The word is out there again: Recall
Every so often, there are rumors about a recall of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez — who made his lucky break on the recall of another Carlos — since he was elected after a special and historic mayoral recall.
It happened early last year, after Gimenez cozied up to our racist U.S. president and betrayed this community on sanctuary cities and a few years before that when he proposed to close down libraries and fire police and firefighters. Both times, thousands of people protested and many of them begged for a recall, but no actual petition ever materialized.
In 2014, there was an actual — albeit emotionally-fueled and feeble — recall attempt by a bereaved, retired firefighter father whose son died in a boating accident after the mayor cut fire boat services. Jack Garcia was not able to raise much money for his cause, however, and suspended the campaign after six weeks, calling it a victory because Gimenez restored fire boat services.
Read related: Carlos Gimenez recall is recalled after budget concessions
Today, it’s a number of insults and abuses: The $100k raise he wants, the hiked water fees, the stealing of the half-penny tax to pay for operations, the refusal to build rail to the south, the travel on taxpayer dime, the pushing for the Kendall Parkway MDX extension, the abuse of power to help his lobbyist son, the parceling away of our county piece by piece to his friends and family.
There is definitely an anti-Gimenez sentiment en la calle and Ladra thinks it would not be difficult to collect the 60,000 or so valid signatures we would need, especially during early voting next month and on Nov. 6, when hundreds of thousands of eligible voters head to the polls for the midterms.
Read related: Termed out Mayor Carlos Gimenez gives self undeserved 70% pay raise
But let’s face it: Recall efforts cost money. A lot of money. Just ask auto mogul Norman Braman, who bankrolled the ouster of former mayor Carlos Alvarez to make room for the rise of Gimenez. Ever wonder if Braman is even a little bit sorry? It would cost even more now because Gimenez can raise a ton against it from the interests that benefit from him staying in office.
So, who besides Braman has the kind of money that could make a recall happen? Well, maybe father and son Suarez.
Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez — who has half a million in his Imagine Miami PAC — wants to be county mayor in 2020 but Gimenez is going to do whatever he can to stop him. And the mayor is already giving Baby X, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a major challenge on the strong mayor referendum. A recall of Gimenez now can save the fam some future headaches.
First, article 8.02 of the Miami-Dade municipal code requires we send a proposed draft petition, including ballot language, to the county clerk, who must give it the legal green light. Any elected official is eligible for recall, but it must be one year since last elected. Check on that.
Read related: Mayor Carlos Gimenez clan involved in Joe Carollo lawsuit vs strong mayor
Then we have to get four percent of the eligible voters of Miami-Dade to sign that approved recall petition. That’s four percent of 1,406,082 (as of last July, so it might be a little more). That means you need to get 56,243 signatures. Or maybe 80,000 signatures or so to make sure that 60,000 are good.
That does not seem insurmountable with the upcoming election coming. Not if you have enough people collecting signatures.
You can also appeal to the nearly half million people who voted for the Pets’ Trust initiative only to have Gimenez slap them in the face and refuse to respect their vote. I’d be willing to bet we can get 50,000 just among them.
Once we collect the signatures, we have to present them back to the clerk for canvassing and confirmation. Once they are confirmed, they go to the county commission, which then has to set the recall election no more than 45 to 90 days after they were confirmed.
That means we could be rid of Gimenez by February. Que alivio.
This is also arguably our last chance to recall him before his term is up in 2020 — and Gimenez can do a lot of damage between now and then. So if anyone is in any kind of position to help fund a recall effort — and yes, X, Ladra is talking to you — please don’t let this timely opportunity slip by.
It’s now or never.

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As expected, there are going to be a plethora of PACs pitching a yes vote on three controversial city of Miami ballot questions to voters — and, so far, nothing on the “vote no” side.
Joining the strong mayor initiative and stadium park retail center initiatives, which are getting all the attention, is also a question about a 99-year lease on the city’s Miami Riverside Center administrative building that nobody really knows anything about (more on that later).
These important referendum questions on the Nov. 6 ballot are being pushed and promoted by someone or other. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez for the first two, and Jorge Mas and David Beckham and Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo on the soccer stadium for starters. These people and others who will profit from these measures will use PACs to push the yes vote.
Read related: Miami Commission should kick no-bid soccer shopping center out of Melreese
So far, there doesn’t seem to be any “vote no” PACs forming. And isn’t that usually the case? That’s why getting it on the ballot is so important to these special interests. Once it’s going before voters, it’s just a sales job.
We already know about Miamians for an Independent and Accountable Mayor’s Initiative, which spent practically all the $275,000 it has already raised since launched in March to get the strong mayor petitions signed and the question on the ballot. This PAC also has a website at strongmiami.com to promote the measure. Ladra is pretty sure we have not heard the last from them.
But there are at least three other PACs for the November election that have appeared in just the last six weeks.
Two of those committees came on board last month.
Building Miami’s Future filed Aug. 10 for the vague purpose of “Special Referendum Election in the City of Miami.” But we know it’s the MRC question because the only contribution so far is for in-kind polling data by FredrickPolls valued at $14,000 and paid for by Adler Development Group, which wants to redevelop the city-owned property into a mixed-use complex with four towers. This PAC has Steven Brownstein as the chairman, Tina Spano as treasurer and Morgan Sirlin as deputy treasurer.
Read related: Mayor Carlos Gimenez clan involved in Joe Carollo lawsuit vs strong mayor
Accountable Miami PC filed Aug. 24 with the equally vague purpose of “Miami ballot issues” and has already collected $11,000 from banker Leonard Abess, Sergio’s CEO Carlos Gazitua and attorney Juan Mayol. Daniel Milian is the chairman. Political CPA Jose “Pepe” Riesco is treasurer and Jeannine Miranda is deputy treasurer. Ladra bets it’s a pro strong mayor PAC, seeing as how more accountability is the presumed outcome.
Another PAC turned up just last week.
The transparently named Miami Freedom Park Political Committee filed its documents with the city on Sept. 17 for the purpose of  “advocating for a Local Referendum amending the City charter.” Pablo Alvarez is the chairman, and Riesco and Miranda again as the CPAs.
That’s at least four PACs so far — there could be more registered at the state level — that will be vying for your attention, urging yes votes on the strong mayor, the MRC lease and the soccer stadium retail complex.
The poor no vote side never gets any organized money — except maybe, in this case, we just might see some against the strong mayor question coming from Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo or Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez or both.
Ladra will keep an eye on these PACs and any others that may form in the coming weeks so we can figure out who is investing in these three ballot questions and how much — and why.
This post was not paid for nor approved by any committee for anything.

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It took him more than 30 years to finally get a seat at the table, or rather dais. But less than 12 months after being elected to the Miami city commission last November, Manolo Reyes is already campaigning again for next year.
He hasn’t really stopped.
With $116,000 already in the campaign coffers, according to campaign reports filed with the city, Reyes — who won a special election to fill the seat vacated by then commissioner, now mayor Francis Suarez — had a fundraiser Thursday at Cuban Crafters hosted by all four of the other city commissioners. Sources say it netted at least another $30,000.
Reyes is the only incumbent who has started raising money for the 2019 election.
Read related: In Miami, Manolo Reyes finally wins and Carollo vs Leon… or Barreiro?
He may not look like he needs it now, as there is nobody yet lined up against him (activist and wannabe consultant Tony Diaz withdrew), but there are rampant rumors that a female candidate is going to jump in and make a campaign issue out of Miami’s all-male board.
Las malas lenguas say that female candidate is Maryin Vargas, who just lost a barely-there challenge against Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa that got her 24% of the vote.
Vargas — who apparently campaigned mostly in the Flagami neighborhoods that overlap with Miami District 4 — was reportedly recruited by Commissioner Xavier Suarez, who has denied it. He also initially denied putting anyone up against Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz, but then endorsed Rafael Alberto Pinyero, who lost with 26% of the vote.
And it might make sense that he wants to run someone against Reyes, who has come out against both his son’s strong mayor initiative and the giveaway of the Melreese Golf Course for a soccer stadium and retail/hotel/office complex.
Even though both those things are coming to the ballot before Reyes, the general sentiment is that the Suarezes would prefer to have someone on the dais that was more friendly to the Baby X agenda.
Either way, anybody pretending to run against Reyes is going to have to catch up to his fundraising lead.

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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?
Read related: Termed out Mayor Carlos Gimenez gives self undeserved 70% pay raise
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.
Read related: Mayor Carlos Gimenez clan involved in Joe Carollo lawsuit vs. strong mayor
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.

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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.”
Read related: Carlos Gimenez has new role as rainmaker — soliciting for 10 PACs
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.

Read related: Carlos Gimenez son’s firm got $4 million PAC repair job
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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