Miami commissioners want to make it hard to recall them. Why are they afraid? | Opinion

Miami commissioners recently passed, on first reading, an ordinance making it harder for residents to recall them. The ordinance was initially approved by a 3-1 vote, with Commissioner Ken Russell opposed and Commissioner Keon Hardemon absent from the dais.

This effort by Commissioners Joe Carollo, Manolo Reyes and Alex Diaz de la Portilla — who sponsored the ordinance — to limit residents’ rights guaranteed by state law and the city charter is troubling. Their attempt to immunize themselves from being held accountable by voters fits into the larger context of what is happening in the city.

Not only are they blatantly ignoring the people’s rights, but they are doing so in direct violation of the charter by creating an amendment to the code. But code amendments cannot amend charter language. There has to be a charter amendment, approved by the voters in a referendum.

These commissioners seek to limit residents’ rights by not allowing a recall effort within one year of a failed recall attempt. This raises a number of questions, including:

1. What prevents a commissioner from having someone file a “friendly” straw-man recall petition with the city clerk each year, intended to fail, thereby shielding themselves from any recall effort for the following year?

2. If a legitimate recall petition against a commissioner fails, but within a year that commissioner commits any violation of the kind specified in the statutes that gives rise to grounds for another recall, is it right to render residents powerless to bring a recall based on new facts?

3. With all the other urgent problems facing the city of Miami, why are commissioners spending time addressing a non-existent problem and taking rights away from residents? Up until this year, there hasn’t been a recall effort in the city, ever — hence, no multiple recalls in a year.

4. If commissioners really think that the recall rights afforded residents in the city charter need to be restricted, why don’t they amend the charter by putting this to a referendum and let us, the residents, decide at the ballot box if we want to give up these rights?

The core principle of self-governance is that a government elected and accountable to residents is more likely to protect citizens against oppression and tyranny. The right to recall elected officials provides a critical check and balance on them, and any effort to restrict this right is repugnant to our system of democracy.

No one likes to be criticized. Being held accountable isn’t fun. But commissioners have been elected by us, the residents, to serve our interests, not their own.

We get the government we deserve and we deserve the government we get. Every time we tolerate obvious wrongdoing, don’t stand up when we see the law flouted, look away from corruption because we are too busy or too frightened, fail to speak out against what is not right, we strike a blow against justice, freedom and decency.

We deserve better. It is time for residents to stop tolerating self-interest and unscrupulousness. We must demand more accountable and transparent government now.

Grace Solares is a city of Miami community activist.