01-11-2011, 02:05 PM
And yet Another,
" Miami mayor's pick comes back to bite him "
By Daniel Shoer Roth
dshoer@elnuevoherald.com
There is a popular American idiom that states, ``If it ain't broke, don't fix it,'' the idea being that if something is working, there's no reason to correct or discard it. And another proverb that now rings in my ear: ``He who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind.''
These two sayings come in handy to give context to the political showdown between Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado and Police Chief Miguel Exposito, whom the mayor himself pushed to the top rank more than a year ago despite lacking support from a segment of the police force.
While campaigning for mayor, Regalado said he wasn't comfortable with John Timoney, the veteran former chief who managed to restore order in the dysfunctional department and straighten out a seemingly trigger-happy force. The argument was that police morale was low, so said the powerful police union.
Now, after six fatal shootings by officers, an incomplete corruption probe and a video showing a police officer repeatedly punching a pinned-down man, morale has hit bottom, not only in the police force but within segments of the community, as well.
This is what happens when politics gets mixed with public safety.
Instead of working together and sharing responsibility for the tragedies, in the last few weeks Regalado and Exposito have thrown darts at each other's public images in a brawl that's compromising the stability of Miami-Dade County's largest city.
``It's all on Exposito,'' Regalado said recently referring to his claims that there are problems with chain of command and transparency in the police department.
Yet the real blame for Exposito's problems on his watch should fall on Regalado and former City Manager Pete Hernandez. They hired him.
Exposito accused Regalado in a letter of going ``beyond the legal bounds'' of his job by interfering in police investigations of illegal gambling. The mayor told me he felt personally hurt and now he thinks he is being followed. Exposito said he didn't order anyone to follow the mayor.
The accusations are far from that happy day in November 2009 when Exposito and the mayor came close to dancing a waltz at the steps of City Hall. On that occasion Regalado said that making Exposito chief meant that Miami was ``going in the right direction.''
Well, the compass must have broken down in the past 13 months.
Now Exposito is paying Regalado back by linking him to campaign money from companies that distribute gambling machines and alleging that he tried to halt a raid to seize the machines last year. The mayor pushed an ordinance regulating coin-operated machines that can be used for illegal gambling. It is a well-known fact that gambling can create addiction and destroy families. There is enough gambling in South Florida, we don't need more.
Exposito could be canned soon, especially now that the new city manager, Tony Crapp Jr., is the mayor's ally. To do that at this moment would spark more volatility in the city. I think that they both should instead invoke their principles over their own personalities and patch things up.
Yes, I know, I love fairy tales.
Regalado told me last week that he ``did not sow the winds'' when he recommended Exposito to lead the police force because he thought he was highly capable. The mayor said he never imagined he would end up reaping the whirlwind, either, but after seeing crime rising in certain areas of the city and some friction emerging with the African-American community, he began to question Exposito's performance.
``I am disappointed in him and regret having recommended him,'' he said.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/11/2 ... qus_thread (http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/11/2009881/miami-mayors-pick-comes-back-to.html#disqus_thread)#ixzz1Aje8wpjAStory,
" Miami mayor's pick comes back to bite him "
By Daniel Shoer Roth
dshoer@elnuevoherald.com
There is a popular American idiom that states, ``If it ain't broke, don't fix it,'' the idea being that if something is working, there's no reason to correct or discard it. And another proverb that now rings in my ear: ``He who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind.''
These two sayings come in handy to give context to the political showdown between Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado and Police Chief Miguel Exposito, whom the mayor himself pushed to the top rank more than a year ago despite lacking support from a segment of the police force.
While campaigning for mayor, Regalado said he wasn't comfortable with John Timoney, the veteran former chief who managed to restore order in the dysfunctional department and straighten out a seemingly trigger-happy force. The argument was that police morale was low, so said the powerful police union.
Now, after six fatal shootings by officers, an incomplete corruption probe and a video showing a police officer repeatedly punching a pinned-down man, morale has hit bottom, not only in the police force but within segments of the community, as well.
This is what happens when politics gets mixed with public safety.
Instead of working together and sharing responsibility for the tragedies, in the last few weeks Regalado and Exposito have thrown darts at each other's public images in a brawl that's compromising the stability of Miami-Dade County's largest city.
``It's all on Exposito,'' Regalado said recently referring to his claims that there are problems with chain of command and transparency in the police department.
Yet the real blame for Exposito's problems on his watch should fall on Regalado and former City Manager Pete Hernandez. They hired him.
Exposito accused Regalado in a letter of going ``beyond the legal bounds'' of his job by interfering in police investigations of illegal gambling. The mayor told me he felt personally hurt and now he thinks he is being followed. Exposito said he didn't order anyone to follow the mayor.
The accusations are far from that happy day in November 2009 when Exposito and the mayor came close to dancing a waltz at the steps of City Hall. On that occasion Regalado said that making Exposito chief meant that Miami was ``going in the right direction.''
Well, the compass must have broken down in the past 13 months.
Now Exposito is paying Regalado back by linking him to campaign money from companies that distribute gambling machines and alleging that he tried to halt a raid to seize the machines last year. The mayor pushed an ordinance regulating coin-operated machines that can be used for illegal gambling. It is a well-known fact that gambling can create addiction and destroy families. There is enough gambling in South Florida, we don't need more.
Exposito could be canned soon, especially now that the new city manager, Tony Crapp Jr., is the mayor's ally. To do that at this moment would spark more volatility in the city. I think that they both should instead invoke their principles over their own personalities and patch things up.
Yes, I know, I love fairy tales.
Regalado told me last week that he ``did not sow the winds'' when he recommended Exposito to lead the police force because he thought he was highly capable. The mayor said he never imagined he would end up reaping the whirlwind, either, but after seeing crime rising in certain areas of the city and some friction emerging with the African-American community, he began to question Exposito's performance.
``I am disappointed in him and regret having recommended him,'' he said.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/11/2 ... qus_thread (http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/11/2009881/miami-mayors-pick-comes-back-to.html#disqus_thread)#ixzz1Aje8wpjAStory,