WTF is going on in North Miami?

Yeah, I know.  I have enough things to write about here in North Miami Beach.  And, I promise I’ll get to it this week, but I just received an email that so totally outraged me, I had to drop everything and write about it.

As I’ve reported several times, there is so much corruption in our neighboring city to the south that they really need their own Gadfly.  Even though I don’t live there any longer, I still have family members who do, so I have somewhat of a vested interest.  In the meantime, I’ll do what I can from over here to help rout it out.

There was a council meeting in North Miami last night, and I’m told that the King of Corruption himself, mayor Andre Pierre, lashed out at his colleague, Councilman Michael Blynn.  I’m also told that Pierre called Mr. Blynn’s daughters PROSTITUTES!

WTF?

According to my sources, this time the hoopla is all about the mayor and his two cronies up there, Councilman Jean R. Marcellus and Councilwoman Marie Erlande Steril, who have already had their own troubles with accusations of corruption, trying to institute a policy that may or may not be in the best interests of the city.  Since there are only five Council members in North Miami, this Gang of Three pretty much always get what they want.  This time Pierre is trying to allow the owners of apartment buildings to opt out of the city’s trash pickup and hire the private company of their choosing.  Considering Pierre’s track record with dealing in shenanigans that are unethical at the very least, something definitely stinks to high heaven about this proposal.

Back in March, Pierre’s nephew/campaign manager, Ricardo Brutus, was arrested for charges of bribery, which were caught on tape, by taking money from apartment building owners in order to influence a council vote.  At the end of 2010, the topic of privatizing the garbage service was brought up, and I’m told that within weeks of receiving campaign contributions, three of their family members formed their own waste company.  You can read the whole story in this Miami Herald article from last September.

Last night, when Councilman Blynn brought up the fact that Brutus had taken in fourteen $500.00 donations from apartment building owners for Pierre’s campaign, he apparently hit a nerve of the mayor’s.  When the news of Brutus’ arrest broke, Pierre was interviewed by CBS Miami and he vowed to return the “tainted” funds.  He has yet to do so.  Mr. Blynn’s gentle reminder of that scandal caused Pierre to go ballistic and he attacked Blynn and his daughters.

Apparently, the City Clerk, who calls himself “Hon. Michael A. Etienne, Esquire,” and who is an elected official, took it upon himself to reprimand Councilman Blynn for bringing up the mayor’s “family member.”  Never mind that this “family member” was the mayor’s official campaign manager and also serves on several city boards and committees, which makes him a public servant and subject to scrutiny.  Aside from that fact, this “family member” is still awaiting trial for his alleged bribery scheme that dealt explicitly with city matters, and the entire fiasco is a matter of public record.  Councilman Blynn had every reason to be concerned.

A resident of North Miami was appalled by the Clerk’s behavior.  Unlike North Miami Beach, where the Clerk’s position is that of “employee” hired by the City Council, in North Miami the Clerk is an elected official.  Short of impeachment or recall, this Clerk’s position is safe until the next election.  Even if this were an “employee” position, he’d most likely still keep his job by virtue of majority vote.  In other words, he’s one of Pierre’s cronies.

The resident sent an email today to the “Hon. Michael A. Etienne, Esq.,” as follows:

Miami Herald:       Posted on Tuesday, 08.02.11

Ricardo Brutus, the nephew and former campaign manager of North Miami
Mayor Andre Pierre, stands accused of accepting a bribe from a local
businessman to influence the council’s vote on another matter.
Read more here.

How rude and inappropriate for you to reprimand and lecture Councilman
Blynn for repeating something already printed in the Miami Herald.
For the Mayor to call Mr. Blynn’s daughters PROSTITUTES was disgusting
and outrageous.  If Mayor Pierre didn’t want his family being
mentioned at any meeting he should not have had his nephew as his
campaign manager.

Your behavior was despicable.  Mr. Michael Blynn has served the City
of North Miami since you were a child.  If nothing else, you showed
complete lack of respect for your elder.

The response from the City Clerk, the Not So Honorable Michael A. Etienne, Esquire, is nothing less than SHOCKING.  He wrote:

From: metienne@northmiamifl.gov
To:
Subject: RE: Miami Herald article
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:05:52 +0000

___________________,

Bigotry, personal attacks on family members, and the likes have no
place in the public forum! Your behavior, and the behavior of the very
few bigots who live in our City is despicable, not mine! I know first
hand that Blynn has issues with minorities, primarily blacks and
Hispanics.  I heard first hand from Blynns’ friends who told me about
his comments regarding “blackies” and “that the Olympic athletes would
never want to train here in the City of North Miami because of the
blacks who live here” (not to mentioned many more similar racist
comments I was told that was made by Blynn).  His behavior towards
non-whites is inexcusable! I believe in Blynn’s right to be a bigot,
but his personal attacks on minorities should not be launched in a
public forum!

So before you lecture me on confronting a bigot, a cancer in our
society, highly consider keeping your mouth shut!  As far as I am
concern, birds of the same feather flocks together!  If you do not
believe in Blynn’s ideaology, you should not defend him! If you share
Blynn’s ideaology, goodluck- because history has always been on the
side of equality, justice, and righteous!

Sincerely,

Hon. Michael A. Etienne, Esquire

WTF?

Have you ever seen such an appalling, unprofessional and despicable response to a constituent by an elected official or a public servant?  I know I haven’t!

Furthermore, I shouldn’t be surprised at the usual and customary playing of the Race Card.  But I am.

Yeah, this is truly disgusting from start to finish.  I guess the Hon. Michael A. Etienne, Esquire fits right in with the rest of the corruptocrats running North Miami.

I don’t know about you, folks, but I’m counting my lucky stars I don’t live there anymore.  Whew!  Dodged that bullet!

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”

P.S. If you want to see a really great synopsis of Pierre’s corrupt ways (and a really funny picture), please visit:  http://randompixels.blogspot.com/2011/03/its-election-season.html   ENJOY!