Bal Harbour Officials Just Don’t Get It

[Re: “Removing the Ban,” by Claudia Boyd-Barrett, published March 20]

Woohoo! We’re improving “safety and the overall quality of life for people in Bal Harbour”! What a crock of shit: opening up the beach to cyclists — not the sidewalks or the jogging path that runs along the shore, but the beach, which I believe isn’t theirs to restrict anyway.

Every day, there are cyclists passing through the city on the roadway. Yet, they won’t get to see the beach, because it’s hard to ride a bike on most of it — it’s too soft; bikes just sink. Inexperienced cyclists (like children) can’t use the sidewalk, because some old lady complained decades ago. They’re just too damn dangerous to be on the sidewalk; let them fend for themselves on the road. Look at all the signs they put up banning bicycles!

To its credit, the City Council is mandating mirrors at exits. Yet, how many people actually look at these mirrors as they speed out of the driveways? While the suits in Bal Harbour are patting themselves on the back, I’d like to kick their asses.

Jae Manzella

Miami Beach

 

How Many Elections Do You Want?

[Re: Letters, “What’s Going on Here?” published April 24.]

The issue posed by Commissioner Richard Steinberg’s decision not to resign before Nov. 4 is not whether there will be an election, but how many elections are to be held in 2009 to fill the same vacancy.
Steinberg is running for state office and must resign his commission seat no later than the Nov. 4 election. Because Steinberg has decided to retain his commission seat until Election Day, the earliest date a special election could be held to fill the vacancy created would be February or March 2009. The seat will be on the general election ballot in November of the same year. Thus, the question squarely posed is not whether there should or should not be an election to fill Commissioner Steinberg’s vacancy, but how many? The city charter anticipates situations such as this by mandating that the commission fill an interim vacancy by appointment.

Frank Del Vecchio
Miami Beach

 

Your Description Was Unfair 

[Re: “SunPost 50,” published April 24.]

I was flattered to be among the people profiled in the SunPost 50. At the same time, I have to say I was concerned to read your description of Peter Ehrlich.

You described the task of building a new Miami Art Museum and its art collection as a “challenge.” Peter has often been a formidable part of this challenge: He opposed the museums being built in Bicentennial Park, he publicly questioned our financing and, in general, made the process more difficult, I believe, than it should have been. On a good day, I would have called Peter maddening, but I would never have called him unethical.

Your mention of his property holdings in conjunction with his involvement with Miami 21 raises eyebrows. At the same time, I would think that using the word “corruption” in this context is extremely unfair without giving your readers more detail as to the issues at hand.

Terry Riley

Director, Miami Art Museum

Congrats, Julie Greiner!

[Re: “The SunPost 50,” published April 24.]

Kudos to the achievement of Macy’s Julie Greiner as one of your SunPost 50 for waking up the city of Miami about downtown’s dismal state. Whether that got the ball rolling in getting the former Downtown Development Authority director to resign is questionable; the real point is that the city has at least attempted to get control of the panhandling situation, and hopefully will be on board with further projects.

However, your article errs in the following way: You rightfully claim that crumbling sidewalks and lots full of garbage embarrassed the DDA, but your contention that it should be up to them to clean up the mess is incorrect. The purpose of the DDA is to promote downtown through representation at trade shows, play host, design advertisements and so forth. Nothing more.

You are trying to assign the job of getting the ball in the hoop to the cheerleader, while the team stands by the sidelines. Because then, pray tell, should the city of Miami be responsible for the Neighborhood Enhancement Team, particularly since they have an extra bureaucratic layer to oversee such things?

People like Commissioner Joe Sanchez, who champions turning the DDA into a beautification/cop agency, simply are looking at an untapped pot of gold which is easier to mine than getting the city to face up to what should be routine responsibilities. But if I were a downtown property owner, I would be furious that my extra property taxes earmarked for promotion would, instead, be used to tidy up the place while the city sleeps.

And if I were a serious economic development or public relations individual, how do you think “director of litter patrol” might look on my future resume? I would not apply for that job.

Arlene Pfeilsticker

Hollywood

A Fly in the Oinkment 

[Re: “The Petulant Blogger and Other Tales,” by Rebecca Wakefield, published April 24.]

Thank you Rebecca Wakefield for single-handedly bringing a momentary dead silence to the usual cacophony of snorting, chortling, grunting, growling and petty-snapping at the Trough of Public Funds, where the daily feeding frenzy continues with its stellar membership — corrupt city officials, local politicians, commissioners, commissionettes, lobbyists, nepotists and other agenda-motivated participants — in full gobble and “as noisy as they wanna be.” Suddenly, as if someone turned on the lights in the Dark Miami Halls of Secrets, Skeletons and other Grizzly Grafts, there was silence and every pig snout, swag-soaked saliva dripping from their greedy chins, was awake and watching the new arrival at the end of the trough — a new King Pig Appraiser, Jim Shedd. They looked confused, as if someone deliberately put a fly in the oinkment.

Like a bad, special effects B-roll film, they watched in horror as he previewed his agenda, which had a new word in it — one they hadn’t seen in decades — honesty in property values. The once-mighty mountains of municipal money built by exploiting hard-working, taxpaying homeowners — the pipe dream upon which municipal political power is built (remember that scumbag hypester at Condoflip.com known for his “creating value today where there was absolutely none a minute ago?”) — continued to spiral even further down the bowl of a diminishing tax base under his new leadership. “Oh, shit” was all that the fattest Miami Commission porker could say, and look at his clearly legible name tag — HORMEL, the country’s largest producer of bacon and pork fat.

There is no joy in Troughville today, for soon the publicly fed and perfectly plump Mighty Miami Corrupt Commission will strike out and, if justice prevails, end up right where it belongs — perfectly sliced and sizzling musically in the frying pans of Miami homeowners.

Good job, Wakefield.

Ernie Sandoval

Miami

Kids, Not Buildings, Are Our Future

In Miami Mayor Manny Diaz’s State of the City speech titled “Spend Now for the Future,” he says, “Should I have to tell my children we settled for good enough?” That begs the question and assumes we have “good enough,” but not every child in the community does. Not enough food, not enough housing, not enough medical care, not enough day care and most of all, not enough education.

He would argue that the $3 billion megaplan, which we know will be much more than that, is the future of our city — a stadium with private ownership, Museum Park and a port tunnel.

The children, not buildings, are our future. If we are going to spend $3 billion now with money we don’t have, let’s spend it on the children and invest in them — their prosperity, their health and education for their future, because it is also our future.

Martin Margulies

Key Biscayne

Keep Marching, Ladies!

[Re: “Ladies in Red,” By Charlotte Libov, published May 1.]

The article “Ladies in Red” by Charlotte Libov is a very timely story about how far women have come, and how far they still must go to be on equal footing with their male counterparts. It is beautifully written by Ms. Libov, who surely brings her female insight to this story. I am sure Mayor Matti Herrera Bower must have been really ill in order to miss this opportunity, as the mayor never misses a chance to meet and support major causes. Keep marching on, keep the red aglow!

Henry Perez

Miami

Keep the Brits Out of U.S. Politics

More than two centuries ago, Americans fought the British to free themselves from the yoke of King George III and establish a democratic republic. But now a new monarchy is emerging in the former land of the free, albeit an elected one, although sometimes with poll results of dubious legality.

First there was George I, followed by Clinton I, then the current George II, who appears to consider himself an absolute ruler, and above the Constitution. Now there is the risk of the reign of Clinton II, although thankfully only a slight danger. However, if Clinton II does become the next commander in chief and serves two terms, two dynasties will have dominated the government of the United States for more than a quarter of a century.

What’s more, Clinton II is raising money with the help of a Brit, Sir Elton. Surely, it is prohibited for foreigners to meddle in the internal politics of the USA.

Whoops! I have to admit that I’m a Brit, too. So, presumably, I’ve no right to interfere by telling Sir Elton to keep his nose out of American politics.

M. David Frost

Miami Beach