Braman: Signatures in place for recall

In his bid to recall Miami-Dade's first strong mayor, billionaire businessman Norman Braman announced Monday he has collected 90,000 signatures from registered voters, more than enough to put Mayor Carlos Alvarez's fate with the voting public.

Braman collected the signatures in less than three weeks, a furious pace reflecting voters' unhappiness with the county mayor amid a rising tax rate and sluggish economy.

County law allots two months for recall backers to collect signatures from 4 percent of registered voters to trigger a special election. Braman easily met that deadline and collected thousands of signatures beyond the approximate 52,000 required. They must be verified by the county Clerk of Courts.

``We have completed the process of collecting the signatures,'' Braman said at a late-afternoon press conference. ``We are anxious to move ahead with the process and the actual recall vote.''

Following Braman's announcement, Alvarez issued a statement: ``I have always been preparing for an election, and campaigns are great opportunities to cut through misinformation and get to the truth.''

Alvarez said he is ``committed to serving the people of Miami-Dade County to the best of my ability until my term ends.''

The mayor may launch a legal challenge to keep the recall question from reaching voters. The county mayor has paid $26,000 to attorney Bruce Rogow to ready a courtroom fight, according to the latest public filings.

`BE PATIENT'

``Just be patient,'' said Rogow, who declined Monday to shed any light on when legal action might commence.

Rogow previously said a legal challenge may center on whether Braman is precluded from launching a recall drive now because a separate, unsuccessful effort was launched earlier this year. The county charter reads that a recall petition cannot be certified ``within one year after a recall petition against him is defeated.''

The question remains whether the earlier effort can be deemed a defeat since it never went to a vote. In December, a recall campaign was launched by Coral Gables retiree Lazaro Gonzalez, but the effort fizzled in February when he didn't gather enough signatures to put the question on the ballot.

Alvarez is also seeking to counter the recall momentum by tapping a longstanding base of support: The Dade County Police Benevolent Association, Miami-Dade Police's union, which has donated $50,000 to a political action committee the mayor formed to mount a defense.

Alvarez formed the PAC, called Citizens For Truth, allowing him to raise unlimited sums of money. According to the latest filings, he has raised $54,650. Nearly all came from the Dade County PBA, which held a rally on the mayor's behalf this weekend.

BACKED PAY HIKES

Alvarez was former director of Miami-Dade Police and earlier this year backed a 13 percent pay hike for county police, which will take effect in installments from September 2010 to September 2011.

The recall comes after a series of controversial moves by Alvarez, ranging from granting double-digit percent pay hikes to his top staffers, to revelations that his chief of staff -- who has since been demoted -- was moonlighting as a private consultant on county time.

Yet the recall uproar was sparked by Alvarez's decision to push for a 12 percent tax rate increase, which will raise the tax bill for 60 percent of homesteaded property owners, at a time the county is struggling through double-digit unemployment. County commissioners approved the budget, as they had the raise for police.

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