The Miami Herald

Posted on Sat, Jan. 23, 2006

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Mayor Alvarez: Reappoint Sorenson

There is building frustration in this community over the removal of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson from the South Florida Regional Planning Council. I have been overwhelmed by e-mails, phone calls and people on the street trying to reconcile Chairman Joe Martinez's actions and calling for Sorenson's reappointment.

I share their frustrations and join their call for reconsideration.
No matter how well-intentioned Martinez may be, he effectively eliminated a respected voice on the council. As a result, South Florida residents, especially those in Miami-Dade County, are deprived of Sorenson's experience and expertise on regional planning issues.

Her breadth of knowledge, attendance record and enthusiasm during her 11 years on the council make her an ideal candidate to continue serving residents. Before her untimely removal, Sorenson sat on the council's executive committee and was poised to serve as its chairperson in 2007. Her anticipated ascension to that post would follow years of hard work and a record of accomplishment. It would have significantly raised the profile of Miami-Dade County in regional affairs.

The South Florida Regional Planning Council is an influential body when it exercises opinions on transportation and land issues. Its most recent recommendation not to expand the county's Urban Development Boundary was a sensible one, based on sound data and common sense. With critical decisions regarding the UDB facing commissioners in the coming months, a shake-up at this time is disconcerting and, in many minds, suspect, given that one of Martinez's three appointments to the council sat vacant for more than a year.

While I understand Martinez's desire to give others an opportunity to serve and respect the commissioners most recently appointed, removing the most experienced member defies logic.

It is my hope that Martinez will reappoint Sorenson. It is time to put to rest any perceptions, however unwarranted, that his actions are self-serving, politically motivated and designed to undercut efforts to "hold the line.''

CARLOS ALVAREZ, mayor, Miami-Dade County, Miami