Foes: Ad said we supported Pinecrest incorporation

Series: Dividing Dade - Occasional series

A paid political advertisement listed hundreds of Pinecrest residents who support incorporation in their community - and a few angry people who don’t.

One has been quoted in news stories as a staunch opponent of incorporation.

“I was appalled to see that my name appeared on a list of apparent supporters of the incorporation movement,” Priscilla Rivera wrote in a letter to the Herald. “I never signed my name to any pro-incorporation documents, and I never gave permission for my name to be used in any political advertisement.”

“May I also note that the names listed in the ad appear to be taken from an attendance list or request for information solicited at the first town hall-type meeting,” Rivera said.

Voters in Pinecrest will decide Tuesday whether to form their own city. Supporters of incorporation want to make their own community’s zoning and police decisions. Opponents worry about higher taxes and more bureaucracy.

The pro-incorporation ad mentions nine homeowners associations and lists more than 600 names. It was printed Thursday on a full page in The Herald Neighbors.

Gary Matzner, a leader of the incorporation movement, didn’t realize that Rivera’s name was printed.

“If I would’ve seen that, I would’ve known that was wrong,” Matzner said.

The list came from people who signed support petitions, he said.

But Margaret Collins said she didn’t sign a petition, and she doesn’t know how her name appeared in the ad either.

“I don’t even live in Pinecrest, and I haven’t lived there since 1990,” said Collins, who now lives in Continental Park west of U.S. 1. “I would have been opposed to it at all cost.”

Collins said she attended one meeting at Pinecrest Elementary regarding incorporation, “but that had to be 10 years ago.”

“Somebody called me to tell me my name was in there,” Collins said. “I probably wouldn’t have known it.”

Evelyn Greer, a leader of the incorporation movement, apologized in a letter to Mindy Thornton, who works in the county attorney’s office. Thornton complained that her name was mentioned in the ad, and she is not an incorporation supporter.

In a letter sent to The Herald, Thornton called the list a “blatantly misleading attempt to persuade potential voters.”

Despite the angry calls and letters, Matzner downplayed the errors. Out of the hundreds of people listed, only three or four are against, he said.

“I’m surprised how much support we do have,” Matzner said.