Posted on 07/27/2005 3:18:32 PM PDT by blackeagle
Former Miami commissioner Art Teele committed suicide in lobby of the Miami herald building. He was being brought up under corruption charges
http://www.kyrepublicans.com/stories/duncan050201.asp
The reference to Teele is near the bottom of the page. He may have been a convenient "convert" to the Republican party in order to take on a Democrat rival. But he apparently DID join the party.
He is a Republican.
I googled "Art Teele democrat" and the first story that came up ID'ed him as a Republican.
No, I think he was GOP for a very long time. He served in the Reagan administration. Also, remember that in Dade county politics one does not need to be nominated by a party to run for office. So there still would have been no need for him to change to GOP if he was a dem to begin with. But like I said, he was a GOP from way back in the Reagan administration.
My gun club fought Teele tooth and nail in the early 90's over his gun control views when he was a commissioner in the good graces of the people. He was always a great disappointment to me as a former army officer. I never understood his antigun stances, since he was himself a former army officer and an airborne ranger.
Oh.
So are we going to go with the "He's not a real republican" or "He was setup by the MSM"?
Frankly, he never sounded much like a republican to me...
My bad, the Miami Herald today reported the handgun to be a Sig Sauer, not a revolver.
Arrogant Cuban politicians in Miami are many, most of them DEMONCRATS! who are now crying like hypocrites over Teele's death. Teele was right.
On the Maria Elvita Salazar program, Teele was called a hero numerous times for his opposition to the Mammon worshipping politicians and developers. Cuban Maria Elvita said without Teele, who will we have to fight for the poor and the middle class that can't afford to live in the New Miami real estate? Not many people sound convinced that he was guilty of what they are charging him of. The other politicians in town on the other hand.....
Colonel Matias Farias, (Cuban) of Lapoderosa.com WWFE 670 AM said on his radio program last night that it was a cabal between the developers who wanted to take over Overtown and Liberty City and displace the poor and middle class for their $400,000 condominiums that only rich people can afford and the corrupt politicians and reporters who wanted to humiliate Teele personally and kill him politically and ruin him financially because he was opposed to their plans of taking over every area in Miami for the rich, and this one hit his constituents.
Colonel Farias made this point: Teele was absolved of charges in the first court case and now they were alleging he took cutbacks of $59,000, but what about the 330 million dollars and greater sums that have been lost by other prominent politicians in Miami and the money trails lead to prominent companies who are still doing business in Miami as if nothing happened. No charges ever filed. They had it out for Teele and want us to believe that with his well known SoFla face, he was kissing a girl in public at the Metrorail and the testimony of a transvestite prostitute in jail.
Most Cubans in this town loved Arthur Teele, decorated Vietnam vet, and defender of the poor.
Some comments on the condolences page of the online Miami Herald.
July 28, 2005 Art: Thanks for carrying the flag for the working folks in the world and the less fortunate people. Who did you appoint to keep the struggle going strong? Thanks for trying to help us. Robert Martin (Fort lauderdale, FL )
July 28, 2005 No matter the veil of public scrutiny, we knew Arthur as the kind, loving, generous and committed spirit that he truly was. He uplifted the down trodden, spoke kindly (and listened) to the voiceless. He was a champion of the poor, and sword against their oppressor. He has paid the ultimate price - he deserves our enternal respect. Rest peacefully. . .and well. Thank you. Darryl Gorham, Friend Darryl Gorham (Tallahassee, FL )
July 28, 2005 Dear Mrs. Teele and family,
I will always remember Arthur Teele because of his sincere love for the people of Overtown and especially the children. Four Novembers ago, Miami Rescue Mission held a Grand Opening and Dedication of the new Community Activity Center, with programs for "at risk" children and youth of the Overtown area. Mr.Teele was the only elected politician that responded to the formal invitation that was sent out. I will never forget the inspired challenge that Commissioner Teele delivered to the young people and adults that filled the gym that stormy afternoon. He concluded his remarks with these words;"I am a very busy man, but I just had to come here today and thank you for what you are doing in the community and to encourage these beautiful young people. May God bless your work. Although you are just accross the border from my district, by a few feet, you are serving the people in my district and I thank you."
I will remember and thank God for the good that Arthur Teele Jr. did in his life time. I am my staff join hearts and hands in asking God's comfort and blessing upon you and your family.
Dr. Franklin M.Jacobs President
Miami Rescue Mission
July 28, 2005 I, like Art, served as a Black officer in Vietnam. I came to know him when we were both captains at Ft. Bragg, NC. He was such a positive example for young Black troops. As aide-de-camp for Lt. General Westmoreland, Art had the contacts and power to help other, less fortunate Black soldiers and he did, every chance that he got.
There weren't many like him then; there aren't any like him now. I'll always remember the good that he did and encourage you to do so.
Rest in peace, my Brother.
Oliver Melvin (clearwater, FL )
July 28, 2005 The Cuban American National Foundation wishes to express heartfelt condolences to the family of Commissioner Arthur Teele. You are in our thoughts and prayers during these very difficult times. Commissioner Teele's service on behalf of our country and community will never be forgotten. Alfredo Mesa (Miami, FL )
Local10.com Indicted Commissioner: 'I've Done Nothing Wrong' Former Official Facing Federal Fraud, Money Laundering Charges
POSTED: 12:52 pm EDT July 22, 2005
MIAMI -- Former Commissioner Arthur Teele, who is charged with mail and wire fraud and money laundering, was in federal court Friday morning.
Former Commissioner Arthur Teele Teele pleaded not guilty to the charges, and then spoke exclusively to Local 10 reporter Rad Berky, telling him, "I've done nothing wrong."
"My relationship with every client that I have ever had in that is in Miami-Dade County is that I will not be involved in any matter relating to local government," Teele said.
Teele is accused of helping minority company win more than $20 million worth of electrical contracts at Miami International Airport, when the work ended up actually being done by a much larger, non-minority company.
Teele's attorney, David Garvin, said, "The commissioner was not part of any improper scheme. Period."
Teele said he was acting as an attorney-consultant in the deal where FLP Enterprises, a small firm in Little Haiti, was awarded the multimillion-dollar contract. Officials say all of the employees of FLP were actually employees of Fisk Electrical, a much larger non-minority-owned company.
Teele told Berky that he did nothing wrong in the deal
"It's totally disclosed. My relationship in both cases involved matters outside of Miami-Dade County," Teele said.
Both electrical companies are in Miami-Dade County, as is the airport, but Teele did not offer any further explanation of his statement.
Teele was convicted in March of threatening a Miami-Dade police officer and is on probation.* He is also awaiting trial on other fraud charges in state court.
*(Plainclothes police officer that he thought was a stalker following his wife).
Copyright 2005 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Easy to get a person in jail to say something about anybody, especially a transvestite prostitute. I haven't yet heard of one person in Miami who believes those allegations.
I feel sorry for Teele, since he was a Republican and an advocate for poor folks during most of his career. Unfortuntely, in his latter years, he became as corrupt as the other politicians running town.
Miami Official Thought Cop Was Stalker in Assault Case
Dateline: Miami, FL - 3/1/2005
Miami Herald
BY SCOTT HIAASEN
Suspended Miami Commissioner Arthur Teele Jr. took the witness stand on Monday to defend himself at his assault trial, telling a jury that he was trying to enforce the law while an undercover detective he confronted in traffic was acting like a criminal.
Teele is accused of trying to run the Miami-Dade County officer off the road with his car and making threats after the commissioner spotted the detective -- driving an unmarked SUV -- following his wife.
Teele told jurors he thought the driver was a stalker pursuing his wife and that he was merely trying to stop the man's vehicle to make a citizen's arrest.
''My intent was to stop him, get his identity and call the police and conduct a citizen's arrest,'' Teele testified.
Though cool and matter-of-fact when questioned by his lawyer, David Garvin, the commissioner was often impatient and confrontational with Assistant State Attorney Richard Scruggs, who said Teele had only to call police if he thought his wife was in danger, not engage in a high-speed chase.
''So you can do anything that's necessary now that you're chasing a fleeing felon?'' Scruggs asked.
The episode began on Aug. 24 after Teele's wife, Stephanie, told her husband she thought she was being stalked, Teele said. That morning, she said she was followed for the second time by a driver of a light-colored SUV.
Teele said he was skeptical -- until he saw the SUV behind his wife as she drove off from their home.
'What was going through my mind was, `Stephanie's right; this guy's stalking her,' '' Teele testified. ``I've got to get the police to help.'
He pulled his car in front of the SUV, driven by Miami-Dade Detective Mark Bullard, and stopped in the road. Teele tried to confront Bullard, who drove up on the sidewalk to avoid revealing the surveillance. That attempt at evasion was a ''breach of the peace'' that required him to pursue, Teele said.
CHASE ENSUES
Teele followed the detective in a tense chase threading from central Miami to the Julia Tuttle Causeway to Miami Beach.
At times, Teele said, he had to hit his brakes to avoid smashing into the detective's vehicle. But Scruggs said Teele recklessly aimed his car at the detective more than once, forcing Bullard to avoid a collision.
Last week, Bullard told jurors that he had to cross the yellow stripe into oncoming traffic to avoid being hit by Teele's car. Other officers said they saw the same thing.
Teele denied trying to hit the officer. He said he was mainly behind Bullard, who crossed the yellow line to prevent Teele from catching up to him.
He accused at least three officers of lying in their testimony about what they saw that day.
''Did these detectives conspire against you?'' Scruggs asked.
''There are significant elements of their testimony that is false,'' Teele replied.
On the causeway, Teele confronted the rest of the police surveillance team, who were tailing him as part of a corruption investigation -- a detail that is not known by the jurors in the assault trial.
Teele told the officers he was ''armed'' and that if they followed his wife again, they had better ``be prepared to start shooting.''
THREATS, NOT THREATS
Prosecutors called those statements threats. But Teele insisted to jurors that he did not intend to threaten the officers, and that he did not have a gun. When he said he was ''armed,'' Teele said he was referring to his military training; the 58-year-old commissioner is a decorated Vietnam War veteran.
The final witnesses in the assault trial are expected to testify today, with closing arguments expected Wednesday.
After the assault case ends, Teele still faces 10 counts of unlawful compensation arising from accusations that he took kickbacks from a developer receiving contracts from Miami's Community Redevelopment Agency when Teele was the chairman of that agency's board.
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