County commissioners should simply explain to the public that enabling any elected official to hire and fire department heads will only convert County Hall into a house of cronyism.

It could be argued that Jan. 4, the date this editorial comes out, is too late to make New Year’s Eve resolutions. Still, we would like some of our local leaders to make a resolution right here and now: Please stop acting so arrogantly.

OK, by some of our local leaders, we mean Miami-Dade County’s elected commissioners. Starting next week, a power struggle that has been brewing for months will come to a head as the county commissioners and mayor battle for the hearts and minds of the people of Miami-Dade. At issue is a referendum on whether or not the mayor should have the power to hire and fire department heads and basically control the day-to-day operations of Miami-Dade government. All 13 county commissioners, and some of their allies, oppose the measure, believing it would put too much power in the hands of one individual — and perhaps take away some of their own clout. Mayor Carlos Alvarez and his backers feel the power shift would bring accountability to county government. Already a series of debates have been scheduled all around Miami-Dade.

And while there is a sort of lure among some voters to create an all-powerful, accountable politician, this election could indeed go either way — if county commissioners play it smart.

If. They haven’t so far. When yet another lawsuit was filed by Citizens For Open Government to keep the strong-mayor initiative off the ballot, the county commission invested thousands of taxpayer dollars to hire a law firm and analyze the legal complaint’s chances. Eventually that same law firm declared that petitions circulated for a strong-mayor form of government were not collected properly under the county charter. So the commission hired the law firm and instructed it to side with Citizens For Open Government. A few weeks and thousands of dollars later the courts dismissed the suit. But county commissioners were on a roll — a few months later they approved legislation restricting the ability of citizens to circulate petitions for a special election or to recall a commissioner. It wasn’t until commissioners passed on a referendum to cut the mayor’s pay that all 13 commissioners showed any slight common sense.

Instead of engaging in petty tactics and restricting the rights of the citizens they serve, commissioners would do well to send a clear message to voters on why a strong mayor system won’t reform county government. They should resist the urge to pat themselves on their collective backs — as they often do — for work they do for their county and districts. They should also avoid falling into paranoid rhetoric. (To hear Commissioner Javier Souto talk, one would think he believes the strong-mayor campaign was hatched by Fidel and Raul Castro.) 

County commissioners should simply explain to the public that enabling any elected official to hire and fire department heads will only convert County Hall into a house of cronyism beholden to one individual. Such a system will enhance corruption, not lessen it.