Miami Lakes Mayor Michael “Muscles” Pizzi played the class clown in council chambers for about an hour 
Wednesday night at a special call meeting where the council later asked for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the mayor’s very own hit-and-run crash last month.
“I ask God to protect all the council members and help us put our political differences aside and do what’s best for the citizens,” Pizzi said in opening remarks, offering a “special prayer for all police officers who risk their lives every day.”
And those who gave him the soft shoe treatment after he hit a tree on the night of June 15 and ran from the scene of the accident, only to return about 45 minutes or so later. Pizzi did not get any citation. Not for leaving the scene of the accident. Not for not wearing a seat belt. Not for reckless driving. He did not have to do any roadside sobriety tests and apparently the police believed everything he had to say without bothering to follow up on it.
The meeting Wednesday was called to consider asking an independent law enforcement agency, like the FDLE, to look into it. The council voted unanimously to ask the state agency to take a closer look.
Read related story: Miami Lakes Council considers inquiry into mayor’s crash
Despite the opinion of Town Attorney Raul Gastesi that Pizzi not participate in any of the meeting, he held court over the public comments section of the meeting before recusing himself because, he said over and over again, he wanted to hear what people had to say.
More likely, he wanted to hear how perfectly they got what he had practiced with them: How an inquiry was a waste of money (not true, the FDLE does not charge the town to investigate) and that the council’s attention should be on other issues, such as traffic and services.
Pizzi sat back and smiled, often bantering with the public. “How’s your mother,” 
he asked one young man. “Welcome young lady,” he told a senior citizen. “You haven’t been here before,” he joked with longtime adversary.
He was performing for his fans, the one who painted the mayor as the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt or personal vendetta. The ones who said they were saddened at this continued bickering from city leaders who were forced to accept Pizzi back just a couple of months ago after he was acquitted of federal bribery charges last year.
Among his cheerleaders, two of the criminal defense attorneys that represented Pizzi in the federal case. Ed Shohat and David Reiner tried to intimidate the council and speakers who were there to ask for the independent inquiry (which, by the way, I hear is already underway).
Shohat pointed out that people were maligning police officers in their inquiry. “Because what you’re saying is that they failed in some way to properly investigate this. You have cameras all over the room. The action you are about to take has a lot of significance beyond” Pizzi.
Reiner said that the council may be acting illegally and hinted that it was carryover from the fight to keep Pizzi from the mayor’s seat, which the town abandoned after the District Court of Appeal ruled in Pizzi’s favor and said he was to return to serve the remainder of his term.
“A month after conceding defeat, certain elements in this town can’t let it go,” Reiner said.
Read related story: If you think the old Michael Pizzi was bad… cuidado!
Former Councilman George Lopez said it was not the council’s job nor that
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