Here are the Editorial Board’s recommendations for Miami-Dade charter amendments | Editorial

Miami-Dade voters are being asked to amend the county charter to change the way we elect important county positions, replace commissioners and mayors who run for other offices, and protect the inspector general’s watchdog office.

CHARTER AMENDMENT 1: Establishing independent Office of Inspector General

Shall the County Charter be amended to create an independent Office of Inspector General who shall, at a minimum, be empowered to perform investigations, audits, reviews and oversight of county and county-funded contracts, programs and projects for abuse, waste and mismanagement, and provide Inspector General services to other governmental entities, with such office’s appointment, term, powers, duties and responsibilities to be further established by ordinance?

This charter amendment would require the county to have an independent Office of Inspector General to investigates alleged wrongdoing by county elected officials and employees.

Currently, county law requires that this watchdog office exist, however, it can be abolished by a 2/3 vote of the County Commission.

Under this amendment, however, only voters could eliminate the office, which oversees the behavior of elected county officials and staffers. Miami-Dade commissioners still would have the power to set the office’s budget, which is where mischief can still be made.

However, this amendment is a big step forward in insulating the inspector general from outside pressures, boosting its independence and ability to hold county government accountable.

Vote YES on Charter Amendment 1.

CHARTER AMENDMENT 2: Filling vacancies when an elected official resigns to seek another office

Shall the charter be amended to require that when the mayor or member of the County Commission resigns prospectively to run for another office the vacancy will be filled by election during the primary and general election rather than by appointment or by subsequent special election?

The state’s “resign to run law” requires local elected officials to give up their seats once they file to run for a different office. The resignations can take effect any time before the winner of the race assumes the new position. The charter change would allow voters to pick a replacement for an outgoing commissioner or mayor in the same election that led to the resignation required in the first place.

Current county law requires such replacement to a vacant seat be either appointed by the remaining commissioners or be selected in a costly special election, that could cost up to $1 million.

This amendment would mean the vacancy will be filled by election during the Primary and General Election rather than by appointment or by subsequent special election.

This seems like a practical solution and would be a money saver for taxpayers who will not have to finance a special election.

Vote YES on Charter Amendment 2.

CHARTER AMENDMENT 3: Nonpartisan election of county sheriff, property appraiser, tax collector and supervisor of elections

Shall the charter be amended to require, commencing with the qualifying for and holding of the general election in 2024 that, contingent on a change to state law, the election of the sheriff, property appraiser, tax collector, and supervisor of elections be conducted on a nonpartisan basis and that no ballot shall show the party designation of any candidate for those offices?

Even if this amendment to require nonpartisan elections for these four offices passes, voters won’t have the final say in the matter. A 2019 decision by the Florida Supreme Court requires elections for state posts to be partisan, meaning Miami-Dade can only make them nonpartisan if Florida law changes.

While the power to select the elections supervisor and tax collector currently rests with Miami-Dade’s mayor, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 requiring county voters to make those into elected positions — along with sheriff — by 2024. The charter amendment on the Miami-Dade ballot notes the nonpartisan requirement would take effect “contingent on a change to State law.”

Here’s the rub. With a partisan election, the party in power in Tallahassee would have an advantage, so there could be incentive to keep party affiliations off the ballot in Miami-Dade County, though not so much, currently, in Republican-majority counties. In Miami-Dade, Democrats account for 41 percent of registered voters and Republicans just 27 percent. For years, Miami-Dade avoided partisan elections for these positions. As a matter of principle, we should keep it that way. Unfortunately, the final outcome is out of our hands.

Vote NO on Charter Amendment 3.

This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 6:00 AM.