Strong Mayor Needed To Clip The Wings Of An Arrogant And Out Of Control Miami-Dade County Commission

Miami Beach January 2007 - I am writing in reference to the HERALD'S many articles on the MIAMI DADE COUNTY COMMISSION, the Commissioners' support of the status quo; and their lock step unanimous opposition to modernization of the COUNTY CHARTER. Here are just a few of the reasons why we need to support Mayor Carlos Alvarez's Strong Mayor Amendment on Jan. 23:

1. County Commission hikes water rates 29%, after having illegally and unethically diverted $20,000,000 annually to County's General (slush) Fund for the last 10 years. Meanwhile, State of Florida puts County on probation for poor water management practices.

2. County overshoots CARNIVAL CENTER budget by $102,000,000 and brings in project one year late. County forgets to provide parking, but remembers to sell naming of $500,000,000 facility to budget cruise-ship line for nominal sum. ($20m)

3. County declines to form gang unit in MDPD amidst epidemic of drive-by shootings and 30 teen homicides in one year. Solution? Police step up patrols in chat rooms.

4. County raises sales taxes 15%, promising BAYLINK light-rail and other transit improvements. Instead, County raises bus fare for working poor 20% and disables promised oversight body (CITT). BAYLINK derailed. Gravy train runs like clock; $200,000,000/yr. extra in regressive sales tax windfall.

5. County displaces 600-plus poor families, promising "affordable housing", which they do, in Coral Gables... for Clark Center crony. Homeless to live in sculpture made of giant kitchen utensils by renowned Cuban artist. (Paid for with $3.5million in public housing funds).

6. HOMELESSNESS and panhandling fastest growing local occupations. Shantytown sprouts in Miami. Please see #5.

7. County, in cooperation with City of Miami, beats up elderly and press observing and opposing Free Trade Agreements in Miami. County/City loses Trade Secretariat. No one held accountable. 8. Noted airport executive Angela Gittens run out of town by County hacks. Then, Airport construction delays and overruns of $1,000,000,000.00 mushroom under Bush replacement retread with zero days airport- management experience.

8. Commissioners respond to constitutionally guaranteed right to petition government by "encouraging" people to disown their signatures and inform on those who collect them. 9. Commission uses taxpayer dollars to unethically fund opposition to proposed amendment. 10. Next, Commission members hold secret "Stop Alvarez" meeting. When caught on Jan. 9, they informed HERALD that no public business was done and therefore SUNSHINE LAW was not violated. Apparently, they forgot that public expenditures are automatically public business, de facto and de jure. Penalty: removal from office, 6 months in jail, $500 fine. It won't happen. The law is for you and me, not our dais divas.

9. Founding Fathers forget to include reference to "manager form of government" when writing US CONSTITUTION. Scholars at County Hall are on the case. 

10. County uses armored cars to pick up library fines.

11. County-run Port of Miami cited as virtually the only facility in western world to handle less freight than previous year. Losses: $9,000,000 on $88,000,000 revenue. WHO IS WATCHING THE STORE?

12. Commission whines about free press and sets up its own tax-funded propaganda operation. In the Soviet Union, this party organ was known as "Pravda".  In Cuba, the name is "Granma." In Miami, the name is "CHAMBER GAZETTE". It's available in English.

13. TIME magazine compares Miami to third world countries. MD Public Library removes issue from shelves. That'll show 'em.

         To add insult to larceny, supporters of the status quo warn that a bad Mayor could be elected and that we could actually experience corruption.  In addition, they claim the public would be too obtuse to vote the evildoer out of office. Evidently, our solons have forgotten that we indolent citizen- dolts elected THEM. Will we continue to allow public officials and their lobbyist handlers to trash talk the public and behave like juvenile delinquents? One would hope not. We cannot afford to Support the Miami Dade crime machine anymore. Vote early, or go to the polls on JAN 23 and vote YES on the STRONG MAYOR AMENDMENT. It's time for a change!