Not everybody is going to be as excited as Ladra is about this, but there are more elections where that last one just came from. A bunch more. And they start right away.
In fact, candidates for the Golden Beach general election in February have to qualify between Dec. 28 and Jan. 4 for a Feb. 16 election. Hialeah Gardens is in March. Bay Harbor Islands, Coral Gables, Miami Shores and Miami Springs elections are in April. North Miami and Sweetwater are in May.
Then there’s a summer break before September’s Virginia Gardens election and the Big 4: Miami, Hialeah, Miami Beach and Homestead. Four of the largest cities in Miami-Dade (Miami Gardens had theirs this year) all have elections this November (Homestead has a first round in October with runoffs in November).
And some of them are already looking to be very interesting.
Miami incumbent Mayor Francis Suarez could very well be a one-term mayor. He may think that people have forgotten the failed strong mayor effort and his strong lobbying for the Miami Freedom Park real estate complex disguised as a soccer stadium, but we haven’t.
Baby X has also failed to protect the city from the likes of the Three Amigos and Tricky Vicky. In fact, he’s now pals with Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who is making all kinds of moves to watch, and endorsed his brother Renier for county commission. He has threatened to sue and then not followed through and even begged Commissioner Joe Carollo to respect him. At a public meeting. It was sad.
Read related: Two-faced Miami Mayor Francis Suarez wants to kick kids off Melreese
And it also seems like he’d just be happier doing something else. Maybe something on TV. Ala Chris Cuomo.
Las malas lenguas say that former Mayor Tomas Regalado is considering a comeback. All he would confirm is that he’s being pressured. A lot. But he wouldn’t say if he would — or wouldn’t. Which probably means he would.
Ladra thinks he’d win tomorrow.
Commissioner Joe Carollo, who won by only 252 votes in 2017 and has at least 1,900 voters who want him gone already — having signed a recall petition he has delayed in court — could face a serious challenge in, well, anyone, but especially former Commissioner Joe Sanchez, a former cop who everyone likes.
Commissioner Jeffrey Watson promised not to run against Christine King, but that was just to make Dean DLP feel better and he could change his mind at any moment. Even without him, that’s still an interesting race with at least four candidates signed up so far and more in the wings, judging by the list of wannabe appointments.
Commissioner Manolo Reyes is also facing his first re-election. But nobody knows yet if he will face a challenge. Or will he run for mayor? Or will he run to replace Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa in two years?
In Hialeah, we will finally see the sunset of Mayor Carlos Hernandez, but only because he wants to run for sheriff in 2024. Former Council President Isis “Gavelgirl” Garcia Martinez wants to replace him. So does former Councilwoman Vivian Casals-Muñoz, but she won’t run if former Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo, who lost his mayoral run, decides to put his huevos in that basket. Wonder who the firefighters like.
Ladra is sure that there are a couple of council seats on the ballot also. But who cares? Oh Mighty Isis is running for mayor!
In Miami Beach, we have a mayoral race and three commission seats, including one open seat where Commissioner Micky Steinberg is termed out. Commissioners Mark Samuelian and Michael Góngora face re-election, although some think he may go for the mayoral seat again. But Mayor Dan Gelber has another term left if he wants it.
None have yet filed any paperwork. But someone named Blake Young has filed in the open seat.
In Homestead, Mayor Steven Losner is up for re-election, as is council members Jenifer Bailey. Ladra though Stephen Shelley was up too, but has been informed that he is termed out. Councilwoman Erica Avila, who was appointed last summer to finish the term vacated by former Councilman Elvis Maldonado, who lost his bid for county commission, will also have to run for her seat if she wants to stay there.
Happily, we don’t have to wait until the November elections to start seeing the contests. The first election that Political Cortadito will cover extensively is in the city Coral Gables in April.
Read related: Tania Cruz-Gimenez strikes out on her own, runs for Coral Gables Commission
The mayoral race will see commissioners Vince Lago and Pat Keon face off. And as if that wasn’t going to be exciting enough, one commission race will suck all the air out of the room as Tania Cruz-Gimenez, daughter-in-law and heir apparent of the former county mayor and newly-elected congressman, goes up against a clusterbunch led by mayoral brother Jose Valdes-Fauli.
Yeah.
Next on the calendar, is Sweetwater. Elections there are always exciting. There’s always a good fake endorsement or two and you’re as likely to run into an undercover police officer or private investigator tracking absentee ballots as you are to run into a campaign canvasser.
Earlier this year, Councilwoman Sophia Lacayo was unseated after she was charged with perjury because she lived outside the city when elected (might still). Watch for more out of town people to run. Sweetwater doesn’t have that many hechados palante.
So, dear readers, be on notice now and look out for the mailers and yard signs and, of course, shenanigans that come with all our local elections, so you can let Ladra know where she should be sniffing around.
More elections to come in 2021, including the Big 4 and lots of littles added by Ladra on
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