Thursday, March 03, 2011

$659,724.33 AND COUNTING, WHO IS THE MONEY GOING TO?


"To provide the full range of legal services and representation to the City Commission, and the Administration in a timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner." 

"The office employs approximately 58 professionals including two Deputy City Attorneys and 21 Assistant City Attorneys, who provide legal advice and serve as counsel to the City’s elected public officials as well as all appointed officials, and all boards and departments. Lawyers in the Office of the City Attorney are recognized for their excellence in the area of local government law and are experienced and skilled in many practice areas, including civil rights and tort litigation, government contracting and procurement, land use, labor and employment, public records, sunshine law and ethics." 

These 58 "professionals" despite being "recognized for their excellence" and that are "experienced and skilled in many practice areas" CANNOT defend Mayor Regalado, Tony Crapp, Larry Spring, Diana Fernandez, and others from an SEC investigation.

Ms. Bru "so far, has spent $659,724.33 on outside counsel hired to represent the city."

Did the Mayor's Press Secretary ask what firms this money is going to?  

Did any of these firms contribute to Regalado's mayoral campaign?

What about the campaign of Regalado's daughter, Raquelita, did the firms contribute to her also?

And exactly whom is the Shameless Mayor speaking with at the SEC to make a claim that "the city will likely agree to some type of fine without an admission of guilt."

Chuck:

The people of Miami are TIRED of your lazy ass bullshit reporting, especially when you take every single word that comes out of the Shameless Mayor Regalado at face value.

People's hard earned tax dollars are being wasted every single day by Tomas Regalado, his Phantom Mayor Armando Gutierrez, and the completely moronic and inept Tony Crapp.

Now we add you Chuck to the list.

Your constant attitude of "looking the other way" and providing excuses for Regalado and his band of cronies make you an accomplice.

The people are NOT STUPID Chuck, irrespective of what the opinion is at One Herald Plaza.

You and the Herald are now fully complicit with the corruption going on at City Hall.


29 comments:

Anonymous said...

I bet all the lawfirms that gave to Regalado and his daughter are getting money from the city.

Anonymous said...

From the moment Regalado took the reins at City Hall, it has been one disaster after another with the Herald and City Commission standing by watching it all happen approvingly. All of the so called activists have gone off to sleep or under a rock because they are nowhere to be found.

Even now it took SEVEN deaths for a march to protest police brutality. Where are Denise Perry and Max Rameu and Power U and all the others?

And now Julie Bru spends almost $700,000 of tax money to defend these criminals and no one cares.

Anonymous said...

The City of Miami, over the years, has spent millions of dollars on outside attorneys who milk the city for hefty rates, eventually setteling the case. Everyone knows including incompetent Exposito that the city will settle just to make him go away. The question then remains, why does the city need all of their legal staff, when in reality they outsource everything to other attorneys?

Al Crespo said...

When you check out everything on this blog, go and check out the latest on The Straw Buyer. Pretty interesting information he's uncovered.

On The Crespo-Gram Report front, we're down till next week. Had to take the computer in for a 100,000 mile tune-up.

I promise to make up for lost time next week!

Anonymous said...

POSTED BY THE NORTH OBSERVER ON 2/28 IN TAKE BACK MIAMI AND INVESTIGATION MIAMI said...
Life can funny, amusing and unfair when you really start looking at things for what they are.

FACT: The suppossedly alleged crimes by former Commissioner Spence-Jones were committed while she was in Office.

FACT: The illegal transfers committed by Diana Gomez, Finance Director and Larry Spring, Chief Financial Officer were committed while employed by the City of Miami.

Question #1: Why is it that Spence-Jones have to seek and pay for legal representation to defend her alleged crimes, while the City of Miami have engaged and are paying for Gomez's and Spring's legal representation to defend their crimes?

Question #2: Isn't this a double standard?

Questions #3: Why hasn't the Mayor, City Commission and City Manager asked this question?

Question #4: Why is the City footing Spring's and Gomez's legal bill?

Question #5: Doesn't this send a loud message to the residents of the City of Miami that paying for their legal bills means that the Mayor, City Commission and City Manager support and defend the illegal transfers committed by Gomez and Spring?

Question #6: Is this part of the cover-up scheme? You shut the hell up Gomez and Spring and we will provide and pay for your legal representation?

BIG DILEMMA/BIG QUESTION: WILL DIANA GOMEZ AND LARRY SPRING TAKE THE RISK AND FALL IF THE CITY'S LEGAL REPRESENTATION FAILS TO GET THEM OUT OF THIS MESS?

MY OPINION- I DON'T THINK SO!

In the meantime, Mayor, City Commissioners, and City Manager prove to us, the residents of the City of Miami, that you disapprove of this type of criminal behavior by not providing Gomez and Spring legal representation.

3 March 2011 10:31

Anonymous said...
North Observer you are dead on to something here. Why settle the matter unless the former and current Mayor and Commissioners were involved? They are trying to settle here before the SEC uncovers the involvement of not only City of Miami politicians, but the Miami-Dade County Administration (i.e. George Burgess, Carlos Alvarez, Bruno Barreiro, etc.) politicians. THIS WAS PART OF THE GLOBAL AGREEMENT AND THE REASON WHY MICHELLE SPENCE-JONES IS BEING PROSECUTED BY STATE ATTORNEY KATHERINE FERNANDEZ-RUNDLE. MANNY DIAZ AND COMMISSIONER SARNOFF ARE BEHIND ALL OF THIS.

I hope the SEC does not settle, because it sends the wrong message to honest and ethical government employees.

3 March 2011 10:47

Anonymous said...

It is amazing how much tax revenues gets diverted to attorneys.

What a shame that guilty employees get their attorneys paid by the taxpayers.

Anonymous said...

Everyone in the City Attorney's office makes giant salaries, starting with Bru, to basically outsource all their cases. What a job!!

Anonymous said...

Almost all the City attorneys are third rate.

Anonymous said...

The highly paid third rate City Attorneys approved the illegal fund transfers.

Legal Eager Esquire said...

I wish I were a third rate attorney making a first rate attorney salary. Whose dick do I have to suck anyhow?

Anonymous said...

Why wasn't Larry Spring fired???

Anonymous said...

The almost $700,000 in outside Attorney's Fees is being spent not to defend "the City" but to defend the illegal actions of a handful of stupid employees and corrupt Manny Diaz. "The City" does not make decisions. Only stupid corrupt employees and corrupt elected officials make decisions. We hope the SEC goes after the corrupt employees, not the taxpayers who are innocent victims.

Anonymous said...

When will the City pay for the crime of installing illegal "auger hole wells" ?? Why hasn't Elyrosa Estevez been charged/fired ??

Anonymous said...

Legal Eagle Esquire ... Ms. Bru runs the city attorney's office ... And she doesn't like sausage ... Prefers bacalao .. I believe ... So sucking penis will not get u a job in that office ... U should look into the CFO's office, Manager's office, Asst. City magr's office, fire department ...

Marky Mark said...

What's all this noise about sucking penis?

Boycott the Herald said...

The Herald is a rag versus a real newspaper. They have contributed to the witchhunt against Michelle Spence Jones which is now falling apart. But do you get that by reading the Herald? Nope. You get it by reading the evidence posted in the New Times, The Strawbuyer, The Crespo Gram and here. Shame on the Herald for being a tool.

Boycott the Herald said...

The Herald is a rag versus a real newspaper. They have contributed to the witchhunt against Michelle Spence Jones which is now falling apart. But do you get that by reading the Herald? Nope. You get it by reading the evidence posted in the New Times, The Strawbuyer, The Crespo Gram and here. Shame on the Herald for being a tool.

The Honorable Tomas Regalado said...

It's all Manny Diaz' fault!

Anonymous said...

Manny Diaz was corrupt with a 120 IQ. Tomas Regalado is corrupt with a 100 IQ.

Anonymous said...

Manny Diaz is no longer mayor. You wanted Regalado, now you have him. Enjoy your fucking higher taxes bitches!

Anonymous said...

Manny Diaz was termed out. He now enjoys a $100,000 per year pension from the taxpayers. Diaz contributed zero to this pension. In fact, he spent the City's reserves down from $140 mil to $20 mil.

(Now they are 0 under Regalado).

Manny Diaz is a putz. We hope he gets indicted.

Anonymous said...

City Attorneys will say anything to please their masters.

Anonymous said...

City Attorneys will say anything to please their masters.

Anonymous said...

Will somebody inform the Miami Herald, State Attorney's office, US Attorney's office. That Julie Bru is paying all this money for outsourced attorneys and her staff attorneys are sitting there picking their noses. THEY DID NOT RECEIVE PAY CUTS, Crespo Gram Please Come and make the records request the City is going down the drain. If we are going to pay all this money for out sourced attorneys, the ENTIRE STAFF OF THE CITY ATTORNEY BRU NEEDS TO BE FIRED! OR LAID OFF FIRST!!!!!

Anonymous said...

So the City attorneys are not subject to the Citywide pay reductions yet City Attorney Julie Bru pays out over $1 mil per year to "outside" attorneys. What do the City attorneys do?

Anonymous said...

Here is something else to think about. The state attorney has spent over a million dollars on the Spence-Jones case. Speaking of wasted tax payer dollars. (LOL)

Anonymous said...

to 21:19
Who is paying for Spence-Jones's defense attorneys?

Does Spence-Jones still owe $80,000to attorney Richard Lydecker?

Has Spence-Jones been unemployed for 18 months?

Anonymous said...

Legal fees?
Who is paying Spence-Jones's lawyers?

Anonymous said...

Someone should make a public records request of the City Attorney's Office asking for all attorneys' fees and costs paid to 'outside counsel' over the past four years. Should also ask for records from Finance to corroborate the City Attorney's Office disclosure.