I know I said I was done with North Miami. And I really did mean it. But an article was just published in the Miami Herald that begs a comment or two.
In North Miami mayor has police chauffeur, Nadege Green reported that “Lucie Tondreau now has a police officer chauffeuring her around to city functions.” The article also states that the mayor’s daughter was driven to school by the police chief and that a resident’s car was towed out of Tondrea’s parking space so that her “police escort” could park there.
According to the article, the mayor is being guarded and chauffeured “in response to threatening phone calls to City Hall” by a man who “also spoke negatively about Haitians and Cubans.”
As I’ve said on more than one occasion, I can’t make this stuff up. This is even more comical than North Miami Beach’s musical chairs episode a couple years ago. And almost as embarrassing.
Do you really still wonder why I broke up with you, North Miami?
But since I’ve already put my two cents in, I may as well finish what I have to say.
So, let me try to get this straight. Because some crackpot who was upset with his water bill called City Hall and said, “You are going to have a war on your hands, and they are going to storm the building,” and who apparently has a grudge against “Haitians and Cubans,” the mayor feels she should have a police escort to “city events.”
What about when she’s not at “city events?” Does she still get a ride?
What about all those other “Haitians and Cubans” who work for the city? Do they get chauffeurs, too? Just saying.
Even if the “threat” was remotely credible, this news is so last month. As reported in North Miami City Hall on security alert over threats over water bill on August 22, 2013 (almost three weeks ago!), City Hall employees were so alarmed over this that officials “locked the north entrance of the building.”
Never mind that the “south entrance” was still open for business. City officials must have assumed that like Vikings, the warmongers only wanted to “storm the building” from the north. No way were they gonna invade from the south, right? I guess it was safe to leave the drawbridge open. (Maybe they should have dug a moat.)
City officials sure had a handle on that “threat,” huh?
It seems to me this whole thing is being blown way out of proportion. It also looks like the mayor is taking advantage of the situation in order to avoid navigating rush hour in North Miami. Can’t say I blame her. Traffic’s a bitch out there.
But, here’s what’s not funny. I could have stopped mocking the lunacy right there. But Lucie just had to go and play the race card. I guess she couldn’t help herself.
Tondreau was quoted in the Herald as saying, “The city car that was parked in my parking space was used by the police department since we have had threats to the city. Somebody wants to blow us out. Somebody does not like the fact that black people are in majority in this body. They don’t like it.”
Her comment was so outrageous, and irked me so much, I was compelled to break my self-imposed moratorium on writing about North Miami. When I read that comment, I grit my teeth until they hurt.
A little paranoid, are we, Lucie? Or just racist? Or, perhaps a little of both?
Contrary to what you may believe, mayor Tondreau, just because “black people are in a majority” on your council, doesn’t mean that anyone is out to get you. That’s the exact same crap that North Miami Beach former-former city manager Kelvin Baker tried to pull. He cried racism against the very council that hired him. You’re playing the race card against the very electorate that put you in office. Seriously, what’s up with that? You really need to take that chip off your shoulder, Lucie. It’s very unbecoming.
In any event, North Miami, just because you lured me out on this one date does not mean we’re back together. I already told you we are broken up so take me off your dance card. This time I mean it, okay?
Yeah, we’ll see.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Steph,
You can’t have it both ways. If you’ve broken up with CNM, then stop responding to the ongoing seduction.
Also, keep in mind your recent observations about Biscayne Park. You said, and many people, including residents of BP, agreed with you, that residents of some other municipality, in this case BP, had no business butting in in CNMB. I agreed with you. We all agreed with you. So…
Fred
First of all, Fred, you’re right. I don’t live in either North Miami or Biscayne Park. However, being a pseudo-journalist, I have an obligation to think outside the box. Just because I live in NMB doesn’t mean I can’t write about surrounding municipalities, especially when what happens in those cities affects my home town. I only got involved with North Miami because of the spillover of its corrupt politics into NMB. BP got my attention with Cooper’s ridiculous resolution. BTW, I’ve also written about Sunny Isles Beach, and not because it had anything to do with NMB. But because one of their elected officials was such a boob, it needed telling.
I am coming to the BP budget meeting tonight because I missed the meeting last night due to my own ditziness. I owe you guys a meeting and I hope enough craziness will ensue that I’ll have something cool to write about. Thanks!
Nothin’ pseudo about you, Steph.
Fred
Your too good of a blogger and entertaining also to give up your neighboring city. How about just keep her/him (I do not want to play the gender card) on the side, every body needs a little fun once in a while. We all have made quick decisions we later regret anyway….. Follow your heart you cannot go wrong as they say.
Thanks for the compliment. As for making regrettable decisions, I’ve made more than my share. Most of them started by following my heart. I’ve decided to try a new tactic to see if I have better luck. I’m trying to use my head instead of all the other parts. I’ll let you know how that works out.
OMG! WTF! And are you shitting me? I didn’t buy the story of a irate citizen threatening City Hall. Can you say staged? Celestin demanded a police car with lights and sirens to ferry him to “city events” But he was going to drive it. How many “events” do we have? Not too many I think. Esp coming off summer vacation. How does one get invited to said “events”? In regard to the race card Pierre was always playing that card and turn it around saying the residents were racists. P.S. Thank you!
The only reason I subscribed to your blog was to keep up with issues going on in North Miami and the surrounding area. If you are taking North Miami “off you dance card” please remove me as a subscriber to your blog.
I said that tongue in cheek. I’m obviously not completely over the relationship. However, if you want to still want to get off the blog subscription, I think you need to sign on with your email and password (unlike the election department, we can afford to do that since there’s no extra charge) and unsubscribe. If there’s a way for us to do it from here, I’m sure The Webmaster will take care of it. He’s like the all knowing, all powerful Wizard of Oz.
On point as usual, Stephanie!
Please see the following:
a.) Local10 News video: Do Miami-Dade Commissioners need security escorts? Commissioners have access to Sergeant at Arms in addition to $800 car allowance
Reporter Jeff Weinsier, jweinsier@Local10.com
May 24 2012 02:04:14 PM EDT
Updated On: May 25 2012 07:11:35 PM EDT
Video at: http://www.local10.com/news/Do-Miami-Dade-Commissioners-need-security-escorts/-/1717324/14141870/-/ko1h29z/-/index.html
and,
b.) lest we forget, almost 5 years ago, the Miami-Dade County Commissioners who needed to use police as chauffeurs to get to the Victoria’s Secret blowout party at the re-christened Fontainebleau Hotel.
Yes, you can’t put a price on public service, but public service isn’t for everyone!
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/rare-defeat-of-three-nyc-council.html
Check the dates on that fake police report. Doesn’t coincide with when she was being chauffeured around and is completely unrelated to Ms. Coco Douche. This “threat” report is a scam. She’s Andre Pierre in a skirt.