Miami-Dade County Mayor Is Removed (republiscum)

[Night Crawler]

Source: NT TIMES Online

HIALEAH, Fla. —Mayor Carlos Alvarez of Miami-Dade County was removed in a recall election on Tuesday as voters punished him for raising property taxes and increasing the salaries of his closest aides at the height of the recession.

Walking out of polling stations, irate voters said Mr. Alvarez’s greatest offense was his effrontery: Two years ago, with Miami sinking under foreclosures and a housing bust, he called on residents and county workers in a speech to brace themselves for “tough times.” But he gave his own top aides hefty raises, including his former chief of staff whose salary climbed to $206,783 from $185,484.

Last year, he pushed through a budget that raised property taxes for 40 percent of homeowners, despite plummeting property values, to avoid laying off firefighters and other public employees. Yet, most county workers are getting raises this year.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/us/16miami.html

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Looks like he pissed off the wrong billionaire too.

[MadMaddie]

1. Is this guy a Democratic Mayor?

Whatever he is, he is an idiot. He should have frozen all pay increases and rid himself of excesses like the car.

[wysingm]

5. Republican

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Alvarez_(mayor)

[MadMaddie]

6. That makes the story very interesting

This is the first recall of 2011.....

[Scurrilous]

2. Alvarez, Seijas trounced in Miami-Dade recall election

<snip>

"With more than half of precincts reporting results, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Commissioner Natacha Seijas have been ousted from office.

Results from the controversial recall election, including absentee and early votes, show a vast majority of voters, around 88 percent, want to kick the politicians out of office.

Results will be certified Friday, when Alvarez and Seijas must vacate their offices."

<snip>

"Alvarez and Seijas were subjects of a recall vote after petition efforts championed by billionaire auto magnate Norman Braman and political action committee Miami Voice. The two drives began after Alvarez pushed through a budget that hiked the county’s tax rate and gave raises to county employees. Seijas voted for the budget.

Both Alvarez and Seijas tried to kill the recall vote in court."

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/15/v-fullstory/2115658/polls-open-for-recall-election.html#ixzz1Giq6e9Oo


Natacha Seijas was the commissioner from my district and I'm jubilant that her corrupt #$% is finally gone.

:party:

Good stuff here about Natacha:

http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[niyad]

4. welcome to DU

[defendandprotect]

7. Good for them!! We could use a ton of RECALLS -- !!

[former9thward]

9. Recalled for raising taxes. Yeah, great news!

Not.

[defendandprotect]

11. Raised property taxes for 40% of homeowners, despite plummeting property values....

Last year, he pushed through a budget that raised property taxes for 40 percent of homeowners, despite plummeting property values, to avoid laying off firefighters and other public employees. Yet, most county workers are getting raises this year.

Haven't a problem with that -- we need to be taxing the rich --

returning to progressive taxation --

too much of a burden on property owners, imo --

[former9thward]

13. Another Republican will take his place.

This one will cut the taxes, cut services and lay off employees. Hope the people celebrating this recall will celebrate that too.

[defendandprotect]

15. Repugs tend to be destroyers ... who knows what a new one will do --

No one is celebrating destructive GOP policies --

[Caretha]

8. The words

Republican removed from office after recall is music to my ears.

More MUSIC

[jwirr]

10. Let us hope this is a good omen for the future.

[Imajika]

12. This guy was recalled for raising taxes...

His ultimate replacement isn't likely to be any better. One thing is for sure, whoever wins next will be a fanatical tax cutter.

[Judi Lynn]

14. 9 of 10 say ‘yes’ to ousting Mayor Carlos Alvarez

Tuesday, 03.15.11
9 of 10 say ‘yes’ to ousting Mayor Carlos Alvarez

Despite spending more than $1 million to fend off ouster, the mayor of Miami-Dade suffered a humiliating defeat. Nine of every 10 voters chose recall.

By Matthew Haggman and Martha Brannigan
[e-mail]

Voters swept Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez out of office by a stunning margin Tuesday, capping a dramatic collapse for a politician who was given increased authority by voters four years ago to clean up much-maligned county government but was ushered out in the largest recall of a local politician in U.S. history.

The spectacular fall from power comes after two years of missteps, ranging from granting top staffers big pay hikes to construction of a publicly funded stadium for the Florida Marlins to implementation of a property-tax rate increase that outraged an electorate struggling through an ugly recession.

Alvarez tried to fend off ouster by twice filing suit to block a recall vote. After the lawsuits went nowhere, he defended his record in speeches, radio and television appearances and paid advertisements, arguing that he made the tough calls to preserve vital services for residents.

But voters responded by handing the mayor a humiliating defeat: Nearly nine of every 10 voted to remove Alvarez from office.

More:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/15/2117129/9-of-10-say-yes-to-ousting-alvarez.html