Last April, when Commission Chairman Keon Hardemon, in a fit of pique made a motion to fire City Manager Danny Alfonso, all of you who were at City Hall and who are in the above photo, as well as others who aren't, poured into the Chambers to stand behind the Manager to show your support.

There was some reason for you to do that because at the time, and more so since, it appears that Hardemon's effort was little more than a political ploy to curry favor with the large number of Haitian citizens who were present in the chamber that morning, and who Hardemon has singled out for attention as a bulwark against a political challenge as he runs for reelection next year.

Yesterday's attempt by Commissioner Carollo to fire the City Manager however, was based on a far more serious and troubling pattern of behavior on the part of the Manager, including not only his extension of the Chief of Police's contract, but his refusal to act on the revelations that I and others have published that the Chief was culpable in both the destruction of homicide evidence and that he could very well be an accessory before and after the fact in the theft of 11 revolvers from the Police Property Room.

Carollo's opening remarks in which he had hoped to bring these items up for discussion included a warning that he received from the City Attorney about raising any of these issues during the Commission meeting.

          "I  have to stipulate that I have been strongly advised

          by the city attorney that having this conversation - here

          in the public - maybe be detrimental to the city of Miami

          and its residents because of the legal ramifications,

          including a CIP investigation."

The situation is so bad that it can't be talked about in public, but not so bad  as to cause the City Manager to take action against the individual who  bears the full responsibly for having failed in looking out for, and protecting the interests and safety of the city and its citizens.

Rudy Llanes' tenure as Chief of Police revealed that he is at best an incompetent manager who failed to understand that while you can delegate authority, you cannot delegate responsibility, and who by his own documented actions provided evidence that he is grossly incompetent AND  an unprincipled  liar; qualities that no one should accept or support in a Chief of Police.

The Chief's behavior also reflects on all of you, whether you like it or not,  as does the list of other questionable decisions and actions by the Manager that Commissioner Carollo articulated.

As Department Directors and Assistant Directors who in many cases either came to work for the City of Miami, or were promoted by Danny Alfonso, I know that you have a sense of obligation to, as the saying goes, 'Dance with the one who brung you.'

At the same time however, you have a greater obligation and responsibility to work on behalf of, and look out for the interests of the citizens of Miami, who for too long have been whipsawed and abused by the actions of corrupt elected and appointed officials at Miami City Hall, and whose hard earned tax dollars pay your salaries!

As I stated at the end of last night's meeting, I will be back in January with an entirely new and explosive story with new facts, new documents and new photos about the gross incompetence and misbehavior of Miami's Chief of Police.

I would strongly suggest that between now and then all of you think very seriously about what has already been revealed, and ask yourselves whether at the end of the day your conscience will allow you to continue standing with a City Manager who refuses to act in the best interests of the citizens of Miami, because I promise you, none of you will ever want to stand next to the Chief come January!