Barby Gimenez shows up to no-show job on county dime

Barby Gimenez shows up to no-show job on county dime
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So, now that people — both investigators and reporters — are looking into her job with Miami-Dade Water and Sewer barbyand making public records requests, Barby Rodriguez Gimenez showed up to work Tuesday.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez‘s daughter-in-law was paraded up and down the Coral Gables offices of Aecom, 135 San Lorenzo Ave., by Esther Monzon, president and owner of EV Services, one of 15 subcontractors on Aecom’s $91 million 2014 contract for water and sewer improvements mandated by the federal and state governments.

Barby is one of four public information officers at the company and was hired about a year after the contract was awarded in May, 2014. Before that, she worked as director of client relations (though that title could be a bit inflated) at Genovese, Joblove & Batista, which, by the way, lobbied on behalf of Aecom for the contract.

Read related story: Carlos Gimenez daughter-in-law could need a new job

Rodriguez’s role at EV Services is described in the company’s website.

“Better known as ‘Barby’ throughout the South Florida community, she’s a member of the Miami-Dade International Trade Consortium, Board Member at Voices for Children and member of Florida International University’s Presidents Council,” it says under her photo.

Barby face Gimenez
Barby Gimenez, face circled to the right, after her father-in-law is forced into a run-off. Looks like she’s saying, “Sh**! I may have to find a real job!”

What it doesn’t say is that she was appointed in 2013 to the ITC — which meets quarterly and makes recommendations about trade missions and sister city issues to the commission — which is already after her father-in-law was elected mayor. And she was appointed by Miami-Dade Commissioner Juan Zapata, who she worked for when he was a State Rep in Tally. It was a consolation prize because Barby really wanted a job in his county office when he was elected in 2011 — which Zap couldn’t give her, well, because she is the mayor’s daughter-in-law.

It wouldn’t look right.

She is also not listed, by the way, as a board member on the websites for either the Voices for Children Foundation or the FIU President’s Council. A search for her among the members yields zero results. Barbara Galvez, a communications coordinator at the President’s Council, said Rodriguez is not a current member. Galvez has only been there for three years, so she checked with Director Dania Rivero, who said Barby had not been a PC member in the eight years that she had been there.

Lots of people pad their resumes, but this one uses her mayoral father-in-law’s palanca to live off the county dime.

Read related story: Carlos Gimenez rewards family (again) in $1.6 billion deal

“Barby is our firm’s social butterfly connecting our clients with decision makers for desired results,” reads the last line of her thumbnail bio on the EV Services website. Social butterfly? Is that what we are calling it these days? And “connecting our clients with decision makers for desired results” has never Barby paymeant more than when your suegro is mayor of largest county in Florida and the seventh largest county in the United States. She doesn’t have to do anything but support el viejo. She just has to be.

Records obtained by Political Cortadito show that Rodriguez is paid $21.75 an hour out of a possible $45. There are a total of nine EV Services employees on the county payroll, making a combined $255 an hour. Three of those positions are “public information officer,” but Ladra cannot imagine needing three PIOs on this project. What is their work product? How much public information could there possibly be? There’s apparently also an opening for a social media person, making $25.50 to $31.50 an hour, so if you’re looking and you know Mayor Gimenez…

The other two PIOs make a little more ($28.84 and $25.72 an hour) than Rodriguez, who makes much less than her father-in-law’s BFF, Ralph Garcia Toledo, who gets paid $200 an hour for what he admits is mostly clerical work on a separate $131 million contract awarded to CH2M Hill.

Still, $21.75 an hour is a $45,000-a-year job — nice work if on top of that you don’t really have to show up.

Doesn’t it look in this photo like Barby is flashing taxpayers the bird? The man on the right is her husband, the mayor’s less illustrious son, Julio Gimenez, who works for a company that got a $4 million no-bid contract to repair the performing arts center. Yes, it’s nice to be in the mayor’s friends and family plan.

barby fingerClassy, huh?

Some people say que la familia de Carlos Gimenez es tan elegante. And then there are those of us who know the truth.

What they are is descarados.

21 Responses to "Barby Gimenez shows up to no-show job on county dime"

  1. Ladra, is Mari Tere Rojas, candidate for M-D School Board District 6, yet another Gimenez’ relative vying to feed at the public trough? Please advise, thank you.

  2. This Artecona guy sounds bitter. Maybe it’s because his access to the public trough is threatened. He, Gimenez, his daughter in law, Ralph, and all the other dirty little pigs are slobbering at the mouth, about to lose their sloppy seconds. Gimenez was forced into a runoff with Raquel. Yes parasites, you’re public leeching is soon coming to an end.

  3. Elaine. You’re acting like a bully. No one likes a bully. My (unsolicited) advice would be to stick to the Mayor. He is the one who ran. He’s the one with the power. Going after the family member is cheap and easy and focusing on the one without the power. And the picture you used, an unnecessary cheap shot.

    Yes, I am friends with the Mayor. Yes, I play golf with him (on my way now,as a matter of fact). In fact, Habitat just held our annual Golf Tournament last Friday which the Mayor hosted. We raised some money to help a family into a home. I am very proud of this. I can send you pictures if you want, your cyber-rag could use a sports section.

    Mario Artecona

    • Mario, please try to understand this IS about the mayor, and the widely held suspicion that this job was a botella, a quid pro quo gift to him for getting this $91 million contract awarded. Just like Ralph’s job. That is THE POINT. That these positions are graft and it is the mayor’s doing. Remember all the going back and forth on this bid?

      And did you happen to just skip over the part where the mayor gave a $4 million NO BID contract to the company that employs his son? I’m identifying a pattern. Again, it is about Carlos Gimenez and his friends and family plan. Not about the son. Who cares about him? He is just a member of the plan.

      By the way, I happen to know that Barby loves that picture. And why not? She looks great!

      Again, what SPECIFICALLY about this is being a bully. Your golf buddy is the bully, Mr. Artecona. You know that. You are kind of being a bully now and before. But I am used to being bullied by the mayor and his friends and family.

      Enjoy your game of golf today. Tell him “Ladra says hi.” You obviously play a lot of golf with the mayor. Most of it is not to raise money, but I’m glad you did. Keep up the good work. Despite your political blindness, you do a lot of good. And I know that golf is an expensive hobby, but I’m sure you can afford it on your salary as CEO of Habitat.

      And, yes, please do send me photos of you and the mayor playing golf. I will post them.

      Love, Ladra

      • Elaine:
        People I respect have chided me for this post. I take the advice to heart. Despite my strong feelings, I regret taking the low road and the cheap shots.
        Be well,
        Mario

  4. Elaine:

    Even by your gutteral standards, this is low.

    Whatever ounce of journalistic integrity you one had is in the toilet. Your “journalism” is the equivalent of a middle school slam books. When you started this blog, I thought you would be above the fray. Instead, you’re a mean girl for hire. Shame on you.
    Were the popular girls mean to you? Who hurt you Elaine,
    who hurt you?

    And no, I won’t use a pseudonym. I’ll say it to your face. You suck. Furthermore , you stiffed Habitat on a donation. I know you claim you made it, but evidence points otherwise. Welcher. Don’t make bets you’re not willing to pay.

    I’d give you double or nothing on your girl’s race, but that would be a shame on me.

    By the way, have you ever picked a winner ? You’re the kiss of death.

    Mario Artecona.

    • Mario, you are a golfing buddy of the mayor’s and I think that you ought to disclose that. It makes this completely illogical rant understandable.

      My standards have never changed. And I have read back over this story to look for exactly where I was being unnecessarily mean. Can you point it out? Was it when I exposed that your friend’s daughter has lied about board appointments? Or that both her past job and this current job have to do with a $91 million contract that was awarded? Or was it when I told everybody that other reporters and investigators were looking into this possible quid pro quo? Because they are, you know? Because it is a legitimate concern. The nepotism and cronyism at County Hall is rampant and most people know this. Your comment is in the minority. Maybe it is because you are part of that friends and family plan? I don’t know how much Habitat gets from the county but I am sure the worthy organization will continue to enjoy support after Raquel Regalado is elected.

      Is that why you are really mad? Because the donation to Habitat was made using my girlfriends’s credit card. Believe it or not, I didn’t have $50 in the bank at the time. I am a single mother who is self employed and lives paycheck to paycheck. I am not motivated by cash to take me to fancy vacations where I can eat at fancy restaurants. My hobby is exposing graft and corruption. And you don’t like that your friend and his family are elbow deep in it. I didn’t put my name on it but I did put YOURS as the person it was made for. I don’t have to prove it to you. Because I don’t care what you think. But you are petty to bring it up. Talk about being unnecessarily mean. What does that have to do with this?

      By the way, I’ve supported plenty of winners and I won’t list them all here so you can go and harass them. But they include Gimenez (2011). And the kiss of death has only been delayed in that case.

      Love, Ladra

  5. Ladra,

    You are filled with so much hatred towards Gimenez, you dared to attack his family to smear his image, shame on you, your approach is dirty, and disgusting. It tells the world how desperate you are, or deeply hurt, what did he do to you? Or how much is she paying you to look like a filthy blogger?

    You can do better Elaine, this is not who you are. You are a very talented journalist, this material is not going to take you far.

    Love

    Your Fan.

    • Bruce, I don’t really hate anybody. That takes too much effort. I dislike Gimenez. But not even a lot. I just think he is crooked and bad for our county and our community. He is guilty of rampant cronyism and nepotism, which is what I exposed (not for the first time).

      I am not attacking his family. I am attacking his friends and family plan. And your attacks and/or insults are empty grabs at invisible straws. Desperate for what, exactly? Hurt by what? Or who? It is not even personal, except that perhaps I take absentee ballot fraud and pay to play politics a little personally.

      People will always say that I am, and others like me are, paid to write this or that. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t true. They will say that I am. It has happened with every mayoral race, even when I was not on either side’s campaign team. And it happens in state races I have absolutely no involvement in. That’s because people don’t want to face the facts in my posts (which you haven’t challenged) and they get defensive and they want to — no, HAVE to — believe that I must be paid. It’s a convenient cover to let them continue being blind. It’s better to call me filthy than to be so wrong.

      And this material is not supposed to take me far. Not every story will. I didn’t post it for awards or kudos. Just so people know how the mayor uses his position. I’ve been told by sources, people in the know, that this job and Ralph’s position were quid pro quo for the contracts. Are you going to tell me that kind of thing doesn’t happen? So why not here?

      Love, Ladra

  6. Too bad the money can’t be spent on notifying the public about MAC meetings and such. All I asked for was a posting of a sign on the corner of an intersection to inform residents of upcoming meetings. I was told that the county didn’t have any funds for that, but….again, that’s just a taxing issue for county residents to deal with. Good luck finding any current info on what transpired at any of the meetings either. No notes published on the county website for that either. Yeah, I can think of plenty of places that salary could be used more effectively. This is just the first that comes to mind.

  7. Ladra,

    This is not a no-show job. Barby is very good at public outreach, she did a good job while she was at GJB and continues to do so now at her new firm. Furthermore she has been working in Government Affairs since she was fresh out of college. Sure, being a Gimenez helps but she has the resume and the credibility to justify her hiring and more importantly, she does a good job. You are doing alot of harm to someone’s reputation simply to smear Mayor Gimenez which is a shame.

    • C’mon utility guy, it is a no-show job. How on Earth could this project need three public information officers? Where is her work product? What public information have you seen about these projects? Don’t be ridiculous. This is a botella if we ever saw one.

      It’s not that Barby isn’t minimally qualified. Sure, she might be. Though she was really a glorified assistant to Zapata and Al Maloof at GJ&B (a job I suspect she also got an edge on because she is the mayor’s daughter-in-law). Titles can be and often are inflated on paper. Public outreach is a big umbrella and it is rather easy work. Trust me. I do it, too.

      But there is no way on Earth that she is the most qualified person in this community of under employed people. Was there a competitive process for this job? Sure, it’s at a private company, so there doesn’t have to be. But, more likely, the position was created for her so that EV Services would get a chunk of the pie.

      Remember, I know Barby. I’ve spent time with her. I was a big fan of Golden Boy Gimenez in 2011, when she was campaigning for him basically full time when she was supposed to be working. This is not a smear job. It’s an expose on how Gimenez uses his position to help his family and friends. This is just ONE MORE example.

      Love, Ladra

  8. Amy S. you are SO RIGHT the Miami Herald should have been on a LOT of things Gimenez does. Unfortunately their Editorial Board members are nothing more than sycophants for Gimenez and county government. They question NOTHING. They literally take the sound bytes given them by Gimenez and his department directors AND PUBLISHES THEIR BULLSHIT HOOK, LINE & SINKER. The Herald has some outstanding investigative journalists when they’re allowed to actually DO THEIR JOBS but the Herald shackles them and assigns idiots like the one who maligned Michael Rosenberg and Rita Schwartz of the Pet’s Trust recently. That moron needs to be fired along with his editor for publishing totally inept and 100% false slander. EVERYONE: if you voted in 2012 to support The Pet’s Trust to STOP KILLING ANIMALS in Gimenez’ kill shelter that he refuses to fund do two things! JOIN OUR LAWSUIT AGAINST THE MAYOR AND THE COUNTY! It is a class action lawsuit. And VOTE NOV. 8 FOR RAQUEL REGALADO who will fund what 65% of us nearly 500,000 voters told Gimenez to do. Raquel will fund the trust within her first 120 days in office. There is so much more this utterly corrupt criminal mayor has done but nothing so egregious as denying our Democratic vote AND MURDERING PERFECTLY HEALTHY, NON-AGGRESSIVE SENTIENT ANIMALS DAY IN AND DAY OUT. Not to mention the thousands of dogs being dumped in the streets and Everglades Alex Munoz and Animal Services IGNORE allowing them to die horrendous deaths and the 500,000 cats reproducing several times over year in and year out further increasing a problem that would have been well on its way to being resolved HAD GIMENEZ KEPT HIS WORD AND RETAINED THE FUNDING IN HIS 2013 BUDGET. Four years later with 120,000 spay/neuter surgeries having been performed or 480,000 total do the math: the overpopulation problem would be well on its way to being resolved! The trust also would provide education, transportation assistance, meaningful grants to the dedicated rescue groups doing Munoz’s job, vaccine clinics to STOP the distemper and parvo epidemics rampant in Miami Dade and so much more. Then it actually sunsets after five years unless we vote again to maintain the funding. Don’t let the shiny new Doral extermination building fool you. It is nothing more than a façade – NOTHING HAS CHANGED. We still kill and now more than ever it’s just hidden behind the mayor and Munoz’s smoke & mirrors! Funding the Trust SAVES money! It costs 5x/MORE to kill than it does to spay/neuter preventing births to begin with! In 2012 the only way to fund what we voted and passed was to self tax ourselves. In FL it’s illegal to hold a binding vote for a tax. But we were willing to spend $15/more per HH per year to STOP murdering animals, and the mayor and every single commissioner promised to uphold the will of the people. Gimenez actually put it in his budget then axed the funding saying ‘the people were too stupid to know what they voted for.’ (Funny he didn’t say same when we elected him mayor!) Now in 2016 the county budget is flush and we don’t need to raise taxes one iota just STOP GIMENEZ’ FISCAL MISMANAGEMENT with his ‘Friends & Family Plan’ and oust hiM on Nov. 8 by voting RAQUEL REGALADO MAYOR OF MIAMI DADE COUNTY. Please go to Raquel’s webpage and Face Book page and educate yourself to how she is going to make a HUGE difference in the county and our everyday lives. She surely will be making a difference for the animals. She will stop Gimenez’ murdering them.

  9. Sounds as though they are in the best tradition of banana republic families everywhere there are banana republics! (And I thought only teens gave the finger in selfies?)

  10. I’m looking for a job and I would be GREAT as a social media rep AND public information officer. I’m willing to work. LOL Great investigative reporting! The Miami Herald should have been on this long ago…imo.

  11. Families need to take their weakest link and provide a dummy job so that they have an employer pay into social security. If they don’t get their own work credits, then they have to have at least a 19 year marriage to an US worker. With divorce so prevalent, getting her on the payroll hedges her husband’s risk about giving her alimony for life.

  12. GOD CREATES THEM AND THEY GET TOGETHER. ESTHER MONZON ( FAVOLE ) THE MOST CROOKED CONSULTANT, LIVES UP TO HER UNCLE’S STANDARD, OF COURSE FOR THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO GO TO CUBA AND DEAL WITH THE BIG (OLD) GUY’S IN FIDEL’S GOVERMENT. OMG WHAT A PAIR. I HOPE WE ARE SPARED THE COMBINATION

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