(Continued from previous page)
Both men have spent monies already in the campaign. And it looks like Commissioner “Senator Sir” Javier Souto has spent close to $9,000 of his $181,000 in a race against political nobody Marina Meadows, who shows $100 in contributions. Translation: Not a threat. The other opponent, I hear, is dropping out and jumping into a community council race.
Related story: Daniella Levine raises tons of cash against Lynda Bell
But why have Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa and Commissioners Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Sally Heyman — who face no opposition whatsoever so far — spent between $14,000 and $19,000 on a non race? Do they know something we don’t? Sure, Diaz has been threatened with a challenge, but Ladra doesn’t think anyone will materialize in time for qualifying deadline next week.
Sort of looks to me like the campaign business is a little cottage industry of its own. Is this the commissioners attempt at contributing to the local economy?
Of Sosa’s money, more than half — or nearly $8,000 — went to consultant/lobbyist Roly Marante for a reimbursement for computers. Computers for what? Computers for who? And who keeps those after this “election” is over?
Marante could not be reached, despite a couple of email attempts. Maybe he is too busy. Ladra hears he is working with the Beckham people to try to sell that waterfront soccer stadium deal (which apparently isn’t going to happen, unless you count the lake at Tropical Park as waterfront). But this smells to Ladra like the three or four flat screen, hi-def TVs purchased by the doomed Rudy Garcia for Hialeah Mayor campaign in 2011. Or the $650 of office supplies bought by Mayor Carlos Hernandez two days before the runoff. Or the thousands of dollars spent on food by any number of candidates.
Commissioner Sally Heyman spent $1,000 of her $243,000 on an Apple computer, a $300 lunch with volunteers at Brio Grille in Hallandale, a $460 tab at City Hall the restaurant and also bought some phones for which her campaign account also pays the monthly service.
Then there is the business that goes to venues like The Biltmore Hotel for fundraisers, vendors like Mena Catering or Walter Haas Graphics in Hialeah — two of the companies that rake it in at campaign time — and pollsters, and women or high school students who phone bank, and real banks and media companies (and, yes, Political Cortadito has started to take ads from anybody, just like everybody else, but I was talking more like Univision Radio and Comcast, which depend on these months like flower shops depend on May).
It’s the season also for professionals like accountant Carlos Trueba, who gets many of the campaign finance reporting duties, and fundraiser Brian Goldmeier, who cut his teeth on the failed 2010 Alex Sink governor’s campaign before joining the well-oiled 2011 recall campaign team that made Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez who he is (or was, maybe) and made Goldmeier acceptable to otherwise Dem-phobic Republicans.
Baby G-Man is the county’s newest king maker, and so this cottage economy has been very good to him. Goldmeier’s already made close to $48,000 just from Lynda Bell and her PAC alone, another $9,000 helping Diaz amass his treasure chest and another $17,000 or so with Monestime. One surmises he works on commission. And we can see he gets the same people and companies to contribute to each incumbent’s campaign. Guess it’s hard to say no to a guy who you know is connected to the mayor and at least three of the votes on the county commission.
Another winner in this campaign economy is lobbyist Jose Luis Castillo. His firm, Green Point Group, has been paid close to $60,000 by the Bell campaign for everything — a mailer, a phone bank, research, data — and another $25,000 or so from the Good Government Now PAC in billing for mailers and postage, etc. Castillo, who was also paid last year to lobby for the Safe Wrap luggage wrapping service at the Miami International Airport, also got at least $8,500 from Monestime.
There is no doubt about it: Elections are good for the economy as a booming industry in South Florida. Ladra is surprised the county hasn’t found a way to contribute with some sort of economic incentive for candidates.
Pages: 1 2
County incumbents rake up campaign cash, create economy added by Ladra on
View all posts by Ladra →
