For weeks, maybe months, Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez has boasted that she has the three votes she needs to keep her job. But that may have changed recently.
A source at City Hall says Tricky Vicky can read the writing on the wall and will likely announce her retirement, effective in April, at the commission meeting Thursday. Probably before newly-elected Commissioner Miguel Gabela brings up his item on the agenda asking his colleagues to join him and terminate her as-, er, employment.
Mendez told Ladra via email that she had no plans to retire. “Incorrect information,” she called it.
Read related: New commissioner moves fast to fire Miami City attorney Victoria Mendez
But Ladra’s source says Mendez has already spoken to some of her staffers about her exit and has briefed Chief Deputy City Attorney John Greco and Deputy City Attorney Geoge Wysong about taking over. She wants to wait until April because she will be 100% vested by then, which means she gets a higher retirement payment. It’s smart. And conniving.
But these are taxpayer dollars and commissioners should not buy into her game. Greco and Wysong are ready and supported by a second deputy, Kevin Jones, and other great lawyers like Rachel Dooley, Xavier Alban and Kerry McNulty — just to name a few — who also have tons of experience and knowledge about the city’s legal issues. They can handle it from here.
Expect Commissioner Joe Carollo to make a strong case for Mendez. After all, that’s his favorite go-to law firm. She’s done his bidding for years.
But newly-elected Commissioner Damian Pardo will likely support Gabela’s motion, as he has in the past.
So Manolo Reyes becomes the swing vote again. And he’s on a transparency and accountability tear, so maybe Mendez can’t count to three after all.
Get your popcorn ready.
Facing termination, Miami city attorney could offer to retire — in April added by Ladra on
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Now City Manager Art Noriega is under fire for corruption. He “arranged” for City taxpayers to overpay for furniture and office crap from his wife using a NO BID contract. Now sleazy Noriega
refuses to answer questions about this crime. Hello.
Why is Tricky Vicky still the City Attorney?
George Wysong and Kevin Jones are the new dynamic duo. They brokered a deal. George will become the City Attorney and Kevin will be his 2nd in command. George reached out to Marc Sarnoff convince Suarez, Carollo, and Reyes. Kevin is working with Larry Spring to convince King.
Congratulations to George and Kevin for scheming with Marc Sarnoff to get Vicky out of the chair.
The truth has eventually come out.
WTF about RACHEL DOOLEY???????
She is a perjuring corrupt unethical attorney.
She should be disbarred ASAP.
Jesus.
Ladra and Jonathan,
Allow to be shed light why May is so important for Victoria to retire. The Civil Service Rule of “70” determines when a city employee can retire and collect their pension. The number is determined based on the following formula:
Employee’s Years of Service + Employee’s Age= at a minimum must add to 70 to collect pension benefits.
Vicky started to work in the City back in 2004 and will turn 50 on April 2004.
Vicky’s 20 years of service + Vicky’s age of 50= 70 (able to collect pension).
Annual/Monthly Pension is determined by an average of approximately 3% for each year of service.
20 years x 3% = 60% of the highest 5 years of salary.
Her Highest 5 year Average is
$265,000.
$265,000 x 60% = $159,000
However, several years ago the City placed a cap on their retirement in which no employee can collect more than $100,000 annually in pension compensation.
This information is accurate and truthful.
The maximum vesting period allowed by the IRS, for retirement benefits, is 6 years: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-vesting
Ms. Mendez is long past full vesting; give her 2 hours to pack her personal stuff and have security escort her to the parking lot. Make sure to get her keys. This is the normal way most organizations terminate employees in sensitive positions. Appoint an interim city attorney from the nearly 30 attorneys on staff.
A teenager is apprehended by the police for shop lifting in Miami but the store owner does not want to press charges just teach the teenager a lesson .
The police take the teenager home where his parents greet them .
The father yells at his son ” How many times have I told you if you want to steal with impunity in South Florida you either run for any public office , become a HOA President or get a job a the Opa- locka USPS sorting depot .
==================
It goes without saying that there are plenty of honest people in all three groups but just one of my saying to make a point as far as ‘ steal with impunity ‘ .
” It is amazing to me what public servants get away with in the city”
It is engulfing here , I doubt most get caught unless they seriously push it.
.
Former school board member charged $100,000 to district credit cards for personal use
Born in Havana, Cuba, Navarro has lived in Miami for more than three decades
https://www.wlrn.org/education/2024-01-11/lubby-navarro-miami-dade-schoool-board-fraud-arrest-credit-cards
The history of Miami is long and colorful, There have been controversial leaders in the past but viewed through the lens of time are now thought as visionary leaders, who developed Miami as a global city, and a mecca for business and tourism.
It’s safe to say self serving little politicos and bureaucrats Joe Carollo, Diaz de la Portilla, and Vicky Mendez will not be in that group. Joe and ADLP dug their own graves but only with tricky Vicky’s enabling. Now it’s discovered even Tricky Vicky has her own family side hustle which technically qualities as honor services fraud.
Time to wash our hands of this corruption.
In voting to finally fire Tricky Vicky commissioners will go down in history as the heroes that ended the corruption at City Hall but to vote to continue her position until April so she can reach another pension milestone, would be the ultimate hypocrisy.
IMO she should be leaving City Hall in handcuffs, but instead she can buy those remaining vesting days with her built up time, or finish her working days in the mail room, but under no circumstances should she hold the office of City attorney one more day.
FINALLY.
GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL.
DO NOT PASS GO.
We The People Deserve Better ! Clean City Hall and Clean The City of Miami Government from CORRUPTION ? Them Show County Hall How it Could get them TOO ! Our POLITICIANS have a 90+% Corruption in #OURCOUNTY .
Vicky Mendez has always been a crook. She should NEVER have been hired. She should be fired today. Taxpayers have been screwed by her enough.
She should be terminated immediately!!
It is appaling the lack of accountability from some city employees and how they work the system to their benefit when they have done wrong, and we tax payers ended paying the bill.
Now that all assets have been claimed from chicken Joe will the commission or the governor kick him out
Vicky…girl so you “may” retire with full benefits after all the Carollo issue, your husband’s real estate dealings and who knows what else. It is amazing to me what public servants get away with in the city! It is truly mind boggling. My recommendation to the commissioners is do not promote from within. After all, the city attorney’s office is a reflection of the leadership so it will biz as usual. If the city and certain commissioners are serious about cleaning up the city, you must recruit for this position and have the interview and selection process be completely transparent (seems to be the word of the day at the city). Televise it like they do with federal appointments. If I were elected, that’s what I would do but then again, if I were elected her head would’ve rolled long time again.