Miami City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla sent out cards last week to wish voters a Happy Holidays.
They were not only sent to District 1 voters, however. They also landed in mailboxes in Districts 2, 3 and 4 — it’s unlikely he would campaign in District 5 — in the first real hint that Diaz de la Portilla is considering a run for mayor in 2025.
Or sooner if the current mayor decides to split on his blind national ambitions.
Anybody who knows Diaz de la Portilla knows that the mayor’s seat in his hometown is The Dean’s Holy Grail. He will be running for mayor unless he is arrested for something first. And even then, he might.
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But these holiday cards seem to be paid by the city. The cards are signed by the city commissioner and it provides a city phone number for people to call him at. The return address on the first class mail is City Hall.
Did Diaz de la Portilla use city funds to campaign for mayor? Can he use district funds to communicate with voters in other districts? Is this a new ADLP thing for the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust to investigate?
Meanwhile, a new political action committee called Moving Miami Forward — which has been a Transit Alliance motto — filed paperwork on Dec. 13 about opening a bank account. It’s stated purpose is “candidate and ballot issues for all Miami-Dade County and Miami-Dade municipal elections.”
The chairman is Gary Reshefsky, the city’s former director of risk management (July 2010 to June 2011), who oversaw the third largest city department and a $60 million budget. Carlos Trueba is the treasurer, not Nancy Brown, so it might not be ADLP’s. His own PACs have seen no activity since August.
Ladra will keep an eye on it, especially when reports are filed next week for December’s transactions.
Diaz de la Portilla, who has not yet filed any paperwork for his re-election his year, did not return a call and texts for comment.
ADLP wishes voters a Happy Holidays in possible first hint of mayoral dreams added by Ladra on
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