Last month, in a clearly orchestrated move done outside of public view, three members of the commission voted to fire Attorney Robert Switkes for no stated public reason.
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| Mayor Kreps - Noted as a "subject of interest" in the extortion investigation by Village Attorney R. Switkes |
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| Commissioner Jose Alvarez - Family member named as a "subject of interest" in the extortion investigation. |
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| Commissioner Jackson - Accused of conspiracy to violate Sunshine Laws by plaintiffs Laura Cattabriga and others |
Switkes in turn told the dais that he believed the firing to be a retaliation for Switkes reporting the extortion attempts against Commissioner Doug Hornsby to the FBI and state authorities. Switkes also stated that a member of Commissioner Alvarez’s family and the mayor herself were subjects of interest in the investigation.
Since then, Commissioner Jackson, who has been accused of conspiracy to violate Sunshine Laws and for violating Sunshine in a lawsuit filed by the mayor’s allies, has remained tight lipped about her reasons for her sudden decision to join the subjects of interest and fire Robert Switkes, although she has promised that she will explain herself at this month’s meeting. She won’t, but she promised.
This week, on Thursday, December 14th at 7:30, the regular commission meeting will be held at Village Hall and although it is not on the agenda, it is widely believed that later in the evening, the two subjects of interest and the accused Sunshine violator, will vote as a bloc to fire Frank Rollason and you can expect that Chief Noriega will be immediately terminated in the same shake up.
The mayor has been gunning for all three since the extortion attempt against Commissiner Hornsby, her former friend, did not result in his resignation.
Commissioner Jackson told me that there is no such investigation and the mayor has said the same in the press so apparently they both believe that for some reason, Switkes, Rollason and Hornsby, simply made up that information. This is of course stupid, self serving and destructive to North Bay Village but that does not concern either of them.
The mayor is very cunning and very, very angry and perhaps a little scared because whether or not she believes it is real, there is an investigation into the extortion attempt. But being cunning, she knows it’s small potatoes and that without ongoing interest from the village administration, she can just run the clock out on the investigation. And that probably will happen.
Look, I don't know where this will all lead but nowhere good, that's for sure.
Kevin Vericker
December 11, 2017
Since then, Commissioner Jackson, who has been accused of conspiracy to violate Sunshine Laws and for violating Sunshine in a lawsuit filed by the mayor’s allies, has remained tight lipped about her reasons for her sudden decision to join the subjects of interest and fire Robert Switkes, although she has promised that she will explain herself at this month’s meeting. She won’t, but she promised.
This week, on Thursday, December 14th at 7:30, the regular commission meeting will be held at Village Hall and although it is not on the agenda, it is widely believed that later in the evening, the two subjects of interest and the accused Sunshine violator, will vote as a bloc to fire Frank Rollason and you can expect that Chief Noriega will be immediately terminated in the same shake up.
The mayor has been gunning for all three since the extortion attempt against Commissiner Hornsby, her former friend, did not result in his resignation.
Commissioner Jackson told me that there is no such investigation and the mayor has said the same in the press so apparently they both believe that for some reason, Switkes, Rollason and Hornsby, simply made up that information. This is of course stupid, self serving and destructive to North Bay Village but that does not concern either of them.
The mayor is very cunning and very, very angry and perhaps a little scared because whether or not she believes it is real, there is an investigation into the extortion attempt. But being cunning, she knows it’s small potatoes and that without ongoing interest from the village administration, she can just run the clock out on the investigation. And that probably will happen.
Look, I don't know where this will all lead but nowhere good, that's for sure.
Kevin Vericker
December 11, 2017
