Miami mayor draws unusual follower — mocking cop in a truck
Miami mayor draws unusual follower — mocking cop in a truck
Posted on Saturday, 08.11.12
Everywhere Tomás Regalado goes, he’s followed by a cop in a truck, hell-bent on needling him over budget cuts.
By Kathleen McGrory
kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.com
When Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado leaves City Hall these days, he is frequently followed by a police officer in a truck.
The officer and the truck aren’t there to protect the mayor. They’re there to mock him.
The truck crashed the city’s 116th birthday party in Mary Brickell Village, and showed up at the grand reopening of Gibson Park in Overtown. Sometimes, it weaves through the streets near City Hall.
Behind the wheel: a police officer who says he’s fed up. Fraternal Order of Police Vice President Javier Ortiz blames Regalado for the aging fleet of patrol cars, the dingy uniforms, the scaled-back training, the sinking morale. He says the mayor has been less than responsible with the city’s finances, and that the $60 million in cuts to the police department over the past four years have jeopardized public safety. Any further cuts, he said, would be disastrous.
~snip~
As in the previous two years, the city manager has invoked what’s known as “financial urgency,” meaning the City Commission can change employee contracts without union consent. City budget managers have proposed reforming the pension plan, raising the retirement age and charging officers for their take-home cars, among other measures.
More:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/11/2946682/miami-mayor-draw-unusual-follower.html#storylink=cpy
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