Let’s Talk About Redundancy. Again.
Key West needs to get this City Attorney thing right
The City of Key West has what could likely be one of its most important weeks ahead since Bum Farto got in that long, black, non-descript sedan with the lovely gentlemen in dark suits and sunglasses claiming they were with the government and there to help.
After the bungling of the Bubba Bozo Bust over the last couple of weeks— and termination of the head clown — commissioners will look to not only hire an interim City Attorney but also determine what direction to go in securing a permanent one.
Despite what Ramsingh and his co-conspirators may have wanted you to believe, being born and raised on a bit of rock jutting out of the ocean where families are all related to each other is not a box to check on a job application.
We tried that.
And look at what we got.
Again.
Einstein must be chortling.
But the fact remains the job should go to the most qualified person or firm.
Period.
And this selection process is shaping up to be quite a tussle.
You’ve heard of the Rumble in the Jungle or the Thrilla in Manila?
Get ready for the Fight on White.
In one corner, we have the young up-and-comer Kendal Harden. She is the Conch favorite; a hometown girl and chair of her KWHS reunion group. She is being championed by former KWPD Chief and current City Commissioner Donie Lee.
Harden has been with the City of Key West for around a year and was hired by disgraced and indicted CA Ron Ramsingh.
She could be seen as punching above her weight.
Frankly, given the tenor of dysfunction within the walls of Josephine Parker City Hall, one wonders why or if she even wants near the job with a 10-foot pole with a pointy end in one hand and a can of pepper spray in the other.
In the other corner, we have the highly respected, venerated municipal-speciality law firm of Vernis & Bowling and attorney Dirk Smits. Another professional legal pugilist, Commissioner Sam Kaufman, is working Smits’ corner.
But the tale of the tape tells the true story.
LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!
With the help of several community members, we broke down the job description as it stood in April before they sent in the clowns, and compared the requirements with the competitors to see if they possessed the necessary credentials.
DINGGGGG!
Florida Bar Membership — Required
Kendal Harden (City of Key West): Member in good standing of the Florida Bar since 10/02/2018. No marks on her 10-year discipline record.
Dirk Smits (Vernis & Bowling): He has been a member in good standing since 12/03/1991 and has no marks on his 10-year discipline record.
Board Certification in City, County, and Local Government Law — Required
KH: No, and the area of practice is not listed in the Florida Bar specialization directory.
DS: Yes, confirmed board certified for more than 20 years.
Federal Court Admittance (Southern District of Florida) — Required (within 12 months of appointment)
KH: No public record of admittance and there is no mention of it in her bio or Florida Bar profile.
DS: Yes, confirmed in a cover letter and regularly appearing in Monroe County's federal court.
10 or More Years of Municipal Law Experience — Required
KH: No documented municipal law practice and is known primarily for civil litigation, and no municipal clients are listed. Also would be impossible to gain experience if began practice upon bar admission in 2018.
DS: Yes, with 20-plus years representing multiple cities in the Florida Keys, including Layton and Key Colony Beach.
Experience Advising Commissions and Boards — Required
KH: No public record of experience and no mention of municipal board advisement on resume or in case law.
DS: Yes. Regularly advises multiple public boards and city commissions on legal issues.
Municipal Litigation Experience — Required
KH: Limited civil litigation and no municipal litigation have been publicly recorded.
DS: Yes. The firm’s cover letter and past case history in state and federal trials confirm this.
Sunshine Law, Public Records Ethics Law — Required
KH: Not publicly demonstrated, present looming indictments included, and no relevant cases or advisory opinions found online or in Bar references.
DS: Yes. The areas are listed as a core service in Vernis & Bowling’s municipal law practice.
Supervisor/Department Management Experience — Required
KH: Unclear and appears to operate independently or in a small practice.
DS: Yes. Smits manages a municipal law team within a full-service firm.
Experience Interpreting City Charters and Zoning Codes — Required
KH: No record found and no evident history of advising on charter or zoning interpretations.
DS: Yes. Charter, zoning, and land use law are part of his de rigueur legal work.
Legal Team Support (Bench Strength) — Strongly Preferred
KH: No. Solo or small-firm operation, no mention of staff or legal support
DS: Yes. Vernis & Bowling’s team includes Smits, Lynne Hicks, and paralegal and administrative support.
Based on the requirements, the choice seems clear: Harden doesn’t even meet the minimum requirements for the job, while Smits and Vernis & Bowling meet or exceed all of them.
Enough stupid decisions have been made at 1300 White Street over the past several years, and most center around whether or not the players are from the island and connected with the right families.
And it has cost the City of Key West millions and millions of dollars in dumb payouts for everything ranging from Duck Tours (equally as deadly on land as they were on the water) to suffocating a mentally ill man in the sand.
Now, we have a $221k payout to an indicted, disgraced City Attorney.
All he is missing in his multiple mugshots are the floppy shoes, bald wig and a big red nose.
It is hard to say which is more galling: the fact that Ramsingh and his co-conspirators were smart enough to figure out how to get rid of Al Childress or that they were stupid enough to get caught.
I have a Fed LEO friend that was responsible for putting the majority of the lobster mobsters in prison.
He had a saying.
“We only catch the dumb ones.”
By taking a different direction in hiring Vernis & Bowling (and Dirk Smits) as interim CA, Key West would have a solid legal foundation to help navigate the rocky shoals of uncertainty ahead.
By hiring the same firm on a contract basis and outsourcing the City’s legal department permanently, the Southernmost City in general, and this City Commission in particular, can send a message that worked well for one of Key West’s most famous (and successful) part-time residents.
The Key West City Commission meets in two sessions on Tuesday, May 6. The morning session begins at 9 a.m., and the afternoon session begins at 5 p.m. Each session is available live on Ch. 77 or streamed from the City’s website.
Ramsingh and the others in the clown car might have been able to get rid of Al Childress, but they kept his meeting schedule.
As a reminder, suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law by a jury of their peers.