I write today to set the record straight. I would like to start with a little bit of background. Since November of 2007, I have had the honor of serving as a Miami Beach Commissioner. I’ve fought for good government and against wasteful spending. When I was first elected, it was during a time when residents were appalled that Mt. Sinai was seeking a $95 million bailout akin to corporate welfare. And my record includes standing in the way of our former Commission selling out our quality of life in the rotten Convention Center deal in 2013. And, when Mt. Sinai wanted $15 million recently from our City, I called it for what it was, corporate welfare. And I was the lone vote against them getting their $15 million. More recently, Mt. Sinai has openly fought Baptist Hospital’s efforts to bring quality and accessible healthcare to South Beach. Disgusted that they would put profits over people, I put the item on the July 31st meeting agenda and tried to get my colleagues’ support for taking back the $15 million. Again, I was alone in the minority.Earlier this year, I became Chairman of Relentless for Progress, a statewide Political Action Committee. It was formed to fight for good government on Miami Beach and to have an impact on issues that affect us statewide, such as sea level rise, clean water, anti-gaming expansion, and combating taxpayer funded corporate giveaways.

Our fund raising has been swift. The main reason for this letter is that a series of false personal attacks have questioned the legality of the committee’s fundraising. As a result of Mr. Putney’s unprofessional, factually incorrect, and unethical op-ed he has adversely affected this committee’s ability to raise funds. The Committee was formed to support good candidates in Miami Beach and throughout the State. This is an appeal to correct the record and get our efforts back on track, so we can go about our mission to elect good people.And the success of our efforts has become the target of a series of false personal attacks by local journalist Michael Putney. It is alarming and disheartening, but as I lay out below, this once respected journalist is failing to disclose information and creating news in order to protect his cronies. And like Dan Rather and Brian Williams before him, Mr. Putney preaches “transparency,” but conveniently doesn’t apply it to himself. I make mention of these journalists because I ask the reader to consider that Mr. Putney is not who he has portrayed himself to be over the years.Mr. Putney’s attacks on the fund raising success of Relentless for Progress are baseless and rooted in personal interest. We have attracted major support from various stakeholders all across Miami Beach, including people and companies who do business with the City. This is 100% legal at the county, state and federal level. In fact, the current and former City Attorney have both concluded that the ordinances Mr. Putney uses in his arguments do not restrict in any shape or form to donations to political committees. Our City’s ordinance is not vague. It is clear the ordinance only applies to candidates for municipal office, and the Relentless for Progress donations are absolutely legal.Mr. Putney recently wrote an Op-Ed alleging I went after the $15 million dollar grant for Mt. Sinai, because they didn’t contribute to the political committee. He never called me before leveling that accusation, as is the customary professional journalistic practice. Had he done so, he would have learned that I have always been against Mt. Sinai’s corporate welfare ways as I previously explained.Mr. Putney’s suggestion that my votes against taxpayer-funded handouts to Mt. Sinai are related to campaign contributions is both false and defamatory. Had he called me to fact-check, he would have found out that Mt. Sinai Board Members were the ones who wanted to contribute to Relentless for Progress, but I refused their financial support.

But, inexplicably, Mr. Putney, a veteran political reporter who knows better than to blindly trust his sources’ motives before running recklessly with a story, did not even bother to take a few minutes to call me. He had ample time. There was no deadline. This was no mistake. What did Mr. Putney fail to ethically and professionally disclose? Mr. Putney failed to disclose that his co-host and partner on This Week in South Florida, Glenna Milberg, is married to Mount Sinai Medical Center Foundation Executive Director Michael Milberg. He’s obviously upset with my outspoken work against his employers’ corporate welfare (since 2007) and that I tried to save our residents’ hard-earned taxpayer money by asking my Commission colleagues to rescind their approval of the $15 million taxpayer handout to Mount Sinai. And his wife’s show where Mr. Putney works should steer clear of such conflict-ridden topics. Michael Putney’s failure to disclose these facts to his viewers and readers is a critical fact that cuts to the heart of his credibility on this issue. Journalistic ethics and integrity mandates this type of relationship be disclosed to the public.I have always abided by the philosophy of my good friend and mentor, a former Miami Beach Mayor. He taught me early on, “Raise money from everyone, ask everyone for their vote but don’t be an elected official if you can’t say no to your friends based on principle.” The Fontainebleau Resort Hotel has donated to my campaigns, yet I’ve always voted against their casino gaming expansion agenda. I have raised political donations from developers, yet I have consistently voted against their items and stood up in favor of residents’ interests.Political donations do not result in corruption. Corruption results from a weak person that has no ethical compass. I will always maintain my ethical standards and follow my ethical compass on behalf of the people I represent, even as a lone dissenting voice and amidst controversy. If Michael Putney were truly concerned with the role of contributions to PAC’s, he would cover the totality of the issue. He would take issue with the County Mayor’s Political Committee raising over $1 million from vendors, lobbyists and developers a full year before the August 2016 election. He would take issue with the United States Supreme Court’s ruling that unlimited political soft money contributions are protected free speech. But that’s not what he opts to do. Mr. Putney’s motivations in this regard are grounded in nepotism and unprofessional bias. He has unfairly singled out my Political Committee with his angst. Mr. Putney has reduced himself to a political hack for Mt. Sinai and its operatives. Now that’s truly “sleazy.”

Again, this is about getting the committee back on track.

Please go to our website and contribute at: www.relentlessforprogress.net/donations

Sincerely,Jonah Wolfson

Now, What’s Sleazy?

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