Alu Has Salve For Sunrise’s Sleeze
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The proposed garbage transfer station in Sunrise may have one good result a new ethics law for Sunrise City Commissioners.
Commissioner Sheila Alu will suggest next week tightening the ethics laws in the city. Her goal is to prevent any commissioner from voting for a business after working for the firm’s owner in any capacity.
Sheila Alu
Call it the Don Rosen law.
Don Rosen
Rosen has been pushing the garbage collection station in Sunrise over the objections of the city’s staff. Browardbeat.com revealed that Rosen’s consulting business did business with one of the owners of the proposed project.
Apparently that kind of inside dealing is okay in Sunrise.
City Attorney Stuart Michelson and a staff attorney for the state Ethics Commission believe Rosen can vote on the project. That’s because Rosen did business with Ace Waste while the transfer station would be owned by another corporation, Green Now. James Feeley Jr. is a principal in both companies.
Alu says the ruling is ridiculous, and it doesn’t make common sense.
“If that’s the law, the law needs to be changed for Sunrise, Alu says.
She plans to bring it up at the Feb. 23 meeting.
Her proposal is political genius. It puts Rosen and Mayor Roger Wishner on the defensive.
Why Wishner? Alu contends that Wishner is another pro-garbage dump, Feeley friend.
Rosen, Wishner and any other commissioner have a public perception problem if they vote against Alu on this one.
How can they justify killing ethics reform? If they try to kill it, they look shadier than they already do.which is tough.
My guess. They will get their pet City Attorney Michelson — handpicked in a hiring deal in which they considered no other attorneys– to either (1) kill it or (2) water it down.
Stuart Michelson
Michelson was handed a $432,000 annual paycheck to be Sunrise city attorney in the summer of 2008. He has to pay for some expenses and an assistant city attorney out of his take.
Still, “the contract puts Stuart Michelson at or near the highest paid city and county attorneys in the state,” according to the Miami Herald at the time.
Michelson has a sweet deal. In my opinion, if Michelson believes a majority of the commission — Wishner, Rosen and their puppet Commissioner Larry Sofield — are against the ethics law, he will take the bullet for them.
Alu is cooling to Michelson on this issue since he (1) knew about the conflict Rosen had since November and didn’t say anything, and (2) have been issuing ethics opinions for Rosen like he was his private attorney.
“Stuart works for all of us, not just Rosen and Roger. He needs to communicate with everyone, she told me.
Michelson’s wife, County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman, is also embroiled in a garbage controversy. She is currently trying to push a $1 billion, no-bid decades-long waste contract for the county.
February 17th, 2010 at 8:39 am
Buddy, did Sheila Alu vote for Michelson’s deal? and was she the driving force (one of them) to bring him into the city on a no bid deal?
FROM BUDDY: She indeed did vote to hire Michelson.
I believe that Roger Wishner and especially then-Mayor Steve Feren was behind his hiring.
Michelson was the campaign treasurer for Feren’s judicial race at the time. Michelson had done private legal work for Alu and Wishner before the vote.
Maybe Alu has switched her opinion of Michelson. She has at least on the Rosen issue.
February 17th, 2010 at 8:55 am
also the city manger and police chief.also an 8% retroactive to 2008 pay raise.its election time
February 17th, 2010 at 10:26 am
so Buddy, based on your response, you are saying a tiger can change their stripes?
FROM BUDDY: Yes.
February 17th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
When you know better…..you do BETTER!!!! Someone need to look at the mess in the newest city of Broward County. City attorney and acting city manager is one and the same……go figure? Sadly, no checks and balances there…….
February 17th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Buddy, tigers can’t change their stripes; they will always have them.
February 17th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Just an observation for CuriousO, Im pretty sure that Tigers have “stripes”.
February 17th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
I think the phrase is a leopard doesnt change it’s spots, and certainly Alu is no exception. In fact, she belongs in the zoo with the rest of the un-ethical greedy b-tards in Sunrise. Take a look at Feren, now a JUDGE, who was one of the few, if only, parties to get a refund on his Tao condo. The new skyline in place of Fort Lauderdale, giggle giggle.
By the way, how old is that photo of Alu cause she ain’t that close to pretty.
February 17th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
I agree with Spots.
The Sunrise Commission, including the city attorney shoul dbe shown the door.