Commission on Ethics Overrules the Commission on Ethics In a North Bay Village Special

Last week, the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics overruled the former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court Gerald Kogan, while tossing aside the carefully crafted Voluntary Fair Campaign Practices Procedure. This Fair Campaign Pledge is designed to allow candidates who feel their opponent has engaged in unfair campaign practices to lodge a complaint with the COE through an expedited process. Both parties have to choose to accept the complaint heard for probable cause within 24 hours.

It's a good process. It means that complaints can be dealt with quickly and not overshadow a campaign. It prevents frivolous or baseless complaints from being used as a campaign tactic and in the case that probable cause is found, puts that information in the public view.

That's what happened in North Bay Village in the November 4 election. Incumbent Jorge Gonzalez complained that a flier challenger Mario Garcia put out unfairly represented Gonzalez's involvement in a bankruptcy, debt judgments, a paid trip to Turkey, and Gonzalez's voting record.

Gonzalez made the complaint (C14-51) and Garcia agreed to the expedited process. Hearing officer retired Florida Supreme Court judge Gerald Kogan evaluated the complaint and the response and found “No Probable Cause.”

In the meantime, Gonzalez won the election against Garcia.

In every single one of the election complaints, the Commission on Ethics Board has followed the recommendation of the hearing officer, referring those where probable cause has been found for further action and dismissing those where no probable cause was found. In fact, neither Joe Centorino, the COE Executive Director, nor anyone else can find a single example of the Board overrruling a “No Probable Cause” finding in any complaint ever filed in the COE history. Until now.

This brings up a host of questions without answers.

Why was this complaint uniquely passed to an entirely separate process? What fault was found in the hearing that justified that? The hearing on November 17 offers no clarity on that question because they are held in secret, behind closed doors. No members of the public are allowed although Commissioner Gonzalez was invited to stay.

What value does agreeing to the Voluntary Campaign Practices Ordinance bring a candidate if the COE staff decides they don't like the result and will arbitrarily continue to pursue the complaint after the finding? It seems like none.

Finally, why this unique decision on this one complaint. Well, again, the COE does not hold public hearings on why they would overrule a hearing officer. But there is a long and cozy relationship between the Advocate Michael Murawski, a resident of North Bay Village, and one side of the politically active North Bay Village community, a group that strongly supported Gonzalez's bid for election.

In the past, the COE has already treated North Bay Village differently. When the COE established that a commissioner and his wife had both their mobile phones paid for by North Bay Village over the course of 7 years, they said it was “done with good intentions” and refused to pursue repayment.

In another complaint against Mr. Gonzalez for not reporting a gift of tickets to the Miami Heat, they redacted their own press release to remove references to business relationships in North Bay Village and imposed no fine, just a $100 penalty to cover the COE costs.  

The list goes on. So maybe this is peculiar to North Bay Village. Maybe North Bay Village is so unique that the Commission on Ethics needs to invalidate the Voluntary Fair Campaign Practices Ordinance and summarily overrule the finding of one of the most respected jurists in the state.

Or maybe it's simply a case that local North Bay Village resident who also happens to be the Commission on Ethics Advocate didn't like the outcome and so decided to toss aside the process to get the outcome he wants? I think it's that one. 

Kevin Vericker

November 25, 2014

Delusions of Adequacy

Last Friday night, Mayor Kreps's coterie of enablers staged an event for her.  You see the poor thing is operating under the delusion that there are many active boards in North Bay Village.  There are only one and a half.  The planning and zoning run by former Vice Mayor Rey Trujillo and Connie's campaign manager, and occasional meetings by the Community Enhancement Board where they talk about flowers.   

Instead of telling her that there really were no active boards, the group got together and started giggling, "Dude, what if we like held an  awards dinner and told people to come and gave them awards like they actually did something.  And Connie would totally buy it."  And so they did. 

Because according to Eddie Lim's FB page, they gave out recognitions to the Youth Services Board (no meeting since October 2013), the Business Advisory Board (no meeting since November 2013) and no mention of the Citizens Budget Oversight Board (met but never came once to a commission meeting in 2014).  

In any event, I don't like Mayor Kreps but it's cruel of these people to play into her delusions like that.  They should be helping her get the care she so desperately needs, not mocking her.  I hope they stop.  

Kevin Vericker

November 24, 2014

Did you attend last night's festivities?

Because there is nothing going on in  North Bay Village, nothing I says, it was time for Mayor Kreps and her new prince consort, Jorge Gonzalez, to hold their installation.  

Mayor Kreps Elected At Last. 

 

It was a momentous day in North Bay Village.  Both Mayor Kreps and Jorge Gonzalez won their first elections ever!  Usually, Kreps comes in when the village pays for a lawsuit (2010) or her co-conspirators vast network of supporters (six of them) let anyone who might run against her know that they will be the subject of abuse (2012). 

The campaign was grueling for her.  Kreps was forced by circumstances to hire two strip club promoters to run her campaign (girls like her think they can get away but no, the past catches up with them) and she had to lie directly to the voters faces, people she had  never mingled with before, negative people, and ask them for votes.  It was hard and unbecoming but finally, she prevailed.  And she won. 

Kreps is eager to maintain tradition.  In 2014, Kreps initiated a tradition of not showing up at Regular Commission Meetings.  In January, she took off because it conflicted with her birthday.  In May, she took off because two weeks later, she had a flight to San Diego, In August, she took her vacation.  So in November, she really didn't want to be bothered with the business of governance and after discovering in October that there would be a meeting in November, Kreps decided that it would not have any annoying city business and just be FABULOUS HER.   HER Installation.

After she took her oath of office and placed a new tinfoil hat on her carefully coiffured hair helmet, Madame Mayor attempted to smile for her assembled minions while waiting the only action that the commission is to take in November to be performed.

Eddie Lim Gets Stabbed In the Back.  

 Remember way back on October 15 when I told you that Vice Mayor Eddie Lim had been very active at the commission?  In fact, he was the only one who was.   Well I knew then that would not sit well with Madam Kreps!  She hates questions, discussions, opinions, learning things, math, people who disagree with her, eventually people who agree with her, and really everyone who might be a threat.  So Lim had to go. 

In a rare guest appearance and an exciting cameo, Commissioner Wendy Duvall not only showed up to the meeting but actually said something.  Commissioner Duvall curtsied deeply to Madam Mayor and nominated none other than Madam Mayor's new favorite Jorge Gonzalez to be Vice Mayor.  Huzzah! shouted the assembled multitude (about six of them), "Let us have the new consort."  Well, no, not really.  No, huzzahing, just a bit of buzzing because everyone but Eddie Lim knew this would happen.  And so Eddie Lim was deposed and Jorge Gonzalez was installed. 

And since there was nothing to do, no actions to be taken, no issues for the village to consider, Mayor Kreps declared the evening a great day for some of North Bay Village and bid her fond subjects (about six of them) goodnight.   Rumor has it that a flight of winged monkeys then carried her off to her home.  

I Forgot All About Vice Mayor Jorge Gonzalez.  

In my excitement, I nearly forgot to congratulate newly installed Vice Mayor Jorge Gonzalez   Must be a memory lapse, a misunderstanding due my lack of comprehension what history means.  JP Gonzalez first moved to our fair village some 7 years ago and promptly overlooked paying his RE taxes in 2009 and 2010, resulting in these being sent to auction for tax certificates (Certificates #21138 and #23931).  Like Gonzalez the certificates were later redeemed because when you are the Mayoral favorite, history dies!

In fact, Jorge Gonzalez is a strong disciple of the Mayor Kreps delusion philosophy that the past only makes you negative and so Mr. Vice has decided that he has a history of not having a history and anyone who says otherwise better be prepared for a fight.  A fight he will lose but then again, losing is his style.  It will be interesting to see how he conducts himself now that he accidentally won.   By interesting, I mean of course, insane and dull.  

Kevin Vericker

November 19, 2014

Blue Skies, Smiling At Me.

Connie Leon-Kreps won the office of the Mayor on her first try handily.  The margin was 60-40.  

Jorge Gonzalez won this time after his 2012 defeat by 54-44.   Let me parse that since Mr. Gonzalez might sue me!  In 2012, he lost the vote to Mario Garcia.  In 2014, he won against Mr. Garcia.  So while it is true that Gonzalez has a history of losing, he has a present of being a winner.   Please don't sue me. 

Contributions to Kreps and Gonzalez Campaigns.

But the real winners in all of this are the Developers, the Village Contractors, and the Lobbyists.  Without their political courage and willingness to finance their interests, North Bay Village might have gone into the future with a competent, stable  mayor and a commissioner who's connected to the community.  Without their tireless efforts, Mayor Kreps may not have had the  money to hire two strip club lobbyists to run her shadow campaign. 

Special thanks goes to the voters who didn't show up, those 2/3rds of you.  Your ability to not give a crap inspires all of us!  I mean you only had 14 days to vote.  What?

Now we can look forward to a future of high rises blocking our bay views, no enforcement of the required bay access, a sewer project that will take years, a substandard school, no parking solutions, and a commission led by an idiot.   Good job all. 

Kevin Vericker
November 5, 2014

It's Time to Get It Right

Today I want to talk about why I support Mario Garcia for Commissioner at Large and why you should too.  

Tomorrow's election is about whether or not North Bay Village becomes the kind of village that plans for future and takes care of today, or if we remain stuck in the old dysfunctional governance of yesterday.  

First of all, without running, he garnered the majority of the votes in that race in 2012.  Seriously;  723 votes to 681 for Gonzalez.  But Mario had withdrawn from that race because it wasn't the right time, Jorge Gonzalez had promised to be open to many points of view and seemed like a man of his word.  Lesson from this:  Trust the Voters.   Many had met both candidates and could not bring themselves to vote for Gonzalez and they turned out to be right.  

You might think this is just a weird fluke, perhaps because of the alphabet, and just another example of North Bay Village Crazy™ in the elections but consider a second race, Stuart Blumberg vs. Wendy Duvall, where Blumberg had dropped out following a series of personal attacks by the ruling clique.  Same ballot position (first alphabetically) and no race, but Duvall garnered the majority of the votes - 542 vs, 944.  

Gonzalez has been more than a disappointment.  His arrogance, his bullying, his lack of ethical judgment, have caused us real damage.  I won't write about all that here since Stephanie Kienzle did a great job of describing that in her blog today.  Click here for that "must read."

After two years of attending every commission meeting and most board meetings, after himself being targeted by Gonzalez and Kreps for his volunteer work on the Business Board, after watching Gonzalez freeze out anyone who was of no direct benefit to Gonzalez, Mario decided to run again this year, along with Jorge Brito.  Brito has been suffering his own blows at the hands of the strip club lobby that Mayor Cara Dura Kreps hired to do her dirty work since she has such a terrible record. 

This campaign has been tough and Mario Garcia has been up to the challenge.  He works a demanding full time job as a Nurse Practitioner in an inner city Miami clinic, has three grandchildren who are at his house all day, and still finds time to attend community meetings and to run a campaign.  

It's this tirelessness more than anything that recommends Mario Garcia for Commissioner At Large.  He's honest to a fault, willing to learn, willing to be wrong even, but he will not be shut down or shut up.  Garcia listens, learns and acts.  And talks.  He explains his reasoning.  He engages with people.  Garcia worries that long after someone has shown themselves to be of bad character and ill will, that they should still be heard.  

The Village is at a crossroads.  Regardless of the outcome of the election, we know we need water infrastructure, a huge undertaking.  We know we need to solve the Open Space issue with our rapidly diminishing possiblities.  We know we have to solve our over-saturated parking.  We've known all of this for years.  

In this election, you are being asked to vote for the incumbent who has dismissed and ignored all of these issues, while accepting gifts from foreign developers and bullying residents who want to talk about the issues, or vote for Mario Garcia who worked to earn your trust long before he asked for you vote.  

I'm Team Garcia all the way and I hope you are too.  

Kevin Vericker

November 3, 2014

North Bay Village Drama Queen Award for 2014 Goes To...

Commissioner Gonzalez has no enemies but he is profoundly disliked by his friends, which is what made it so difficult to find endorsements for him.  So few were willing to go on record that he finally had to hire someone to write endorsements and then go around the village begging for a name.  Don't believe me?  Here's his most recent flier - note that the fulsome endorsement from "a North Bay Village Resident" is all written out but no one knew who they could claim said this.  This is an actual posting from Facebook on October 27 of a flier he sent out on October 22.   Pretty sad.

Al Blake ??? or someone else neutral???

Comrade Gonzalez is also excited by this endorsement from Sally Heyman, scrawled on the back of a business card.  I kid you not.    He got so excited that he cropped the below picture from his event at Shuckers (to cut out the developer and the random woman) to put on the above endorsement flier. 

Scrawled on the Back Of A Business Card

A random woman (who looks pretty eager to leave), Commissioner Heyman, Comrade Jorge, and Scott Greenwald

A now a big finale - Comrade Gonzalez was endorsed the North Bay Village Fraternal Order of Police.  It's true.  And it was surprisingly inexpensive (for him.)  The police union rewarded him for his support to give raises all around, block any questions about the stolen NBVPD police truck, the phone monitoring scandal, the police chief's wife employment, or the lack of speed enforcement.  In fact, the FOP found this so honorable that they didn't even bother to interview anyone else.  Once Jorge handed over the cash, they were 100% behind him,  Well 90%.  Well really it was just one guy but he really likes Gonzalez.  

So there you have it folks.  That proves it.  People who are assigned to like Gonzalez do so, casual notes scrawled in a bar are his testament and he's bought the trust (with our money) of people we wonder about.  

In the meantime, Comrade Gonzalez is bellowing threateningly because he will not tolerate  the questions about his bankruptcy (he has one but says it was not his), his tax delinquency since 2010, the court's judgment that he owed nearly $1m, why he got an all expense paid trip to Turkey in May, why he voted for an ordinance to hide gifts.  He believes it is unfair campaign practice to ask these questions.

And for this and many other reasons, please join me in presenting the North Bay Village Drama Queen of the Year 2014 to Comrade Jorge Gonzalez.

Our Endorsement of Jorge Pablo Gonzalez

Kevin Vericker

October 28, 2014

Red and Yellow Flags

If everything were going fine, there would be no need for elections, candidates, or even discussions, right?  If everything were easily resolved, there would never be a need for a meeting.   But disagreements, different viewpoints and history are all part of the discussion in deciding who we pick to represent us.  

I make no secret that I have little respect for Commissioner Jorge Gonzalez.  His arrogance on the dais, his blocking of other viewpoints, his weirdly uninformed twinning of North Bay Village with the city of Isparta Turkey, his ethical lapses, have led me to believe that he does not belong on the dais.

Click to embiggen

How to separate personal life from public life can be a tricky question.   

The Miami Herald article on the race points out Gonzalez's bankruptcy, his delinquent tax status and a $1m judgment against him.  These are all yellow flags.  Imagine you were hiring someone to handle your money and these flags were there.  Because you are hiring someone to handle your money when you elect a commissioner.   In the job interview, you would bring these up.   

And if the job applicant replied as Gonzalez did, “It has nothing to do with North Bay Village or my service as commissioner of North Bay Village.” I know I wouldn't hire him.  The Yellow Flag would become a Red Flag.  Out of the race.

Because it does have to do with us.  Maybe he learned from his mistakes.  Maybe there's another explanation, but a flat out "None of Your Business" when you are applying for a job that is specifically about financial management?  Find another place.  

Now the question becomes, do you share this in a campaign?  I say yes, it's relevant information and needs to be out there.  It's a very good reason to position one candidate over the other.  It's not unicorns and happy songs.  It's not "PPPositive" but it's real.   We need to know.  

There is a line.  Commissioner Gonzalez and his family are none, zero, of my business or your business.  His religion or lack of is none of my business or your business.  That he leaves the cap off the toothpaste or obsessively keeps putting it back on is none of my business or your business.  And that line has been respected.  

But when it comes to financial misjudgments with other people's money, court cases and tax delinquency, we have to know.  

Decrying negative information as wrong is simply avoiding the complex, intelligent consideration of a candidate's suitability for office.  

Let me give you another example.  A PAC with no known connection to North Bay Village has published a letter that mayoral candidate Jorge Brito received telling him to "cease and desist" his questions about financial irregularities at the Kennedy House and he did not obey.   He neither ceased nor desisted.   

Now this is presented as a negative and I guess it is if you live in a world where random lawyers are the authority to whom you have sworn allegiance but it's important information.   

It says that someone with nothing to gain but who is concerned about wrongdoing does not back down.  I say that's a good thing and I'm glad to know it.  You might think it's a bad thing and be glad to know that.  This is information that should be out there. 

By the way, Brito did not back down and the same person who hired the lawyer to tell him to back down is currently awaiting trial.   

Daniel Patrick Moynihan once famously said, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  And facts sometimes skew negative.  

We're grownups.  We can handle it.  

Kevin Vericker

October 27, 2014

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article2705249.html#storylink=cpy