He must have been joking, right?
In his State of the City address Tuesday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez talked about transparency and public trust.
“Public office is a public trust. We demonstrate that trust by regular disclosures and dedicated hard work,” Suarez said, and it just proves he doesn’t know what public trust is: Electeds don’t demonstrate public trust, they earn it. Or throw it away, as it were.
“No government is perfect but our record is strong and historic,” he told a crowd of mostly or entirely friendlies and staff that was forced to be in the courtyard at Camillus House.
Seriously? It was like theater of the absurd.
Earlier that day, The Miami Herald had published an exposé about yet another questionable side gig that looks like, how’d they call it, “the clearest example yet of how Suarez has used his public office to benefit his private employers.”
Yeah, that.
Read related: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez to deliver State of the City address Tuesday
Suarez, already under federal investigation for what seems like a payoff from a developer, was getting paid twice as much as He bribe, or $20,000 a month, by the a company negotiating with the start-up NetZero all the while he and members of his staff tried to get NetZero a no-bid contract. The Herald staff put it together with emails and then waited right til Tuesday morning to hit send.
One would think Suarez would change those few words. Other words that maybe should have been left out or replaced: “investment boon.” Is Suarez clueless? Or just arrogant?
It’s the latter, as shown by the snub of the Herald, Miami’s official daily record, after the speech. Suarez gave one-on-ones with every media outlet, keeping the Herald at bay until, oooops, he wasn’t there. His spokeswoman admitted he wasn’t ever going to speak to them anyway. Other reporters should have refused to give him any airtime or attention at all. Anything else is supportive of this behavior.
At least Glenna Milberg at WPLG Local 10 asked the question on everyone’s mind: Would he be getting these side gigs if he wasn’t the mayor and in a position to use his influence? That got her snubbed, too.
So, it’s not like he’s going to answer any real questions. Yet Suarez has the nerve to talk about transparency and public trust.
His comments about a charter review committee and an inspector general sounded familiar. Oh, that’s right: The new commissioners on the dais have already brought forth those ideas. Now, Suarez wants to take credit for them. He doesn’t have any good ideas of his own.
Exhibit A: The strong mayor. Suarez actually said he still wants to do that, even though voters resoundedly rejected that notion in 2018. “It was openly opposed by many of those who now claim to support it,” Suarez said.
Who is he talking about? Everybody is súper glad voters disapproved. Imagine how much more graft there would be if Suarez had more power.
Read related: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez says adios to White House, but hello to millions
“Public service is a public honor, but it is also a personal sacrifice,” said the man whose net worth has soared to millions while he has served in public office.
He boasted of fewer homicides, fewer homeless and less unemployment. “These are not the talking points of a failed campaign,” said the man whose ill-conceived bid for the White House was a failed campaign. But when he said costs were rising and “the crunch is real,” he was not speaking from experience. Unless he meant the crunch created by the weight of multiple investigations.
Suarez also boasted of Miami being awarded a 100% score for how it treats its residents. But that can only be true if (a) it’s 100% awful or (b) the judges never saw a commission meeting last year.
The mayor said he was going to support several reform proposals this year — “if Miami Commissioners want to.” That includes a seven-member commission — which was an idea that Ladra herself and activist Grant Stern have floated for years — and moving elections to even numbered years in order to try to get more turnout. He’ll also support the commission’s idea to create an independent auditor
“I am your mayor and I am here to help,” he said, forgetting the last word to that line: “Myself.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez jokes at SOTC about public trust, transparency added by Ladra on
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