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There seems to be some question as to whether or not Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez is going to actually increase his own salary. While county commissioners approved a budget Thursday that maxes it out at $250,000 — which is $100K more than he makes right now — Gimenez was coy with the media about whether or not he would apply the budget maximum.
One minute he says he thinks he deserves it and the next he tells a Miami Herald reporter that he “may give money back.”
Then why ask for the increase?
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Don’t be fooled (again). Gimenez — who was rebuffed when he asked commissioners to restore the seat’s pre-2011 $325,000 salary last December in a mid-year budget amendment — has every intention of hiking that salary up. He has three great reasons to do it:
1. He gets to pad his pension
The Florida Retirement System formula pays benefits on a fixed formula and is determined by age, years of service and “the average of the highest five or eight fiscal years of pay.” By jacking his own salary up $100,000 for the last two years to $250,000, he significantly improves that average.
FRS pensions for elected officials are calculated at 3% for each year of service (poor ol’ regular employees only get 1.6%). Gimenez has 16 years, including seven as commissioner before being elected in the recall election of 2011. That adds up to 48% of the average of the best five years salary. Three years at $150K and two at $250K makes an average of $190,000 a year. And 48% of that is $91,200 a year.
And then he gets that for the rest of his life. Along with a $131,000 a year pension from the city of Miami, where he worked as a firefighter, fire chief and city manager.
2. He can hurt the strong mayor initiative in Miami
The biggest sticking point so far in the move to bring a strong mayor form of government to the city of Miami, which Gimenez has publicly opposed, is the salary question. The way the Miami measure is written, the mayor — Francis Suarez and whoever comes after him — would make 75% of the county mayor’s salary and benefits. Repeat, salary and benefits.
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If the mayor gives himself a raise to $250,000 a year, that likely brings his total package up to close to $400,000. That means that Suarez would get a salary of $300,000. This is truly an outrageous amount that voters are not likely to support — which makes it the perfect rallying cry for the anti strong mayor campaign. Watch for mailers that focus on the potential $300K salary Suarez — who currently makes $97,000, part of an compensation package worth $130,000 — would rake in if the referendum passes. That makes for a heavy no argument.
3. It’s $200K more in two years
He’ll be ballin’ with a free, extra $100K a year for no good reason. It adds up to $200K these last two years and, since we figure he can squirrel some of it away, he can continue to afford fancy trips with his wife to Asia and Paris on the public dime.
In fact, Gimenez has been living off the public teet for so long, he feels like this is the next natural step.
Unfortunately for us, there is very little we can do about it. But if Ladra recalls correctly, insane, six-figure salary increases were among the reasons that former Mayor Carlos Alvarez got recalled in the first place. Yes, the Marlins stadium deal was part of it, but the increase in taxes to pay for extravagant salaries was part of it.
Maybe it’s time we start talking about recalling another Carlos. At the very least, it’ll screw up his potential pension average a little.
When was the last time you got a six figure raise?
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez gets a $100,000-a-year raise, nearly doubling his salary to $250,000 a month beginning in October, because, well, because he can.
As strong mayor, he is his own boss and can apparently decide to give himself a raise whenever he wants. No performance evaluation. No bargaining. No nada.
If you will recall, Gimenez cut the mayor’s salary when he was first elected post recall in 2011. He brought the salary of $325,000 — which fueled the Carlos Alvarez recall as much as the Marlins stadium deal — down to $150,000. Now that he’s termed out, he wants more. The county commission approved a budget Thursday that includes the pay raise, without any real discussion as to whether the mayor deserves it.
When was the last time you got a 67% raise? When was the last time you received a raise without a performance evaluation?
“Based on what? Raises should be based on something he’s done,” said former Commissioner Juan Zapata, a potential mayoral candidate for 2020. “Has he lowered taxes? Has he fixed any major problem?
“This is not the right amount. This is not the right time. It makes no sense to normal human beings,” Zap added. “I don’t know anybody whose paycheck has gone up more than 60%.
“It’s an insult. It’s offensive.”
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So let’s do what the commission failed to do, shall we? Let’s give Gimenez — who has been spending less time at work and more time soliciting contributions for his chosen political gang — a performance evaluation.
On infrastructure he gets an F. On everyone’s number one problem, transit, he gets an F. He promoted the smart plan during his last mayoral campaign and promised new rail in TV commercials only to say later that there was no money for rail and he was going to buy buses instead. That makes him a liar.
He says there is no money for rail but he forgets to say that it is because he has been stealing the half penny tax voters approved in 2002 to pay for more rail in order to pay for operations and maintenance. He want to keep stealing those People Transportation Plan funds this year to the tune of $90 something million.
On investments he gets an F. He may brag about the state of the economy, but that’s mostly state-driven, something Rick Scott can brag about not him. The mayor must be evaluated based on people’s investment in unincorporated Miami-Dade. And developers would rather be water boarded.
On management he gets an F. The level of services provided by Miami-Dade has diminished while the fees for those services have gone up. That’s just backwards. Services up and fees down deserve a raise, not the other way around.
On economic development he gets an F. Gimenez may say to look at the airport and seaport. But those are self-sustaining economic engines that he can’t crap up. What did Miami-Dade get for all his little trips abroad? What new businesses has he brought? How has he diversified our economy?
What big problem has he fixed?
Do we have a new civil courthouse to replace the really toxic one making people sick? Have we restored all the library hours and park services cut in 2013 and 14? Do we have a seamless procurement process that is not plagued with problems, complaints and accusations of cooked deals? Do we have happy county employees? Do we have open, transparent government for real?
No, no, no, no and no.
At the same time, we are rewarding a man who abuses his office and power often and usually to benefit himself or someone on his friends and family plan.
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Did he get a $200 an hour job for his best friend in water in sewer? Did he secure a job for his daughter in law with a county vendor? Did he take yearly junkets around the world on the taxpayer dime? Did he give a $4 million no bid contract to the construction company that employed his son Julio Gimenez? Did he delay an elections department deadline for his other son, the lobbyist CJ Gimenez (photo, right) making a career out of his bloodline?
Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.
These failures and abuses should not be rewarded with a raise. In fact, any number of these by themselves could be a good reason to fire Gimenez. After all, Alvarez was recalled on similar grounds.
The final part of this review should be to determine if Miami-Dade is better or worse off today because of his “leadership.” It’s a cost benefit analysis: In the end, does Carlos Gimenez add value or cost us opportunities?
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