DEVELOPING STORY: Looks like Miami Lakes Mayor Wayne Slaton is going to try to make good on his threat to fire Town Attorney Joseph Geller.
It comes as no surprise.
One of the first things Slaton told people he would do as the new mayor of the small town was change the city attorney.
On Wednesday, there will be a special meeting in Miami Lakes at 4:45 p.m, just prior to the council workshop. “The item for discussion and/or action is Replacement of Town Attorney,” reads the email to council members from City Clerk Marjorie Tejeda.
But sources say that Slaton — who handily beat former Councilman Nelson Hernandez for the mayor’s seat, vacated by the suspended Michael “Muscles” Pizzi who was arrested in August on federal bribery and extortion charges — may not have the votes to make it happen. Especially after he’s been ruffling feathers by suspending volunteer committee members left and right for no other reason than political backlash (more on that later).
Vice Mayor Cesar Mestre and Councilmembers Tony Lama and Nelson Rodriguez are expected to vote to keep Geller, while Councilmembes Tim Daubert and Manny Cid may agree with Slaton, who thinks it is time to bring in someone new who was not around when Pizzi allegedly planned to steal thousands from the federal government with a bogus grant scheme. After all, Pizzi had the grant agreement negotiated by Geller — much to Geller’s surprise — rather than Town Manager Alex Rey, whose job that normally is. Geller refused to move forward once he learned the bogus company was not authorized to do business in Florida.
But what about newly elected Councilman Frank Mingo? How will he vote? It depends on who the newcomer wants to make friends with, I guess. I know one thing: He was allied with Hernandez, who lost to Slaton. So it could be up in the air, but Ladra predicts he goes with the Mestre bunch.
Geller, who is running for state rep in 2014 and doesn’t need the Miami Lakes headache and baggage anyway, only said that he had received notice of the meeting and would attend.
“I’m sure we’ll have an interesting discussion about it tomorrow,” Geller told Ladra.
A source close to City Hall said that Slaton had asked Geller’s firm, which also represents El Portal and Opa-Locka, to resign but that Geller — who serves the entire council and not one man — has not budged.
Ladra will be making more calls to see what we can learn in anticipation of tomorrow’s meeting.
New Miami Lakes Mayor Wayne Slaton wants new attorney added by Ladra on
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