Mayor Gimenez: My integrity is sacrosanct
Re Fabiola Santiago’s Dec. 14 column, “The ethics of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and his lobbyist sons stink,” about my sons and my ethics: First, my son Carlos J. (C.J.) does not lobby Miami-Dade County government. He is a lawyer who was working in the government legal affairs field before I was elected mayor in 2011.
Yet he has not been active in any county business. Santiago initially included him as an active lobbyist in the online version of her column, then when advised that he is listed as “not active lobbyist” — as posted on the county website — she did not include the date of Jan. 27, 2011 that is listed as the last “inactive.”
C.J. represents clients before several cities and other counties, but not in Miami-Dade. There was one occasion in 2015 when I became aware of an unsolicited proposal from the Trump organization to run a golf course at Key Biscayne, and since C.J. at the time represented Trump before some municipalities, I recused myself.
In fact, since before I was mayor, when I was elected county commissioner, I sought guidance from the Ethics Commission and recused myself from any deliberations involving proposed projects (such as red-light cameras) that involved C.J.’s clients. Neither of those projects, by the way, were approved.
Second, my son Julio is a construction executive who has not been directly involved in any county projects until this year, when he registered as a lobbyist in July on a project that involves a proposed steel mill. I immediately recused myself and assigned a deputy mayor to deal directly with that project and, as required by the County Charter, had the commission chair decide on whether the project ever goes before commissioners.
Julio also has been helping the nonprofit Neighbors and Neighbors Association with a rehabilitation facility for young offenders. Santiago writes, “In an ethical world, a good project gets a fair hearing — no matter who has the connections or not.” Incredibly, she ignores those very requirements that ensure a fair hearing is had because 1. I recuse myself; 2. The commission chair makes a determination if the project merits consideration; and 3. Commissioners — not the mayor — decide what projects get funded.
Those who want to make political hay out of nothing have filed numerous ethics complaints over the years, and each time the Commission on Ethics and Public Trust has determined they have no merit. I am proud of both my sons for studying a craft, working hard and earning a decent living.
My integrity and ethics are sacrosanct. There’s a recusal process, it’s transparent and I follow it.
Carlos A. Gimenez
Mayor, Miami-Dade County
Wither outrage?
A recent story in the Miami Herald told how a 7-year-old Guatemalan migrant girl died while in custody of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).
She was dehydrated and throwing up. So what does Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen say? She blames the victim.
She says traveling to the United States is dangerous and blames the victim’s father for her death.
Several photos have shown CBP officers dumping bottles of water placed left in the desert by caring Americans so to see that the migrants don’t get dehydrated and die of thirst.
Is this what President Trump had in mind with his motto, “Make America Great Again?”
Where is the outrage from all the religious leaders?
Barry Rabinowitz,
Plantation
Save the shore
Wiggling one’s toes in the water at the edge of the ocean and looking out at the blue vastness can give us a feeling of freedom that we find in few other places.
And, what a respite it is to go to a sunny, warm place where people are happy.
Or, to find solace in the peacefulness of the water.
Our shores nurture us in so many ways. Protecting them from climate risks is reason to offer gratitude to U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch, Francis Rooney and Charlie Crist, in the Dec. 13 editorial, “Florida lawmakers take the lead in combating carbon emissions — and get it right.” Miami Herald Editorial, Dec. 12, 2018). They are sponsoring the Energy Innovation Act, a the new bipartisan-backed carbon pricing bill in Congress that will work to protect the beauty, peace, and bounty of our land — and us!
May our entire Florida delegation in Congress see the value in this bipartisan path to preserving what we all love so dearly.
Kotton Dwyer,
Hawthorn, FL
Trump indictments
Under a real king, close and dearest associates someday may be knighted.
Unlike Trump, whose closest friends all seem to get indicted.
Barry Levy, Miami
It is corruption
When do we get to call it corruption? Our definition has become so narrow that it seems limited only to public officials who skim public money directly to their own pocket.
Yet, when Ron DeSantis appoints his campaign donors to advisory positions, is that not corruption?
When Rick Scott repeatedly undermines Everglades restoration at the bidding of Big Sugar, is that not corruption?
Corruption is the unfair diversion of public resources for private gain. Let’s call it when we see it.
Gray Read, South Miami
Holiday stay-cation
President Trump is threatening again to shut the government down if he doesn’t get his $5 billion for the border wall. Meanwhile, in Laredo, Texas and other border towns where the military installed concertina wire fencing — with much fanfare — it was removed under cover of the night.
The reason? The fencing interferes with economic and environmental concerns between Nuevo Laredo in Mexico and Laredo in the United States, according to officials.
Since President Trump intends to shut the government down during the holidays, and where government employees may have to work with no pay, perhaps he should set an example staying at the White House instead of traveling to Mar-a-Lago, at tax payers expense.
Rosa Maria Hanchett,
Coral Gables
Beach cameras
After reading the Dec. 18 article “Are red light cameras here to stay in Miami Beach? New study bolsters support for program,” on red light cameras in Miami Beach, I was disappointed in the FIU’s research. It FIU They should have included researched intersections with extended red lights in both directions between light changes.
When cities want to justify the cameras, they ignore extended four-way red-light solutions. I think FIU should have refused to do the study without having that option available. in their study. I have read articles that claim extended red lights reduce all types of car accidents. I think FIU should have researched that solution, to minimize car accidents, even if it they had to review intersections in other areas of Miami-Dade.
Bob Tedone, Sweetwater
Local legend
The recent death of Muhammad Ali’s chief sparring partner, Levi “The Battling Bellman” Forte, brought back fond memories. Forte was a true gentleman of the sport of boxing. He was the Heavyweight Champion of Florida and had 51 fights in a 40-year career. He fought and matches with George Foreman and Floyd Patterson.
In 1978, as an amateur boxer, I trained with Forte him at the 5th Street Gym, and he helped improve my punching power. Our training together paid off, as he fought a draw with 10th rated Jose “King” Roman and I knocked out Alvon Ward in one round.
A local legend has died. He won’t be forgotten.
Sherman “Big Train”
Bergman, Miami Beach
Political cancer
“The reality is that you have a cancer and that cancer is in Havana, Managua, Caracas,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart in the Dec. 14 story “How Congress will tackle Latin America policy with fewer Cuban Americans in office.”
Do our lawmakers understand that the only way to get rid of cancer is to treat it? It seems not.
Where just a few years ago our government was as close as ever to being considered an ally of Latin American countries, the progress has now been lost as threats of hard power and the use of rhetoric like of (“infestation” seem to be weekly occurrences. This use of
Hard power has done nothing but discredit the United States and allow others, namely China, to become allies in the region. Rather than focus on migrant caravans and narco-trafficking, our government should focus on the root causes of the “cancer.” Latin America is now currently the region in the world with the highest inequality.
The United States would do well to recognize the gains that could be made through soft power — investing in infrastructure and the economy to prevent further regression in the relationship with Latin American countries.
Without this, battling socialism and the shift toward populism in some Latin American countries will be wasted steps as the population will still perceive mass inequality.
Alexandra Tolhurst,
Chester, Pa.