Kristen Rosen Gonzalez needs her turnout in Miami Beach

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The Miami Herald got it right for once Wednesday in their endorsement of Kristen Rosen Gonzalez for Miami Beach Commissioner.

The Miami-Dade College professor is headed to a runoff Tuesday as the last hope to get an independent voice on the commission after the two other open seats went to cronies of Mayor Philip Levine.

But she is going to need more than the fading importance of a Herald recommendation to beat Betsy Perez, who is getting help from the Mayor, two sitting commissioners, two newly-elected commissioners and their common denominator, political consultant/lobbyist David Custin.

And she is going to need more than auto mogul Norman Braman, who threw his support to her Wednesday and is one of the hosts of Thursday night’s final fundraiser.

Read related story: Miami Beach: David Custin has fundraiser for Betsy Perez

Perez inexplicably got the nod from three of the losing candidates in the Nov. 2 election — the ones who were critical of the shady PAC that was meant to benefit her. “That was a big disappointment to me,” Rosen Gonzalez said. “To go around town for months saying you are against the Relentless for Progress PAC and for integrity and then do this? It’s just very disappointing.”

Perez, or should we say Custin, has already launched an attack ad on Rosen Gonzalez, using a quote out of context on sea level rise, which Rosen Gonzalez thinks needs to be addressed intelligently and not with a knee jerk reaction. The ad is using the hot button flooding issue out of context and dishonestly. It’s a scare tactic that Ladra hopes backfires, but it seemed to work for John Elizabeth Aleman against Marc Samuelian so who knows?

“It says I don’t believe in sea level rise, which is ridiculous,” Rosen Gonzalez told Ladra. “I just want to make sure that the bay is protected. It’s not about just getting it done. It’s about getting it done right.”

But her battle will come down to one thing by Tuesday: Her ability to get her people out to vote. Runoffs are notoriously low turnout and she needs every single person who voted for her to vote again and then some — without the luxury of any other question or candidate on the ballot to pull voters in.

That means that the anti Levine votes have to come out and vote for her even if he’s no longer on the ballot. That means that the preservationists who were able to defeat the question on the North Beach upzoning need to come out again just as strongly for one candidate who will be a minority on the commission but who remains practically the only checks and balances the city has a chance of having. They may have won their issue for now, but having stacked commission is no good for them in the long run.

It’s good for Custin, who has more than quadrupled his business on the beach since electing Levine and Commissioners Grieco and Malakoff two years ago.

Read related story: Miami Beach deserves a fresh start, sans David Custin

She says that she feels the support is there. “People want an independent voice. People believe in me,” Rosen Gonzalez told Ladra. “It’s not about me anymore. It’s about them.”

That means every single one of you who voted for her last time. Rosen Gonzalez won the majority in a clusterbunch against five other candidates, but 75% of the people still voted against her. She needs to get every one of her supporters at the very least if she has a hope of beating Levine’s machinery.

Her last fundraiser/pep rally is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday night at Vintro South Beach Hotel and Kitchen, 2216 Park Ave.

“My friend Enrique Colmenares who just finished renovating and received an award for his exquisite Vintro Hotel is kind enough to host our final fundraiser for this runoff election,” she wrote in an email to supporters. “For those of you who donated the first round, thank you so much, and please attend (no need to give again), and for those of you who did not have the opportunity to attend Monday evening or donate, please come by and support my campaign.

“We just want you guys there to get out the vote.

“So grateful to all of you for your help and support,” she wrote. “I couldn’t ask for kinder and more authentic supporters.

“Let’s Win This.”

Colmenares is a brave man, risking the mayor’s wrath like that. So are some of the nearly 100 people that showed up at Monday’s quickly scheduled event. Hosts Thursday include Braman, Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez, former Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Gongora, outgoing Miami Beach Commissioner Ed Tobin and Marcos Lapciuc, Robert Rainbowitz, Stacy Kilroy, Jose Smith, Steve Berke, Dr. Martin Zaiac, Robert Wolfarth, Dr. Dan Rivlin and Jonas Myers.

Hope they all pull voters next Tuesday.

  Betsy Perez, David Custin, Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, Miami Beach politics, Philip Levine