Hires fired, former Doral manager as his number two
It wasn’t public. And it wasn’t complete.
City Manager Art Noriega produced a presentation of the history of his wife’s business with the city in a slide show sent to commissioners and that was short more than $200K from the figure reported by WLRN in January, and it included only transactions since he’s been city manager.
The 15-slide document released Monday does not include the millions Pradere Office furniture sold to the Miami Parking Authority when Noriega was director there for 20 years.
After The Miami Herald reported the inconsistencies, Noriega cancelled an interview with them. Pero, por supuesto. His cover story was blown. His rehearsed lines, now moot. The city then issued a statement Tuesday admitting that there were mistakes made, but blaming technical difficulties.
“An updated presentation/report will be compiled due to anomalies in the tracking system used to retrieve purchase information, as outlined in the recently released report,” the statement reads.
Uh-huh. Anomalies.
Then on Wednesday, the city announced that Noriega has hired former Doral City Manager Barbara “Barbie” Hernandez, who was fired earlier this year over concerns she had used public resources in that western city to help benefit her husband, Dan Espino, a repeated failure at the ballot box who was appointed to the Miami-Dade School Board by the governor in November to replace Christi Fraga, who is now mayor of Doral.
It’s like he’s laughing at everybody. Or preparing to resign.
Read related: Miami’s Art Noriega still has some ‘splaining to do re wife’s work in city
Noriega’s flawed report said that the city paid a total of $228,234 to the company owned by his wife’s family since being named city manager in February, 2020 — which is almost half of the $440,000 reported by WLRN’s Joshua Ceballos and Daniel Rivero. A city spokeswoman said the search for invoices was done using only the word “furniture,” which resulted in the omission of 22 purchases.
Twenty-two!
That was a technical error? Not deliberate? Noriega didn’t know that 22 purchases were missing from the list? This is a guy who oversees a $2.8 billion budget. One would think he or his staff could do a simple procurement search.
It will be interesting to see what those 22 purchases were once the new report is complete. Did he forget another $7,528 chair? Or the $17,860 conference table?
No timeline on that new report, by the way. It might be another nine weeks.
That’s how long it took the manager to produce this bogus report with the bad data. Nine weeks and he couldn’t even get the cover story right.
Noriega told commissioners at the Jan. 11 meeting after the WLRN expose first aired that he would explain everything in a public setting at the very next meeting. Three meetings came and went y nada. The last meeting ran long and, while he said he was prepared to present his side of the story, commissioners said to wait until April so more people could be present and ask questions.
Noriega didn’t wait — he doesn’t want to answer any questions — and he didn’t present the figures publicly. He didn’t even make another video for the series he announced in December (still waiting for episode 2). Instead, he sent the slideshow to commissioners and the press on Monday — only to take it back a day later, after the Herald noted the discrepancies.
Days later, he and his wife attended the Latin Builder Association’s gala, glad-handing and smiling for the cameras, seemingly confident his name will be cleared. People who were there say Noriega did not seem like a man who fears losing his job.
Commissioner Miguel Gabela has already demanded his resignation. Commissioner Manolo Reyes says he wants to wait to get more information.
But how can we believe anything else Noriega presents?
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Project Manager,
Spare me! Annie Perez could have stopped the corruptive behavior and did not. Her husband works for the school board and has close ties and relationships in the construction industry. Have you ever spoken to her Assistant Director. You feel like you are speaking to a thug!
Barbie? What an incompetent. Is Art Noriega insane? Stupid? How could Noriega steal so much from taxpayers? Putting Barbie back on the City payroll?
To Art’s Angel: Anyone who has ever interacted directly with Mrs. Perez knows that her reputation, both personal and professional, is beyond reproach. Can’t say the same thing for Mrs. Argudin, who everyone knows is where she is because of her husband’s friendship with Mr. Noriega and the whole ADA Engineering enterprise.
Julio Stieffel,
The Mayor is not an alumni of Belen. He is too much I of an idiot to have graduated from that school. He would not been able to get past the 6th grade back then or even today. He attended Lasalle High School. This is the high school that will graduate you if you simply know all the saints to make all your sins be blessed and forgiven.
Why is Annie Perez and Alejandra Argudin being given a free pass? They both assisted Art “The Big Corruptor” Noriega with all of this.
The City of Miami Procurement Department and Miami Parking Authority are corrupt.
KEEP HIRING CROOKS TO RUN GOVERNMENT ! WE NEED a SHERIFF Like ARPAIO !
” Then on Wednesday, the city announced that Noriega has hired former Doral City Manager Barbara “Barbie” Hernandez, who was fired earlier this year over concerns she had used public resources in that western city to help benefit her husband, Dan Espino”
Looks like even lower political standards then here in Doral .
Teacher – ” Does anyone know who the actual Mayor of Doral is ? ”
Student ‘ ” Yes , several developers who own Fraga .’
Teacher – ” Excellent answer ”
Teacher – ”Jose , I see you waiving your hand do you have a question ?”
Jose – ” Is it true that a Cuban in Miami has a greater chance of of winning powerball playing only once a year than finding an honest Cuban politician ? ”
Teacher – ”HAAA haaa , Jose you are a delight but lets move on as most Cubans rather not accept this “
Well, well, well… I’m going to re-post my previous comment because it seems like it “disappeared…” I said that Real Deal is right about Commissioner Reyes’s Chief of Staff. He is the quintessential government bully, who goes around job sites and City offices terrorizing contractors and City staff who is assigned to his district’s projects. Obnoxious, ill-mannered, disrespectful, and also untouchable. I will re-post this if it “disappears” again.
The level of corruption and incompetence in Miami is horrible. And the Attorney General doesn’t do anything about that.
These Commissioners are so complacent and don’t represent the best interests of the residents. By far.
A few years ago an article like that would be enough for these people to resign. Now that corruption can bring you to be a Senator or a President it seems that anything goes. At all levels of Government.
Such a shame.
Corruption isn’t only in the City of Miami. Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago and Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak want to say… Hold my beer..
Leadership Failure: Ed Hudak – watch the video…better than Dateline
https://odysee.com/Curious-Case:d
Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak spoke and texted with a University of Miami Football Coach who was accused of a lewd and lascivious act. Chief Hudak is a liaison between the Coral Gables Police Department and the University of Miami. The victim, a female janitor at the University of Miami was left to fend for herself while the Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak provided assistance to sex crime subject and University of Miami football coach, Josh Gattis.
Barbie Hernandez is an idiot. She was horrible when she got placed at the City of Miami as the Parks Director. She hated visiting parks. Total incompetent. Art Noriega is having a meltdown?
I’ve never met a couple more deserving of each other. They share the same exact unscrupulous values and business tactics. But watch out Art, the second your business connections run dry, she will 100% Mrs. DLP your a**. Have no doubt.
We are trying To Get ready of a CROOK and HIRE ANOTHER That was RECYCLED From Another City for $$$$ Problems ?
I recently purchased a lovely condo in Brickell. Then I realized that I had become part of the cesspool known as the city of Miami. Miami attracts the bottom feeders, thieves, evil, and indecent politicians. It is spreading to my beautiful Coral Gables. But I will take the situation in Coral Gables over Miami anytime. Noriega lacks the basic decency to be an honest public servant, among many in the city of Miami mafia.
This case should also be sent to the State Ethics Commission who recently cleared Belen-educated Miami mayor of facilitating billionaire Ken Griffin arrival and settling in Miami by taking the mayor to expensive sporting events.
Oh the mayor had forgotten to refund some of those freebies.
I am sure the Tallahassee-based institution will quickly rule in favor of Noriega and company.
Thanks, God, for investigative reporting by Ladra, the Miami Herald and WLRN.
Imagine what this place would be without them???
Art must have some serious dirt on someone to throw around this kind of F-U disregard for residents, optics and the law. This week was an absolute clown show with the baked report, subsequent retraction, and then the Doral con hire as the cherry on top — and yet somehow he retains his position and smug disposition. Perhaps not surprising coming from someone who did whatever he wanted while at the MPA. Those files would most certainly land him in jail, one would hope. There should be a supoena for those records but Argudin is a mini Art. Also notably quiet are Carollo and King. It can only suggest Art has them in his pocket. I really hope residents show up and speak at the next commission meeting.
Manolo waits for everything. In fact he likes criminals like his Chief of Staff who is a convicted felon who was sentenced. So Commissioner Reyes is ok with criminals. He laughs and acts like a good guy buys his also a POS.