North Bay Village Mayor Corina
Esquijarosa now has more time to fight the recall effort against
her. She's been laid off from her job as a project representative
for the city of Miami Public Facilities Department. Esquijarosa's
position, which paid her an annual $97,000 salary and benefits
package, was eliminated as part of Miami's budget cuts. Her last day
was September 23.
Despite her latest setback, Esquijarosa tells Banana Republican she has no intention of giving up her elected post.
"I liked my job," she says. "I did it well and I am hoping to get a similar position which is not easy in this job market. However, I intend to keep on in my position as mayor of North Bay Village."
Esquijarosa has been under fire from the moment she took office last year. She's been accused of lying on her personal financial interest statement when she didn't disclose that she had civil judgments against her or report income she derived from two rental properties she owned. Esquijarosa has maintained that she simply made a mistake in filling out her disclosure form. Last week, the Miami-Dade Ethics Commission fined Esquijarosa $500 for filing inaccurate financial statements.
Then this past June, the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser's Office filed a lien against Esquijarosa after an investigation revealed she and her husband had been claiming a homestead tax exemption on one of the condo units they rented out. The county determined Esquijarosa owes $3,109 in unpaid property taxes.
A resident's group called Citizens For Full Disclosure then began collecting signatures to remove Esquijarosa from office.
