The feud between U.S. Attorney Marcos Jiménez and Miami-Dade Police Director Carlos Alvarez couldn't have blown up at a worse time for Mayor Alex Penelas.

Penelas is running as Mr. Squeaky Clean for the U.S. Senate, and the last thing he wants to be asked about is the never-ending scandal at Miami International Airport.

An investigation of contract shenanigans at MIA is the latest friction point between federal prosecutors and local police -- and in the middle of the mess is the mayor's top fund-raiser and political guru.

His name is Chris Korge, and his long tutelage of Penelas has made him a wealthy fellow. Much of that wealth has come from deal-making at the airport, and much of that deal-making was not disclosed to the public.

More than a year ago, The Herald reported that Host Marriott Services Corp., which won the lucrative food and beverage contract at MIA, had funneled more than $1.7 million to lobbyists and political insiders, preeminently Korge and friends.

Even before that, the U.S. Attorney's Office, FBI and Miami-Dade Police had jointly launched a corruption probe. To date, nobody has been indicted.

Two months ago, police chief Alvarez yanked his detectives off the case. He said that federal prosecutors were dragging their heels, and that they seemed reluctant to pursue individuals with heavy political connections.

U.S. Attorney Jiménez angrily denied it. He said that corruption investigations are often complex and time-consuming, and called it ''indefensible'' for Alvarez to pull out.

Korge's central role

To appreciate how sensitive the MIA case is, it's important to understand Korge's central role in the Host Marriott deal, and his clout with the mayor and the Miami-Dade Commission.

One of South Florida's top Democratic fund-raisers, Korge is also a lobbyist whose connection with Penelas has brought him a windfall of business. Of all the dubious airport contracts, the Host deal in 1998 was the big enchilada.

For starters, the company privately agreed to give Korge 10 percent of its profits at MIA -- a laughably obscene fee for ''political consulting.'' But that wasn't all. To help Host win the concessions ontract, a bunch of Korge's buddies formed a ''disadvantaged business enterprise'' called World Wide Concessions, ostensibly to be minority participants.

The group was supposed to open and manage eight restaurants, and during the first year MIA reported an impressive $12.3 million in sales. As it turned out, the reports were bogus. Not a single restaurant had yet opened.

Later, it was revealed that Host quietly agreed to pay $33,225 a month to the so-called minority group, so that Host itself could keep running the food concessions.

It gets worse: World Wide was paying Korge 10 percent of its airport earnings, too. It paid an additional 10 percent to Rodney Barreto, nother lobbyist with ties to Penelas and several county ommissioners.

Meanwhile, Host was sliding yet another 10 percent of its airport booty to a person named Paula Gómez, the wife of BellSouth vice president Tito Gómez.

Presence not required?

Mrs. Gómez was initially supposed to operate Burger Kings at MIA, but her duties quickly evolved into something less specific -- meaning her presence at MIA was seldom required.

You probably wouldn't be stunned to learn that her hubbie is also a pollster, fundraiser and pal of Penelas. Get the picture?

It's illegal to create a sham minority firm for the purpose of securing public contracts. Investigators have been trying to figure out what services, if any, were provided by Korge's friends who presented themselves as ''disadvantaged'' partners.

In reality, no prospective vendors could have had a greater advantage than Korge's personal blessing.

When this whole stink surfaced 13 months ago, Penelas responded with his customary mock surprise and feigned indignation. He claimed to know nothing of the Host Marriott debacle, or of the outlandish fee arrangements that enriched so many of his cronies.

`The voice of integrity'

Penelas pointed out that, as mayor, he has no vote on county contracts. He also restated his support for an independent airport

authority that would take contractapproval away from the commissioners (and, theoretically, the lobbyists who manipulate them).

In the meantime, though, Penelas has made no move to sever ties with his lobbyist pals who have turned MIA into a suckhole of avarice, favoritism and waste. Korge, in fact, is a key player behind the mayor's Senate bid.

Neither of them wanted voters to be reminded of what's happened to the airport. The squabble between Miami-Dade police and U.S. prosecutors over the Host case is bad news indeed for the Penelas campaign.

It's not easy to sell yourself as the voice of integrity, when so many slime trails lead straight to your door.