# Miami-Dade referendum on a "strong mayor" system **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 14, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miami-dade-referendum-on-a-strong-mayor-system/387954 "2007-01-14T17:02:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miami-dade-referendum-on-a-strong-mayor-system/387954/1 "2007-01-14T17:02:10Z")
[Miami-Dade County, Florida,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami-Dade_County) has a more important county government than many metro areas. There is an elected “county mayor” but most power is in the hands of the County Commission and a professional county manager appointed by the Commission. On January 23, there will be a referendum on whether to change to a “strong mayor” system, which will give greater power to the mayor, including the power to hire and fire the county manager. Story [here.](http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16456489.htm) Good or bad idea? I haven’t even decided how to vote on this yet, I’ve been living here less than a year. But I’m very aware of it because the public library where I work is serving as an early-voting station. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miami-dade-referendum-on-a-strong-mayor-system/387954/2 "2007-01-14T17:13:09Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] [Miami-Dade County, Florida,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami-Dade_County) has a more important county government than many metro areas. There is an elected “county mayor” but most power is in the hands of the County Commission and a professional county manager appointed by the Commission. On January 23, there will be a referendum on whether to change to a “strong mayor” system, which will give greater power to the mayor, including the power to hire and fire the county manager. Story [here.](http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16456489.htm) Good or bad idea? I haven’t even decided how to vote on this yet, I’ve been living here less than a year. But I’m very aware of it because the public library where I work is serving as an early-voting station. [/QUOTE] I don’t really care one way or the other, so I will probably not be voting. I wonder if this means I’m a bad citizen. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miami-dade-referendum-on-a-strong-mayor-system/387954/3 "2007-01-14T19:26:22Z")
[Dallas](http://web2.unt.edu/news/story.cfm?story=9879) went through this debate a year or so ago. I voted no. The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miami-dade-referendum-on-a-strong-mayor-system/387954/4 "2007-01-22T16:16:28Z")
Nobody has an opinion? I gotta vote on this tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/miami-dade-referendum-on-a-strong-mayor-system/387954/5 "2007-01-22T16:20:29Z")
Started an [IMHO](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=405076) thread, too, just in case that’s more appropriate.