State Rep. Eddy Gonzalez (R-Hialeah), who is termed out this year and was shopping for a new seat to 
fill, is said to be switching gears — yet again — and jumping into the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser’s race.
Any day now.
And he will instantly become the guy to beat in what essentially becomes a three-man race with former Property Appraiser Pedro Garcia and perennial candidate Alex Dominguez. So far.
Gonzalez, if you remember, said he wanted to run for Hialeah mayor in 2011. No, wait, State House! No, wait, mayor! No, wait, councilman!
Last we heard, he was going to challenge Councilman Jose Caragol for a seat on the Seguro Que Yes Council, ceding the top dog spot to Council President Isis “La Grocera” Garcia-Martinez, who is said to have the current mayor’s nod for successor.
Maybe the indecision — or his vision of a future groveling to Gavelgirl on the dais — led him to look at this countywide race, instead.
Gonzalez is not terribly known outside of Hialeah, but, let’s face it, the second largest city in the county also has a large number of super voters. And he has experience with the absentee ballot machine there.
The property appraiser’s race is already a crowded ballot choice, and that is without Hialeah Council President Luis Gonzalez, who has also expressed interest and even met with Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez‘s son, CJ, to see if he could get Papi’s support. Former State Rep. Marcelo Llorente, who came in No. 3 in the recall mayoral race of 2011, said in February he was considering it, but had not yet decided.
There are six candidates registered with the county for that race so far:
- Garcia was the first to file for his old job. He lost to former State Rep. Carlos “C-Lo” Lopez-Cantera — who left the post when he was tapped in January as Gov. Rick Scott‘s No. 2 (read: campaign hope for Hispanic votes) — only in the absentee ballots.
- Dominguez, a pharmaceutical salesman who lost the 2012 House primary against State Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez (D-Little Havana) and then a city commission race last year against Miami Commissioner Frank Carollo and apparently loves to campaign.
- Jacqui Colyer, a former regional director for the deficient Department of Children and Families, who ran twice for state House and lost again in a city commission race last year to Commissioner Keon Hardemon.
- Albert Armada, an appraiser with his own company who has the support of former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz (or at least a $1,000 contribution from him).
- Real estate agent Sonia Alfaro, who has practically no online footprint (sorry).
- And Carlos Gobel, executive director of a valuation and consulting firm providing services the South Florida real estate market, and a Christopher Columbus alum.
But the only two real, viable candidates. really, are Garcia and Dominguez, who are about head to head with fundraising, collecting $43,200 and $41,000, respectively. Armada has raised just over $14,000 and Gobel has almot $2,300. The two women, Colyer and Alfaro, only filed last week so they don’t have any campaign finance reports to file yet.
But Gonzalez, who already has a PAC he can use for anything so he is in no hurry to file, can catch up financially. The interests he could bring — like fellow legislators who will want to support him and more media scrutiny — will likely change the race.
But his support and even sponsorship of the unpopular and ultimately dead Dolphins stadium tax bill last year might hurt him in a countywide race. This year, his public spanking of Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padron was also looked upon
The legislator did not return several voice mail and text messages left on his cellphone over the past couple of weeks. And Garcia could not be reached for comment.
But even Miami-Dade Commission Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa told someone last week that the state rep was running for that post.
It was Dominguez. He had gone to introduce himself and, he says, Sosa — who said she heard about Gonzalez’s intentions in Tallahassee — basically dismissed him. “Eddy Gonzalez is running for that seat,” she said, as if it is his already.
Dominguez said he isn’t going to change his campaign strategy, which has been to go out into the black, anglo and Jewish community to educate voters about the property appraiser’s role about duties. Did ya know that 46% of all the appeals in Miami-Dade are approved? — and he says he will continue to do that.
Dominguez, who has done a lot of campaigning with the black vote and in the Roads and Miami area — where they already know him since he’s knocked on doors twice there — said Gonzalez has a lot of catching up to do.
“I’m sure he’s going to do well, but he only got 70 percent last time against nobody,” Dominguez said.
Actually, 62% in the 2012 primary against Absentee Ballot Queen Sasha Tirador‘s employee, Maykel Balboa. Which is either kind of embarrassing or shows that Tirador’s AB machine trumps his.
The good news is Gonzalez wouldn’t even have to move for this race. It’s a countywide seat so Gonzalez — who never moved into his new district despite having switched House numbers — can stay put. Again.
Will Eddy Gonzalez jump into Prop App race? Ladra says si added by Ladra on
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