Could this year’s mayoral election in Hialeah turn out to be a rematch?
Former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez — who lost a bitter race against Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez in 2011 — walked into City Hall Wednesday morning and walked out with a candidate package.
He said he didn’t mean to. Martinez, who has remained a vocal critic of Hernandez and his administration, told Ladra Wednesday evening that he was there to pick up more public records he had requested: 150 pages on loan default funds that the city may have misused.
But then Martinez asked about candidates, he learned that Castro had only gotten one unlikely challenger in Juan Santana. And then he learned that the qualifying deadline was Monday, which he found surprising.
“We used to have filing dates in September. They must have changed it to benefit them,” Martinez said.
Ladra would not be surprised and will try to find out when the change came. Most filing deadlines are on a Friday, too.
But, meanwhile, this is exciting news. Is Martinez seriously considering another run against Hernandez, who beat him 61 to 39 percent two years ago? Or is the Political Don — who was mayor of the of the City of Retrogress from 1981 to 2005 — throwing his hat in just to bug Hernandez and ruin his weekend? Qualifying is not til Monday, after all.
“I have a few days to think about it,” Martinez told Ladra, admitting that his phone has blown up with supporters and the just plain curious. But he won’t tell.
“I’m going to go to bed tonight and I’m going to go to bed tomorrow night and I’m going to talk to my wife,” who, Ladra bets, is not happy about this turn of events.
Martinez told Ladra months ago that he would not run for mayor again. Ever. Like, never. He said the voters had made their choice and would have to live with it and that he was going to dedicate himself to his family and making money.
But politicians always say that. And me thinks he may have changed his mind. He has not been able to remain disengaged. He has been poking around Hialeah’s messy business for months and even attended a council meeting a few weeks ago.
And this is not 2011. This is 2013, and many things have changed. Castro is more vulnerable than ever before. He doesn’t have that beloved maquinita money to turn to. Absentee ballot fraud is chilled with so many investigations going on and so many authorities reportedly watching. And he will be burned somewhat by his relationship to the now, finally, indicted former Mayor Julio Robaina, whose money lending schemes the two mayors shared (another day we will ask why Castro Hernandez has not been requested to make a sworn statement about his own questionable loans).
Then there is the slew of catastrophes in the making that Martinez — who continues a high profile existence as a political expert on many Spanish language TV shows — has been looking into and talking about to anyone who will listen: Cost overruns at the water plant, bad land deals, diverted funds, lawsuits from the employees and against the police department.
“You don’t know how bad it is in the city,” he told Ladra.
If there was ever a time to topple Hialeah’s Castro, this is it.
If nothing else, having him as a candidate in the race will ensure real debate about things that matter. He can help expose the things that are going on in Hialeah. And, of course, Ladra is happy. She is still ABC: Anybody But Carlos.
Martinez said he may pay the qualifying fee himself. It’s a small investment to keep the kindling burning under Hernandez.
Yes, some may say that Martinez had his chance in 2011. I repeat: That was then. This is now.
And remember, Martinez ruled Hialeah for almost a quarter of a century. He was first elected mayor in 1981, then re-elected in 1983 and in 1985, 1987 and 1989, for his first four year term. Then he was elected again in 1993 and in a special election in 1994 when the previous one was thrown out after allegations of absentee voter fraud. Then he was re-elected in 1997 and 2001.
Martinez has won nine elections for mayor. He has lost one.
If this were a bet at the historic Hialeah Park racetrack, I’d say those are great odds.
Raul Martinez ready for Round 2? Winner: Hialeah added by Ladra on
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