Chairman Joe endorses “Juan #1” in District 11 race

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The race to replace Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Joe Martinez in District 11 has attracted at least four candidates so far — and three of them share the same first name.

Former State Rep. Juan Zapata (Rep., District 119) is seen as the favorite, the heir apparent, and has been campaigning for three years. He already has the support of Martinez (photographed here with Zapata, left, and the eldest of the Capo brothers from El Dorado Furniture in 2010) and has raised the most so far in the race, about $22,500 in campaign contributions through Dec. 31. The gifts already include some bundles like $1,500 from serial contributor and lobbyist Ronald Book, $2,000 from Coventry Health Care in Sunrise and $2,000 from four state political action committees, the HCA (Governor Rick Scott‘s old company) PACs. “That’s from my time in Tallahassee. I did a lot on healthcare when I was there,” said Zapata, who chaired the task force on JMH and helped create the Miami-Dade Health Action Network run by the Department of Health. He also collected thousands more from other medical interests — including doctors, insurance companies and a $500 gift from Pfizer pharmaceuticals in New York –and at least $4,000 from sugar and agricultural interests in the state.

He might not have that much of a head start, however, since Zapata has spent all but about $1,200 by the end of the last reporting period in December — mostly on printing and postage, but also $2,750 on “accounting and reporting” services provided by Rodriguez, Trueba & Co. — where his treasurer, Carlos Trueba is partner — and his $46 monthly Sprint cellphone bill. He says his next campaign report, due April 10, will reflect between $40,000 and $45,000 in his trove. His goal is $200,000. A county race is more expensive than a partisan state race because a candidate has to reach out to “likely to vote” Republicans, Democrats and Independents — not just the 4s and 5s (high frequency voters) in their respective party.

Juan Fiol, a real estate broker who volunteered for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in 2000, filed documents that show he had appointed a treasurer (himself) and opened a campaign account last month. And grassroots candidate Johnny (that’s Juan in English) Farias — who lost last year’s Democratic primary for the state house to former Doral Counciwoman and back again candidate Sandra Ruiz, who eventually lost to Rep. Jeanette Nuñez (Rep., District 112) — filed in January. Farias is trying to get matching public funds for his campaign, which means he is limited to taking contributions from the district (what a concept!). He is cutting costs by recycling the shirts from the state house run with the same motto: “Johnny. One of us representing us.”

So it was to be a three-way Juan joust. Until Manuel Machado jumped in this week. His paperwork was filed Monday. Manuel who? Yeah, everyone says that. And,no, not the ad exec. Nobody knows who this Machado is and he failed to follow up on his promise to call me back twice, so I guess he likes it that way.

All except Farias are Republicans. Fiol and Machado have something else in common. Foreclosures. Which doesn’t have to be a bad thing in this economy. Two words: Voter identification. Fiol also has a domestic violence blemish in his past, according to Miami-Dade court documents, which show a 2001 permanent injunction to stay away from his ex-wife Ivette Nodal.  Neither he nor Machado are quoted in this piece. Ladra could not reach Fiol. The phone number on his qualifying documents rang and rang off the hook and nobody returned a message left at Vision Realty or sent to his email. Machado promised to call me back in a couple of hours after I first reached him Tuesday. On Friday, I called again and again he said he would call me right back. Hours later, I could not wait any longer and had to post. Could either of them be plantidates (candidates planted in the race by other candidates and/or their supporters in order to steal votes)?

So far this is a hands down victory for Zapata, 45, who will have the funds and the machinery to get widespread support and a good GOTV (read: absenee ballot campaign) going. Plus the coattails on any votes for Martinez for Mayor in his own district. He’ll be working mostly with political consultant Stephen Ferreiro, who ran his state campaigns, and several others. “I like to spread the wealth,” he said.

Martinez said he supports Zapata — who he beat out for the seat 12 years ago — because he is the best prepared to continue the work he has done in District 11 and because of his record in the state. “He was very representative of the people. He never chaired committees and probably didn’t go higher up the ladder because he always did the right thing,” Martinez said. “He was always concerned with the people’s business, not his business.”

But the chairman — who said he didn’t even know that Zapata had opposition until Ladra told him — doesn’t want to discount the other candidates just yet.

“I wasn’t supposed to win either,” Martinez said of that first race, in which he had a run-off with Robert Curbelo, a former Community Council Chairman and residential developer who was later implicated in investigation that led to the indictment of Manuel G. Vera, a former West Kendall community councilman, and developers Javier Enrique Siu and Robert Vinas, on charges of unlawful compensation and mortgage fraud (read: Curbelo should have won). “I had no business in there, according to every single poll,” Martinez said.

But Farias knows it’s an uphill battle.

“He has the name recognition. He has the money. He has the establishment,” the electrician and community activist said when he talked to Ladra for a few minutes earlier this month after his volunteer kick-off breakfast at El Palacio de los Jugos on 8th Street (the owners of the famous fruit stand supported his state bid and is likely to help him now). We chatted as his two sons, Johnny and Christopher, buzzed around and peppered Ladra with questions between sips from a coconut. “Do you think I should run for president? What are you writing in that notebook? Why do you write about politics? Do all politicians lie?” Hey, wait a minute. I’m supposed to be asking the questions. And yes on that last one.

Farias admits his biggest weakness is his lack of experience. “That’s what I get the most. ‘Why do you think you can do this?'”

But, he adds, he hopes that the disgust with professional politicians and the status quo — as well as his focus on jobs creation and streamlining government costs — can swing enough votes in his favor.

Ladra told him to be careful of snakes like political con artist Vanessa “Look At Me” Brito,  an ally from his past campaign who may have led him into questionable waters before. He nodded and said he was going to do a lot of things differently.

Ladra actually likes this PTA superdad and local Democratic Party enthusiast. He seems genuinely unencumbered. And isn’t that exactly what we need? So what if he lacks experience? That could be a good thing, people. And I am pretty sure the powers that be are just making it look like its a hard job to make policy decisions that will benefit the electorate — not themselves — based on common sense, a little education and/or research and the recommendations of paid professional staff who basically sum it all up for you.

But Zapata has some good ideas that are likely borne from his experience, notably having more participation from the commission level in higher education issues. “The real economic engines of the future are through our higher education system,” he said. “County government should align itself and get behind the agendas in Tallahassee.” He also spoke about transportation and infrastructure, particularly the water distribution system, which he said was “antiquated and inefficient” and needed to be addressed as a priority.

District 11 could be a fun race to watch, or could be a dud before it starts. We’ll see soon enough.