The political landscape reflects the politics of greed
By Derek Joy
Take a quick look around the political landscape.
Just for a minute, look at Miami Dade County and its four largest municipalities. And for good measure, through in Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel.
In doing so, one may well gain a bit of objective perspective in the efforts of political consultant Vanessa Britto, who is reportedly mounting a petition to recall Miami Garden’s Mayor Oliver Gilbert III.
But wait just a minute.
Miami Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez campaigned for re-election on a platform that included no tax in-creases. Yet he finds himself faced with reduced services, including closed fire stations and laying off firefighters while people dependent upon those services are dying.
City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado sits amid scandalous fraud charges being filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission against the city’s former budget director.
And as if that isn’t enough, the U. S. Justice Department swung the axe on the city of Miami Police Department for excessive use of force in the shooting deaths of some eight Black Americans in a very short period of time.
Shift to Miami Beach where Mayor Matti Herrera Bower ramrodded a choice of contractors to handle the $1-billion renovation of the Convention Center and the redevelopment of the surrounding area. She did so over some validate concerns raised by Commissioner Jonah M. Wolfson, among others.
Oh, yeah. There’s that issue of the Boletera (absentee ballot broker) in Hialeah. Scandalous and scurrilous action for sure.
So, why isn’t Britto mounting recall drives against any of the suspect politicians in those municipalities?
Instead, she answered the cry for help of Miami Garden’s resident Fannie Arnold to recall Gilbert for reasons that aren’t listed in the statutory requirements to validate a recall petition.
Sure looks like something in the milk ain’t clean, especially since Britto hasn’t said who is financing her efforts. Could it be one of the six mayoral candidates – maybe former Councilman Andre Williams – that were soundly whipped at the polls by Gilbert?
Yeah. There’s a bit of scandal in that recall effort. Scurrilous, too.
Without a doubt, Britto will not take her act to Broward County to challenge Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, who took his family of four on a five day cruise on a luxury yacht at a total cost of only $1,500. The value of week’s cruise on that yacht is $190,000.
No. Britto won’t go after Israel. She dare not raise a stink in the city of Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah or Miami Dade County government. She prepares to challenge people of color as easier targets to discriminate against.
Resident of Miami Gardens will see the evildoing that is going on and eventually spank any outsider stirring up unwarranted trouble.
