If you have any doubt that crime pays, look no further than today’s Miami Herald article, Island TV honors North Miami Mayor Andre Pierre as ‘Person of the Year.’

According to the article, Island TV is a “Haitian-American cable network, which every year honors individuals who have had an impact on the local Haitian community.”  Oh, Andre Pierre has had an impact alright.  Let’s look at some of the highlights of his reign, er, I mean, term:

1.  As early as October of 2010, Andre raised eyebrows for showing up at City Hall driving a brand spanking new Porsche Panamera, estimated to be worth about $100,000.00, claiming it was a gift.  According to an NBC article, North Miami Mayor Called Out for Sweet Ride, “at the end of the day Pierre was still big pimpin’ in a Porsche – a Porsche he didn’t disclose, as is required by state and county ethics laws if it was a gift.”  The article also reminds us, “Three months ago, the mayor was in the news for a very different reason when he extended an invitation to Haitian earthquake victims to come live in North Miami, which would mean potentially 10,000 new residents.”

2.  Just a few months later in January of 2011, there was that minor incident involving his ordering of 43 police-like badges for his cronies.  According to an article in Corrupt Authority, “After the council meeting, Pierre said that he provided a badge to each of the staff members, and an undisclosed number to “city volunteers,” although he refused to mention any names. He also refused to answer questions why he ordered them in the first place.  Pierre bypassed the city manager when purchasing the badges, instead asking Police Chief, Stephen Johnson, to order them. The badges are similar to a law enforcement shield and feature the Florida state seal.”

3.  Later that year in May of 2011, during his bid for re-election, Andre Pierre was accused of “abuse of power by police union leaders for implying threats to officers if they issue him tickets when he gets pulled over,” and then became embroiled in yet another scandal involving the installation of hidden cameras in his office.  As NBC Miami reported, “A source with firsthand knowledge of the incident, which cost $8,000, said the two hidden cameras were quietly removed Thursday. The source also explained two mysterious $3,000 charges to the city in addition to the hidden cameras and installation: The mayor and the city manager had their offices swept for secret listening devices. None was found. Three sources also said the city’s top law enforcement officer, North Miami Police Chief Stephen Johnson, ordered Detective James Mesidor to install hidden cameras using Law Enforcement Trust Fund money, without city authorization.”

4.  Then who can forget that just days before the election, Andre Pierre’s nephew/campaign manager, Ricardo Brutus, was arrested “and charged with a felony count of unlawful compensation, according to a Miami New Times article entitled North Miami Mayor Andre Pierre’s Campaign Manager Took $4,000 To Get Council Item Pulled. Brutus’ trial was supposed to start yesterday but was reset for sometime next month.  Of course, Pierre claims he is not involved in this scheme.  Yeah, right.

5.  Once re-elected, which in and of itself is proof positive of a completely uninformed and/or apathetic electorate, Andre Pierre promptly started firing long time employees and replacing them with people much more sympathetic to his cause, which is basically to make sure that nearly every position of power is filled with his fellow Haitian Americans.  He started by promoting then Chief of Police, whose credentials for that position were questionable in the first place, to City Manager, who promptly fired long time Finance Director, Carlos Perez.  As I reported in North Miami: Sunshine? We don’t need no stinkin’ sunshine!, “I’m guessing Mr. Perez knew where the bodies were buried and Andre Pierre certainly didn’t want them dug up.  Johnson was obviously enlisted to ensure they stayed buried.”  Pierre also had Johnson create a position called “CRA Coordinator” especially for his buddy, Lesly Prudent, whose radio show heavily promoted Pierre’s re-election.  Prudent got the job even though he didn’t have the qualifications advertised by the city.  Gee, isn’t that special?  No wonder this Island TV is so proud of the fact that “The city hired its first Haitian-American city attorney, police chief and finance director. North Miami also has several employees of Haitian descent in other top level city jobs.”  It doesn’t matter if anyone is qualified or not, as long as they’re of Haitian descent.”

6.  Fast forward to January of 2012, when King Andre decided to privatize the North Miami Sanitation Department, and ram this legislation through by ignoring public outcry.  When a teacher/resident dared to speak out at public comment, he actually called her school’s principal to complain about her.  WTF?  Of course, the fact that the winning bidder, Waste Pro, previously donated a total of $4,500.00 to Pierre’s and councilwoman Marie Steril’s campaign had absolutely nothing to do with it.  Of course.

7.  The very next month in February of 2012, Andre Pierre “negotiated” a very lucrative contract for his very special city manager, Stephen Johnson, despite the fact that the terms he inserted were illegal.  But, what’s a few State Laws between friends?

8.  Then in March of 2012, Andre Pierre had the distinct honor of having his home foreclosed.  As I reported in North Miami. Again., “In 2007, he had no problem borrowing $560,000.00 from a bank, paying off the then current mortgagee approximately $260,000.00 (give or take a few thousand), netting approximately $300,000.00.  (That’s a LOT of home improvement, by the way.)  But by 2011, his house was only worth $233,552.00, and he still owed the bank tons of money.  Amazingly, “that same year his mortgage was modified to $432,538 with an interest rate of 4.375 percent annually for about 40 years,” according to the Herald, but, “his mortgage was about $200,000 more than the assessed value of the home.”  So, what did MAYOR Andre Pierre do?  He stopped paying his mortgage payments, of course!  Wouldn’t you?”

9.  Then in April of 2012, the story broke that Andre and his cronies had been using the city’s athletic stadium for pick up soccer games without paying the usual and customary fee that everyone else has to pay.  Talk about abuse of power!  As I reported in Soccer-Gate, “from October, 2009 through September, 2011, Pierre used the fields “for private soccer practice” without paying the tab of about $29,000.00.  He reserved the field for the last time on September 10, 2011, but on September 17, 2011 a group called the North Miami Taxpayers Club started reserving the field.  By sheer coincidence, Andre Pierre is a member of the North Miami Taxpayers Club.  Ironically, since Andre Pierre is being tossed out of his home in a foreclosure proceeding and hasn’t been paying his mortgage, he’s not even a Taxpayer!”  Furthermore, Pierre himself signed a Resolution two years earlier stating that fee waivers for the city’s facilities can only be granted to legitimate non-profit organizations.  As I reported in Nasty as I Wanna Be, the “North Miami Taxpayers Club” was neither a Florida corporation NOR a non-profit.  Then again, in North Miami, the laws don’t apply to Hizzoner.  They only apply to everyone else.

10.  Speaking of laws, Andre violated a few more by having his city manager, Stephen Johnson, use the official police database to run license tag checks on his “enemies.”  This scandal, which I dubbed Tag-Gate, also proved that Johnson was hired to take the hits for Pierre’s shenanigans when he told the Miami Herald reporter “that he didn’t bother filing official police reports for the unofficial license checks ‘because at the time the mayor was uncomfortable because people were putting in public records requests and he didn’t want people to make a mockery out of it.'”  Now that’s thinking on his feet!  ROFLMAO.

11.  Moving right along… Andre Pierre then decided unilaterally that the City of North Miami would “approve funding to the tune of one half of the $538,053.00 cost, or $270,650.00, for a “Carnival or Mardi-Gras,” which is “one of the most sacred festivities in the Haitian community,” according to the proposal dated March 26, 2012.  Radio Mega, the promoter, anticipates receiving the other half of the funding from “other sponsors doing business in the community and vendors that will participate in the event.”  They also want the council to approve this annual festival for the next five years, without knowing the future expenses, and thereby holding future administrations hostage to an unknown amount of money each year until 2017.”  Of course, even before the Council voted on this expenditure, Radio Mega already announced on its website that the event is “fully supported by by the Haitian elected officials, Mayor Andre Pierre, Councilwoman Erlande Steril, Councilman Jean R. Marcellus, Chief Police Marc Ellias, Councilman Frantz Pierre, Commissioner Jean Monestime, and Vice Mayor Philippe Derose.”  Sunshine?  North Miami don’t need no stinkin’ sunshine!

12.  And who can forget the time that Andre decided to spend well over $8,800.00 of taxpayer money to have members of the Police Department babysit “his president” Michel Martelly, who is actually the president of Haiti, during a personal visit to Miami?  I know the taxpayers of North Miami are still talking about it!

13.  Monsieur Pierre is also in hot water for his Myron-like bus bench campaign advertising during the May, 2011 election.  That investigation is ongoing.

14.  Andre got his 15 Minutes of Infamy when he decided to give the keys to the city to none other than the Kardashian sisters for existing.  Oh, and for gracing the city with their presence while filming their reality television show on sacred North Miami soil.  OKAY!

15.  Just in time for the 2012 Holiday Season, Andre finally got his hand smacked by the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust for his Soccer Problem.  Merry Christmas!

16.  Finally, the latest in a long string of Andre Pierre scandals is his Conflict of Interest problem regarding the principals involved in the ever scandalous Biscayne Landing project and a project in Haiti known as Petite Cayemite.  After initially admitting to being a potential investor in the Haiti project, Pierre then conviently backtracked his story amid public outcry.

As if none of these scandals and questionable activities perpetrated by the mayor of North Miami are wild enough, Andre Pierre is being “honored” by a “Haitian-American cable network” as the Haitian community’s ‘Person of the Year.’

That surely explains why corrupt officials keep getting re-elected in North Miami where, apparently, crime really does pay!

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”