According to the Government Information Center and its Director Judy Zito, everything in Miami-Dade County is just great!
The Miami Herald continues to shed the light on how taxpayer money is being used to promote the idea that Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Manager George Burgess are professionally running the multi-billion dollar county government.
We first told you about Burgess' personal PR "spinzur" Matt Pinzur, and now we can add to the Herald's revelations.
Judy Zito receives $209,000 to run "the Government Information Center, an obscure department with 187 employees and a $16.8 million budget. It runs the county website, TV station, and the 311 hotline." The "Center" also employs several highly paid bureaucrats to make sure County workers toe the line against the effort to recall the mayor.
Zito keeps track of where bureaucrats speak, emailing "department heads, urging them to speak to community groups in defense of the county budget.
She implores “[t]his is the final push and I expect every division head and region manager to be doing their part.” And woe be unto thee if you fail to meet these expectations, for County Manager George Burgess will have you in his cross-hairs.
"Zito keeps a database to track speeches by county administrators, including which groups have been pitched and when."
Of course, many of the County department directors have a vested interest in protecting their six figure taxpayer funded salaries and golden pension plans, with the added "benefit" of a coercive and intrusive boss.
The propaganda machine starts straight at the top, with George Burgess.
"In the past month, Burgess has sent email blasts — called “View From The Top” — to more than 700 government workers, lobbyists and community leaders touting his county work. One email heaps praise on Alvarez for a “stirring” State of the County address, and for making “powerful statements” about lowering property taxes:
“It was yet another chance,” Burgess wrote, “to reflect how fortunate Miami-Dade County has been these last six years to have a leader of great integrity, commitment and bravery.”
In the end, no amount of propaganda will drown out the people's voice.
And on March 15th, they will speak loudly to reject this "leader of great integrity, commitment and bravery" and send him home to enjoy his six figure lifetime taxpayer funded pension.
