Carlos Alvarez Doesn't Want to Crap on the County

The mayor responds to Norman Braman's recall reconnaissance

The same day Norman Braman held a press conference to announce he would be leading the charge to recall Mayor Carlos Alvarez, Alvarez had some fighting words of his own.

"I do not want to be the mayor who compromises public safety," Alvarez said in his own press conference in response to Braman's critique of the mayor's choice to raise property taxes and salaries instead of cut services. "I don't want to be the mayor that frankly craps on public service and the quality of life for our people."

Last Thursday, on a 8-to-5 vote, the county commissioners passed the $7.3 billion budget, which includes increases in salaries for county employees worth a total of $132 million, but also will include service cutbacks throughout the county.

About those salary increases -- Alvarez said that they were already locked in by contracts that can't be re-worked.

"We have explained this ad nauseum... I guess the Miami Herald does not have the brain capacity to understand what we have tried to explain."

Ooh, burn.

Now, however, Alvarez will have to explain that to the voters, should Braman manage to collect the 48,000 signatures -- a recall effort of which he said he will fund a major portion -- to get on a special election that would cost taxpayers up to, ahem, $4.5 million.

The price tag, Braman said, is worth it.

Mean while, residents are already chiming in and signs have begun popping up in front yards that show their displeasure with the pending tax hike, like this one in southwest Miami-Dade seen over the weekend.

"Taxes my ass Carlos. Te Vas."

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