One of the biggest issues of North Miami’s most recent election was the discretionary funding of the elected officials.
As we mentioned in our previous blog, in the current fiscal year the Mayor and Council’s office was budgeted $285,000 $385,000 for “discretionary funds.” Each of them received a sum of $57,000 $77,000.
NOTE: We needed to correct these amounts because …
Of this $77,000, $20,000 was supposed to be spent on trees, $50,000 on capital improvements, and the remaining $7,000 was to be spent on, well, we’re not exactly sure.
What we do know is that they really like to “donate” tens of thousand of taxpayer dollars to religious and other non-profit organizations to make themselves look charitable.
Or, should we say, electable.
As a mayoral candidate, Philippe Bien-Aime campaigned on the promise to put a stop to to this objectionable practice.
In fact, at the April 24, 2019 Mayoral and City Clerk Candidate Forum, he publicly announced his intentions.
WATCH!
I will propose in the upcoming budget that we eliminate completely the so-called discretionary.
Well, lo and behold, at the first budget hearing on September 9, 2019, not only did Philippe Bien-Aime completely forget the promise he made to voters to “eliminate completely the so-called discretionary,” but he demanded even more money this year!
WATCH!
Life comes at ya fast, eh, Philippe?
As of October 1, 2019, the Mayor and Council will still receive their $7,000 discretionary fund. In addition, the council members will still receive $70,000 each, but the Mayor will now get $90,000, for a grand total of an absolutely obscene $405,000.
Even worse, Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime has also unilaterally decided that they will no longer be restricted to spending “their money” on specific amounts for trees or capital improvements.
Instead, the Ruling Class are now free to spend an even larger piece of the taxpayer pie on anything they want … all in the name of “community outreach.”
Seems legit.
This is your daily reminder that in 13 days North Miami will end this fiscal year with an massive and unsustainable deficit.
According to North Miami’s Real-Time Debt Clock™, as of today the city is in the red for $7,8105,68.59.
Tonight is the second reading and final vote on the proposed Fiscal Year 2020 budget.
If North Miami residents are sick and tired of watching their elected officials blatantly lie to their faces and recklessly throw their hard earned money into the toilet, they should storm City Hall and demand that the Mayor and Council vote no on the budget unless the wasteful discretionary fund be eliminated.
Not that they’ll listen, of course.
But at least get your forceful objections on the record because silence will be deemed as tacit approval.
Especially when North Miami ends up as broke as Opa-locka.
Most politicians promise anything to get elected while on the campaign trail only to conveniently forget their lies as soon as the election is over.
By falsely promising to stop wasteful discretionary spending when he had absolutely no intention of doing so, Philippe Bien-Aime has proven that he’s NOTHING BUT A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR!
Unfortunately, that’s not the only thing Philippe has lied about – it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Let’s just say, get your popcorn ready!
There’s more to come…
Stephanie
I wonder what all those that voted for him have to say now. Stephanie was does Laura Hill have to say about her candidate for Mayor? Did you know she wrote a letter in support of him and mailed it to North Miami residents? And she has the nerve to criticize those that voted for Trump. I bet she also supported Galvin.
You should ask Laura yourself. I can’t speak for her but I do know I’ve supported (and even voted for) quite a few people who turned out to be political turkeys.
Take your former mayor Smith Joseph, for example.
I did much worse than send a letter and mail it to North Miami residents, I wrote blog after blog after blog supporting him, endorsing him, and pushing him down the throat of every North Miami voter who reads VotersOpinion. In the end, he turned out to be a super huge disappointment.
My point is, we support our favorite candidates and vote for them, but we have absolutely no idea what they’ll really do when they get into office.
I’ve seen some terrible candidates end up doing very well once elected – and vice versa. Fortunately, people can surprise us.
For example, I didn’t vote for George W. the first time he ran in 2000, but I did support him in his re-election. Unfortunately, he spent his second term blowing all the goodwill and political capital he earned during his first. Unfortunately, people can also disappoint us.
In the end, it’s not personal. It’s only politics. You win some. You lose some. Life goes on. Until you die, of course. Then everything else becomes moot.
Yeah, I did support the current Mayor, Bien Aime. Completely. I DID write letters, 700 or maybe even more. I campaigned for him in both his reelection as well as his mayor bid. I knocked on doors, made phone calls to neighbors, helped him with his website, went to his fundraisers, whatever help he needed with his campaign, I was supportive.
That help followed 5 years of supporting him in his Council position. Him and I worked on a lot of projects together including a ban on pesticides, Cagni park funding from the county, multiple District 3 projects. Most of the things that my neighborhood asked for, were recieved including $20k for new street lights.
When he wanted to run for Mayor and I saw the improvements and property value increases in my area, I said, I’m in.
I’m not sure if random “anonymous” internet stranger above is expecting an apology. I have no intention of apologizing for supporting Bien Aime. I wouldn’t have supported someone if I didnt legitimately believe that he or she would make the kinds of changes and bring the kind of atmosphere that I want to see in City Hall. I was not elected, he was. He will determine what kind of Mayor he wants to be. I hope for the best and just like has always been the case, he will know when I have an opinion about something. I have never had an issue with that.
In conclusion, internet stranger, that is what I have to say for myself. Nobody wins internet fights with strangers so dont expect a dialogue, but dont wait around for an apology or a meaculpa either. We are all just trying to do our best.
Oh yeah, I supported Galvin and also despise Trump.
Thank you, Laura. Somehow I knew you’d chime in and speak (loudly, as usual) for yourself. You go, girl!
As for internet stranger, it’s so easy to hide behind an anonymous keyboard warrior, throw barbs at others from your hidden bunker. It takes real courage to publicly speak our minds, using our own identities. Laura Hill has no problem doing so and, apparently, neither do I.
As for Trump, don’t blame me. I voted for Marco.