When a political consultant becomes an activist: A Perspective
I am often referred to as a "political consultant" and to some extent that's true. But when it comes to the city of Miami, particularly the District 2 election, I am mostly wearing my cap as an activist and a voter.
Tonight at 10pm is the final broadcast of Miami's District 2 commission candidate interviews for Miami After Dark radio. Recall, this program was given birth by Rosy Palomino, now a candidate for Miami commission herself, which I was brought on to produce. I'm a voter, an activist, and I've been involved for awhile in city of Miami politics - I have a unique perspective. So I thought I should share my thoughts with readers about what I've done and why things are working out the way they are in the D2 Election.
First a quick reminder: I am a libertarian, free marketeer. I believe that the nature of a conservative is to conserve which means the quality of life and dignity of humanity and the advocacy for nature and its limited resources. That means I advocate for social and economic justice (read more below).
Here's a quick list of what I've been involved in the city of Miami:
2009 - City of Miami Commission Election for District 3 (I was helping former Secretary for Elderly Affairs and State Representative Luis Morse). I was one of those people listening to debates about Miami 21 and wondering how the hell no one was addressing the concerns being made on talk radio. Today, the lack of revitalization because Miami 21 doesn't allow it has led to the destruction of many neighborhoods which have not been permitted to rebuild (i.e. Little Havana).
2011 - City of Miami Commission Election for District 2 (I was helping builder Donna Milo). My first serious lesson in local politics is that most candidates disappear after running to represent the community - none of those candidates ever participated in community life again. Knowing how toxic Miami's political climate is, I don't know if I can blame them.
2012 - I was recruited by Rosy Palomino into local activism with Miami Neighborhoods United (MNU) and the Golden Pines Neighborhood Association (GPNA). These are community groups that are supposed to represent communities but instead are a collection of paid political operatives, many of the real activists don't stick around long in such organizations.
2013 - My first involvement in discussion regarding a developer's re-zoning application. The discussion of parks was the first I had ever heard too. There was a lot of learning there. And it was the first time I'd seen politicians use community groups to force developers to sell their properties to people they are more friendly with (I've since determined this a common practice).
2013 - There was a debate about campaign finance reform discussion that was rejected among members of MNU. The excuse back when was that the US Supreme Court decisions would invalidate local campaign finance rules. I have since determined that the excuse was utter bunk since states run their own elections regardless of federal election rules. I also learned how much developer business was represented in that excuse (which is why Rosy Palomino supports campaign finance reform now as a candidate).
2013 - City of Miami Commission Election for District 5 (Dr. Robert Malone). I was recruited by MNU to run that campaign. I also worked with the anti-Grove Harbour group in Coconut Grove at the last minute (Coconut Grove voted 60/40 against Grove Harbour but the rest of the city voted for it by the same margin).
2013 - City of Miami Commission Election for District 5 (Dr. Robert Malone). I was recruited by MNU to run that campaign. I also worked with the anti-Grove Harbour group in Coconut Grove at the last minute (Coconut Grove voted 60/40 against Grove Harbour but the rest of the city voted for it by the same margin).
2013 - Rosy Palomino started the Miami Parks Foundation and organized land purchases for parks by the city of Miami. The insiders in the city took hold of the work, documentation and money and made it go *poof*. Now a single landowner with ties to the city owns all the properties that were brought forward.
2014 - I worked with Grant Stern on the Only in Miami Show and its special video broadcasts like #SOSVenezuela which created the first media review of the Venezuela riots that was generally used by media throughout the US.
2014 - The city of Miami was destroying much of the Brickell tree canopy and I helped put out press releases for the community group protecting the old growth parkway.
2014 - Rosy Palomino recruited me in to the fight to keep the Beckham Group from turning the FEC slip (Museum Park) into a soccer stadium. We lobbied elected officials, coordinated media outreach and organized local residents. Ultimately, that fight was won.
2014 - The creation of Miami After Dark radio. Rosy Palomino tells me one day, let's do our own radio program that talks about real issues without a filter. Bob Powers is recruited as host (he's bombastic and incredibly knowledgeable).
2014 - I discussed the 2015 Miami commission election with many of the would-be D2 candidates and personalities, well before anyone had filed, including Grace Solares, Michelle Neimeyer, Javier Gonzalez, Ken Russell, and many others. None of those candidates impressed me and Rosy Palomino decided to run herself.
2015 - Rosy Palomino declares her candidacy for city of Miami District 2. Her first poll shows her nearly tied for 1st place against the outgoing commissioner's wife.
2015 - Rosy Palomino takes on the fight to defend natural grass parks (particularly in dog parks) from being replaced
with artificial turf. Meetings with county commissioners. ASPCA.
Discussions with veterinarians. Turns out, artificial turf is bad stuff for puppies.
2015 - Rosy Palomino made a presentation to Emerge Miami to protect Parcel B ("Dan Paul Park" behind the American Airlines Arena) with an "art in public places" strategy. The presentation was for a record breaking chalk art project on the Parcel B asphalt. Unfortunately, Emerge Miami turned her down but immediately after decided to "appropriate" the plan as Chalktackular and sold it as their idea.
2015 - Rosy Palomino made a presentation to Emerge Miami to protect Parcel B ("Dan Paul Park" behind the American Airlines Arena) with an "art in public places" strategy. The presentation was for a record breaking chalk art project on the Parcel B asphalt. Unfortunately, Emerge Miami turned her down but immediately after decided to "appropriate" the plan as Chalktackular and sold it as their idea.
2015 - By now, helping Rosy Palomino I've even been told by builders to why bother and go ahead leave town (they support the commissioner's wife) and threatened by other bloggers because I'm not supporting their candidate of choice.
This is what activism looks like. It's messy, but full of promise and fulfilling. It's easy to improve a community's quality of life if you try - the only resistance you'll meet is when others want to make money by diluting people's quality of life. I can count on two hands the number of activists that really work for the community without being paid to attend meetings.
Effectively, the D2 election has become about restoring a sense of truth and honesty in Miami, definitely a promotion of the free market and a denouncement of nepotism and cronyism that exists in a virtual fascistic system at city hall. Miami is incredibly anti-worker and anti-capitalist at the same time because of the amount of nepotism and cronyism involved.
If you are reading this, believe me when I say that Rosy Palomino (Punch #72) is the hope this election for reforming city of Miami politics. She has the street cred that you can trust to get things done in city hall. We just need new leaders.
