ARREAZA GETS 14 DAY DEADLINE
SUN SENTINEL BROWARD POLITICS BLOG
Public defender candidate gets 14 days to back up his complaint
"The Florida Ethics Commission has given Broward public defender candidate Alex Arreaza 14 days to supplement a complaint he filed against incumbent Howard Finkelstein with something more than hearsay, according to a June 17 letter...
Arreaza’s complaints were based on anonymous information and anonymous comments posted on JAABlog, a blog devoted to Broward County Courthouse issues.
The commission asked Arreaza for information based upon personal information rather than hearsay.
Arreaza said he intends to follow-up with more specific information, but declined to expand on what that would be...
Finkelstein says Arreaza’s allegations are “out and out untrue."...
“It would seem to me that if you had a basis to become the public defender, you should have a platform that has something to do with providing services to poor people rather than vicious, personal attacks based on rank rumor and anonymous blog posts,” Finkelstein said. “As a lawyer, he should know better.”
Howard hit it right on the head. Who in their right mind files a formal complaint based on what they read on a blog posted by anonymous posters? It makes you wonder what kind of evidence this guy finds acceptable in any investigation - where there's smoke there's fire?
Mr. Finkelstein: I think you give this Arreaza far too much credit. He has no information. That's just what he was told to say. All he can do is what he's told to do, and not very well by the looks of things. He's got his strings all tangled up. Big stumble, this guy.
NO FIRE. JUST DAMP ASHES.
More like a damp dish rag. This sounds like a bad Jim Lewis replay at best. Is this guy really with it or what? And this is the best Ross could come up with?
You've taken a wrong turn ALex. These are some of the most dedicated lawyers we have working in the PD's office. I really don't understand the direction you have taken.
And all Arreaza can say is "One thing for sure, I'm not going away"? Sounds like the kind of response you'd want of someone seeking office, don't you think? What in the world is this guy thinking? What office are you going to run from next time buddy?
Wrong turn? More like Big Burn! What a moron.
No. I think he's going away alright. Really bad form!
He's counting on Satz? Good luck buddy. Interesting no referral has been made to the Governor. Sounds like you're busted Arreaza.
Have you read the Sentinel Blog? This guy is political poison. How many times has he run for office anyway? First school board then PD? What else? He's all over the place trying anything to make a name for himself. All he's really doing is making a fool of himself.
Gotta a better idea: Ostrow should give Arreaza a job! They can blow it together.
He's in a challenge with Lewis to see who can lose more elections. My money's on Lewis. Too much of a head start.
Arreaza looks like Gorbachev in that picture. Did he walk into a brick wall or something? He's going to look worse after August.
Alex, information has been substantiated specifically, howard finkelstein foolishly admits that he has paid michaelson to work on the help me howard segments, it is out of the mouth of babes, in other words an investigation should begin from that point. 1. how can finkelstein negotiate in an arms length transaction with an employee, what is the amount of money he will pay michaelson, what hours will michaelson work and how does he evaluate michaelson's work as an employee of both the public defender's office and the help me howard segments, it is a glaring conflict of interest, it is a heck of a starting point, now other employees have to placed under oath and asked whether or not they have performed work for the help men howard segments during state time and then we begin again with the questions, how much have they been paid, how is renuneration negotiated and how does howard complain to them that they are doing it on state time, where in fact there are employees with the proper protection that will state under oath that they have performed duties for the help me howard segments. This is not inuendo or rumor howard himself admits that he has paid michaelson money to perform work for the help me howard segments, if this is true let's look at his IRS returns for the past few years and let us look at howard's tax returns for the last several year showing an expense on howard's returns. Additionally, howard stated in a prior sun sentinel article that he had channel 7 employees do the work, isn't this a prior inconsistant statement, there is enough junk in the trunk for any qualified agency to proceed, they must just allocate the resources and time and they will find what they are looking for.
Good one Alex. You've made a boob out of yourself with this one. Howard Finkelstein is absolutely nothing you are alleging.
He's the best this county has ever seen; dedicated, hard working, demands the same of his people, and has a brilliant legal mind.
He's done more for the downtrodden, mentally ill, socially outcast and indigent people of our county than anyone has ever done.
Whereas his mind has remained focused on the issues facing this county, you have chosen to berate and attempt to demean someone who tries with every fiber of his person to do good for everybody he has any connection to, and that's not just his clients, but anyone in need.
You have really made an unforgivable blunder in choosing to personally attack someone who has made it his life to follow his own good conscience in every decision he makes taking into account every detail of its ramifications both to himself and the community he serves.
You need to have your head examined.
ZZZZZZZZ I want Tallahassee to drop the next round of JQC bombs already.
Everyone knows Areazza's claims are untrue.
Everyone knows Ross & Co. put he and Ostrow up to running for PD.
Everyone knows Finkelstein knows what he's doing and does it well.
Everyone knows this is Broward Politics at its worst.
That's what we're known for.
Everyone knows Finkelstein will not play that game.
And everyone knows Finkelstein will triumph in the election.
It was never about offering a good candidate for voters as an alternative to Finkelstein.
Everyone knows why this is happening, and unless I'm mistaken, everyone will remember this come August.
Make your own bed Alex!
The picture looks like Arreaza has bumped his head. I think he has.
ALEX needs to put up!!!
or
SHUT UP!!!
if what he is claiming is true why not lay it all out with specifics so we can all judge for ourselves?
The plane is circling. It's load ready to drop?
Is that a wig Alex is wearing and Christ the guy looks at least 10 years older than 46.......hard living?
Hey guys... Arreaza isn't agains the PD's office's staff of hard working, dedicated lawyers and support staff. He's against the garbage that Finkelstein is doing.
P.S., Arreaza already sent his response with additional information to the Commission.
VERY FUNNY...LOL
Alex is burning the phones tonight trying to get someone, anyone, to back up his own anonymous blog entry claiming Howard did this and that. Now we know that the claims that PD's were complaining to Alex are not true. It appears that nothing that Alex claims is true.
If Finkelstein paid michaelson like he stated in the sun sentinel from a separate account it should be easy to prove, then he should be able to produce proof of payroll, also michaelson would have disclosed this on his federal income tax prior to the date of filing from alex and howard as a constitutional officer is required each year to file his financial disclosure. Alex the sun sentinel or any interested party can request from the florida ethics comm. howard's tax return and review whether or not this information was placed in the return, it is very strange that sun sentinel doesn't even take these preliminary steps, if it was any other office holder in broward county they would be demanding this information. It is a sad state of affairs when the sun sentinel does a sunny liston and doesn't perform it journalistic duties, are they so in bed with finkelstein, it is obscene.
You are all a pathetic bunch of leeches.
Poor guy, seeking elected office for a pay raise????
"if what he is claiming is true why not lay it all out with specifics so we can all judge for ourselves?"
probably for the same reason why Gardiner is not saying the New Times article was wrong and not laying out specifics so we can all judge for ourselves
www.terrorinflorida.com
In addition to anonymous blog posts Alex reported:
1. Bigfoot told him more stuff during his trip to North Carolina last winter
2. Miss Cleo told him stuff when he defended her on fraud charges
3. Al Schreiber told him stuff
4. Ann Blanford told him stuff
5. Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy told him stuff after his last 1 hour strapped to the nitrous tank tooth extraction
PS When will we see the first Arreaza for PD signs? No money, too cheap, or never any intention of winning?
Areazza and Supporters have pulled the cork out of the proverbial bottle on this one.
Can't this candidate and his
advisers stick to some kind of issue besides this ill fated attempt to evade what it is that Arreazza would actually bring to the office of Public Defender?
I fear it's because Areazza isn't at all acquainted with any of the issues facing the Broward County Public Defender's Office and the representation of its indigent other than having been recruited to take on the mantle of a political pawn in a game that was lost before he filed for election.
Nor do I think that anything within the scope of his true intent for filing in the first place will ever be discussed.
He made his message clear early on in this charade of his one and only position: "To build bridges to the Judiciary".
How that equates to anything having to do with the duties of Public Defender is quite beyond all understanding.
That is, unless you realize his intent for filing in the first place at the 11th hour along with Ostrow before (his) party turned truly sour.
The truth of the matter is hard to circumvent even for the politically astute.
His statement "I'm not going away" further confirms the equation.
The most deplorable aspect of this scenario is that there are still judges in this town that think political gamesmanship is the game of choice even when they are up against a committed man who does what he thinks is just and even when confronted by such political realities, as deluded as they may be, in fact implements his ideas.
The political realities of Broward have been most evident for a long time. Particularly in what we have witnessed transpire within our judiciary within the last two years as well as what we are seeing now occur concerning the race for Public Defender.
As long as we have judges and their friends remaining more committed to poor gamesmanship than to the cases they are hearing and the clients they are supposed to be representing, Broward will remain behind the times, backward in its thinking, and inadequate as far as the duties its public officials are supposed to be furnishing to the public at large.
This type of senseless waste of time and energy (is) on the decline within our courthouse since Ross' resignation as Chief Judge, but sadly requires close monitoring to insure continued success in lessening its effects upon the quality of the offices people are seeking and the services they are supposed to be providing to us all.
Alas, looking forward, the horizon seems to be clearing as the outcome of this contest is throughly predictable.
We'll be seeing Mr. Finkelstein as Public Defender hopefully for as long as we are fortunate enough to have him. I stand in support of Howard Finkelsein's commitment to the people of Broward County and his unfailing consignment of excellence to the cause of Justice.
You guys are so busy trying to blame Ross for everything that you have your eyes closed. HMH uses state time & state employees for Channel 7. Unfortunately, if it looks like HMH will still be in power, those who can speak about being used first hand may not tell the truth because they fear HMH's wrath. As for those criticizing Alex's hair, you're all just a bunch of balding jealous fools. Alex, I look forward to your serving as Broward's PD!
"Alex, I look forward to your serving as Broward's PD!"
hate to break it to you...it'll never happen. i don't think alex could get his family to vote for him, much less 51% of the electorate.
i think this just gives him something to do all day...doesn't seem like his law practice keeps him particularly busy.