Ex-Chief wins; more to come?

orlando-martinez-de-castroThe former Chief of Police Orlando Martinez had his day in court and its reported the court has awarded him $434,731.85 compensation (plus attorney fees of around $200,000) for his early discharge as ‘Top Cop’ of the city. Filed years ago, p’raps that decision may now bring to an end the unwarranted and early termination of the Chief’s five-year contract. But wait, there’s more… He still has a couple of more suits outstanding, including against South Miami Commissioner Bob Welsh and another (or two) against Mayor Phil Stoddard. It’ll be awhile till’ these go to court but the Chief is sure-footed and persistent, so this current win is sure to give him a shot of confidence to keep on truckin’ in tortland. BTW: Wonder if the City will appeal the big bucks judgment already lodged against our City of Un-Pleasant Pleadings? Any bets on that?

Sharon McCain, a former South Miami resident, is still pretty involved in city affairs by quite frequently e-blasting what are alleged to be blistering emails to a humongous list. However, Sharon in a recent pontification episode (of which I am well-informed) appears to have lost her edge a bit— or maybe it’s just me, who knows? Nevertheless, for your input and reading pleasure, we’re including a recent piece which surely seems to come from her and was sent to over an e-mail line to bunches of folks.

(Please note that we did remove all recipients except for Commissioner Josh Liebman):

From: Sharon McCain <notajap21@hotmail.com>

Date: April 5, 2016 at 9:22:57 PM EDT

To: <jliebman@southmiamifl.gov>

Subject: Congratulating the new planner Commissioner Liebman:

Many of us already know you are incompetent, you don’t read the agenda until you get to the meeting, and you have trouble keeping your thoughts together when you speak i.e. you go off on tangents.

That being said, this evening you welcomed the new city planner and stated it’s been a long time since we had the position filled since Chris Brimo left ??????????????? Commissioner Liebman, and I used the word commissioner loosely, where are you in lah lah land? Don’t you recall the planner who recently resigned because of so called family issues from Gary Indiana replaced Chris Brimo? Geez. I can’t believe the residents pay you a salary. You also stated some kind of city thing would take place where “Carrabas restaurant used to be.” Commissioner Liebman, Carrabbas is in business, they didn’t go there.

I and others would suggest that instead of constantly meeting with the owners of Shops of Sunset and other developers, perhaps you should donate all of your time and there is a lot, to the city agenda and other issues. You obviously, in my opinion, are not in touch whatsoever.

Thirdly, you are witnessed on video as well as verbally of always mocking Commissioner Harris. You make faces and do not exhibit any respect. Comm. Harris doesn’t see it because he is unable to in the position he is in. It has been noticed that when Comm. Harris is speaking you turn your head to the city manager and following that you faces and body language is inexcusable regarding a fellow commissioner.

Grow up but I feel the chances of that happening at 40 plus is not in the horizon.

So folks, there you have it!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Galloped over to the Horse and Cattle show at Tropical Park the weekend of April 15- 17 and it was better than better-than-ever, especially if you wear boots, a cowboy hat to see those magnificent those four-legged equines and cattle, too, from cute little calves to really big bellowing bulls (and I mean fearsome big) — a very cool experience with lots of showplace steeds of all sizes, big and small, most with prize-winning pedigrees and young’uns with superior lineages, all to admire first-hand. ‘Twas great fun watching smallfry dressed in rodeo-style outfits, leading moms and dads around, all with big smiles from the kids and bigger ones on parent faces.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Javier Souto who laid the foundation and yearly leads this special event saw some 40,000-plus attending the Seventh Annual Show. So here’s a tip of my cowboy hat to Comish Souto whose vision, motivation and perseverance created this spectacular weekend exhibition, right in Kendall’s backyard, bringing reps from 15-plus different foreign countries who also see why Horse Country environs are still something to write home about. Kudos, Mssrs. Souto and staff who work so hard to put our territory on the international equine and livestock map, the yeararound.

Toddled over to Casa Cuba the other day and ran into Adam Brand, owner of Frames USA , as well as Bill Kress, former PIO for the Village of Palmetto Bay. And, let’s see, who else was there: Armado Oliverio, Obduli Piedra, Horace Feliu (friend and perennial candidate) as well as a couple of Coral Gables police officers and, of course, several South Miami gendarmes, as always. If you really want to get supercharged at seven ayem, wander over there, have a couple of swigs of espresso, a few Pastelito De Guayabo’s and listen to some Latino music rhythms to get yourself rockin’ and rollin’ the rest of your day.

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation will host the annual “Take Steps Walk” event May 7 at Bayfront Park. Leading the walk this year as the Honored Local Hero is Jacquelyn Schatzman, diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2007, now a senior at Miami Killian High School where she heads up a fundraising effort with “Jacquelyn’s Joggers.” She’s also a committee member of the CCFA’s South Florida Chapter. For more information about the upcoming event, hit the web search at <CCFA.org/Miami2016>.

Most folks around Palmetto Bay seem pretty happy with the progress of the new Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station to be built at the corner of SW 142 Terr. and Old Cutler Rd. The design work should be ready this summer with construction likely to start sometime this coming Fall. I’m told that’s also the spot that MDC Police Director Juan Perez believes would be ideal for a new district police headquarters.

The Ethics Commission found No Probable Cause to a complaint (C 16-03) filed against South Miami officials for violating that city’s ethics ordinance prohibiting influence over a city board. Yvonne Beckman accused Mayor Philip Stoddard and Commissioner Robert Welsh of coercing members of the South Miami Green Task Force (GTF) to support a plan to redevelop South Miami City Hall. An investigation found that the elected officials did attend several GTF meetings in late 2014 and early 2015 and that the mayor did speak in favor of selling the existing city hall. Mayor Stoddard contended that the South Miami ethics code prohibits attempts to influence city boards and that the GTF is not a board. He told Ethics Commissioners today that he is drafting legislation to clarify the intent of the decades-old ordinance and remove the ambiguity regarding the regulations associated with a “board,” “committee” or “task force.”

Robert M. Levy, 67, passed last week after a long battle with Cancer and county Commissioners Tuesday had two moments of silence during a committee meeting when Bob passed and friends heard that his “email has gone silent,” and Commissioner Sally Heyman said Bob who founded Robert M. Levy & Associates Public & Government Relations, was “a good friend for us and Miami-Dade County and a champion for many causes and underdogs,” said Heyman from the dais. And Bob was a great friend of the Watchdog Report. And since 2000 he would send me monthly a $100.00 check and the decorated U.S. Army Vietnam veteran was a major advocate for veterans and he was awarded three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star for his combat service in Vietnam. And his office in Tallahassee, where he worked as a lobbyist was filled with mementoes of his decades at the capital.

And he created Dade Days at the capital now in its 28th year and included a giant Payaya.And Bob ran a host of judicial campaigns and lobbied for a number of municipalities and while a progressive he politically was hard to pin down. Further since I first began Bob would email my WDR every Sundaynight to all the people on his distribution list and his blast helped get me established in the early days and that was most appreciated, and I and many others will miss him as a friend. Rest in Peace Bob, you made your mark in so many ways.

(The last two items were provided by watchdogreport.net)

Thought of the Day:
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.
— Hannah More

Gary Alan Ruse contributed to this column.

Got any tips? Contact me at 305-669- 7355, ext. 249, or send emails to <Michael@communitynewspapers.com>.


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1 COMMENT

  1. Poor Michael, we all understand that you are a new grandfather X2, and have more important things on your mind, to that point, as a journalist it is obvious you didn’t perform due diligence on my email…. no I didn’t pontificate, my comments were fact based on observation for quite awhile. I went back to my email, and it appears, in my opinion, that your “boy” Commissioner Liebman must have forwarded my email to you. I guess the truth hurt him and he had to run somewhere with it while his legs were shaking, poor thing LOL. It is unfortunate that you had to pick Comm. Liebman 5 years ago to further your interests, and a shame that it appears he answers to you. BTW, thanks for posting my email, it was more than I had hoped for. Yep, it is true, Commissioner Liebman forgot about previous planners and the reference to the restaurant that went out of business, lol. BTW, Comm. Liebman appears to feel he is better than anyone, especially those on the dais he shares, but to observe this 40 something mock and make faces of a fellow commissioner is disrespectful and certainly “lack of decorum.”

    In my opinion, Commissioner Liebman has never grown up and he has lacked decorum and went off publically on me, Levi Kelly, and others pubically, but he made sure those people were not in the audience.

    Hey Michael, since you are an old man, old enough to be Liebman’s grandfather, perhaps you can have heart to heart chat with the immature man, so that he doesn’t look so ridiculous on the dais. Perhaps you can give him tutorials as to public speaking and putting his thoughts together without going off in tangents. You would be doing a public service.

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