I thought this was funny enough to post ...
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Will the real Fiscal Conservative please stand up?
Unions seem to be the flavor of the month to beat up on, swelling and unsustainable pensions are the topic of conversation in state governments today. So how do the candidates running for Miami-Dade Mayor stack up against being influenced by union bosses? We look first at the PBA. Don't get me wrong Public Safety should be deemed as an important and protected profession. These professionals put their lives on the line daily and should be compensated fairly. However, there are real consequences to governments action, when you increase the personnel cost while your revenue is diminishing how do you make up the difference?
Marcelo Llorente: From his past voting record he seems to be a pro union guy and so far down in the polls that I'm not going to spend any more time.
Julio Robaina: Mayor of Hialeah Julio Robaina seemed to have promise when he confronted all the unions last year but it seems as though he has caved in to the pressure. According to the Miami Herald a couple months ago the Mayor of Hialeah came to an agreement with the Hialeah police department on their new contract. The paper disclosed that by the next 2 years the Hialeah police officers will be restored full benefits that were taken away in the last contract in order to make up the budget shortfall. These benefits amount to a 12% pay raise in the next year’s budget according to the Shark Tank. The only plausible way to cover this pay increase is to raise city property taxes as now former mayor Alvarez attempted to do just before he got recalled. However Mayor Robaina, now running for Dade Mayor, will not have to make that decision since he will not be in Hialeah during the next budget process, how convenient.
Carlos Gimenez: Ok so Round 1 goes to Gimenez. According to the PBA he was voted Miami-Dade's worst commissioner in 2010, when he voted against an 8% pay raise to MDPD in last years budget that was part of the $132 million tax increase and got Mayor Alvarez and Commissioner Seijas recalled.
Marcelo Llorente: From his past voting record he seems to be a pro union guy and so far down in the polls that I'm not going to spend any more time.
Julio Robaina: Mayor of Hialeah Julio Robaina seemed to have promise when he confronted all the unions last year but it seems as though he has caved in to the pressure. According to the Miami Herald a couple months ago the Mayor of Hialeah came to an agreement with the Hialeah police department on their new contract. The paper disclosed that by the next 2 years the Hialeah police officers will be restored full benefits that were taken away in the last contract in order to make up the budget shortfall. These benefits amount to a 12% pay raise in the next year’s budget according to the Shark Tank. The only plausible way to cover this pay increase is to raise city property taxes as now former mayor Alvarez attempted to do just before he got recalled. However Mayor Robaina, now running for Dade Mayor, will not have to make that decision since he will not be in Hialeah during the next budget process, how convenient.
Carlos Gimenez: Ok so Round 1 goes to Gimenez. According to the PBA he was voted Miami-Dade's worst commissioner in 2010, when he voted against an 8% pay raise to MDPD in last years budget that was part of the $132 million tax increase and got Mayor Alvarez and Commissioner Seijas recalled.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Miami-Dade Mayor's Race, let the vetting begin: Robaina pleads No Contest to 10 Counts of Fruad ...
This will surely be a quick election and as a resident of Miami-Dade County we deserve to know the truth about all the candidates running. No one will escape our blogs scrutiny and this time we will hold them accountable on the positions they have taken.
One piece of troubling news is that Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina continues to tout himself as a respectable businessman; however I stumbled across this case from the State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in 1994. During this time Mayor Robaina was a real estate broker for Univest Realty and Management Inc. According to this it seems as though he pleaded no contest to 10 counts of fraud.
One piece of troubling news is that Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina continues to tout himself as a respectable businessman; however I stumbled across this case from the State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in 1994. During this time Mayor Robaina was a real estate broker for Univest Realty and Management Inc. According to this it seems as though he pleaded no contest to 10 counts of fraud.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)