The Village of Ethics Complaints?
Palmetto Bay watchdog blog South Dade Matters recently exposed some insider information and is seeking info on whether the rumor is true, that Mayor Stanczyk filed an ethics complaint against Village Attorney Eve Boutsis and Council Members Tim Schaffer, John DuBois and Patrick Fiore.Our separate insider sources allege that a complaint was initiated by the mayor, but against only the council members. We say not a good leadership move from Madam Stanczyk, as if true, it’s not productive to be slinging mud against the very people she should be trying to get along with for the good of Palmetto Bay. What a difference from the first eight years of the city, during which, our sources tell us that there were no ethics complaints. The current mayor and council do seem to like to keep lawyers in business. We will keep our ears open for how this one turns out and will be happy to publish specifics once the complaint becomes public.
The Shelley chronicles continue while one of the targets of her alleged complaint, Vice Mayor John DuBois participates in a certificate course entitled “Leaders of Excellence.” The program is offered through former County Commissioner Katy Sorenson’s Good Government Initiative at the University of Miami. Our first thought was that Mayor Stanczyk surely would benefit from such a course, but then we learned that she attended in 2012. Oh well, Katy, at least you tried, not everyone is paying attention in class. Hey even the loveable comic character Snoopy was an obedience school drop out! Keep up the good work Katy. After all, every program is going to have its individual successes and failures.
Since Palmetto Bay has been hiring new employees, may we suggest the hiring of either council referee or village baby sitter to make the mayor and council behave better?
On a related note… We also learned that at the special council meeting on October 16, long time Village Attorney Eve Boutsis was “let go” after years of service, by a 3-2 vote of the council, with DuBois, Fiore and Schaffer casting “aye” votes. The village will now be advertising for applicants to fill that vacant position, and although technically Ms. Boutsis would be able to re-apply for the job, we have it on good authority that she really, really would not be interested.
Birthday salutes… Just last week Alexandra Flinn, popular Young Adult novelist and the wife of former Palmetto Bay mayor Eugene Flinn, celebrated a birthday, as did Ana Garcia, the village’s former Parks & Recreation director. Slightly belated B Day wishes to both! Former District 3 Councilman John Breder’s birthday is November 4th. Many happy returns, John!
Do you DARE? Don’t forget the 4th Annual DARE Arts & Crafts Fair and Car Show, November 16th at Coral Reef Park, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Palmetto Bay’s Outreach Officers ask you to help the Policing Unit top last year’s fundraising efforts that brought in $2,900 to support the Drug Assistance Resistance Education program (D.A.R.E.). The entire community is invited to assist in that goal by supporting and attending. Donations will help fund the popular anti-drug program for school-age children in Palmetto Bay through the purchase of student workbooks and diplomas. For information, contact Officer Patience Glasko at 305-278-4016 or Rosie Hart at 305-331-3974.
Thought of the Day:
You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.
— Wayne Gretzky
Gary Alan Ruse contributed to this column.
Got any tips? Contact me at 305-669- 7355, ext. 249, or send emails to Michael@communitynewspapers.com
