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Eliott's Insight: More Than Taxes Anger Norman Braman

Norman Braman is mad as hell and he's not taking it anymore. He's mad about a 13-percent tax rate increase in Miami-Dade. He's mad county employees are getting $132 million in raises. He's mad about the mayor's luxury car lease. He's mad about the budget mess at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He's mad about cost overruns at the airport and performing arts center. He's mad about the $800,000 office budget given to each county commissioner. He's mad about the bloated bureaucracy at county hall.

"The mayor has three receptionists who earn a total of $500,000 a year. The county manager has 20 individuals in his office earning more than $200,000 a year. There is no need to pay these types of salaries during these economic times," a feisty Braman told me during a taping of News & Views.
 
He appeared on the show to discuss his petition drive to recall Mayor Carlos Alvarez.

Instead of raising the tax rate to close a $179 million budget gap, Braman says Mayor Alvarez should have scrapped raises for county employees and focused on trimming fat from the county bureaucracy. The mayor claims cuts had already been made in an attempt to close a $444 million budget shortfall.

"It is unconscionable at a time when unemployment in this county is about 13-percent, when we have one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country and one of the highest poverty rates to give public employees a $132 million raise," Braman said.
 
I asked Braman if he's still mad about losing the Marlins stadium lawsuit. Is his petition drive simply sour grapes for losing his lawsuit?

"I respect the decision of the court," Braman said. "I'm a citizen and I believe in democracy. The courts ruled against me and I accepted it. This has nothing to do with baseball."

Critics of Braman point out the recall will cost the county $4.5 million to pay for an election. Braman says the mayor could save that money by putting the issue on the November ballot.

It's an offer the mayor will surely find unattractive since he plans to fight Braman's recall in court. Braman is hoping to collect 50,000 signatures by mid-November and expects the recall to be put before voters early next year.

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