Political shakeup in Miami leaves commission chamber short

MIAMI (WSVN) -- A shakeup at City Hall has left the City of Miami with a shortage of commissioners.

In the face of a corruption investigation, District 1 Commissioner Angel Gonzalez resigned from his seat Friday afternoon, just after his colleague, District 5 Commissioner Michelle-Spence Jones, was booked that morning on charges of mishandling grant money. Florida governor Charlie Crist has since suspended her, pending the outcome of the investigation.

At a press conference Friday afternoon Mayor Tomas Regalado said he received a letter of resignation from Gonzalez. "I sat with him for awhile," said the mayor. "He explained the case, and I just want to say we are very sorry for the family of Commissioner Gonzalez. He has served his district for several years. He has served his district very well, and we are sorry to see him leave the city."

Media gathered outside the home of Gonzalez, but he refused comment. "I have nothing to tell you, OK, so you can go and fly a kite," Gonzalez said. "All right? You got it?" His resignation is effective Monday.

Meanwhile, Spence Jones addressed her criminal allegations at a news conference that morning, just outside the Miami courthouse in Downtown Miami, before going in to have her mug shot taken. She said she is "confident" she will be cleared of the charges brought against her by the state attorney.

That afternoon, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle held her own press conference detailing the money trial Spence-Jones is accused of leaving after pocketing $50,000 in county grant money. "A significant portion of those funds went to pay personal expenses for Spence-Jones and her relatives," Fernandez-Rundle said. "These expenses included groceries, pet grooming, airline travel..."

Published reports said Spence-Jones went so far as forging the name of a former commissioner in a letter in an effort to steer the grant money toward her family business. "This charge is about removing me from office and not seeking the truth," Spence-Jones said during her press conference that morning. "I did not forge any letters or steal any money."

If convicted, Spence-Jones could face 15 years behind bars.

At the State Attorney's press conference, she also addressed the case against Gonzalez who is accused of getting his 28-year-old daughter a job with a developer that paid her $48,000 over the course of two years. She never worked a second for the salary.

Fernandez-Rundle said because Gonzalez had decided to resign and plead guilty to a second degree misdemeanor charge of exploiting his public position, the case a against him has been is closed. "He has stood up and taken responsibility for his actions," she said. He will turn himself in on Monday to file his plea and agree to never again run for political office.

Just a day earlier, Spence-Jones took the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony for her second term. The commissioner maintained her innocence and made subtle references to the allegations minutes after being sworn in. "We know wickedness sits in high places, but I will not allow for it. I will not allow for it to win," she said that day.

Spence-Jones won re-election with nearly 83 percent of the vote for her District 5 seat, which includes Overtown, Little Haiti and Liberty City.

Now she and Gonzalez need to be replaced. With only one other commissioner officially in office, District 2 Commissioner Marc D. Sarnoff, and another, District 3's Frank Carollo, to be sworn in on Saturday, and a run-off for the empty seat Regalado left after winning his spot in the mayor's office, the city is short one commissioner to officially have a enough votes to make any decisions. "As of Monday, we do not have quorum for the City of Miami to function," noted Regalado.

In the meantime, Regalado has asked the governor's office to appoint a commissioner for Spence-Jones' seat, so three official commissioners could decide on a replacement for Gonzalez. Meanwhile, the final fifth commissioner will step in following the run-off election scheduled for this Tuesday.

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