In an incredible twist of irony, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Sally Heyman, who has obviously been recruited to shill for North Miami Beach Councilwoman Phyllis Smith, penned a letter to the Miami Herald. Heyman claimed that she’s “concerned and dismayed by the tone of this election” and that she “cannot remember a city election where some of the current elected officials openly targeted their colleagues.”
Oh, really?
Ms. Heyman obviously forgot about the 2009 election when almost all of former Mayor Ray Marin’s colleagues openly and viciously conspired to replace him with Felony Defendant Myron Rosner.
Yeah, that worked out well, huh?
I’m also not quite sure what “tone” Ms. Heyman is talking about, but she also seems to be forgetting about the odious mailer that landed in mailboxes several days ago, trashing the hell out of Smith’s opponent Bruce Lamberto with unsubstantiated claims.
Is that the “tone” to which you were referring, Commissioner Heyman?
Or, perhaps, she was referring to the “tone” of Phyllis ripping off the State of Florida – AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTY – of tens of thousands of dollars in sales tax by registering the cars she claims she never drives in the State of Montana?
Or, maybe she meant the “tone” of council meetings, during which Phyllis has been campaigning from the dais. Or when Phyllis is jumping out of her chair to chase down unsuspecting victims for a donation or an endorsement before they leave the Chambers.
Is that the “tone” you meant, Commissioner Heyman?
North Miami Beach lobbyist Mitch Edelstein was paid by the Electioneering Communications Organization Floridians for a Strong Future to send out that vulgar hit piece against Lamberto.
Mitch is also on Phyllis’ campaign payroll. Her most recent Campaign Treasurer’s Report reflects that she paid his company, Strategic Campaign Consultants, Inc., the sum of $600.00 for … “data.”
Isn’t that special?
An even more interesting development concerns “special interest money.”
The daughter A surrogate of Phyllis, using the pseudonym “Laura Smith,” has been blasting Bruce Lamberto relentlessly in unwanted mass email blasts and in the Twittersphere. Susie “Laura” has trotted out old court records of his divorce, embellished on the details, and has done her best to humiliate Bruce and his teenage son.
Susie’s “Laura Smith’s” latest email and tweet claim that Bruce Lamberto received $10,000.00 of “special interest money.”
Oh, really?
Let’s take a look at a list of all the campaign donations that Phyllis has managed to fleece from lawyers, city vendors, contractors and other interested parties, most of whom have a vested interest in doing business in North Miami Beach:
- February 19, 2015, Marina Palms Residences North, LLC, Real Estate, $1,000.00
- February 19, 2015, Marina Palms Realty, LLC, Real Estate, $1,000.00
- February 19, 2015, Marina Palms Residences South, LLC, Real Estate, $1,000.00
- February 19, 2015, Branstar Services, Inc., Construction $200.00
- February 19, 2015, DBA Suarez Law, Law Firm, $1,000.00
- February 19, 2015, Ford & Dean, Law Firm, $1,000.00
- February 19, 2015, David Magilligan Law, Law Firm, $500.00
- February 19, 2015, Stanley and Barbara Price, Lawyer & wife, $500.00
- February 19, 2015, William Dean, Esq., Lawyer, $1,000.00
- March 9, 2015, Michael & Neomi Dezertov, Builders, $1,000.00
- March 9, 2015, Frank & Tiffany Fonseca, Construction Foundations, $500.00
- March 9, 2015, Gil Dezertov, Construction, $500.00
- March 9, 2015, Susan Fried, Consultant (Lobbyist), $500.00
- March 26, 2015, Braha Dixie, LLC, Builders, $250.00
- March 26, 2015, Macken Realty, Real Estate, $500.00
- March 26, 2015, VCM Construction, Inc., Builder, $500.00
- March 26, 2015, MTV 17017, LLC, Developer, $500.00
- March 26, 2015, JAAL, LLC, Investors, $500.00
- March 26, 2015, The Manno Family Limited Partnership, Real Estate, $250.00
- April 10, 2015, Barbara Loli, Lawyer, $350.00
- April 10, 2015, Realtors Political Activity Committee, Real Estate, $1,000.00
- April 10, 2015, Realtors Political Advocacy Committee, Real Estate, $1,000.00
- April 10, 2015, Realtors Political Action Committee, Real Estate, $1,000.00
- April 10, 2015, Beighley, Myrick & Udell, Law Firm, $500.00
- April 10, 2015, Maury Udell, Lawyer, $500.00
- April 10, 2015, Ron Book, Lobbyist, $1,000.00
- April 10, 2015, ADR Partners, Inc., Investors, $1,000.00
- April 10, 2015, Benedict Kuehne, Lawyer $200.00
It’s fairly obvious that these donations, totaling $18,800.00, were received from what could be considered “special interest” groups.
The above list does not include various and sundry contributions from random residents, lawyers, doctors, and small businesses in North Miami Beach, who apparently couldn’t say no to Phyllis.
Some of them probably wrote her a check just so she’d shut up and leave.
Regardless of who Phyllis wrested her campaign donations from, or how many “special interest” groups threw money at her, I find it disgusting that Phyllis’ daughter surrogate decried the alleged $10,000.00 that Mr. Lamberto received, when Mama Phyllis fleeced nearly double that amount.
Someone needs to tell Susie “Laura Smith” that if she wants to be a blogger when she grows up, she should at least have the decency to back up her accusations with actual proof.
One last Phyllis story before I go.
Councilwoman Marlen Martell had received permission to install a sign on a piece of commercial property in North Miami Beach. A couple of days ago, the sign went missing. A source revealed that Phyllis complained to Code Enforcement and asked that the sign be removed for allegedly being placed on public property.
Team Marlen talked to the owner, received written permission to re-install her sign, and voilà … It’s baaack!
Phyllis, who has placed one of her monstrous signs on every single property in North Miami Beach with or without permission, had the audacity to complain about the campaign sign of one of her own colleagues.
I wonder if that’s also the “tone” that Commissioner Heyman was so concerned about when she wrote her letter gushing over Phyllis Smith and intimated that no candidates in North Miami Beach have ever “openly targeted” their own colleagues.
As we already know, Phyllis would throw her colleagues under the bus, and then throw it into reverse, if it meant getting re-elected.
On Tuesday, May 5, 2015, PLEASE VOTE RESPONSIBLY!
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Ms. Heyman is getting up in years. I’m guessing Alzheimer’s.
That sounds kinder that “brain addled bumbling idiot”.
Getting an endorsement from Sally Heyman is like getting one from Bruce Jenner.
Try “Ronald McDonald”
The problem with your disclosures on the blog is that “How many NMB residences read it” How do you get the MSN publish it?
It’s most unfortunate that Ms. Heyman did not do her research (or have staff do it) before making an endorsement… Better not to say anything to avoid appearing to be inadequate.
What is up with that letter from Commissioner Heyman? I don’t remember her doing this for anyone else before. And Senator Ronald Silver has also “penned” one for Smith. Desperate times calls for desperate measures and unfortunately these two have been sucked in by Smith. There comes a point in time where elected officials need to move on, the time has come for Smith. She seemed fresh when she first became elected in NMB. She clobbered DeFilippo and seemed to be the new voice for the citizens, but that didn’t last long. While she helped to end the lifetime insurance policy that Commissioner Heyman receives, Smith also helped herself to it. Now the story is she won’t get it, but she will sue the city if she wins this election as she feels she’s ENTITLED to be graced with benefits only every citizen in NMB would like to have. Politicians seem to be great when they promise us the world and then quickly become consumed with their new found titles. Their egos grow to proportions so unbecoming of them and Smith is one of those egotistical politicians, but then I think she was most likely like this before her new found glory, just like HEYMAN. So just vote Smith out of office May 5th. Anyone is better than her. And Heyman, isn’t she finally termed out?
Why is Sally Heyman involved in this election? Other than us paying for her lifetime health care insurance for being a 7 year Councilperson, she has never done anything for NMB except suck on the taxpayer’s teat, just like that style challenged friend of hers. Sally’s big claim to fame is getting the County to bulld a dog park so her dog can take a shit there instead of her own front yard. Braham blew it when he didn’t put Sally on his recall list like he did with Alverez. She would have been gone in a flash of recall votes if he did.