Miami FOP endorses Mrs. Sarnoff with no screening

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The Miami Police union has endorsed Teresa Sarnoff, wife of Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, in the upcoming election to replace him. That’s not so surprising since Sarnoff last year approved raises, some as high as $10,000 more a year.

What is a surprise is that they would be so obvious about the quid pro quo, giving none of the other wannabes even a semblance of objectivity by providing them with questionnaires and interviews, like most legitimate organizations do before endorsing.

“She has been vocal as far as extremely supportive of restoring our benefits as well as hiring ore police officers,” FOP President Javier Ortiz told Ladra.

Doesn’t he mean that her husband has been supportive. And since they didn’t even talk to anybody else, how do they know someone else isn’t also?

“We don’t reach out to candidates. If they want to reach out to us, we will meet with them,” Ortiz said, adding that nobody else contacted them. Not even from the other race — Willy Gort and Miguel Gabela? Nope, he said.

Read related story: Willy Gort challenger Mike Gabela runs on one issue: Crime

Really? That’s okay? Isn’t it the FOP’s obligation to contact everyone?

Well, actually, one other candidate reached out: Grace Solares. “We as a union cannot support someone who has shown a history of suing Miami to hinder projects that would bring in additional revenues,” Ortiz said.

That’s rich coming from a sergeant who was one of the four cops that beat a man at the first night of Ultra in 2011 in an incident that cost the city  or its insurance company at least $400,000 last year.

“As a candidate, a resident and a taxpayer, I find it disturbing that the President of the FOP endorsed  the wife of a termed-out commissioner looking to replace him without a transparent, screening process,” Rosa Palomino told Ladra, referring to the settlement adding that there may be dissent among the ranks.

“These actions feel improper as this person had recently received a promotion and was also recently exonerated for beating a civilian. Many police officers in Miami feel that they are not represented by this individual. And this endorsement by their union president makes them look bad,” she said. “I stand for my officers, their families and my neighbors who work with them to keep our streets safe. But we have a problem here. And it won’t go away easily. This is what nepotism in politics breeds.

“I know that neither myself or any other candidate was invited by the FOP to a candidate screening. It seems that Mrs. Sarnoff was automatically given their endorsement for no other reason than her marriage to the current district 2 commissioner.”

Palomino cited the firefighter union for offering all the candidates an opportunity to be heard.

“In a free country, where we are all given a chance to enter a screening process as equals.”

  Miami elections, Teresa Sarnoff