And Then There Were None...

There is no race, no election, for the commission this year.   No one filed to oppose Connie Leon-Kreps for mayor or Richard Chervony for North Bay Island commissioner.  In the two other races, Stuart Blumberg versus Wendy Duvall for Treasure Island commissioner, and Mario Garcia versus Jorge Gonzalez for Commissioner at Large, Blumberg and Garcia have withdrawn their candidacies, leaving the seats unopposed.   

Let's deal with the Treasure Island and At Large seats first.  For Treasure Island,  Blumberg was appointed to the commission in February by three sitting commissioners - Lim-Kreps and Chervony. 

Blumberg brought his long experience in Miami Beach to the position and was hailed as a "neutral", business like guy.  Unfortunately, he also brought a condescending attitude and a passive aggressive style to the seat and quickly found himself in conflict with the mayor and the vice.  Blumberg's primary concerns seemed to be removing trees and firing the city manager, whom Blumberg criticized as deceptive and unprofessional.   This constant sense of outrage, coupled with the truly annoying passive aggressive habit of asking questions not to solicit information but to "prove" that his target was negligent, accomplished very little.  

Last Tuesday at the commission meeting, former commissioner Rey Trujillo complained about Blulmberg's actions and behavior on the dais.  Right or wrong, Trujillo laid out specific actions that could be observed and addressed.   Trujillo did not impugn his character but spoke strongly on Blumberg's push to fire the city manager and hiring an outside consultant for our finances.  Blumberg in the  Miami Herald states 

"This was a personal attack without substance,” said Blumberg. “I decided, ‘You know what, time to go.’ I’ve always taken the high road."

It was not a personal attack.  It was an objective disagreement.  Yuo cannot be that outspoken and that thin skinned at the same time and be successful.  Trust me.  As a loudmouth, I know.  

Wendy Duvall will take the seat then for Treasure Island.  I've met her.  She's young, poised and very intelligent.  She and her fiance live at the Caribbean Towers on E. Treasure Drive and have been very involved in turning that once desperate building around.  I hope she is a quick study as there is much to learn in a short time.  

Turning to the far more pleasant topic of the Commissioner at Large seat,  The two contenders were Jorge Gonzalez and Mario Garcia.  Both are relative newcomers to North Bay Village (most of us have been here since Biscayne Bay was a puddle.) and each brought different experiences to their campaign.  But in common, both have been keen participants in the civic life of North Bay Village, both have been quick to reach out and discuss tough issues with people with whom they disagree,

In the end, Garcia decided to withdraw after assessing his personal situation with a very demanding job and assessing his opponent, Gonzalez, and arriving at the conclusion that Gonzalez has the skills and personality to handle the job.  

I'm disappointed.  I find an election between two classy candidates democracy at its best but I understand and support both their decisions.   Gonzalez, like Duvall, is bright and engaged, and I hope he too is quick study.   

Overall, we would have been much better off with a full slate of candidates for each seat, vigorously laying out their views on the city, and the voters choosing.  But our poisonous politics did not allow that.  Still, I have hope that the two new members of the commission will bring a new tone to the dais and maybe bring up the level of discourse from the current wretched state. 

Kevin Vericker
September 18, 2012

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/17/3007282/commissioner-stuart-blumberg-drops.html#storylink=cpy

Marcio Garcia Withdraws From the Commission Race

Mario Garcia, candidate for Commissioner at Large, has withdrawn from the race.  His statement is below.  This means our commission for the next two years will be:

Connie Leon-Kreps Mayor
Eddie Lim, Commissioner from Harbor Island
Richard Chervony, Commissioner from North Bay Island
Wendy Duvall, Commissioner from Treasure Island
Jorge Gonzalez, Commissioner At Large.


Mario's statement:

Mario Garcia

Candidate for North Bay Village Commissioner At Large

7540 Cutlass AvenueNorth Bay Village, Florida 33141

  

Public Statement

 After carefully considering the increasing demand of my professional schedule and with confidence that my opponent Jorge Gonzalez is an honorable man who has the best interest of the city at heart and the skills needed for the job; I have decided to withdraw from the commission race this year.

I will continue to be involved in the betterment of North Bay Village and hope to run again sometime in the future. I am grateful for the support and the trust that I have received from the community.

We all need to work together to bring this city out of gridlock and personal agendas to create a better, safer, cleaner and stronger city that offers services for all of its residents; especially the elderly and adolescent population which presently is lacking. Thank you, Mario Garcia

Kevin Vericker
September 16, 2012

Stuart Blumberg Withdraws from the Commission Race

Last night at the Budget meeting, Stuart Blumberg announced he was withdrawing from the race for Treasure Island commissioner.   He gave his reasons as disgust with personal attacks.   

So there is only one race on the ballot, Jorge Gonzalez (president of the 360 condo association, member of P&Z) and Mario Garcia (Business Development Board) are competing for a 2 year term as Commissioner at Large.    

On the commission in November will be 

Connie Leon Kreps - Mayor (she was unopposed)  

Edde Lim - his term expires in 2014 

Richard Chervony - Commissioner North Bay Island (he was unopposed) 

Wendy Duvall - Commissioner Treasure Island (since she is now unopposed)

And whoever is elected as commissioner at large.  

Kevin Vericker

September 14, 2012

Last Night At The Commission

Okay, so I want to start this out with good news. There are two optimistic notes to share: 

The first reading of an ordinance regarding a foreclosure registry passed unanimously. This is a long overdue technical approach to the problem of foreclosed properties in North Bay Village.

It will require the foreclosing entity to file the foreclosure with the city and pay a small fee on the transaction. That money in turn can be used by the city to maintain the property if needed, fund programs to prevent foreclosure, and have an accurate count at all times about foreclosed homes in our city. This could make the city eligible for county, state and federal moneys to help cities deal with the foreclosure crisis. It is revenue neutral in that it does not come from the city general fund (taxes). It is financed by the filing fees and allows the city to dedicate that money to anti-foreclosure efforts. There's more to be done but it's a great start.

The Community Enhancement Board has cohered into a vital force for improvement in our city. Of all the boards, they have the broadest mandate looking at all sides of the physical issues affecting our city. I have long been impressed with the leadership style of the chair, Penelope Friedland, and the long dedication of several of the members to the community. They are focusing strongly on issues affecting the ambiance and presentation of our city and bringing forth critical issues to the commission with specific advice. It stands as an example of what a board can do.

 Alright, enough with the unicorn trails and happy shiny news. It's North Bay Village after all. Our city political climate is still in meltdown.

The commission snipes about everything procedural and then unites on the legislative issues. It's like a badly cast "Real Housewives" franchise. All the bickering about nothing of note but with much worse dressed people. 

Some examples from last night on the commission side. City Manager Dennis Kelly proposed tabling several items until October on the grounds that these were non-essential. It made sense but: Procedures are such that he should have only proposed tabling those items he put on the agenda. 

 One of the items, the foreclosure registry, was put there by a sitting commissioner and it's that commissioner who should be in charge of it. When the item comes up, the commission might vote to table it but it should not be proposed before hearing the item by one who didn't sponsor it. Seems minor but it matters. 

Then in discussing what items to pull from the agenda, none of the commissioners could stay on point. Once the motion had been made and seconded, it needed to be voted on, amended or withdrawn. The discussion about the merits was confusing and unprofessional. It's the chair's job to keep the meeting on track. So the end result is that the commission spent a full 20 minutes discussing how to save 30 minutes. Kind of makes you cringe. 

In a second commission incident, Eddie Lim whose commission reports frequently ramble did that last night, ramble that is.  I listened closely and as near as I could tell, his main point was about the need to develop a sense of identification among the residents with North Bay Village, a good idea but should have been more succinctly expressed.  Nevertheless, the mayor attempted to curtly cut him off so the commission could move to the agenda.  Eddie rebuffed her.   

Like him or don't like him, Eddie Lim was elected and commission reports are part of it.  In future, all our commissioners should keep in mind that their comments should have one of only three purposes - to inform, to propose or to evaluate - and think carefully about how to frame those.  But they should not be cut off.  

Good & Welfare however turned back into North Bay Village at its worst.  The perpetually indignant Al Blake laid into his former friend Commissioner Chervony over a remark that Chervony had made in which he (Chervony) said he thought the Citizens Budget and Oversight Board should have strongly advised the commission of the audit delays.   Blake who specializes in hurt feelings and faux-rage decried this "insult" to the good people of the CBOB, from which he himself resigned when the city fired his friend, Scott Greenwald, the strip club proponent and largest tax debtor, from the board.  Anyway, Blake was hurt, and shocked, and disappointed, over this grave insult.   

Then a voice that has not been heard from in a while, a fictitious dweller at a non-existent address lumbered up and began bellowing about how he put Chervony where he is now (on the commission) and that he heard that Chervony had proposed a candidate besides Al Blake for the vacant North Bay Island seat.  Further, Chervony was guilty of more than just thought crimes but had single handedly broken Sunshine, which is totally weird since Sunshine governs relationships among officials and by its nature cannot be singular.   But that's what passes for logic.  

Look it's easy to be flippant about this stuff but it has real consequences.  As long as our commission quivers in fear about being sued for so called speech violations, the public will stay away.   You cannot slander and falsely state who you are at commssion meetings, in front of the legislature, or at Congress.   It's not only illegal, it suppresses the public.   It's not free speech, it's slander and disruption, and it should be stopped.  It diminishes us.  

And I wonder how the mayor and the vice mayor, who appointed Chervony, feel today?  After all, last night it was publicly expressed that they were following the directives of a non-resident.  I don't know if they were but I guess I would have expected them to mention it if they weren't.   

So I don't see much bright coming up for a while.

Kevin Vericker
September 12, 2012

Back in Town

August was super busy.  Work kept me in Washington DC, family in New York and then a week of chilling out on the California Coast.  But it's September and time to be back in North Bay Village.  

I'm going to ease back in with a note about tomorrow's commission meeting.  The first item on the new business agenda is an ordinance to establish a foreclosure registry.  It's a simple concept.  When a mortgage holder begins a foreclosure process, they will be  required to register that process with the city and pay a small fee.   

It has two major benefits:  

1. The city has an accurate count of distressed properties.  Knowing this makes the city eligible for additional assistance from Housing and Urban Development, helps the homeowner as the city can now target home retention resources to the people who most need them and lets the condos know what issues are up in their building.  
2. The city has a revenue source to keep basic maintenance up on properties that have fallen into foreclosure which helps all our values.  

Foreclosure registries have sadly become a key tool in the fight to maintain properties across the country and we have needed one for at least four years.   Occasionally, very narrow minded real estate interests object because they want the problem kept under wraps but the truth is, the lenders know.  The city needs that knowledge too.  

Kevin Vericker September 10, 2012 North Bay VillageREG COM MTG 09-11-2012">

Update for late August

Work and life have been demanding this month.  I'm on the road right now, staying with my brother who broke a hip this month.  So I haven't been updating nearly as often as I should.   

But much has happened in North Bay Village.   

For one, David Richardson won for State Rep.  This is good news for North Bay Village.  Of the three major candidates for the position, he was the only one to demonstrate that it was about more than Miami Beach.  He came to our budget meetings, has looked at our issues such as the Causeway and the state, and paid attention.  

In an odd political moment, the mayor and I both enthusiastically supported the same candidate.  It will mean good things for our city.  

In our own elections, Connie Leon Kreps is unopposed for mayor so she will retain that office and Richard Chervony is unopposed for North Bay Island, so he will retain that office.  

The two seats in play are:

Treasure Island - Wendy Duvall is up against Stuart Blumberg.  

At Large - Mario Garcia is up against Jorge Gonzalez.   

This election will more than anything be about retaining Dennis Kelly, the current city manager.   I've written about that before.   There's a lot to say on the subject but I have not had the chance to talk with some of the candidates on that.  I'll write more when I get home.  

Kevin Vericker

August 20, 2012

Vote Now

So between now and August 11, early voting is on.  Regular voting is on August 14.  Turnout for August elections is dismally low and it matters to you directly to vote in this election.  Let's review with the biggies:

State Representative District 113 - There are four candidates - David Richardson, who I've endorsed  as have the mayor, Rey Trujillo and others.  (I know:  hell is freezing over and there is snow in August)  Richardson gets the local issues and is emphatic that he intends to represent us in Tallahassee.  

Pop quiz, how many candidates for State Rep were at our budget meeting last Tuesday?  Answer;  just Richardson.  

Ask Kravitz or Weithorn about the causeway and how long the state has been repairing it or why that dog pound fence is on the south side between North Bay Island and Treasure Island?   Blank stares.   Ask them about seawalls and DERM?  Same.  Richardson is paying attention to the district, not the state.  Ask Weithorn and Kravitz how much in state revenue North Bay Village expects next year?  They won't know.  

Richardson does.  He does his homework and we need someone who knows we are on the map.  

Mayor Miami-Dade County - This is a tough one for me personally and here's why.  

Carlos Gimenez has consistently stood for equal rights in Miami-Dade county.  He has been a supporter of the Human Rights Ordinance which finally erased the disgraceful legacy of Anita Bryant and her reign of hate.  Gimenez also brought Miami-Dade into the 21 st century with the Domestic Partners Ordinance.  

Martinez has stood against both measures but to his credit, he took the time and effort to meet with Save Dade, Miami's primary gay rights organization, and has promised to leave existing law alone.  Still, his history disturbs me.  

Nevertheless, when I look at the other side of the equation, how to deal with the huge cuts coming at Miami-Dade, cuts that will affect North Bay Village big time, I see a more nuanced approach by Martinez.   Gimenez is too ready to battle with the employees to cut costs rather than the Martinez approach of working with the employees to save money.  This matters because bad economies don't last forever and keeping decent relationships in place with our unions is important.  

I am also more impressed with Martinez' approach to revenue.  The truth is that taxes in M-D are underpaid by a lot not a little.  And the property appraiser's office does not keep up.   Martinez is pushing this issue hard, as he should.   

On balance, I think Martinez has the more holistic approach and the leadership style to get us through the next four years.  I just wish he had the sense of social justice that a city (and it is a city) like Miami-Dade needs to prosper.  

Judges - Andrea Wolfson is a miserable, despicable, mendacious anti-American bigot who aligned herself with the most radical of right wing groups in Miami-Dade.   She is not fit to be on the bench or in public life.  Her views and attitudes towards gay people would be much more at home in a theocratic Iran.  Show her the door.  

Jacci Seskin, on the other hand, impressed the heck out of me.  Her page is here.  I spoke with her at the Downtown Bay Forum last week and she talked about how she had rejected the bogus endorsement of the radical right, and talked a great deal about how Florida law often puts the state itself at a disadvantage.   A thouughtful, honest woman and you should vote for her.  I am.  

There's a lot more, but the most important is this.  Vote.  It matters directly to you and your city.  And it's easy.  Early voting runs through August 11.  You can see more information at this Elections Website 

Kevin Vericker
August 5, 2012.