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The
more Riptide dissects Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez’s proposed budget cuts in
order to make up a $427 million shortfall, the more we realize el
alcalde fuerte is not gonna mess with his executive staff’s perks.
The mayor’s spokeswoman, Vicki Mallette, confirmed Alvarez will not ax the
approximately $101,200 a year the county sets aside for car allowances used by
him, County Manager George Burgess, his assistant county managers, the
assistants to the county manager, the special assistants to the county manager, and the executive assistant to the county manager. County commissioners and department directors will also continue to receive monthly car allowances.
Mallette defended her boss’s actions even though Riptide doesn’t see why taxpayers need to foot the bill for six-figure-earning bureaucrats to save money on their
rides. For example, assistant county managers Cynthia Curry, Alina Hudak, and
Ysela Llort, all of whom earn $200,000 plus annually, each gets $6,500 a year in
car allowances.
“The mayor has
made a number of unprecedented recommendations that cut deeper than any proposed
budget in recent memory,” Mallette said in a written response to questions.
“Among the proposals, a five percent pay cut for all employees, a freeze in
merit pay, and no more longevity bonuses.”
So, scarce tax dollars will continue to subsidize Alvarez’s luxury sedan, a 2008 BMW 650i coupe the county leased for him. According to the agreement with South Motors BMW, the county paid a lump sum of $41,552 for a two-year lease that ends in
2010. Of that amount, $19,200 was Alvarez’s car allowance for two years. The
difference is deducted from his paycheck on a monthly basis. In Burgess’s case,
the county leased him a 2007 Infiniti M45 for three years at $30,407. The lease
ends in September. Mallette says the manager has not decided whether to
lease another car or take the car allowance instead.
