Sunday, March 20, 2011
Would "Structural Changes" help fix our problems in Miami Dade County?
Miami Herald columnnist Myriam Marquez has a piece in the Sunday, March 20th Miami Herald's Local Section which discusses the county charter (see link). After reading the article and perhaps researching (on line, if you wish) pertinent topics with which you may not be familiar, i.e. commissioners' salaries, etc., summarize the article and write your comments.
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ReplyDeleteEDIT: Forgot to add my name and class.
ReplyDeleteReviewing the landslide recalls of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez and District 13 Commissioner Natacha Seijas on March 15th, Miami Herald columnist Myriam Marquez suggests that attention be shifted to county charter reform. The main reforms Marquez calls for are establishing a commissioner income raise from $6000 to $92000 to be equal with the rest of the state. To justify this raise, she suggests the commission be cut from 13 to 11%, that commissioners not be allowed any outside employment, and to remove the million-dollar expenses account that commissioners like Seijas have access to. Marquez cites mayoral candidate hopefuls Commissioner Carlos Gimenez and Commission Chairman Joe Martinez along with Commissioner Rebeca Sosa as ethical members of the county commissioners whose voting records show that they would be supportive of charter reform. Marquez suggests that the 12 commissioners focus on charter reform first this Thursday and, with the 75 days alloted for meeting on and arranging an election, make the votes for mayor, commissioner, and charter changes all be counted on the same day.
I believe that Marquez doesn't go deep enough in her critique of current county practices. The fact remains that county commissioners run for election mostly on lobby and special interests funding, which influences their decisions immensely. This might be fine for politicians, but commissioners have direct control over the budgetary allocations made in Miami. Also, the appointing of other officials such as County Manager George Burgess leaves room for indulgent salaries, as Burgess's $348,340 severance upon his resignation March 16th shows. Regardless of the ethical commissioners Marquez cited, accountability and independence from special interest groups has to be the main change in the county charter and the people of Miami Dade have to become more involved in the day-to-day operations of their local government.
- Daniel Valls Rodriguez, SYG2000 (Honors)
Yes, these changes might help fix problems because it would create more jobs.
ReplyDeleteMyriam Marquez has a very interesting column. She discusses the ongoing fight to increase the salary of the commissioners from $6000 to $9200 a year and cutting the size of the commissioner from 13 to 11 and getting rid of their million dollar slush fund. I agree that a structural fix will be a great start to fix our problems in Miami-Dade County.
ReplyDeleteMiami Herald columnist Myriam Marquez reviews the groundbreaking election recalls of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Commissioner Natascha Seijas on March 15. Marquez contends that instead of feeding into this media frenzied strategy, we should divert our focus onto reforming the county charter; a legislative document adopted by the people of Miami Dade County, one that is meant to define its powers and privileges, and facilitate the governing of the county, as well as promoting equal justice and enable the elected and appointed officers of the County to meet the social, economic, and physical needs and goals of the people. This of course has not been the case in Miami Dade politics, according to Marquez. To her discretion, the current charter has instead focused on providing for the lavish lifestyles of our current political body or “public royalty,” stating in her article that When a mayor has two drivers and a third luxury car to drive on his own — covered by the taxpayers” there is a dire need to fix the system; and repairing the parts starts by repairing the charter.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Marquez has targeted the usual political and ethical lapses in Dade County politics. The truth is that we should place precedence on our failure to create an effective rapid transportation system and a diverse economy – not one based on tourism and construction, among other issues. It’s clear that county government is not working properly, and this has, in Marquez’s and my own opinion, been due to commissioner’s personal interests and collaborative corruption, their superfluous salaries, and dangerously granted power.
Miami Herald columnist, Miriam Marquez, takes the initiative to call attention to the real situation in Miami politics; its charter which was created in 1957, which has yet to face any real amendment throughout the years. Although former Mayor Carlos Alvarez and one of his Commissioners, Natacha Seijas were living large as public servants and deserve to be called “descarados” throughout morning Cuban radio, they were well within their legal rights in getting the outside commissions that they did. But sure, “two drivers and a third luxury car” for Alvarez that came from taxpayer money is despicable, especially if he decides to raise property taxes of his citizens right after. Who is going to believe the money raised will be for infrastructure when Miami has one of the worst public transportation systems in the United States and infamous traffic? No, I’m sure Alvarez had his own best interest in mind but in a true politician’s manner he knew that what he was doing was not illegal.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem of the charter that Miriam herself addresses is the fact that the established salary for these county positions is impossible to live with. In 1957, county officials were set to earn $6,000 which at the time required little outside contributions or commissions but that salary hasn’t changed for 56 years and the cost of living has definitely made its way up. Now that the remaining 12 commissioners will meet after the recall, an opportunity to reform the charter is presented. Marquez proposes a salary of about $92,000, which is the average in Florida, to get rid of each commissioner’s million-dollar slush fund, and a cut from 13 percent of commission to 11 percent instead.
These are all reasonable changes that I think need to be done but more reforms will have to be addressed in the future. For one, the $300,000 pensions that are provided for retired politicians should be drastically reduced to match the salary of $92,000 if approved. To add there must be more of a separation from the commissioners and the special interest groups that fund their elections. County commissioners have direct access to the budget of Miami-Dade and because of their financial obligations to these groups, commissioners will be sure to send some of our tax-payer money their way.
-Edith Mora
SYG2000 Honors College
MWF 9:00-9:50 AM