Voters in Miami Beach have one more chance, a rare opportunity, 
to elect an independent voice that will be the go-to checksand balances for a commission that has been stacked for and by Mayor Philip Levine.
Kristen Rosen Gonzalez faces an uphill battle, however, as the mayor’s handpicked candidate, Betsy Perez, has had more money to spend on getting her name and message out. Perez has raised $114,775 since the first round Nov. 2 — that’s almost half of her total $238,500. It’s also almost three times as much as Rosen Gonzalez has collected. And that doesn’t even include the two PACs funded almost entirely by special interests and working for her, spreading misinformation, as Political Cortadito noted last week.
Read related story: Betsy Perez backed by Miami Beach special interest PACs
Rosen Gonzalez had her best campaign report ever with $19,700 in donations since she came in first on Nov. 3. Her total is just over $74,250.
Money isn’t everything, however, as we saw in the city of Miami race where Ken Russell won even though he was outspent 5 to 1. Rosen Gonzalez also got more votes even though she was outspent almost 3 to 1 by Perez — about $52,000 to about $135K. 
Just from her campaign alone. Not including PAC monies funneled to her by campaign consultant David Custin, who is also a successful Miami Beach lobbyist.
But in addition to having more money, Perez also has more muscle. Levine and his consultant David Custin are just the head bullies, but Betsy Perez — an entertainment executive whose husband was paid to do the city’s centennial celebration — has others. And they seem to include city employees who Rosen Gonzalez felt intimidated by on Sunday as she campaigned at an early voting site.
From her Facebook post:
“Yesterday, when I was standing and waving on a street corner, Betsy’s Campaign called in the firefighters and three police cars — ten of them to one of me, and the firefighters began to do hurtful things like stand in front of me and mock me. And when my eyes welled up with tears, they mocked me further and said to me, ‘This is not personal.’ Of course it was personal! They needed ten grown men to counter one of me. Say no to bullies, please. Ten of our fiercest to one woman waving in a yellow shirt. Say no to nasty rumors. Say no to Betsy supporters who condone this behavior. Is this what politics in Miami Beach is all about these days? Men in uniform heckling a woman standing alone? Why didn’t Betsy herself come out and stand next to me?”
Read related story: Kristen Rosen Gonzalez needs her turnout in Miami Beach
The short answer is yes, that is what politics in Miami Beach is all about these days.
“Vote for me, Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, and you can rest assured that there will be one kind and strong voice on that commission. There will be one voice who is unafraid. Given what I have endured from them already, I am strong enough to keep standing, but I need your vote.”
In Miami Beach, one last gasp for checks and balances added by Ladra on
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