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Julio Avael III, one of the executive producers of the Gray Zone, asked Hernandez if, for instance, we might see some county attorneys fined if they 
lose a case. Ladra might think that Internal Services Director Lester Sola is particularly vulnerable to fines for all these procurement problems where projects are forced to be rebid for one reason or another. Will Water and Sewer Director Bill Johnson have to pay a citation if one of the county’s pump stations fails? Will the transit head be fined if the Number 97 bus is late?
Don’t laugh. Hernandez said these matters would be taken on “a case by case basis” and based on “the severity of the infraction.”
The only problem with that is that, in the same breath, Hernandez makes light of the infraction and agrees with many who think the state did not have to be so severe itself with the county. He has characterized the error as a minor technicality that was barely noticed by the public and should not have been more heavily weighed than the six town hall meetings, the three commission as a whole meetings and the two public hearings on the right number.
But then when he talks about the disciplinary action, suddenly the error is a much bigger deal.
“It’s a major error,” Hernandez said. “She might be great at what she does but Miami-Dade County has never had to go through this process again.
He told Ladra that Moon “put in jeopardy an entire budget.”
Well, Mike, you can’t have it both ways. Either it was a technicality that doesn’t matter or it’s a major blunder that put the whole budget in “jeopardy.” Pick your position.
Murphy also told Hernandez to watch his back — because maybe he could be fined if the mayor’s poll numbers slip further.
“You cannot have people scared of having their pay docked because they make a mistake,” Murphy said on The Gray Zone, adding that it was also another good argument for switching back to a county manager form of government.
“To extract money from one of your employees as a punitive action, to impose a financial penalty on somebody just because of a displeasure in their service raises a whole new issue,” Murphy said. “Exempt employees who report to the mayor are somehow now unprotected from a mood swing … there needs to be an appeals process. Public employees deserve to have some protection in terms of their income from an elected official finding displeasure in them.”
But, Terry, think of the cash flow!
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