Elliot Cohen/Residents Lose Again

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Elliot Cohen, Mayor Muoio’s fair haired boy, who definitely has the mayors ear, received a pass from the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics (COE) in a ruling recently released.

The five Commissioners Michael Kridel,Clevis Headley, Michael Loffredo, Judy Pierman and Sarah Shullman, all unpaid volunteers, are nominated by the very people they may be called upon to judge. The COE spent nearly two hours behind closed doors to arrive at their decision that no probable cause exists to believe any violation occurred.

Mr. Cohen was at one time the city spokesman who released thousands of confidential e-mails on the city web site which included names of confidential informants and undercover police officers. With the current attitude toward law enforcement, who risk their lives every day to insure our safety, we should be happy he didn’t release home addresses.

Informants were relocated to a different area of the state to insure their safety. Since Mr. Cohen’s release of the e-mails there have been multiply shootings, and people question if any of the victims may have been working with the police to cleanup crime in their neighborhood, mainly the North-End of the city where drive by shootings are a regular occurrence. I’m beginning to understand why residents are not willing to talk with the police for fear their names will be released, as Mr Cohen has previously done.

The another complaint filed and investigated by the COE was his involvement with Kim Briesmeister owner of RMA (Redevelopment Management Associates) who’s winning of the city’s CRA contract drew suspicion when she announced to her crew the contract was definitely going to be awarded to RMA. Guess what? It was. The fix was in.

As he has been described as one of the mayor’s closest confidantes, one has to wonder how much influence Mr. Cohen had on the decision to outsource to RMA, a company he was reportedly making $175.00/ hour while drawing a city salary. City statutes forbid city employees from working with city contractors. That includes all city employees, with the exception of Elliot Cohen.

City directors and managers “clock in” with the use of their ID badges. Director’s and managers are not required to “clock out”. So Mr. Cohen can show up at 8:00 AM and leave the building at 8:05. If he’s needed calls are made to his cell phone, and he could just as easily be sitting in Kim Briesmeister’s office or tending to his private business. Mr Cohen reports to Mayor Muoio so who is going to complain? No one if they want to keep their job.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is also investigating Mr. Cohen so there is still hope the city residents, police and the CI may receive justice after all. One can only hope.

May be a rumor but gossip says the FBI is also looking into the matter, and the way the country has gone crazy executing law enforcement, lets hope the gossip is true.