Dueling gay endorsements in Gables mayoral race

First, Coral Gables Commissioner Ralph Cabrera, who championed the City Beautiful’s domestic partner ordinance, scored the SAVE Dade endorsement for the upcoming mayoral race next month.

bradpic — Brad Rosenblatt and Rene Ruiz flank a SAVE Dade member at a fundraiser they co-hosted with former Mayor Don Slesnick, when they were more chummy and Brad didn't dis fundraisers, in 2010 for Katie Edwards, who is now a state rep in Broward, where she was more electable (read: her Angloness does not work against her).

Then, incumbent Mayor Jim “The Ambassador” Cason and/or his campaign quickly snagged the support of the Gables’ most prominent gay couple — renowned and enormously talented fashion designer Rene Ruiz and his business and life partner, Brad Rosenblatt, former president of the downtown Business Improvement District and one-time commission candidate.

An email, sent Wednesday from Rosenblatt’s email but signed by Ruiz, urges more than 150 of their friends and supporters to vote for Cason. At least according to the cc recipient list on the forward to me (thank you, by the way, person who will remain anonymous).

And Rosenblatt, who lost a 2011 bid for city office in second place behind Commissioner Frank Quesada and suspects that Cabrera helped the third-place finisher, Gonzalo Sanbria — we know his campaign consultant, Keith Donner, did — told Ladra it has nothing to do with that.

Nope. Not quid pro quo, he said.

“I didn’t know he helped Gonzalo Sanabria,” he said Wednesday, forgetting that I covered that race and that he did, indeed, know that Cabrera — who even hosted a fundraiser — had helped the developer and MDX Authority member (who, by the way, is supporting Cason now in what reminds me of a classic Cabrera line: “No good deed goes unpunished”).

Rather than usher him in as the city’s first openly-gay elected, that race embarrassed Rosenblatt somewhat by exposing an arguably misinterpreted embezzlement charge from more than a decade ago. Cabrera was interviewed on TV about it because he knew one of the litigants involved in the resulting lawsuit and I believe Rosenblatt blames him for leaking the story and has been slowly steaming since.

Rosenblatt even once talked about a recall. That was right after the 2011 election.

But nah, he says. This is not revenge, er, I mean karma. He just doesn’t like Ralph.

Cabrera is not even mentioned in the email, of course. But it’s also so vague about Cason’s alleged achievements that it comes off as an encouraged egged-on and practiced cheer rather than a real and unprompted recommendation.

“Brad and I are both very concerned that if the wrong leadership is elected, our City will go backwards instead of continuing to move forward for the next few years and beyond,” the poorly-scripted letter (read on) reads. “As a great supporter of our business, and many of you of Brad during his run, our greatest fear is that James Cason is not re-elected Mayor.”

Really? That’s their greatest fear? But that’s as passionate as it gets.

“As you may have noticed, since Mayor Cason took office in April 2011, our city has been moving in the right direction,” the letter goes on. Yawn. “Mayor Cason has worked closely with his colleagues on the commission and our City Manager, Pat Salerno, to achieve many things.”

Yeah, I know. It names Pat Salerno, who has definitely become a shadow ghost candidate haunting this race. Another sign that this came from elsewhere? Maybe?

Ruiz then lists these many achievements, bullet fashion, but in bullet-fashion form, forgetting the context — which Ladra will add in parenthesis… okay? It’s a habit.

Lowering the millage rate (but raising fees)
Resolution of the Biltmore Hotel debt (which was bound to happen anyway)
Pension reform (except for his own top administrators, who do not have to contribute more like everyone else)
Return of the 4th of July fireworks (really? Are they kidding me? This is a huge achievement? And bound to happen anyway.)
Residential improvements through Neighborhood Renaissance Project (like residential improvements are new in the Gables)
Friend and partner to local business (um, what does that mean? Cabrera has a local business in the Gables)

And, then, centered and in bold caps — which, under the bullets, makes the whole thing look professionally prepared, like a flyer — the email (which actually has a paid political ad disclaimer on the bottom of it that says “paid political advertisement for and approved by Jim Cason for Coral Gables Mayor”) has this call to action:

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP MAYOR CASON CONTINUE TO DO GOOD THINGS FOR OUR CITY?

HOW CAN YOU MAKE AN IMMEDIATE DIFFERENCE?

“Well, the answer is simple,” Ruiz wrote, with or without someone’s help (read: with). “Join Brad and I and CAST YOUR VOTE TO RE-ELECT JAMES CASON FOR MAYOR (his bold caps again, not mine) either via Absentee Ballot or on Election Day, Tuesday, April 9th.”

Then he volunteers to answer questions and collect “donations for my friend” at his Ponce de Leon storefront shop, which is a magical place regardless of Rene’s misguided political missive.

But while the letter makes no mention of Cabrera, Rosenblatt spoke about nothing but the commissioner in a short but passionate chat on the phone with Ladra Wednesday night.

“Ralph Cabrera won his last election with the largest margin in any Gables Commission race in history. My prediction is he will lose this mayoral race by the largest margin in Gables history,” Rosenblatt said. “How things change.”

Yeah, and sure this is not about revenge. Instead of telling me why Cason is a better choice, because Ladra asked, Rosenblatt continued bashing Cabrera’s no-holds-barred behavior, as if I didn’t know the commissioner’s knee-jerk reactions were not sometimes over the top.

“What Ralph has done for the city and the relationships he has had and how he has handled himself personally and professionally throughout his career — these are the things that I think will come through on election day,” Rosenblatt told me, and then issued a sorta declaration of war.

“Remember, I still came in second place when I ran. The people who supported me and who support Rene, and that is in the hundreds, will know who we are voting for and who we think they should vote for. I don’t have to attach myself to every fundraiser like Don Slesnick and Jeanette Slesnick to deliver votes both in absentee ballots and on election day,” Rosenblatt said, referring to the former mayor and his wife, who have, indeed, been very enthusiastically supporting Cabrera. They probably won’t call it karma either.

“I will deliver hundreds of votes for Jim Cason,” Rosenblatt emphasized.

But it’s not personal. Nah.

Ladra has always liked Rosenblatt — who did snag almost 1,800 votes for a 23 percent showing in 2011 — and loves Ruiz, who makes us Cubans look good and has a beautiful eye for making a woman’s body look good, but I’m going to see their hundreds of votes and raise him 100 more. Because while Cabrera is not the cozy, comfy, compromising type that holds hands and sings cumbaya with everyone, is that really what we want from a mayor? And while I understand he could very well be on the underside of what Ladra thinks will be a closer race than others expect, it’s really just getting started. Context is coming. And I think some people are underestimating Cabrera.

And the Coral Gables voter.

And you remember, Brad. Ladra called your election’s results.

Let’s see what the candidates say and do at tonight’s debate (7 p.m. Coral Gables Congregational Church, 3010 DeSoto Blvd.) and maybe Ladra will do one of her very unscientific but to-the-point Publix polls in coming days.

Nothing against Cason. He is a fine man who has done a great job for us in Cuba, El Salvador, Paraguay and all over. But he has not had one single objection or raised one single concern about the city manager’s actions in Coral Gables — actually, he ushers Pat Salerno’s agenda through — and has voted in favor of no-bid contracts or waiving the procurement code, which he had criticized Slesnick on when he first ran in 2011. He is not in touch with the city employees (all the unions have endorsed Cabrera) and I am just unconvinced that he is all that.

What I am convinced of is that a Cabrera-free future at City Hall loses checks and balances and chutzpah and any genuine effort at government transparency and is definitely not in the best interest of the community — LGBT or not.

It is not my greatest fear, mind you. But it is definitely in the this week’s top 20.

Dueling gay endorsements in Gables mayoral race added by Ladra on March 21, 2013
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