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Say ‘Yes’ to Ethics
During
the past decade, the city of Miami Beach has passed some of the
strongest ethics legislation in the country. These laws include:
barring conflicts of interest, requiring lobbyist registration,
reforming campaign finance and protecting the integrity of the
procurement process.
On Nov.
6, Miami Beach voters will elect a new mayor and commissioners.
Additionally, Beach voters will be asked to answer a single
ballot question, titled “Public
Vote Required Prior to Enacting Less Stringent Standards to
City's Code of Conduct.”
Approval of the ballot question with an affirmative “yes” vote
will then require public approval for any future commission to
weaken or lower the city’s high ethical standards. I
respectfully urge Miami Beach voters to vote “yes” on the ballot
question and ensure that our city maintains its high ‘good
government’ standards for future generations.
David
Dermer
Mayor,
Miami Beach
Firing
Line: Recording Misses One Shot at a Time
Let’s correct the record just
a tad. In his recent letter, Joseph Graubart, loyal disciple and
flag carrier for the Novack/Will regime, went through his
standard litany of complaints, but left out just a
few
teeny, tiny tidbits of information that readers could use
that would show them that he is not the staunch Surfsidian he
claims to be [Letters, “The
Politics of Chucky: Crushing Dissent and Feeding
Misinformation,” published Sept. 27].
In his first shot, Joe claims
he was attacked for his community activism. The reality is, the attack that
Joe is speaking of is nothing more than my recollection of his
recent speaking visit at a commission meeting, in which he
confirmed he was the
“wheelman” for a car driving up and down the street
with his running mates hanging out of the window during the last
election screaming out profanities at their opponents, including
me, while we campaigned.
In his second shot, Joe talked
about my “usual distortions” in the monthly newsletter I write
and implied that I have moved to extend the terms of elected
officials from two to four years. What Joe left out was that I
was the only member of the Commission to vote
and speak out
against
the measure.
In his third shot, Joe railed
against me for taking a $500 a month expense stipend — he forgot
to tell readers that only the mayor, that's me, has
elected not to take the $500 stipend.
In his fourth shot, Joe
touched on variances in Surfside. What Joe left out is that I am
the only member of the commission that never voted for
even one variance. Further, I trust that any new provisions
recommended and affirmed by our commission are only in the best
interests of our town.
In his fifth shot, Joe
rambled on about budgets. Joe, did your team ever reduce
Surfside's portion of property taxes in town by almost 25
percent? No, they just kept it artificially high, bled our
taxpayers, attacked our homeowners and made their anointed
lawyer buddies rich. And yes, our expenditures this year are,
according to our manager, virtually the same as in past years.
In his final shot,
Joe fretted about our newsletter’s cost. Back when Joe's buddies
ran the town, most felt our newsletter read like a water bill
with a message attached. We now have a newsletter that costs us
about $1.50 per resident each month. Most tell me they love the
new format, the schedules, the letters and the analysis that
comes in an exciting and colorful presentation. In my opinion,
it's the one real connection we have with our residents and they
can read it at their leisure, when and where they want.
While I can find some common
ground with Joe on the fact that Surfside is a wonderful place
to live, I hope he'll make an effort to include all the
information in his future writings. Not doing so may erode the
confidence of all his supporters in everything he might say in
the future.
Charles Burkett
Mayor, Surfside |
