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 Would
You Play With A Stacked Deck?
If you knew that the dealer in a poker game had three aces up his
sleeve would you bet your house on that game?
Could it be that the benevolence of the county
commissioners other than Commissioners Alonso and Morales in voting
six to three in favor of a Doral Municipal Advisory Committee was only
because they had already stacked the deck against Doral, Palmetto Bay
and Country Club Lakes becoming independent, full-fledged cities?
Count the aces that the commission had up its sleeve:
Ace #1: At the June 20 Board of County Commission
meeting, the vote was eight to two in favor of item 10A3 to prevent
any newly incorporated municipality from amending their municipal
charter without the approval of the board of county commissioners.
This was approved at the request of the county manager
before they voted to approve the three municipal advisory committees.
Only Commissioners Alonso and Morales voted against this unfair
resolution that will be on the October ballot.
Listening to the discussion on item 10A3 made one
thing became abundantly clear. The eight commissioners voting to
restrict new municipalities from amending their charter (the
constitution of their government) were insuring that no municipal
advisory committee's agreement to provide for an election would be
approved without financial mitigation and the acceptance of the
Metro-Miami-Dade Police Force forever.
Ace #1: will prevent new municipalities from amending
their charter without the approval of the county commissioners.
Ace #2: Their intention was and remains that any new
municipality whose tax base is larger than the cost of services they
receive (a donor community) must pay a financial mitigation to the
county.
Their argument is that those payments are necessary for the county to
provide services to the low income areas remaining in the
unincorporated municipal service area called UMSA. Even though it is
extremely unfair not to require all donor communities in the county
(Coral Gables, Surfside, Sunny Isles Beach, Pinecrest, etc.) to
contribute to any shortfall, the commissioners don't have the courage
to increase the sales tax or county tax so that everyone pays their
fair share.
The county's newly found need to service the
low-income areas has been absent for the past forty years.
Those low-income areas would do far better by
incorporating and using their own taxes to provide their services. Ace
#2 requires that new donor municipalities alone must pay financial
mitigation.
Ace #3: The Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the
union representing the Metro Dade Police Department, has a great deal
of influence on some commissioners. It is telling them that the newly
incorporated municipalities must take the Metro-Dade Police force
otherwise the Metro Police Department will be destroyed and unable to
service the county's needs.
Most of the new municipalities will want to use the
Metro special forces such as the swat team, crime lab, helicopter
service, etc. Having their own police on the street and their own
police chief and officers are important to any municipality.
Ace #3 requires new municipalities to take Metro
Police forever Commissioner Alonso to the rescue!
Would you bet into a hand that is holding three aces?
It might sound like the odds are stacked against Doral but that is
exactly what seven Doral citizens are willing and ready to do.
District 12 Commissioner, Dr. Miriam Alonso, at that
same June 20, commission meeting, sponsored Resolution 9 (A)(9),
"creating and establishing the Doral Area Municipal Advisory
Committee, directing staff to prepare a study of the possible creation
of a new municipality in the area of Doral."
The nine members of the Doral Advisory Committee are
myself--Morgan Levy, Jesse Jones, Odel Torres, Jerry Howie, Carolyn
Caserta, Max Salvador, Chris Mazzola, Judy Newman and Pepe Cancio.
With the support of Commissioner Alonso, these nine
Doral citizens will not go into this game with the intention of giving
away the store. They will argue that every community is unique and
that each has different circumstances that must be considered in the
negotiations with the county.
They might just have some wild cards to play!
Thanks to Commissioner Alonso: Everyone in District 12 should take the
time to thank our commissioner who has proved over and over that she
will fight for the rights of the citizens in her District.
You can send your "Thank You" to Dr. Miriam
Alonso by phoning 305 599 1200, faxing 305 470 1791, or by writing to
8345 NW 12 St., Miami, FL 33126. She has fought side by side with us
on many issues including incorporation, blasting, the Juvenile
Detention Center, sexually violent predators, parks, streets &
lights.
Commissioner Alonso is invited to be the guest speaker
at the July 20 WDFHA meeting at 8 PM at the Doral Park Clubhouse.
Everyone should attend to thank her.
From where do the following quotes come?
"...that all men (and women) are created equal, that they are
endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness... That to secure these Rights,
Governments are instituted among Men (and Women), deriving their just
Powers from the Consent of the Governed. That whenever any form of
Government become destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the
People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,
laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in
such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety
and Happiness."
"has called together Legislative Bodies at Places
unusual, uncomfortable, and distant -- for the sole Purpose of
fatiguing them"
"for imposing Taxes on us without our
Consent"
"right to be free and independent states"
All of these quotes are from the Declaration of
Independence, signed July 4, 1776.
Have some of our elected and appointed officials
forgotten the self-governing document that created this great country?
As we just celebrated the fourth of July, Independence
Day, our resolve grows stronger to provide good government close to
the people!
Voting is crucial
If you are a citizen of the United States and are living in the Doral
area, you should make very certain that you are registered to vote and
that you do vote at every election. The future of our Doral community
is going to be attacked.
Will you sit back and not do your part to make Doral
an independent city? Very important elections are coming up in
September, October and November. Register to vote outside of Publix on
NW 41 Street every weekend until August or get an application at the
Doral Park Clubhouse. Do it now!
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