Michael Calderin
For State Representative
Blog
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Open letter in support of Krome Avenue historic designation
Posted Nov 03 at 3 PM
It’s a day before the election and already the people of District 119 are reaching out to help me provide the leadership our community needs. Openness and accessibility has been the hallmark of our campaign, to the point that I’m knocking on doors and answering my own calls. So when I received a call from a Redland resident earlier this week, I was very interested in what he had to say.
He reminded me that, for years, they’ve been seeking a historic designation for Krome Avenue. He also went into a bit of Redland history, some of which I knew and some of which I didn’t, despite having been born and raised here in Miami-Dade County.
How Redland got its name is obvious. But what causes that coloring – and the land’s fertility – is the rock beneath the dirt, nourished directly from the aquifer that runs beneath our state. The Redland, as we know it today, dates back to the earliest days of Miami. They just celebrated their 110th anniversary.
Over the course of this campaign, I’ve been honored to speak with thousands of voters from all parts of the district. I try to take notes when possible, because I know an efficient representative is one who knows his constituents. But I’ll never forget a similar conversation earlier this year on this very issue.
‘He lied right to my face.’ That’s what one very well-respected resident had to say about my opponent. What surprised me wasn’t that a long-time politician was deceitful, but that it happened in such a direct manner.
He had promised to help get a historic designation for the portion of Krome Avenue that runs through Redland. And not only did he not come through; he actively sought to widen the road instead. The South Miami-Dade Watershed Study clearly states that is unnecessary.
Throughout the area, residents are concerned about maintaining the near-rural lifestyle that drew them to the serenity of Miami-Dade’s far southwest. Almost everyone I’ve spoken with has repeated the same concerns about over-development and preservation.
One of the goals behind my face-to-face approach to campaigning and serving is to encourage people take a more active role in their government. It’s clear that my first step should be following through on a broken promise. Part of leadership is knowing what change is needed and what isn’t. We need honesty. We need commitment. We need to preserve our quality of life.
I’m proud to stand alongside Redland residents and look forward to working toward Krome Avenue’s historic designation during my first term as their representative.
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Education cuts could cost much more
Posted Jul 02 at 9 AM
The following is an open letter to the Miami-Dade County School Board. It is being sent to each Board Member and the Superintendent, as well as various news outlets and elected officials.
Members of the Board, Mr. Superintendent:
I write to you not only as a citizen of our community, a native of Miami-Dade County; not only as a graduate of this very school system which we all hold dear, of some of the best schools and some of the worst; not only as a person whose friends and family are teachers and who grew up holding that profession in the noblest regard; but also as someone trying to help us build a better future by making the transition from being a technologist to serving in the Florida House of Representatives.
In my line of work, I'm forced to examine and explore situations to discover what my client truly needs. Typically, what I'm originally told they want isn't what's best for their situation. But by working with them, we both gain a better understanding so we can address the real problem.
That's what I'm hoping to accomplish with this letter. I'll set aside the discussion about specific items in your budget and address what I believe lies at the heart of the problem and what the proper course of action must be.
I assure you, I mean no slight against you. I recognize that we are all held together by the common bond that we want to do right by our community's children.
At the heart of this problem is one simple fact: You have been asked to accept the unacceptable.
The amount of your budget is not your fault. That blame lies solely at the feet of the Florida Legislature and its leadership here in Miami-Dade County. And that's where we must find a solution.
Of the 160 legislators in Tallahassee, 25 represent those of us in Miami-Dade. Everybody in a position of power in the legislature this year is a South Floridian. The Senate leadership represents parts of Palm Beach & Broward Counties. And both the Speaker of the House and House Minority Leader come from districts entirely within Miami-Dade.
Florida also has the benefit of a governor seeking to become Vice President of the United States.
That's a lot of people for us to lean on. Each and every one of you — and everyone who has a kid in our schools — needs to pressure all of them. They have to know that the leadership and all the people of this county will not accept the terms as they've been dictated to us.
They must know that, yes, in this instance, they are either with us or against us; with our kids or against them. There is no in between, no gray area, and no tolerance for political games, trickery, or spinelessness.
They must know that this budget will be painted on their backs. Every job that's lost, every teacher who's let go, every program that's cut will hang around their necks during this and every election.
This.38 revolver was confiscated at Arvida Middle School.
This Kel Tek .32 was confiscated at Sunset High School and can fit in the palm of a teenager's hand.Worse still, the cuts you're being forced to make may remove needed police from our schools. These officers serve a vital function, protecting our children both from criminals outside and from threats within. The two guns to the right were confiscated in schools attended by students in our district!
You've trimmed a lot of fat over the past few years as budgets have gotten tighter. But now, you're being asked to cut our school system's legs off. Without such a fundamental concern like safety being provided, even good students will have trouble learning.
And without strong teachers (who we'll have even more difficulty recruiting to unsafe schools) and programs that promote their own interests, our children won't be able to realize their own potential.
I urge you to be the leaders we need you to be, we elected you to be. Continue doing what you're doing, but never stop reminding our community and the elected officials we send to Tallahassee that this devastation of our public school system is their legacy.
A better life for our children is the most sacred value and one I know we all share. Let that bond grow strong so we can work together, regardless of ideology, political background, or past disagreements. In this, we must stand united. Our schools cannot absorb these cuts and our children should not be the ones bloodied in this fight.
Contact the governor. Call all our State Representatives, Senators, and people running to be. Ask them to support a special session to find the money for education. Then hold them accountable and publicize who's with our kids and who's against them.
In solidarity,
Michael Calderin
Candidate for State Representative, District 119 -
Feed — don't cut — our economy
Posted Jun 25 at 4 PM
Today, I had a very informative meeting with the local board of the Children's Home Society of Florida. They're a statewide non-profit helping to keep families together and stabilize the situations of neglected, abused, and abandoned children. You know the Stop Child Abuse license plates? That's them. Although they're non-political, they have a natural interest in the legislature (which controls over half of their funding and whose policies directly affect the services they deliver), so they're getting to know all the candidates. Smart, a step toward the kind of public-private cooperation I've been promoting.
A very important point was raised: an inverse correlation exists between the economy and their program. Put more simply, as the economy sours, services like theirs are needed and used more. Not only do we have the proof right in front of us in the numbers, but we already know that intuitively. When more people are under more stress, of course they need more help. But instead of acknowledging that natural fact, the legislature does just the opposite and cuts their funding.
This is an ongoing cycle. If the legislature continues to increase the stress on working families, they'll further destabilize our economy, which will lead to even more pressure, and so on. But we can put our foot down and turn things around.
The cycle we should seeking is one of progress, not pressure. We should provide support for some of our largest day-to-day struggles:
- respond to high gas prices by encouraging mass transit and walkable communities
- allow everyone to buy into state healthcare plans
- reduce costs for property insurance by sharing the basic risks
That's how you get the economy moving ahead, by giving people relief and the tools they need to succeed.
These aren't just gimmicks and rhetoric. It's not a matter of political ideology either.
All of these are related and part of a plan to get our economy back on track. What's going to work is far more important than left or right or red or blue.
When we boil out all the political rhetoric, we just want something that works: something affordable, something available, something easier and cheaper than we have now.
We just want a government that works: that's not too much to ask for.
What do you think? Email me at michael@michaelcalderin.com to share your thoughts. And Google "Children's Home Society" Florida to learn more about what they do and how you can help.
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Jeb is half-right; he recognizes there's a problem. If he had a mirror, he could see it.
Posted Jun 20 at 10 AM
At this weekend's national education conference in Orlando, former Governor Jeb Bush used the following metaphor to describe our schools:
"The world is much more interconnected, much more technologically advanced, and it is much more interdependent. And yet our education system is an 8-track system living in an iPod world."
I couldn't have said it better myself. But that's as far as Jeb and I agree.
Bush's education gamble hasn't paid off for Florida's students.
Our dropout rates were worse when he left than when he came into office. They're the worst in the country — and that's using some funny math that includes students who don't really graduate.
Our students are being exposed to less learning as they're being taught how to pass the FCAT. Rep. Dan Gelber probably said it best: "Most parents want more than minimal competence for their children." I'd add that most companies want more than minimal competence for their employees as well.
Our per-student spending is shameful. Bush's counterparts at the conference spend far more and their students see the benefits. New York spends more than twice what we do. And yet, the legislature keeps cutting funding, even after promising to "hold education harmless."
I like metaphors. I think they can help make points more clear. So let me stretch this one out a bit.
Our public school system is not the outdated 8-track. No, what's obsolete is the stereotypical politician who thinks he knows better than experts.
Our public school system is the music we all want to hear. The artists performing that music — our teachers — need to be given the freedom to teach as their students need them to.
If we want to be a well-rounded society, we need to listen to different types of music. A wide variety of different subjects have to be important in school.
And if we want that music to sound the best it can, we need to be willing to make the investment in our children's future. For our kids to be competitive, we have to recruit and keep the best talent, we have to upgrade the technology used, and we have to remix our curriculum.
We need a strong system of public education. Let's be honest about the real problem. The real problem is that we've had people in leadership roles who don't want to see it work. We need to rise above ideology and embrace the solution that works. Public schools work, but we have to give them the resources and freedom to prosper.
This entry originally appeared at Miami-Dade Dems.
What do you think? Email me at michael@michaelcalderin.com to share your thoughts.
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Misleading voters is much easier if you don't have to worry about elections
Posted Jun 03 at 5 PM
Another confusing constitutional amendment is headed to the ballot, courtesy of the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, a group of long-time politicians. If tying vouchers to classroom funds isn't ridiculous enough, the TBRC is supposed to be focused on things like tax structure, budget priorities, and tax relief, none of which have anything to do with vouchers.
Fortunately for the TBRC, they're predominantly businesspeople and retired politicians. And they're appointed by the Governor, House Speaker, and Senate President, which means no minority party oversight.
So kudos are due Representative Gelber for reminding them, "it is less than honest and unbecoming for those given power and a public trust to intentionally try to trick voters."
Excerpts below, empahsis mine. Full post linked at bottom.
Michael
Taxation Commission violated fundamental fairness of voting franchise
By Rep. Dan Gelber (D-Miami Beach)
It is just plain wrong to combine disparate concepts in the same constitutional ballot measure. As was so eloquently argued before the Florida Supreme Court in October of 2005 by then State Representative Dudley Goodlette on behalf of then House Speaker Allan Bense:
"The policy underlying this requirement is self-evident. Where reasonable voters may differ, then the voters should not be placed in the position of accepting an all-or-nothing grab-bag initiative. Each discrete issue should be placed separately on the ballot so that voters can exercise their franchise in a meaningful way. No person should be required to vote for something repugnant simply because it is attached to something desirable. Nor should any interest group be given the power to sweeten the pot by obscuring a divisive issue behind separate matters about which there is widespread agreement."
This well-reasoned policy was blatantly violated two months ago by Florida's Taxation and Budget Reform Commission (TBRC). Included on the TBRC agenda were two items: one measure that would enshrine private school vouchers in Florida's constitution; and another measure that purportedly would require that 65% of education money be spent in the classroom.
The notion of putting private school vouchers into Florida's Constitution was wildly unpopular with nearly six out of ten voters opposing it. The same poll noted that the education funding measure was wildly popular with about the same number supporting it.
The TBRC combined the popular measure with the unpopular measure so that citizens will not have the opportunity to exercise their franchise on each issue. In November, Amendment Nine will ask citizens if they want to increase education classroom spending AND enshrine vouchers in Florida's constitution. One vote on two totally disparate measures.
They wanted the vouchers to pass so they combined it with an empty, but sweet sounding, education funding measure. In fact, the word "voucher" is not even referenced in the measure so Floridians will have no idea what they are voting for. Ironically, the education funding part won't even increase education funding because it doesn't define what is "classroom spending" and most school districts already spend more than 65% in the classroom.
The TBRC leadership will argue that they had the power to combine measures. While I disagree, it's a sorry defense that doesn't make it right. It is less than honest and unbecoming for those given power and a public trust to intentionally try to trick voters.
Hopefully, by voting the measure down Florida citizens will right this wrong, unless a Florida court fixes it first.
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New website: fired up, ready to go
Posted Jun 03 at 4 PM
I'm pleased to let you all know that this new site is up and running.
