Mayor Karyn Cunningham Continues to Fail Palmetto Bay

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Michael Miller, Publisher

An opinion piece written by Michael Miller, Publisher, Community Newspapers

After holding office as Mayor of Palmetto Bay for the past two years, Mayor Karyn Cunningham’s Administration continues to reap the results of poor leadership.

She’s facing a projected $2.6 million deficit, chased out the Village Attorney, the Village Manager and the Village’s beloved Public Information Officer (PIO) – Kelly Craig.  Cunningham has entertained reducing the Village’s police force and park security while supporting a highly unpopular 10-foot Mega-Sidewalk on 136th Street. She is staying silent on the Village declaring the 22-acre forest, adjacent to the Palmetto Bay Village Center, as a worthless piece of land, leaving it open to possible development and increased density.

After a tumultuous search for a new Village Manager, she’s led the way in hiring Nick Marano, from Nevada, where he did a stint as City Manager for Carson City between 2014-2018. He then left to become market president for a marijuana retailer called GTI.  More on this soon.

If that weren’t enough, Mayor Cunningham is now working overtime to gain absolute power on the Council, which may very well be one of her most dangerous and counterproductive efforts to date.

She doesn’t want balance, nor counter views, nor her position on policies to be questioned, challenged, or opposed.  That may be good for her, but is terrible for Palmetto Bay.  But if that doesn’t send you “running for the hills”, we learned that she had to be taken to court this past week for failing to comply with the State’s public records laws by refusing a public records request made by a Village Councilmember, no less!  What does that say about the rights of us “little people”? I mean, seriously, what is going on in Palmetto Bay?!

Mayor Cunningham is working vigorously to elect her friends, Leanne Tellam and Steve Cody, both of who lack any local governmental experience.  But this “Inconvenient Truth” is of no consequence to Karyn.

This is not the real reason she recruited these candidates.  She’s enlisted them so that she may have total and complete control over the Village Council.  Quite frankly, all her actions or lack of them beg the question: Are we still living in the 21st Century, or have we gone back in time to the 16th Century’s “Age of Absolutism”?

Scary thought!

Seriously, though, Palmetto Bay needs leaders who will put all residents’ interests before their own.  Every resident needs the benefit of a diversity of opinions on the Council, independent thinkers that are not on the dais to serve the whims of one person, but instead serve the entire community.  Karyn Cunningham may be a nice person, but her actions since she took over as Mayor has the feel of an authoritarian. She is unwilling to listen to her colleagues and worse – she is ignoring the will of the people.

Can Palmetto Bay afford to continue with an “off with their heads” mentality?  Fortunately, you have a choice to decide to move forward or go back in time.

I say let’s move forward and don’t give in to her power grab. And, elect leaders that will keep her in check.

Michael may be contacted at michael@communitynewsapers.com or 786-543-3872


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6 COMMENTS

  1. I don’t live in Palmetto Bay but have put my skin on the line to protect pine rocklands in South Florida. When I met Ms. Tellam at a Ruth’s list event and told her my affiliation with certain environmental protection groups, her comment to me was: “You are dangerous”. Since then I just don’t trust her with environmental matters. I am very disappointed that we have women candidates that simply don’t have the good bones to protect the environment.

  2. Kelly, First thanks for your comments.Next, I’m not quite sure what you mean ” … spreading a smear campaign for your friend…”
    And I was wondering if you got a chance to watch the video interviews(s) that we have done with
    Mayor Cunningham
    Councilman Patrick Fiore

    Vice Mayor candidates:
    Ed Silva
    AlJohn Farquharson
    Lee Ann Tillman was invited but declined

    Council Candidates
    David Singer
    Steve Cody
    Councilwoman Marsha Matson declined our offer to be interviewed

    Plus we have run numerous other stories that have appeared in print and online
    Sometimes I reread the story about the 12 blind men and the elephant .. It helps me get a better understanding about what’s going on

  3. I agree completely with Kelly Fullerton. My opinion is that Community Newspapers is a morally corrupt company, run by two morally corrupt brothers!

  4. Ir never ceases to amaze me how folks (kelly) attack your editorial, yet wont dispute the facts. It is people like her who are dividing our Village. She’s using Trumps playbook. But it wont work. The facts are the facts.

  5. You have lost all of my support of your newspapers. From saying you were going to stay neutral in The Village of Palmetto Bay elections to endorsing a candidate and now spreading a smear campaign for your friend, shame on Community Newspapers for further dividing our Village.

Comments are closed.