Why Settle?

While Laura Cattabriga slithers around the Village claiming that our current fiscal strategy of hiring and firing people as fast as we can is working wonders for our money, tonight we are facing yet another "waiver of the right to sue" disguised as a settlement package.  

We have had two of those executed this year, most famously when the Village Manager was requested to resign 4 months after starting and she received $127,000 plus a year's insurance to agree not to sue, then the Deputy Village Manager who had a mere 30 days got $21,000.   

In another situation, the former police chief was offered a settlement but he turned it down preferring to keep his dignity and integrity unbought.  

That's a lot of money not to be sued.  It's 30% of our current operating reserve and about 4% of annual budget.   

Tonight, the commission is meeting yet again to approve another "waiver of the right to sue" for the Village Clerk, Yvonne Hamilton, who was brutally disrespected by our mayor and vice mayor in the September 11th meeting.  You can watch the bogus attacks on her here at 1 hour and 44 minutes.  

Problem 1 - This Is Not Normal:

The cliché is that anybody can sue for anything.  But the question is will they prevail?   Can you imagine any company you ever worked for giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars in waiver settlements and the top management never asking "Why?"   Yet that's exactly what's happening in North Bay Village.  

None of our commission members are asking why and to his great credit, Commissioner Jose Alvarez, who I have criticized strongly in the past, has taken a No position on each of the settlements because he knows it's not normal.  

Eddie Lim has also voted against it.  

Laura Cattabriga, who is a consummate politician which means that tells you what you want to hear, voted for the Martell settlement without asking a single question.   After all, it's not her money.  

I predict tonight she will vote for the settlement "reluctantly" because it is of great benefit to her politically to have the honest clerk removed from office.  I hope I'm wrong.  I'm not wrong.  

Problem 2 - The Village Clerk Is The Elections Supervisor

In North Bay Village, the Village Clerk is also the Elections supervisor.  This is a usual dual role and ensures that our elections are done to form.   

I am deeply concerned that the reason Yvonne Hamilton is being forced out is to clear the way for a clerk who will manipulate the election.  It's common belief that Laura Cattabriga is likely to lose the election, and if she does, several very highly paid Village employees are likely to find their gravy train off the tracks.  

An elections supervisor can raise doubt a candidate's legitimacy and even disqualify them.  The process is then expensive and time consuming to fix and in the meantime we continue to pay all involved.  

Assuming that the settlement passes, watch for shenanigans closely.  It's going to get crazy.  

Kevin Vericker

September 21, 2018