Bay Harbor Islands removes Joe Geller as Town Attorney after public push by Fabián Basabe
For those of us who watch local government closely, this is a familiar story: concerns raised, red flags ignored, and eventually, a tipping point.
North Miami Beach residents are already familiar with Joe Geller, he’s our City Attorney too, and what we’re seeing here echoes many of the same concerns that just led to his removal in the Town of Bay Harbor Islands Government. The issues aren’t isolated. They’re part of a larger pattern that’s becoming harder to ignore.
At the July 15th City of North Miami Beach Government Commission Meeting, LYNN SU North Miami Beach Commissioner used her official commission report to speak candidly, and courageously, about the troubling pattern she’s experienced firsthand. In her own words:
“Residents have noticed. I’ve heard from many, and I’m sure you have too—concerned not just about policies, but about professionalism: unanswered emails, offhand remarks, inconsistent standards, and the troubling perception that our City Attorney at times acts more like a legislator than legal counsel.
They’ve also noticed the tone of our meetings: the dismissiveness, the lack of engagement, the figurative—and sometimes literal—disengagement from someone expected to guide us with focus and integrity.”
Despite her powerful statement, not a single commissioner responded. And while her discussion item regarding the City Attorney was listed at the end of the agenda, the meeting ended, as they often do, before reaching it. Business delayed. Accountability deferred. Again!
Hopefully a follow-up discussion item on the City Attorney will be added to a future agenda, but whether it will be reached or buried like so many others remains to be seen.
This isn’t just a procedural issue, it’s a structural one. When one commissioner is ignored, dismissed, or undermined, it hurts the entire city. Progress stalls. Representation weakens. And trust erodes.
Bay Harbor Islands made a choice to hold their legal counsel accountable. Will North Miami Beach follow?
Residents deserve answers…and they deserve action.