The fix is in at the largest community college in the nation.
They couldn’t change the rules and requirements in the middle of the search for a new president, so the Miami Dade College Board of Trustees — which is rumored to have a former Republican lawmaker-turned-lobbyist in mind for the job — scrapped the whole process Wednesday and decided to start over.
All but one member, chairman Bernie Navarro, voted to begin a new search 
open to new candidates. Only one current candidate from the selection committee’s shortlisted four, Vice President and Provost Lenore Rodicio (pictured left), is still in the running. The only inside candidate, a faculty favorite, issued a statement saying she was disappointed but hopeful.
“At this point, I am left with no choice but to await the board’s final decision and pray that whatever decision that is, it’s in the best interest of our students,” Rodicio said.
But, at this point, wait and pray seems moot and foolish. Because the board obviously didn’t get who they wanted in the first round.
Who is that? For months, las malas lenguas have been saying that 
person is former State Rep. Jose Felix “Pepi” Diaz, who lost a bid for state senate last year. That’s why a new board with Gov. Ron DeSantis appointees wanted to water down the criteria in May to require only a master’s degree, instead of a doctorate, and far less education experience. So “Selfie King” Diaz could get the job. Word leaked. Opponents, including the college faculty union balked, and the new board members with these crazy ideas backed down. Now this.
At Wednesday’s meeting, several faculty members, students and other observers shouted “shame” and labor attorney and faculty union president Mark Richard ripped into the board during comments.
“The soul of this college is being ripped apart today. We don’t believe in this process any longer,” Richard said. “This is the saddest day of my 40 years as a faculty member at this college.”
Several of the highly respected members of 17-person search committee have said they feel disrespected and would not participate in the process again. Miami Foundation CEO Javier Soto called it a “farce.”
Two other names have come up as possibilities: Former Congressman Carlos Curbelo and State Sen. Manny Diaz, Jr. But Curbelo, a former Miami-Dade School Board member and former Congressman who recently announced he would not seek to regain his seat, has hinted he wants to run for Miami-Dade mayor, where he can get a lot more pay to play. And Diaz Jr. is even more unqualified than Pepi Diaz. Even, perhaps, a conflict of interest, seeing as how he works for and represents the charter school industry. Ladra thinks the faculty would walk out and students would hold a sit-in.
Read related: Jose Felix Diaz outspends Annette Taddeo 3 to 1 plus — but loses anyway
But Pepi Diaz — who was once fired
by Donald Trump on The Apprentice — is the most consistent name mentioned (since April!) when this politicized process is discussed. After losing a bitterly fought special election against Annette Taddeo in 2017, Diaz left Akerman Senterfitt, joined Ballard Partners, a leading Florida lobbying firm, as nothing less than Executive Vice President, and became partner at Panza, Maurer and Maynard. He’s also done a bit of travelling this summer — going to Seattle (pictured at the space needle, left) and Vancouver on business and the Smoky Mountains and Universal Studios in Orlando with his family. Ladra tried but could not reach him.
So, he’s a busy guy, likely making loads of money. He is registered for no fewer than 19 companies or firms at Miami-Dade County, including Dell Technologies, Bell Helicopters, Florida East Coast Railways and Miami Beckham United. He will make more when he can start lobbying at the state level in Tallahassee after his ban is lifted next year. But, on the other hand, the college president’s job could pay around or more than half a million a year and offers sizable perks and a comfortable, prestigious place to primp and keep a public profile on a key national issue so he can run for office in the future.
Plus it gives the the GOP leadership another swipe at MDC President Eduardo Padrón, who naturally wants to leave the beloved community school he nurtured into a top notch nationally-recognized institution in good, capable hands. Padrón does not want to see his post become an attaboy political prize to a good Party boy who raised lots of money for local and state Republicans, including House Speaker Jose Oliva, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez — who used to work for MDC Board of Trustees member Carlos Migoya — and former (termed-out) State Rep. Michael Bileca, Diaz’s BFF in Tallahassee, who just happens to be another board member.
Sure, they won the battle when Oliva defeated Padrón’s attempt to get a five-
year, half-penny sales tax to fix leaky roofs, renovate old buildings, add classrooms, faculty and technology, beef up scholarship programs and, perhaps, build two new satellite campuses.
But Padrón embarrassed Oliva. He correctly and courageously called out the powerful lawmaker and three of his flying monkeys (former State Reps. Frank Artiles, Bileca — now a board member! — and Carlos Trujillo) as “bullies” for holding back the legislation — which would have simply provided Miami-Dade voters the opportunity to vote on the tax, which polls show had overwhelming support.
Read related: Miami Dade College tax battle still brews after big fight
But Padrón had the harshest words for Oliva, who he said was a college “dropout” born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
Oliva — who went on to arm teachers, call pregnant women “host bodies” and hold firefighter health protection back as a political vendetta — apparently likes a good grudge (firefighters better watch their backs next year). It seems much too important to him to make anyone who slights him pay the price, no 
matter how much it costs the community.
Miami Dade College, with the largest undergraduate enrollment (170,000 students from almost 200 countries) in the United States, is a lot of important things. It is one of the top employers in the county, not only because of the jobs there but also because of the jobs it prepares people for. It is one of the top educators, having graduated more minority students in the past 25 years than any other higher-ed institution in the country. It is an economic engine, supplying hundreds of vendors and contractors with jobs and encouraging entrepreneurship.
And it is a lifeline to affordable higher education and better quality of life for hundreds of thousands of people who have gone there to get a leg up.
But it is not a political reward.
The community should show this untrustworthy board — between now and their next meeting in two weeks — that we won’t let them turn it into one.
Political palanca puts Miami Dade College president search on pause added by Ladra on
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