In a move reminiscent of Phyllis “No Hummers for Hubby” Smith, Miami Beach Commissioner Deede Weithorn insisted “she had no involvement in Mark’s attempt to make a quick buck” when he tried to “cash in on the city’s name,” according to a February 14, 2013 Miami New Times article Deede Weithorn’s Hubby Selling “CityOfMiamiBeach.Net” in Sad, Sad Auction.

Is there no end to the lies politicians tell to get in office or stay in office?

Apparently not.

There is no end to the hypocrisy, either.

In 2012, during Mark Weithorn’s unsuccessful run for Florida House District 113 he was oh so upset about the political attack ads that were running against him.

As the Miami Herald’s David Smiley reported on July 27, 2012 in District 113 candidates defend business backgrounds:

One ad labels Weithorn a “deadbeat” and cites more than $350,000 in judgments and $4,000 in Florida Department of Revenue tax liens levied in the last dozen years on the candidate and his various Florida corporations.

That includes an $88,000 judgment from November against Weithorn and his former company, Digital Printers International, for failing to make payments on an $80,000 loan from Banco Popular. The loan was an SBA Express loan and half of the money was guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, according to court documents.

The ad also says Weithorn violated election law by not disclosing in campaign filings the Banco Popular judgment or a $13,500 judgment that is a source of ongoing litigation with DPI business partner Glenn Schmidt.

Mark Weithorn fought back.

Weithorn’s campaign responded with its own campaign piece that says Kravitz is guilty of “a despicable sleazy personal attack on my character.”

#DirtyPolitician Mark Weithorn has the nerve to balk at attacks on his so-called character, yet has no problem attacking the character of the North Miami Beach Mayor, a North Miami Beach City Council candidate, or this blogger.

Isn’t that special?

News Flash, Mark: Payback’s a bitch.

Mark Weithorn and his wife, Miami Beach City Commissioner Deede Weithorn, are about to get the media scrutiny they both so richly deserve.

In what can only be described as pure irony, Deede Weithorn is a Certified Public Accountant employed by Berkowitz Pollack Brant as an Associate Director of Audit and Attest Services, “who has dedicated her career to helping not-for profit organizations, governments and municipalities, and closely held companies achieve transparency  and compliance.”

Except when it comes to her own “transparency” as a #DirtyPolitician.

On February 25, 2009, the City Commission passed Resolution No. 2009-27020 accepting a bid for a solid waste contractor.  As an exhibit to the Resolution, a letter dated February 20, 2009 from then City Attorney Jose Smith to Michael Pizzi, Jr., Esquire, attorney for Choice Environmental Services, Inc., which protested the bid, Mr. Smith noted that one of the reasons the protest was denied was due to a conflict of interest.  He wrote:

Sources have also told me that Deede Weithorn regularly uses her connections in the city to get business for her accounting firm and has never recused herself from voting on bids from companies with “connections.”

Giving a whole new, and even sleazier, meaning to the term “friends with benefits.”

Since Deede Weithorn is termed out of office this November, her husband is now running for her soon-to-be-vacated seat they can apparently continue the “family business” of sucking off Miami Beach taxpayers and vendors for personal gain.

Meanwhile, Deede is now running for the same House District 113 seat that her husband failed to win in 2012, so she can add “Career Politician” under “Work Experience” on her resume.

Back on the Miami Beach campaign trail, one of Mark Weithorn’s front running opponents was the “lucky” recipient of the season’s first attack ad.

On Friday, the Miami Herald reported in First attack ad lands in Miami Beach commission race that Ricky Arriola’s business “has a contract with Miami Beach to handle customer service calls for its building, transportation and other departments.”  The ad claims that because Arriola is running for office in Miami Beach, he has a conflict of interest.  However, “Arriola told the Miami Herald this week that he does not have a conflict right now since he hasn’t been elected, and if he were, he would take care of any threat of a conflict of interest. He did not specify how and said he would address it directly with voters during the campaign.”

But, but … Deede’s conflict of interest with a bidding sanitation company is perfectly acceptable, right?

The funniest part of all is that Mark Weithorn claims he has absolutely nothing to do with the attack ad, but “he didn’t disagree with its premise.”  Mark told the Herald, “It doesn’t the pass the smell test.”

Except that it appears he’s perfectly okay with his wife’s using her position as a Commissioner to drum up business for her CPA firm.

That totally passes “the smell test,” right, Mark?

Furthermore, Mark Weithorn said he has absolutely no connection to the electioneering communications organization “Common Sense.”

Except that this would be the same Common Sense electioneering communications organization (ECO) that was responsible for nasty attack ads in the recent North Miami Beach City Council election, which ads were financed (as noted on its Campaign Treasurer’s Report) by Showcase Websites, Inc., a Florida corporation.

Which proves that, according to the 2015 Annual Report for Showcase Web Sites, Inc., Mark Weithorn has EVERYTHING  to do with the the electioneering communications organization “Common Sense.”

But, but … Mark Weithorn, a/k/a “Laura Smith” will tell you he’s all about “truth in politics!”

As an aside, “Laura Smith’s” website, email address and Google+ accounts have all magically disappeared from cyberspace now that the North Miami Beach election is done and Mark Weithorn’s mission is completed.

Welcome to the Mark Weithorn #DirtyPolician Friends & Family Plan.

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”