As reported last week, Kelvin Baker tendered his resignation as city manager of Lauderdale Lakes at a commission meeting on September 13, 2016.  The Commissioners refused to even address this issue and adjourned the meeting with no discussion.

The updated Sun Sentinel story about the meeting is even more hilarious.

Commissioner Gloria Lewis, who once publicly balked at hiring people who are “not my color”, now publicly “compared Baker to former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.”

Alrighty then.

Commissioner Lewis went on, “It’s like we’ve got a gangster team coming into Lauderdale Lakes and not listening to us.  We have not had enough time to talk about this budget.”

In response, Baker replied, “I have been called things that I’ve never been called ever before.”

He obviously doesn’t read this blog.

The Sentinel also reported that Commissioner Edwina Colman “didn’t want to see a repeat of the city’s 2010 brush with bankruptcy, when commissioners were left out of the loop while city officials left bills unpaid and made improper budget transfers.”

Like he did at Opa-locka?

Just saying.

In addition to losing yet another city manager, Lauderdale Lakes will also be replacing two commission members come November.  Commissioner Colman, who is termed out, will be running for Mayor Barrington Russell’s seat, who just won an election as a state representative. Colman’s opponent is current state representative Hazelle Rogers.

Commissioner Patricia “No More Gas Stations” Hawkins-Williams also ran and won a seat in the Florida House of Representatives, which will leave two vacant seats on the dais.

Lauderdale Lakes residents have a unique opportunity to elect three brand new individuals to sit on their commission.  I hope they jump at the chance.

What the Sun Sentinel article does not mention, but which was confirmed to me by two different sources, is that unbeknownst to Kelvin Baker, the commissioners had already allocated the sum of $40,000.00 into the budget for a consultant to search for a new city manager.  Obviously, his days were numbered anyway.

But, the interesting thing about all this is that, as always, there is a North Miami connection.

Nearly a month before he resigned as the Lauderdale Lakes city manager, Kelvin submitted his application to the City of North Miami for the “lowly” position of Assistant Public Works Director.

Since July 7, 2016, the City of North Miami has been advertising this job, for which seventy four individuals applied.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that applicant #6 on the list was none other than the former city manager of North Miami Beach, Opa-Locka and Lauderdale Lakes – Kelvin L. Baker!

Despite the fact he was employed by the City of Lauderdale Lakes until he resigned on September 13, 2016, he applied for a job to the City of North Miami nearly one month earlier on August 17, 2016.  Furthermore, North Miami received his Employment Application at 4:25 pm, which means he applied for another job on his then current employer’s time.

Lauderdale Lakes taxpayers should be thrilled.

Kelvin’s application is quite interesting in itself.

Under “Work Experience,” Baker listed his gig as the Public Works Director/Deputy Manager of North Miami Beach from October, 1994 to June, 2008.   While he omitted the subsequent city manager positions he held since that year, he did specify on his application, “Please see Resume for greater details.”

Hilariously, when asked to fill in “Reason for Leaving” the City of North Miami Beach, Kelvin wrote “Politics.”

Oh, puh-LEEZE!

There was absolutely nothing political about his being fired!

For one thing, he falsely accused his bosses of racism, three of whom were the same Haitian council members who hired him in the first place.

Also, the fact that Kelvin was also completely incompetent as a city manager was another reason he was shown the door.

On his North Miami Employment Application, Baker also left the sections for “Certificates and Licenses” and “Skills” completely blank.

Considering he has neither, at least he was honest.

But he does have several college degrees, including a Bachelor’s in Human Resources Management, a Master’s in Management and an Honorary Doctorate in Divinity.

His Doctor of Divinity title afforded Kelvin Baker the opportunity to run a personal ponzi-like scheme out of his office at North Miami Beach City Hall.

In 2000, while Kelvin was the Public Works Director, he opened his very own church in Pembroke Pines.  Multiple sources have told me that he built the church by using labor “volunteered” by North Miami Beach employees on city time.  In addition, these employees were instructed to haul city “surplus” building supplies to the site.  Once the church doors were open for business, Kelvin doled out promotions, raises and bonuses to employees who became members of The Way Fellowship Church, who then were expected to generously tithe 10% of their city earned salaries.  Since the church is Baker Family owned and operated, those donations most likely help pay his salary, as well as the salaries of his relatives.

What a racket, eh?

But the most hilarious part of Kelvin Baker’s Employment Application is the section asking for “References.”

In nearly three decades of public service, the only three individuals he listed to vouch for him are Myron Rosner, Gary Brown and John Julien – a convicted felon, a former city manager who retired a decade ago, and someone who’s been dead for three years.  (Kelvin also listed a City of North Miami Beach phone number for his three references, despite the fact that none of them have worked there in years.)

Is this man clueless, or what?

Now that Kelvin Baker has wrought destruction at three South Florida cities, he wants to bring his own very special brand of corruption to North Miami.

In case City Manager Larry Spring isn’t too keen on having another public official do a perp walk out of City Hall, he’d do best to take a pass on this one.

Just saying.

Stephanie