Civic activist, healthcare worker to serve through 2025
The Hialeah Council has appointed Melinda de la Vega to the vacancy created when the governor suspended former Councilwoman Angelica Pacheco after her arrest on federal healthcare fraud charges
¿Quien?
Melinda de la Vega may not have been the expected choice, but she is not completely new to Hialeah politics. She serves on the Historic Preservation Board, as Bovo’s appointment, since January. This means she is likely another “Seguro Que Yes” vote. Her appointment was approved Tuesday by the rest of the “Seguro Que Yes” council.
Read related: Hialeah Mayor Steve Bovo, council to appoint fill-in for Angelica Pacheco
Only Brian Calvo, who is running for tax collector and will also leave a vacancy later this year, voted no.
Former Councilwoman Vivian Casals-Muñoz — who was appointed in 2022 to replace Oscar de la Rosa, then lost to Pacheco in 2023 — reportedly really, really wanted the position. But Mayor Esteban Bovo, a onetime ally, discouraged her and Eduardo “Eddie” Santiesteban, who had also run for office and been rejected by voters, not to seek an appointment and run for office again if they really want to be on the council.
Ouch.
The other candidates included:
- Omar Caraballo, a former Hialeah Police Officer, retiring in 1998 after 16 years, mostly under former Chief Rolando Bolaños. The chairman and treasurer of Hialeah’s Veterans’ Affairs Board, Carballo also has had a private company called Copshop that provided police-related services for the film industry. He’s written two screenplays and consulted on movies and TV shows shot locally. Why is he not running for Miami-Dade Sheriff?
- Javier Morejon, a city surveyor in Miami Gardens and Bovo’s 2022 appointment to the Hialeah Beautification Committee is also a member of the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Board.
- Gelien Perez, the former Hialeah Human Resources Director (she resigned shortly after Bovo was sworn in), who has been investigated by the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, as reported by The Miami Herald’s new and prolific Hialeah beat reporter, Verónica Egui Brito. If you care about Hialeah news, follow her on the platform formerly known as Twitter. The Ethics Commission found that Perez, who also has a real estate business, worked on her private business on city time and leveraged her position to get inside information from coworkers and using city contacts to gain an edge in real estate deals. Several HR employees who got raises were also clients of Perez’s private business, according to the investigation.
- Manuel “Manny” Reyes Jr., also applied to be an appointee in 2022 for de la Rosa’s seat. He has been described as a licensed “health and wellness” contractor with a Florida public school. Reyes, another Bovo appointment to the Historic Preservation Board in January, also owns a martial arts academy,
- Juan Santana, a perennial candidate who has lost three bid for mayor and also applied for the vacant spot in 2022. He is a regular at city commission meetings.
De la Vega is not a hard choice from that bunch. The Vice President of the Hialeah Lions Club, a nonprofit that helps the elderly and families in need, was nominated by Councilwoman Monica Perez and sworn in immediately.
Read related: Hialeah mayor, councilman clash over tax collector election endorsement
“Her contributions, including her volunteer work with the Lion Club and the city’s beautification board, are noteworthy,” Perez said. “She will be a champion for our local entrepreneurs and a fantastic asset to the council.”
De la Vega, 38 and a lifelong resident of Hialeah, will serve through November 2025. Ladra does not know if she plans on running for the office via the voters at that time, but is willing to bet on it.
Hialeah Council appoints Melinda de la Vega to replace Angelica Pacheco added by Ladra on
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