HomeMy WebLinkAboutM-80-0193�!!je Ti•o�V
fa - IP3
�� ra�.�,�::r:::s:;;r��
�� - -
consu.
1, ,to di
Comm'
ol
Ll -
n
.i4ou-ld
;the ci
,onerV6Cho . ol-b6ard.
-,
-.z
t:'. thein I cid6nc
ues
1',p
i:Da'vids
costs'
4�^•
i!
Thursday, February 21,1980 THE MIAMI TIMES 26
Did Black Planning Board
. 4
Chairman Get Shafted by
•
•Lacasa?.
To The Editor:
Cyril (Tony) Smith began his second term as a Planning
(/!
Board member in January, 1978. Board members are ap-
pointed by the Miami City Commission -however, these
members elect their own officers once a year, at the first
it
meeting in January.
Until Jan. 1978,'Mrs. Grace Rockafellar had served as Board
Chairman for three one year terms, and in that month she was
elected without opposition to an additional term. However, in
)er
ist
January, 1979, the members of the board felt that they would
like a change of officers. Accordingly, Mrs. Smith, who was
.nt
then vice-chairman, was elected chairman, and Mrs. Mary
Lichtenstein, who had been a member of the board since its
ith
inception, was elected vice-chairman.
Mrs. Rockafellar did not wish to relinquish her position, and
for
in as much as she has made a habit of supporting every in -
he
cumbent office holder in every election in the city, con -
a
siderable pressure was brought on the board members.
oBecause
of the fact that a full board was not present, the
planning director, Jim Reid, questioned our legal right to elect
eg
ed
officers, even though we had a quorum. Reid's attempt was
speedily quashed when one of the city's attorneys, Miriam
vo
Maer, arrived and informed us that we had every right to elect
Id*proceedings
officers with a quorum. Mrs. Rockafellar also questioned the
'-d
on the grounds that she had received a call from
the Mayor's office to the effect that they would prefer that
of.
elections be withheld until a full board was assembled, and
2-
also that two persons who had then.been tentatively designated
'k
as new members wanted these proceedings put off until they
te•
had been installed. When asked who from the Mayor's office
(d
had called her, her response was: "I don't know. Some
Cuban."
'O
Smith, who was and is the board's only black member, was
there upon elected chairman. He served well and treated
'e
everyone with the utmost fairness. Towards the end of 1979, he
made it known that he was interested in serving a second term.
dHowever,
Mrs. Rockafellar had no intention of going another
year without being Chairman again.
r
Appointment of new members to the board had been post-
poned by the City Commission to Jan. 10, 1980. At the board's
last meeting in Dec. 1979, Reid, without warning, submitted a
prepared proposal, a motion to postpone the first board
meeting of Jan. 1980 from Jan. 4-16. Reid, of course, is not a
board member but is rather the board's secretary. Never-
theless, Mrs. Rockafellar quickly moved it, and her political
e
ally from the North Eas Improvement Association, Aaron
e
'Manes, who was serving a temporary 2'h•month term on the
•
board (he was not reappointed) seconded, it. The motion
3
passed, thereby ensuring no election until the new members
•
were seated.
s
Mrs. Rockafelar's intense lobbying campaign was marked
by her stating to all and sundry persons that Smith didn't want
to be reelected, which was, of course, not the case. Meanwhile,
1
a few persons, including the writer, were lobbying in Smith's
'
.behalf. One of -the Latin board members, Lorenzo Luaces,
'
.personally assured me, only a couple of days before the Jan. 16
meeting, that he felt Smith had been a good chairman, that he -�
would vote for him, and that he would be pleased to second his
nomination.
1 arrived at city hall at about 6:35 p.m. (the meetings nor
mally begin at 7). Miami Commissioner Armando Lacasa was
in front of city hall, haranguing two of the Latin members,
including Luaces. He was continually in and out of the
..building, buttonholding all of the Latin members and lobbying
them to vote for Rockafellar (who had supported him in his
,.1979 campaign for reelection). Lacasa then sat in the rear of
'the chamber and just steadily looked at the board members as
they took their seats.
Once the meeting began, everything proceeded as had been
(arranged by Commissioner Lacasa, Planning Director Jim
Reid, etc. Lorenzo Luaces, who had told me days before that he
was supporting Tony Smith, nominated Rockafellar himself
rand said that the board "needed a change." Mary Lichtenstein
ti6ominated Smith, at which point Mrs. Rockafellar, not content
tivith her prearrangement, tried to immediately have Smith
-disqualified from even being a candidate because his
ltomination had not been seconded (ass't. city attorney _
Nichael Haygood immediately pointed out that no second was
speeded). The four Latin members, all of whom had just been
thoroughly harangued by Lacasa, voted for herself -Mary
Lichtenstein voted for Smith, who voted for himself -and the
�Jlection was over.
•Anyone who wants to get Lacasa's account of his own brazen
Ntlerference with the internal business of the Planning Board
an call him at his personal number, which is 358-9248.
,V Thank you for you attention.
' Richard H. Rosichan .
In [-rave Niahtm2ro