The North Miami Beach City Commission made its final appointment to fill the seat vacated by Beth Spiegel (Seat 4), who is keeping the mayor’s seat warm until November.

Candidate Paule Villard made it to the final round of votes by the Commission, but lost in a runoff to Ingrid Forbes, who serves on the city’s Public Utilities Commission.

Each of the candidates were given a chance at the podium to hawk their wares, hoping to be chosen as the replacement Commissioner for the next five months.  Paule Villard spent the first half of her allotted three minutes bitchin’ about this blogger and complaining that Strong Women are always under attack.

Oh, honey.  Welcome to my world!

Watch what happens when you’re targeted by dirty politicians, lobbyists and cops for exposing their corruption to the world at large.

Let me know how it feels when code enforcement is used as a weapon against you in retaliation for criticizing an unethical, criminal mayor.

Come see me after you’ve been viciously maligned by a cowardly lobbyist hiding behind the door of a closet he’s afraid to leave.

Let’s chat after you’ve been relentlessly cyber-stalked for over a year by a psychopathic cop who thinks there’s nothing wrong with stealing the car of a suspect he arrested for domestic violence.

Check back with me when any of these things happen to you and we’ll compare notes, okay?

In the meantime, in case y’all are wondering what all the hoopla was about, you could make a public records request.  Or you could simply get the unvarnished truth right here.

As soon as the troubles began in North Miami Beach, there have been rumors that furtive negotiations to fill the two coveted seats on the dais were being conducted behind the scenes.

It was no coincidence that a sleazy unregistered lobbyist had recently skulked and slithered back into town.  After being “unofficially” blacklisted in North Miami Beach for his unscrupulous attempt to circumvent the bidding process, he was lying in wait for his chance to take up where he left off.  His golden opportunity to wreak havoc in the city arose when former Mayor George Vallejo was forced to resign his post.

Things quickly deteriorated from there.

You will recall that all hell broke loose when there was no quorum on the Commission after an unprecedented vacancy of three seats.

First, Faux Commissioner Frantzie “Weasel” Pierre was ousted in January for neglecting his duties by not bothering to show up to meetings for over 120 days.

In February, the Commission attempted to appoint a replacement for his seat after soliciting and accepting applications from eleven individuals, who were required to undergo a background check in order to be considered.  On the very evening the appointment was to be made, the Weasel created chaos in the Chambers by obtaining an eleventh hour injunction preventing his seat from being filled, which remained physically vacant when he was temporarily barred from sitting on the dais.

In March, Commissioner Marlen Martell resigned when she was hired as Manager of North Bay Village.

Once Mayor Vallejo had to resign in April, the three vacancies shut down the legislative branch of the city’s government.

After a few weeks of turmoil in the court system, the Frantzie Weasel was temporarily allowed back on the dais when the judge issued an Agreed Order on Motion for Temporary Injunctive Relief from Quorum.  Finally, the North Miami Beach City Commission was permitted to appoint a replacement for Marlen Martell’s seat.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Chambers.

During the drama of meetings called and meetings cancelled, rumors had been swirling throughout the city that Eastern Shores resident Fortuna Smukler was going to be chosen as the replacement Commissioner.  Despite the pearl clutching by those utterly appalled at the mere thought of such a suggestion, on May 10, 2018 Smukler was appointed to fill Martel’s seat.

And so the scum-sucking cowardly lobbyist appeared to win his first round.

Here’s how it all played out.

When the Commission was discussing how to fill the Weasel’s seat in February, much ado was made about the need for a “process.”

The aspiring appointees were required to issue letters of intent and submit to a background check.  Even though all attempts to make that appointment were was ultimately aborted, eleven aspiring residents complied with that requirement.

Because there had to be a “process.”

Curiously, in response to a public records request made on June 2, 2018 for copies of the letters of interest and background checks that were submitted for the appointment to Group 7 (Martel’s seat), and the dates these documents were submitted, on June 15, 2018 we finally received an email from the Assistant Clerk stating, “Please be advised that there were no letters of Interest nor background checks submitted for Group 7.”

Oh, well.  So much for the “process.”

The collective pearl clutching resumed in earnest on Wednesday at the mere suggestion that the “process”  again appeared to be tainted.

The malodorous stench of the dirty lobbyist’s machinations was permeating throughout North Miami Beach.  I could smell it all the way up here.

When I received information, which turned out not to be entirely accurate, that Paule Villard stated on the radio that she was going to be chosen to fill Seat 4 on the dais, my temper flared.  Since this tip seemed to confirm all the rumors I’d been hearing, I promptly, albeit very prematurely, fired off this letter to North Miami Beach city officials:

Dear North Miami Beach City Officials,

It has been brought to my attention that candidate Paule Villard was speaking on Haitian radio (1320 AM) yesterday afternoon to announce that she is going to be chosen to fill the seat vacated by Commissioner Beth Spiegel.

Ms. Villard invited the show’s listeners to attend the commission meeting on Thursday night to help her celebrate her appointment.

Apparently Villard has insider knowledge that some sort of deal has been struck behind closed doors among several commissioners and at least one lobbyist.

As was the case with Fortuna Smukler’s unsurprising appointment to the commission, the potential appointment of Villard appears to have already been predetermined.

Other than unsuccessfully running for office one time, Paule Villard has never been involved in the City of North Miami Beach, either as an activist or as a committee member. She has rarely bothered to attend meetings until recently. Her only connection to NMB government is her close relationship with Frantz Pierre, who helped her run her campaign and who is now hoping to have her appointed to the dais.

Needless to say, of all the applicants for this appointment, Paule Villard is the least qualified and the least deserving.

The appearance of impropriety and malfeasance, including and especially possible Sunshine Law violations, have tainted the integrity of the recent commission appointments. This email is intended to put city officials on notice that this impropriety has not gone unnoticed by the public.

Very truly yours,

Stephanie Kienzle

Commissioner Barbara Kramer, yet another Strong Woman, fired back the following oh-so-indignant email:

Stephanie,

I am so appalled by this email, I can’t even see straight. A can of worms has now been opened and I don’t believe for a moment that the worms crawling out of the can are fresh…they are rotten, they are rotten to the core!  After reading your email, I have put people on the task of finding out when this so called radio show took place and if there is a tape to prove this unsettling accusation and it seems that there is, thank the LORD.

At this point and with your constant focus and insinuation that the appointment of Commissioner Smukler was a “fixed” appointment, I FOR SURE do not feel the least bit comfortable with an appointment for tomorrow evening. This has become political beyond words and good people are being smeared and will continue to be smeared as long as you and other’s listen to rumors. Prove that she has done this and than write to tell us about it. Obviously if she said something so outrageous as this she might be disqualified from being appointed.

As a friend of mine, I’m outraged, I’m hurt and I’m thoroughly disgusted! You have now tainted Ms. Villard’s chances, if she had any. I hope you are proud of yourself. You go by hearsay instead of facts. Maybe it would be really nice if you met people instead of judging them by what others say. Assumptions, perceptions and rumors don’t help this world go round.

Thank you,

Barbara Kramer

Thoroughly indignant, I shot back with:

Barbara,

I find your response, and the accusations that I “go by hearsay instead of facts,” appalling. You are surely confusing me with someone else, who regularly engages in rumor mongering. I assure you I am not him.

I deal only in facts, as you well know. In this instance, it appears that you are upset by the facts have uncovered.

Nevertheless, in light of your ridiculous, and accusatory email, I again checked with my source, who again confirmed that Paule Villard did, in fact, say exactly what I stated in my previous email.

Paule Villard called into 1320 radio at approximately 4:00 pm after Daphne Campbell appeared on the air. The host’s name is Tilou. You can confirm this with the radio station if you like.

If Ms. Villard had any “chances” of being appointed, she has tainted them herself. Her premature claim of “victory” is proof enough that she is not worthy of such an important appointment. It’s not my job to protect her from her own actions.

I understand you are very protective of your friend on the commission, which is why you are upset my comments. However, it is and always has been my personal mission to fight public corruption, open that “cans of worms” so to speak, and get the truth out to the public so that all government remains in the sunshine.

If you want to reconsider your accusation that I am a liar, I will accept your apology.

Stephanie

I was then advised that I was given the wrong radio station, so I immediately sent out the following correction:

Correction, Paule Villard was on 1580 am on the Manny Alvarez (a/k/a Ti Mann) at approximately 4:00 pm. My apologies.

To which Barbara even more indignantly responded with:

fact

noun

1. a thing that is indisputably the case.

I know you know what this means Stephanie, just thought I’d provide it just in case. It’s hearsay because you didn’t hear it with your own two ears.

I am not upset at all by the facts you say were uncovered, I’m upset that without actual facts you are tainting a process that to me, has had no issues, but they are being created now.

The first person I called was someone I am close to in the Haitian Community and then that person contacted others to see what show she was on. It is very possible that Ms. Villard called two shows because I spoke to one of the host who had her on his show and he told me something entirely different.

The tape is being accessed so that hopefully the truth can come out and if what you say is true then I will let the powers that be decide on what is appropriate in this situation. If the tape proves your “facts” false, that will be something you may want to address.

And…as I was writing this email, I did get a third call for Ms. Villard from a very well respected woman in the Haitian Community who I met during my Good Government Initiative Program, she too spoke very highly of Ms. Villard and thought it was extremely unlikely that she would ever say the things that you alluded to her saying.

“The Truth is Out There”

This indignant volley of words between two Strong Women might have continued forever …

… Were it not for a lawyer letter I received from one David Freedman of the law firm of Coffey Burlington, stating he represented Paul Villard and demanding a retraction of my letter, which he claimed that I “maliciously published with reckless disregard for the truth.”

I, of course, became even more indignant than before.

So I forwarded his letter to all the city officials, copying Mr. Freedman, and wrote:

Dear City Officials,

Paule Villard conveniently had an attorney threaten me with a lawsuit if I do not retract the information that was given to me about her since I “did not personally listen to the radio program,” on which she spoke.  Please see the attached letter.

I never claimed to “personally listen to the radio program,” and therefore, cannot vouch for the actual comments that Paule Villard may or may not have made.  I merely informed North Miami City Officials that “[i]t has been brought to my attention that candidate Paule Villard was speaking on Haitian radio (1320 AM) yesterday afternoon to announce that she is going to be chosen to fill the seat vacated by Commissioner Beth Spiegel.”

In light of the fact that I “did not personally listen to the radio program,” which would be impossible since I do not personally speak Haitian Creole, I retract any statements in my previous correspondences that may directly or indirectly infer that I have personal knowledge of what Ms. Villard may or may not have said.  I do not have such personal knowledge, nor did I ever claim to have such personal knowledge.

However, since my personal opinion is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, I refuse to retract my opinion that Paule Villard’s appointment “appears to have already been predetermined,” nor do I retract my opinion that “is the least qualified and the least deserving.”  Therefore, I firmly stand by both statements of personal opinion as is my right as a citizen of the United States of America.

My response set off another flurry of emails between myself and Mr. Freedman, who responded with:

Ms. Kienzle: I note that your retraction did not address your prior defamation to the effect that my client, Ms. Villard, had insider knowledge of a secret deal struck among some Commissioners and a lobbyist. Perhaps you might speak again with your lawyer and then retract that accusation.

I promptly wrote back:

I wrote, “Apparently Villard has insider knowledge that some sort of deal has been struck behind closed doors among several commissioners and at least one lobbyist.”

By using the word “apparently,” it should have been obvious that I am not stating a fact, but my personal opinion.

Therefore, in order to clarify, I will amend that statement to read, “It is my opinion that Villard has insider knowledge that some sort of deal has been struck behind closed doors among several commissioners and at least one lobbyist.”

Apparently, Mr. Freedman still felt the need to rebut my answer, so he responded with:

It appears that, by refencing [sic] the involvement of a lobbyist, you are intending to express factual knowledge about some clandestine “deal.”. While you have every right to express a personal opinion on a candidate’s qualifications – a right which was not brought into question by my letter to you – my client will not sit silently by when you make false accusations and engage in derogatory innuendo. The simple fact of the matter is that you published derogatory assertions in regard to which you had no factual basis whatsoever. It is my hope and expectation that such conduct will not continue. Thank you.

And of course, Strong Woman that I am, I just had to  have the last word.  (Yeah, it’s a girl thing.)

I sent my final email stating:

Mr. Freedman,

You do realize that’s a stretch, right?

Nevertheless [sigh], let me rephrase.

It is my opinion that “some sort of deal has been struck behind closed doors among several commissioners and at least one lobbyist.”  I have no personal knowledge as to whether or not your client has knowledge of this alleged  deal behind closed doors.

I have no intention of making, nor do I ever make, “false accusations” against your client or anyone else.  I do, however, intend to keep voicing my personal opinion about current and aspiring public figures, as is my right under the United States Constitution.

May I suggest that if your client intends to run for public office she should get used to public criticism instead of threatening a lawsuit whenever her feelings get hurt?  Politics is a brutal business.

Just a thought.

Well, I  certainly felt better.

For a while, anyway.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Moral of story:  When angry, step away from the keyboard.

Nevertheless, let me set the record straight.

Despite the outright lies you may have heard about my so-called “retraction,” the above is the entire unedited sequence of email exchanges that took place.  You can request the public records to see for yourself.

Unlike certain corrupt politicians, cowardly lobbyists and psycho cops, who get their kicks by spreading lies, I always tell the truth.

And unlike certain radio hosts, whose “opinions” are determined by the number of zeros on a check, my opinion is not for sale.

I do not receive, nor have I ever received, any money to write blogs for VotersOpinion.

I don’t hide behind false bravado, closet doors, or fake identities.

I use my real name and I adamantly stand by and defend my opinions.

I also reserve the right to change my opinion any time I damn well feel like it.

Most importantly, unlike all those miscreants, when I make a mistake, I own it.

Epilogue:

Several people have heard the recording of Paule Villard’s announcement on the radio.  I have not personally heard the recording, but was told that she did not say she knew she was going to be chosen.  Obviously, I was given misinformation, which I should have been more diligent in my efforts to confirm.

So, yeah.  I messed up.

In the meantime, Ms. Villard has publicly announced her intention to make a second run for a seat on the North Miami Beach City Commission.  She ran the first time in 2015, but lost against the incumbent, Commissioner Marlen Martell.

We thought we’d help kick off her new campaign with a small taste of just how brutal politics can be so she’s not caught off guard.

We came across a Final Order of Probable Cause, dated November 28, 2017, in Case No. FEC 15-327, entitled Florida Elections Commission v. Paule Villard, which concluded that she “paid for and distributed a political advertisement that contained express advocacy but did not include a proper disclaimer.”  Paule Villard was fined a civil penalty of $500.00 for this campaign violation.

As you can see, even Strong Women like us sometimes make mistakes.

The best we can hope for is not making the same ones twice.

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This blog post is dedicated to Kelly and Anabelle, who are also constantly, and very publicly, under attack for being Strong Women and for telling the Truth.  We salute their Fortitude, Perseverance and Grace under extreme pressure.

Stephanie