Ladra had breakfast Friday with Attorney General Pam Bondi and The Real House wives of Tallahassee.
Not housewives, but House wives.
The main hosts for The Republican Party of Miami-Dade County’s fundraiser at 94th Aero Squadron Friday were U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Florida Sen. Anitere Flores (who didn’t show up), State Rep. Jeanette Nuñez (District 119), Miami-Dade Commissioners Rebecca Sosa and Lynda Bell, and Republican State Committeewoman Liliana Ros.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi with Eddie Borrego, chief of staff to Miami-Dade Commissioner Lynda Bell.
But that’s it for the female electeds, which Ladra thinks means we have a shallow bench of Republican women in office.
So the party turned to the wives of male electeds for additional hosts, or table sponsors. Those included: Aimee Artiles (wife of State Rep. Frank Artiles, District 118), Vivian Bileca (wife of State Rep. Michael Bileca, District 117), Ethel Fresen (wife of State Rep. Erik Fresen, District 114), Jeanne Oliva (wife of State Rep. Jose Oliva, District 110), Barbie Gonzalez (wife of State Rep. Eddy Gonzalez, District 111), Carmen Trujillo (wife of State Rep. Carlos Trujillo, District 105), Jennifer Diaz (wife of State Rep. shoe-in candidate Manny Diaz, Jr., who is running in District 103).
There was a House mom, too: Millie Fresen.
Very nice ladies, indeed (except Diaz, who can turn nasty in a Hialeah second). But it still shows, to me, a lack of female GOP representation in this part of the state.
Some women agree with me.
“Men and women have different goals,” said Marili Cancio, a local GOP superwoman who lost in the 2010 primary against Congressman King David “Nine Lives” Rivera — and Ladra bets the RPOF is having a V8 moment for not backing her back then and leaving themselves open to this recent scandal (more on that later).
“Fundamentally, what women want is to do the right thing. Men are more interested in the power and the prestige,” Cancio told me. “Besides, politics is very dirty. Women don’t want to get into it for that reason.”
Ros-Lehtinen, who is a pioneer among political women, says there are many elected women, and pointed to the Miami-Dade School Board — where there are four females, three of the Republican, including Chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman, and another woman coming in to replace outgoing Renier Diaz de la Portilla, Suzy Castillo, who won her election Aug. 14.
“We have many women elected who are proud Republicans but we certainly want more,” Ros-Lehtinen told me. “We have a couple of female GOP Reps in our county and I’m sure more will throw the hat in the ring in the near future.”
Even in non-partisan boards like the School Board and the County Commission — where three other commissioners make a total of five women of the 13 electeds — we are in a minority.
In our state capitol, that minority margin is even wider. In the Florida Senate, we have 14 out of 40 electeds. They include our locals, Sen. Nan Rich (Dem., District 34), Flores (Rep., District 38) — whose name has been floated as a possibility for U.S. Congress should something (like an indictment) make U.S. Rep. King David “Nine Lives” Rivera indisposed — and Sen. Gwen Margolis (Dem., District 35). Half of the women in the Senate are Republican and the other half are Dems. But that scale may tip after Nov. 6. Rich is termed out and Flores was re-elected sans opposition while La Gwen faces a possible real race in John Daniel Coultier (more on that later).
Also gone are Paula Dockery, Larcenia Bullard (Dem., District 39) and Evelyn Lynn, who are also termed out. Ronda Storms, who seems to have gotten frustrated in Tallahassee and is now the Broward Property Appraiser. And we lose one more, since Ronda Storms and Ellen Bogdanoff were drawn into the same district and only one of them can return.
In the Florida House, there’s a smaller princess percentage: Only 26 of the 120 representatives are female, including our locals: Nuñez, Rep. Daphne Campbell (Dem., District 108), Rep. Cynthia Stafford (Dem., District 109), Rep. Barbara Watson (Dem., District 103), and Rep. Ana Rivas-Logan (Rep., District 114), who was taken out in a redrawn district that pitted her against Rep. Jose Felix “One More Pepe” Diaz and the rest of the Miami-Dade delegation.
“We all need to do a better job in nurturing and encouraging young people, especially women, to run for elected office,” Ros-Lehtinen said, adding that she constantly brings up the issue when she speaks at middle and high schools. “I point out the void and talk about what a good contribution to our community young ladies can make.
“It’s a hard sell, however, because many youngsters are looking elsewhere. Organizations like the one founded by mi hermano, [former U.S. Rep.] Lincoln Diaz-Balart, CHLI, work to mentor mañana’s leaders,” the Congresswoman added, referring to the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute.
Maybe some of those future colleen candidates include other table hosts. Ladies like Vivian de las Cuevas Diaz, President of the Cuban American Bar Associate, who also hosted a fundraiser earlier this year for “One More Pepe” Diaz, instead of supporting her Republican sister Rivas-Logan — or Kelly Mallette, a lobbyist who works with King Lobbyist Ron Book, or Fatima Perez, another lobbyist who works for Ackerman Senterfitt.
Or maybe even some of the House wives themselves will get bitten by the bug.
against Congressman King David “Nine Lives” Rivera — and Ladra bets the RPOF is having a V8 moment for not backing her back then and leaving themselves open to this recent scandal (more on that later).
so termed out. Ronda Storms, who seems to have gotten frustrated in Tallahassee and is now the Broward Property Appraiser. And we lose one more, since Ronda Storms and Ellen Bogdanoff were drawn into the same district and only one of them can return.
ding that she constantly brings up the issue when she speaks at middle and high schools. “I point out the void and talk about what a good contribution to our community young ladies can make.
