The Miami city manager’s sudden resignation Friday has been an exit in the works for months, a power play so commissioners can bring in their own man, say several political observers and sources close to City Hall.
Word is that man is Miami Parking Authority 
Director Arthur Noriega.
Under normal circumstances, former assistant city manager Joe Napoli would have been named interim until the commission at least feigned a national search. But Napoli was named manager of Cooper City Tuesday, less than 48 hours before Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez submitted his resignation under intense political pressure and a cloud of allegations made by an angry Commissioner Joe Carollo.
The other two assistant city managers are too green (read: too politically unconnected) to be seriously considered.
Read related: Miami city manager quits under political power play pressure
Some people might think this is the time — with so much chaos, instability and political infighting — to bring in a heavy hitter that can calm the waters. Some straight-laced, solid administrator who has pinch-hit before, someone with gravitas and street cred. Someone like Merrett Stierheim or Carlos Migoya or Steve Shiver, who has some baggage, sure, but also t
he benefit of undercover FBI experience, a skill set we could use at Miami City Hall.
A couple of sources said that even bringing former Miami-Dade Deputy Mayor Alina Hudak out of retirement would make sense as an interim manager while the city does a national search.
But Miami is not normal. The inmates have taken over the asylum.
There may not ever be a national search as three sources who know the commissioners well told Ladra that Noriega is the price Carollo has to pay newly-elected Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla for helping him oust Gonzalez. Noriega is a longtime friend and ally who has helped ADLP raise money. Carollo already had Manolo Reyes‘ vote. That’s why Carollo made the move to fire Gonzalez on Dec. 12, at DLP’s first meeting. He thought with three votes in his pocket, he could get one of the other two to go along.
It didn’t happen that way, but Gonzalez knew they weren’t going to quit, so he did.
Read related:Alex Diaz de la Portilla finally cons his way back into office in Miami
Joe and Alex may have even talked about it without violating the Sunshine 
Law before ADLP was elected in November. Remember they are tight. Alex helped Carollo win his seat in 2017 and was a regular in Carollo’s City Hall office after that. The following year, Carollo helped Diaz de la Portilla campaign for the county commission seat vacated by Bruno Barreiro (his third failed attempt to get back into office).
And Carollo never liked Gonzalez. He voted against ratification when Mayor Francis Suarez brought him on after being elected in 2017. He has been Takis hot to fire Gonzalez since the media was tipped off last year that Crazy Joe didn’t really serve in the regular military, even though he let people believe that and stood to accept an honor for his service. Carollo is convinced the city manager authored the tip to embarrass him.
Does anyone believe that Carollo and DLP
never talked about this?
So, why does DLP want Noriega, who is not an obvious choice? Sure, he’s been the director of the massive — and often dysfunctional — parking system since 1999, and he really wants this; has for a long time. He has applied for city manager positions before, including in Coral Gables. But he operates a budget of $60 million with less than 200 employees and he’s never had to negotiate with labor unions. The city of Miami is a $1 billion operation with 4,000 employees.
Part of it may be a reward for Noriega’s support of ADLP’s campaigns throughout the years. Part of it may be that since Art’s not as experienced, he could be easier to manipulate. And ADLP is the master manipulator.
In fact, Ladra would not be surprised if this entire drama was his doing. Dean DLP is a brilliant political mastermind — one local pol calls him Rasputin — and he has the most to gain. Think about it.
Keon Hardemon is on his way out. As a candidate for county commission in 
District 3, to replace Audrey Edmonson, Hardemon will have to resign to run this summer. The rumor is that he will do so earlier so the commission can appoint someone who will then have the upper hand in a replacement race. But he already cares less and less every day.
Ken Russell is a lame duck for at least the next two years. With the trio of Cubans banding together against him, he won’t get a thing done. He’ll just be frustrated.
Manolo Reyes is a nice guy but he has drank the Kool Aid. And he can’t take political control. He is not only uninterested in it, he is incapable of it. He is not politically ambitious. He’s serving his district. But he’s a follower. And he’s following the wrong guy.
Joe Carollo can’t be taken seriously anymore and won’t be around for another term anyway. Even if he survives a recall effort that began after last week’s aborted meeting, he won’t get elected again. He knows it. And, better yet, Alex knows it.
Read related: Recall effort vs Joe Carollo picks up after commission meltdown
That means that Diaz de la Portilla, with a desperately-sought new chance at public service and four years in front of him, is going to be the man to go to if you want anything done in the city of Miami. He ensured that at the Jan. 9 meeting — his second since elected — when he moved to adjourn abruptly and basically shut the commission down. Nothing got done that day. Because he said so.
He’s the big man on campus. The Dean. Already.
Who will replace Miami manager? And why is ADLP the boss now? added by Ladra on
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