"Only in America"
Suspended Miami commissioner announces she will run for her Miami city commission again
By TODD WRIGHT
Updated 8:47 AM EST, Fri, Nov 20, 2009
Less than a week after being cuffed and booked in a Miami-Dade jail, Michelle Spence-Jones announced Thursday to supporters that she plans to run for Miami City Commission again come January.
Gov. Charlie Crist and new Mayor Tomas Regalado paved the way for Spence-Jones to seek the seat she was just suspended from when they decided to hold a special election to fill the void on the commission.
Since Spence-Jones likely won't be on trial for grand theft charges by the January vote, she could conceivably be back in her chair on the dais.
"This is about getting our fair share," Spence-Jones told a rowdy group in Miami.
She said not running would be like an admission of guilt. It would also be decision involving too much common sense.
But considering the fact that voters recently elected Spence-Jones with a landslide 82 percent of the vote despite the rumors that she was about to be busted, there is a good chance Spence-Jones will be right back where she started.
If she's elected, it might start a Groundhog's Day scenario, with Crist suspending her again and Regalado trying to fill the void. That would spell bad news for taxpayers, who could possibly have to shell out another $200,000 to hold another special election.
And around and around we go. A Spence-Jones win would leave an even bigger mess for Regalado to clean up on the commission before he ever gets started fixing the city. Somewhere Manny Diaz is on the floor laughing.
Prosecutors have accused Spence-Jones of forging letters to steer $50,000 in county grant money to a family business, which she and her brother then allegedly spent on themselves.
Spence-Jones responded with her best Don King impersonation, with almost the hairdo to match.
"I did not forge any letters or steal any money. As Don King would say, 'Only in America,'" Spence-Jones said last week, adding that she hoped the public will give her the benefit of a presumption of innocence.
We'll see come January.
First Published: Nov 19, 2009 4:44 PM EST
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