By Raquel Garcia….

A somber and remorseful former vice mayor Armando Oliveros Jr offered Community Newspapers an exclusive interview recently to say he is back from serving nearly seven years in federal prison for money laundering and 99 percent certain he will very soon announce his candidacy for commissioner in February’s election.

“I made a huge mistake and I paid the price. I can blame it on ego and selfishness but ultimately I was entirely to blame. They say to err is human and to forgive is divine. Well I certainly did err. Now let’s see how many divine people are out there ready to forgive,” said Oliveros.

An attorney at the time of his arrest in 2000, Oliveros was targeted by an FBI Political Corruption Unit and videotaped receiving money “to clean” from a former client. Oliveros immediately resigned from office and there was no connection ever made between the charge and his public service. “I cannot say I regret my decision to fight the case. They said if I wore a wire it would make everything go away since it was apparently aimed at targeting local politicians but I refused. What is the point of abusing the system to hurt other people and get myself off? No, I did my time.”

“Prison is a microcosm of society. When I was there I had roommates that were kids from the projects peddling drugs and breaking into homes. I had a lot more respect for them coming from an environment where those were the only survival skills they knew verses the Enron andWorldCom educated inmates who stole millions of dollars from their own employees and clients,” said Oliveros.

Because he was an attorney and politician Oliveros believes the prosecution went after him with guns loaded. “I was sentenced more harshly than second degree murderers and rapists but it is over and my family and I have turned the page.”

Oliveros does appear to have been embraced by family and friends since his return home. His 28 year old son Armando III is about to graduate from law school and solidly behind his dad’s return to office as is his 23 year old daughter Stephani. Oliveros’ wife Iliette said “I am very proud of his determination to go back to doing what he loves and what he is extremely qualified to do; serve the community. Regardless of the possible attacks on his character because of past mistakes, he is resolved and determined to move forward and learn from the past. These are qualities we can all admire.”

Oliveros said old supporters and friends have inundated him with phone calls to throw his hat in the ring this election season. He says that although he was interested he was worried about a possible backlash on his family. However the depth of support and faith in him offered by so many gave him the confidence to proceed and put his ideas forth.

“I see stagnation right now at City Hall. A few boisterous cliques are being catered to and that is about it. People like to look at South Miami as a small town and sure we have that going for us but we are also a young and growing city in need of greater diversity and practical decision making that will benefit the majority and not just a few loud citizens.”

“The African American community is not being heard and not voting. This is a critical historic part of South Miami that needs representation and service and not receiving it. When I was in office I walked the neighborhoods and I intend to do that again if elected. I especially want to work toward getting all of our youth invested back in the community.”

Oliveros got his start in community building in the early 90’s while coaching basketball for Gulliver when his kids were in school. He then went on to serve on area boards like Parks and Recreation, Planning, and Environmental Review. Eventually his declared passion for being involved in positive changes in the community brought him into office where he served as commissioner in 1997. He was re-elected as vice mayor from 1998 to 1999 before his resignation.

“I was a part of one of the best board of commissioners we have ever had. When we would go up to Tallahassee for Dade Days we came back with funding. We may not have always agreed but we worked together as respectful colleagues to get the most done for the community. This is the kind of leadership South Miami is now sorely missing.”

University of Miami undergraduate alumnus and Nova University Law School graduate Oliveros currently works in real estate. He suggests his passion today is tempered by patience. “The worst thing about the time I was away was the impotence you feel in not being able to help your family when all you can do is talk on the phone for five minutes. I feel transformed in that I grew up through this experience and my passion is now managed by patience and a vision for the future. I hope the community will allow me another chance to serve and prove myself as I continue to heal.”

By Raquel Garcia….

In 1968 when Richard Nixon was President, a group of neighbors proposed the idea of a community pool so all of South Miami’s children would have a place to get through the summer heat and learn how to swim safely. Forty three years later, it appeared that this city commission might finally make the approved and funded project a reality but the possible operator was rejected at a recent city commission meeting because their proposal did not come cost-free. Elected officials guided by Vice Mayor Valerie Newman then punted the decision back into the hands of the community as a referendum question this February.

Vice President of Operations for USA Pools Matthew Satterly thought he was going to make a presentation at the November 15 city commission meeting. USA Pools was chosen as potential pool operator. However Mayor Philip Stoddard invoked a Committee of the Whole discussion during the meeting so the commission could speak candidly about the pool prior. It appeared by the response that there would not be a majority in favor of USA Pools as operator so Satterly’s presentation went unheard.

Satterly said: “They asked me the day before to go down there and I spent a whole lot of money to try and present the information. I understand when the commission is moving in a certain direction they go with the flow but it sure would have been nice to be able to provide our information rather than allowing the commission to misquote us on fees.”

According to Satterly operating costs would run approximately $150,000 annually or about $12 per taxpayer per year, not the nearly half a million dollars suggested by the board. The commission has been looking for an operator to sustain the pool without incurring any fees to the city. An unrealistic option according to Satterly and one he claims the commission was well aware of before he left Atlanta and got on the plane to head south.

“We told them what they want to do is not feasible for this area. We did the research. They knew this ahead of time and the city manager still told us they were ready to negotiate. It is a little frustrating because we had told them from the very beginning we could not accomplish the original goal of the letter of interest. Two weeks later we have an agreement in place and then it is a shock that it is going to cost money. They had voted on it already knowing that information.”

But Stoddard says otherwise. “USA Pools does not know the community well but they know pools and how to run them. They did the marketing research and based on their models they were not convinced they could run the pool and make a profit without a city subsidy. They did not come forward and say we need x amount of dollars. They wanted the city to cover all of the operating costs and then pay us back at the end of the year with revenue earned.”

Federal grant money reserved for the Murray Pool has been sitting idle for years awaiting someone to pick up a shovel and start digging a hole in the ground. Several months ago it appeared the city would finally lose that funding set to expire this month. Clarence Brown of the County Community Development Block Grant office sent a letter to the mayor and commissioners stating those dollars were at risk if there was no movement on the project. The city did receive an extension from the county; however Brown said they really needed to see some traction to keep those dollars allocated.

Assistant Director for Housing and Community Development for Miami-Dade County Rowena Crawford said in a recent interview: “We agreed to an extension for another year. But these are federal dollars that come with rules and regulations and you can’t tie up funds forever. They have agreed to work with us on deadlines but if nothing happens we have to recapture those dollars and allocate them to projects that are ready to move. Federal dollars need to be spent on the community. They cannot just sit for years and years.”

As Satterly was leaving city hall that night he said Purchasing Manager Steve Kulik and an associate came out to speak to him. Satterly said: “As I left they came out and spoke to me and said this is not going to move forward and we are not even going to build a pool.” When asked by the South Miami News for clarification, Kulik would not comment.

UPDATE FROM DECEMBER 6 CITY COMMISSION MEETING:
Over 40 residents showed up at the last city commission meeting to denounce a proposed resolution for the Murray pool project to go back into the hands of voters to decide. Opposed by Mayor Stoddard as a “disingenuous” question, the language of the non-binding referendum proposed for the February ballot reads:

The City of South Miami has considered as part of its capital improvements projects to build, maintain and operate a swimming pool. If the question is approved by voters the city may decide to build, maintain and operate a pool at the taxpayer’s expense, would you favor such a project?

“We already have 1.2 million dollars in federal money for the pool so this would not be on the taxpayers back. There are dollars in house ready to be spent, burning a hole in our pocket,” said Stoddard. Commissioners Palmer and Harris agreed with Stoddard’s remarks. Commissioner Beasley suggested a change in the language of the referendum was what was necessary to proceed. Palmer said for the past 25 years that she has lived in South Miami every year it is “pool, pool, pool. The community has been wanting this as long as I can remember and this attempt to put it to the voters is an effort to kill it once and for all.”

By a show of hands it was apparent that 37 people in the auditorium supported the pool happening and rejected presenting it to voters to decide. Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Board Richard Ward said after the board discussion, “it is clear you have four votes up there to reject the resolution. Vote it down now and save us all the time.” The proposed resolution from Vice Mayor Newman (who was not present at the meeting) was rejected. The next meeting on the Murray Pool proposal status will be the December 20 regular city commission meeting when a new potential operator will be considered.