City of Miami commissioners will not receive life pensions, upholding Mayor Suarez's veto
MIAMI — City of Miami commissioners will not have a life pension, upholding Mayor Francis Suarez's veto on the issue. However, residents voiced their thoughts about giving elected officials a pension for life, creating an uproar at Miami City Hall on Thursday.
After serving for seven years, an elected official could get a life pension. Three out of the five Miami commissioners had said "yes" to override the veto, but that did not happen. Instead, a heated exchange between the two of them happened right after the vote.
Commissioners Manolo Reyes and Miguel Angel Gabela screamed at each other.
"They make me look like I'm the commissioner who doesn't care," Gabela said.
"Don't take that victim attitude," Reyes fired back.
Reyes told CBS News Miami that he thought that voting to receive a life pension was "self-servant" and he didn't want to do that to the voters.
Reyes and Commissioner Damian Pardo voted "no" last week, while Commissioners Joe Carollo and Christine King voted "yes." Gabela said he was the deciding vote and also said "yes."
When CBS News Miami asked Gabela if he regretted his vote, he said "Absolutely not." CBS News Miami then reminded him what his constituents said at city hall earlier in the day.
"None of you ran for office on a platform of giving yourself a pension," one constituent during the meeting.
"So many people are having a hard time making ends meet, and the perks and benefits you already enjoy so lavishly," said another.
"King was an attorney, Carollo had a business before he became a politician," another constituent told CBS News Miami. "Those are things you can go back to."
Gabela told CBS News Miami that he spoke with the network's news partners at The Miami Herald, telling them that he was "going to change his position."
Gabela, who has been in office for less than a year, said after voting "yes," he received public backlash days before. In 2009, Miami commissioners stopped the pensions because of the economy but Gabela said that only applied to future commissioners.
"What I said was if you want to do that, then you either have to take away the pensions for everybody -- for every elected official here in the City of Miami-- or you got to give all the elected officials the pensions," he told CBS News Miami.
However, Suarez told CBS News Miami that's not why he ran for office.
He was glad commissioners voted unanimously to uphold his veto. Suarez said Miami residents are struggling and elected officials should not get into politics for a pension.
When asked about how the math works for the pensions, the mayor told CBS News Miami that in his case, elected officials received a 5% multiple for every year they served after their seventh year of service.
"So 50%, plus 5%, 5%, 5%," Suarez said. "It was a benefit that would have started a little over $120,000."
At one point in time, it was contemplated that the issue be decided by the voters, but King had this to say: "Let me tell you why I'm not in favor.. because people are 'M and M': mean and miserable."
CBS News Miami has reached out to the commissioner to elaborate on her comments, but her spokesperson said she was not available.