Levine Cava gets to work while Lynda Bell finishes term

Ding, dong, the witch ain’t dead, folks. She’s only injured.

Miami-Dade Commission Vice Chair Lynda Bell may have been defeated a the polls last week, bounced by voters that were tired of her self-serving, anti-employee rule. But Commissioner-elect Daniella Levine Cava is not sworn in until mid-November, which means Bell is still a vote on the county commission.

How is this fair and democratic? Ladra is certain that many of the 9,082 Distict 8 voters that elected Levine Cava are not going to be pleased about this.

A pocket commissioner for Mayor Carlos “Cry Wolf” Gimenez, Bell’s is a vote he can count on during the budget process. She’s a nod in his column for important close votes like the ballot questions Wednesday for the FIU expansion and a new courthouse (more on those later). Let’s play a game and count the 7-6 votes Bell’s on the winning side of from here til Nov. 18.

Bell has 11 weeks to dole out favors to family, toss money at friends and punish employees for, effectively, taking her out by 681 votes after a single term. She’ll have seven weeks from the start of the new fiscal year to spend some of the $800,000 or so allocated to her office in the budget.

She could even resurrect the $5 million gift, er, grant she wants to give her No. 1 political sugar daddy Wayne Rosen for a private parking garage in Palmetto Bay. After withdrawing the item at an earlier, pre-election meeting where she took flack for the proposed allocation of $5 million in general obligation bond monies to a private developer who donates to her campaign, Bell has been shopping around for a new sponsor, knowing that there is no way she is going to get it passed as a lame duck.

Bell may have found her fall guy in Commissioner Mayor Sir Xavier Suarez, who said he was only sponsoring it provisionally because he believes the people of Palmetto Bay want it. But I bet he withdraws it. He is seeking input from Palmetto Bay Mayor Shelley Stanczyk, who I am told is not going to advocate for public dollars for this private venture (more on that later). He is also hoping to hear directly from Levine before he commits to keeping the item on the Sept. 19 workshop. “My sponsorship is provisional in nature, as a way to fill in the gap between an outgoing commissioner and an incoming one.”

Though, in the interest of transparency, Bell — who at first tried to say this was the mayor’s move — should just own up to it herself.

See? There are ample reasons to change the law that is postponing Levine’s swearing-in. The law should be five days after someone is elected, whether that is in August or November. This overlap creates at best an awkward situation and at worst an opportunity for the defeated incumbent to empower friends and retaliate against foes.

Levine didn’t know when she first set out to run for office that she would be left out of the budget process. But it became evident pretty early on. Still that’s the part that is most significant — that she won’t get to vote on the budget. She doesn’t expect, however, Bell to get away with too much.

“I have no idea what is in the heart and mind of Commissioner Bell but there are 12 other commissioners and people are looking ahead,” Levine told me.

She is also moving forward and is taking advantage of these nine weeks to get her feet wet and is scheduling meetings with staff to go over her budget and the hiring process. “I’m very eager to get started. It’s a benefit to have two months of preparation,” Levine said. “I am going to be using that time to be ready to govern responsibly once I am sworn in.”

Scheduled to meet with he mayor Tuesday, Levine Cava has already met with County Attorney Robert Cuevas — who told her that even though she is not sworn in, she is subject to Florida in the Sunshine laws — and Commission Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa, who simply welcomed her and introduced Levine to her staff.

“It was just a courtesy. She asked me about an office and staff. But the mayor already offered me an interim office,” Levine told Ladra.

“I can certainly talk to other commissioners about things that won’t come up before the commission,” she said, obviously getting the hang of things already. Ladra knows that Commissioner Suarez is seeking a Sunshine meeting with her to discuss the Wayne Rosen parking garage.

Levine has talked to every single commissioner, in fact. Well, every single one of her would-be colleagues. There’s only one commissioner who hasn’t called her: Bell.

Of course, it hasn’t even been a week yet.

“I’m sure there will be an opportunity for some transitional reunion,” Levine said.

But for now, she’ll just have to wave from the audience as Levine sits in on meetings next week. Can you say “awkward”?

Daniella Levine Cava, Lynda Bell

Levine Cava gets to work while Lynda Bell finishes term added by Ladra on September 1, 2014
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