A Lobbyist's Wife Gets Her Way at Miami CRA

• Pieter Bockweg forced to work with bagman Bert Gonzalez. Gonzalez put his own lock on his office door. Who is in charge?

• Two Community Redevelopment Agencies have over $70 Million to hand out to connected insiders. Now Sarnoff has his puppets Pieter Bockweg, Bert Gonzalez and David Karsh on staff to divert the money. None has experience with CRAs. Who cares?

• New CRA Director. Poster child for corruption. Billboards Si. 500' Si.

• Contact the CRA they are handing out money for no-show jobs.

• As of Saturday evening Al Crespo has put out an ** EMERGENCY POST ** Read at: www.thecrespogramreport.com "THESE ARE EMERGENCY POSTS UPLOADED ON SATURDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 9, 2010, IN RESPONSE TO A CRISIS THAT IS THREATENING OUR INDUSTRY. IF, AFTER YOU READ THIS, YOU AGREE. MAKE SURE THAT YOU NOTIFY EVERYONE THAT YOU CAN, TO COME AND READ BEFORE MONDAY MORNING, BECAUSE I HAVE A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT POST THAT WILL FORCE ME TO REMOVE THIS POST AND PLACE IT ELSEWHERE"!

• Oct 14th is the CRA meeting. $220,000 pay package for billboard specialist?

• Maritiza Gutierrez screwed up. She should have signed up to be a CRA employee. She could have gotten $10,000 every month and she wouldn't have had to do any work.

• Does the Miami-Dade County Administration know the CRA is ripping them off? Wasting tax dollars on useless connected political hires? Turning the CRA bank account into a slush fund?

• Ex-radio guy David Karsh demands a $110,000 pay package from Overtown CRA. Why does the do nothing CRA need to waste scarce tax dollars on a stuttering ex-radio guy?

• Hey Karsh, aren't you getting paid a ridiculous salary to make Sarnoff & Co look good in the media? If I were Mr. Sarnoff I'd fire your ass because you ain't doin so good.

• I HEART my PR man!

• Why does the Community Redevelopment Agency pay such huge salaries and huge benefits (deferred comp, $800 per month BMW allowance) to so many who do so little?

• Why was Bockweg "required" to place the shady invoice on the Agenda? Many worthwhile items that might actually help Overtown are NEVER placed on the Agenda. Why did Billboard Bockweg never object to the shady invoice? Why did NONE of the commissioners question the pay-off? Did Bockweg prep them not to object?

• The New Times has the settlement agreement with the consultant�s company from Mr. Villacorta dated July 22, 2010 that Mr. Villacorta �agrees to place a resolution on the September CRA Board meeting for a payment to the consultant of an amount not to exceed $9800, giving the consultant the opportunity to justify payment.� The agreement is signed by Mr. Villacorta and the consultant. To make it clear, this agreement was agreed to and signed by Mr. Villacorta, not Mr. Bockweg. As the Executive Director of the agency, Mr. Bockweg was required to place it on the September agenda.

• The posting claims that the former CRA Director James Villacorta was against settling a payment claim by the consultant and that once Mr. Villacorta was terminated, one of Mr. Bockweg�s �first recommendations� was to settle with the consultant�s company for an amount not to exceed $9800. Francisco attaches a memo for the September CRA Board Meeting in his posting from Mr. Bockweg in which the last line reads �that the Executive Director will present that attached resolution for the Board�s consideration, thereby giving consultant an opportunity to justify compensation for the work performed.� He has the settlement with the consultant�s company from Mr. Villacorta dated July 22, 2010 that Mr. Villacorta �agrees to place a resolution on the September CRA Board meeting for a payment to the consultant of an amount not to exceed $9800, giving the consultant the opportunity to justify payment.� The agreement is signed by Mr. Villacorta and the consultant. To make it clear, this agreement was agreed to and signed by Mr. Villacorta, not Mr. Bockweg. As the Executive Director of the agency, Mr. Bockweg was required to place it on the September agenda.

• Martiza Gutierrez's husband is the best friend and favorite lobbyist to Mayor Tomas Regalado. Pieter "I love billboards" Bockweg will allow the CRA bank accounts to continue being used as a slush fund for connected insiders. For a $220,000 pay package, up from his recent $72,000, he will do what he is told.

• YOU SAID: Martiza Gutierrez, president of Creative Ideas Advertising, had worked on a CRA-funded music event at the Lyric Theatre in 2007 I SAID: Why on earth did they use her company? There was no other company they could find in the area, perhaps one that was LOCAL? Why do the rich get richer, why can't we help the little guys???

• Sarnoff is the BEST!

• Why doesn't this suprise me? Any time Marc Sarnoff is involved with overseing funds, they manage to end up in the pockets of friends and lobbyists!

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