In less than six hours, voters are going to swarm the polls to decide three seats on the North Miami Beach City Council.

Okay, so “swarm” might be a bit of an exaggeration.

Let’s just say that several handfuls of people will brave the sixty percent chance of thunderstorms forecast for election day to cast their ballots.

In Group 7, Marlen Martell should be a shoe in.  Her opponent Paule Villard’s only claim to fame is that she worked for the City of Miami’s Police Department for twenty something years.  She spent the last twenty one of them as a Police Officer.   And retired … as a Police Officer.  Well, that shows initiative, right?  Paule has also lived in the same house in North Miami Beach for the last quarter of a century and never once showed up at a council meeting until the last one when she announced her candidacy.

From the podium.

And had to be reminded that doing so was an ethics violation.

But, she wants you to know she’s all for law enforcement.

Alrighty then.

Marlen Martell, on the other hand, has a Masters in Public Administration, is an educator, wife, mother and Councilwoman.  Unlike her opponent, Marlen’s only agenda is to serve the residents of North Miami Beach, which she has done expertly for the last four years.  She deserves another four years hands down.

Phyllis Smith is desperate to keep her seat in Group 3.  She has three opponents, and there’s a very good chance that at least one (maybe two) of them could give her the ass whooping she needs.

And so hugely deserves.

In terms of sheer name recognition in North Miami Beach, Bruce Lamberto has the advantage.  He has been an active member of the community, serving on city boards and committees, faithfully attending council meetings and workshops, and bringing much needed recognition of local veterans who served in the armed forces for our country.  The horrific attacks on Bruce and deliberate twisting of facts about his past by Team Phyllis only prove that she fears Bruce!  She has got to know that Bruce is fully capable of pulling “her chair” right out from under her.

Aside from his squeaky clean past, the fact that Phyllis has not attacked challenger Michael Joseph must mean she doesn’t consider him a threat.  That assumption could be a fatal campaign mistake on her part.  Despite Phyllis’ slavish pandering at a local synagogue’s forum last week, Michael Joseph has already garnered the endorsements of several prominent members of the Jewish community.  How many votes that could actually bring in is anyone’s guess at this point, but NMB election geeks are not ready to call this race for either one of her opponents.  Not by a long shot.

While absolutely no one expects candidate Margie Love to get more than 10% of the vote at most, no one doubts that there will be a runoff.  Even then, no one is willing to predict who the top vote getters will be.

Everyone I’ve spoken to is hoping that Phyllis gets knocked out of the running by tomorrow night so that the true contenders for this seat can commence an actual campaign.  If Phyllis were finally gone, a runoff between Bruce Lamberto and Michael Joseph would be a good, clean election between two viable candidates.

And Phyllis can get a job guarding the Eastern Shores Sewer Pump Station.

She’s a natural!

Saving the best for last…

Group 5 is another no-brainer.  The Spork Weasel of NMB, a/k/a Frantz Pierre, MUST GO!  This is a person – and I use that term lightly – who shouldn’t be allowed in the parking lot of City Hall, much less inside Council Chambers.  If the building had been properly exterminated for a rodent infestation, he would have been long gone.

Chances are, Frantzie’s days of strutting his droll little self around North Miami Beach are about to come to a screeching halt.  After all the unethical, and probably illegal, acts that Frantz Pierre has committed, this time his gig appears to be up!  He is potentially in so much hot water, I’m not sure he even realizes what’s coming down the pike.

Despite his ridiculous plea of “mistaken identity,” sources tell me that the authorities are looking to charge him for violating Florida Statute 838.021, Corruption by threat against public servant, which reads:

(1) It is unlawful to harm or threaten to harm any public servant, his or her immediate family, or any other person with whose welfare the public servant is interested with the intent to:
(a) Influence the performance of any act or omission that the person believes to be, or that the public servant represents as being, within the official discretion of the public servant, in violation of a public duty, or in performance of a public duty.
(b) Cause or induce the public servant to use or exert, or procure the use or exertion of, any influence upon or with any other public servant regarding any act or omission that the person believes to be, or that the public servant represents as being, within the official discretion of the public servant, in violation of a public duty, or in performance of a public duty.

Unlawfully harming a public servant in such a manner is a second degree felony, while even merely threatening to do so is a third degree felony.

Both felonies are punishable as provided by Florida Statutes 775.082, 775.083 or 775.084.

If he’s found guilty of a second degree felony, he could be sentenced with “a term of imprisonment not exceeding 15 years.”

A guilty verdict for a third degree felony would hand the Weasel a sentence of “a term of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years.”

An indictment on these grounds is not without precedent.

On June 19, 2003, the Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney announced the arrest of North Bay Village Commissioner David Murray Fleischer on one count of Bribery and one count of Corruption by Threat Against a Public Official.  According to the SAO’s press release, Fleischer had demanded that city workers haul away his excess trash without charging him an extra fee under threat of voting against their union contract.  Witnesses also claimed that he told them “the workload was going to get a lot harder if they didn’t do what he wanted.”

Sound familiar?

As the Miami Herald reported on July 24, 2003 in Village Official Suspended,  “the governor suspended him from public office. Fleischer is prohibited from performing any official act, duty or function of the office or receiving any pay or privileges associated with it.”

Oh, we can only hope!

Given the fact that this is now the fourth time that Frantz Pierre has threatened a city employee by abusing his position as an elected official, the State Attorney has more than enough evidence to file charges if she is so inclined.  If Katherine Fernandez Rundle doesn’t throw the proverbial book at Frantzie after this latest criminal act of his, there will be no doubt that she is either completely incompetent or completely corrupt in her own right.  Like the race for his seat, handcuffs for Frantzie should be a no-brainer.

The good news for Everyone But Frantzie is that, even if an arrest isn’t imminent, his opponent is in a much better position to take the lead.  Ketley Joachim is enjoying the support of Two Mayors and A Blogger!

Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and North Miami Beach Mayor George Vallejo have both endorsed Ketley, who has been a long time city activist, is serving on two city boards and has served on many other committees in and outside of North Miami Beach.  Ketley is firmly committed to continue serving the community from the dais, and I believe she is the right person for the job.

Best of all, Ketley is a true American Patriot!

And one of my BFFs!

VotersOpinion.com is proud to endorse Ketley Joachim for North Miami Beach City Council!

There you have it, folks.  Here is your chance to make North Miami Beach a better place to live, work and visit.  Come rain or shine, snow or sleet, get your tuchus to the polls tomorrow and…

Keep Marlin In.

Keep Frantzie Out.

Vote for Anyone But Phyllis!

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”