Another one bites the dust: former Miami Beach Commissioner John Elizabeth Aleman, who had been selected as the executive director of the Miami Downtown Development Authority, resigned from her unconfirmed position Tuesday, because of the tenure (read: power shift) at City Hall.
“I have concluded that the prospect of working within the current political climate is untenable,” Aleman wrote in a scathing resignation letter to Commissioner Manolo Reyes — who just became chairman of the DDA last week — Philippe Houdard, chairman of the selection committee, and the board of directors of the DDA.
This comes after the political power shift on the city commission, led by newly-elected 
Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, that gives him, Reyes and Commissioner Joe Carollo a majority rule. The Three Amigos have pretty much sent a message to anyone who works in the city of Miami: “We are in charge now. Kowtow to us or be on the outside.”
Read related: Power shift on Miami commission punishes no vote on manager
Already, City Manger Emilio Gonzalez has resigned after the Three Amigos 
tried to fire him after some vague accusation about an illegal permit for his backyard deck repair. The building director — the same one who had cited Carollo for permit violations at his Coconut Grove home — resigned also, because he was in a tricky position: If he were to, say, refute Carollo’s accusations about the illegal permit or say that the manager never did anything untoward, he could be accused himself and fired.
City employees are basically working in fear and use the words “hostile takeover” and “coup d’etat” to describe the current environment to Ladra. One person said that Carollo is “waging war,” which wouldn’t be the first time.
Aleman, who decided not to run for re-election last year, is the latest domino to fall, but Ladra suspects she won’t be the last. Sources say more department heads and other staff members at City Hall are sending out their resumes and looking to be rescued. There may also be more DDA staff and board members jumping ship after the Three Amigos said they didn’t like the way some members talked about the dysfunctional city, which has been dragging its feet on the confirmation of Aleman’s appointment. ADLP said he wants to discuss restructuring the agency and making changes.
Cuban American commissioners actually threatening freedom of speech in Miami. It happens more often than you’d think.
We’ll know more after this week. Reyes and his staff will introduce themselves to the DDA staff on Wednesday — when there is a finance committee meeting in the morning and a meeting about I-395 in the afternoon — and Commissioner Reyes will chair his first board of directors meeting on Friday. Agendas could not be found at the DDA website Tuesday night for either.
Steven Ferreiro, his chief of staff, said Reyes had nothing against Aleman, with whom they met when she did the rounds to brief commissioners on her plan for the agency. But his boss did not like a $34,000 bonus she would automatically get yearly — in addition to her $198,000 salary — regardless of her performance, which had been worked into her contract.
“That’s the only issue he had with her,” Ferreiro said.
Read related: Crazy Joe Carollo’s true target is Miami Mayor Francis Suarez
Sources inside City Hall, however, say that 
Deputy Director, Christina Crespi was one of the original 400 applicants in the “national search” — is who Reyes’ really wants to keep, so she will go from acting director to permanent eventually.
Some city insiders and observers say that the DDA — which jokingly stands for Doesn’t Do Anything — is misspending its tax funds on unnecessary projects instead of quality-of-life issues like trash and homelessness. Probably because nobody’s really been watching.
In the weeks and months to come, there will likely be changes made to the selection committee that chooses the board when their terms are up. There may be changes made to the mission of the DDA. This is, after all, an agency that spends about $12 million a year in special downtown property taxes earmarked just for their purposes.
Some people call it a slush fund, which is probably why the Three Amigos want it.
Here is Aleman’s letter:
Dear Chairman Reyes and esteemed Board Members:
Please accept this letter as formal notice of my resignation as Acting Executive Director for the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA), effective immediately.
Nine weeks have elapsed since the DDA Board of Directors voted
to appoint me as Executive Director. While I was honored by the selection and eager to begin working with the DDA’s Board and Staff to tackle the critical issues confronting Downtown, clarity around the terms of my employment and the
nature of the position moving forward has diminished greatly since November.From uncertainty over the Commission’s ability to approve my hiring and the temporary nature of the “Acting Director” designation, to lack of stability in my agreed-upon compensation structure and the City Commission’s stated intention to restructure the DDA, I have grown increasingly unsettled about
my employment status and the future of the Executive Director role.As a businesswoman and former elected official, I have seen firsthand how conflicting political agendas can undermine the work of well-intentioned organizations and their leaders. Having watched City of Miami government come to a standstill over the past two months, I have concluded that the prospect of working within the current political climate is untenable.
Though I am naturally disappointed that this employment opportunity did not turn out as either party had hoped it would, I appreciate the time I have spent getting to know members of the DDA Board, DDA Staff and the Miami Commission. I am grateful to the Selection Committee for its endorsement, and to the full board for its unanimous support.
I wish the DDA Board, Staff, and all of Downtown’s stakeholders continued success as you lead the renaissance underway in Miami’s urban core.
Warm regards,
John Elizabeth Aleman
Yeah, good luck with that.
Miami DDA Director resigns amid political power shift and chaos added by Ladra on
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