Former Coral Gables candidate is running again — for Miami mayor

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Mayra Joli, who came in fifth two months ago in the Coral Gables City Commission election, wants to throw her hat in the ring again.

Only it’s a different ring.

Joli has presented paperwork to run for city of Miami mayor. It will be interesting to see how she proves that she’s been a city of Miami resident for at least a year, since she just ran in the City Beautiful as a resident of Jeronimo Drive.

“That’s for me to know and for your to find out,” Joli told Ladra when she asked how she was going to pull this off. She said she owned more than one property, and that’s true. According to the county’s property records — and the financial disclosure she filed when she ran in the Gables — she also owns condos in King’s Creek in Kendall and in Fountainbleu Park.

Not in Miami.

Know more: Trump loving ‘nodding lady’ Mayra Joli runs for Coral Gables city commission

“They’re going to have to bring out that card once I become a threat to Suarez,” Joli said, referring to Mayor Francis Suarez, who is bankrolling his re-election campaign with crypto currency and venture capital money.

“They want to turn Miami into the next Bill Gates,” she actually said. “If Francis Suarez thinks that’s good for Miami, Miami will vote fo him.

“My domicile and where I spend the majority of my days is the least of his problems,” she added. And that’s true. Baby X is vulnerable. Especially if former Mayor Tomas Regalado makes good on his subtle threats and runs.

There are two other candidates in the wings who have opened accounts with the intent of running for mayor. But neither holds weight against Suarez — or Joli, for that matter.

Know more: Poll pits Tomas Regalado against Miami Mayor Francis Suarez in this year’s race

And if you think about it, well, residency hasn’t really been a deal-breaker for city of Miami candidates. Everybody knows Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo “moved” from his Coconut Grove mansion to that tiny apartment to run in District 3. And nobody believes that Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla lives in that riverside apartment in District 1 — with his brother, his brother’s wife and his brother’s son.

So why should Joli be treated any differently?

In fact, wouldn’t this be a brilliant way to bring attention to this trend?

Joli knows how to get attention. She is the famous nodding lady from the Trump town hall in Miami, caught on camera agreeing too vigorously with everything the former president said. She is even a Saturday Night Live skit. And she nearly sucked the air out of the Coral Gables race, saying out loud what everyone else is thinking and belting out karaoke at early voting.

But it didn’t translate into votes. Joli only got a little more than 7 percent of the vote, coming in fifth of six candidates. This is after she threatened to run for Congress. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t mind being the clown here now — because she knows she won’t be taken seriously.

“I have to wear men’s shoes and men’s pants and that’s what makes me look serious,” she said, sarcasm dripping from the phone. “In order to run and be taken seriously, I have to wear my skirt under my knees and ask people for money and then I can pretend to be serious.”

No, probably not even then.

  Francis Suarez, Mayra Joli