[freedomtowernight_edited.jpg] 26th Parallel: No Vacations Allowed...

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

No Vacations Allowed...

If your a county commissioner. That's what the latest piece by Miami Herald columnist and 26th Parallel favorite Jim DeFede suggests.

The newest target of DeFede's pointed pen is Miami-Dade County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez. You see, Gimenez had the gall of going on vacation to Europe with his wife at the same time that the commission was overriding a veto by Mayor Carlos Alvarez that would have denied the town of Florida City the ability to annex envionmentally-sensitive land near Biscayne Bay and the Everglades. Gimenez originally voted against the annexation of the land, and a similar vote last month would have shot down the override and kept the mayor's veto intact.

DeFede's first questions Gimenez's trip to France on taxpayers' money to study aviation and transportation issues. Then he grills the commissioner for then going on a vacation across Europe with his wife in celebration of their 30th wedding anniversary.

That's not all.

Gimenez had the nerve to buy a Mercedes Benz in Germany during the trip! GASP!

Mr. DeFede: who are you to call out the commissioner for going on a vacation which he's perfectly entitled to? Who are you to question his personal purchasing decisions? He's a public servant, but a private person as well. He missed an important vote, so what? Let's face it, the issue being voted on is not as important as you're making it out to be.

DeFede's concern is that the land being annexed will be converted into new developments that could harm the fragile environment in that area. The fact is, that land sits outside the Urban Development Boundary, and nothing can be built upon it unless the commission agrees to it by vote. That vote hasn't come up yet.

Back to the vacation issue. I love it how DeFede gets on his moral white horse and states that Gimenez should have flown back to Miami for the vote, then gone back to Europe because he serves the people whom he represents. Give me a break, Jim. There are 13 commissioners, each with an equal vote. Why doesn't he criticize Commissioner Javier Souto who cast the decisive vote?

Gimenez has the right to go on vacation when he wants, with whomever he wants, and he can buy as many Mercedes on sale as he wishes, as long as it's done on his time and money.

One last word for DeFede: why don't you write about something relevant and important to the community, like the airport fiasco?

2 Comments:

Blogger Robert said...

Coño...you had me there for a split second ;)

10:30 PM, July 19, 2005  
Blogger Henry Louis Gomez said...

Defede is a blowhard. I wonder what he drives.

12:55 AM, July 21, 2005  

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