Lately, it seems that Miami Springs has been ground zero for the same kind of hand-wringing, rumor-induced speculation that Dorothy confronted outside the forest. While I’m always glad to listen to the opinion of a fellow citizen -- it is distressing to hear so many that are based on incomplete information at best -- and rhetoric, speculation or plain old gossip at worst.
In reality, sometimes we simply don’t have all the facts. And, that is OK. But, rushing to judgment and opining with little in the way of concrete evidence does not do anyone any good. Worse, it distracts attention from the important business of the city -- and we have a lot of important business to attend to here in Miami Springs.
I do not speak for the Council, only myself, but I do not want to stand by while the rumor mill continues to dominate public discussion of the issues we all face.
Therefore, I am going to use this blog as a means to address some of the current “hot topics” of discussion here in Miami Springs over the next week or so by responding to questions I’ve been asked in various conversations:
Why am I letter Jim Borgmann stay on as City Manager when he has already resigned (effective January 1, 2012)?
Why am I concerned for the City about the initial proposal by CMI related to selling tax credits to raise money for the Mansion?
Why won't I demand that the Mayor respond to the accusations about his integrity, and/or demand his resignation?
And finally, what is going on with the search for a New City Manager?
In the future, I would like to continue to respond to issues such as these on this blog. I invite you to email me at [email protected] and ask me your questions - especially the “hard” questions. If I don’t have enough information to respond, I will work on getting the information. If it is something relating to the broader community interest, I will post my response to this blog. It would be impossible for everyone to like my position on every issue that comes before the City. But, everyone should understand why I am taking the position I am taking -- that is what transparency is all about.
Information is our best weapon in the fight against ignorance, rhetoric, and the poor decisions that often flow from them. Miami Springs is filled with intelligent, caring, and passionate residents. We are a smart community. We are smart enough to evaluate the evidence before becoming part of the gossip mill and, we are smart enough to demand the facts before getting sucked into the rhetoric.