On Tuesday, May 5, 2015, North Miami Beach voters will absolutely flood the polls to make sure their voices are heard at City Hall.
Okay, turn off your alarm clock. You’re dreaming if you think we will even get fifteen percent of NMB’s 20K-plus voters to tear themselves away from The Real Housewives of Orange County long enough to actually cast a ballot in a City Council election. Ten percent voted in the city’s 2013 regular election, even less in the runoff a week later.
Slightly more voters will probably come out next year since four of the seven seats are up for grabs, including the Mayor’s. Mayoral races tend to bring out another couple hundred people or so, but generally the majority of the electorate is as apathetic as they are uninformed. Truthfully, I’d rather have the uninformed stay home anyway since those voters usually care less about the issues than the candidate’s nationality, religion or skin color. No good comes from playing Identity Politics.
The apathetic voters are the ones that I try my best to convince that what goes on at City Hall has a bigger impact on their day to day lives than what goes on in Washington. An even bigger incentive to vote should be the fact that the average citizen has more control over, and can directly influence legislation in, his local government than on any other level. Talk about power! In a tight race for a City Council election, even one vote can make a difference.
And yet, the apathetic citizens could probably tell you what the OC Wives wore in Episode 4 of the 2014 season, but can’t recall one City Council member by name. Talk about pathetic!
Four sitting Council members are gearing up for the race. Mayor George Vallejo, Councilwomen Phyllis Smith and Marlen Martell, and Councilcritter Frantz Pierre (a/k/a L’il Frantzie P) will try to convince voters to let them keep their jobs for another four year term.
As usual, expect those seats to be hotly contested.
As usual, expect L’il Frantzie P to pull out all stops in an effort to fulfill his dream of a Haitian Majority on the dais, despite the fact that the Haitian population in North Miami Beach has been dwindling, and the ones still left have shown little desire to run for City Council. To counteract that trend, The P Man will again recruit Haitians from faraway (and not so faraway) lands to vie for his colleagues’ seats.
Rumor has it that Frantzie will dip into the Miramar Well yet again to convince his buddy Pradel Vilme to pretend that his commercial property located at 1733 NE 162nd Street is his place of residence:
This is the same business address as two of the “non-profits” associated with Frantzie that have conned North Miami Beach out of thousands of dollars in the form of “donations” from the Police Department’s Law Enforcement Trust Fund under the guise of “helping the Haitian community keep kids out of trouble.”
Pradel Vilme’s REAL home is located at 16843 SW 50th Street in Miramar, where he claimed a 100% homestead exemption:
In addition to his homesteaded property being located in Miramar, the Division of Motor Vehicles also lists him as living in that Broward County municipality that, despite its name, is Nowhere-Near-The-Sea. Pradel Vilme entered a guilty plea in Miami-Dade County Traffic Court on April 7, 2014. The city listed on his driver’s license is Miramar.
Another interesting thing to note is that as recently as May 1, 2014, Pradel Vilme’s Facebook page claims he lives in Miami Beach:
Pradel Vilme has not publicly stated that he wishes to run for office in North Miami Beach, but I thought I’d be ready for him just in case the rumors prove to become a reality.
Another Frantzie crony who has already claimed he will run for a seat on the North Miami Beach City Council is Perennial Carpetbagger Hans Mardy. In 2009, Hans first appeared on the scene after moving here from North Miami to enter a three way race for Group 6 against Ultimate Winner Barbara Kramer and Anti-Barbara Plant Jennie Torres-Lewis. In 2011, he entered another three way race in an attempt to unseat Beth Spiegel from Group 4, beating also-ran Murel Kemp by 325 votes, but losing to Beth by 497. Suffering a humiliating loss, Third Place Loser Mardy slunk back to North Miami to lick his wounds, where on December 13, 2011 he filed his Statement of Candidate to run in (and lose) a bid for City Council in his real home town’s 2013 election.
According to that Statement of Candidate, Hans Mardy claimed he lived at 13745 NW 3rd Court, which is owned by one Medeste Vilme:
It is interesting to note that the owner of Hans Mardy’s residence is Medeste Vilme, who appears to be related to Pradel Vilme. Please check out Page 6, “Possible Relatives,” of this BeenVerified.com search: Pradel O. Vilme – BeenVerified
I just thought that was worth mentioning.
Hans Mardy also received a traffic citation, for which he pled Not Guilty. According to his driver’s license, he lives in North Miami:
Last, but not least, Hans proudly boasts on his Facebook page that he’s a resident of North Miami:
In addition to liking Ray-Ban sunglasses, Hans Mardy likes running for office.
Wherever there’s a race.
The qualifying period to run for the North Miami Beach 2015 election ends in March of 2015. According to Article III, Section 12 of our Code of Ordinances, in order to be qualified to run for office one “must have continuously resided in the City of North Miami Beach for at least one (1) full year.”
Neither Pradel Vilme nor Hans Mardy will have “continuously resided in the City of North Miami Beach for at least one (1) full year” prior to qualifying for the 2015 election.
I just wanted to put them both on notice before either of them announce a candidacy that will be a waste of time and money. They have officially been busted in advance. Consider this a public service.
The City Clerk should also take note.
Just saying.
In case there’s anyone else out there who is stupid enough to run for office in NMB when they don’t live in my city, now would be a good time to reconsider that dumbass move.
Again, just saying.
Being on top of this election stuff is a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.
Kids, do not try this at home.
Carpetbaggers, do not try this in North Miami Beach!
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Like it or not, I will volunteer my time to this City if folks say that’s what they want. I will run in one of those 4 seats
Why is it that people want to run in a city that they don’t live in? Where is their pride, where is their care? Don’t these “carpetbaggers” realize that no one will vote for them? It’s an insult to the residents of this city that they try and get elected from. Stop the nonsense.
I agree with Stop the Nonsense. Why do you want to go be on the city council where you don’t even live? There is only one reason, YOU”RE A CROOK. There is some big ‘ol pie here that you want a piece of. It’s got nothing to do with representing any group, anywhere. It has to do with finding one more port in a storm of greed! Sit on a council, any council will do, and you can make lucrative side deals. Who remembers Franzy on the phone taking voting directions from Bill Borkan in full view of everyone at the council meeting? Who is the puppet master these days? I guess we’ll find out as we follow his bouncing brass balls.
People WILL vote for them. They DO vote for them. In droves. BTW, about a year before “appearing on the scene in 2009,” Hans Mardy joined the Beautification Committee. He remained on the roster until after the election, although he never attended a single meeting. Not one! Joining a committee is a pretty dependable predictor of running for office among this group. CareforNMB is absolutely right. It has to do with finding one more port in a storm of greed in this great land of opportunity of ours.