Heated Words Exchanged Between Current And Former Miami Gardens Mayor
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MIAMI GARDENS (CBSMiami) – The current and former mayor of Miami Gardens exchanged heated words, involving the entire City Council.
Both mayors sent emails to the council outlining their version of their dispute over whether the former mayor could speak on stage at the popular Jazz in the Gardens event.
Jazz in the Gardens draws in tens of thousands of people to Miami Gardens every year.
But the verbal and written showdown between the Mayor who helped create the event, and the current city mayor is hitting a sour note in the city.
"For Mayor Gilbert to speak to me in that way, like I am some enemy of his. I was totally upset," former Mayor Shirley Gibson told CBS4's Natalia Zea.
As Miami Gardens first and longtime mayor, Gibson helped create Jazz in the Gardens and recently asked current Mayor Oliver Gilbert whether she could speak on stage at this year's event for the tenth anniversary.
She says Gilbert's answer on the phone and later in writing was a resounding no...and she says it's political.
CLICK HERE to watch Natalia Zea's report
"This is what he said: 'I cannot allow you to get on that stage because how do you think my Councilman, Dr. (Erhabor) Ighodaro would feel if you got on that stage after you campaigned for another candidate'. He felt apparently it was his duty to punish me, and that was his way to punish me," said Gibson.
Mayor Gilbert flatly denies that he said that, or that he is keeping Gibson off the stage is a punishment.
" If she feels bad, I feel sorry about that, I didn't speak to the former Mayor with disdain," said Mayor Gilbert.
He says Gibson has spoken publicly against the City, and he was concerned what she might say.
"You can campaign for whoever you want, support whoever you want. But if you're going to be an elder statesman, you're going to have to actually be a statesman. You can't be out attacking the city all the time and then be onstage."
He says she set the precedent for only the current Mayor to speak at the event.
"We are continuing a policy that she essentially started, when she was mayor she started the policy of essentially people not going on stage. Our city councilmembers don't go onstage."
He offered for her to shoot a message on video, during a film that will play on repeat throughout the two-day festival.
She shot down the idea, after what she calls that disrespectful phone conversation.
Longtime Miami Gardens residents the Griffins aren't against Gibson speaking at the event- but they believe this squabble has no place in City Hall.
"I do think Miami Gardens has bigger problems than they should be addressing," said Corliss Griffin.
Former Mayor Gibson says she bought her ticket to Jazz in the Gardens and she plans to attend, even if only as a spectator.
Zea reached out to each council member for comment on the issue, none responded.