The latest wrinkle in Miami politics reminded me of the gag
about the woman who likes to practice her opera singing at home.
Whenever she starts doing this, her husband leaves the house and
sits out on the porch.
“Do you really hate my music that much?” Sadie asks Sam
indignantly.
“Nah, I don’t mind it too much. But I have to step outside
so the neighbors can see I am not beating you.”
Now that we who reside in Miami-Dade County have voted by
88-12% to recall Mayor Carlos Alvarez, we need to explain to the
world that we are not bullies. This was not arbitrary or random.
This was a premeditated effort to show our county, our city, our
state and our nation that there are limits to the abuse of power by
politicians. They disregard the needs of constituents at their own
peril.
Alvarez was originally elected Mayor of Miami-Dade County
in 2004. He had previously been Director of the county’s police
department. The voters respected him a great deal, thought him a
man of integrity. He represented to them an image of a tough police
officer, with the officer’s sense of balancing reality with a
commitment to pushing back against antisocial elements.
While money was flowing in the economy, his leadership
seemed fairly solid and his popularity grew. In 2007, he had banked
so much political capital that he initiated a referendum to
increase the power of the mayoralty, shifting more decisions to his
office away from the County Manager and the County Commissioners.
When the referendum won, local politicians were overawed by this
far-ranging achievement.
It looked like Alvarez could do no wrong and he easily won
reelection in 2008. He used his clout to push through a deal to
build a roofed stadium for the Florida Marlins baseball team. The
Marlins were a paradox in the baseball world, having a huge radio
and TV following but no attendance at the games. I have been in the
stadium when it looked like no more than 200 other fans were in the
stands. The obvious conclusion is that the people love the team but
hate frying in the sun for four hours. The solution was to build an
indoor stadium.
This led to one of those deals where the team puts up some
money and the county puts up more, but the team becomes the full
owner of the stadium when built. A deal like this in Arlington,
Texas, made George W. Bush into a millionaire seventeen times over
without much of a capital investment. Here in Miami, billionaire
auto dealer Norman Braman fought the stadium deal in court and
lost. But some citizens took offense at Alvarez’ high-handed mien
in this wrangle.
When the recession came and wiped out the local economy,
sending the values of homes into a freefall (from an average value
of 320 thousand in 2008 to about 220 now), locals were stuck paying
property taxes based on the old values. This was a bitter pill to
swallow, but it is one of the ironies of life and people endure.
But there is a difference between thriving and enduring. When
citizens must tighten their belts to squeeze through a cramped
passage, a smart leader takes care not to add to that
strain.
Alvarez responded to that situation by raising property
taxes. In that same budget, he gave all his closest aides nice
raises, most of them earning between 140 and 180 thousand. This was
a slap in the face of every decent hard-working voter in the
county. Braman jumped in with a bunch of money to gather petitions
for a recall. Alvarez responded by calling it a personal vendetta,
saying Braman was a sore loser over the stadium deal.
Once the vote came in at 88%-12%, it was clear this was
not about one tycoon’s peccadillo. A vote with a margin like that
in this country virtually never happens — in any jurisdiction, for
any office, on any subject. This is a wholesale repudiation of the
culture of entitlement in the political class. It is a clarion call
that should echo through the land. Braman said voters have shown
they are tired of being ignored and overtaxed, especially in these
trying economic times. Alvarez said that now begins a time of
healing, which I think is code for a grown man crying.
It is a sad comedown for a fellow who is probably a pretty
decent guy who learned how to play the game. The happy part is that
the people have won a round. Hopefully the lesson will be learned
and the next wife gets voice lessons before she tries to
sing.
