The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 50

I I DADE POLITICS 2B The Miami Herald Monday March 6 1989 Opa-locka: Model of black power rAITRAOITION BLACKS IN POWER For $20 magazine publisher tell Metro anything A magazine publisher is playing hide-and-seek with show-and-tell ordinance The rule requires most anyone doing business directly with the county to disclose its true owners and say where they live Since the ordinance drafted by Commissioner Joe Gersten took effect this year there has been little problem getting businesses to comply Until Avotaynu The International Review of Jewish Genealogy came along library subscribes to the magazine and pays $20 a year for it Its publisher has refused to comply with the disclosure requirements the sum of $20 we have no intention of disclosing (1) the full legal name and address of the corporation (2) the full name and address of our officers and each stockholder that owns 5 percent or more of the stock nor (3) the full legal names and address of any of any other individual who have or will have any interest in the business transaction with Dade County which unfortunately may include my mother mistress and wrote publisher Gary Mokotoff The New Jersey-based publisher went on to recommend to County Manager Joaquin Aviiio that the rules be changed to exclude contracts for under $200 "Otherwise your library will have to forego the benefits of our remarkable Mokotoff wrote CRAIG GEMOULES Mayor returns the miscue After being slighted by Today Show co-host Bryant Gumbel who pronounced his last name Miami Beach Mayor Alex Daoud took a feeble swat at Gumbel on Wednesday at a city commission meeting Daoud told commissioners of his interview on national television but referred to the show he was on as "Bryant Good Morning misfortunes in front of the nation were echoed by Art Deco preservationist Nancy Liebman who said the Today Show folks referred Gumbel Here is a chronology of black empowerment in Opa-locka 1943: Robert Wallace becomes the first black police officer 1947: William Ross is the second black police officer 1973: Newell Daughtrey becomes the first black assistant city manager 1974: Albert Tresvant becomes the first black elected to the commission 1975: Tresvant becomes the first black mayor 1978: Ross the second black police officer becomes the first black assistant chief of police 1978: Reuben Greenberg becomes the first black police chief 1979: Daughtrey becomes the first black city manager 1986: Three of the five Opa-locka commissioners elected are black marking the first time blacks have a majority 1988: wo more black candidates win election creating an allblack commission OPA-LOCKA from IB That is precisely the case in Miami and Dade County most experts say Not in Opa-locka Among Dade 27 local governments the city is best known for its airport and Arabian-Nights architecture But it is unique too in its history of progressive racial relations and the long-time prominence of blacks in city government Today the five-member city commission is all black The city manager who runs the city on a day-to-day basis is black So are the city attorney the city clerk the police chief and 54 percent of the police force The finance director and the librarian are white The idea of a riot seems farfetched To a frustrated black citizen who wants to air a complaint sympathetic access is available to virtually every public official says state Rep Willie Logan a former Opa-locka mayor that access was unavailable I might seek another route for my he says my case this might be peaceful demonstrations in other cases it might take another form a violent The link between political empowerment and community tensions has been well-established in other cities Indeed six years ago the US Civil Rights Commission warned that unless Dade County and Miami provided blacks with more and better avenues to power a riot could be as imminent as the next police call the violence that exploded in May 1980 was a sense of the black inability to produce change or affect the panel said in its post-riot report now two years after the violent civil disturbances that sense of powerlessness remains" More troubling the report added was the fact that the memory of civil disorders recedes the interests activities and concern for the black community fade The warning was unheeded despite carbon-copy outbreaks in 1982 and 1984 But following the January disturbances winds of change are finally blowing and with an urgency that has not been felt before are sick and tired of being sick and the Rev Richard Dunn said recently in demanding more black access to the corridors of power in Miami and Dade County difference this time is we are going to stay on them to the The leading idea for reform is about as radical as the one employed by the Founding Fathers 200 years ago in creating the House of Representatives Single-member districts me it is the most significant and important issue to make government work for the Logan says we have housing problems yes we need better educational programs and drug that they actually have their own representative rather than one that is imposed from In a system where the local favorite can be thwarted by the majority elsewhere frustrations and tensions mount providing kindling for the next riot people feel they are part of the process that they have an impact on Dusseau says do not sit on the outside and throw rocks at those on the Again history supports this belief In a chilling precursor of what would happen elsewhere the only race riot occurred in 1971 when a white police officer shot an innocent black bystander At the time the city commission the police chief and all other top officials were white But the city was ahead of other communities in bringing blacks into power which some attribute to the presence of a racially mixed military population assigned to the airfield as far back as World War II It began in 1943 when Robert Wallace became the first black officer on the police department and one of the first full-time black police officers in the county Four years later the city hired its second black police officer William Ross who went on to become an assistant chief in 1978 That same year Reuben Greenberg became the first black police chief in Opa-locka The two subsequent chiefs also have been black The progressiveness that brought the first black police officer into Opa-locka 20 years before the civil rights movement did not spread to the city government until 1974 That year Albert Tresvant became the first black commissioner A year later he became first black mayor Of the six mayors elected since Tresvant all except one Candido Giardino in 1976 has been black Blacks in the administration followed quickly thereafter In 1979 Newell Daughtrey became the first black city manager in Dade County By 1986 aided by at-large elections and a growing black population blacks had become the commission majority although they rarely voted along racial lines And following elections in November blacks now occupy every seat The shoe has changed feet: It is now the minority white population that is feeling victimized by the system that shut blacks out in the decades before Says Brian Hooten a white former commissioner who lost his re-election to a black in November: ought to be looked at so that both the Anglo and Latin community have representation just like districting was created to give blacks Some blacks agree single member districts never have another white on the commission never have a says Logan the state representative it be that way wrong" I the only way to accomplish those is to begin with single-member he says The concept is basic in democracies derived from the belief that communities of people should elect their representatives from among their own ranks without interference from outsiders What is amazing to many is that the concept does not apply in the city of Miami or in Dade County In those governments commissioners are elected "at Although each must live in a district each must win a majority of the votes of all citizens to attain office A result may be that a commissioner will lose among voters in his district but win election because of votes obtained elsewhere But a more insidious outcome critics of at-large governments say is that such a system can allow the majority to override the will of a minority by vetoing a candidate it does not like Arthur Teele a black lawyer who backs the reform said a candidate in the mold of Jesse Jackson would almost certainly be blocked by a white majority from winning office here yet would be the overwhelming choice of most blacks Bluntly put a black can hold office in Miami and Dade County only at the pleasure of white voters a structure that some contend effectively thwarts the principle of representative government In most other major cities at-large elections were scrapped either by governmental reform or the federal courts in the late 1960s when civil rights leaders identified them as tools by which white majorities kept minorities from gaining power But the structure survives in South Florida because there has been a single black member of the city and county commissions since that time rebutting charges of institutional discrimination defenders say An attempt by a coalition of civic groups which ironically include black organizations to create single-member districts in 1985 failed to get past the then-Metro Commission majority But three of those commissioners were defeated in the fall partly as a result of that vote And one of the newly elected commissioners Charles Dusseau was a leader in the reform He sees the implementation of single-member districts now as What brought about the change? could have been that while the level of pain was there in the black community three years ago the source of the pain identified" Dusseau says found Cavanagh the political scientist said nationwide studies have shown that when single-member districts are established minority representation doubles But more than just numerical strength advocates of the change say the quality of the representation also increases One reason is the minority commissioner no longer feels beholden to the majority for both money and votes as do Dade Commissioner Barbara Carey and Miami Commissioner Miller Dawkins people who would be elected would be much more said Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez another proponent of single-member districts people in the community get the feeling man is arrested in Montana is going on here? I mean when is enough enough? Do you have to kill a child to take away a She vowed to continue her crusade and to follow the prosecution against Jones sit on that district attorney in she said am not going to have that man free on the street not the way he treated my ter Jones fled Florida in 1986 Yager conceded that her efforts to help women and children is in violation of the law I am breaking the she said Saturday I need much to convince me to do it In case after case you have judges saying this child was abused but the father has a right to see FUGITIVE from IB Yager told the Constitution-Journal that she accused Jones in 1972 of sexually molesting their 2-year-old daughter but that he eventually won custody of the child and had Yager placed in a Georgia mental hospital She said her daughter moved back with her af to her as Barbara apparently mistaking her for Art Deco preservationist Barbara Capitman DANFROOMKIN Condo off-limits to candidates election season in Hialeah Gardens where almost anything can happen and usually does Fourteen people are running for mayor and city council That means lots of candidates knocking on lots of doors which can be a real pain in the door-knocker if a Hialeah Gardens voter The three men who rule the Samari Lake condominiums decided to spare their constituents from this annual infestation of candidates Luis Gonzalez Harold Perez and Julio Torrecilla who are candidates in election decided to ban door-to-door campaigning people in other elections had come through with said Gonzalez condo association vice president would cost us a lot of money to pick up the literature not picked up" Gonzalez Perez and Torrecilla command a condo complex of 635 units And that explains why their opponents are fuming in Hialeah Gardens 635 condos translates into a bunch of votes will not let you in and if you go in they will take you out with the said Marta Montes running against Gonzalez are you living in a nothing illegal about making candidates an endangered condo species said Dade Elections Supervisor David Leahy A condo complex is private property he said STEPHEN SMITH FIU student enters Miami race With seven candidates already lined up for two contested seats on the North Miami City Council one new face stands out Florida International University junior Scott Galvin 20 was the first candidate to announce a challenge Student Council president just three years ago at North Miami High Galvin said he has no further political aspirations His work as a recreation aide for the Parks and Recreation Department led him to think people could be treated better The social studies education major said he fit into either the beer-guzzling college stereotype or the young Republican mold am definitely very he said has taken up a lot of time already" Galvin also likes to keep things loose His initial campaign telephone machine message said he was in conference with his top adviser Bill the Cat DAN KEATING Beach strains accord on Muss Center been four years since the Miami Beach Homeowners Association clashed with Beach City Hall over plans to expand the convention center The homeowners thought they had won a populist victory Until now In exchange for the pledge to drop a lawsuit blocking a bond issue for convention center expansion the Beach Commission passed a resolution in October 1985 declaring it policy of the City of Miami Beach that it will not relinquish ownership or control of the Convention Center without a vote of approval by the people of Miami The suit was dropped the bonds were issued and the building was expanded and rechristened the Stephen Muss Convention Center Now the city is negotiating to turn over its operation to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau Hold on said Joseph Abelow chairman of the Homeowners executive com- ADeiow mittee the 1985 resolution mean the city has to hold a referendum? Nope said Miami Beach City Manager Rob Parkins not negotiating to relinquish ownership or Parkins said just negotiating a management contract" The contract will contain an escape clause allowing the city to cancel the deal if the performance up to snuff so the city will retain control he said said Abelow not a very honorable way to run a HEATHER DEWAR Commissioner comes aboard Coral Gables Commissioner Raul Valdes-Fauli has been appointed to 1992 Columbus Hemispheric Commission by Gov Bob Martinez The commission composed of 35 civic leaders from throughout Florida will organize festivals and events related to the 500th Anniversary of Columbus' voyage to America in 1492 Valdes-Fauli is challenging Mayor George Corrigan in the April 11 mayoral election GEOFFREY BIDDULPH MUNICIPAL AGENDA The Metro Commission meets at 9 am Tuesday at the Metro-Dade Center 111 NW First St Among other matters commissioners are scheduled to consider: Requiring applicants for rezoning to disclose the true owners of the property and those who stand to gain from the proposed land use change Imposing restrictions on pit bulls The measure scheduled for a tentative vote would require owners to keep the dogs penned and carry $300000 of liability insurance Ratifying the appointment of James Baugh a federal hous ing administrator as a assistant county manager in charge of Met- public housing v' Counties resist call for more spending on roads Brain hemorrhage kills on-duty Beach officer 43 By DAVID HANCOCK Herald Staff Writer Miami Beach police Sgt Shirley Fagan one of the first woman officers and the first to make sergeant died Saturday evening of a brain hemorrhage after collapsing while on duty with the mounted horse patrol She was 42 Fagan a 20-year veteran with the department had complained of a headache earlier Saturday said police spokesman Sgt Jim Mazer She fainted at about 2 pm near the Beach Club in South Beach She died six hours later at Mount Sinai Medical Center without recovering consciousness Her co-workers praised Fagan for her leading role as a successful woman supervisor in the department and for her leadership of the mounted patrol unit which she helped found nine years ago "She loved the animals Police Chief Ken Glassman said "It unusual for her to work 15 to 20 hours extra a week because of some problem with the Fagan who joined the force in 1969 was promoted to sergeant in 1975 She was one of five woman sergeants on the Beach force at the time of her death can recall there were thoughts about how organizationally this would work with a female sergeant leading male officers It lasted about a day It ended because she did a good job She was a supervisor and handled herself Glassman said was very well respected She had the ability to handle a difficult situation and be as tough as necessary to handle Glassman said then handle a school detail and be warm and caring" Glassman said Fagan was living with her mother Elinor Fagan at the time of her death Funeral plaqp were incomplete late Saturday night quences because they allowed growth along the state highways said John DeGrove former secretary of the DCA and father of the landmark growth management law put traffic on state De-Grove said simple clear and straightforward People are not used to making plans that mean something that have to meet certain standards Now beginning to understand that growth management is for The rejected plans were submitted by Brevard Dade Charlotte and Collier counties Indialantic Cocoa Beach Melbourne Satellite Beach Palm Bay Rockledge and Cape Canaveral in Brevard Punta Gorda in Charlotte County and Everglades City in Collier County The DCA has approved plans for 13 small cities including Biscayne Park in Dade County and Indian Harbour Beach Malabar Melbourne Beach Cocoa and Titusville all in Brevard County In most of the rejections the local governments not only allowed state roads to be more congested than the state would like they also failed to justify the congestion said Bob Nave the chief of local planning at the DCA Local governments that do not comply with state requirements in their growth plans face the possibility of losing state revenuesharing money and grants and may eventually be forced to place moratoriums on new construction If the state willing to help pay local governments face a dilemma according to Roger Wehling Tampa planning director think virtually every urbanized areas will have sustained moratoriums on Wehling said Nave said local governments can try inexpensive methods of coping with the road problem: implementing staggered work hours and ride-sharing programs installing traffic lights to regulate traffic flow and building roads parallel to interstate highways to relieve TALLAHASSEE (AP) The rejection of 13 local growth management plans has statewide significance because all of counties have state roads and most afford to make them less congested a lobbyist has warned Under a landmark law enacted in 1985 467 counties and cities must submit growth management plans to the state showing how they will curb rampant growth and protect natural resources A key provision allows development only in areas where public services such as sewage plants roads and drinking water are available local governments are forced to be accountable why the state be asked Glenn Ray legislative coordinator for the Florida Association of Counties Stung by the spate of rejections organization plans to file opinions supporting Brevard position that the local government should not be asked to pay for state road improvements Brevard is one of the most urbanized counties that has met rejection by the state Department of Community Affairs Improving roads to the satisfaction would cost $120 million to $150 million More than a dozen of 67 counties including the most populous Dade County already are collecting the maximum property tax rate are they going to find the additional Ray asked In his 17 years working as a planner in Florida the state always has accepted responsibility for repairing upgrading and widening state roads until the rules of the game changed recently to shift the financial burden to local governments said Gary Ridenour director of planning and development in Brevard very difficult for people at the local level to understand how they can be expected to react so he said Local governments have to face the conse.