It seems that North Miami councilman Michael Blynn is less than thrilled with my recent blog about him.  He tried to post two very similar, and very confusing, comments on my website.  I didn’t approve either for comment because I wanted to give him the opportunity to withdraw them and spare him from humiliating himself.

I tried.  I really did.  But, he still didn’t get it.  Here’s the story.

In the first comment, Blynn wrote:

“Again, Ms. Kienzle,to set the record straight, you are entitled to your opinion, but not to your own facts.  I never made the quotation you attrributed to me in quotes ever. .  I I never wrote anything regarding the hotel, the dealership mall, nor did I contemplate low income rental units. Furthermore, I moved to spend only the 2.5 million, if that, and keep the rest in reserves, but my motion was voted down 4/1.  I have consistently demanded the hiring of grant writers to make the money grow for the benefit. I look forward to your corrections in your next blog.  Thank you.  Councilmember Michael R. Blynn”

Before I even had a chance to read the first one, he wrote a second:

“Dear Ms. Kienzle,

To again correct the record, you are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.  I never made the quotes you attribute to me, ever, including the auto mall.  As for spending the funds, I moved to only spend 2.5  million, if that, and leave the rest in reserves, which was voted down 4/1.

I look forward to your correcting the record in your next blog.  City Councilmember Michael R. Blynn

Please correct in your next blog on the sub”

These comments are reprinted verbatim.  I did not edit them whatsoever.

I wrote to Blynn, advising him of the following:

“Mr. Blynn,

I was forwarded a copy of the very email that you claim not to have written.  However, I have written to the recipient requesting permission to reprint the email in its entirety, redacting personal email addresses, of course.

In the meantime, please reconsider whether or not you remember sending such an email.  I would hate for you to call me a liar prematurely.

Thank you,

Stephanie Kienzle”

I then contacted North Miami resident/community activist Ellen Abramson, who gave me permission in writing to use her name and publish the email in its entirety.  Here it is:

I then sent the copy to Mr. Blynn with the following letter:

“Dear Mr. Blynn,

I received permission from Ellen Abramson to reprint the email that you sent to her, which I had quoted in its entirety.  Please see the attached copy.  Is it possible that you do not remember sending this email to her on Saturday?  In any event, I do not believe I owe you an apology for quoting your exact words.

Any of my comments regarding a car dealership, rental units, hotel, etc., were not attributed to you, but were quotes from the Biscayne Times article.  I have no reason to retract those comments or my opinion regarding those matters.

As such, I have not yet approved your comments for approval on my website.  If you want me to print your comments, I will be happy to do so, but please note that I will also have to publish the email and my comments as a rebuttal.

I await your decision.

Stephanie Kienzle”

Undeterred by logic, or even common sense, Mr. Blynn then sent me the following message.  Decipher at your own risk.

“Dear Ms. Kienzle,

To set the record straight again for the second or third time, you are
entitled to your opinion, but not entitled to your version of the facts.
First,  I did not ever support what you have in quotes with misspellings
and statements using improper grammar, i.e. referring to auto malls, and
the prior reference to low income housing.
As for spending over 12 million of the 17.5 million dollars, I was opposed
to  the spending, which was a 4/1 vote by the Council to spend, rather than
retain the funds in reserves. I  wanted to keep all of the funds in
reserves and hire grant writers to grow the funds.

To give you a proper historical perspective on the Munisport property, now
Biscayne Landing, you need only to go back to the beginning of my first
Council term in 1999-2000, where I was the lone negative vote against
leasing the Munisport site to the County for Greenspace for $1.00 per year,
from which we would have all of $13.00 in our general fund instead of
millions. I was able to persuade the new Council on second reading to vote
that proposal down, along with a big sprawling Home Depot, which was
approved on first reading 4/1 in my first term, and then voted down on
second reading with a new Mayor and mostly new Council,  approving the Home
Depot we have today.

I have continued to advocate for the building and expansion of our
acclaimed museum,and our downtown, which when I took office was not at all
what it is today, and vowed to see to it that it became the jewel of our
downtown, which it is today.

Making derisive and sarcastic comments about my commitment to insure that
our most valuable land asset is something of which we can be proud, is far
from where I stand now and have stood for all of my years in office, and I
hope to continue my advocacy.

I would hope that what  I envisioned as a model for that site is what is
the end result.

I hope to see you correct the record in your next blog.Thank you.
Councilmember Michael R. Blynn”

Wow!  Is he unclear on the concept or what?

In response to his first claim, “I did not ever support what you have in quotes with misspellings and statements using improper grammar,” by stating,

HELLOOOOOO!  I DID NOT MAKE UP THE EMAIL YOU SENT TO ELLEN ABRAMSON WITH ALL IT’S “MISSPELLINGS AND STATEMENTS USING IMPROPER GRAMMAR!”

You built that!  Own it.  Wear it with pride!

In response to the second part of his claim that I misrepresented him, “i.e. referring to auto malls, and the prior reference to low income housing,” I say this:

ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS???

How many times do I have to tell you that I was quoting the BISCAYNE TIMES ARTICLE, NOT YOU!

Sorry, dude, not everything is about you.  You’re just not THAT important!

Jeez, it’s like dealing with a third grader.

But, while we’re at it, Mr. Blynn, can you please state for the record why you voted to spend $150,000.00 of the Biscayne Landing money so that councilwoman Marie Steril’s mother could get a free house?

Just asking.

Voters, do you really want this man representing your city?

Just asking.

I guess things could be worse.  You could have Phyllis.  At least Blynn knows how to use email.  Sort of.

Councilman Michael Blynn wanted me to “correct the record” in my “next blog.”

Sure thing, dude.  Hope you’re happy now.

Stephanie Kienzle

“Spreading the Wealth”