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12/13/02 - Daily Business Review.
Activists leading a recall effort against Miami City Commissioner
Arthur Teele Jr. got a boost from a major South Florida developer, Martin Z. Margulies.
By: Alina Matas
Margulies, who is building the Bellini on the Ocean condo tower in Bal Harbour,
has contributed $1,000 to the group.
"I donÆt really feel heÆs doing the district any good," Margulies
said about his help to the recall organizers.
Teele didnÆt return a phone call seeking comment.
The developer crossed paths with Teele last year when he was seeking city approval
for the Overtown Youth Center, which is in TeeleÆs district. The center is
now open in the northeast corner of Gibson Park, at Northwest Third Avenue and 14th
Street.
"He wasnÆt cooperative, considering this is a vast improvement for the
area," Margulies said.
Teele voted in favor of the $3 million youth center, which got built with a $2.5
million donation from Margulies, and with operation costs funded through charities
run by Miami Heat star Alonzo Mourning.
But the developer hasnÆt forgotten the approval process. When the project
was presented to commissioners last year, the vote got delayed twice at TeeleÆs
urging. A neighboring church pastor opposed the project, saying city leaders years
before had promised him the property, a claim city officials never confirmed. Teele
said the pastor had a right to be heard before commissioners voted. The pastor later
withdrew his opposition.
The recall organizers say Teele hasnÆt delivered on his promises of economic
revitalization for his district, which includes Overtown, Liberty City and Little
Haiti. The group has completed the first step of the recall process by collecting
about 2,500 signatures, or more than 5 percent of registered voters in TeeleÆs
district. The signatures have been submitted for validation to the county elections
office.
Henry Crespo Sr., president of the Miami-Dade Democratic Black Caucus of Florida,
and one of the organizers of the recall, said MarguliesÆ $1,000 was one of
heftiest contributions of the $5,000 or so the group has collected. And it didnÆt
take any arm-twisting.
Crespo said the developer simply asked him how much he wanted. Crespo asked for
$1,000. A few days later, a check arrived in the mail.
Said Crespo: "I should have asked for $5,000."