Eddy Gonzalez: A tale of two mailers - black and Hispanic

State Rep. Eddy Gonzalez‘s mailer arrived in Ladra’s mailbox Wednesday, urging me to give him my vote for Miami-Dade Property Appraiser.

Also urging me from their smiling photographed faces were Sen. Anitere Flores, Miami Beach Commissioner Jonah “Potty Mouth” Wolfson, State Sens. Oscar Braynon and Dwight Bullard and State Rep. Daphne Campbell.

But when my father’s mailer arrived Thursday, the pictures of the three black Democrats were replaced by a photo of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos “Tainted Boy” Gimenez — who owes Gonzalez for his absentee ballot fraud in Hialeah in 2012 — and a quote where the mayor urged Papi to “join me and vote for Eddy Gonzalez.”

It’s the exact same mailer. Same size. Same colors. Same layout. Same other photos. Same message. The only other difference was that my father’s mailer was in Spanish. So, basically, Eddy Gonzalez is using blacks to appeal to Anglo NPAs and Gimenez to appeal to Hispanic Republicans over 65.

That’s probably pretty smart. But when is the Miami Herald or one of his opponents going to call out this “racist” campaign?

“I support Eddy Gonzalez because he has the credentials and the dedication to bring positive change and true service to the consumers at the Property Appraiser’s office,” Gimenez says in his quote — which was most likely written by Gonzalez campaign handlers. “As a state representative, Eddy was a tireless defender of the taxpayers of Miami-Dade County.”

Yeah, Ladra remembers how he defended us when he wanted to give Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross hundreds of millions in tourist tax dollars that we collect and can use for other needs so that the billionaire developer and sports team owner could renovate his own privately-owned stadium.

Interestingly, that measure that he sponsored in Tallahassee just last year wasn’t one of the things he touted on the mailer. Guess he ain’t that proud of it.

Gonzalez is seen as the giant in the race and many observers — and most of the candidates — expect him to do very well. After all, he has about all of the 5,000 or so absentee ballot votes in Hialeah public housing sewn up (more on that later). Most of the smart money is on a runoff between him and former Property Appraiser Pedro Garcia, who was beaten out of his job by former State Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera in 2012. The job opened up again after C-Lo was tapped as Lt. Gov. by Gov. Rick Scott (read: Scott’s campaign people).

The other three candidates are two-time loser Alex Dominguez, who actually seems more prepared for this job than either Garcia or Gonzalez, appraiser Carlos Gobel, who also seems more knowledgeable than the aforementioned three and Albert Armada, who inexplicably got the Miami Herald endorsement even though he was fired from the city of Miami in 1991 after administrators learned he had approved a lease for Fire Station No. 4, known as Firehouse Four, that had the 1923 city-owned building as collateral for the investors’ million dollar bank loan. He was known as Alberto Armada then, so you maybe the Herald editorial board didn’t Google him with the O at the end of his name.

Next to Armada, even Gonzalez looks like a decent choice. But don’t let looks deceive you. “Here Comes Hialeah” is just looking for a place to land while he waits out for the mayor’s job in Hialeah, which is what Gonzalez has always wanted. He is termed out of the house, can’t make anything off a no-show job if he isn’t elected, and so will need to get a place holder seat until the current Hialeah hoodlums run their terms out.

And what exactly would he do as property appraiser? The mailer says he would bring “new leadership and customer service” to the office. His platform includes cracking down on fraudulent property tax exemptions, improving customer service, “ensure accountability and transparency by holding monthly town hall meetings” and more accurate appraisals to lower the number of appeals before the Value Adjustment Board.

But those are basically the same promises of all the candidates.

And, c’mon! Who does Gonzalez think he’s kidding. He’s going to get in there and be briefed and continue to let the people running the office do so when he’s there, taking his three-hour lunch and the cigar breaks he’s gotten used to in Tallahassee, meeting with his onetime colleagues and lobbyists at Cuban Crafters to talk about his future. He is not going to be running the property appraiser’s office. He’s too used to having a no-show position.

Hopefully, both absentee and in-person voters — black, white or Hispanic — will realize this and tell him to go get a real job in the private sector. For once.

Eddy Gonzalez, Miami-Dade Property Appraiser, Pedro Garcia

Eddy Gonzalez: A tale of two mailers — black and Hispanic added by Ladra on August 5, 2014
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