Death and Politics
Dorrin Rolle Is A Popular Commissioner—Mostly Among Those Who Don’t Live in His District

The vast majority of the money was raised at a handful of fundraising parties, at which checks of $250 and $500 were typical donations.

By Rebecca Wakefield

This column is mostly about politics. But first I’d like to get something off my mind. I can’t stop thinking about the body count of black children this year. Crime stats in general have been dropping, including the murder rate. But the news lately seems full of death.

Zykarious Cadillon, age 17 months, was shot and killed in the driveway of his Little River home last Sunday. The same day, in Liberty City, 17-year-old Jeffrey Johnson Jr. was shot dead after bragging about his new car. He was the third Carol City High student senselessly murdered this school year. Evan Page and Sharika Wilson were the other two students shot to death.

In April, James Anderson, 16, was killed by a gun in Miami Gardens. Just one year ago, 5-year-old Melanise Malone was shot in Opa-locka. How many black children have to die before we qualify as the Darfur of the South? I don’t have the answers, but I commend county commissioners Dorrin Rolle and Audrey Edmonson for supporting a “stop gun violence” community rally this past Wednesday in Miami. They urged residents to fight back, even if there’s a risk involved. “Residents need to declare that they’ve had enough,” Rolle said in the press release his staff sent to the media. “They need to be brave and step forward with the names of those involved in Monday’s shooting and all the others who are terrorizing our communities.”

Thinking of Rolle, however, made me remember that he is up for election this year. I took a quick stroll through his campaign reports, mostly because I was astounded by the $280,425 he has raised this early in the season. The stash blows away what other commissioners have raised so far, except for Sally Heyman ($238,188). But Heyman represents a wealthy district that includes Aventura, Bal Harbour, and most of Miami Beach. Rolle represents a much poorer district that includes Liberty City and Opa-locka.

Most of the money ($253,000 and change) was raised between January and the end of March. The primary is not for another three and a half months. At this rate, Rolle could easily raise $600,000 by September. That’s about $7.50 for each of District 2’s nearly 80,000 registered voters. If the turnout is 35 percent as it was in 2002, it’s really about $21 a voter.

Just to put the numbers in context, last time around Rolle raised about $340,000. If his fundraising keeps on pace, he would nearly double that just four years later. As a point of comparison, in 2004, Barbara Jordan raised about $280,000 in total for her commission campaign. The numbers show the stakes of county politics, with its lucrative contracts, cushy jobs, and other perks commissioners can dole out in one way or another from the county’s multi-billion dollar coffers.

Who, I wondered, thinks Rolle is such a great commissioner he’s worth that kind of jack? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s not, by and large, the people who live in his district. The people raising money for Rolle include dozens of attorneys, developers, construction and real estate executives, waste haulers, auto dealers, and others with specific self interests in county politics.

Judging by the numbers, Rolle is hardly a grassroots populist. In the last filing period, which included almost 700 donors, just 17 people gave modest $50 contributions and fewer than five dozen gave $100. The vast majority of the money was raised at a handful of fundraising parties, at which checks of $250 and $500 were typical donations.

G & R Millwork Corp, Dade Truss Company, Inc., and a startling number of other construction-related businesses (air conditioning, drywall, plumbing, electrical, concrete you name it) gave $250 to $500 each. Realtor Michael Latterner gave $2500 through his wife, associates, and company. Realtor Raul Masvidal contributed $500. The Vigo family really likes Rolle, having contributed, as far as I can tell, at least $2500 through various construction companies and people.

A handful of auto tag agents whose businesses are licensed by the county are also big Rolle supporters. Most of them gave $250 at the same early January event. Another event brought in at least $3500 from various people connected to the Sedano’s supermarket chain and the Herran family. February 10th’s cash haul seemed to be comprised mostly of haulers of trash, like 1-866-Junk-Be-Gone Corp., which tossed $100 into the Rolle kitty.

Coral Gables resident and Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain gave $250. Mitchell Edelstein gave $150 through his North Bay Village based business, Strategic Campaign Consultants. Realtor Moises Bichachi and his former WLPG Channel 10 TV reporter wife, Olga, gave $250 each.

Swerdlow/Boca Developers LLC gave $250. The generous family of Doral developer Ernesto Cambo gave $1000. Former mayor Alex Penelas, now a Miami Lakes attorney, ponied up $250 individually and another $250 through his company AP Consulting LLC. One of Penelas’ former advisor-cronies, Herman Echevarria, gave $500 though his company DR International Consultants. Political consultant Freddy Balsera was good for $500, as were numerous other lobbyist types.

Developer Silvio Cardoso Jr. also gave thousands of dollars through various associates and multiple companies. Eileen Damaso, a former candidate for state representative, generously donated $500. Auto dealer Alan Potamkin pumped thousands into Rolle’s coffers through various companies, possibly the most of any single donor.

In Potamkin’s case, the connection is an easy one. The county wants to create a huge auto mall along the Northwest Seventh Avenue corridor in Rolle’s district. Potamkin wants to be the guy to do it. Rolle sponsored the item to create a Community Redevelopment Agency to handle the project.

Conflicts of interest are nothing new to Rolle (who was appointed to his seat by Gov. Lawton Chiles in 1998, and subsequently won re-election). The county’s ethics gurus have had their hands full slapping his wrists for such things as lobbying county officials to fund the poorly-run James E. Scott Community Association (JESCA), of which he is the well-compensated president and CEO. He also made arrangements for county police to provide security for a Bob Marley fest on Virginia Key a few years ago, saving organizers thousands of dollars they would have been required to pay the city of Miami. Part of the festival’s proceeds went to JESCA.

Dan Ricker, who publishes the e-mail newsletter The Watchdog Report, has reported extensively on the financial problems of JESCA, including excessive bank charges and generally dismal accountability in both its financial and educational areas.

But Rolle had no problem with his fellow commissioners gifting JESCA with another few hundred thousand dollars in January.

He did it the same day he celebrated his birthday with a little party before the meeting, shown on county TV. What an excellent birthday present.

I wonder what county taxpayers will get for him next year.

Comments? E-mail wakefield@miamisunpost.com.