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An Introduction
The first thing you notice about new Doral Community Council (DCC)
Chairman Jerry Howie is an utter sincerity--a total willingness to
tell it the way it is no matter what people might think. It is a trait
that reveals itself over and over in the course of conversation.
What follows is an interview with Doral's new
community council chairman, no holds barred, in which he discusses not
just how he came to Doral, but the entire gamut of issues facing his
chairmanship, and the future of the community.
A Doral Resident and Businessman
How did you first get involved with the Doral area?
I'm the president of Carisam International, an import/export
business based in Doral, whom I've been with for fifteen years (the
last nine in the free trade zone). We're owned by British airports
Authority (BAA), who also own and operate Gatwick, Heathrow, and three
other airports in the UK, as well as Indianapolis Airport here in the
US...
Because of its relative proximity to our customers in
the Caribbean, Central and South America, and its immediate proximity
to the airport and major expressways, it's very convenient for those
same customers to fly in and visit with us when necessary.
When and why did you decide to move to Doral?
I moved to Doral almost eleven years ago, in 1989, to Doral Estates,
and still live there with my wife, Theresa, a real estate broker.
I wanted to be closer to work, and because Doral is
such a beautiful place to live, and I had the opportunity to live in a
gated, guarded community, it was an easy move. And most importantly I
wanted to live on a golf course (smiling).
Getting Involved
When and how did you get involved in the community?
I attended some meetings of the West Dade Federation of Homeowners
Associations (WDFHA), but I wasn't super involved with them.
And the Doral Community Council?
I got involved with the Community
Council for after careful consideration. Essentially,
I realized the value of the citizens in a community being interested
and getting involved in their community--it's not because I wanted to
get into politics or be a politician.
That's an idea that deserves elaboration. Through the
years, I've seen that some residents don't give back to their
community and because of that inactivity it doesn't prosper, has poor
disinterested leadership, and the government itself becomes
disorganized.
But when residents care enough to get involved, the
community inevitably improves because those things that the community
values are most are the issues that are addressed.
That was the realization--if you live in a place, and
if you care about it, then you will make sure that its shortcomings
get addressed...
In terms of tenure, I was selected to be the chairman
last month but I've been a member of the Doral Community Council since
its inception.
Doral's community has to be considered one of the
most active in Miami-Dade. Do you think that more residents need to be
involved here as well?
The community always needs more people to get involved
in things like the WDFHA and the DCC---the more people that get
involved, the deeper and stronger that community gets.
An active community ensures that major issues will be discussed by
larger groups of people and problems can be solved by a greater
consensus and more rapidly.
Doral: What are the Issues?
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing the Doral
community?
Personally, I believe there is no more important issue
facing Doral than our desire to incorporate and fulfill our own
destiny as a community.
Self-government, government closely held by the
residents, is the key to the success of any community. No community
can be governed or led more effectively than one that is led and
governed by its own residents.
I believe that a smaller government, a "City of
Doral", will be able to keep its residents more informed on the
issues facing the community, and it will be able to better galvanize a
community into working to better itself and its residents.
As everybody knows, we're currently under the control
of the Miami-Dade County Commission which is simply too distant to
concern itself with local issues not only in Doral, but in every
unincorporated Miami-Dade community.
The county commission was formed to handle countywide
issues as opposed to local, municipal issues.
And the many other communities besides Doral that want
to incorporate have similar, legitimate concerns about the ability of
the County to take care of local issues.
The Doral Community Council was created to be a local
zoning board of sorts. What is your challenge as chairman of that body
and your attitude towards the continued growth of Doral?
We are in the fastest growing area of Miami-Dade for
industry and homebuilding. We want to encourage growth, but
responsible growth, that which will contribute to the community in
many ways--in terms of attractive architecture, the types of
businesses, job-creation for the area. And the residences that are
built here should be diverse--not just townhouses and condos but
single-family homes as well.
That diversity of home types is very important to a
community. People who start in condos and townhouses should be able to
move up into homes should they choose to, and vice versa.
By making that diversity available it strengthens the
community; it allows people to stay in a community, giving it a base
of residents that have been here for awhile. Those people can give
back through community involvement and consequently continue to
improve it.
What do you believe to be the major issues affecting
Doral?
Firstly, there is the lack of parks in Doral.
There is money available for them downtown--why isn't
it being used?
There is $1.8 million earmarked for use in Doral in impact fees. The
question is, why hasn't it been?
Here's a message for Doral residents: make your voice heard, and maybe
together we can make a difference. You can get involved with the DCC,
by voting, by joining the WDFHA, and by writing letters to our
commissioner.
Our County Commissioner Miriam Alonso has been very
supportive of us in the issues that confront Doral. She is a true
friend of our community.
Secondly, there is the issue of the schools, or lack
thereof, in Doral. Currently we have one elementary school, John I.
Smith; there is a new middle school planned for 2000; there is another
elementary school expected for 2001; and a new high school should be
coming soon.
After just one year of existence, John I. Smith is
running at 140% of capacity--that gives you some idea of the crying
need for new schools in this area.
Despite the new senior high school and the other
schools on the drawing board, because of our growth that which is
planned is probably still insufficient.
Traffic is third major problem facing Doral. We
currently have one of the worst traffic situations in all of
Miami-Dade County. The growth of residences and businesses has
surpassed the concurrencies (roadway-to-resident ratios) that the
county government stated was acceptable.
If this is not corrected, it could prove harmful to
the value of our homes and the type of businesses that have located
here because of the community's uniqueness. Specifically, a new
Florida Turnpike entrance at NW 74th Street, which would eliminate
some of the congestion in the rest of Doral, is urgently needed.
Also, NW 58th Street, which is often under water
during even a light rain, needs to be repaired and elevated. It's a
shame that the county has allowed this intolerable situation to
continue for so long, depriving local residents of safe and convenient
roads. It is only through the work of the WDFHA and the DCC that the
situation will soon be fixed.
The traffic problems are another classic case of our
"distant downtown rulers" who don't live out here, don't
travel out here, and don't care about here not acting on the
community's behalf.
The Future of Doral
What was your response to being elected the Council Chairman, and what
do you hope to accomplish in that role?
I was very honored to have been voted to the
chairmanship of the Doral Community Council by my peers and I hope to
be a very capable chairman and provide the same the excellent
leadership exhibited by our previous Chairman Ralph Arza. He set a
very high standard to measure up to.
I look forward to helping develop Doral into a more vibrant, safe, and
productive community in which we can all be proud to live and work in.
I urge all residents who are interested in a better
community to give back to ours. It will make a difference--keep the
pressure on!
Any final comments?
Jesse Jones and Morgan Levy (vice president and president of the WDFHA,
respectively) are the leaders of this community and they have done so
much to foster a community feeling here. Their excellent value systems
are helping to shape and lead the future growth of Doral.
All residents of Doral should be grateful for their
time-consuming, selfless contributions on their behalf. Every
community would be proud to have those gentlemen as their
leaders--we're lucky to have that we have them.
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