The businessman who led the recall of Miami-Dade's mayor and pushed to reform county government says he will vote against all the charter amendments at the May 24 special election.
Norman Braman told Sunshine State News he cannot support any of the so-called reform measures tweaked, retooled or simply made up by county commissioners.
The South Florida auto magnate said that instead of cleaning up county government, as he initially proposed in a set of "covenants," the charter amendments were "perverted" by commissioners to maintain the status quo -- or worse.
The Braman-led recall campaign succeeded in ousting Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Commissioner Natacha Seijas last month. More than 80 percent of the county's voters threw the pair out of office amid rising public disgust over tax increases and government spending. Braman, former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, tapped taxpayer angst over the county's multimillion-dollar sweetheart deal for the Marlins' new baseball stadium.
Despite the landslide recall, Braman is skeptical about the momentum for future civic reform in light of the changes the County Commission made to his original proposals.
"Nothing that happens here surprises me anymore," Braman said. "We will campaign against all the amendments."
A rundown on the amendments and how they differ from Braman's original proposals:
COMMISSION EMPLOYMENT: Each county commissioner shall devote full-time service to the office of county commissioner and hold no other employment, no longer receive their current $6,000 annual salary established in 1957 but receive instead the salary provided by state statutory formula, adjusted annually based on the county's population (currently approximately $92,097). and shall serve no more than three consecutive four-year terms in office.
BRAMAN'S PROPOSAL: "Transform the office of county commissioner by imposing a term limit of two four-year terms, barring commissioners from outside employment, barring them from lobbying activities for 10 years after leaving office, in exchange for which they would be paid a reasonable salary."
COMMENTS: In addition to wide public criticism over the huge pay increase (which would put Miami-Dade's commissioners on a proportional par with neighboring Broward County's), Braman says the successive terms of office are too generous, far surpassing limits that apply to state legislators. He would have preferred that any term limits took previous years of service into account. County Commission Chairman Joe Martinez is even calling on voters to reject this measure.
LOBBYING THE COUNTY: Prohibits elected county charter officers from lobbying the county for compensation for a period of two years after leaving office.
BRAMAN'S PROPOSAL: "Avoid conflicts of interests in county lobbying activities by requiring public disclosures related to lobbying activities and prohibiting any person or entity who lobbies on the county's behalf from lobbying county government on behalf of others during such county representation."
COMMENTS: Braman sought a 10-year ban.
CHARTER REVISIONS: Shall the charter be amended to provide for creation of a charter review task force who shall meet on presidential election years to proposed charter revisions to prohibit elected county charter officer from serving as member of the task force and to submit those revisions approved by two-thirds majority of the task force directly to the electorate on the same ballot as the presidential elections?
BRAMAN'S PROPOSAL: "Encourage future reform by allowing the charter review committee to place directly on the ballot additional recommendations for reform."
COMMENTS: Braman said the process remains under the control of elected officials and muzzles the public's will.
INSPECTOR GENERAL: Create the office of inspector general who shall be independent and shall at a minimum be empowered to peform investigations, audits, reviews and oversight of county contracts, programs, projects, abuse, waste and mismanagement ... Duties and responsibility to be further established by ordinance.
BRAMAN'S PROPOSAL: None
COMMENTS: Braman believes that the inspector general, as designated by commissioners, could be easily co-opted or neutered by elected officials.
ABOLISH 'STRONG MAYOR': Shall the charter be amended to undo the "strong mayor" form of government approved by the voters in 2007 by returning the powers and responsibilities of administered county government from a strong mayor to an appointed county manager who may be removed by the commission or the mayor with commission approval?
BRAMAN'S PROPOSAL: "Revamp the County Commission and reduce the cost of government by reducing the number of commissioners from 13 to nine. Resize, restructure and reduce the cost of county operations, including capping public pension costs and streamlining top-heavy bureaucracy, in order to enhance delivery of necessary and quality-of-life services."
COMMENTS: "The commission seeks to capitalize on the Alvarez recall, but they're the root of the problem," says Sean Foreman, assistant professor of political science at Barry University. Nevertheless, Foreman says the measure has a chance to pass. "People are in an anti-government mood, and 88 percent voted against Alvarez."
PETITION CIRCULATORS: Provides that petitions for charter amendment, initiative, referendum and recall shall no longer require a sworn affidavit of a circulator and shall instead only require the name and address of a circulator.
BRAMAN'S PROPOSAL: "Restore accountability by repealing any noncharter restriction on the people's right to petition their government for change or to recall a politician and to require any proposed future restriction to be voted upon by the people of Miami-Dade County and be enshrined in the county charter."
COMMENTS: Commission placed a small clerical Band-Aid on a much bigger issue.
The commission blew off two Braman ideas altogether. He proposed designating districts for seven commission seats, and called for "eliminating the manipulation of election dates by requiring elections for county mayor and commissioners to be held concurrently with elections for other state and national offices."
The commission placed four of its six amendments on the ballot by unanimous consent. The other two -- setting term limits/pay raises and abolishing the "strong mayor" -- were approved by split votes.
Even commissioners seemed less than enthusiastic about the net result.
Beyond Martinez's recommendation that voters reject the term limit/pay hike proposal, Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz tried to remove all the amendments, saying they were inappropriately rushed. His effort failed.
On the night of the recall, the multimillionaire Braman declared that the "County Commission has made it impossible for citizens without the financial means to petition their government for change or redress of grievances.All of that must end."
With Victor Diaz, chairman of the 2008 county charter review commission, Braman presented a proposed covenant with the people of Miami-Dade county for charter change.
"This wonderful place we call home, Miami-Dade County, needs and demands reform," Braman said at the time.
Now that the commission has reworked those covenants, the hard-nosed auto executive pledges to oppose them as vigorously as he did Alvarez.
COMING NEXT IN SUNSHINE STATE NEWS: A look at the crowded field vying to replace Alvarez at the May 24 special election.
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Reach Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341,
