I don’t know about you, but I find it ironic that less than two weeks before the election, fighting to keep her seat, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle suddenly cares about absentee-ballot fraud.  In a recent Miami Herald article entitled Miami-Dade authorities launch probe into alleged absentee-ballot violations.  It sure took her long enough!

This particular article focuses on two women who “were detained by police in Hialeah on Wednesday afternoon with about a dozen absentee ballots,” as reported by blogger Elaine de Valle of Political Cortadito.  According to Ms. de Valle, the women “claimed to work for Miami-Dade Mayor Gimenez’s re-election campaign,” although she believes they work for the campaign consultant of Mayor Gimenez’ rival, Joe Martinez.  Both candidates deny all allegations.  Of course they do.

Even more interesting is that yet another blogger, Geniusofdespair, who writes for Eye On Miami, was not credited for excellent detective work and an expose in three parts last year about a serious absentee-ballot fraud problem here in northeast Miami-Dade County that took place in the 2010 election.  If you haven’t read that column or seen those videos, please take the time to do so.  Where was Katherine Fernandez-Rundle then?  Oh, yeah, she wasn’t up for re-election in 2010.  Move along, folks, nothing to see here.

As you know, I have also been painstakingly working on uncovering voter fraud.  Many of us in North Miami Beach are firmly convinced that absentee-ballot fraud has played a huge part in some of our last elections for city council.  A former elected official was notorious for collecting the majority of absentee-ballots in the 2009 election.  In the 2011 election, I personally know that he was on top of the absentee-ballot requests collected by the Department of Elections in Doral.  In fact, he was pretty obsessive about calling and visiting there almost daily to inquire about how many and whose ballot requests were turned in to them.  What he did with those names is anyone’s guess.  I didn’t hear about Katherine Fernandez-Rundle asking questions then, either.

Also during the 2011 North Miami Beach and North Miami elections, suspicions continued to surround a particular person who is known for approaching candidates and claiming to be able to “deliver the Haitian vote.”  For a fee, of course.  He claims that he’s a Very Important Person in the “Haitian community,” and that he’s very influential in “educating” Haitian voters.  Citizens, and especially citizen activists, have long suspected absentee-ballot foul play.  In fact, the State Attorney and the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust have been repeatedly contacted by concerned residents about their suspicions.  So far I’ve yet to see Katherine Fernandez-Rundle poking her nose around these here parts.

Absentee-ballot fraud never seemed to be on KFR’s radar before now.

In fact, the only things I’ve heard about Katherine Fernandez-Rundle lately are (1) she’s “fondly” referred to as “KFR” by legal beagles, (2) that she’s running for re-election, and (3) that all of a sudden she’s interested in absentee-ballot fraud.  Isn’t that special?  She certainly didn’t give a crap about voter fraud before.  Could she be running scared?

Well, she should be.  For the first time in her very long political career, she has a credible opponent, and the odds are stacking up against her re-election by the day.  For starters, thanks to a loophole in Florida’s election laws, KFR’s race is limited to a Democrat-only primary on August 14, 2012.  A lawsuit was filed to open the election to all registered voters, but was dismissed by the Judge just a few days ago, which results in KFR’s having to try to win without the votes of her Republican friends.  She’s a registered Democrat, but has been accused on many occasions of being a closet Republican.  Not that I have anything against Republicans (ahem), but if that’s where her heart is, it’s high time she come right on out of that closet.  I’m just saying.

Katherine Fernandez-Rundle was crowned, er, I mean appointed as Miami-Dade County’s State Attorney in 1993 and has been re-elected five times.  There’s an old joke that politicians, like diapers, should be changed on a regular basis.  KFR comes to mind.  She’s the poster child for “Term Limits Are a Good Thing.”  Her chair must be so comfortable by now, she’s obviously forgotten why she’s sitting there.  She certainly doesn’t seem interested in prosecuting criminals.  And on the rare occasion that she does decide to do her job, it’s usually such a botched, Spence-Jones-like prosecution that the defendant walks anyway, thereby flushing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars down the drain.  Maybe it’s best KFR just sit there and look pretty and pose for campaign pictures.  That way she’ll do the least amount of damage.

Speaking of money, RUN, DON’T WALK, over to The Crespogram Report’s Katherine Fernandez-Rundle: The Queen of Swag.  Al Crespo, South Florida’s Number One Blogger, has covered Queen KFR extensively.  Go check it out!

(Which, of course, begs the question, “Do bloggers gotta do ALL the work?”  Just saying.)

Her opponent, Roderick Vereen is serious about giving Katherine Fernandez-Rundle a pink slip.  I’m serious about helping him do just that.  In any way that I can.

I didn’t know much about Mr. Vereen, so I checked out his website.  I learned a lot about his 22 year career in law and that “Rod concentrates his legal practice in the areas of Federal and State criminal law. He is a former Assistant State Attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit and later became the first African-American Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Florida, in Pensacola, Florida. He was also an adjunct professor at Florida State University’s School of Criminology and Florida A & M University’s School of Criminal Justice. In 1989, he was voted Professor of the Year at Florida State University’s Panama City campus.”

Very impressive, even though, as a Gator Mom, I’ll forgive his being a Seminole.

On top of being involved in some very high profile cases (which you can check out on his website), he’s also “a member of several professional and civic organizations (which you can also check out on his website).  With those references, I can forgive his being a Silver Life Member of the NAACP, which used to be a very honorable organization before the Race Card became fashionable.  But, let’s not quibble petty details.

In the last couple of days, I’ve spoken with two very politically connected individuals about KFR.  One of them told me that in her entire career as State Attorney, SHE HAS NEVER TRIED EVEN ONE CASE HERSELF!  I guess she’s too busy campaigning.  My source also told me that Mr. Vereen intends to try cases personally.  That is a good thing.

The other individual told me that when asked why the State Attorney’s Office hasn’t prosecuted North Miami Mayor Andre Pierre for his half dozen or so alleged crimes just begging to be investigated, KFR responded that to do so would cost her votes.  Of course, this is hearsay because I wasn’t there, even though my source told me he was standing right next to her when she said that.  Hearsay or not, I believe it.  There’s absolutely no rational reason why Pierre has not yet been held accountable unless she’s afraid of losing the Haitian vote.  If true, then she’s nothing but a political animal who just happens to have a law degree.

The fact is that KFR’s fifteen minutes have been extended way too long.  It’s time to change the diaper.

If I could vote in this Democrat primary, I’d cast mine for Rod Vereen.  Even though I’m not a political big wig, or even anybody special, for what it’s worth I’m endorsing Mr. Vereen for Miami-Dade County’s State Attorney.  He certainly can’t do worse than Katherine Fernandez-Rundle, but, I suspect he’ll be a whole lot better.

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”