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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Public Comments Submitted Online for the September 23, 2023 Special City Commission MeetingSpecial City Commission Report Special City Commission Meeting Public Comment Form - September 23, 2023 September 23, 2023 5:35 PM MDT Public Comment motero@miamigov.com First Last Nam Nam e e Stre et Addr ess Age nda Public Comment Item 14740-Submittal-Public Comments Submitted Online for the September 23, 2023 Special City Commission Meeting First Last Nam Nam e e Mike Suar ez Stre et Addr ess 5201 NW 7st Mia mi FL, 3312 6 #410 Age nda Public Comment Item (amended version) Dear Commissioners, My name is Michel (Mike) Suarez. I am a lifelong resident of the City of Miami and have lived in Dist. 1 for the last 17 years. I have served on the City of Miami Code Enforcement Board and was a candidate for Dist. 1 in 2007 obtaining over 40% of the votes in the area. I hold a Doctorate degree from Saint Thomas University in Leadership and Management and I'm currently a college professor at Miami Dade College and host a television show called Business World on MDC TV. I am respectfully asking the esteemed Commissioners of the City of Miami to appoint me as the Dist. 1 interim commissioner. I am offering to be a steward of the seat until the Nov 7 election results. To be dear, I am not a candidate and will not appear on the ballot Nov. 7. This will avoid any conflict of interest and or unfair advantage, since I will not compete for the seat. I agree with the public comments that some commissioners have made to hold the election on Nov 7. This makes financial sense, and it is in alignment with the spirit of the city charter. However, I would like to articulate why this decision alone without an appointment is detrimental to the residents of Dist. 1 and the City of Miami as a whole. Here's my analysis, It is highly probable that Mr. Alex Diaz De La PortiLta will win the election for Dist. 1. This is for two reasons. First, he has raised over one minion dollars, second, Mr. Diaz de La PortiLta has strong name recognition therefore he has a competitive edge and is expected to win regardless of the current situation. However, the Governor wilt suspend him again and the seat wilt become vacant. As a result, The City of Miami wilt be compelled to fottow the charter and hold a special election within approx. 45 days. Here in ties the problem to the City of Miami administration and its residents. The downside of only holding the election and not appointing an interim commissioner to the seat is that it gives candidate Miquet Angel GabeLa an unfair advantage, essentially giving him two bites of the apple. This unfair DI. 1 advantage may allow him to win the election and execute one of the most egregious types of political #146 malpractices I have seen in decades. Keep in mind that, Mr. Alex Diaz De La PortiLta doesn't have to run 67 twice, since if he wins in Nov. 7 that is sufficient to be reinstated in the event that he is found not guilty in Disc his Legal cases, and so a special election after Mr. Diaz De La PortiLta is suspended again, wilt only include ussi all new candidates competing in a Limited amount of time approx. 45- or 30-day election. The reality of on - political races is that the most known person has the best chances of winning. Given this reality Miquet Distr Angel GabeLa would have an unfair advantage since he has been campaigning for over a year and would ict 1 be allowed to run twice. Versus all other candidates are relatively unknown and don't have ample time to Vaca gain name recognition. The problem is further exacerbated by GabeLa's reckless and malicious behavior, ncy such as making unfounded allegations that The City of Miami has carved him out of the district on purpose to "steal the election from him." When in reality the ACLU sued the City of Miami and as a result the new map had to fottow the court's specifications. GabeLa has made malicious comments on Live Television claiming that "the City of Miami administration is corrupt." He has said that if elected he wilt fire the City Attorney. He has said that Commissioner Joe CaroLto is corrupt. He has further said that he wilt "dean house "if elected. So, the question becomes who is the house? welt from my perspective the house is the City of Miami administration, so by his own admission he is making a veil threat to fire the City of Miami Manager. Furthermore, he has also said on radio and Television that he wilt fire all of Mr. Diaz De La PortiLta staff Members. We must take GabeLa on his word, when someone tells you who he is we must believe him. I implore you to be a good steward of the City of Miami and protect us against this type of political malpractice. He wilt embattle the City in an endless political turmoil and most certainly fight with all of you in the process. At the end of the day the Losers wilt be the residents of Dist. 1 In order to avoid this scenario, I am asking you to appoint me as the interim commissioner of Dist.1. If appointed I pledge to be a good steward and bring both stability and predictability to the City of Miami. I wilt not fire any of Mr. Alex Diaz De La PortiLta staff members they are hardworking employees that have families to support. I pledge not to run in Nov 7 election you are able to verify this with the City of Miami Clerks Office. I pledge to have a harmonious relationship with every commissioner on the Dias and the media at Large. I further pledge to serve the residents of Dist. 1 again I would Like to reiterate that this is the most prudent course of action to take in order to reach normalization in the City Of Miami. By appointing someone from the area that comes from humble beginnings it wilt restore faith in the residents by having one of them represent them. Thank you, Mike Suarez First Last Nam Nam e e Mike Suar ez Stre et Addr ess 5201 NW 7st Mia mi FL 3312 6 #410 Age nda Public Comment Item Dear Commissioners, My name is Michel (Mike) Suarez. I am a lifelong resident of the City of Miami and have live in Dist. 1 for the last 17 years. I have served on the City of Miami Code Enforcement Board and was a candidate for Dist. 1 in 2007 obtaining over 40% of the votes in the area. I hold a Doctorate degree from Saint Thomas University in Leadership and Management and I'm currently a college professor at Miami Dade College and host a television show called Business World on MDC TV. I am respectfully asking the esteemed Commissioners of the City of Miami to appoint me as the Dist. 1 interim commissioner. I am offering to be a steward of the seat until the Nov 7 election results. To be dear, I am not a candidate and will not appear on the ballot Nov. 7. this will avoid any conflict of interest and or unfair advantage, since I will not compete for the seat. I agree with the public comments that some commissioners have made to hold the election on Nov 7. This makes financial sense, and it is in alignment with the spirit of the city charter. However, I would like to articulate why this decision alone without an appointment is detrimental to the residents of Dist. 1 and the City of Miami as a whole. Here's my analysis, It is highly probable that Mr. Alex Diaz De La Portilta will win the election for Dist. 1. This is for two reasons. First, he has raised over one million dollars, second, Mr. Diaz de La Portilta has strong name recognition therefore he has an competitive edge and is expected to win regardless of the current situation. However, the Governor wilt suspend him again and the seat wilt become vacant. As a result, The City of Miami wilt be compelled to follow the charter and hold a special election within approx. 45 days. Here in lies the problem to the City of Miami administration and its residents. The downside of only holding the election and not appointing an interim commissioner to the seat is that it gives candidate Miquel Angel Gabela an unfair advantage, essentially giving him two bites of the apple. This unfair DI. 1 advantage may allow him to win the election and execute one of the most egregious types of political #146 malpractices I have seen in decades. Keep in mind that, Mr. Alex Diaz De La Portilta doesn't have to run 67 twice, since if he wins in Nov. 7 that is sufficient to be reinstated in the event that he is found not guilty in Disc his legal cases, and so a special election after Mr. Diaz De La Portilta is suspended again, wilt only include ussi all new candidates competing in a limited amount of time approx. 45- or 30-day election. The reality of on - political races is that the most known person has the best chances of winning. Given this reality Miquel Distr Angel Gabela would have an unfair advantage since he has been campaigning for over a year and would ict 1 be allowed to run twice. Versus all other candidates are relatively unknown and don't have ample time to Vaca gain name recognition. The problem is further exacerbated by Gabela's reckless and malicious behavior, ncy such as making unfounded allegations that The City of Miami has carved him out of the district on purpose to "steal the election from him." When in reality the ACLU sued the City of Miami and as a result the new map had to follow the court's specifications. Gabela has made malicious comments on live Television claiming that "the City of Miami administration is corrupt." He has said that if elected he wilt fire the City Attorney. He has said that Commissioner Joe Carolto is corrupt. He has further said that he wilt "dean house "if elected. So, the question becomes who is the house? welt from my perspective the house is the City of Miami administration, so by his own admission he is making a veil threat to fire the City of Miami Manager. Furthermore, he has also said on radio and Television that he wilt fire all of Mr. Diaz De La Portilta staff Members. We must take Gabela on his word, when someone tells you who he is we must believe him. I implore you to be a good steward of the City of Miami and protect us against this type of political malpractice. He wilt embattle the City in an endless political turmoil and most certainly fight with all of you in the process. At the end of the day the losers wilt be the residents of Dist. 1 In order to avoid this scenario, I am asking you to appoint me as the interim commissioner of Dist.1. If appointed I pledge to be a good steward and bring both stability and predictability to the City of Miami. I wilt not fire any of Mr. Alex Diaz De La Portilta staff members they are hardworking employees that have families to support. I pledge not to run in Nov 7 election you are able to verify this with the City of Miami Clerks Office. I pledge to have a harmonious relationship with every commissioner on the Dias and the media at large. I further pledge to serve the residents of Dist. 1 again I would like to reiterate that this is the most prudent course of action to take in order to reach normalization in the City Of Miami. By appointing someone from the area that comes from humble beginnings it wilt restore faith in the residents by having one of them as a representing them. Thank you, Mike Suarez Stre First Last Age et Nam Nam Addr nda Public Comment e e Item ess DI. 1 #146 1901 NW 67 I'd like to thank the current commissioners for coming on a Saturday evening to discuss this extremely Disc important matter. I'd also like to say that, today, you might have one of the easiest choices to make - to sout Mary Tapi h ussi do nothing. Sit back and allow our Democratic process to continue its course the way it's intended. The in a on - choice of who should be our commissioner belongs to the residents of District 1 and with all due respect, river Distr none of you live in my district. I'm very much looking forward to working with you because I know drive #29 ict 1 together we will put the people first as we SHOULD. Vaca ncy DI. DI - DI S CUS ff hh e SIO hhhh N I TE M End of Report