MIAMI – As Art Acevedo’s attorneys prepare to file a lawsuit against the city of Miami, Commissioner Manolo Reyes said the hiring process needs to be redefined.
Reyes wants voters to decide if Miami commissioners should select a committee to make recommendations for the city manager to hire the city’s next police chief. Commissioners voted 4-1 to place the item on the Nov. 2 ballot.
“The chief has always been selected ... by the mayor,” Reyes said.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez vetoed it. Suarez and City Manager Arthur Noriega had already hired Acevedo without the commission’s input. They tasked him with police reform, but Acevedo’s Sept. 24 memo showed he lacked support.
“The department was and continues to be in need of reform,” Acevedo told reporters after his termination on Thursday night.
Suarez opposed Reyes’ idea. After what happened with Acevedo, Reyes wants commissioners to discuss it again during the meeting on Oct. 28.
“I want to bring it back,” Reyes said, adding he wants it on the 2022 ballot.
Acevedo’s memo