Public Corruption Watch: Mexico Beach (this past week)
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Aug. 4, 2023 - The City of Mexico Beach is in a municipal crisis. And the remaining Good Ole Boys want you to sit down and shut up.
Aug. 3, 2023 - An invocation is said at every local government meeting. Usually, the prayer thanks God for granting our leaders with wisdom in their economic planning. And that everyone will be supportive or at least respectful of their good work for the community.
I find these prayers to be repugnant. So I have written my own.
Aug. 2, 2023 - Councilman Adrian Welle gets wrecked trying to prove FEMA fraud is impossible. Mexico Beach is in a municipal crisis.
Aug. 2, 2023 - Who will resign next in Mexico Beach?
These three men have paralyzed the City in their effort to keep the invoices, contracts, and bidding history away from Mayor Michele Miller.
They’re violating Section 2.01 of the City Charter, which mandates them to provide for the performance of all duties and obligations imposed by the Charter.
The Charter designates the Mayor as the “chief elected administrative and fiscal official of the City.” The three Councilmen are preventing the Mayor from performing those duties and obligations.
Michele Miller defeated longtime incumbent Al Cathey on April.
If I had to guess, I’d say that Jerry “Bad Liability” Smith would be the first Councilman to quit. His two-year term ends in 2025.
Followed by Adrian “Drama Queen” Welle, who led the short strike against Mayor Miller last month. His two-year term ends next year.
I think Vice Mayor Richard “Iron Fist” Wolff is most likely to hang on. He’s ambitious, dense, and likes pounding the table too much to walk away. His two-year term ends next year.
Since voters elected Michele Miller in April on the platform of transparency, three City officials have resigned suddenly.
The City Accountant quit in May, but has been retained for $75 per hour. Weird.
City Administrator Doug Baber abruptly resigned in June. He had replaced Mario Gisbert in 2021. They’ve held the keys to all the City’s finances since 2020.
Interim City Manager Michael Manning resigned yesterday to go work for Baber, who started as the City Manager yesterday in Crystal River, Florida.
Aug. 1, 2023 - BREAKING STORY: Another surprise resignation in Mexico Beach as the $100 million in FEMA funding is scrutinized.
Since Michele Miller defeated longtime Mayor Al Cathey in April, there have been several abrupt resignations.
The City's Accountant resigned in May, City Administrator Doug Baber resigned in June, and now interim City Administrator Michael Manning has resigned.
Manning is taking a job with Baber in Crystal River, Florida, where Baber started today as the City Manager.
Mexico Beach is paralyzed in a municipal crisis as Mayor Miller is seeking to review the City's financial records, including invoices, contracts, and more.
Three incumbent City Councilmen insist that the Mayor must get their permission in order to see all the City's financial records. The City Charter designates the Mayor as the "chief elected administrative and fiscal official of the City."
But Councilmen Adrian Welle, Jerry Smith, and Richard Wolff all insist that the Mayor can't "unilaterally act" to review the public records. City Attorney Clint McCahill has flip-flopped since Al Cathey lost the election, and now agrees.
The Mayor receives a higher salary than the rest of the Council because of the additional duties and responsibilities. Last year, City Attorney McCahill wrote an ordinance providing a raise for the Mayor and Council members. He's well aware of this.
The three incumbent Councilmen claim that Mayor Miller is a meanie, and they insist that everyone is quitting because of her "power grab."
The City is late on its annual financial audit. The last two audits indicated problems with internal controls.
The City hasn't reconciled its bank statements for more than two months.
Former Mayor Al Cathey confronted Mayor Miller and the Council, insisting that they go on record stating that the City is not in any financial crisis.
Finally relenting to the pressure, Councilman Jerry Smith told former Mayor Al Cathey, "I hope not."
Vice Mayor Richard Wolff said that he hasn't seen any problems. And Councilmen Adrian Welle noted that the City has more money in the bank than ever.
Last month, Councilmen Welle and Smith walked out of an official meeting in protest over Mayor Miller asserting her duties and responsibility as CFO.
Councilmen Welle had the City's FEMA consultant, Ryan Wiedenman, do a presentation last week explaining the FEMA reimbursement process and where the big chunks of money were designated.
But Mayor Miller and Councilwoman Linda Hamilton want to see the contracts, invoices, and bidding history. They have both called for a forensic audit.
More to follow ...
Aug. 1, 2023 - Make a statement and support my independent efforts at BurnieStore.Etsy.com.
Where, exactly, did the $100 million in FEMA money go after Hurricane Michael?
And why has the City Council prevented Mayor Michele Miller from seeing all the City’s invoices after she defeated Al Cathey in April?
They are public records, after all.
Councilman Jerry Smith says it would be a “bad liability.”
Councilman Adrian Welle says there are too many layers of review to allow for any FEMA fraud.
And Vice Mayor Richard Wolff still can’t believe the Press can record public meetings.
Aug. 1, 2023 - MUST-SEE VIDEO: City Councilman Adrian Welle insists that multiple layers of review makes FEMA fraud impossible.
This short video will show how Welle, the City’s former Finance Director, is trying to deceive you.
Mexico Beach received more than $100 in FEMA money since Hurricane Michael.
Adrian “Drama Queen” Welle says that new Mayor Michele Miller needs the Council’s permission to see City invoices and contracts.
He’s joined by Councilmen Jerry “Bad Liability” Smith and Richard “Iron Fist” Wolff.
The City is late on its annual audit. The last two audits indicated problems with internal controls.
After Michele Miller defeated longtime incumbent Al Cathey in April, the City Accountant and City Administrator abruptly resigned.
Al Cathey owns Ace Hardware in Mexico Beach, and Adrian Welle is listed as an owner or treasurer of dozens of nonprofits and businesses.
July 31, 2023 - The Mexico Beach City Councilmen say you can’t misappropriate FEMA money because there are too many layers of approval.
The City received more than $100 million in FEMA money after Hurricane Michael.
Now they’re trying to keep invoices away from Mayor Michele Miller, who defeated Al Cathey in April.
They’re late on the annual audit. The last two audits indicated internal control problems.
The accountant and City Administrator both abruptly resigned.
It’s time for a forensic audit in Mexico Beach.
