P0litical strategist and organizer Juan Cuba, former executive director of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, has a great idea: Let’s recall Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo.
And he is not alone.
After a meltdown at the city commission meeting last week in which Carollo picked a fight with 
Chairman Keon Hardemon and then he and his partner in crime, former Senator and newly-elected Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, abruptly and loudly ended the commission meeting — with no city business getting done — because he didn’t get his way, Cuba posted the rules on Facebook for recalling Crazy Joe (it has to be an all-volunteer effort), and said he was just gauging interest.
And boy is there. Within 72 hours, he had at least 14 volunteers to cover at least 56 two-hour shifts in February.
It looks like this could be easy. One person even suggested they collect the first batch of signatures — just over 1,600 to represent 5% of the registered voters in District 1 (about 31,600 last Fall) — in one weekend to impress the press. That is sooooo doable.
It’s such a popular idea, in fact, that Cuba is not the first to think of recalling Loco Joe. Community Newspapers publisher Grant Miller encouraged citizens to form a committee and collect signatures back in September!
Read related: Joe Carollo fires staffer who reported abuse of office to the State Attorney
Carollo has been a controversial and polemic figure, to say the least, since he was elected two years ago in a heated contest framed by false and malicious attacks on Zoraida Barreiro — wife of former county commissioner Bruno Barreiro — who his campaign labeled as a communist and a loose woman.
He used his office to help Diaz de la Portilla in his failed county commission 
run with PaellaGate — paying with city funds and using staff for a campaign event. And he has made it his mission to go after the owner of the successful and wildly popular Ball & Chain lounge on Calle 8, using the city’s code enforcement department on a personal vendetta because they hosted an event for his opponent, Alfie Leon. Carollo, who has reportedly told his staff to lie to the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, is also the man responsible for bringing us the Miami Freedom Mall real estate deal disguised as a soccer stadium.
But Cuba’s last straw was the shitshow on Jan. 9. City Manager Emilio Gonzalez was expected to defend himself publicly for the first time since Carollo’s December attack and attempt to fire him, when Carollo and Diaz de la Portilla pretty much hijacked the meeting in a brazen power play (more on that later) and ended it without a single item of business taken care of.
That was Thursday. On Sunday, Cuba posted his plea on Facebook:
“After the disaster that was this week’s city of Miami commission, it’s become increasingly clear that the city will not function as long as Joe Carollo sits on the dais (which is another 2 years).
“The process to recall a city of Miami commissioner is long and onerous. You have to first collect petitions equal to 5% of voters registered in that district (goal of 1,650 to give us a cushion for errors) within 30 days. Then Carollo gets to write a 200 word defense that the clerk will then include in a final petition form. Then we have to start over and collect petitions equal to 15% (goal of 5,000) within 60 days. The recall then gets placed on the ballot and held within 60 days,” he added, and later posted the state law.
“We would need about 100 volunteer shifts (of 2 hours each) to complete the first step and another 300 volunteer shifts to complete the second step. And we cannot pay for any petition gathering – it all has to be volunteer.
“So how many shifts would you do?”
By the time Ladra saw it and this story was published, he only needed 44 more shifts covered.
Cuba also posted the state statute for the recall signatures gathering, which is as onerous as he said, and one has to wonder if that is by design.
The petition also has to clearly state a reason that falls under one of seven categories: malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties and conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude.
Let’s see. We have malfeasance — using city staff and funds to campaign for DLP — and misfeasance when Carollo directed code enforcement officers to ticket his enemies. It is absolutely neglect of duty when he voted to adjourn 
last week without getting to any city business because of a pissing match. And, well, there is video proof from meetings of Carollo’s incompetence.
Four out of seven is not bad. Make it five because he could certainly have been drunk when he lurked around Ball & Chain taking pictures like a private eye and yelling to the valet parking guys that “I am the law!”
Noting from the Facebook responses Cuba got — some volunteers volunteered to recruit other volunteers — there should be no problem getting the first round of signatures, at least. If the momentum carries, and press coverage delivers more volunteers, the second round should not be too difficult either.
In fact, Ladra is willing to bet money on that this happens.
Read related: Joe Carollo sued for violating free speech of Little Havana businesses
The rules say a recall election must take place no later than 65 days after the qualifying of the petition signatures (Carollo gets five days to resign but everyone knows he won’t). That means that the vote could fall sometime in the summer, before the August primary. And everyone knows a special election comes with its own problems, like cost and lower turnout.
But we really can’t wait for Carollo to do more damage.
Obviously, there would need to be some funding at least to pay the supervisor of election (10 cents a signature) to verify the petitions and then to get out the vote — especially if its a special election. Because you know Carollo will raise and spend money to oppose it (with DLP and Jorge Mas’ help).
It should not be too hard to find people willing to fund such an effort, not only 
Bill Fuller, the real estate developer who owns Ball & Chain and several other businesses along Calle Ocho that have become targets of Carollo’s, but he’s obvious the first guy to go to. Expect a political action committee to form any day now.
Ladra wholly supports this effort and encourages anybody who wants to volunteer for this historic and valiant recall, to sign up on Cuba’s facebook page here.
Crazy Joe must go!
Recall effort vs Joe Carollo picks up after commission meltdown added by Ladra on
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