chair.
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