Among the last things he did — probably before he wrote that long congratulatory letter to himself that was 
distributed on the city’s enewsletter (more on that later) — Coral Gables City Manager Pat Salerno doled out raises to his favored employees (read: cronies).
According to a series of emails obtained by Ladra, Commissioner Pat Keon on Friday — from New York, where she is on holiday with family — asked interim City Manager Carmen Olazabal what salary adjustments had been made in the last two weeks. Olazabal responded that Salerno — who resigned abruptly last week and must have had a million other things he could have been doing — completed eight evaluations, including her own, and doled out seven merit raises ranging from 2.5% to 4%. Only Naomi Levi, who has been with the city for just the six month probationary period, got no increase.
“Pat did consult me and I signed off on [Economic Sustainability Director] Cindy Birdsill and [Human Resources Director] Elsa Jaramillo‘s evaluation and increase form due to their exceptional work performance,” Olazabal wrote to Keon.
Of course, Olazabal herself got a 4% raise so who was she to argue? Who signs off on hers? This might be the first hint that commissioners did, wittingly or unwittingly, select a Salerno plant to run the city until they find someone else, which could take four to six months. Dios los cuide.
City rules allow only employees who receive a 4.75 rating or higher in their evaluation to get more than the 2.5% standard merit increase, up to a maximum 5%. Guess who got 4.75 ratings on their evals? Olazabal, Birdsill and Jaramillo, who reported just that to Olazabal at 5:24 p.m. Friday.
I guess the only surprise here is that they didn’t get 5%.
The others who got 2.5% raises are Finance Director Diana Gomez — who I keep hearing had trouble in the city of Miami, where she came from — Public Affairs Specialist and Mayor Jim Cason‘s alleged script writer Belkys Perez, Chief Compliance Officer Lori St. John and Development Services Director Jane Tompkins.
Maybe they aren’t all cronies. But Ladra can’t help wonder what some of them might know.
And I also wonder if commissioners, who meet next week to discuss the permanent replacement for Salerno, are going to let this stand.
Keon must have asked for a reason.
Pat Salerno gives parting raises to his Coral Gables faves added by Ladra on
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And we used to think that David Brown was a sleaze……………. wrong, again. Feels like deja vu.
Mr. Harris, this is definitely slanted coverage — slanted toward the truth.
I will have you know that at least two other employees whose evaluations are way passed due, including one who has been waiting five years, did not get finished in his last days because they are not his pets.
In addition, I hear that one of the pet employees he got to before he left already had a merit increase within the last year. I will follow up on that Monday morning. Trust me.
I have generally found that where there is smoke, there is fire.
Love, Ladra
You failed to mention if the merit increase were due anyway and that Pat had just not gotten around to completing them. I was Pat’s Personnel Director in Sunrise and he was known for being late on completing some of the department directors’ performance evaluation when due. Unfortunately, in my 37 years of dealing with the local newspaper reporters, they tend to slant the news, which seems like the case here.
Belkys was also secretly reclassified so her gift from papi is more like a 7.5% bonus.
I just watched the April 8th Commission Meeting on-line. Ms. Diana Gomez presents the CAFR with a Donovan of McGladrey. Ladra- you need to watch. Tell me if you can understand a scentilla of what Gomez’s says.
Ladra,
The Finance Director is dirty and has no ethics! She has brought over the same auditing firm, McGladrey, she had over in Miami when the SEC started their investigation. Why is this important? Because they were part of the scam. The principal in charge and lead auditor for McGladrey over in Miami is the same as in the Gables. The principal whose first name is Donovan use to be the Finance Director’s boss, confidante, and lover when they worked together at KPMG for several years. How is that not a conflict? Furthermore, they pay for her lunch all the time. How is that ethical?
To be honest with you, I am not shocked by Salerno’s actions, on his last day of employment. What’s incredible is how brazen his decision was to exclude the other directors, only reviewing his cronies.
This guy is going to get a job in the private sector and scam the system even more.
Ladra and Readers,
Click on the link.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/24/2909602/miami-misled-investors-over-citys.html