Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon “Pay-to-Play” Hardemon showed his true petty colors on Tuesday when he tried to take $550,000 allocated in the county budget from the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center in North Miami — which just so happens to be operated by Gepsie Metellus, who ran against him last year for the seat vacated by Audrey Edmonson.
And he did it using the same dirty tactics he used in the campaign.
Hardemon brought back the false accusation he used in video ads and mail pieces about Metellus lying to the IRS about Sant La’s $120,000 intended donation to the Pierre Toussaint Center for Hurricane Matthew relief. Metellus and other community leaders who support her have all explained that the center was unable to serve as a “fiscal agent” for the funds so she had to find other recipients for the money. She later adjusted the information reported to the IRS when the donation was returned.
Okay, so Hardemon seized on the misinformation to campaign, because he can’t lean on his own merits and that’s what you do in Miami politics. But why is he trying to hurt Metellus now? The election is over.
It smacks of political retaliation.
“This is very awkward,” said Chairman Jose “Pepe” Diaz, who tried to thwart the action by saying he didn’t want to reopen the budget up to more changes. “Everybody should have talked already to the mayor and everybody should have been ready at this budget. If we start opening drawers now and moving money around…”
It’s not only awkward and petty, it’s pathetic. Hardemon beat Metellus solidly, 66 to 33 percent. Why does he feel the need to hurt her people?
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Said Commissioner Rebeca Sosa: “That is a very respected member of our community.”
“I’m not giving you an opinion,” Hardemon shot back, holding up an alleged letter from a priest at the center. But he just wanted to hurt Metellus. He didn’t care who got the money as long as it wasn’t her CBO. “If the Chamber of Commerce isn’t the right place, give it to another organization.”
¡Que feo!
Commissioner Jean Monestime came to the defense of Metellus and the Sant La organization.
“I know the check was given to the father and the father returned the check,” Monestime said. “The check was not accepted. I was part of that conversation.”
Hardemon told him to mind his own business but Monestime — who supported Metellus in last year’s race — pressed on even harder.
“We have all been through elections. There’s bad blood here, but the community shouldn’t pay for it,” Monestime said. “In the past, we’ve put these issues aside after we won the election. The community should not be paying.
“This is an entity, not the director herself, with a record of 19 years, including partnerships with the United Way. We cannot do this. We cannot bring personal issues to the board,” Monestime insisted.
“This is unheard of and the chair shouldn’t entertain this motion.”
Hardemon’s motion to remove the funding was seconded by Vice Chair Oliver Gilbert, but failed to gain any support.
So he asked for an investigation instead. He just won’t let it go.
Let’s let him have his investigation but he has to pay for it out of his own pocket if it comes back that she has done nothing wrong.
Keon Hardemon moves to punish former opponent by taking CBO funds added by Ladra on
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