Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez stood between Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez and former city councilman Herman Echevarria — who las malas lenguas say is really running City Hall and who admitted to El Nuevo Herald that he sorta orchestrated the endorsement announced Thursday evening — and posed for a photo after they gave the news to about 500 or so Hialeah activists and gadflies at a ballroom banquet Hall on West 84th Street.
Among them: Emelina Llanes, the hysterical, go-to lady for Tirador’s AB campaign, who collects ballots mostly at ALFs and the city’s public housing units, chatting with Gimenez. Ladra, who wasn’t there but spoke to a few people who were, can’t help but wonder what they talked about. Maybe she offered to “help” him in Hialeah. Shudder.
What the mayor did say to El Nuevo reporter Enrique Flor about the endorsement was, “I am very proud because this support demonstrates that I am the mayor of all the people.”
What a difference a year makes, eh? In last year’s hand-wringer race against former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina, Gimenez’s camp let loose a robocall that basically called Hialeah a stinkhole and said “We don’t want to be like them.” He has never taken responsibility for the call, but Ladra knows his campaign gave Hialeah up to gain the rest of the county. It was smart. It was nasty. But it was smart.
Now, this is hypocritical. Everybody is pally wally because they each have interests to pursue. Echevarria has lots of business interests all over the county. Hernandez could certainly use the legitimization that an alliance with Golden Boy Gimenez gives him, as well as a better relationship with Mama County, so he will sacrifice his Absentee Ballot Queen Sasha Tirador, who is running the campaign for Gimenez challenger Commission Chairman Joe Martinez. Hernandez has to anyway: She’s going rabid against State Reps. Jose Oliva (R-110) and Eddy Gonzalez (R-102), who are going to coast back into office despite her best, if ridiculous, efforts and be in positions of leadership — Speaker one day (maybe) and senior member today, respectively. Hernandez can’t piss them off. So he shits on Sasha.
But what does Gimenez get? Votes? Really? Really? Enough to make a difference so he deals with the devil. Tsk, tsk. Are there no true heroes anymore? He’s a firefighter, for goodness’ sake. Ladra is literally nauseous.
Still, later today, at high noon, Gimenez will announce the evil endorsement again. Because he’s so damn proud of the Hernandez et al nod — the Seguro Que Yes council seguro que said yes — that he has to toot it twice. I’ll be the one wearing black.
Rumor has it again, and the malas lenguas have all been on the nose lately so I’m running with it, that Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo, another Tirador client who did not return my calls, will also endorse Gimenez there.
As I’ve said before, Ladra understands that the incumbent mayor can’t decline an endorsement, especially one like the one from Hernandez et al. It is good stuff, after all, even to a righteous watchdog like me. After the initial first sting, Ladra sort of has warmed up to the way this rocks Sasha’s world. And maybe it is a sign of the Golden Boy’s leadership, letting bygones be bygones for the betterment of all.
But Gimenez does not need to parade his embrace of this unholy alliance with the people we all thought — because he told us so a year ago — that he was the polar opposite of.
“We’re not like them. Nor do we want to be” is still a good line, after all — if the “them” are Hialeah hoodlum politicos.
Hialeah establishment backs Gimenez for mayor added by Ladra on
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