The City of North Miami held a Special Council Meeting this evening for the purpose of approving an Employment Contract for the newly hired City Attorney, Valria Canzetta Screen.
It did not go well.
For one thing, Mayor Smith Joseph and Councilman Scott Galvin started arguing almost from the moment the meeting was called to order.
As usual.
For another, as a source told me earlier, Ms. Screen personally crafted her contract by using former – and fired – City Attorney Regine Monestime’s contract as a template in the hope that it would fly.
It did not.
Ms. Screen was asking for a three (3) year contract at an annual base salary of $180,000.00, with an automatic annual three percent raise, on top of any merit increases that may be provided to general employees.
In addition, Ms. Screen wanted the city to pay an additional ten percent (10%) of her “annual base salary into her individual ICMA Plan or individual retirement plan,” in lieu of her enrollment in the city’s pension plan.
Ms. Screen also was asking for a car allowance of $750.00 a month and a cell phone allowance of $150.00 a month, as well as the same health, dental and life insurance coverage provided to the city’s other administrative staff.
But, wait! There’s more!
Paragraph 8. General Expenses, of her proposed Employment Contract states, “The COUNCIL recognizes that certain expenses of a non-personal nature are incurred by the CITY ATTORNEY and agrees to provide a monthly expense equivalent to that provided to individual members of the COUNCIL.”
Ms. Screen also wanted the right to accrue the same “sick, annual and holiday leave at the same frequency as other unclassified personnel of the CITY, but without accrual caps or other limitations.”
She also immediately wanted to be “credited with four (4) weeks of annual leave.”
But the real kick in the ass was that Ms. Screen demanded a sixty (60) day written notice of termination, and … wait for it …
A severance pay of TWENTY (20) WEEKS SALARY if the council fired her without cause!
In essence, if Valria Screen had been hired tonight, and tomorrow the Mayor and Council decided to fire her, she’d be guaranteed a job at full salary for the next two months, walk away with an additional five months worth of severance pay, PLUS the four (4) weeks – one additional month – of annual leave she would have immediately received.
To put it simply, Valria Screen would essentially have been entitled to receive a grand total of eight months worth of pay, or ONE HUNDRED TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($120,000.00) of taxpayer money if her employment contract had been approved tonight.
I’d say the North Miami taxpayers dodged a bullet when the council rescinded their offer to hire her.
The City of North Miami, however, still needs a permanent city attorney. And here’s where it gets really sticky.
After announcing that North Miami has been the “laughing stock of Miami-Dade County,” and admitting he had been looking at other attorneys resumes on his own, Mayor Smith Joseph made a motion to hire Jeff Cazeau as the city attorney.
Oddly, Mr. Cazeau had not applied for the position, was not even considered by the council appointed selection committee, nor was he on the short – or long – list of individuals to be considered for the position.
Needless to say, the Mayor’s colleagues were less than thrilled with the idea and they voted against his proposal.
If Jeff Cazeau’s name sounds familiar, it should. He’s no stranger to North Miami politics.
In 2012, Mr. Cazeau was one of five finalists for the city attorney position. At that time he was Andre Pierre’s former law partner, as well as his Campaign Treasurer, whom Andre appointed on April 22, 2011 after his nephew Ricardo Brutus was arrested.
Jeff Cazeau also represented a group of investors who wanted to open a controversial strip club on NE 151st Street, as reported by the Miami Herald on May 24, 2012.
Needless to say, the council nixed hiring Cazeau as city attorney.
Councilman Alix Desulme then made a motion to hire Guilene Theodore, a retired assistant county attorney in Tampa, who is one of the top four finalists from the selection committee’s list. His motion died with no second.
As fate would have it, the omnipresent Joseph S. Geller, Esq. walked into the Council Chambers just as Councilwoman Carol Keys again brought up the possibility of hiring a firm instead of an in-house attorney.
That discussion went nowhere. Joe G. went home empty handed.
Again.
Give it up already, dude.
The only thing that the Mayor and Council managed to decide tonight was to un-hire Valria Screen as the North Miami City Attorney.
Just as the council was discussing what to do next, Mayor Joseph suddenly moved to adjourn.
Someone seconded the motion, and that was that.
Anndddd the #NorthMiami meeting is adjourned with no decision on the city attorney.
— Lance Dixon (@LDixon_3) December 17, 2015
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
This city is an embarrassment and a joke. If I hadn’t lived here for over 40 years the City of North Miami is the LAST city I would purchase a condo or a house.
Why did Councilman Galvin vote to approve that contract, TWICE!!!!
We are all guilty of making mistakes and immature behaviour, especially when politics and religion are in the mix. I like North Miami and its residents.. It is eclectic and has great potential. Give the newly elected officials time to learn their jobs and show patience….they are getting their information from City Hall, which at times is ill prepared and at times less than forthright with providing the public information. Unfortunately, EGOS are a big problem both from Residents (myself included) and from City Officials.
I heard on the radio that according to a study of all the cities in Florida to live in. Parkland was rated number 1 and North Miami was rated number 103 out of 110. I am not sure about the total number. Meanwhile N.M.B. moved from 88th down to 35 which is good. I went to North Miami Elementary, Junior and Senior high and it will never the same as it used too back to when I went to school. Many many years ago. Its going to take years to rebuild the city and tat is sad.
All these cities around here are infested with criminals and government and police do nothing about. Only Aventura and Sunny isle are beautiful !homeless all over, garbage all over ! We have to pressure our government to do the service they are pay to do ! This area could become very safe and beautiful if we pay attention !
I go to the city council meetings in north miami on a regular basis and I see the same people who show up that want a change to happen in the city. If we are not involved things will change for the worse and the politicians will decide how our city is run. I am currently fighting a serious issue that is affecting me and my surrounding neighbors and I know the only way this will change is if I speak up about it. So people of north miami get involved,its our city.
Happy New Year to the author and readers of this “publication.” This I Val and I have been written about without the benefit of outreach from every one of the choir members posted above.
The proposed employment contract was prepared after the review of existing City of North Miami Pay Plan, the Florida Statutes, and consultation with the HR Director, Interim City Attorney and Interim City Manager. (FYI It was the City Manager who set the car allowance at 750 up from my proposed reduction down to market rate 550).
The numbers quoted as though outrageous reflect removal or reduction of the automatic renewal provision, generous base salary, notice, severance pay, and retirement contribution clauses.
The true disgrace is what had been in place prior to my appointment on November 24, 2015, which called for full payout of three-year contract if terminated early, 90 days notice prior to termination, 190K starting base(which grew in short order to a 200K budgeted guarantee) and a 12 % deferred comp contribution.
The vacation provision I proposed corresponded with the time off taken by the Council for August and holiday recess. If I had been afforded an opportunity to speak on December 16 or if I had been asked by the author of this site, you all would know of the objective, fact-based foundation of the Contract proposal.
There is more I could share to set the Record straight but there appears to be no interest in the truth or full context in the blogosphere. Take care.
Val Screen