In North Miami Beach, Councilwoman Phyllis Smith is being challenged for her seat by Michael Joseph. She recently sent out a mailer which included a long list of people whose endorsements she scared up. Only a very small handful of those endorsements are from actual residents of North Miami Beach.
Her opponent, however, has earned the support and endorsement of the people who count: His future colleagues and leaders in the community. These are the individuals who have a vested interest in North Miami Beach and the residents who actually live in the city.
The Mayor and three of his colleagues endorsed Michael Joseph for City Council.
Mayor George Vallejo: “I am writing today to express my support for Michael Joseph. I have had the opportunity to meet Michael Joseph and understand his expertise in real estate law and his dedication to our community will be a welcome asset to the council. He would be a refreshing change from the type of councilperson who is combative and works against the desires of our community for economic development. I intend to support Michael with my vote in the upcoming election and by helping spread the word to others of the value of his policies and abilities. I invite you to join me in the same.”
Councilman Anthony DiFillipo: “Michael Joseph will make a great addition to the North Miami Beach council. He is an attorney who understands the needs of our community. I wholeheartedly endorse Michael Joseph for NMB City Council, Group 3.”
Councilwoman Barbara Kramer: “As an elected official and as a resident, I endorse Mr. Michael Joseph for North Miami Beach Councilman in the Group 3 Seat. Having been introduced to Michael through friends and area leaders, I noticed his passion and learned of his reasons for wanting to serve. I couldn’t agree more with many of his motivations such as his willingness to make decisions based on what is best for our city, not his personal gains or concerns. And just as important is his ability to lead with great integrity and dedication in moving our city forward. Michael has an impressive background both educationally and professionally. He will be an asset for all of us.”
Councilwoman Marlen Martell: “Endorsing a candidate is not based on personality, but on who will have the character to stand for what is right for the community. In Seat 3, Michael Joseph will give a definitive answer. He is open minded, will research options and stand by his conviction. As a resident I need an individual which will represent the needs of the community and as my colleague I need an advocate of the city as a whole. Michael Joseph is that individual and I hope you can support him for North Miami Beach City Council, Group 3.”
Community leader Dr. Allan Jacob sent out a long essay to his extensive mailing list entitled, “Why I Endorse Michael Joseph.” He gave me permission to reprint it here in its entirety:
Local government is responsible for 3 areas: security, services and quality of life. Our community needs substantial enhancements in security, outside traffic and access limitation, new parks in the center of our neighborhood and better services. Phyllis Smith has been a NMB City Councilwoman for 8 years and none of that has happened.
We all know Einstein’s definition of insanity – trying the same thing and expecting a different outcome. If Smith gets reelected you can expect more of the same. Only a change in leadership catalyzed by our community’s joining as a bloc to support Michael Joseph will bring about change.
Let’s examine Smith’s record.
In her 8 years as Councilwoman the only piece of legislation she has successfully initiated is a ridiculous Civility Ordinance, an ordinance she consistently violates. Many municipalities are abolishing these useless ordinances because they cannot be enforced. The only other piece of legislation she tried to pass was the “baggy pants ordinance,” which was intended to force young men to pull up their pants. That ordinance went nowhere.
Phyllis is the City Council’s liaison to three city boards and committees. The first is the Commission on Aging/Senior Citizens Advisory Board. There has been no activity for this Commission. The second is The Public Utilities Commission. There have been two vacancies on that Commission and she has done absolutely nothing to fill these vacancies. Meeting minutes have not been posted since July 16, 2014. The third is The Redevelopment Advisory Board. Minutes of the RAB meetings have not been posted since August 1, 2012.
Her behavior can be infantile. When Smith was re-elected four years ago, her main objective was to finagle a seat next to the newly elected Mayor, a highly competent and visionary leader. When he refused her demand, she immediately went on a two week rampage, which began a four year vendetta against anything the Mayor wanted passed. This animosity continues to this day and is an obstacle to real progress.
Her unethical behavior has been reported on by the Miami Herald. All but one of her rather high end vehicles are in the name of a shell Montana LLC for the sole purpose of not having to pay Florida sales tax. The one vehicle with a Florida plate was only recently registered in Florida, perhaps in response to the Herald expose. It was also previously registered in Montana.
Although we all look for legal ways to avoid paying taxes that is not the behavior that we should tolerate from elected officials.
Phyllis voted to end lifetime health insurance (yes, believe it or not, the Council used to give itself lifetime health insurance that you pay for!) but made sure she was exempted from the ban. Prior to that lifetime insurance ban, council members were reimbursed 100% of all out of pocket medical expenses including co-pays. Good work if you can get it. Phyllis was reimbursed approximately $15,000 for medical expenses before the ban went into effect. That’s our tax dollars at work.
She has a tendency toward delusion. For example, she claimed to have spoken with the Department of Defense for over three hours when the council was voting whether or not to restore the WWII gun mount on 19th Avenue. When challenged, she was unable to produce records supporting such a bizarre phone call.One of the major issues facing the City is the sanitation contract. When it came up for discussion several months ago, the question arose of whether or not to use bids from two years ago or to start a new bidding process. Phyllis publicly quoted the Mayor of Surfside as having told her “you must be crazy” to accept a two year old proposal. The Surfside Mayor, Daniel Dietch, wrote her a lengthy email several days later admonishing her for misquoting him and asking her “that in the future you be sensitive to the impact of attributing a statement to me on the public record that does not accurately reflect our discussion.”
Phyllis has been noted to bully city employees in violation of the charter. For example, last September, she ordered Leisure Services Director Paulette Murphy to have the bathrooms painted in the community center at Washington Park and admitted to such at a council meeting! When chastised, she was observed leaving the Chambers and yelling at Ms. Murphy in the hallway.
During this election, Smith has placed many signs on lawns without the homeowners’s permission. She has been caught campaigning during council meetings by asking people for endorsements and donations. This is clearly against the rules of ethics and possibly Florida Statutes.
Is this the kind of person you want to be in the position of deciding how to spend your tax dollars?
In stark contrast, Michael Joseph is an attorney and MBA with experience in real estate development law. His commitment to community service is real and serious. I have met him several times and know that he will work with us to help us achieve real improvements in security, services and life quality issues.
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
And finally, even though I don’t live in NMB anymore, Michael Joseph has received my official endorsement!
On Tuesday, May 19, 2015, please GET OUT AND VOTE FOR MICHAEL JOSEPH, NORTH MIAMI BEACH GROUP 3!
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Phyllis is desperate. Get ready for a nasty email from her or Susie saying how evil Michael Joseph is.
She lies! Her flyer features 40 or so endorsements. If she had a picture of herself with somebody then they endorsed her.
That’s nothing! She listed Yona Lunger as one of her endorsements and he’s furious!! He categorically denied endorsing her!!! Can you believe the nerve? It makes you wonder how many of those endorsements are even real.
You are correct Stephanie, Yona Lunger is furious. And that’s an understatement. Let’s see what Yona Lunger does with this. Yona has always been impartial when it comes to elections. He doesn’t live in the city, although he cares very much for it. Yona is Vice President of the Greater North Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce as well as being President of his charitable organization, Chessed of South Florida. Because of those ties, he has never ever endorsed any one candidate. I just hope he has the “chutzpah” to file an ethics complaint.
I’ll work with Yona to get that complaint filed. I’m kinda good at that.
So what else is new? Phyllis is a habitual liar, but no one seems to really care. I supported Mr. Lamberto because of his great contributions to our city. He didn’t make it, thanks to CW Smith’s disgusting hit piece on him. Thankfully Mr. Lamberto is just fine and his family is intact after having to endure that horrible bullshit flyer. So like you said Ms. Kienzle, CW Smith thought that Bruce was the opponent to remove thinking it would be an easy win for her facing Mr. Joseph. WRONG!!! I think that Mr. Joseph is the formidable candidate now. Good luck to him. I’m doing everything I can to let my neighbors know that CW Smith has got to go. She has a huge problem with lying. She has a huge problem with governing, always choosing the best political face when needing to make hard decisions for our city. She is as fake as they come and I find it so hard to believe no one sees this. Mr. Joseph is fresh, intelligent and wants to see his community, that he invested in to flourish. I didn’t agree with a newcomer in this race, I knew Mr. Lamberto for years, but now that it’s down to Smith and Joseph…. P L E A S E V O T E F O R MICHAEL JOSEPH # 70 !
I find it hard to believe that the Spork Weasel was re-elected! Of course, I have no doubt that not all of those votes were legit, but voter fraud is hard to eradicate. The criminals always come up with new ways to steal elections and seem to always be one step ahead of the authorities. It doesn’t help that Katherine Fernandez Rundle refuses to prosecute cases with “under double digit” absentee ballots, even though state law is very specific that possession of more than two ABs is illegal. When a county’s top cop is in favor of voter fraud, well, you do the math.
In any event, tomorrow is NMB’s chance to replace the last remaining corruptocrat on the dais with someone who is ethical, intelligent and won’t make an ass clown of himself or embarrass the entire council.
As an added bonus, Frantzie will have no allies on the dais. That alone will make meetings fun to watch. 🙂
All of her “pictured endorsements” should file a lawsuit! What’s wrong with her?????
I have a feeing the lawsuits are coming.
I live in North Miami Beach and I remember a friend of mine asking me if I were willing to help him with Michael Josephs election. I know Michael and though we are not from the same political parties he is a great guy with a tremendous amount of intelligence and intellect. So I said to my friend let me think about it I am working and in school but I will let you know. I always go once a week play checkers at Washington Park with some of my old friends. I mean we go back over thirty years. So when I mentioned his name and all of them at the table laughed and said that Smith was going to win so why should he waste his time. I know Smith she is a lying thieving lady who always dresses like a bumble bee but I never cared about local politics until that day I was at Washington Park. I immediately called my friend whose name I will keep to myself and told him I am in. He said we do not have that much money but if we make it to the run off we will have more. I said do not worry about it lets do this. So I then met up with Michael Joseph at a meeting with all of the commissioners at Washington Park were they let everyone speak. I was even more impressed. He blew his opponent out of the building you should have heard the crowd go “Wow.” Still everyone laughed at us we had an eight men Smith street crew telling me to forget out about it we do not have a chance and besides Smith was riding around giving Turkeys to everybody and Mike has not given anything. I said Blank The Turkeys we need a someone who cares and the just laughed at me. Now guess what we made it to the run off and they are scared to death.
Unlike the others this is personal for me because I love the underdog especially when he is an honest one. I do not know about the others but the genius who asked me to help let me do it the way I like to which is to laugh and play stupid. Now who is laughing? Smith offered me 1000 a day last Friday Night If I would work for her until the election is over on the 19th. I said very nicely thanks but no thanks my soul has no price. On Tuesday the 19th of May Michael Joseph will defeat Phyllis Smith because of the strength of the grass roots and because the few of us who live here believed in his vision and it has caught on. All over my neighborhood they are telling me Joey you are right about Michael Joseph and now they all are in, but let me caution all of you who know Mike is the right man for the job. We are dealing with some evil, rich, greedy, people who will do anything to keep their jobs, and pay off some of the people that they could care less about to help them win. So we must remain vigilant. However, if I were a betting man I would bet the house on Michael Joseph. It is time to fix this community and add new good leaders to the ones we have a get rid of the parasites.
On May 19, 2015 Phyllis Smith will be defeated. Not because she did not spend enough money. Last I heard it was in the mid double figures, but she underestimated Michael Joseph and the genius who put the grassroots together who will remain nameless, but the biggest most unforgivable mistake was made by those eight men who work for her. They should never have told me “forget about Puerto Rico you’re boy aint gonna get one vote.” Those words added fuel to my fire and this race is not only about getting the right candidate elected. It is become personal to me and that is something you do not do to J Rafi Muniz Rosario because it make me mad and makes me want to win even more than Michael Joseph.
Remember I have to see these guys everyday so how sweet it will be when Michael Joseph gets the victory. I might be Puerto Rican and handsome but I know all their dirty tricks and have prevented many from happening even today. I along with a group of volunteers who are helping Mr. Joseph have been was canvasing the area trying to leave no stone unturned. We are running a clean campaign and the team is getting bigger by the day.
Now we have a lady who I will not mention her name who is awesome and is like the energizer bunny. She and I intended to leave every bit of our energy on the streets of N.M.B until 7pm this Tuesday. Hey if any of you reading this are Phyllis Smiths fans. “Ya all be cool because there will be a new Sheriff in town and his name is Michael Joseph” and that my friends you can take to the bank but we need all of you that read this blog to vote. I cannot wait until he wins so I along with some of the volunteers can go to some nice classy place that has a nice bathroom. So we can all through are drinks in the toilet because nothing is better “than the flush of
victory.”
That was the funniest and most awesome comment! I totally understand your response to a personal challenge. Happens to me all the time!
Here’s to your (and Michael’s) victory dance!!
Word of advice, though. Please don’t drink from the toilet LOL!
Thank You Stephanie for the response but sometimes the truth is funny. I did not realize how funny it was until I read it again this morning. I wrote the chain of events exactly like they were happened in my post. Please everybody call everyone you know and get them to the polls on Tuesday between 7am to 7 pm. We cannot let them steal the election. The poling sites are listed on the city’s website. I and others are not sitting around and complaining we are trying to do something about this so please Punch number 70 tomorrow for Michael Joseph. Thanks you!
If he wins I will jump in the toilet as long a it is in a nice classy place and it is clean. I just won’t drink the water, lol.