The event Sunday afternoon was planned long before Friday’s news about irregularities with absentee ballot requests in the campaign that elected Congressman Joe Garcia.
But the re-election fundraiser 18 months out and on the heels (read: as a result) of a growing number of declared Republican challengers in the highly-contested 2014 race showed that staunch supporters are staying solid while Garcia’s campaign staffers are investigated for their part in a scheme that attempted to use a computer program to generate hundreds of absentee ballots for Democratic District 26 voters.
More than two dozen people went to the home of Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chairwoman Annette Taddeo to hear from Garcia, himself. They included Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner, the co-host, former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez, almost-had-it state House candidate Jeffrey “Doc” Solomon — who came thisclose to unseating State Rep. Michael Bileca on Barack Obama‘s coattails — and Homestead activist Pamela Gray, who has announced her intention to run for State House in District 120 against freshman Holly Raschein.
Naturally, conversation was light. While Garcia mentioned the exposed scheme, he didn’t go into details and kept pretty much to the statements he issued Friday and Saturday, after he forced his chief of staff and campaign strategist Jeffrey Garcia (no relation) to resign as Garcia took responsibility for the felony.
Ladra cornered the Congressman before he left to another event and asked about a possible third party, a vendor or whoever that is likely the originator of what he called the “ill-conceived” idea. Besides reiterating how angry he was, Garcia would not budge.
He said he would not comment outside his statement because he did not want to fall into the same foot-in-mouth situation as he did with Local 10’s Michael Putney Sunday morning, who questioned Garcia about his comments that, basically, blamed the political atmosphere rife with corruption for tainting his campaign and called the felony a “well-intentioned attempt to maximize voter turnout.”
Ouch. Yeah, I guess he might be a little more guarded with what he says.
I asked him to please stay in touch as his attorney investigates “internally” to learn more about the scheme, which was thwarted by a computer filter at the Miami-Dade Elections Department. After all, it would be true testament to Congressman Garcia’s transparency if he were to keep Ladra in the loop.
Supporters by and large do not think Garcia, who has vehemently denied any knowledge — and, let’s face it, candidates do not always know everything that is going on — had anything to do with it.
Terry Murphy, former chief of staff for recalled Miami-Dade Commissioner Natacha Seijas, even changed weekend plans. He didn’t intend on going to the event until the news came out, Murphy said. He wanted to show his support. And he also wrote a check.
Garcia said he is not too worried about the impact AB fraud allegations might make on what is seen as an already vulnerable campaign.
“My record and history has been clear,” he told Ladra. “I have been up front with the voters,” he told Ladra.
“Are the Republicans going to make hay out of this? Of course,” he said, likely referring to strong reaction from GOP leaders, including Miami-Dade School Board Member Carlos Curbelo, who is pretty much the front runner already in the 2014 race and seized the media spotlight — which he is so good at — to take a swipe or two.
Taddeo said the torrent is expected. “We would do it, too.”
Garcia said it is not going to distract him: “Our job is to represent the people of the 26th District. We will continue to do that,” Garcia said.
Martinez, who lost a Congressional race in 2008 that has come under scrutiny in the boletera Deisy Cabrera case — because of notations in her notebook linking her to former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart — told Ladra that Curbelo should look in his own house before throwing stones. As a close friend and campaign insider for the Diaz-Balarts, Curbelo — who has demanded that Garcia come clean about what he knew and when — could also be called on the carpet for ties to boleteras in those campaigns, Martinez said.
Curbelo told Ladra that there was one big difference.
“Joe Garcia has admitted that his campaign committed fraud. He has recognized it,” Curbelo said, adding that he has never been implicated in any absentee ballot improprieties.
“And if anyone has evidence to the contrary, they should produce it.”
He also said that Garcia’s criticized comments — basically, in other words, “what do you expect in this political atmosphere” — only show further disregard for integrity.
“He’s admitted he’s part of the corruption. It might be the way he does politics, but it is not the way I do it,” Curbelo said, almost giddy that Martinez — who has also hired Jeff Garcia (as have Miami Commissioners Francis Suarez and Marc Sarnoff) — is acting as a Garcia spokesman. “It’s not surprising because he has family working for Garcia,” Curbelo said, referring to Raul Martinez, Jr., the Congressman’s spokesman.
Grilled by Ladra, who reminded Curbelo that Absentee Ballot Queen Sasha Tirador — who is eerily silent and distanced from all the recent scandals… donde estas, Sasha? — was a spokesman for the Diaz-Balart campaign, Curbelo said he has never been involved or known of any AB operations. He also recalled that Martinez had complained about the AB operation after the election.
“Raul needed an excuse for losing by 20 points,” Curbelo said. “But the State Attorney found no wrongdoing.”
Well, ahem, not exactly.
According to the close out memo, which Ladra has and has quoted extensively, there were indications of fraud.
“While the circumstances prove amble basis for suspicion of illegal or improper activity in connection with the handling of absentee ballots by someone associated with the Diaz-Balart campaign, any chance of proving a crime is remote,” wrote then Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Joseph Centorino, after a two-year investigation.
Among the findings were two ballots that were apparently tampered with seemed to have originally been marked for Martinez but changed for Diaz-Balart.
And that brings another thing to mind. Of all the AB scams out there, this is what authorities zone in on to investigate and prosecute? Not the rampant elderly abuse in Hialeah and widespread corruption through public housing facilities and comedores that has plagued our local “political atmosphere” for years? Not the other elected officials and political strategists who pervert the electoral process through an organized network of boleteras and boleteros? Not successful AB affronts in the ALF community?
I know that no case of illegal AB fraud is small. But this thwarted attempt at generating absentee ballots seems like the least egregious of recent activities.
Taddeo agreed. She said she and the Democratic Party support a full investigation into all absentee ballot concerns.
But we need more than that. We need statewide reform so that the cracks are caulked up.
Otherwise, AB shenanigans will continue in one form or another. After all, like Garcia said, it’s politics.
Joe Garcia supporters stay strong through AB scandal added by Ladra on
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