Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Grieco, who is running for mayor this year, may not have an opponent yet. But he’s already the target of negative attacks trying to link him to a new shady PAC collecting big donations from people or companies with interests in the city.

Whoever sent the email Tuesday that makes Grieco look like he’s bought and paid for — and we don’t know who it was because there was no disclaimer — also made it look like it came from the commissioner himself. Cute.

“I’m often asked, why on Earth would you run for office? The answer is pretty simple actually. There’s a nice dollar to be made off of the people’s back,” the email starts, underneath a postcard painting Grieco as a celebrity attorney because he may have represented Justin Bieber for five seconds.

“Sometimes ‘keeping celebs outta jail’ just doesn’t cut it. As long as you set up a secret Political Action Committee, anyone can run for office successfully. Luckily, I’m here to share my secrets with you.”

The email goes on to have Grieco proudly claim he has raised more than $190,000 “to finance a dirty campaign for mayor” through a political action committee, People for Better Leaders. “If you thought Philip Levine‘s all-time dirty Relentless for Progress PAC was good, wait until you check out my financials,” it says providing a screen shot of the PAC’s contributions, listing multiple vendors and contractors with business interests in the Beach and/or items before the commission.

The email is signed Michael “Grafty” Grieco. Told you it was cute. But is it truthful? It certainly isn’t transparent.

“Fake news and alternative facts,” said Grieco, who told Ladra that he had nothing to do with the PAC and did not know who was running it.

Documents filed with the Division of Florida Elections say that somebody named Brian George is the chairman and un fulano tal Brian Abraham is the treasurer. But the telephone number listed with filing documents was not accepting calls Tuesday. Sure, some of the donors match Grieco’s campaign donors, as the email suggests. But they also match donors for other candidates in the past and for Levine’s shady PAC, which he shared with former Commissioner Jonah Wolfson.

“I am not actively raising soft money,” Grieco told Ladra, referring to the term used for PAC contributions, which have “softer” rules about ethical campaigning. Grieco added that he was “strictly raising hard money” and would report “well in excess of $300,000” in next month’s report. He already has $234,000 in his campaign account.

City rules prohibit Grieco from getting campaign contributions from contractors or vendors who do business with the city or want to. PACs provide a loophole, but new county rules require candidates to disclose if they are soliciting funds for a political action committee. Grieco says he doesn’t have a PAC but, if he opens one, it will have his name on it. While he has donations from people who own businesses on Ocean Drive, he says they gave to him despite him having voted against their interests — voting to eliminate the “to-go” cups and ban alcohol sales past 2 a.m. — because they believe in his leadership.

“I will continue to raise money openly and cleanly,” said Grieco, who spent Tuesday morning talking to about 200 people at his own breakfast meeting.

If people want to send cowardly, misleading emails with fake news and alternative facts, they will. There’s a list of powerful people who don’t want me to be mayor.”

On that list, one might find Mayor Levine — who has been pissed at Grieco since the latter came out against the storm water increases and then the Cuban embassy — and Wolfson, who just hates everybody, and Commissioner Ricky Arriola, who wanted to run for mayor until a poll told him Grieco would devour him whole. The PAC could belong to one of them. It could belong to someone else. It could be anyone’s really. It doesn’t have to be Grieco’s or an opponent’s. It could be anyone who wants to hurt the commissioner’s chances in November (see names above).

In fact, that attack email could have been sent and paid for by People for Better Leaders, for all we know. Or any one of the six — count ’em, six! — committees listed on the city’s website for this election.

Ladra is certain we haven’t seen the last anonymous assault.

Coral Gables Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick is going to ask her colleagues Tuesday to put the future of a controversial sculpture of flowers on Segovia Street in the hands of voters, with a referendum on the April ballot to relocate the $1 million work of art to almost any place else.

But it’s an uphill battle. Commissioners already voted earlier this month to reject a petition by area residents who are upset not only at the aesthetic they say is incompatible with that part of the City Beautiful, but also with the process by which it was put there, with no public input. Petitioners gathered more than 1,500 signatures, way short of the 6,000 that are required by city ordinance for a citizen petition to make it on the ballot. The vote was 4-1, with only Slesnick supporting the citizen-driven action.

“I may not even get a second,” Slesnick told Ladra. But she’s going for it anyway. 

One thing is for sure: Such a measure on the ballot would certainly not hurt her mayoral campaign. People driven to vote on that question would likely vote for Slesnick over former Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli. Slesnick told Ladra that was not her motivation.

“I’m doing it because I believe people ought to have a say. There was a different city manager who ran things his way. It was done in a closed process,” the commissioner said, adding that there was little to no public input on the selection and placement of the sculpture. The selection was made during the reign of former City Manager Pat Salerno, who was pressured to resign after he was caught lying to commissioners.

“I want things out in the open. What’s wrong with letting the people of Coral Gables vote on whether or not they want it moved? I’m for listening to the people,” Slesnick said. “I’ve gotten more mail on this issue than any other issue in the Gables, except maybe the Paseo development.”

Well, wait… didn’t she lose that fight?

City staffers have repeatedly said that there were a number of public hearings before Passion, the sculpture by Alice Aycock, chosen from 180 applicants, was approved unanimously at a November 2014 meeting purchased and placed on the traffic circle a block west from City Hall on Biltmore Way in July. It wasn’t installed overnight, they say. But residents said they were caught unaware and are overwhelmingly against it. They say it is distracting to drivers and not in keeping with the historic Mediterranean vibe of the area. Some don’t like the artwork itself. Most say they like it fine, just not there.

Other locations that have been brought up, and which admittedly seem more compatible, are Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Ponce Circle Park and, more recently, Country Club Prado.  Ladra likes Ponce Circle Park because it looks like it would look really spectacular from the high up in the highrises that surround it.

Obviously, commissioners don’t want to have to move it (and everybody knows that is how the vote will turn out right?). Mayor Jim Cason has said that he believes such a move would hurt the city’s Art in Public Places program. That’s why they rejected the petition when they could have certainly voted to make an exception and accept it.

But 6,000 for a citizen petition seems excessive in the Gables, where the last election drew 7,800 voters and Mayor Cason was elected by fewer people (4,424).  Even Commissioner Frank Quesada, who won with 73% of the vote, was elected by 5,305 people, almost 700 fewer than the required magic number. In 2013, both commissioners Patricia Keon and Vince Lago were elected with just over half the required petition signatures.

Ladra believes this number of roughly 6,000 — or a little more than since it’s 20% of the registered voters — was set in stone during or after the truck ban petition put the parking of pick up trucks on the ballot. And it seems like the number is high. Should it take twice as many people to get a question on the ballot as it does to elect someone?

And here’s the thing: It’s going to be on the ballot one way or  another — either in the transparent form as a referendum or as a campaign issue for Slesnick. Because the active residents who collected the signatures can use all that energy to help Slesnick win the mayoral race. And who do you think the 1,500 signors are going to vote for?

Certainly Lago and Keon, who may both face opposition in their re-election, could avoid negative mailers that say they refused to let the people decide by just letting the people vote. What do they have to lose?

But if they vote no Tuesday, they could lose their seats.

It’s the last week of the first month of the new year — and there’s lots going on.

From the megamall discussion at the Miami-Dade Commission to an upzone request in Doral to a town hall “brainstorming session” (read: campaign event) in Coral Gables — this is where and when we watch our government and politicians in action.

But also, it’s the first week without a Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club in Miami Beach. Sad. Someone please, please find a new venue before the election cycle gets in full swing.

As always, please keep sending news about meetings, campaign rallies, political club powwows and other events to edevalle@gmail.com. Last week, we had to add a couple of last minute items after posting because there were important events we weren’t aware of and should have been. This is your Cortadito Calendar, after all.

TUESDAY — Jan.  24

9 a.m. — The controversial  metal flower sculpture at Segovia Street and Coral Way and the North Ponce de Leon Boulevard Mixed-Use Overlay District will be hot topics at the Coral Gables Commission meeting Tuesday. Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick wants to put a question on the April ballot asking voters if they want the flower sculpture, which many residents have complained about, to remain or be moved elsewhere (more on that later). Commissioners will also take their first vote on the North Ponce Overlay. They’ve been talking about it since 2014, getting feedback from the community on this effort to develop North Ponce commercially but also protect the residential neighborhood adjacent to it. It aims to provide buffers and pedestrian connectors and to support historic preservation. As if that wasn’t enough, they will also consider beginning negotiations with a vendor on the redevelopment of two downtown parking garages. Commissioner Vince Lago wants his colleagues to consider the creation of a “parking code.” They’ll also talk about a 25 MPH limit in residential zones. And Mayor Jim Cason has a “special message.” Oh, boy. You might want to take a snack.

9:30 a.m — You may want to take two snacks to what looks like a mammoth Miami Dade Commission meeting Tuesday. They will consider spending a lot of money Tuesday. A lot of money. One contract on the agenda is for a $428.7 million to Trillium Transportation Fuels for compressed natural gas as well as issuing $100 million of the Jackson Memorial Public Facilities bond monies, another $11 million in bond funds (to be repaid by the developer) for a pubic housing project known as La Joya Estates in District 9, and a $3 million contract to Bermello, Ajamil and Partners to plan and design the master plan for the seaport. They will also consider resolutions urging state legislators to (1) enact legislation that would divert excess MDX funds to Miami-Dade County for transit projects, (2) contain utility fees and (3) oppose legislation that would allow concealed weapons on university and college campuses, among other messages they are sending to Tallahassee. They will also talk about two neighorhood traffic studies, the awarding of 59 grants for a total of $470,000 ($308,000 to promot tourism and $160,00 for cultural groups), enhanced penalties for wage theft and creating three more of those special taxing districts (for street lights). Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez will also provide ideas on possible funding for The Underline, which is not controversial (not yet, anyway; wait until he starts awarding the work) and reports on the costs of creating a multi-use path around Miami Executive Airport and preventing condominium association fraud, for which he has apparently assembled a Condominium Fraud Task Force comprised of Miami-Dade Police with the help from officers in Miami Beach, Surfside, North Miami Beach and Aventura. Ladra doubts commissioners will get out of there before 6 p.m.

7 p.m. — Developer Armando Codina, who built downtown Doral, wants the Doral City Council to upzone 10+ acres north of 41st Street between 107th and 109th avenues, from business and office residential to — what else? — high density residential. The council will consider this on Wednesday so former Doral City Attorney, Joe Jimenez — who know works as Vice President of legal and government affairs for Codina — is going to have a community workshop meeting the day before to address residents’ concerns. The powwow begins at 7 p.m. in the first floor conference room at City Hall, 8401 NW 53rd Ter., and will end after the last question is answered, Jimenez said.

WEDNESDAY — Jan. 25

9:30 a.m. — Even though a lot is happening Tuesday, this is the Miami-Dade County Commission meeting that everybody is talking about this week. Wednesday’s meeting is on amendments to the Comprehensive Master Development Plan and the main item on the agenda is the megamall and shopping themed amusement park called American Dream Miami on some 200 plus acres north of Northwest 178th Street between I-75 and the Florida Turnpike (more on this later). This is the land that Gimenez made sure the developers got at a discount price while he secretly negotiated the deal for months. Wednesday is only the first of several public hearings that could draw a lot of speakers. The main opposition so far has come from the owners of the competing malls and people who live in Miami Lakes or Pine Springs North, who already have to deal with blasting from the nearby quarries. On Wednesday, we will really get to see how this fight is going to shape up.

9:30 a.m. — The Pinecrest Village Council has will continue a worskhop from last week on the development of a strategic plan that directs the Village’s efforts and actions as well as informs the budgetary process for the next five to eight years. It is in council chambers at the Pinecrest Municipal Center, 12645 Pinecrest Parkway.

6 p.m. –Developer Armando Codina, who built downtown Doral, wants the Doral City Council to rezone 10+ acres north of 41st Street between 107th and 109th avenues, from business and office residential to — what else? — high density residential. The application says this use is consistent with the surrounding area and the city’s master plan objective of providing a wide range of housing options and rates. Of course it does. Ladra expects quite a few people to speak against this planned development of 250 units, to be called Doral 4200, because traffic in Doral is already a huge problem. The developers even expect push back, which is why they had that workshop meeting Tuesday. Newly elected Mayor J.C. Bermudez made the traffic due to overdevelopment part of his campaign. Ladra can’t imagine he’s going to be favorable. And the council is also considering a site plan for a medical plaza on the west side of 109th, among other things. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 8401 NW 53rd Ter.

THURSDAY — Jan. 26

6 p.m. — Coral Gables Commissioner and 2017 mayoral candidate Jeannett Slesnick will have another one of her community meetings. This one is called a “brainstorming session” and residents are asked to weigh in on a number of topics, including traffic, annexation, city services, speed limits and development, among others. Hmmm… wait a minute. Those look like campaign issues. Is this a live poll in disguise? “She wants to hear from you,” shouts the email blast, and that is a great campaign message. She is so in touch. And is that why there is a registration that starts at 5 p.m.? Slesnick already has an enviable email list but there’s no harm in adding to it. And this will provide her with more official contact with voters — but she’s always in contact with everybody, so Ladra is sure she would do it anyway. It just becomes extra helpful two and a half months before the election. And it being a city event, it won’t costs the campaign a dime to have this event in the Alhambra Ballroom at the Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave.

6 p.m. — Miami-Dade Commissioner Javier Souto has one of his town hall meetings at Kendall Soccer Park, 8011 SW 127 Ave. Residents who live in that District 10 area can go and learn about services or give their complaints to the commissioner and/or his staff. If you miss it, don’t worry, there will be another one next month at the West Dade Regional Library.

FRIDAY — Jan. 27

9:00 a.m. — The Citizens Independent Transportation Trust hosts a “Municipal Transportation Workshop” every year to provide information updates and new program requirements to officials from the cities receiving Surtax funds. After opening statements by OCITT Executive Director Charles Scurr, they will discuss future initiatives, best practices, a major corridor overview — all are on the agenda, which is designed to engage the participants in panel discussions and allow municipal representatives to present and highlight their transportation achievements using PTP funds. This event also allows municipalities to communicate directly with Transportation Trust and other county staff to discuss matters of mutual concern. In the theater at the History Miami Museum, 101 West Flagler St.

Municipal and state candidates wait in the wings

If anyone ever made an argument for term limits, it was Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo just last week when he was sworn in as the new chairman of the board and talked about actually making decisions in the next two years because, after all, this is his last term and he’s got a looming deadline.

“We embark on a new era, an era that is tied directly to term limits, and that is going to affect how we conduct the business of the people of Miami-Dade,” Bovo said “It becomes very clear to me that we have to work in an expedited fashion.”

Apparently so.

Read related story: Carlos Gimenez, er, Stevie Bovo wins commission chair

Bovo ain’t alone in preparing his exit. Term limits approved by voters in 2012 mean that six commissioners will be out of office and replaced in 2020 (Jordan, Edmonson, Barreiro, Suarez, Moss and Bovo). Another six will be replaced in 2022 (Monestime, Heyman, Levine Cava, Sosa, Souto and Diaz), leaving only newly elected Commissioner Joe Martinez (that sounds weird) on the dais with 12 fresh faces. Although “fresh” might be an overstatement.

This is the 305, after all, where recycling politicians is not just a sport, it’s a cottage industry. The most likely replacements will be electeds who move up the political ladder from municipal office or down from the state legislature to Miami-Dade.

It’s no secret, for example, that State Sen. Anitere Flores has long been eyeing Commissioner Javier Souto‘s county seat and that former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner is waiting for Commissioner Xavier Suarez to be termed out so she can run for an open seat.

Flores pretty much has it in the bag. But Lerner might find, however, that it’s not going to be just handed over to her. Coral Gables Commissioner Vince Lago surely has higher aspirations and Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, who is termed out this year, may find retirement boring. Anything is better than Mayor Carlos Gimenez wanting his old seat back or, knock on wood, his lobbyist son, who just started his own consulting firm wheeling and dealing for Latin American interests who want the ear of our President Donald Trump.

Read related story: Mayor’s son lobbies Trump with silent, same ol’ partners

Some districts have more potential hopefuls waiting in the wings than others. Take Commissioner Bruno Barreiro‘s seat. His replacement could come from either Miami Beach or the city of Miami. Maybe Miami Commissioner Frank Carollo hasn’t filed paperwork because he’s thinking of jumping the bridge to the 111 building. Ladra wouldn’t be surprised at all if former Commissioner Marc Sarnoff ran. He’s been conspicuously quiet. And what if former Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla thinks the city of Miami is too small for him?

But this is also an opportunity for former Miami Beach Commissioners Deede Weithorn and Michael Gongora (pictured here), both of whom lost state bids last year. It very well could turn into a Miami vs. Miami Beach thing.

District 13 might also get a clusterbunch of candidates when Bovo runs for mayor in 2020. Ladra suspects that newly-elected Miami Lakes Mayor Manny Cid has aspirations beyond the town. He just seems so ambitious. And he’s worked closely with Bovo on several district initiatives. Chances are, just from the sheer number of them, that he will have a challenge out of Hialeah. Maybe Carlos Hernandez. Maybe Vivian Casals-Munoz. Maybe even State Rep. Eddy Gonzalez, who has been quietly lobbying for the megamall development in Northwest Miami-Dade, which is coming before the commission this week (more on that later).

Homestead Mayor Jeff Porter ought to run for Daniella Levine Cava‘s seat in District 8. It’s really a good way to continue to advocate for your hometown, which is largely ignored. Ladra thinks he’d get the support of the Democrats and labor groups that supported Daniella. We would have said former Sen. Dwight Bullard would run for Levine’s or Moss’s seat — whichever one he lived in — except he apparently moved to Gadsen County to run for chairman of the Florida Democratic Party. He may move back. It’s not unthinkable. And don’t count former Commissioner Lynda Bell out. Sure, she lost to Levine Cava in 2012, but she could come back. Stranger things have happened. Recently. The very Repubican pro-life advocate may feel empowered.

Read related story: Voters replace Luigi Boria with first mayor J.C. Bermudez

Former Doral Councilwoman Sandra Ruiz might jump at the chance to run for Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz‘s seat. She might finally be able to win one, with the Democratic Party’s help again, especially if her only opponent is Sweetwater Mayor Orlando Lopez. But there’s always the hope of a rematch. After all, former Doral Mayor Luigi Boria , who loaned himself quite a bit for a failed mayoral re-election, has the money to run another race if his ego gets the best of him. And, now, he also has the time. But Ruiz likely has the support of Doral Mayor J.C. Bermudez, who just beat Boria decidedly in November. That is, if he doesn’t run himself. It isn’t entirely out of the question either; Bermudez at one point mulled a run for county mayor.

Certainly, Ladra has forgotten some notable recyclables who are just chomping at the bit. Please feel free to add your own predictions in the comments below.

Of course, all these “new” people — recycled electeds and any fresh faces that may sprout — start with the clock running already. Nobody is going to get 27 years, like Souto and Commissioner Dennis Moss will have served by the time they are forced to leave the dais almost, practically at gunpoint. The new batch of commissioners will have only eight short (?) years to get things done and that’s it. Then there’s a whole new crop of people coming in every four years. The turnaround should be a fantastic motivator.

Maybe we should shorten term limits to four years. Imagine how much more would get done.

Reports would include data on no-bid contracts

Three days after he was sworn in earlier this month, new Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Esteban Bovo sent a couple of memos to all the commissioners and several staffers telling them this is his show now and we’re doing things a little differently.

Not because he flagrantly doled out committee chairs to his pals. Everybody new chairman does that. Ah, tradition.

No, Bovo set the tone with what seem like some relevant changes that would better inform the commission and the public before decisions are made, increase transparency on no-bid contracts and waivers and reform the county auditor’s office — which is so clueless, it failed to catch and report the garage full of parked, unused hybrid county vehicles, the Frost Museum emergency, the special taxing district fiasco and the scam at the airport involving the light fixtures.

Read related story: Miami-Dade special taxing districts = free-for-all shell game?

In fact, no one can remember a single audit in more than a decade that has exposed any major errors (and there have been many) or led to any change in policy. Because they get all their information from the administatrion, the Office of Commission Auditor  just regurgitates whatever Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and his top cronies say. The auditor’s reports mirror those from the Gimenez administration. This from a department that costs $2.5 million in taxpayer funds.

Bovo talked about making changes when he was sworn in Jan. 9, about wanting the auditor to have more teeth and provide the commission with more tools to do the job. Three days later, he sent a memo that indicates his desire to expand the office of the auditor’s analytical role and have them prepare legislative reports with historical data that would be due by 5 p.m. the day before any committee meeting — beginning next month.

These reports would include:

• An overview of legislative items assigned to each committee
• A detailed analysis of items that involved the expenditure of county funds or that have been identified by the mayor’s office as having a fiscal impact
• A detailed analysis of proposed county contract awards and requests to reject all bids
• A detailed analysis of mayoral requests for bid waivers and legacy contracts (which is another way to say bid waiver)
• A legislative history and relevant contextual information pertinent to legislative items appearing on a committee agenda
• Information requested by the committee

Pay particular attention to the third and fourth bullet. Because while Bovo and Gimenez are pals and allies, this could signal that Bovo is not necessarily going to rubberstamp all the mayor’s gifts to those on his friends and family plan. Asking for a detailed analysis, or list, of bid waivers and legacy (or no-bid) contracts and requests to reject all bids may also send a message to the mayor: Stop doing that.

Bovo should add “emergency purchase orders” to the list, like the $1 million “emergency purchase agreement” with Crystal Mover Services on Tuesday’s agenda, to extend their services, operating and maintaining the people mover at MIA’s north terminal, for 60 days.

In other words Bovo’s changes come late and Ladra, for one, can’t wait to see the first of these reports.

Read related story: New Miami-Dade committee structure — winners and losers

Not everyone is convinced, though. Former Commissioner Juan Zapata, who long railed against the lack of information from the auditor’s office, tweeted the day after Bovo’s swearing-in, to say that the idea was lofty.

“Moving audit staff to committees wont work. Info & systems controlled by admin. They love to play games. #lackoftransparency,” he tweeted on Jan. 10. When Ladra pressed for more details, Zap sent a text.

“Auditor’s office is not staffed to be able to deal with that task and the commission has no independent source of info,” he wrote. “All sources controlled by the administation,” he wrote. “I had legislation that would have eliminated the requirement that commission auditor be a CPA. It needs to be an analyst and the office should be about government performance, not chasing info that never gets acted upon.”

Others warned that the current employees in the office don’t have the skill set for legislative analysis. Basically they just add and subtract.

Bovo did not return calls and text messages. But his legislative aide, Alex Annunziato, whose own profile is considerably elevated now (and who should be chief of staff), told Ladra that all but two of the 20 positions in the auditor’s office are for accountants. But that could change. Vacancies could be filled by people with more of a legislative background.

“It ought to resemble more an auditor at the state level… An independent, investigative function,” Annunziato said.  “They should provide historical analysis and data so the commission doesn’t have to solely rely on the administration’s information.”

An auditor that is truly independent. Imagine that.

Another less dramatic change Bovo is making is to the commission staff briefings.

Aides used to meet on Fridays before a commission meeting with the preliminary agenda and go over their respective boss’ items one by one, but offered very little backup material. Basically they read the title of each item tomando cafe y hechandose fresco. Bovo moved the meetings to 1:30 p.m. Monday or the day before the commission meeting, which is when the agenda closes and there are no more changes. He will also require commission aides and/or departmental personnel to really work for the item if there is a cost associated with it.

“You have to come down and you have to be able to justify the expense,” Annunziato said.

“We want to sit down and rehearse the meeting, see what items we can dispense with first that will get as many people from the public, who have taken time out of their day to speak, back to work as soon as possible,” Annunziato told Ladra Friday.

Items that are more controversial or complex will be taken earlier, “when people are still fresh,” Annunziato added. “We’re going to have a script.”

That’s going to be welome news to the activists who are used to being made wait hours and hours, right Michael Rosenberg?