Former Hialeah Police Officer Ricky Garcia was excited about running for council in the city where he had lived and worked for nearly three decades.
But but before he could qualify Monday morning, Garcia died of a massive heart attack.
Julio Rodriguez, who qualified to run against Council Vice President Luis Gonzalez and had hoped to run with his friend, learned about the death while he was filling out the forms at City Hall and rushed to Hialeah Hospital, where friends had gathered.
“I just can’t believe it,” Rodriguez said.
Former Mayor Raul Martinez, reached in the Bahamas with his family, said he had been with Garcia until 3 p.m. Sunday and would be flying back today or tomorrow to attend services.
“I’m devastated,” Martinez said. “I didn’t know he was that sick.
“He was with me at my house til 3 o’clock. He was ready.”
Garcia had been flirting with changing his race from one against Councilman Pablito Hernandez to go against Mayor Carlos Hernandez (no relation). But he wouldn’t if Martinez, who had picked up a candidate package, was running for mayor.
Martinez told him that he was not going to run, but that someone else would challenge the mayor by noon today and urged him to stick to the council race.
“He knew I was not going to be filing for mayor and he was fine with it,” Martinez told Ladra. “I told him somebody else is going to file at noontime today.”
Martinez did not want to tell Ladra who was going to jump in, but it was someone he had spoken to and vowed to support. “And if he doesn’t run, then the city can go to hell.”
The former mayor, who has won elections in Hialeah nine times before he lost to Hernandez in 2011, said he did not want his colorful past and personality to become the focus of the race. Martinez has been trying to expose the mistakes and abuses committed by the Hernandez administration for two years.
“I don’t want to be the issue. The issue is the city, not me. They are stealing it blind,” Martinez said. “And you know how the Herald is. If I was the candidate they would stop writing [about problems in the city] because they would feel they were helping me.”
He might be right about that.
“There’s plenty for this son of a bitch to go to jail.”
He might be right about that, too.
Ladra regrets that Garcia died before he could see that.
Flags were at half staff at all the city’s fire stations by mid morning.
Eric Johnson, vice president of the Hialeah Firefighters Association and a friend of Garcia’s — the two men had fought absentee ballot fraud alongside each other in 2011 — said the 51-year-old retired police detective had woken up Monday with some back pain. That turned to a full cardiac arrest and Fire Rescue took him to Hialeah Hospital.
But by 9 a.m., he had been pronounced dead.
Garcia, who had a history of heart issues and high blood pressure, had lost weight in recent months to prepare for the race.
Friend Jorgito Morffiz said Garcia wasn’t feeling well Sunday night.
“I wish he had stayed with me.”
Hialeah candidate, former cop Ricky Garcia dies added by Ladra on
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