There's No News on Shuckers

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/19/3877500/shuckers-popular-sports-eatery.html#storylink=cp

Shuckers was part of the community fabric of North Bay Village.  It's where we met for dinner, drinks and brought out of towners to show them the bay and the village at it's best advantage.  It was welcome news the Miami Herald ran a story on Sunday Shuckers Bar and Grill in North Bay Village rebuilding seven months after deck collapse until you actually read the story.   

Several things jump out right away.  

• The Owners had no comment. 
• Their lawyers had no comment.  
• Their PR group had no comment.  

In fact, the only people commenting on the subject were the Village Manager, the Building Inspector and the lawyer for people suing Shuckers, none of whom have direct knowledge of the owner's plans.  Given how poorly Mayor Kreps and the Village staff managed the aftermath of the deck collapse last June, you'd think that the Village would have figured out that the best policy is to let the owners speak or not, and only comment on things that can be seen by others.  For a recap of the shambolic events last June, check out this link. It's best if you imagine the theme from Benny Hill playing as you watch the mayor being asked if an expert would have overlooked the deck inspection.  It's time for the grandstanding to end.  I'm surprised the Herald even published the article.  There's no news there, just speculation and blather.  

Kevin Vericker

January 24, 2014

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Coverups, Secret Meetings and The Mayor

Last March, when Mayor Kreps and the commission negotiated Village Manager Dennis Kelly's resignation, the village agreed to pay him approximately $80,000 in severance. That hit a snag.

It looks like Mayor Kreps and her commission have decided to hang an emerging scandal solely on Dennis Kelly while protecting those current employees who initiated and participated in the cover up of illegally monitored phone calls in North Bay Village.

According to what several sources have told me, the Village discovered that some time in 2012, the village phone system was recording all calls made to or from village numbers. This is illegal under Florida law. Recorded phone calls, with the exception of emergency services, must be announced and the caller given the option of disconnecting. You can imagine that as a policy having all phone calls recorded and open to review could be a problem – for example, confidential personnel and legal matters could be made public, medical information revealed during an insurance call, personal family information could be made public and overall, people find it a bit creepy to be recorded without their knowledge or consent. So it's illegal in Florida, as it should be.

During his tenure, Dennis Kelly found out that the recordings were happening anyway. The reason given was a misset switch that instead of recording just the emergency services calls was recording all calls. Mistakes happen like this with technology and our State Attorney's office is set up to deal with that. When a mistake like this is found, the municipality reports it to the SAO, who review the relevant facts and assuming they find nothing to contrary, write a letter or report explaining what happened and admonishing the administration and everyone moves along.

Not here in North Bay Village and the situation quickly went North Bay Village Crazy™. Instead of documenting and reporting the phone monitoring, Dennis Kelly and the current Finance Director opened a safe deposit box under their own names and personal addresses, took the disk containing the recordings and stashed them there. I don't know why they did that but I have been told that is what happened. Upon his termination, Dennis Kelly told the administration about this.

The recordings were retrieved and given to the State Attorney's Office for investigation. The SAO opened an investigation, because by then the circumstances seemed suspicious. It's just not normal to take a piece of evidence and hide it. As is customary in the SAO, the new village manager was informed about the investigation and his cooperation sought. The underlying expectation is of course that the village manager will keep it confidential. And once again, things took a North Bay Village Crazy™ turn.

You see, when there is a new investigation, almost everyone is a suspect. The commission, the management, the police, and part of a good investigation is to prevent people from tampering with or even being aware of the early evidence. So confidentiality matters.

The Village Manager did not keep the issue confidential. According to sources, Rollason called in the Police Department management staff and briefed them on the issue. Remember, the PD controls the phone system, presumably knew about the recordings, possibly knew that the disk has “disappeared” and now knew that the SAO was looking into it. Not exactly CSI stuff but it gives lots of time to start preparing defenses and obfuscation.

Here's where we are left. The Village illegally, perhaps mistakenly, recorded and monitored every phone call made to and from Village Hall. It is entirely possible that certain calls were reviewed illegally by village employees hoping to find out information. The then Village Manager and the current Finance Director took the evidence and hid it in a personal safe deposit box and never reported the problem. The new Village Manager briefed the principals of the investigation on the investigation itself.

In a flourish only those of who know her would have expected, Mayor Kreps has chosen to lay the entire issue on Dennis Kelly and has led the effort to not pay the negotiated $80,000 severance. For his part, Kelly is suing the village for his money.

Kelly is the only one being held liable for consequences. The other three employees, the tech manager who programmed the recordings is still with us, the finance manager who hid the recordings is still in place and recently received a raise, the new village manager, who had nothing to do with the original problem but whose indiscretion may yet derail the SAO investigation, was hired to the permanent position even after his deliberate leaking was known.

In other words, just one guy in this web is being held accountable, Dennis Kelly.

Tonight there will be a special meeting of our commission to authorize a private, closed to the public, meeting on the subject. Secret meetings are the worst way to deal with cover-ups. Sunshine is the best disinfectant and no matter how ugly this might get, Mayor Kreps should be dealing with it publicly. We have a right to know.   

Kevin Vericker

January 15, 2014

Sunny Sunday Update

Today is the Miami No Pants Metrorail ride.  If you have ever wanted to ride mass transit in your boxers or panties, today is the day.   I have no such desire so I won't be there.  Also, it's Miami.  If you want to see scantily clad people in public, Lincoln Road is always a good choice.  

There is a very special commission meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Jan 15 at 6:30 PM to authorize a private executive session to deal with the ongoing issue of the former village manager's severance package.  The Village has not paid the money to him because of well, reasons.   

As the Village has continued to achieve its only known goal - "to be a beautiful, quaint Village on the Bay" - the commission has decided that January is a vacation month for them and won't be considering any other business this month.   The Charter says that either July or August is the time allowed to skip a meeting for vacation but whatever.  

Normally, this absence would prevent the village manager from doing his job since some things must be commission authorized but he's covered that by conducting polls through email so the public doesn't have to be concerned about the issues.  Nothing to see here.  

So that's the round up.  

Kevin Vericker

January 12, 2014

Every Month Has a Second Tuesday Except January

Eddie Lim and Wendy Duvall scheduled their vacations to run over the second Tuesday of January 2014, the one day of the month they are required to report for their jobs.   Jorge Gonzalez cannot attend for reasons.   And none can seem to find a single other date in January to do the job they sought and are paid for  

So there will be no commission meeting this month.  There may not be board meetings either. There is nothing published on our village calendar.  (And the Bookmobile stopped coming this year.) 

Here's the calendar as of today January 3, 2014:

I think three of the commission members have just given up.  Commissioners Lim and Gonzalez barely speak at the meetings, let alone offer any guidance, and Wendy Duvall does not show up.   Most decisions are made by the cabal of our unelected Mayor Kreps, the voices in her head, the voices in the shadow government of praise singers - those commercial contractors and over paid,  underperforming managers who play her so masterfully.    

Mayor Kreps has done everything she can to disenfranchise the community and reward those obsequious favor seekers.  The commission meetings long ago degenerated into Mayor Kreps making surly nonsensical remarks to and about Commissioner Chervony while the two commissioners present merely look on with expressions of embarassed disgust at her antics.  I understand them not showing up but I blame them for not taking a stand.  

Mayor Kreps should resign in 2014.  The job is clearly beyond her capabilities and it's embarrassing to watch her alienate her peers like this.  

Kevin Vericker

January 3, 2014

Last Post of 2013

An Empty Creche

Happy New Year 2014!  

Update from 12/30 Post:  I received an email from Village Manager Frank Rollason in which he explains:

1. There is a massive crime wave in North Bay Village and the baby Jesus has been kidnapped not once but twice.  Police reports have been made but finding the culprit is not likely since while North Bay Village has an enviably low crime rate, we rank in the bottom third of M-D municipalities in solving those crimes that do happen.  A third Jesus has been installed and as of this morning is still in place.
   
   
2. The lights on Hispanola Ave were out because the lighting contractor the village chose did not account for the possibility of rain which is not rare in South Florida.  They were back on last night and there is hope they might last through the New Year.  

So you see, it's really nobody's lack of oversight, just stuff.  

12/30 Post Below:

This seems as good a place as any to leave the old year behind.  Yes, once again, North Bay Village has managed to screw it up.  Our Holiday Creche, which cost $4,500, is a scene of the Holy Family, the Three Kings and some livestock staring at a blank space.   

The Holiday Lights which cost $35,000 - or the same amount as funding the PAL - did not make it through December 26 when Hispanola Ave. went dark.  

It's kind of a neat metaphor for how our city is being run.  The key figures missing in action and it's just too much trouble for our mayor to keep her lights on.   

As Mr. Rollason and Mrs. Kreps enter the final year of their respective tenures, we can expect to see more darkness and disorder in 2014.   But let's keep plugging forward - they won't be here that much longer and North Bay Village has a great chance at the end of 2014 to fix this.  Let's look forward to it.  

Happy New Year to most of you,  

Kevin Vericker

December 30, 2013

North Bay Village Holiday Social Notes

Bermello Ajamil & Partners are holding a lavish Holiday party to which they have thoughtfully invited our commission and village staff.   I understand several have accepted and one in particular is very pleased about the open bar.  She finds it relaxing after a hard day of being positive.   

In any event, it has everything nothing to do with Bermello Ajamil & Partners angling for the village hall contract and nothing everything to do with spreading holiday cheer.  

Speaking of holiday cheer, after forgetting twice how a budget is passed, the village manager forgot to include the Holiday Party in the final budget.  Really, he did.  So the mayor went to Blu, the people constructing the new apartment complex on Harbor Island and they agreed to sponsor the party, held on December 7.   Very nice of  them and not at all related to the variance they got to start work early and finish late on the  construction which Harbor Island residents have enjoyed this last month.   

Although I was unable to attend as I was feeling entirely too well that day to watch the mayor play Santa, I understand that it was a lovely event for the sad kids of North Bay Village and for at least a few hours let them forget that they live in a place where two thirds of the kids have no access to any recreational or social programs.   And look at the pretty lights at the entrance to Harbor and North Bay Islands that were funded instead of the PAL.  So well done, Ms. Mayor Claus.  

Then there was the Miami Youth Symphony concert on Saturday December 14.  Although the mayor has not yet reported on the event, and only she can since apparently she was one of only two people there, I'm sure it was very nice.  

I for one want to say that it's very mean of the village manager to have described the event as "Pretty sad."   

I am glad that the manager reached out to the commission and the community for ideas on how to "better connect with the community."  

Here's an idea to better connect with the community.  Involve the community.  All of it.  Not just the voices inside one person's head or the people who make money from the village, but even ones you might not agree with.   They often turn out to be your best allies.  

So that sums up this week's Holiday News from North Bay Village.   

Kevin Vericker

December 18, 2013

After A Month... I'm Back

It has been nearly a month since I last posted and I feel like I owe an explanation.  Here's the simple truth, I've been feeling discouraged.   Sometimes when I am the object of craziness, I walk away and that's what I've done.  Let me explain.  

After two years on the only board the mayor and commission had not managed to disassemble, I made a strategic mistake.  I questioned the wisdom of an off the books, cash only, day care program run by the PTA at Treasure Island Elementary and paid directly to the PTA president.  In the meantime, the principal of TIES used an opportunity to demean both the city and the Arts4Learning program who had donated three art pieces to the school at the PTA's request in order to assert her "authority."  

As I tried to work through the issue, our self appointed mayor and her extra-legally hired village manager used the opportunity to demand that I resign.   Now it's not fair, and I am outsize proud that in spite of the mayor's opposition, the YSEB was able to shepherd through the IB program, and continued to call attention to the village's deliberate inattention to services for the majority of the village's youth, but no one said community activism is fair.  

Favorite quote from her honor the mayor, "Your blog is very negative.  What example does that set to the children of North Bay Village?"  Note to fifth graders reading my blog - go practice your number sets and stop reading political blogs!   

After that discussion, I decided that I would accede to what was presented to me as a demand from the TIES principal and resign.  I hate to quit but it's impossible to work with people like the mayor, the village manager and others of bad intention.   Interestingly, I saw the  mayor a few weeks later at a social function and as is her norm at such events with an open bar, she was all cheerful.  Positive, I guess, fueled by Stoli.  

Anyway, it has become increasingly clear to me that the village is simply run by the voices in the mayor's head, insistent voices telling her that disagreement is insult and that being mayor of all the residents, not just the ones who put her in office without an election, is mortal danger.   It suits those who pander to her and only give her good news but it has had material damage to the village. 

After two full years of eliminating the boards for citizen advice, when the commission was finally embarrassed enough to reinstate them but deliberately kept anyone off the boards who questioned the mayor's voices.  

Our streets are filthy, our projects dead, the crisis at Shuckers mismanaged, we have occasional show events instead of substantial services, our sewers are literally rotting underneath our houses and we have paid all our reserves to move village hall again, in severance packages to people the mayor no longer finds "positive", and our police are so discouraged they are calling in sick in record numbers.  A personal peeve of mine is that the village spent nearly $35,000 in "emergency" funds for holiday lights at Harbor Island and North Bay Islands, nearly the exact amount it would have taken to fund PAL for our kids.   Priorities.  

  

To pay for all of these errors, the mayor led the charge to raise our taxes 15% and our utilities 16% while refusing to attach basic performance measures to the money spent.   This is how a once vibrant city becomes a ghetto village and we are well down that road.   

The only glimmer of hope that I see for our village is that surely in 2014, the mayor and crew who have mismanaged our money and our village so badly will not be re-elected.  

I want to get back to writing about North Bay Village.  I love it here - it's an eccentric, neighborly and attractive place and I have never regretted moving here but I need to figure out what this blog can accomplish.  So I'm sorry for the silence and will keep trying to bring the voices that other people can hear to our civic discourse.  For right now, I guess I'm back.  

Kevin Vericker

December 14, 2013