Miami Dade County is Better than Living in (say) Haiti–Thus Speaks our Commissioner

April 30, 2007 Leave a comment

Kathy Sorenson, 8th District Commissioner of Miami Dade County is living on another planet. She argues with a straight face that our government is pretty much ok, is not too bad in the way it spends our money and, except for a few embarrassing flaws, is much better than what you would find in another country where people don’t have good or any government. Granted Miami Dade County government is better than governments in Haiti, El Salvador, Kenya, etc. I thought we should compare Miami Dade County government to (say) Montgomery County Maryland in Washington, DC area, or take pick in any good, solid well run government in a U.S. metropolitan area.

With some notable and glaring exceptions, our county government functions reasonably well. If you don’t believe me, go to a country that doesn’t have a functioning government.

We have a greedy county government, overstaffed, (mis)managers of important projects for your city, quick to tax, quick to spend and quick to waste and with little time to look at the road ahead.

Time has come for our commissioners to do their job–run government in both good and bad times.

Source: Property taxes keep community working – 04/30/2007 – MiamiHerald.com

Filed under Community, Miami, Miami-Dade County

Key Challenges for the Commission

April 16, 2007 Leave a comment

There are a number of obvious challenges for the City of Coral Gables, the community and the City of Coral Gables Commissioners.

  • The 2008 City Budget and Greater Community Information and Participation in the Budgetary Process
  • The Building and Zoning Management and Organizational Crisis
  • Police Contract and Pension Financing and Reform for the Long Haul
  • Establishing Priorities for Financing Infrastructure for the Future
  • Begin to Face the Certain Increased Density of Population along the Dixie Highway Corridor (including the University of Miami)
  • City Government Staffing and Efficiency

Filed under Coral Gables, Government

Commissioners and Mayor Re-elected

April 15, 2007 Leave a comment

Mayor Slesnick and Commissioners Kedryk and Withers were easily re-elected following a race with weak challengers and the counterproductive methods of the Police Union (who seem to be a major loser in the election).

Filed under Coral Gables, Government

UM Complains Against City of Coral Gables

January 18, 2007 Leave a comment

Link to MiamiHerald.com | 01/18/2007 | UM blames Coral Gables for $50M in delays

Authorities (President and Board of Trustee members) of the University of Miami raised fierce public complaints against the City of Coral Gables for delays claimed in approving changes in the University’s Master Development Plan. Mayor Slesnick clearly layed out the history of the issue with the City. The City Manager responded that the UM had not reached a development agreement that would have included impact payments (in lieu of property taxes) to the city for services provided to the university and the increasing effects of the universities growth on adjacent residential areas. The university going public seems like a crude and heavy handed negotiating ploy to publically pressure the City to convey agreement to a long list of changes in its master plan, whose consequences have not been properly studied.

The university held only one meeting to consult with Coral Gables’ residents on the proposed changes–far too little for a plan that encompasses more than 25 categories of changes in the construction program. This nominal consultation seems to stem from a distrust by the university of residents (who complained for past developments) and fear of mobilizing the community against the changes some of which may have non-trivial impacts on the community.

One of the greatest concerns of the local residents is the rapid increase in traffic around the university and the lack of disincentives for students to drive their cars to the university.

Another issue is that the Master Plan seems to involve pushing the less desirable buildings (especially parking garages) to the fringes of the university and moving the construction of these facilities bordering closer to community streets.

One may wonder if the university could try to architectually and esthetically project out to the community with a better face, moving the parking into the campus, create incentives and systems to discourage students from parking on the fringes of the university campus and build the campus vertically.

The new aggressive approach of the university is not likely engender and gain support from the local community.

Filed under Community, Coral Gables

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