I demand a recount

Matt Pinzur, Special Assistant to now departed Miami-Dade County manager George Burgess, proudly poses at the new Marlins stadium.

We've made a terrible mistake.

Can we have a do-over? On the recall election, that is.

While poking around on the Internet tonight, I found an interview (link opens Windows Media Player) that Special Assistant to former county manager George Burgess, Matthew Pinzur did with WFLC earlier this year.

After listening to Pinzur talk about what a great job Miami-Dade government is doing, it's a wonder anyone voted to recall Carlos Alvarez.

I mean, this guy is so good he could sell pork spareribs in a kosher restaurant. And if Pinzur was a prison warden, I can almost picture him convincing a death row inmate to strap himself to the execution gurney.

Early in the interview Pinzur says that more than half of the people who own property in Miami-Dade will pay less or the same in property taxes this year. "There wasn't some big tax increase, it's really just a myth." Oh, OK!

Pinzur didn't mention what the other half will end up paying. Slick!

And, listen at 12:40 as Pinzur explains the reason why public money is being spent on the Marlins Stadium.

"[The taxes are] tourist taxes and by law those can only be used for things like improving sports facilities, like convention centers...ummm, this is not money that can be used for almost anything else in government. So what the mayor and the county manager said is one of the things that make a community great is professional sports; it's true in Europe, it's true all over the world. And just because some people don't go to baseball games; some people also don't go to the symphony..."

It's so much easier when the mayor and manager make the decisions for all of us, right Matt? Elections and the democratic process are so overrated.

And if we believe what Pinzur says, Alvarez and Burgess were required by law to build a stadium! Now I get it; it's all so simple!

Listen also at 17:00 as Pinzur explains how great downtown Miami is becoming. "We've got this developing, growing central downtown community which really cities of Miami''s age haven't been able to just create out of nothing."

But the best part of the interview comes at 25:15 when he tells the listeners to get informed and get involved, "don't just  ... believe rumor, don't just believe what you see on a blog somewhere." Is that a shot at me, Matt?

But, you sold me Matt. I'm convinced; Miami-Dade is a great place to live and work! I just wish I had heard this interview before March 15th.

However, the one question Pinzur didn't answer is, "If Miami-Dade County is such a great place to live and work and pay those low, low taxes; where do you live Matt?"

I'll answer it for you Matt.

Matt Pinzur - who is paid almost $130,000 a year in salary and benefits by Miami-Dade taxpayers - lives in Broward County.