There’s a growing list of people who think Miami Mayor Francis Suarez ought to resign his position in light of the exposé published this week by The Miami Herald, with details about just how much he blurs the lines between his private, for-profit life and his, ahem, “public service.”
Former Miami Police chiefs Jorge Colina and Art Acevedo — who wrote a scathing memo about corruption that is supposedly being investigated by the Broward State Attorney’s office — have joined the chorus. But the first one to publicly call for his resignation was newly-elected Commissioner Damian Pardo, who ran on a platform of rooting out corruption.
“It’s the only way confidence in elected officials and in our city government will be restored,” Pardo told the Herald in an exclusive interview. “It’s unclear which interests are being served — outside, moneyed interests versus residents’ interests.”
A statement he posted on social media went further.
“As a newly elected commissioner and lifelong resident of the City of Miami, I understand this event’s profound impact on our residents’ trust I their elected officials and the city’s ability to govern,” his statement reads. “the allegations against mayor Suarez continue to raise serious questions about the culture of corruption that has gone unchecked in Miami’s City Hall for too long.
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“To maintain the integrity of our local government and restore public trust, I urge Mayor Suarez and other city officials found aiding and abetting in unethical practices to resign immediately. The residents of our city deserve leaders who prioritize the community’s well being above all else.”
On Tuesday, the mayor sent out his own statement in response, calling Pardo’s reaction and the Herald articles “comical.” He also took the opportunity to throw some vague shade at the District 2 commissioner, who was elected in November and is obviously a threat.
“We would encourage Commissioner Pardo to pay close attention to the city charter and state law which he reportedly violated before even begin sworn in,” the official statement from the mayor’s office reads. “It would be unfortunate for the residents of District 2 to have their newly elected Commissioner already under investigation for possible ethical and legal violations representing them.”
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Encourage. Unfortunate. Hate to say the word mafia — look what it did to poor Acevedo — but it sure sounds a little gangland.
At least Pardo’s statement speaks constructively about developing legislation that would put “the necessary guardrails” in place — such as campaign reform and better buffering between the city job and outside work — to avoid this from happening again. He wants to convene a new charter review committee to look at those things.
The mayor’s statement also says that “the city’s success during the mayor’s tenure speaks for itself.” Look at who’s being comical. Does anybody know wtf he’s talking about?
Is it about the mitigation of the ever increasing housing prices and affordability issues facing most of his constituents? No?
Is it about the $63.5 million judgement against Commissioner Joe Carollo for repeatedly violating the first amendment rights of two Little Havana businessmen by weaponizing city departments to shut down their business interests? No? Is it the arrest and subsequent suspension of former Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla on bribery and other public corruption charges after he gave away a city park? No? Could it be the lawsuit against the city for the shakedown that Diaz de la Portilla allegedly committed? Not that either? Oh, is it the million that was spent, with no competitive bidding, on the dog and cat sculptures in Maurice Ferre Park?
Read related: Miami’s redrawn maps could save Joe Carollo’s house from lawsuit grasp
Wait. Was it the redistricting process that divided Coconut Grove into three districts and benefitted both the named commissioners, putting Carollo’s house in District 3 and taking the home lived in by Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela — who ran against ADLP — out of District 1? No, not that, huh?
Oh, was it the Miami bitcoin thing that is now pretty much worthless? No?
Maybe it’s because they brought the orange back to the downtown for New Year’s Eve.
Growing calls for Francis Suarez to resign lead to nasty mayoral message added by Ladra on
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