Leading by example and the Mayors response to the new BMW lease story...

We briefly made mention of Mayor Carlos Alvarez and his new county funded BMW yesterday, granted the subject matter is a little off topic for our blog but it's an important one nonetheless.  With the economic crisis our county finds itself in right now, it seems rather brash for the mayor or any county executive to take advantage of the $800 per month auto lease stipend that's provided as part of their executive compensation package.  Consider the kinds of drastic cuts that county residents are experiencing because of the budget crisis, reduction in services, layoffs, etc.  Does it seem fair for these guys to keep getting the car allowance?  Even worse, the Mayor already has a chauffeur driven SUV at his disposal at all times is the additional $800 allowance even necessary?

Over at the City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado has reduced his annual salary by $53,000, given back his $300 per month cell phone allowance and his $800 per month car allowance, that makes for a total $66,200.  In the interview Mayor Regalado goes on to say...

The Mayor has to lead by example.

Exactly.  How could you expect to dole out pay cuts and pink slips and not cut back yourself?  How does that look to your constituents?  What sums the story up best though is the explanation that Alvarez gave CBS4 in his follow up interview last night regarding the BMW lease...

The big question is not whether I drive a BMW, because I have been driving one for ten years. 

Right on, while the county is falling apart, you just keep driving that county funded BMW.

There will always be something for symbolism and I am not willing to live my life like that. I mean, because someone points out something I am supposed to react even though it is not wrong and (the program) has been around 20 years. 

Ok, Mr. Alvarez, did you see the reactions from your constituents when they were told about your county funded BMW?

What will be next? 

Uh, I don't know, maybe spending federal money set aside for investigating environmental crimes on $65,000 toilets, Flat screen TV's, Iphones, Bureau Cubaveras and SUV's?  Oops, I forgot, they already had that covered.

Last but not least, his priceless reaction to Mayor Regalado returning $66,200 of his own salary and perks to the city of Miami...

Well, that's good for him...

Very nice, spoken like a true leader.  In the big scheme of things, $800 may not be a lot of money, but giving that $800 per month car allowance back to the county would have been a tremendous symbolic gesture that would have been worth far more in good pr for the county and the Mayor.  With the economy being what it is, I'd keep a close eye on the beemer Mr. Mayor, you never know what some disgruntled citizen may do if they see it out on the street unattended...