Some people just never learn. After being severely rebuked by the county electorate when 88% of voters favored his recall, Mayor Carlos Alvarez is still tone deaf to the needs of the county. In naming a Burgess clone to the post of County Manager, Alvarez continues to propagate the same mess that got him ousted from office.
The Miami Herald quotes the new County Manager, Alina Hudak, as saying: "The county is my life, it’s not just a career."
Ms. Hudak is right. Starting in the County in 1984, she has never held a job outside of county government, never in the private sector. For her longevity, she earns $264,000.
What Mayor Alvarez continues to fail to understand is that replacing Burgess with another Burgess ignores the problem of the entrenched bureaucracy that has drowned Miami-Dade County government. For instance, among Hudak's portfolio of oversight responsibilities as assistant county manager is Jackson Memorial Hospital, and we all know how well that is being run.
"Hudak, who didn’t sign an employment agreement for the new job, hopes to continue in some capacity after a new mayor comes in."
We disagree.
The new mayor needs to start with a blank slate, replace all the deadwood, and bring new energy and thinking into county hall, along with real-world private sector expertise. To do otherwise will place the next mayor on the same path that got the current mayor run out of office.
