Eyes toward 2014 races as state, county horses line up

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Now that this year’s lackluster little municipal elections have come and gone — well, all except the Miami Beach runoffs Nov. 19 — campaign professionals, political wannabes and junkie watchdogs like Ladra can start focusing on the 2014 races that promise much more drama at both the county and state levels.

Several stabs for state seats along with what many say will be a heated governor’s race are expected to make next year a continuation of the red vs. blue battle we saw in 2012.

Most incumbents do not have any challengers declared so far. In the Senate, none of the Miami-Dade Delegation members whose seats are up this year — Sens. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla (R-Coral Gables), Oscar Braynon II (D-Miami Gardens) and Rene Garcia (R-Hialeah) — have drawn opponents.

But there are three House races that could prove to be interesting with just the players in the game so far: (1) State Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, who made a name for himself his freshman year by standing up to the Miami Dolphins’ desire for a publicly financed stadium, against attorney and Republican postalita Daniel Diaz-Leyva. (2) State Rep. Eric Fresen, who appeared weak last year when he was nearly beat by nobody Ross Hancock, faces Amory Bodin in the primary, again, and then longtime Democrat activist Daisy Baez in the general, and sources say that there may be others come out of the woodwork on that one. and (3) State Rep. Holly Raschein (R-Key Largo), a former aide to former Rep. Ron Saunders, who faces a challenge from Redland activist Pamela Gray. In a less interesting race, but still a challenged one, incumbent Rep. Barbara Watson (D-Miami Gardens) will face Philip Brutus, again, and three other Dems in a so far crowded primary. And former North Bay Village Mayor Joseph Geller will run with a buncha others for the open seat left by the term-limited Rep. Joe Gibbons (D-Hallandale Beach).

Let’s now consider the Miami-Dade Commission seats that are up for grabs.

So far, of the five that have filed documents for re-election, only Commissioner Jean Monestime faces early opposition from not one but two challengers, which as of September includes former Commissioner Dorrin D. Rolle, who Monestime beat in 2010 amid allegations of ethical breaches and wrongdoing associated with the James E. Scott Community Association, a nonprofit which dissolved through bankruptcy once Rolle left.

This seems like a fun race to watch. Monestime, who beat Rolle with far less money three years ago, will obviously not have that problem as an incumbent this go around. In fact, he seems financially prepared to beat off any hopefuls with almost $130,000 in the bank so far. Someone told Ladra that fundraiser fatale Brian Goldmeier — who cut his teeth raising funds for Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez when he was a longshot and has made a career of that — is helping the commission’s first and only Haitian-American member shake the trees for his first re-election bid. Like Ladra said, a fun one to watch.

The only other commissioner with any significant cash in the campaign coffers is Vice Chair Lynda Bell, who has $176,000 and, as we said earlier this week, is expected to draw an opponent or two now that her husband has lost the race she put him up to for Homestead mayor.

The others who have filed so far — Sally Heyman, Jose “Pepe” Diaz, Rebeca Sosa — are standing alone for now.

But in Commissioner Javier Souto‘s seat, we see a newcomer. And, no, it is not Mimi Planas, the neophyte who had tried but failed to topple Souto three years ago and has since taken a more scenic route through the Log Cabin Republicans and a Community Council seat. While Planas has been widely rumored to be aching for another stab at a county commission seat, and has reportedly been seen out and about more, someone named Marco Antonio Valdes beat her to the punch and filed documents to run in the race days ago. On Halloween, actually.

Souto, who hasn’t filed any paperwork — though it is early on — has long rumored to be waiting for the city of Westchester to incorporate so he can make his grand exit as its founding mayor. But that may not happen before next year so he may have to run or get off the pot.

We are still a year out, and political observers fully expect others to get into the races, but already this looks like it is going to be a busy and interesting political year.

  Dorrin Rolle, Eric Fresen, Jean Monestime, Jose Javier Rodriguez, Lynda Bell, Rebeca Sosa