DAY 43 - VETO IT, WE DARE YOU

From the New Times:

New Miami City Commission Fails First Green Test

"...commissioners Frank Carrollo, Marc Sarnoff and Francis Suarez signed off on a plan to convert vacant city-owned park land at NW 14th Ave and 61st Street into residential units.

"In granting preliminary approval, the city commission ignored the advisory board recommendation this past September 16 denying the city's planning department request to make the change.

"Instead, the board advised the city was better off expanding African Square park to create more green space in an otherwise blighted area of the city."

Developers?

Or more parks?

The City Commission picked developers.

Will the Mayor of the People veto the commission action?

Tomasito, we dare you!

DAY 42 - WISHES

This post in the our favorite blog about blogs has inspired us.

SFDB's Christmas Gifts For The South Florida Blogosphere

We are humbled by the well wishes.

And for the record, we like "anonymous."

Whoever he or she is always gives insightful comments.

As for our wish, a Mayoral website with a little bit more information would be nice.

We expect more from the Mayor of the People who vowed greater transparency.

What about a list of people that work for the mayor and their salaries?

A list of ongoing initiatives?

Press releases?

Speeches?

A Daily Schedule?

More pictures of the Mayor with Chinese government officials?

Anything really...

One can always wish right?

DAY 41 - MORE MIAMI 21

The Herald Editorial Board gets it:

One big myth promulgated by commissioners in voting to defer Miami 21 is that more input is needed from stakeholders.

Miami 21 was scrutinized and tinkered with during hundreds of public meetings over four years' time.

What the commission's change of heart boils down to is that they and the mayor are under pressure from neighborhood groups, developers and zoning
lawyers -

- none of whom got everything they wanted in Miami 21.

The People's Mayor is being pressured by developers and zoning lawyers?

We were always told he was his own man, above such influence!

Tomasito in the end will give "his people" what they want:

[Regalado] would continue to allow losing petitioners at the Planning and Zoning Board to take their case to the City Commission rather than Miami 21's requirement that they go before a judge instead...

...commissioners are susceptible to powerful interest groups that make campaign contributions. A judge is likely to be less politically inclined in zoning disputes.

Why would Tomasito want to hurt his developer and lobbyist friends?

By changing Miami 21, Tomasito makes sure that there continues a flow of more lobbyist and developer money to the Commission. More lobbyist and developer money to Tomasito.

There is an old saying: The more things "change," the more they stay the same.

DAY 37 - CONTRAST

CANDIDATE REGALADO:

"I am totally against this time limit because residents are only granted two minutes, while special interests receive hours of attention before commissioners behind closed doors.

How can a city government preach democratic ideologies, if the very fiber...its people...are allowed only two minutes to voice concerns?"

MAYOR REGALADO:

"With no public comment, commissioners Marc Sarnoff, Francis Suarez, and Frank Carollo voted to delay the code's effective date from Feb. 19 to May 20 after about 45 minutes of discussion.

The item was a last-minute addition to the agenda for Thursday's regular commission meeting."

DAY 36 - MIAMI 21 DEAD

He killed it.

And if it ever comes back, it will not look the same.

Miami commission delays new Miami 21 zoning code

"The vote to delay came on the same day that a columnist in The Boston Globe urged other cities to follow the example of Miami 21, which he called "a blueprint for sustainable urban form.''

"Several already are, including Denver, which is working on a similar code.

"News that Regalado would seek to delay the new code was met with anger and bafflement on local blogs that focus on urban planning, with several commenters calling the action "backward.''

"Some developers and influential zoning lawyers have continued fighting the new code after passage because they did not get changes they sought when Miami 21 was approved.

The Boston Globe said:

"The urban fabric is a key weapon against climate change...

"Boston does a good job doing master planning, but the city could go much further on the zoning side.

"We might learn something from Miami, where Mayor Manny Diaz recently won approval for a citywide rezoning, known as Miami 21, which encourages compact, mixed-use development.

Zoning used to be concerned with the separation of uses. Now it can be a blueprint for sustainable urban form."

Boston learn something from Miami???

When did you ever think you'd hear that...

Tomasito, we hope you're happy!

DAY 36 - MIAMI 21

Go pay a visit to our friends over at Transit Miami.

Why Miami 21 should not be delayed.

They ask:

"What ever happened to transparency and public involvement in government?

It would seem by the Mayor’s actions that he only believes in these principles as they apply to people who are running for office (not those already in office)."

You would think that the self proclaimed "Mayor of the People" would favor a city planned around people.

We agree with Transit Miami, Regalado should not stand in the way of Miami 21.

"It is absurd that the new mayor (and longtime foe of liveable cities) is requesting that the fractured City Commission vote on delaying implementation of Miami 21 for 90 days (until May 20)."

But with Tomasito, absurdity is the order of the day.

DAY 35 - GOOD COMMUNISTS?

Mayor of the People Tomas Regalado took time recently to open City Hall and meet with Consul General Gao Yangpin of the People's Republic of China.

According to this press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China:

On December 1, Consul General Gao met with the Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and attended the reception held by him in honor of her...

Consul General Gao...said the people of Miami are lucky to have a mayor who shows great concern on the development of Sino-U.S. relations, the friendship between China and Miami and ...looking forward to enhancing communication and cooperation between China and U.S. as well as China and Miami to achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcome.

Mr. Regalado expressed his gratitude to Consul General Gao and said his team highly values the relationship between Miami and China...He will try his best to join hands with the Chinese Consulate General in Houston to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation in order to bring more benefit for the people of China and Miami.

Is this the same Tomas Regalado who has made a living blasting communists on Cuban radio now being touted by the Chinese government propaganda arm???

Allow us to take you back to 2005 when it was reported that Hong Kong based Shangri La would open its first hotel in the western hemisphere here in Miami.

Commissioner Tomas Regalado strongly opposed the opening linking their ties to communist China.

The Miami Times reported then:

The Herald's headlines on its story will turn stomachs in Miami after years of ethnic harmonies: "Hotel plan bashed for communist ties" and, in massive type on the story's continuation, "China link angers Cubans."

The Herald story quotes three persons who are upset that a company based in China could be allowed on a city site, saying it is a slap in the face to Cuban Americans, who are anti-communist.

Note up front that nobody can link Fidel Castro to a company that operates 48 luxury hotels very capitalistically on multiple continents - except in the minds or on the tongues of professionally virulent name-callers.

Of the three quoted hotel foes, two are radio commentators who make a living by trying to link disliked individuals and organizations to Fidel Castro. They do it well enough to persuade the Herald that when three persons speak, a newspaper should respond with "China link angers Cubans" - a vastly broader group than the three represent.

What's not proper is a headline that states that the hotel has communist ties - because that's what "Hotel plan bashed for communist ties" says. It doesn't say "alleged communist ties" - it assumes that if "activist and radio personality Ninoska Perez-Castellon" and city commissioner and radio commentator Tomas Regalado bash it, it's got communist ties.

Where is Miami Today bashing Regalado's hypocrisy now?

And we would LOVE to see Tomasito go on Cuban radio and explain to his base why he is "joining hands" with those he calls communists out of convenience.

We would also love to hear Tomasito's explanation as to why it is ok to "join hands" with the Communist government of China while he continues to support an embargo of Cuba.

Tomasito,

when you said you would be the Mayor of the People...

we never thought you meant "The People's Republic."