Commissioner: Miami-Dade budget is ‘Game of Thrones.' FIFA wins, nonprofits lose

Miami Herald

2 days ago

As a child, I was a Head Start baby. Branded 'emotionally handicapped,' I clung to nonprofit counseling for survival.
When illness struck — uninsured and desperate — CHI's health clinics were our sanctuary. I grew up in concrete towers where we scraped for crumbs and hollow-eyed neighbors lost themselves to addiction. I sold candy in the scorching heat for pennies. Optimist Clubs shielded us from the streets.
These nonprofits weren't extras in my story — they were the only thing standing between me and the abyss. The budget, in its current form, turns what should have been a celebration into a siege.
In this real-life 'Game of Thrones,' the swords are sharpened not against enemies. They are wielded against our own — nonprofits, county workers and the families they serve.
As a child, I saw how vulnerable we were, and I benefited from investments in services. As a man, I refuse to believe the illusion that we must choose between survival and spectacle. We are now standing on a battlefield of false choices. And that battlefield is of our own making.
As a former prosecutor who watched nonprofits stand beside survivors, I see the proposed budget cuts being made to accommodate a $400 million shortfall, not as numbers on a page, but as blades to the heart of key lifelines: clinics, crisis centers, Optimist Clubs, drug programs, and veterans' services.
These aren't just services. They are the watchtowers of our community. And under this budget proposal, they begin to fall. This is no fiscal winter — it is carnage. When we gut nonprofits, we unleash a tide of suffering.
Children roam without support of mentors where Optimist Clubs once anchored hope. Drug addicts return to alleyways. Veterans are left to fight their issues alone. Loyal county workers are cast out. If this budget stands, the final verdict will be clear: compassion has been dethroned, and power handed over to spectacle.
The budget also funds support money for FIFA. This is not about punishment — it's about priorities. This is no attack on FIFA. I championed the World Cup — I even voted for it. Its economic promise is real, and I'll proudly cheer with my children in those glittering stadiums. We want the World Cup! But what changed my position was the rollout of the mayor's proposed $12.7 billion budget.
This siege must end. Our communities are in crisis. We must raise our voices — not in battle, but in unity — to slay the dragon of false choice.
I respect our mayor and her visions for our county. I support FIFA. And I stand with our nonprofits. This isn't a war of sides — it's a test of values, compromise, and smart investments. We don't have to choose between them, but we do have to reorder our priorities.
We can find a way to support our nonprofits and our workers while welcoming FIFA to share its global inspiration through competitions in our beautiful county.
What began as a moment of celebration does not need to become a battlefield of false choices. With our multicultural minds, we can find a solution with dignity for all.
I am the sum of every nonprofit that reached a hand into the fire and pulled me out. I am the product of our nonprofits. Their survival is not just policy — it's personal.
Kionne L. McGhee is the vice chairman of the Miami-Dade commission.