A quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin states, “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.” The second part of the quote is, “Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.”
While the second half of the quote explains why the Second Amendment is a fundamental right under the Constitution of the United States, the first half is the very definition of why the Constitution of our Republic cannot be overturned by a mere plurality of votes.
Many have debated whether or not Ben Franklin was the author of this quote, but the point is that the Constitution of the United States is THE blueprint that our Founding Fathers determined to be the very nature of our Constitutional form of government. When we pledge allegiance to the flag, we do so to the Republic for which it stands, with liberty and justice for all. Democracy, as defined by the quote, is not part of the game plan.
Likewise, the Charter of the City of North Miami Beach frames the blueprint of how our local government is to be run. This Charter can only be amended by a referendum, which means by an official election specifically designed for such a purpose. Accordingly, every single person residing and working within our city’s boundaries is to be held accountable to the Ordinances and Resolutions outlined in our Charter. A mere plurality of votes by the council to amend our Charter, for example, would not be a legitimate vote. By the same token, ballots cast for an illegitimate candidate does not make that candidate qualified to run in the first place. Legitimacy is determined by our Charter, and by our Charter only.
Our city’s Charter is perfectly clear when it states that “the term ‘bona fide’ resident” shall mean a fixed place of domicile within the City of North Miami Beach, to the exclusion of all other places.”
Council candidate Yvenoline “Yve” Dargenson obviously does not live in the City of North Miami Beach, “to the exclusion of all other places.” It has been alleged, and in my opinion, proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, by this writer, by the investigation of NMB Police Sergeant Richard Silberman, and by a complaint filed in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court in and for Miami-Dade County, that she resides in MIRAMAR, BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA.
Despite the fact that Dargenson insists that she lives in her parents’ house, that she lists her parents’ address on both her drivers license and voter’s registration card, and that she signed an legal affidavit in order to run for office in our city, in actuality she lives in MIRAMAR where her husband and children reside.
She would have us believe that she purchased a property in MIRAMAR, got married in MIRAMAR, and is raising her children in MIRAMAR, yet she doesn’t live in MIRAMAR.
She would have us believe that she attested to a process server that she lived WITH HER HUSBAND IN MIRAMAR in order to accept a substitution service of a Summons on May 12, 2012, yet she doesn’t live in MIRAMAR.
She would have us believe that she deviously and deliberately avoided being served a notice of the current lawsuit contesting her residency, yet she had absolutely nothing to hide. And that she doesn’t live in MIRAMAR.
She would have us believe that she is a qualified, bona fide candidate to run for office in our city, and that we will simply take her word for it, despite all the overwhelming evidence presented that she lives in MIRAMAR.
She thinks we’re stupid!
Instead of complying with the Ordinances and Resolutions as outlined in the Charter of the City of North Miami Beach, Yvenoline “Yve” Dargenson is betting on “two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for lunch.” I’m sorry, but a mere vote for a candidate does not a referendum make. Regardless of how many votes Dargenson can conjure up, whether legally or illegally cast, it does not change our Charter.
Today at the Miami-Dade County Courthouse, justice will be doled out. The legitimacy of candidate Dargenson will be determined by a judge based on the evidence presented by the petitioner of the lawsuit. To me, the evidence is glaringly simple, and the decision should be a no-brainer. As citizens of the City of North Miami Beach and of the United States of America, we should all hope that the judge has the wisdom to uphold the laws of our city as expressly laid out in our Charter We should all hope that liberty and justice will be truly served.
If our city’s Charter is not maintained as the only standard by which we govern ourselves, the alternative will be two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for lunch.
ON MAY 7, 2013, PLEASE VOTE RESPONSIBLY!
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Let’s hope the Judge isn’t the lamb either! Let’s see how seriously this case is looked at. Imagine the lessons that will be learned from this. Either our city charter, our NMBPD, YOU and all the genuine candidates in group 4, plus all dedicated residents living in North Miami Beach will be made fools of by the justice system, or we will joyfully celebrate that WE do mean something and that our charter is not taken lightly and yes THE LAW APPLIES HERE IN NORTH MIAMI BEACH! I anxiously await the news, please keep us posted.
It’s too bad that Sgt. Silberman didn’t visit the Broward schools where Dargenson’s children go to school and request a copy of her childen’s enrollment application and the children’s emergency contact card. It would be interesting to see what address Ms. Dargenson listed on those forms as her place of residence. She couldn’t have listed a MIami Dade County address as it would make her children ineligible to attend Broward County public schools.