When the unions come to heads with the Miami-Dade Commission today on their multiple impasses, one commissioner may be even more aggressive toward them than others.
Judging by Monday’s committee of the whole performance, Commissioner Esteban “Stevie” Bobo has taken on the role of labor raider in the county’s very obvious efforts to lay blame for their finance woes on public employees and balance the budget on their backs.
It’s almost incredible that Bovo was the commissioner to bring up the 48 county employees who are paid with taxpayer dollars and work all day for the unions. He said the unions should pay those positions.
While that seems like a huge number — and a public image nightmare that the unions could and should address, pronto — Bovo forgets to mention that these salaried union positions were probably negotiated by the commission in previous bargaining rounds, given in exchange for something they took away.
Like raises. Or health insurance contributions. Or retirement benefits.
But that’s besides the point. It’s incredible because he’s not the best one to talk about such things.
Wasn’t Jorge Forte, one of the lobbyists who was arrested earlier this month for his role as bagman to Sweetwater Mayor Manny “Maraña” Maroño, taking a county paycheck as Bovo’s chief of staff while he was meeting with undercover federal agents to bilk the U.S. government out of job-creation funds with bogus grant applications? While, yes, he was.
In fact, Forte took the first kickback payoff of $6,600 at a Miami Beach eatery — money authorities say he was to split with Maroño — while he was still employed by the commissioner, two weeks before his last day in March, 2012.
Bovo also complained that many firefighters have a second job or own side businesses. But there are no rules against entrepreneurship or outside employment that doesn’t conflict with your job and is declared. And wasn’t Forte already involved in the 7 Strategies company with Maroño when he worked in Bovo’s office? While, yes, he was.
And wasn’t it Bovo’s commission aide, Anamary Pedrosa, who got busted by the Miami-Dade Police Department for collecting ballots at the district office while she was being paid with taxpayer funds to, one would assume, follow the law and not do those things. Why, yes, it was.
If Bovo is going to talk the talk, he should walk the walk.
One can’t help but wonder how many of his other staffers have side jobs. Or how many other county employees — not just the firefighters — have their own family companies or moonlight positions to help make ends meet.
Not everyone can have a no-show job like Bovo can.
But he may have to go back to the private sector sooner than he expected: Ladra has heard more rumblings about a recall against Bovo. Not from former State Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who threatened to recall Bovo last year after the AB scandal but did nothing. I think it was more self-promotional than real.
No, this time, I hear that labor unions are moving against him.
And while Ladra was not supportive of the county recalls against former Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Natacha Seijas — not because they were good, mind you, but because the recalls were bad — this is an effort Ladra might be able to get behind.
If the State Attorney’s Office doesn’t do something about Bovo, we the people should.
Tainted Commissioner Steve Bovo should walk the walk added by Ladra on
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