La LEY Counterpunches With Facts of Their Own and This Blog

Last year we mentioned in a blog post that there were documents on the City of Homestead website that appeared to be fabrications. These documents gave the Charter Schools and Red Apple Development rights to use the Sports Complex roadways for pick-up, drop-off, stacking and parking. The documents have signatures that verify the agreement date as March 3, 2009. The documents were created in 2011 and filed in 2011. Signatures of Sergio Purrinos and Elizabeth Sewell are not possible with the date of March 3, 2009. Mr. Ruiz is asking about those documents now. Hopefully, there will now be an investigation into these allegedly forged documents. Mr. John Ruiz has sent his own email to City Manager George Gretsas, it follows.

Blog post: 

http://homesteadishome.blogspot.com/2011/10/this-may-be-criminal-act-possible-bogus.html

From: JRuizPILaw@aol.com
Date: April 27, 2012 1:57:36 PM EDT
To: ggretsas@cityofhomestead.com
Cc: sbateman@cityofhomestead.com, idelvalle@wsh-law.com,        efernandez@laleysports.com, cceli@laleysports.com,        srlaleysports@gmail.com, pthompson@cityofhomestead.com, jwaldman@cityofhomestead.com, sshelley@cityofhomestead.com,        jburgess@cityofhomestead.com, jwilliams@cityofhomestead.com,        emaldonado@cityofhomestead.com
Subject: Homestead Sports Complex Lease Agreement Dated July 14, 2011

Dear Mr. Gretsas:

It has come to my attention that you have taken the position on behalf of the City of Homestead that the agreement between La Ley Sports and Gigantes Baseball was not authorized by the lease agreement between La Ley Sports and the City of Homestead.  La Ley Sports disagrees with your opinion and would refer you to the Lease agreement dated July 14, 2011.

Specifically, pursuant to paragraph (19) of the agreement, NO ASSIGNMENT OR OTHER ENCUMBRANCES, the pertinent provision states as follows:

Except as otherwise provided herein, 

the parties acknowledge

and agree that the foregoing shall

not prohibit the Tenant from entering

into short-term license and/or user agreements

of portions of the Property.

Accordingly, the user agreement entered into by La Ley Sports is authorized and consistent with the agreement.  Moreover, the agreement is also consistent with the Purposes, Uses and Operation of Property as contemplated in paragraph (4) of the agreement.

Additionally, a request is made for all documents pertaining to the use of the roadway from the East Section of the Stadium property where vehicles travel to pick up students at all of the adjacent schools.  Please provide us with all permits obtained and all planning documentation as it pertains to this roadway.  Also, please provide La Ley Sports with any documentation that evidences and/or allows the use of this roadway as is currently being used. 

By way of this email, we are also placing the City of Homestead on notice that the roadway presents a grave danger to all pedestrians but mostly kids that cross the road as cars travel at an excessive speed of rate with no traffic calming devices. 

We are placing the City on Notice that the use of the roadway is not in compliance with the lease agreement and that the charges for Utilities and Services are not in compliance with paragraph (6) of the lease agreement.  The City is hereby placed on Notice pursuant to paragraph 20(b) that it is in default of the terms of the lease agreement. If you have any questions in regards to the foregoing please contact the undersigned.

This e-mail was to formally place the City of Homestead on notice a more detailed letter will follow next week.

The documents in question below can be linked to by hitting control and click.

 

Name		Page Count	Volume Name	Template Name
	11-CM-009 Homestead Charter Foundation Agree	13	PURCHASING CONTRACTS	Contracts
	11-CM-009 Homestead Charter Foundation Sum	2	PURCHASING CONTRACTS	Contracts

 

Title XLVI CRIMES

Chapter 831 FORGERY AND COUNTERFEITING

View Entire Chapter

831.01 Forgery.—Whoever falsely makes, alters, forges or counterfeits a public record, or a certificate, return or attestation of any clerk or register of a court, public register, notary public, town clerk or any public officer, in relation to a matter wherein such certificate, return or attestation may be received as a legal proof; or a charter, deed, will, testament, bond, or writing obligatory, letter of attorney, policy of insurance, bill of lading, bill of exchange or promissory note, or an order, acquittance, or discharge for money or other property, or an acceptance of a bill of exchange or promissory note for the payment of money, or any receipt for money, goods or other property, or any passage ticket, pass or other evidence of transportation issued by a common carrier, with intent to injure or defraud any person, shall be guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

Title XLVI CRIMES Chapter 831 FORGERY AND COUNTERFEITING View Entire Chapter

831.02 Uttering forged instruments.—Whoever utters and publishes as true a false, forged or altered record, deed, instrument or other writing mentioned in s. 831.01 knowing the same to be false, altered, forged or counterfeited, with intent to injure or defraud any person, shall be guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. History.—s. 2, ch. 1637, 1868; RS 2480; GS 3360; RGS 5208; CGL 7326; s. 2, ch. 59-31; s. 2, ch. 61-98; s. 960, ch. 71-136.

Just 5 years for a third degree felony. Sleep tight y’all!

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City of Homestead Punches La LEY With Facts on Paper

From: George Gretsas  ggretsas@cityofhomestead.com

Date: April 26, 2012 8:07:30 PM EDT

To: Steven Bateman SBateman@cityofhomestead.com,

Jon Burgess JBurgess@cityofhomestead.com,

Judy Waldman jwaldman@cityofhomestead.com,

Stephen Shelley SShelley@cityofhomestead.com,

Patricia Fairclough PFairclough@cityofhomestead.com,

Jimmie Williams JWilliams@cityofhomestead.com,

Elvis Maldonado  EMaldonado@cityofhomestead.com

Cc: Richard Jay Weiss RWeiss@wsh-law.com,

Dennis Maytan dmaytan@cityofhomestead.com,

Allyson Love ALove@cityofhomestead.com,

David Hebert  DHebert@cityofhomestead.com,

Al Rolle arolle@homesteadpolice.com,

Joe Corradino JCorradino@cityofhomestead.com,

Tom Lampert tlampert@cityofhomestead.com, 

jruizpilaw@aol.com,

Subject: LaLey Sports Interim Report
 

Yesterday, the City received an email from a Homestead citizen alleging mistreatment of baseball players under the age of 18 at the LaLey Sports Complex.
 

Upon review, staff found that baseball players, some under 18 years of age, were being housed in the locker room in violation of Miami-Dade County Fire regulations, City of Homestead Zoning Laws, City of Homestead Building Codes and the lease between the City of Homestead and  LaLey Sports.  In addition, numerous Fire Code violations were reported in the facility by the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department.
  

City staff was provided with the following information:
 •  On November 30, 2011, LaLey Sports entered into an agreement with Gigante Baseball Group, a corporation incorporated under the laws of Ontario, Canada for a period of 5 years with a mutual option for an additional 3 years for the purpose of training and boarding a group of up to 30 Venezuelan based baseball players, with players ranging in age from 14-19 years old.
 •  The players were being housed in the locker room facilities of the stadium, with temporary beds set up for each player.  Lockers were being used to store player clothing and other personal items.

 Zoning Code Issues
 
 •  The Development Services Department has examined whether it is permissible for the baseball stadium to be used as a residential facility.  It is the opinion of staff that residential use of the baseball stadium is not permitted. Thestadium was reviewed and approved as a baseball stadium with a locker room, not as a residential facility.  The residential component of the site was constructed as a separate dormitory facility, which was converted into a charter school.
 •  The Code (sec 15-211) states that no room but a habitable room shall be used for living, sleeping or eating of meals.  Habitable rooms are defined as rooms in a residential unit, therefore living in the baseball stadium would not be allowed.
 
 •  Under current conditions, the City does not consider the baseball stadium as a habitable space.  Additionally there is no habitable component of the facility.  The dormitories that were the residential component have been converted into the school. 
 •  The current La Ley lease with the City for the +- 138 acre parcel Homestead Sports Complex property specifically excludes two parcels.  1) the dormitory school parcel.  2) the high school parcel.  This means that La Ley is not leasing the residential component of the facility.  They are only leasing the sports component of the facility.

Building Code Issues
 
 •  For a building to be acceptable for residential occupancy, it would need to adhere to the building code as an R2 (residential occupancy) classification, which would limit the number of people allowed to sleep in a facility to 16.  Morethan 16 people have been sleeping and living in the stadium.  Use as a transient residential facility would only be allowed for 30 or less days.  The stadium has been occupied for nearly 45 days.  Any habitable component for this building would require a change of use application for lodging as a hotel or dormitory.  This would be reviewed by the City’s Building Department.
 
 Fire Issues
 
 •  The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department reported the following administrative issue and 7 violations: (I have attached their inspection report for your information)
 1)    NFPA 1 13.3.3.4.1.5*  Changes in Occupancy, Use, Process, or Materials.  The property owner or occupant shall not make changes in the occupancy, the use or process, or the materials used or stored in the building without evaluation of the fire protection  systems for their capability to protect the new occupancy, use, or materials. [25:4.1.5] N/A  This is administrative, not a violation.
 2)    NFPA 1 13.3.3.4.1.1* Responsibility for Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance.  The property owner or occupant shall provide ready accessibility to components of water-based fire protection systems that require inspection, testing, or maintenance. [25:4.1.1]
 3)    NFPA 1 13.3.3.2 A sprinkler systeminstalled in accordance with this Code shall be inspected, tested and maintained in accordance with NFPA 25.
 4)    Code of Miami-Dade County (4) Runner Service and Service Contracts. All fire alarm systems shall be required to have in effect at all times a service contract with a licensed fire alarm service contractor, a listed fire alarm service-local company or a listed central station to provide all maintenance, service and testing as required by this Code.
 5)    NFPA 1 13.3.3.3 Ceiling Tiles and Ceiling Assemblies. Where automatic sprinklers are installed, ceilings necessary for the proper actuation of the fire protection device in accordance with NFPA 13 shall be maintained.
 6)    NFPA 1 13.7.3.2.3.1 A complete record of the tests and operations of each system shall be kept until the next test and for 1 year thereafter. [72:4.5.3.1]
 7)    NFPA 101 7.9.2.6* Existing battery-operated emergency lights shall use only reliable types of rechargeable batteries provided with suitable facilities for maintaining them in properly charged condition. Batteries used in such lights or units shall be approved for their intended use and shall comply with NFPA 70, National Electrical Code.
 8)    NFPA 101 7.10.5.1* General. Every sign required by 7.10.1.2, 7.10.1.5, or 7.10.8.1, other than where operations orprocesses require low lighting levels, shall be suitably illuminated by a reliable light source. Externally and internally illuminated signs shall belegible in both the normal and emergency lighting mode.
 
 •  Back in January 3, 2012, LaLey Sports was cited by The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department for the following:
 1)    Failure to Maintain Fire Alarm.
 2)    Failure to Provide Inspection For Sprinkler System.
 3)    Failure to Provide Current UL Certificate.
 
 They were given until February 3, 2012 to comply.
 
 Lease Issues
 
 •  In a Letter Agreement between Gigante Baseball Group (GBG) and LaLey Sports Complex, LaLey Sports agreed to “at no cost to (GBG), provide room and board accommodations at the Facility for the Team not to exceed 30players”.  Residential uses are not permitted under the lease between the City of Homestead and LaLey Sports.
 •  The agreement between Gigante Baseball Group and LaLey Sports Complex is a 5 year agreement with a 3 year mutual option   The terms of the lease between the City of Homestead and La Ley Sports prohibits LaLey Sports from assigning, mortgaging, subleasing, or otherwise encumbering the Property without the prior written consent of the City, except for “short-term license(s) and/or user agreement(s) of portions of the Property, and Sponsorship Agreements (including fields naming rights agreements) for a Permitted Use…”.

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Jeff Burnside Interviews Al Sharpton Photograph

 Hit the link, poof, gone. Someone is scrubbing the links as if they never existed.

http://m.nbcmiami.com/nbcmiami/pm_108215/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=OX2fEvUH

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LA LEY Stadium At The City Of Homestead Sports Complex Is Closed By MDFR

 

 

Fire safety violations resulted in the relocation of a young group of aspiring baseball players living at the Homestead baseball stadium

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/26/2770614/stadium-closed-over-safety-violations.html#storylink=cpy

By Christina Veiga

cveiga@MiamiHerald.com

A group of young ballplayers living at the Homestead baseball stadium have been relocated after fire inspectors discovered the stadium’s fire sprinkler and alarm systems don’t work.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokeswoman Griselle Marino said the stadium has been given 30 days to correct the issues, and that no events can be held there unless fire watch is present. Marino said the ballplayers have been moved to hotels.

Fire Rescue, Homestead Police, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and other agencies investigated the stadium Wednesday after reports on the Spanish-language TV station, Univision, said the boys were being housed there with little food or supervision. They were there as part of a baseball program.
Homestead Police Detective Fernando Morales said on Wednesday that DCF had concluded the boys were not mistreated, but a DCF spokeswoman said she could not confirm because the investigation is still open.

Lissette Valdes-Valle, director of communications for DCF, said 17 boys were staying at the stadium, of whom seven were minors. Morales said all of the young men were in the country legally.
The city-owned stadium is leased to La Ley Sports, which in February sub-leased a portion of the facility to Canadian recruiting company Gigantes Baseball Group. La Ley owner, Spanish-language TV lawyer John H. Ruiz, said Gigantes recruits aspiring baseball players from Venezuela.

The city is investigating whether the sub-lease arrangement is a violation of La Ley’s rental agreement.
For more Homestead news, follow @Cveiga on Twitter.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/26/2770614/stadium-closed-over-safety-violations.html#storylink=cpy

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Reporter Who Received "Leaked" Text Messages CD Fired for Edit of George Zimmerman Call

 

 

Jeff Burnside Reportedly Fired For Apparent Prejudicial Edit 

From Talk Left 
By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Wed Apr 25, 2012 at 05:13:34 PM EST

Update: NBC 6 Miami acknowledges its mistake for its March 19 report and story with the misleading edit of George Zimmerman's call to police. Apparently, the Today show's erroneous and prejudicial edits were separately done and unrelated. NBC 6 Miami does not address why it waited until April 9 to correct the articles, or why another of its reporters whose byline appeared on one of the stories using the false quote repeatedly maintained on Twitter on April 10 that the producer responsible was not on their team, but from New York (see tweets below.)  

The Miami Herald confirms it was Jeff Burnside who was fired, and has his reaction. The Herald credits but does not name the conservative bloggers who outed NBC 6 Miami's March 19 mangling of Zimmerman's quote. They are, as I said in my April 9 post on the topic, Les Jones and Tom McGuire. [More...]

Various sources are reporting that NBC 6 Miami reporter/producer Jeff Burnside has been fired over the racially-charged misquoting of George Zimmerman's 911 call to Sanford Police.

An NBC network producer who we’re told only took the edited tape from WTVJ, without checking it (I’m told it’s not unusual since it comes from an affiliate) and could not have known about the edit was also fired in this incident.

On April 9, building on work by Les Jones and Tom McGuire, I followed the evolution of the misquote of George Zimmeran's call on NBC 6 Miami and discovered two, not one, Today Show airings. My post included all the relevant screengrabs from the originally published and updated versions of three articles with the misquote appearing on the station's website, and the two Today Show airings.

The first article with the bad edit was by Christina Hernandez, Jeff Burnside and Edward B. Colby on March 19. Christina Hernandez is also the author of the article I found that was published later that night (screengrab with quote here), while Jeff Burnside is the author of the March 20 article. The Today show segments aired March 22 and March 27.

....So the blatant, racially charged distortion of George Zimmerman's 911 call started on NBC 6 Miami on March 19, appearing in two articles by three different writers. It was repeated on March 20 in an article attributed to one of the three writers. The articles have been updated, but the quotes remain. The falsely portrayed quote aired on the Today Show on March 22 during a live segment with reporter Lilia Luciano, and again on March 27 with reporter Ron Allen.

Now I'm wondering, why was Burnside fired and not Christina Hernandez? And why was Christina Hernandez so insistent on April 10 that the edited version was fed to them by NBC New York?
Hernandez's tweeted all morning on April 10, 2012, saying the edit was by a producer in New York and fed to the affiliate. The tweets have since been deleted, but I saved them at the time, adding date stamps for those that only reflected the time and not the date.

Related Homestead Text Incident Links: 

http://www.3dca.flcourts.org/Opinions/3D10-3438.pdf

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Outrage-Over-Homesteads-Steamy-Text-Scandal--84581227.html

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2012/04/jeff_burnside_at_nbc6_reported.php

Miami Herald Story:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/25/2767769/nbc6-fires-local-reporter-in-editing.html#storylink=misearch

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La LEY Sublet City Owned Property to Canadian Group

  https://twitter.com/#!/gigantebaseball

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gigantes-Baseball-Group/265419623507323

A Univision report saying young athletes were without food or supervision at a Homestead baseball stadium program leads to several investigations.

BY CHRISTINA VEIGA



cveiga@MiamiHerald.com

Homestead police and the Florida Department of Children and Families were investigating a program at the Homestead baseball stadium on Wednesday following a report on Spanish-language TV station, Univision, that young athletes are being housed in the stadium without enough food or supervision.

The baseball stadium is city-owned and has been leased to Spanish-language TV lawyer John H. Ruiz, of La Ley Sports, since July 2011.

Ruiz said Wednesday that in February he sub-leased four of the stadium’s fields to a Canadian business called Gigantes Baseball Group, which recruits young players from Venezuela. They have been staying overnight at the stadium as part of a baseball program.

“It has nothing to do with my organization, other than the fact that they lease from us,” Ruiz said.

Gigantes could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

One of the boys who said he was enrolled in the program told Univision last week that he was only given a small bowl of cereal and a light lunch — Univision showed a picture of a sandwich on a round bun and an apple — while living at the stadium. The boys were not served dinner, he said.

“We found out after the fact and when that happened, our people fed them,” Ruiz said.

A spokesman for the Department of Children and Families said Gigantes is not a licensed child care facility and that there is a mix of adults and kids at the facility.

“We are investigating based on a call we received today,” DCF Communications Director Joe Follick said Wednesday.

City spokeswoman Begoñe Cazalis said a resident informed the city of the issue.

“The City immediately dispatched staff to the location and identified that some of the allegations were true,’ she wrote in the email to The Herald on Wednesday.

She added: “The proper government agencies have been notified and are conducting a review, including Miami Dade-County Fire Rescue, Homestead Police Department, Homestead Code Compliance and the Department of Children & Families. Until those reviews are completed the City will have no further comment.’’

Cazalis said city attorneys are reviewing La Ley’s lease to determine whether the company violated its rental agreement by sub-leasing the fields and allowing kids to be housed there. The city and La Ley have been at odds recently after the company failed to carry insurance on the property, as required by the lease. The city waived the first six months of coverage, absorbing the approximately $60,000 in insurance premiums, and the two sides have been negotiating over the premiums due since January.

Homestead police were conducting interviews early Wednesday evening, and have declined to comment.

Miami Herald staff reporter Carol Marbin-Miller contributed to this report.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/25/2768039/homestead-baseball-program-under.html#storylink=cpy

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Who Is Responsible? Complaint Of Kids Living And Not Being Fed @ The Stadium?

What is going on in Homestead? Why Are Kids Living In The Stadium? Why Are They Hungry?

Here is an email to the city and others about this situation from a concerned resident.

From: Michelle Rusch <michellerusch@yahoo.com>
Date: April 24, 2012 11:53:24 PM EDT
To: "neighbors@miamiherald.com" <neighbors@miamiherald.com>,  "cveiga@MiamiHerald.com" <cveiga@MiamiHerald.com>,  "ben@rescuemiami.info" <ben@rescuemiami.info>,  "sbateman@cityofhomestead.com" <sbateman@cityofhomestead.com>,  "jwaldman@cityofhomestead.com" <jwaldman@cityofhomestead.com>, "jburgess@cityofhomestead.com" <jburgess@cityofhomestead.com>,  "pfairclough@cityofhomestead.com" <pfairclough@cityofhomestead.com>,  "emaldonado@cityofhomestead.com" <emaldonado@cityofhomestead.com>, "sshelley@cityofhomestead.com" <sshelley@cityofhomestead.com>,  "jwilliams@cityofhomestead.com" <jwilliams@cityofhomestead.com>
Subject: Venezuelan teen baseball players going hungry at La Ley in Homestead

Reply-To: Michelle Rusch <michellerusch@yahoo.com>

http://univision23.univision.com/videos/video/2012-04-18/jugadores-adolescentes-quejan-del-hambre

The Venezuelan teens living at the La Ley Sports Complex to play baseball are going hungry, and their story does not seem to have gotten out past the spanish speaking community.  This story needs to get out to all of Homestead and Miami so that these kids will be fed.  Please watch the news story on Univision and look into it for yourself.  

 

Is the city of Homestead aware of what is going on, and if so what is being done to protect these kids and ensure they are properly fed and taken care of?  There is no excuse for children being malnourished and mistreated here in our city.

 

Thank you,

 

Michelle Rusch

A concerned resident of Homestead

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Will Council Sell City Property Valued At $2,500,000 For $500,000? Property Used For Shotgun House Loan To Payoff Steve Shiver

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Christina Veiga

cveiga@MiamiHerald.com

Negotiations are again under way for the sale of Homestead’s long-abandoned bowling alley.
City council members last week picked iconic Miami company Bird Bowl from a field of three companies to begin negotiating a contract for the facility, located at 111 S. Homestead Blvd.
Bird Bowl, which has operated a bowling center in west Miami-Dade County for almost three decades, is proposing to buy the alley for $500,000 after a 60-day period of due diligence.

The property was appraised at $2.6 million, according to city documents.

“I’m still not happy at all with the offer of the purchase price,” said Councilman Stephen Shelley.
But Councilwoman Judy Waldman, a who works in real estate, cautioned the council against basing a purchase price on the appraised value. That’s because council members have restricted the land’s use to only allow a bowling alley.

Then Councilwoman Patricia Fairclough-McCormick asked Bird Bowl representatives: “Are you willing to go higher than $500,000 after your due diligence?”

Responded Sergio Rok, of Bird Bowl: “If, after my due diligence, there’s a reason for me to go higher, I will.”
According to the appraisal, there have been no recent sales of similar properties, so a comparable appraisal was impossible.
The city had been negotiating for about a year with another company, Kaufman and Sons, but called off the negotiations earlier this year. Kaufman and Sons had difficulty getting financing for the center with the restriction that it remain a bowling alley.

Bird Bowl has proposed a five-year deed restriction that would ensure the property remains a bowling alley for that period of time.

Mayor Steve Bateman suggested the buyer should agree to operate a bowling center on the land for at least 10 years. Council members worried that whoever buys the alley could do so at a fire-sale price and then flip the property for another use and a high profit.
“It’s a tough decision,” Bateman said.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/23/2765638/bird-bowl-steps-up-to-buy-run.html#storylink=cpy

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Boss Tweed, Tammany Hall Corruption, A Historical Perspective

Does Homestead Need More Corruption?

Tweed regime

Main article: William M. Tweed

Tammany's control over the politics of New York City tightened considerably under Tweed. In 1858, Tweed utilized the efforts of Republican reformers to rein in the Democratic city government to obtain a position on the County Board of Supervisors (which he then used as a springboard to other appointments) and to have his friends placed in various offices. From this position of strength, he was elected "Grand Sachem" of Tammany, which he then used to take functional control of the city government. With his proteges elected governor of the state and mayor of the city, Tweed was able to expand the corruption and kickbacks of his "Ring" into practically every aspect of city and state governance. Although Tweed was elected to the State Senate, his true sources of power were his appointed positions to various branches of the city government. These positions gave him access to city funds and contractors, thereby controlling public works programs. This benefitted his pocketbook and those of his friends, but also provided jobs for the immigrants, especially Irish laborers, who were the electoral base of Tammany's power.^[26]

Under "Boss" Tweed's dominance, the city expanded into the Upper East and Upper West Sides of Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge was begun, land was set aside for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, orphanages and almshouses were constructed, and social services – both directly provided by the state and indirectly funded by state appropriations to private charities – expanded to unprecedented levels. All of this activity, of course, also brought great wealth to Tweed and his friends. It also brought them into contact and alliance with the rich elite of the city, who either fell in with the graft and corruption, or else tolerated it because of Tammany's ability to control the immigrant population, of whom the "uppertens" of the city were wary.

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It's Time To Stop The Sock Puppet Mayor From Gaining More Power

The weak sock puppet mayor has not been a good fit for Homestead. Developers, contractors and entrepreneurs control the current mayor and the sock puppet has been great for them. Is that because he is weak, they view him as weak, they know he is beholding to them, what is the reason that they feel they can order him around as their houseboy?

Look at the favors he has done. Free electricity, waived code enforcement fees, passes on red-light camera tickets...oops, shhh that's a secret. Contracts to buddies, overbilling from campaign donors, settlements to cash contributors, well it's been a great run, but the strong sock puppet nonsense is DOA. Even your former supporters have drawn a line in the sand.

Can you count on a sock puppet mayor to ever say no and put the taxpayers first? Ultimately isn't it just a sock with a hand up it's behind, pull out the hand and it collapses? The hands are saying no more, you went too far.

Hats off to all of those who will band together to defeat Mayor Bateman's vision of the Florida City/Otis Wallace strong mayor style government. This blog is with you. Sorry Mayor your Key Largo waterfront mansion will have to wait. Not this time, not ever.

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Bateman Sycophant elhor Was Against Strong Mayor Before He Was For It, Yes, Definitely He! Comments Appear In The Miami Herald Comments Section

Sycophant

Part of Speech:

noun

Definition:

person who caters to another

Synonyms:

adulator, backscratcher, backslapper, bootlicker, brownnoser, doormat, fan, fawner, flatterer, flunky, groupie, groveler, handshaker, hanger-on, lackey, minion, parasite, politician, puppet, slave

 Link to elhor's prior comments:

http://disqus.com/mcclatchy-0ad4fee89acd49b4e665dbe5ac0cdc67/

Subject of elhor's comments are below in blue. Hmmm.....elhor care to comment? 

Methinks you have been swiftboated.

 Homestead’s Bateman talking about switch to strong-mayor system 1 hour ago

The good people of Homestead have every right to choose the form of government by which they are governed.  That is democracy.  That is the “American Way.” This is a public decision.  This is all about citizen’s rights.
 
Most people don’t know how little authority and "power" the Homestead Mayor actually has.  Basically, he is only the chief ceremonial officer of the city and runs city council meetings. The city manager makes the
budget and runs the city.
 
But, you don’t elect the city manager.  The public does not choose who governs them.  And, who do you call when you have a complaint about the city?  The man who you elected as your mayor.  The man you hold accountable by your vote at the next election.  But, that man is really not in charge, the city manager is.  That is why the strong mayor form of government is so popular. You elect that person to run your city.
A person that is accountable to you as a citizen; not a shadow man behind the curtain like the Wizard of Oz.
 
This issue is not about the mayor or the manager, it is only about the residents of Homestead. I trust the people of Homestead to make the right decision

Miami Commissioner Suarez to unveil strong mayor plan for city 2 months ago 

The wrong tool for the job.  If the City Manager waffled on Police Chief Exposito; then they should have fired and replaced the manager.  The council-manager form of government has accountability; it rests in the Miami City Commission.  The commission simply chose not exercise their authority from lack of political will.
Real issues existed with Alvarez and Seijas at the county and they paid the price.  Why would you want to create a similar environment and potential in Miami which has a long history of deep and troubling fiscal issues?  The arguments against Suarez' proposal are too logical and obvious.
Methinks there is more to this than meets the eye.

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Mayor Steve Bateman's Clandestine Campaign To Be Strong Mayor Now In The Miami Herald

Systems of local government

Here are some commonly cited pros and cons of the two most common systems of local government.

A.) Council/manager

Pro: City is run by a professional city manager in a businesslike way; professional manager is thought to make decisions for efficiency rather than political reasons.

Con: Unelected manager may become too powerful; may be hard for voters to know who to hold accountable.

B.) Strong mayor

Pro: A single leader can take the initiative and voters know whom to hold accountable.

Con: Mayor may lack expertise as an administrator; concentration of power in a single elected official may lead to decisions based on politics rather than efficiency and may facilitate corruption.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/20/2759675/homesteads-bateman-talking-about.html#storylink=cpy

Homestead’s Bateman talking about switch to strong-mayor system

There may be an initiative brewing to change Homestead’s form of city government.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/20/2759675/homesteads-bateman-talking-about.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/20/2759675/homesteads-bateman-talking-about.html#storylink=cpy

By Christina Veiga

cveiga@MiamiHerald.com

Does Steve Bateman want to be strong mayor of Homestead?

That’s the story bubbling up around the city. At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, former long-time Councilman Jeff Porter finally brought the issue into the open, asking for public dialogue and input on the matter.

“It’s something that apparently is out there,” Porter said.

Answered Bateman: “I’ll be more than happy to sit down with you, because at this point it’s only a conversation.”

Bateman did not return requests for comments.

A headline on an April 1 entry on a local blog, Homesteadishome.blogspot.com, claimed: “No Joke, Mayor Bateman Pursuing ‘Strong Mayor’ Form of Government Ballot Initiative.”

The blog is run anonymously, and doesn’t offer any clue as to the source of its information regarding the supposed strong mayor initiative. Porter couldn’t say where the talk is originating from, either. But that doesn’t matter, he said.

The point of bringing the issue up publicly, Porter said, was so that residents and council members can weigh in.

“It is a total, fundamental change in the structure of government, and the more discussion we have, the better opportunity we have to come out with a proper decision,” he said.

Homestead now operates under a council/manager form of government. The City Council, with the mayor as chairman, passes laws and hires a city manager to oversee day-to-day city operations. The manager is a hired professional, and takes direction from the elected council.

Under a strong-mayor form of government, however, the mayor is the city’s chief executive officer. The City Council passes laws and the annual city budget, but the mayor may have veto power. The city of Hialeah and Miami-Dade County both have strong-mayor governments.

Changing Homestead’s form of government would require changing the city’s charter. The charter lays out the rules governing the city.

Usually, charter amendments are proposed by a committee that is put together specifically to review the city’s charter. Homestead’s charter also allows residents to petition for a change in the charter.

Either way, council members first have to approve putting the proposed amendments on a ballot, according to the city charter. If that happens, residents vote to give the ultimate approval or disapproval of the measure.

Vice Mayor Jon Burgess told The Miami Herald he’d be against a strong mayor form of government.

“I’m happy with the form of government we have now. I think it keeps the checks and balances in place,” he said.

Burgess pointed out that residents have repeatedly voted-down a four year mayoral term — he takes that to mean residents are happy with Homestead’s current form of government. The city’s mayor currently serves a two-year term. Bateman is on his second term after having been reelected in November 2011.

If Homestead were to adopt a strong-mayor form of government, city leadership could be constantly in flux, Burgess said.

“Every two years, the city could be thrown upside down,” he said.

Councilwoman Judy Waldman on Friday sent an email to Bateman asking to postpone an upcoming visioning session, where city leaders talking about upcoming goals, until the strong mayor issue is sorted out.

“I believe it wise to get clear direction on where our city government is to go, and then plan a session where we can expand on our vision,” she wrote.

For more Homestead news, follow @Cveiga on Twitter.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/20/2759675/homesteads-bateman-talking-about.html#storylink=cpy

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