UEL's County Commission District 7 Debate

About 50 people came to hear the District 7 Candidates Julio Robaina of South Miami and Xavier Suarez speak on the issues at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club last night. Mr. Suarez was a former Mayor of the City of Miami. Julio Robaina was a State Representative. Stephen Stock, investigative reporter for CBS 4 was the moderator.

In the video Xavier Suarez starts with his view of the UDB line and then the conversation turns to unincorporated areas of Miami.

Debate May 18 - County Commission District 7

Miami Neighborhoods United &

The Urban Environment League

Invite You To A Debate

For County Commission District 7

Candidates Julio Robaina and Xavier Suarez

Moderator: Stephen Stock Investigative Reporter CBS 4

The Coconut Grove Sailing Club

2990 South Bayshore Drive

Coconut Grove

Wednesday, May 18

6:30 pm

(There is Food and Drink Available at the club.)

Doors open at 6pm

Miami Dade County Mayoral Debate

Upcoming Mayoral Debates

Tonight:
Democracy for America
7pm
IBEW, Union Hall, 1657 NW 17th Avenue
RSVP dfamiami@gmail.com
_________
Friday - April 29th:
Miami Voice PAC
Katy Sorenson Moderator
6pm
Location: Sugarcane's Raw Bar,
3252 Northeast 1st Avenue
_________
Monday - May 2nd:
Kendall Federation of Homeowners
7pm
Kendall Village Center,
8625 SW 124 Avenue
_________
Wednesday - May 4th:
Downtown Bay Forum Luncheon
11:30am

The Elections Bill being heard today.

In addition to the Miami Herald editorial below, there was a last minute addition:

They added ....the elimination of any recourse to a voter challenge that would allow you to vote at the poll. In other words, they if you’re in line at the polls, and someone challenges your right to vote, you have no choice but to vote by provisional ballot which often go uncounted.
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Miami Herald: Another Flori-duh moment?

OUR OPINION: Speaker Cannon’s bill sets up obstacles to voting

A decade after the Sunshine State earned the moniker Flori-duh for those indiscernible hanging chads used in the old punch-card ballots during the 2000 presidential election, some legislators in Tallahassee seem to want to take us back to that confusing and divisive time. As if Florida doesn’t have enough problems already.

On Thursday, the House State Affairs Committee will take up legislation, HB 1355, drafted by the office of House Speaker Dean Cannon and introduced into committee by Rep. Dennis Baxley, that’s supposed to strengthen Florida’s election laws. In fact, the 128-page bill would undo some of the sensible reforms imposed after the 2000 election debacle and adds a plethora of requirements that would tie the hands of independently elected elections supervisors, disenfranchise voters, dissuade volunteers from engaging in voter registration and discourage many voters’ participation on Election Day.

Among the bill’s onerous requirements:

• A newly married woman wanting to vote on Election Day would no longer be allowed to show elections officials at the polls documentation with her name change to vote on that day. Instead, she would be forced to use a provisional ballot, which likely will mean that vote won’t be counted. In 2008, half the provisional ballots in Florida were thrown out, making it hard to contest.

• Voter-registration groups would have to register all their volunteers and paid staff with the state’s Division of Supervisors of Elections, which would create a database. What’s the purpose? Harassment of volunteers or particular organizations?

• Volunteers, who now can help resolve legal issues for individual voters at the polls, would be restricted because the bill lumps “legal advice” into the definition of solicitation and prohibits it within 100 feet of a voting line.

• Any voter who has moved and shows up at a polling site with evidence of the new address would also be forced to use a provisional ballot even though county elections supervisors now have access to a statewide voter database, created back in 2003, that can easily confirm a voter’s change of name or address. This would potentially disenfranchise thousands of college students.

This bill reeks of partisanship. Why?

One theory: Mr. Cannon wants to limit students’ participation in the voting process — as volunteers and as voters. That may be because his district includes the University of Central Florida, and College Democrats at UCF registered almost 11,000 voters in 2008 when Barack Obama won Florida.


The legislation also potentially would restrict the ability of news media and bloggers to take video or audio of voters at polling places, whether during early voting days or on the final Election Day.


As the ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jeff Clemens, noted, “The language in this elections bill seems to place a presumption of guilt on the voters.”


Indeed, at a time when technology has made voting easier and more transparent, when databases have been established for easy and exact access to voters’ information to combat fraud, this bill sets up obstacles reminiscent of Jim Crow.

Please Get Out The Vote!

The Urban Environment League asks you to vote and bring friends and neighbors to the polls. Call your friends and relatives in Florida and urge them to vote. We must get a good turnout because electing a State Senator and Governor with only 20% of those registered would be a crime. Let the majority put the best candidates in office. Maybe we will be happier with the way our government runs if we actually participate.

Political Forum Oct.18, Sponsored by NAACP

There is a political forum Monday, October 18th, 6-9 pm to be held at the New Birth Baptist Church at 2300 N.W. 135 Street. They will be presenting issues from your local, state and federal candidates. For more information call 305 685-8694.

Keynote speaker, Rev. Al Sharpton.

Campaign Financing.

Campaigns are difficult to run without money. There are things to do to run a good campaign that do require money, unfortunately. It is said that campaign contributions are the mother's milk of any campaign. We urge all of our readers to choose candidates wisely and then to help fund the candidates, even if you can only afford a few dollars. Do your part for good government.

County Elections

There will be two run-off elections in November in District 2 and District 8. Commissioner Dorrin Rolle is running against Jean Monestime in District 2 and Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn is running against former Homestead Mayor Lynda Bell in an open seat.

We ask all of our members to vote in these elections if you live in the districts and consider funding the candidate of your choice even if you live out of the district. The County Commission makes important decisions for all of us.

County Commissioner endorsement for the District 8 Race

At a press conference yesterday, County Commissioner Katy Sorenson endorsed candidate, Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn for the District 8 race. Also in the runoff is former Mayor of Homestead, Lynda Bell.

We had a chance to hear both these candidates, Eugene Flinn and Lynda Bell, during two UEL debates and we were impressed with their knowledge and commitment to a better Miami Dade County.

We wish them both luck in the race.

Vote Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is election day. Can we surprise everyone in the country and get more than 20% of Miami Dade County voters to vote? We can make a difference if you use your clout by voting. Take a friend or neighbor with you!

Thank you friends and neighbors....THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT LEAGUE.

UEL Candidate's Forum, District 8 County Commissioner

The Great Debate: July 29th

The Tropical Audubon Society and the Urban Environment League hosted a debate for Florida State Senate District 36 and Florida State Representative District 117 at South Miami City Hall. Oscar Musibay, Reporter for the South Florida Business Journal was the Moderator. We want to thank all the candidates that came. They answered some very tough questions.


Oscar Musibay prepares for the moderating job.


Marcus Rivchin and Ernie Martinez, Republican candidates for District 117.


Julio Robaina, the only State Senate District 36 candidate to show up out of a field of 5 candidates.


Lisa Lesperance, Democratic candidate for State Representative District 117.


Jose Pazos is also a Republican Candidate for District 117.

Register to Vote Today so you can Vote in the Primary.

If you want to vote in the Primary, Registration closing is July 26th. Contact the elections department. Remember, most County Commission races are decided in the primary election. However, with so many candidates in the district 8 open seat, we expect the decision will be made in the regular election. You need 50% plus one to win in the primary and with 6 candidates this will be nearly impossible to achieve. The top two voter getters will face a runoff.

We have set up three candidates forums for the dog days of summer. We specifically chose locations near/or in the districts so people in the neighborhood would get a chance to meet the candidates. Please try to attend (see last post on Friday).

The UEL Dinner May 19th: District 8 Forum.

7 of the 8 candidates for the County Commission District 8 seat were at the UEL dinner last night and over 100 listeners were there to hear them. We now know how they stand on term limits, the strong mayor and other issues important to us all. We will be posting their photos tomorrow and the video will be on Youtube as soon as we can get it up there.

Here are the questions the candidates were given (there wasn't time for them all):

Questions may include:

1. Many planning studies have recommended that development - including higher density development - be concentrated along transit corridors. What is your approach to this issue and how would you balance local concerns with the demand for higher density? (Some of these studies can be found on the Department of Planning and Zoning web site.

2. Miami Dade has a long and proud history of agriculture - providing fresh produce to the nation during the winter. What do you think is the future of agriculture in the County? What policies would you recommend?

3. Despite the amount of rainfall we receive, the County is facing real problems with assuring potable water in the future. What do you perceive as the biggest problem with water supply? What policies would you support?

4. Many see redevelopment and higher density development as incompatible with neighborhood preservation and community identity. Do you agree? What policies would you support to move your ideas forward?

5. Miami Dade is sometimes viewed as an aggregate of fragmented communities and cities - rather than as a region with a common vision and goal. How do you see the relationship of cities and the County? What - if any - policies or programs would you support to overcome fragmentation?

6. At the moment, the County is facing serious fiscal challenges. Often governments respond by cutting vulnerable services such as park and recreation budgets and funding for maintenance of natural areas. What principles would you use to prioritize revenues and expenditures in the face of declining property tax revenues?

7. There is increased discussion of governance issues such as term limits, whether or not to retain a strong mayor - or to strengthen the role of the mayor; the need for additional commission districts - possibly including some at-large districts, the role - and independence - of advisory boards. What is your opinion of these issues?

Still Time to RSVP for May 19th Dinner.

The UEL dinner May 19th has openings, sign up today! Call us at 786-472-0011 or email us at UELinfo@bellsouth.net. We have most of the candidates coming, it should be informative. Katy Sorenson's County Commission seat leaves big shoes to fill... here's hoping that we will identify that candidate on Wednesday!

State Amendments 5 & 6: What are they?

AMENDMENT 5

STANDARDS FOR LEGISLATURE TO FOLLOW IN LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING

BALLOT SUMMARY: Legislative districts or districting plans may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party. Districts shall not be drawn to deny racial or language minorities the equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice. Districts must be contiguous. Unless otherwise required, districts must be compact, as equal in population as feasible, and where feasible must make use of existing city, county and geographical boundaries.

AMENDMENT 6

STANDARDS FOR LEGISLATURE TO FOLLOW IN CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING

BALLOT SUMMARY: Congressional districts or districting plans may not be drawn to favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party. Districts shall not be drawn to deny racial or language minorities the equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice. Districts must be contiguous. Unless otherwise required, districts must be compact, as equal in population as feasible, and where feasible must make use of existing city, county and geographical boundaries.

From the Tallahassee Democrat:

The gerrymander — that ugly but all-too-common creature — has thrived in Florida for years.

Serpentine congressional and legislative districts traverse the state everywhere you look. Elections are shockingly uncompetitive, with only three incumbents in the Legislature losing over the past six years (out of 420 elections). And even though there are more registered Democrats than Republicans in Florida, Republicans control 15 out of 25 congressional seats, 76 out of 120 state House seats, and 26 out of 40 state Senate seats.

Hoping to curb this out-of-control gerrymandering, Florida's voters recently placed two initiatives on the ballot for this fall's elections (one for Congress, one for the Legislature). These initiatives, sponsored by the nonpartisan group FairDistrictsFlorida.org, would ban line-drawers from trying to "favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent." Instead, districts would have to be compact and contiguous, to respect existing political and geographical boundaries and to safeguard minority voting rights.

The FairDistricts initiatives have been applauded by almost every unbiased observer of the Florida political scene. Major newspapers throughout the state (including the Tallahassee Democrat) have
endorsed them.

The County Commission District 8 Seat.

Commissioner Katy Sorenson is not running for reelection. With an open seat, many citizens are considering a run. Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn has an early start, announcing his candidacy at the Sorenson press conference. There are, however, other candidates that are weighing their options and considering the run.

We are sorry to see Commissioner Sorenson go, she has been a longtime supporter of the UEL, however, we look forward to a fresh face on the Commission that will bring new ideas to County government.

The Amendment 4 Debate

Last night almost 100 people showed up for the debate on Amendment 4. Florida Hometown Democracy President, Lesley Blackner, faced off against Clifford Schulman, an attorney who belongs to Floridians for Smarter Growth. Helen Ferre moderated.

Blackner believes giving people a say in Comprehensive Land changes --by giving them what amounts to a veto-- will lead to smarter growth. Schulman opposed her, saying the public couldn't be trusted with such decisions, He pulled out volumes and said, how can the public learn this. I was thinking, how can my commissioner either? He said there would be no growth or an economic recovery. Blackner believes the people will do the right thing and blamed the sluggish economy on the outfall from over development.

Senatorial Candidate Maurice Ferre was in the audience at the Rusty Pelican, getting educated for his Sentatorial campaign.

There was a section on St. Pete Beach that Schulman described as having a law similar to FHTD's Amendment 4 and he states everything has gone wrong. He said FHTD funded St. Pete's law. But Leslie countered that she didn't know anything about it until recently. She gave a pictorial presentation about St. Pete's Policies and where they went wrong. This seemed to stop the attack by Schulman.

The Amendment is expected to be on the November 2010 ballot. We are interested to hear your opinions, especially if you were there last night.

Passing the Buck is not helping the City of Miami.

With 4 historic openings on the City of Miami Commission (one filled with a swearing in of Carollo), the City is scrambling to fill the remaining 3 seats (one will be decided today with a run-off election).
The Miami Herald said today:
Unable to have a quorum with only two of five commissioners in place, Regalado has asked Crist to intercede and appoint a third commissioner -- which would save Miami hundreds of thousands of dollars for an off-year election.

Crist, however, isn't budging from the stance he took last week, saying there is nothing in Miami's charter that says he should step in.

Crist removed Spence -Jones, accused of stealing funds from a County Grant and Angel Gonzalez was required to resign because of a no-show job with a developer for his daughter.