Association Headed By Lieberman Solicts $$$ From Business
BY BUDDY NEVINS
A firm doing business with Broward was asked earlier this year to sponsor the Florida Association of Counties conference where County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman was named the group’s president.
Nothing illegal in that. But at the same time the ethics of commissioners are being question, this one doesn’t looks right.
The request from the Florida Association of Counties came out of the blue. The firm’s government relations official had never been solicted by the association before.
The corporation had issues pending before the Broward County Commission when it was asked to sponsor the conference.
The solicitation of the money is interesting because of the debate about ethics at the county commission.
Reformers argue that businesses should not be solicted by commissioners or fund raisers using their names. Such solictations smack of pay-for-play, reformers say.
The Association wanted the money to sponsor the group’s annual conference June 29-July 2 in Tampa. Lieberman became president of the association at conference.
Sponsorships costs from $1,000 to $5,000.
Lieberman is one of those county commissioners being investigated in the wide-ranging probe of corruption involving the relationship between special interests and the commission, according to numerous sources and printed reports.
She has not been accused of any criminal wrong doing.
I have no idea if Lieberman had anything to do with the solicitation. Maybe it was just clever researcher at the association who found the name of the business and were trying to pay for the conference.
Among the association’s major sponsors listed on its website are Waste Management, CITI’s municipal securities division and PBS&J engineering consultants. All three have business in Broward along with many other places in Florida.
Lieberman was reported by The New Times today to be traveling in China on a trip sponsored by the National Association of Counties. The Florida group is part of the national association.
August 31st, 2010 at 8:13 pm
Makes you want to go “hmmm”.
September 1st, 2010 at 7:04 am
Virtually every professional association solicits corporate support for some of the “frills” at its annual conventions.
It’s hardly different than selling advertising space.
September 1st, 2010 at 8:07 am
Because of corruption scandals, so long as county commissioners have both legislative and executive authority anything they do will be suspect. The council manager form of government does not work well for Broward anymore. The county needs separation of powers. An elected executive solves that problem. The root cause of the ethics issue is that commissioners vote on contracts. That is no longer needed if you have an elected executive. The time has come for this change to occur.
September 1st, 2010 at 9:58 am
Fort Lauderdale now has a law that Commissioners can’t raise funds for third parties. This prevents the “pay to play” problem that Broward County is known for. Remember Lieberman got 25 large from felon Chait for her favorite charity? She is the Queen of shake down.
September 1st, 2010 at 10:32 am
Lieberman was not at the Commission yesterday, but yet she is the one most written about when it comes to the Ethics Code. What no one reporting or commenting on is the entire Commission’s ad naseum attempt to circumvent the ethics code in nearly every item they discussed.
Keechl: fundraiser for the Mayor’s Gala for the United Way.
Wexler: County staff is not qualified to make decisions on county contracts. Only commisssioners should make those decisions and a commission committee should be formed to oversee staff and their decisions. (That one is just flat out disgusting.)
They are a joke. I encourage that better attention be given to what is going on right now! The corruption extends far beyond the Chaits/Lieberman and law enforcement and the media simply turn away. Makes me want to go hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
September 1st, 2010 at 10:31 pm
There needs to be a bipartisan, or partisan – elect all new Dems if you must, just competent ones – sweep of all incumbents on that commission. Clean sweeps usually take out a lot of good with the bad. But this whole body is stale and useless and getting more useless by the day.
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:06 pm
@Vote them out says
Couldn’t agree with you more.
September 3rd, 2010 at 11:55 am
@ separation of powers
You mean like the Sheriff who got millions in support from SR then gave a no bid contract to Edify, one of SR’s companies. Elected executive?
September 3rd, 2010 at 11:57 am
@ separation of powers
You mean like the Sheriff who got millions in support from SR then gave a no bid contract to Edify, one of SR’s companies. Elected executive?
Oh, and by the way, had his head of Internal Affairs escort SR to his plane to fly to Morocco. That elected executive?
September 10th, 2010 at 11:32 am
Lobbyist Bev Stracher gets $100,000 in cash from the corrupt developer The Chaits. In the mniddle of the investigation, Lieberman hires Stracher as a county aide. To shut her up?
Did Stracher pay taxes or did she pass any on to Ilene Lieberman or did the Chaits hire Lieberman or her husband as a lawyer? I am praying Mike Satz finds out.