How badly does North Miami City Clerk Michael Etienne want to keep his taxpayer funded government job? So badly that he’s willing to knock any challengers out of the race before the campaign even starts.
As I reported yesterday, Michael’s seat was being challenged by Janet Reed, who arrived at City Hall yesterday at 11:30 a.m. to file. The qualifying deadline was 12:00 noon.
As Lance Dixon reported today in the Miami Herald in North Miami candidate says she was intentionally kept off ballot, she “was missing a necessary second form of identification to complete the application so she stepped out to get it.”
When she returned, Michael told his Deputy Clerk Stephanie Thomas “to process another candidate’s application first.” That other candidate was mayoral candidate Jean Marcellus, who arrived at City Hall at approximately 11:55 a..m.
I know he arrived at that time because that was the exact moment I received a telephone call from a source advising me that Marcellus had just rushed in to pay with a check drawn on a newly opened campaign bank account.
Another source told me that Janet Reed had already returned to the Clerk’s office with her documentation, but the Deputy Clerk processed Jean’s paperwork ahead of her. Janet Reed told the Herald that by the time his filing was processed, it was after noon, and the Clerk refused to process her application.
Michael Etienne told the reporter that Ms. Reed returned after twelve, but she disputes his account.
Sources told me that the Police Department was called to the scene, but there was nothing they could do because this was not a police matter.
Shortly after noon, the 2015 Ballot, which was certified by Deputy Clerk Stephanie Thomas, was already posted to the city’s website. I’m told that the city is already in the process of printing out the paper ballots for the May 12, 2015 election.
This entire situation reeks of corruption! Ms. Reed was indeed being given the runaround by Michael Etienne, who continues to abuse his power at every turn. Does it surprise anyone in North Miami that he would do whatever it takes to make sure his challenger would be disqualified?
This is total, unmitigated BULLSHIT! There should have been another clerk to process Ms. Reed’s paperwork, or she should have been permitted to complete her application as soon as the clerk was finished with Marcellus.
Interestingly, Ms. Reed told the Herald that she contacted Christina White, the Miami-Dade Elections Department’s deputy supervisor of elections, who told her that she couldn’t help her. This is the same Christina White who, when contacted by Councilman Scott Galvin regarding suspected absentee ballot fraud during the city’s 2013 election, couldn’t even answer a direct question about the “irregularity of the absentee ballot count.”
The Councilman and Ms. White had exchanged an exasperating round of emails, which I reported on June 18, 2013. The deputy supervisor’s responses were so evasive, it was hard to figure out whether she was dodging the questions or just plain too stupid to understand them. I wrote:
The fact that she doesn’t get it actually makes her perfectly suited to be a Deputy Supervisor of a completely clueless Department of Elections run by an equally mindless Supervisor in the form of Penelope Townsend. The electorate has been concerned with what has been recently coined “low information voters,” but what they really should be worried about is “low information election officials.”
It doesn’t surprise me at all that a deputy supervisor of the Miami-Dade Elections Department would protect Michael Etienne from having a potential opponent. They work closely together during elections, and it certainly behooves the supervisor, Penelope Townsend, to keep city clerks happy. She is appointed, not elected, and therefore, complaints made against her by elected officials can cost her a much coveted job. No one at County Hall, and certainly not Mayor Gimenez, gives a rat’s ass if citizens have complaints against elected officials. They are obviously a “protected class.”
Janet Reed told the Herald she will contact the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust to complain about the injustice perpetrated on her by Michael Etienne’s office.
Good luck with that.
Ms. Reed should immediately demand the video from the surveillance camera at City Hall, which should show her re-entering the building prior to 12:00 noon, so she can prove she arrived before the deadline.
I also strongly suggest that she contact an attorney immediately!
Then she needs to contact the Florida Elections Commission at (850) 922-4539, and follow up with a formal complaint (download here), print, email a copy to fec@myfloridalegal.com, and mail a hard copy to:
Florida Elections Commission
107 West Gaines Street, Suite 224
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1050
Her second telephone call should be to the Florida Office of the Attorney General, Pam Bondi. The fraud hotline is 866-966-7226. After making that call, Ms. Reed should file a formal complaint (download here), print and mail to:
Office of Attorney General
State of Florida
The Capitol PL-01
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050
Note to Ms. Reed: If you need any assistance with anything at all, including finding a good attorney and filing the formal complaints, I will be more than happy to help you get the justice you deserve. Please email me at stephanie.kienzle@gmail.com.
North Miami voters, I strongly urge you to speak out. Please call the City Manager tomorrow morning at 9:00 and don’t stop calling until you reach him. His telephone number is 305-895-9888.
You can also start sending your emails to him NOW! His email is aghany@northmiamifl.gov.
Let Aleem Ghany know that this time Michael Etienne has gone too far. You need to DEMAND that he do SOMETHING TO FIX THIS MESS!
I also urge you to attend your next city council meeting and let the Mayor and Council that you aren’t going to put up with the fraud and corruption at City Hall or in the Police Department.
People, this is YOUR CITY. You deserve a fair, open and transparent government, FREE OF FRAUD AND CORRUPTION!
There’s only so much I can do. The ball is in your court!
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
I really hope Janet Reed succeeds in getting on the ballot. My only question is why wait until 11:30 on the last day of filing? Didn’t she decide the day before the deadline that she wanted to run or the week before? Marcellus too. He waits until 11:55 to file his papers. This shows no planning on both their parts.
Since Janet Reed has never run for office before, I would have to give her the benefit of the doubt. She may have only decided a day or two earlier to run. Perhaps she thought that yesterday was the only day to qualify and had to take her lunch hour to go. I’m just guessing here, but anything could have happened.
With Marcellus, there is no excuse. He’s been an elected official AND he’s run for office before. The fact that he tried to pay with a personal check when he should have known better only shows how freaking stupid he is. He shouldn’t be allowed in public unsupervised, much less sitting on the dais.
Janet Reed was there on time and a gentleman named Louise that works in the office decided to help Stephanie process Ms. Reeds application stating, “we need two people to process the application.” After he looked at the application he left the office and then Mr. Etienne showed up 20 minutes later and committed Stephanie Thomas to Marcellus and his paperwork. He told them to process Marcellus first. After Mr. Etienne left, the processing of Ms. Reeds paperwork ceased. It was Mr. Louise who informed Ms. Reed that her paperwork would not be processed almost 2 hours after it had started. Louise then called Mr. Etienne and the police because Janet politely refused to leave absent justification for what was happening via the laws governing such matters. Mr. Etienne, returned said, “get them out of my office.” Michael Etienne clearly was in the wrong because he made the atmosphere appear hostile, stating, “I don’t want my Deputy being harassed.” The Assistant to the Chief of Police showed up with two other officers, looked at Janets paperwork and left because Janet had every right to have her paperwork filed. Janet was very professional, well mannered and, yet disappointed that this was able to happen the way it did. Cameras don’t lie.
Ruth, I’ve since found out that Janet started the filing process at about 8:30 am. She was given the runaround until about 11:50 when she obtained the final document she needed. Michael was not supposed to be in the office in his official capacity until qualifying was officially over, but that was not the case. What happened in that office is beyond unethical. And, as always, the cover up makes it worse. You think these people would learn by now, but they’ve gotten away with so much crap in the past so they think they’re immune. I’m pretty sure that will be over real soon.
Thank you for your reporting.
Ps seems like the pro-Etienne (or etc) or anti-Reed (or who knows) camp is in full swing with the “down” votes on comments on this blog post, havent seen so many like that… now will this get an up or a down vote for that comment…
You’ll get a bunch of thumbs down votes because I’m attacking Chief Lenny’s new BFF, Michael Etienne. Make no mistake. Lenny has been encouraging his circle of pro-corruption cronies to defend Michael in exchange for the clerk’s defense of Lenny’s bogus crime stats.
It’s Lenny’s way of repaying the favor. “We have an AWESOME Clerk!”
May the Good Lord bless and keep Janet Reed. It takes money and time to run in an election. I’m sure it took a moment to collect the funds. I pray she is given the rightful opportunity to run and she wins. We need people of true integrity working for ALL PEOPLE WHO DWELL IN NORTH MIAMI; not just folks of their kind…. This is America; political seats should be obtained by fair voting; not by lies and deceit or in a dictatorial manner!!!!
First of all, great reporting.
Second of all, is there not any rule that if you are there by the deadline, you can file? I mean, it’s like the post office, if you are there by 5 you can get in (etc.) even if the door is locked behind you, you still have met the deadline and you can do your business. It would not be fair if the person in front of you was mailing 10 packages, you should not be punished for their behavior (as example.).
And thirdly, and importantly, is there not a conflict of interest that the person denying you the time you need is the one who stands to benefit. That would smell “North Miami” all over this, if it is true.
And also, I love a person that likes a good battle, meaning, if Etienne were that confident and competent he should WELCOME a challenger and do what he can to make sure she is on the ballot. And to that point…there really should ONLY be impartial people standing guard when it comes to elections, the very fact you file in the city clerks office for a race against a city clerk… that’s not right. There must be some rule against that.
And forthly, Ms Reed while you are at it with the Dade County Ethics board, ask them what they can do about making Public Records access easy as pie in North Miami. Website requests would be lovely, or at least informing the citizenry of the process.
PS yes get that camera evidence of the time she arrived back to the building. it will prove if she or the clerk is correct… wait that is a public records request… you may have some delays with that! 🙂
The N Miami council needs to vote to put something on the ballot after this election, whatever is necessary, to get rid of an elected city clerk. As with every other city our city clerk should be appointed, not elected. An elected city clerk answers to nobody and that’s just insane!
North Miami needs to get rid of City Clerk Michael Etienne. He is the most obnoxious, arrogant, pathetic excuse for a person.
Something else Stephanie, why does the clerk and other folks (insert your own examples here) pick and choose the rules they follow? How about having a look at past applications and other election papers required to see if there have ever been an oversight… just askin’…
Since City Clerk Michael Etienne is so tight with Chief of Police Burgess, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there will not be any pictures on the cameras. Ms. Reed NEEDS to get the video immediately! The city is getting more corrupt!
Have no fear, Ellen. I got this shit covered. 🙂
I am Impress, good work.
Burgess and Etienne are like two peas in a pod. Like they say in Hollywood…”Burtienne”
North Miami has become a joke. Gahny needs to find his balls and Joseph needs to help him.
Burgess and Etienne are both so desperate to keep their respective jobs that they will do whatever they can to destroy whoever stands in their way. Gary Eugene and Janet Reed are their biggest threats. You already see what Michael is trying to do to Janet. Wait until you see the crap Burgess is trying to pull on Eugene! Wait until you see who “Burtienne” is using to do their dirty work.
OMG it’s like a soap opera. A corrupt police chief … corrupt cronies urging him on for their own nefarious reasons … a corrupt clerk coming to the rescue.
Only it’s not fiction. It’s real life.
Honestly, I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.
So much poop is going to hit the fan, they might as well get their Haz-Mat suits ready.
You know what’s really interesting. The number of thumbs down clicks on comments reminds me of the columns about Chief Lennie. Funny how anti-Michael posts are also getting them. Connect the dots…
I should read all the posts before I post 🙂
No worries. Truth bears repeating.
Michael Etienne will shortly be mailing to your residence, at the North Miami taxpayers cost, are mailer brochure of his accomplishments under the pretense it is a information piece. I called him out last year and received a nasty email from him personally late in the night, telling me to throw it in the garbage. He should thrown in the garbage!
I would love to see a copy of that “nasty email.” I heard he’s been know to send more than his share of them. Would you mind forwarding it to me if you still have it?
Janet Reed is a great person highly educated and can hold a great conversation
I have worked with her and she goes above and beyond her duties as a City employee