Candidate stumps for job, not seat

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Looks like Gabrielle Redfern is giving up on the race for the Miami-Dade mayor’s seat and is going after a county job instead.

In transit, what else? The Miami Beach single mom doesn’t want to be mayor anymore. She wants to fix the public transit system she says works badly for too few at too much a cost.

Redfern has cozied up to fellow candidate, Carlos Gimenez, the former commissioner and certain front runner who seems to have grown an appreciation and admiration for the Gutsy Gabrielle, who actually snagged the key Kendall Federation of Homeowners Association endorsement out of the dark.

“Hello, Mayor,” she said to Gimenez as he finished up a TV interview and she waited her turn patiently after the forum presented by the New Miami Forum at the Airport Doubletree Hilton.

Ladra said he might hire her if he is elected so she can help fix the transit department.

“From your lips to God’s ears,” she said.

And, actually, it is a great idea that Ladra had thought about earlier and asked Redfern and Jose “Pepe” Cancio and Farid Khavari before. Those three are willing to come work for the county with the assets and skill set they have. Put Khavari in charge of that bank thing, Cancio as a small business ombudsman and Redfern in transportation, for sure. She can find those bones better than Roosevelt Bradley. Then hire Luther Campbell as your information and public documents or transparency officer. Have him be in charge of Open Miami-Dade, the conversion to the online reporting system that records every receipt, bill, check or charge made on a city account that he wanted to bring as mayor. Ladra is sure Luke can come up with more stuff to put online for the world to see. And he wins my heart for that.

I would suggest the new mayor hire Marcelo Llorente for economic development and traffic mitigation (he can work with Redfern), but Ladra kind of wants to see the dogfight between him and his one-time Tallahassee colleague, former State Rep. Juan Zapata (REP, District 119). He can also work with Wilbur Bell to create economic opportunities in the African American community. Bell and Eddie Lewis should also serve as a liaison to that community. Jeffrey Lampert can have his job back.

Ladra even entertains the thought of having the fired county transit director Roosevelt Bradley or Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina, whose business dealings have been questioned and whose participation in a federal investigation indicates some reason for concern, if they want to roll in and roll up their sleeves and help us figure it all out. But they have to pitch a proposal with measurable benchmarks.

Maybe they can do some kind of small business incentive program (which they can do in pajamas or a corrections jumpsuit).