The City of North Miami has officially earned the distinction of being crowned “Most Corrupt City in South Florida.”  Chosen by a Secret Committee, and affirmed by the vote of one Corrupt Mayor and two of his fellow Corrupt Council Members, radio talk show “personality” Lesly Prudent was just hired for a job that was especially created just for him.  Prudent’s new position of CRA Coordinator was made up to replace the former CRA Director Tony Crapp after he mysteriously vacated the job.  Apparently, like in Chicago, the Sunshine Laws don’t apply in North Miami.

The audacious display of cronyism and nepotism in North Miami is staggering.  Mayor Andre “Blagojevich” Pierre now has even more power than ever before to insure his continual re-election.  Under Pierre’s direction, he was able to promote his go-to guy, former Chief of Police Stephen Johnson, to the position of City Manager (http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/16/2362227/north-miami-appoints-police-chief.html).  Despite the fact that “several council members objected to Pierre’s decision to nominate Johnson,” and some wanted a nationwide search, three out of five voted in favor of this appointment.  Pierre can always count on his two cronies on the council, Marie Steril (who allegedly rigged a $5 million dollar city bid for a friend http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2011-09-01/news/indict-north-miami-mayor-andre-pierre/2/) and Jean Marcellus (who got a free plane ticket to Haiti from the mayor’s nephew http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/15/2271530/north-miami-councilman-doesnt.html), to back his decisions no matter what.

Yeah, North Miami politics is giving Chicago a run for its money.

According to Pierre, Johnson was the perfect candidate, even though he “had never held an administrative role in city government” and he “has come under fire for purchasing 43 police-style badges with law enforcement funds for the mayor’s use without the authorization of his boss, Benford. He was also criticized by some residents and council members for secretly installing hidden camera in the mayor’s office. Johnson first tried to circumvent city rules by trying to pay a North Miami police officer for the camera installation, but later paid another company after city staff pointed out that the payment to a city officer would be in violation of city rules. North Miami prohibits its employees from doing business with the city.”

Yeah, Stephen Johnson is the perfect Chicago-style henchman that suits Andre Pierre just fine.

When it came time to hire a new Chief of Police to replace Stephen Johnson, Pierre and Johnson dug up assistant police chief, who was hired a year earlier, first as interim and then as permanent Chief.  This was despite the fact that he was fired from his position as Police Chief in Florida City because of two different allegations of sexual harassment, neither of which was proven by the State Attorney’s Office due to lack of “sufficient evidence” (http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/06/2392890/north-miami-names-acting-police.html and http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/21/2513008/north-miami-hires-new-police-chief.html).

Gee, where have I heard “lack of sufficient evidence” before?  Oh, yeah!  Let ‘Em Go Joe Centorino, the former State Attorney who never met a case worth prosecuting.

Aside from all the recent hiring and firing shenanigans going on in North Miami, there’s the long standing boondoggle over the development known as Biscayne Landings.  It would take forever to describe in detail all the wheeling and dealing that went on and continues to go on about this project.  Most of it is detailed in a Biscayne Times article entitled, A City of Two Tales (http://www.biscaynetimes.com/index.php?id=971:a-city-of-two-tales&option=com_content&catid=46:features), which also describes a host of other questionable acts performed by mayor Andre Pierre.  As one resident pointed out in the article, “It’s crazy that the mayor is still in power.  It’s crazy that he even got reelected.”  The article quotes Pierre as stating, “There is no corruption on the city council…Listen, listen — it is politics, that is what this is. The party that is in power gets attacked.”

Um, I was under the impression that council seats in North Miami (as well as in all municipalities in Miami-Dade County) are non-partisan.  What party would the mayor be referring to?  The “Pierre Party?”  I’m just saying.

The Biscayne Times followed up that article with one entitled All in the Family (http://www.biscaynetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1022:all-in-the-family&catid=50:community-news&Itemid=223), detailing even more shady dealings among some of the council members, a former mayor and the developer.  Now that the project appears to be moving forward, the article states:

“The council sent out a new request for proposals from developers on May 17, the same day [former mayor Joe] Celestin won control of the management contract by a narrow 3-2 vote. Four months later, Swerdlow once again became the de facto winning bidder to develop Biscayne Landing after his only competitor, Ian Bruce Eichner, withdrew his proposal.

Mayor Pierre is reluctant to restart the bidding process, unless current negotiations with Swerdlow fail. “I am negotiating a contract with a developer and that is where I am at,” he says. “If the negotiations fail, then we’ll look at other options.”

Mayor Pierre seems to be in complete control of a project that should have the backing of the council and the residents.  But as it is in Chicago, so it goes in North Miami.

In summary, mayor Andre Pierre, who by all accounts should probably have been indicted for any number of things, is not only sitting pretty in the catbird seat, but he has managed to surround himself with yes men.  From his two cohorts on the city council who he can always count on for votes, to the City Manager who he can always count on to sign the checks, to the Chief of Police who he can always count on to be his personal bouncer, Andre Pierre has all the bases covered.

And now, with the position of CRA Coordinator filled by a radio talk show host who helped win Pierre the last election, and who will most likely throw CRA money at whomever Pierre deems worthy (like the clients of Pierre’s law firm who grabbed $145,000.00 from the pot to expand their restaurant), his every wish will be granted.

By the Grace of God and Term Limits, Pierre’s reign will end in May of 2013.  If this were almost any other city or county in Florida, chances are Pierre would have been in prison by now, or at least removed from office.  But, here in Miami-Dade County, and especially in the City of North Miami, corruption in government is a way of life.  Sort of like good old Chicago.

But there is hope.  Just last week in the Windy City, even an Illinois former governor finally got his just desserts and was sentenced to 14 years on the hoosegow.  I hear there’s an empty cot in Rod Blagojevich’s cell.  Hey, Andre.  There’s room for one more.

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”