Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Joe Centorino to North Bay Village Taxpayers - Drop Dead

The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics found that:

1.) Marietta Vogel, wife of Paul Vogel, was issued a city cell phone that she kept for seven years, and that was paid for by the city.

2.) This was in addition to the cell phone issued to Commissioner Paul Vogel, which the city also paid for.

3.) Former City Managers Pushkin and Forte each blamed each other for this violation of city code.

4.l Nobody can remember if anyone ever asked for it.

The Commission on Ethics interviewed the Vogels, former city managers Robert Daniels, Bob Pushkin, and Jorge Forte, as well as the city attorneys. Nobody, including Mrs. Vogel, could clearly remember who gave her the phone. But Mrs Vogel. used it for seven years.

Eventually, the Commission on Ethics decided that it was wrong but it was done with the "best of intentions" since Vogel had been sick seven years ago and it was so Mrs. Vogel could summon him to vote as instructed when he was needed. The Commission on Ethics who presumably are paid for their work, did not note that most of the calls were between the two cell phones, which kind of puts the lie to the claim that Dr. Vogel couldn't use his.

I've embedded the letter below. Read it. This was not one week or one month, but seven years. The Vogels stole our money and aren't paying it back. And the Commission on Ethics thinks that's just fine. It's not. It's despicable and the Vogels should pay back the money and leave.

Kevin Vericker
February 9, 2012

Commission on Ethics Regarding Vogel Cell Phones