Coral Gables mayoral race: Slesnick vs Valdes-Fauli, Vol. II

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While it is four months away, the Coral Gables mayoral contest is going to be a rematch of sorts now that former Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli filed to run against newby Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick, whose husband beat Valdes-Fauli in 2001

Qualifying isn’t until february for the April 11 election, but no matter who else may jump into the fray, the race will really be between these two.

Las malas lenguas say that Commissioner Pat Keon — who is up for re-election but, unlike Commissioner Vince Lago (also up for re-election), has not yet filed any paperwork — was also interested in the mayor’s seat. The word is that after she polled, Keon was scared away from that by Slesnick’s numbers. Several sources told Ladra that the Jeannett’s favorables were way higher than anybody’s.

Read related story: Raul Valdes-Fauli plans comeback as mayor

Valdes Fauli announced his candidacy on Bernadette Pardo‘s radio show Tuesday morning and made it official by filing the first paperwork Wednesday, but he’d been talking about it for 15 months, when Political Cortadito first broke the news.

Slesnick, wife of former Mayor Don Slesnick, filed her bank account info in November and already has a campaign finance report — with a $100,000 loan to herself to let people know she’s serious.

This is the second time Valdes-Fauli comes up against a Slesnick. Mayor from 1993 to 2001, Raul lost that year to Don Slesnick — 53 to 38 percent (a third candidate got 9%) in what became a complete overhaul of the commission; two new commissioners were also elected for a new majority.

Elected in 2015, Jeannett Slesnick is only in the second year of her first term, but she has an institutional knowledge like nobody else up on that dais. She has come out swinging against big developments and she has been the most communicative of all the commissioners, with regular newsletters, surveys, email blasts and town hall meetings.

But she must be frustrated with having to correct everybody.

“The mayor sets the agenda and steers the vote and also has the last vote,” Slesnick said about why she jumped at what is an open seat, since Mayor Jim Cason has repeatedly said he won’t run again (of course, he’s gone back on his word before). Cason will likely back Valdes-Fauli since the former mayor endorsed him two years ago.

Read related story: Jim Cason runs again ’cause nobody else will

“I know the city better than a lot of people because I’ve been here, I’ve been involved,” Slesnick told Ladra. “I could have been mayor 15 years ago, 20 years ago.”

But that’s when Valdes-Fauli was mayor.

Former Commissioner Ralph Cabrera also picked up an election packet at the city clerk’s office, but it’s doubtful that he would run for mayor again against Slesnick, now that they’re allies. He would likely not run against Keon, who ran his first campaign, or Lago, who is seen as very strong and popular and who has already raised $130,470.

But Slesnick’s run for mayor means she will have to resign and that seat may also be put on the same ballot. That seat might be what also attraced former FIU President Modesto Maidique and Gables Police Sgt. Randy Hoff, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police. On Friday, Hoff said he was still considering if he could afford to retire six months early.

It’s early yet and others, like former candidates P.J. Mitchell and Tony Newell, could jump in. Ariel Fernandez, who has stayed very active after losing in 2015 to Slesnick (he came in third after Newell), told Ladra Friday that he could not run this year. He’s got a new baby and will be too busy to campaign early next year.

And time flies. Before you know it, the mailers will start to arrive.

  Jeannett Slesnick, Raul Valdes-Fauli