Even Police Chief Ed Hudak has gotten involved
The Group 5 race in Coral Gables has gotten increasingly heated with fake magazine covers, more text attacks and calls from the chief of police.
Say what?
Yes, that’s right. Police Chief Ed Hudak has apparently called several voters on behalf of attorney Alex Bucelo, who is also Mayor Vince Lago‘s pick. Bucelo is running against longtime activist Ariel Fernandez, publisher of Gables Insider, for an open seat.
“He called me, we’re friends. But he also called two other people I know,” said Maria Cruz, an active North Gables resident, referring to the chief. “He said not to vote for Ariel. That if Ariel wins, it would most likely accelerate his retirement.”
Really? Well, maybe he should accelerate his retirement. Because a police chief should not be making calls to residents’ homes to warn them against voting for someone. That sounds like a scary thing. And does he really feel that way or is he doing the mayor’s bidding?
Hudak did not return calls and texts from Ladra over the course of three days. He’s probably embarrassed.
Read related: For independence in Coral Gables, vote Melissa Castro and Ariel Fernandez
This week, voters also got a text with Fernandez on a fake cover of Coral Gables Magazine, calling him a liar and linking to a 2021 story in the magazine that is critical of Gables Insider and Community Newspaper for questioning the sale of a city lot on LeJeune to Commissioner Mike Mena‘s employers.
Not cool, Bucelo people. Prefieren pedir perdon que pedir permiso. They have done nothing but misinform and attempt to fool voters from Day 1. Bucelo is trying to distance himself by using a dark money political action committee called Getting Things Done. It is separate from his own Friends of the Gables PAC and is one of the repeatedly nasty committees out there. But he knows it’s happening.
The fake Coral Gables Magazine cover is one of the most egregious examples.
Magazine editor James Faber said he would reach out to their attorney about the use of their image.
“We had nothing to do with that fake cover,” Faber said in an email to Cruz, who, of course, complained. We called the Bucelo campaign folks and told them to stop and they said they had nothing to do with it. We are having our lawyer investigate what amounts to illegal use of our trademark.”
But then the magazine — which is associated with Cuba Trade Magazine (and Faber is apparently proud of it) — has endorsed Bucelo, instead. With lies. He says that Fernandez used the terms “perverted tactics” and “developer-puppet” in an email blast against Bucelo.
Ladra searched for those terms. Couldn’t find them.
In his endorsement article, Faber also lies when he says that Fernandez has no government experience. Ariel was working his first job in government — as an intern for then Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen — when Bucelo was still in diapers. Pull-ups, maybe.
The ridiculous paid article also says that Bucelo has more experience because he served on the planning and zoning board, code enforcement board and the mayor’s council. But Fernandez has served on the emergency management board, the property advisory board and chaired the school community relations committee. He also served on the county’s film and entertainment advisory board.
Read related: Faker Alex Bucelo wants voters to think he has police & fire support; he does not
Pound for pound, that’s more government experience than Bucelo, who only became active two years ago when he lost his first bid at council.
Could this endorsement be part of what the city pays for in its monthly subsidies to the magazine, to the tune of between $1,500 and $1,975 a month? It categorizes the cost as a full page ad, but it most likely pays for positive coverage like the current cover story on Mayor Lago’s sustainability efforts and the “Mike Mena is a parks star” piece that used some of the same photos the city used in their goodbye slideshow to the outgoing commissioner Tuesday.
That’s why the magazine editors and/or writers have monthly meetings with the city’s PR guru, Martha Pantin, whose lobbyist son, btw, is Les Pantin, who donates heavily to the Lago and Bucelo campaigns. Pantin gave $10,000 to Bucelo’s PAC earlier this year.
Surely, they’d hate to lose that monthly stipend. But they may anyway. Last year, the city stopped advertising with Gables Insider (Political Cortadito gets no love!) because it did not want to seem like it was going to support one candidate over another, since Fernandez gets involved in elections. Ladra will suppose that the city will have to stop its relationship with the magazine now that it’s gotten involved in this election.
Lago loves to say that website blogs and twitter critics are bought and paid for, but he’s the one with all smiles on the cover of the April Coral Gables Magazine, buying press coverage and endorsements for his rubber stampers — all on the taxpayers’ dime.
Dear Political Cortadito Gables reader: The city does not provide Political Cortadito with any monthly payments for advertising. Nor does the lobbyist son of the city’s PR guru provide any support. No $10K check for Ladra. It’s up to you to keep this grassroots watchdog journalism alive. Please donate generously. At least it’s not taxpayer money.
Coral Gables Magazine Invoice to city by Political Cortadito on Scribd
Coral Gables race heats up with more attacks, ‘paid’ magazine endorsement added by Ladra on
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lets see Hudak act on his word and retire early… and it is sick to see resident money spent to raise lagos profile 🙁 this is embezzlement, lets see if hudak investigates before leaving—- ha!
[…] Related read: Coral Gables race comes with more attacks, ‘paid’ magazine endorsement […]
[…] Three former Mayors — Jim Cason, Don Slesnick and Raúl Valdés-Fauli — endorsed Bucelo too. Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak called residents on Bucelo’s behalf as well, according to Political Cortadito. […]
[…] Read related: Coral Gables race heats up with more attacks, ‘paid’ magazine endorsement […]
[…] Three former Mayors — Cason, Don Slesnick and Raúl Valdés-Fauli — have endorsed Bucelo too, and Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak has been calling residents on Bucelo’s behalf, according to Political Cortadito. […]
[…] Three former Mayors — Cason, Don Slesnick and Raúl Valdés-Fauli — have endorsed Bucelo too, and Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak has been calling residents on Bucelo’s behalf, according to Political Cortadito. […]
Miguel… The Federal Hatch Act only applies to Federal employees. The Chief of Police does not fall under that Federal law. If the information is true about him calling community members to sway their vote, then it would follow under the state statute provided below by Above the Law.
Berta… Since you don’t believe Maria Cruz regarding the Chief of Police calling her about the voting, why don’t you ask the Chief of Police directly “on the record” at the next scheduled commission meeting. I’m sure Vinnie and the Chief of Police would prefer to put it on record. Better yet, it would be great for Maria Cruz to address it herself before the Commission. Looks like people are calling her integrity into question.
Hopefully, the proper authorities look into this potential violation. It’s definitely concerning and an embarrassment to our City.
Mayor Lago has a clear conflict of interest and ethics violation with his brother the annexation lobbyist and now a police chief violates the Federal Hatch Act too. No one says anything? Silence from Commissioners Anderson (lawyer), Menendez (lawyer), City Attorney? Manager? Ethics Commission? OIG?
The Hatch Act restricts the political activity of individuals principally employed by state or LOCAL executive agencies who work in connection with programs financed in whole or in part by federal loans or grants.The following list offers examples of the types of programs which frequently receive financial assistance from the federal government: public health, public welfare, housing, urban renewal and area redevelopment, employment security, labor and industry training, public works, conservation, agricultural, civil defense, transportation, anti- poverty, and LAW ENFORCEMENT programs.
Coral Gables, like all other police departments, receives federal funds.City Beautiful is looking like the current fiasco down the street at the City of Miami.
Why would the Police Chief call Maria Cruz to ask her to vote for Bucelo? That would be like calling Ariel’s wife to ask her to vote for Bucelo. Everyone knows where Maria stands. This is the most absurd source of information, along with the old “and two other people told me that he called them too.” What a ridiculous move to use someone from Ariel’s campaign as a source for such a baseless story attacking the Chief of Police. But this is what Gables residents can expect from Fernandez – an onslaught of baseless mud slinging and fabrications aimed at tarnishing the established reputations of anyone who doesn’t do his bidding. Welcome to City of Miami politics!
Why Get Involve Unless You Are Part of The Political Problem in The City Beautiful , Vote For The One W/ LE$$ Campaign Money , That way You Will be SAFE ?
Do you know why the commission and senior staff “dislike” or better yet “fear” Maria Cruz? It’s precisely because she tells the truth. It ruins the narrative the senior staff tells the commission. The first tactic is to belittle her and call her a liar, until time and time again Maria Cruz brings them the hard evidence as she always does. Of course by then, they dismiss her because it makes them look bad or they say they will look into it and never do. That’s why Maria Cruz was favored to be the interim appointment to the commission. Maria Cruz may have her theatrics, but she doesn’t lie.
Dear Berta,
It is shameful and irresponsible for you to accuse Maria Cruz of not being truthful about her call from Hudak.
Dear Mr. Santos:
You sound like Joe Carollo, who thinks that nobody outside Miami should care about what he’s doing to the city.
And you don’t know me. I have known Chief Hudak for, oh, 20 years or so and have defended him at every turn. Do a search on the site. I am a huge fan.
I am not attacking him. But I also do not think it is proper for the police chief — or the fire chief or the code enforcement director or the city manager — to call voters and urge them to vote for a rubber-stamp candidate “or else.” It seems very strange to me that you don’t find that unacceptable. It just flies in the face of free and open elections. My parents left Cuba to avoid that kind of electoral interference by the established government.
I called the chief and texted him over the course of several days. He knew what it was about. He chose not to respond. Probably because even he knows it is indefensible.
Love, Ladra
M. Fernandez, interesting comment.
I wrote a letter to Coral Gables Magazine several months ago regarding the remaining funds in the BID account after it was disbanded. I thought the funds should be returned, proportionally, to the Property owners. The magazine said that I had just missed the deadline but would publish it in the next edition. Never saw it.
This is just too sleazy.
The Police Chief should clear this up immediately.
If laws were broken appropriate action should be taken.
This is not how elections should be run in Coral Gables.
Too much of Miami/Dade is seeping into Coral Gables.
Another witch hunt. Now after our decent Police Chief, being done by a non Coral Gables resident. Ladra should move to San Francisco or to New York to experience what is life in a city that embraces her beliefs, and also to deal the consequences: high crime and high taxes.
Interesting piece here. It appears the Chief of Police violated the below State Statute:
104.31 Political activities of state, county, and municipal officers and employees.—
(1) No officer or employee of the state, or of any county or municipality thereof, except as hereinafter exempted from provisions hereof, shall:
(a) Use his or her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with an election or a nomination of office or coercing or influencing another person’s vote or affecting the result thereof.
The provisions of paragraph (a) shall not be construed so as to limit the political activity in a general, special, primary, bond, referendum, or other election of any kind or nature, of elected officials or candidates for public office in the state or of any county or municipality thereof; and the provisions of paragraph (a) shall not be construed so as to limit the political activity in general or special elections of the officials appointed as the heads or directors of state administrative agencies, boards, commissions, or committees or of the members of state boards, commissions, or committees, whether they be salaried, nonsalaried, or reimbursed for expense. In the event of a dual capacity of any member of a state board, commission, or committee, any restrictive provisions applicable to either capacity shall apply. The provisions of paragraph (a) shall not be construed so as to limit the political activity in a general, special, primary, bond, referendum, or other election of any kind or nature of the Governor, the elected members of the Governor’s Cabinet, or the members of the Legislature.
(2) An employee of the state or any political subdivision may not participate in any political campaign for an elective office while on duty.
(3) Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
Dear Berta, who are you really? A few untruths in your comment… Only Melissa is advertising on Political Cortadito. I gave her a bargain. And it has nothing to do with the endorsement. Jorge Fors advertised in Political Cortadito when he ran and I did not endorse him for CG Commission. Also, Ariel is not advertising (though he should have). What is clear, because there is an invoice, and I will add it now, is that Coral Gables Magazine gets money from the city, or rather, the taxpayers. And I believe Maria Cruz. I don’t think she would lie to me.
Love, Ladra
We know the type of scummy politicians we are dealing with here, folks… CG residents need to step up and clean house. We couldn’t do it with Uncle Vinny and he got lucky this time around, but at least we can knock out these other two goons bought and paid for by developers. Let’s give Ariel and Melissa a chance. We already know how bad the alternatives will be… I can’t wait to vote for Ariel and Melissa on April 11.
Amazing to read an article by this publication making unfounded allegations about “paid” coverage when that is this website’s entire business model. GUESS which two candidates have advertisements on this website? Hint: the same two the website endorsed. And to accuse Hudak of calling Maria Cruz and using her as a source for that information? Wow. Maria Cruz basically works for Fernandez. That is your source? Hudak would never call Cruz to tell her not to vote for Ariel as there is no doubt whatsoever that she will. He knows where she stands and she knows where he stands.
The Gables cesspool is worse than I ever imagined. Thank you, Ladra, for exposing it! We need Ariel to win in order for these things to come to light … finally!
And BTW, JP Faber and Coral Gables Magazine scrubs comments. I have posted two comments and they have yet to appear. Very orchestrated how the Bucelo story was published and then, literally, minutes later a Bucelo campaign text is sent referencing the story.