Dear Editor:
The ACLU of Florida is gathering petition signatures to increase the number of Miami city commissioners from five to nine, in the belief that this will somehow improve our city government. Is that really a good idea?
With the current system, if the good guys want to stop the bad guys from doing something bad, they only need three commission votes.
By “good guys” I mean concerned citizens who understand the importance of protecting our quality of life. “Bad guys” are those who would harm our quality of life, usually through over-development.
If the number of commissioners is increased to nine, the good guys would then need five votes, not three.
Yes, the same math would apply to the bad guys, but consider this:
- How successful have the good guys been at winning elections?
- How organized are the good guys in each commission district?
- How well do the good guys compete against candidates backed by big developer money?
In Miami, campaign contributions to candidates from special interest groups and their political action committees are legal, even though they are a cancer on the core of our democracy.
Developers and their associates give political contributions because they want to buy influence, not because they care about keeping our streets safe, our parks well-maintained and our garbage picked up.
As a result, we, the citizens of Miami, essentially have a government of developers, for developers, by developers. When was the last time the Miami City Commission voted down an up-zoning request?
If we haven’t been able to find and elect five commissioners to protect our quality of life, how are we going to find, elect, and monitor nine?
If the city commission is expanded, won’t the developers simply run their own candidates and finance their campaigns? Won’t it become harder for the good guys to prevail?
More is not always better. Be careful what you ask for.
Elvis Cruz
Morningside
