While Ladra has been busily distracted getting her heart broken and her perfectly proportioned rear handed to her in Hialeah, the political telenovela industry has turned its attention to the sleepy city of South Miami, where there is a Valentine’s Day election next week.
But someone in Tallahassee has been paying attention. House Majority Leader Carlos Lopez-Cantera (R-District 113) is helping to finance the incumbent mayor’s campaign, mostly to thwart the efforts of his longtime enemy, former State Rep. Julio “The Good One” Robaina (R-District 117).
Tuesday’s ballot pits Robaina, who was mayor of South Miami from 1998 to 2002, became state representative (beating Lopez-Cantera in his first bid) and has failed two other bids for office – a state senate stump and a county commission campaign – against current Mayor Phillip Stoddard, a nerdy biology teacher with aw-shucks style and an election violation complaint against him for a paid political ad announcing a fundraiser organized by local Democratic Party groups. Candidates are not allowed to raise party affiliation in non-partisan races.
But Stoddard is getting help from a high-profile Republican, too. Lopez-Cantera has contributed $1,500 to Stoddard’s campaign through six $250 checks from his different Coral Gables real estate companies. Yes, the House Majority Leader, a super conservative who drops the Sen. Marco Rubio name as often as he can, is bankrolling a staunch, tree-hugging, anti-development card-carrying Democrat whose main public ally is Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner, an uber Democrat and chairwoman of the Florida State Chapter of Democratic Officials, and who also got checks from Eye on Miami bloggers Alan Farago ($250) and Nancy Lee ($20) of Coral Gables and Aventura, respectively.
Don’t local GOP committee members take an oath not to help or support Democrats if there’s a fellow Republican in the race?
Well, depends on the elephant, it seems. Lopez-Cantera, who also helped Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez defeat Robaina in last year’s special election to replace the man who would become mayor, has a hard…er, heart, for Robaina. There’s hostile political history here. First, Robaina beat Lopez-Cantera in each man’s first bid for the House in 2002. Lopez-Cantera had to move is residence to Coconut Grove to run again for Manny Prieguez’s seat because, dicen las malas lenguas, he didn’t want to face Robaina again. Then, once they were colleagues, Robaina made a complaint about Lopez-Cantera asking Gov. Charlie Crist to appoint his mother to the MDX Authority. “He says I went after his mother, but I went after the conflict,” Robaina told Ladra while he greeted early voters on Saturday.
Lopez-Cantera tried to distance himself from this apparent conflict with his party. “Those are my father’s companies. We have the same last name,” he told Ladra when he returned my call from a cellphone that had Pan American Co. as its caller id. “My family decided to support the incumbent.”
When asked if this was not just part of his longtime beef with Robaina, Lopez-Cantera paused. Then said, “I’ll tell you this, the Republican legislative delegation is getting along a lot better these days than when Julio Robaina was here.”
Ouch.
Too bad Stoddard’s latest campaign report, due Friday, was mailed in and not available to peruse. Ladra wonders if there is more CLC money in the 
warchest. Wanna bet there is?
But the South Miami election has more to offer.
The race also marks the return of a former commissioner and vice mayor who resigned in disgrace in 2000 after he was taped by the FBI’s political corruption unit (hmmm… where are these people today? If you’re reading this, call me!!) taking money to launder for a former client or friend. Armando Oliveros said he took responsibility for his mistake rather than wear a wire and go trick the big politicians that the feds were really after. Hmmm… he might just be electable.
And let’s not forget the return attempt of Bicycle Bob Welsh, an often brilliant, pedal-pushing eccentric who may or may not be off his meds but also deserves to be heard – and can be just plain fun to listen to anyway. The property manager/landlord has basically financed his own campaign, with $2,500 in loans. Hmmmm… he just might be electable.
Newcomer Gabriel Edmond, a government teacher at Southwest High who was a legislative aide to Senator Bob Graham from 1996 to 1999, is also bankrolling his own campaign, mostly, with $3,200 in loans. Of the other $1,600 in contributions, $1,000 (at least) come from family members. He is reportedly the only one of the seven candidates who is running independently, not on a slate. Though one cannot imagine Bicycle Bob being on anybody’s slate.
Newcomer Josh Liebman, who is rumored to be on the team with Robaina and Oliveros (who have the same campaign consultant), popped into the city clerk’s office late Friday with what looked like the campaign finance report that was due by 5 p.m. But he left without leaving it there and Ladra can’t help but wonder if he decided to mail it in after he saw me poring over the other reports. He told me that there were crazy people ready to pounce on the reports and make inferences out of context. Wait, did he just call me crazy?
Neither Robaina nor Stoddard reports were in either. They are not late if they are postmarked by Friday.
But Liebman reported nearly $7,300 in the first report, listing contributions through Jan. 20. One out every six gifts was from a South Miami address. He spent $4,500 through Jan. 20, including $1,500 to Thor Media and Campaign Consulting, which is a company owned by Hector Roos, a young activist with the local GOP organizations, and about the same amount going to campaign signs and a mailer.
Liebman is running against Sally Philips for the seat now held by Brian Beasley, who is not seeking re-election (it’s not as much fun as you thought, eh?).Philips loaned herself $5,000 for the campaign and raised another $1,870 in contributions, including a $250 maximum gift Mayor Stoddard. But it shouldn’t really count. Philip returned the favor with the same amount so no harm, no foul. Philips spent most of it already, including $2,000 on campaign materials and $1,350 on six campaign workers for three days.
And it seems like Oliveros, who did have his report at the clerk’s office Friday afternoon, hasn’t forgotten how to raise money. His latest total reported is $18,180, almost half of which he has paid to consultant Emiliano Antunez. While Oliveros did loan himself $2,200, he also got multiple maximum contributions, including bulked gifts from builder/developer Raul Munilla through eight of his companies. “Old family friends,” he said. Old family friends that donate to a lot of Republicans, like David Rivera, Marco Rubio and Bob Menendez. Wonder if they know Oliveros is a Democrat.
Other Oliveros financial supporters are Gulf Discount Liquors on Coral Way, South Florida Lumber and Miami Medical Group. Oh, and former State Rep. Juan Zapata (Rep., District 119), a candidate for county commission (more on that later) who is also business partners with Robaina.
Zapata also gave $500 (once for himself and again for his firm) to Robaina’s warchest, which was reported at $4,525 by Jan. 20. His gifts are from an assortment of friends, including three $250 from Ramsey and Frances Villalon, identified as owners of a baggage services company, as was Pedro Pelaez, who is also sometimes business partners with Sergio Pereira, whose company also gave $250. At least as of the Jan. 20 report. We don’t have the new one.
Oliveros, Welsh and Edmond are competing for the seat vacated by longtime commissioner Velma Palmer.
House Leader backs So Miami mayor added by Ladra on
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