This was an easy one, but one that Shelley Stanczyk and Brian Pariser whiffed terribly on (actually, the bat never left their shoulders). The standards of acceptance have changed. The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust says it is time for municipalities to stop accepting freebie tickets. The Miami Herald Editorial Board compliments the response of City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado who, as they put it, “…wants to keep the city’s hands out of the cookie jar.”
Criticism is mounting where officials in many cities accept tickets to baseball games, symphony performances, tennis tournaments and such and used the freebies as if they had paid full freight or hand out the tickets to family, friends and their best supporters.
Palmetto Bay’s current Mayor and Vice Mayor continue to utter the phrase “transparency” yet we never seem to know why either of them failed to support Howard Tendrich’s efforts to bring Palmetto Bay within into compliance with The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust recommendations. It is not like the council members are without the means to afford entertainment. Palmetto Bay is one of the few municipalities that does pay its officials, $1,000.00 a month to each council member and $2,000.00 a month to the Mayor. Does that not supply ample funds to purchase your own tickets to events without asking for freebees from events that you sponsor?
It was an opportunity lost for the remainder of the council to join with Howard Tendrich to show that Palmetto Bay supports good government and rejects even the appearance that events are sponsored because the council is even offered free entrance or VIP tickets in return.
I originally asked the question earlier in the week with the post Work continues on new ethics rules regarding receipt of freebie tickets to elected officials. Why is Council member Howard Tendrich without council support forcreating ethic rules in Palmetto Bay consistent with the recommendations of theMiami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust?
It is more than apparent that the chemistry is not right on this Palmetto Bay Council when you have only one member seeking to make changes in line with the strong recommendations of the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust and he is met with only blank stares,excuses,with no action or support, from Shelley Stanczyk and Brian Pariser.
Keep up the good work Councilman Tendrich,even in the face of adversity, Palmetto Bay’s good government watchdog.
No comments:
Post a Comment