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Before Ladra goes any further, let me fully disclose that Cabrera called me when he first thought he wanted to run for office again. It was shortly after 
that Sept. 11 meeting where resident after resident after resident spoke emotionally about being victimized by crime in front of the mayor, who did not offer one word of comfort. I not only encouraged him, but I pledged my support and help.
But I’m only doing that because it’s Ralph. There are not a lot of candidates who deserve my knee-deep involvement. I’ve known Cabrera for close to 15 years, having covered his first election for the Miami Herald as part of a wave of reformers that were swept into office in 2001. And while we may not have always agreed on issues, I loved him as a commissioner who voted his conscience even when he knew it was going to go the other way, often the lone dissenter in a 4-1 race. He asked the right questions.
Plus, he plays the guitar and the ukelele.
Political Cortadito endorsed him in 2013. And I believe that the only reason he lost is because he is too honest, he doesn’t have a filter like most slick politicians do, and sometimes folks confuse his passion with anger.
Read related story: Top 10 reasons to vote for Ralph Cabrera today in the Gables
But you’d be angry, too, if you were screaming into the wind about the corrupt city manager and the uptick in crime and people tried to silence you.
Because, and this is the bottom line, Ralph really loves his city. For him, it is not about using this position to step higher into another county or state seat.
Ladra is not sure she can say that about Quesada, who, after only one term, is letting his campaign gurus lead him into a mayoral race that he’s clearly 
not ready for. Unless you count the fact that his political godfather, Miami Commissioner Francis Suarez, will be calling the shots from another city.
And while Kerdyk is a nice guy and considered Gables royalty, he should not just be handed the seat because he is the heir apparent who has waited long enough for it. He’s been a commissioner for almost 20 years, having won his father’s seat when the senior Kerdyk — the City Beautiful’s longest serving elected ever with almost 30 years on the dais — retired in 1995. Billy should have run two years ago. Or four years ago. That was his window. Now, he’s not only late, but he’s seen as, at best, an innocent bystander who stood by and did nada during Salerno’s reign of terror or, at worst, a complicit co-conspirator.
Either way, neither one of them sounded the alarm 18 months ago when the crime started to creep in and maybe could have been nipped in the bud. Neither one of them have showed any kind of leadership, the way Commissioner Vince Lago has.
Today, they show the same brand of inaction and indecision, wringing their hands over who among them is going to run for mayor. And while they tell people they’re still thinking about it, Cabrera is all in.
That’s the kind of decisiveness and commitment and leadership that Coral Gables needs.
Read related story: For Gables mayor, Cabrera’s allies should not surprise
Ladra is not alone in thinking that Ralph is right for the job right now. Architect Willy Bermello and lobbyist Sylvester Lukis have volunteered to be his campaign finance co-chairs. He’s gotten a flurry of calls from residents and business owners, pledging their support. Media guru Freddy Balsera, who was one of the lead residents who charged City Hall on the crime issue in September, is going to host the first friends and family fundraiser and has told everyone that he is behind Cabrera 100%.
“Coral Gables deserves a mayor that shows leadership, especially now when our city is in the news for all the wrong reasons. I have known Ralph Cabrera for 15 years and he is the kind of leader we need,” said Balsera, a government affairs specialist with close ties to the national Democratic Party.
“When my neighbors and I mobilized to demand better police protection and stop burglaries, Mayor Cason was nowhere to be found. And when dozens of us shared with the commission the painful experience of our burglaries, Mayor Cason was indifferent and disengaged. Meanwhile, Ralph Cabrera has been sounding the alarms about our crime problem for the last two years.
“It is time for Mayor Cason to move on so that we can have a mayor that shows strong leadership and rolls up his sleeves to dig into the problems facing Coral Gables,” Balsera added. “Ralph Cabrera is precisely that kind of person and that is why I support him for mayor.”
Meanwhile, the other guys continue to hem and haw as they think about what they are going to do and how to best cover each other politically. Tsk, tsk.
Note to self: Remember to get some bumper stickers that say “Ralph was right.”
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