Start popping! NMB campaign season heating up!

A North Miami Beach election year never fails to entertain. It also never fails to bring out the loonies. And 2020 definitely promises to be popcorn-worthy.

Here is a rundown on some of this season’s usual assortment of fruits and nuts.

The Carpetbagger Candidate

Evans St. Fort, who wisely withdrew on qualifying day when he realized his residency might pose a bit of a problem for him.

Like the previous carpetbagger we busted, Yvenoline Dargenson, this former mayoral candidate actually owns and lives in a home in Broward County on which he and his wife declare a double homestead exemption. While he is the owner of St. Fort’s Funeral Home located at 16480 NE 19th Avenue, North Miami Beach, he most certainly does not live in the city. As such, he is not qualified to run for office in NMB.

Not surprisingly, Mr. St. Fort was recruited by the diabolical Michael Joseph to run against his arch-nemesis, Mayor Tony DeFillipo.

If he hadn’t dropped out of the race before qualifying, we would have been forced to show this carpetbagger no mercy.

Just saying.

The NIMBY Candidate

A September 16, 2020 Miami Herald article spotlighted another clueless candidate who is challenging Mayor DeFillipo for his seat.

Software developer Bruce Kusens filed to run on August 8, 2020. Two days later he loaned his campaign $500.00 and spent $53.90 on campaign checks. In the second half of August he loaned his campaign an additional $2,500.00, and spent $1,250.00 on campaign signs. Earlier this month he opened his wallet once again to loan his campaign another $1,500.00 (for a grand total of $4,500.00), spent another $1,250.00 on signs, and wrote a check to the City of North Miami Beach for $180.00 to pay for his qualifying fee.

All for a job that he doesn’t want.

Folks, we can’t make this stuff up.

Mr. Kusens, who has never been on a city board or committee, and has probably never even attended a commission meeting until recently, lives in the upscale community of Eastern Shores, or as he describes it, “the Beverly Hills of North Miami Beach.”

“I think everybody that moves to North Miami Beach wanted to move to a suburban area,” Kusens told the Miami Herald. “All they’re doing is they’re changing it into an urban area. That’s just not what we signed up for.”

The article further explains, “Kusens, along with many of his neighbors, is hellbent on stopping a $1.5 billion plan to bring two million square feet of development to the site of the nearby Intracoastal Mall.”

Furthermore, “Kusens isn’t shy about saying he has no desire to unseat Anthony DeFillipo as mayor. His campaign isn’t raising any money, other than $3,000 [as of the date of the article] he has loaned to his own campaign, according to his financial reports. But he said he’s been disturbed by the political process surrounding the mall project, which is being pitched by high-powered South Florida developers Michael and Gil Dezer.”

Oh, we get it.

Mayoral “candidate” Bruce Kusens enjoys waterfront life in his $1.4 million home located in the “Beverly Hills” of South Florida, at the expense of the other 43,040 North Miami Beach residents who might benefit by a development that would, according to the Dezers, create “2,700 permanent jobs … and bring in millions of dollars each year in property taxes.”

Because … NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard).

“I have zero political aspirations. I think I would be a terrible mayor,” Kusens told the Herald. “I take things to extremes when I try to make a point.”

Ya think?

Normally we’d cut a community activist some slack. We get it. This blogger was an avid NMB political activist for over a decade back in the day.

But I didn’t do anything stupid like run for office to make a political point.

By allowing himself to become a political shill for anti-development at the coaxing of NMB’s resident pain in the ass, Bruce Lamberto, who is well known for getting others to do his dirty work, Mr. Kusens has made a first class fool of himself.

He has also wasted city election resources, especially the Clerk’s office, by presenting himself as a serious candidate.

Mr. Kusens, you have made it perfectly – and very publicly – clear that you do not want to be Mayor. You made your point and took a stand.

Now do yourself a favor and save face by dropping out of the race now.

Just saying.

The “Living Wage” Candidate

Another personal recruit of Michael Joseph, Daniela Jean is a Risk Management Administrative Coordinator for the City of North Miami. Her claim to fame is her “Masters of Science in Global Strategic Communication” from Florida International University, which degree is described as, “Global Strategic Communication is a degree specialization for people whose primary motivation is purpose. This program equips students with the tools and skills needed to help solve the world’s most challenging problems through thoughtful and calculated communication.”

Alrighty then.

Despite never holding a position on a city board or committee, or even showing her face at a commission meeting, Ms. Jean filed to run for Group 3, the seat being vacated by the termed out Commissioner Phyllis Smith, on August 5, 2020.

By August 28, 2020 she raised a total of $3,843.00, including a loan of $375.00. Her war chest came from 42 contributions mostly between $25.00 to $100.00. Not a single person who donated to her campaign lives in the City of North Miami Beach. Interestingly, her largest donation came from Michael Joseph’s other recruit Evans St. Fort, who wrote her a check for $500.00. This candidate’s only campaign expenditures so far were $121.48 for “Printed material for campaign cards, business cards,” and $141.72 for “Fees for online donation service.”

According to an email she distributed, this candidate is running on a platform of “People Over Politics.”

Which partly consists of a laundry list of costly programs that are now bankrupting the City of North Miami.

In fact, North Miami is so broke, its administration is now in the process of firing at least 25 employees, and is attempting to reclassify many more employees out of civil service positions for the purpose of being able to fire them, too, without union interference.

Ms. Jean is running for the North Miami Beach City Commission for the purpose of giving employees “living wages,” a fiscally irresponsible move unsuccessfully attempted by Michael Joseph, and “grants for homeowners,” a program that North Miami was forced to cut by at least 50% in order to balance its upcoming budget.

But, hey, it sounds good on a palm card.

The rest of the things “Daniela will fight for” are already in place in North Miami Beach, including and especially, its outstanding Police Department, which earned the Excelsior Award three cycles in a row.

Two freshmen Commissioners have already violated the City Charter by trying to interfere and interject their unsolicited opinions on how to “fix” what isn’t broken. The NMBPD certainly doesn’t need any advice from a civilian who works for a city where the Police Department lost its accreditation.

Just saying.

The Law Enforcement Candidate

Speaking of the NMBPD, also running for Group 5 is Margaret “Margie” Love, an NMB homeowner since 1985, who has been vying for a seat on the dais every election since 2011.

Bless her heart.

Once again, Margie Love is funding her own campaign, this time to the tune of $28,875.00 so far. To date she has spent $28,375.00 on campaign material, website and technology, and a $150.00 qualifying fee.

Like this blogger, Margie is and always has been a staunch supporter of law enforcement. From the launch her very first campaign, the cornerstone of Margie’s platform has been the advocacy of the North Miami Beach Police Department. Good for her!

Unlike Daniela Jean, who proposes more costly giveaways à la North Miami, Margie Love is all for fiscal responsibility, responsible development, and lower property taxes.

And unlike Daniela Jean, who would poach the CRA fund to benefit only “minority businesses,” Margie Love pledges to embrace cultural diversity and improve the quality of life for all residents, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

Most importantly, we can personally vouch for Margie Love’s commitment to holding elected officials accountable for honesty, truth, and ethical behavior.

Besides, how can you not love a candidate who wore a tiara to the 2013 candidate forum in Eastern Shores?

Really! She did!

And how can you not love a candidate who includes a video of Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli performing Perfect Symphony in her campaign email?

And these adorable kittens!

Thirty-five year North Miami Beach resident Margie Love is completely invested in the City of North Miami Beach. After all, not too many people would spend $30K of their own money on one election for the privilege of representing and serving the residents of her community.

Sure that’s a little bit nutty, but we’ve always believed that you have to be nuttier than a fruitcake to run for office in the first place.

Especially Margie Love, who has already done it five times.

Maybe her sixth one will be the charm.

Buh-bye, Phyllis!

As we already mentioned a time or two, Commissioner Phyllis Smith will bid adieu to her chair on the NMB dais after thirteen years of entertaining us with her non-stop bloviating. Be prepared for a very, very … very long goodbye speech.

While we gear up for that much anticipated event, we will be weighing in on the other four candidates vying for her soon to be vacated seat, the candidates running in Groups 5 and 7, as well as other news in the City of North Miami Beach, which happens to be the birthplace of Voters Opinion.