What a Difference A Day Makes

Timeline:  

September 11, 2018 North Bay Village Commission Meeting

Vice Mayor Andreana Jackson moved to fire the Village Clerk on the grounds that her incidental appearance in a campaign video diary was an illegal endorsement of two candidates.  According to reports in the Miami Herald, the Village Attorney had approved the filming and no one could cite the law that had been violated.  

September 28, 2018 North Bay Village Commission Meeting

Commissioner Laura Cattabriga describes the allegation that the former Village Clerk somehow was promoting two candidates by being incidentally filmed in campaign video diary as "disturbing."   Then Cattabriga votes to pay the clerk not to sue but describes the payment as a nice thing to do for a long time employee, like the flowers, but not the vase, that the commission bought for her.  

September 29, 2018 The Miami Herald

The Herald article on the video incident  includes a description of how the matter had been turned over to the State Attorney Office for criminal investigation and the possibility that the clerk and the two candidates could face fines and even jail time.  Village Attorney Norman C. Powell was quoted in the same article saying "when anyone calls me I have an obligation to report it" and denied having been consulted about the video beforehand.   

October 3, 2018 My House

A campaign flier from Laura Cattabriga arrives and includes a photo of two uniformed police officers, a North Bay Village employee, and several children at a North Bay Village event.

Understand that the layout was approved, the printing done, the mailer set while all the while Cattabriga was joining in on the gang fight to fire the Village Clerk for ... appearing in a campaign video diary.  

Whether this was done with approval of the Police Department, the consent of the two officers, the consent of the Village Employee or the parents' consent is not clear as the interim police chief has referred all questions to the Village Attorney as this is could be a legal violation of our Charter and State Law and the police don't involve themselves in criminal matters.  

Lewis Velken, the interim Village Manager has not replied to any questions.   

My view:  There will be no consequences for Cattabriga.  She is the preferred candidate of the people who get paid by the Village.  The law only applies to candidates that they worry about.  

Andreana Jackson practicing international diplomacy

In the meantime, Vice Mayor Andreana Jackson is reported to be taking time out from her international diplomatic efforts supporting the people of Taiwan to wobble around town wondering if a mayoral candidate actually leaves here, according to several people who have run into her at various food buffets.   

So there's that.  

Kevin Vericker

October 7, 2018

Laura Cattabriga - Uses The Police As Campaign Props

Officers Lisa Gittner and Frank Pliega of the  North Bay Village PD

Less than a week after the Miami Herald story and less than a month after Village Clerk Yvonne Hamilton was accused of violating State and North Bay Village law when she was filmed accepting candidate qualifications from Julianna Strout and Marvin Wilmoth, Laura Cattabriga sent out a campaign flier featuring two in uniform North Bay Village police officers.   

 Now whether the officers had "permission" to appear in the ad, were supporting her campaign, or had their images used without their consent, this is shocking malfeasance from a commissioner who claims to have been greatly disturbed by an innocent video appearance and joined in the bullying that led to Ms. Hamilton's resignation.  

Cattabriga!  

Kevin Vericker

October 4, 2018