Some voters might think they don’t have to vote for Ken Russell in the Miami commission runoff election 
Tuesday. After all, Teresa Sarnoff, wife of the termed-out incumbent, withdrew from the race after Russell beat her almost 2 to 1 two weeks ago. He’s basically the commissioner already.
Well, yes… and no.
The city attorney’s office may have issued the opinion that he still needs to get 50 percent plus one of the vote to serve. But at the same time, they have said that votes for the candidate who withdrew will not be counted.
Wait, what?
So, does that mean Russell will get 100 percent of the votes? Because votes for Mrs. Marc Sarnoff will not count? This has been the most confusing election ever.
Read related story: Mr. and Mrs. Sarnoff give up seat to Ken Russell sans runoff
There are some concerns that if Russell supporters stay home, basically thinking he’s got this in the bag, that Sarnoff could technically — and working in secret to get her support out — pull out a victory. Might be only symbolically. Might be grounds for a legal challenge. A smart and greedy lawyer could possibly make a case out of it and the seat would be in legal limbo for who knows how long?
Russell himself has expressed a little doubt about the 
confusion that Tuesday’s ballot will cause, since it doesn’t say which of the two candidates has withdrawn.
Some people think this is all a trick up the Sarnoff sleeve. She obviously had not made the decision to withdraw until after the Nov. 3 election, when the campaign secured $50,000 in TV ad buys that were later reimbursed to the campaign on Nov. 12, according to a campaign finance report submitted Friday.
So at some point, she was ready to fight. Was it better strategy to go this route?
The Sarnoffs have not outwardly campaigned since she wrote the letter to the editor at the Miami Herald, dropping out of the race. She hasn’t any new contributions and a balance of just under $77,000 that Sarnoff has said will go to animal welfare groups and then back to contributors.
Read related story: For Miami Commission, Teresa Sarnoff leads money race
Ladra and some observers believe Mrs. Sarnoff withdrew to save some face rather than lose in the runoff, which was almost a certainty. After all, Commissioner Marc Sarnoff is widely believed to have higher political ambitions at the county or state or federal level. Better to bow out graciously than be run out of town by an angry mob.
Meanwhile, Team Ken has been out there, knocking on doors, making phone calls, dropping mailers.
Russell had his best fundraising period of the campaign, 
getting almost $30,000 from the day after he won the first round. His total of $188,000 as of Nov. 12 is still way below Sarnoff’s high of $750,000 or so. (That’s just her campaign, no PACs, of which there is a mysterious one that has not filed any expenses, as per the Herald).
Still, Russell supporters and those who voted for the other non-Sarnoff candidates need to get out and vote Tuesday so the new commissioner’s first term won’t be marked by any controversy or legal mumbo jumbo, but instead by a clear revolution and mandate.
It will also send a strong message to the Sarnoffs and others like them that, yes, voters did indeed want Russell in the first place and he didn’t have to be their only choice.
Or, at least, that they didn’t want her.
Miami vote still counts despite Teresa Sarnoff tapping out added by Ladra on
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