Three Democrat Party activists are looking at running for office for the first time in Miami Dade. One of them for circuit court judge this year and two of them forMiami city commissioner in the two years fe 2015 elections.
And some people say that Ladra’s obsession with elections later this year is premature.
Tony Diaz, the tall, relatively unknown man behind the recall effort against Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro, filed papers last week to run for Miami Commissioner in the seat now occupied by Commissioner Francis Suarez, who abandoned the mayoral race and may now face a tougher re-election.
Diaz, an FIU student by day and newby political consultant working on a couple of local races by night, told Ladra that he had actually been thinking about running for office for about a year.
“We started the exploration last February,” he said. “It’s time. The city needs us.”
We? Us? “My campaign team,” Diaz said, denying that it was too early to start campaigning.
“We’re going to need to raise a lot of name recognition against our opponents,” he said. And that is likely very true. Because nobody knows who this kid is.
And, in addition to another possible run by the incumbent Baby X — who may or may not run for mayor ever again after having to abandon his formidable campaign last year on the heels of several setbacks — there are two others who have already indicated they want that seat: Manolo Reyes, for the bazillionth time, and Ralph Rosado, for the second time (third campaign since he ran/lost a state House seat), both of whom have more name recognition.
Diaz will have a bar-b-cue today with his friends to celebrate the announcement and soft kick-off the campaign.
Pedro Villa, regional director for Sen. Bill Nelson, is said to be “exploring” the possibility of running for city of Miami Commissioner in the seat now occupied by Marc Sarnoff, who will be termed out in 2015. At least according to one very good source, because I could not contact Villa. I sent an email and he chose not to call me but rather wrote me back: “Elaine, thank you for reaching out but I am no longer considering a run for public office at this time. Take care, Pedo.”
Still, local Dems, including Miami-Dade Democratic Chairperson Annette Taddeo want him to reconsider. “I can confirm I would love to see him run,” is all Taddeo told me. Wink, wink, nod, nod.
“A lot of our members are encouraged by all the new activity and a lot of people are stepping up to run,” Taddeo said about this spate of early eager beavers. “Some are recruited. Others just jump in.”
But the same source who told Ladra that Villa was pretty much decided was also right about Diaz and was also told me that Joe Perkins, former finance chair for the Dade Democratic Party, would resign the post to file last week to run for judge in the 11th Circuit Court in the open seat where Alberto Milian is already filed. And, lo and behold, Perkins filed Thursday.
“It is something I have always wanted to do and it seemed like the right time,” Perkins told Ladra.
Perkins, arguably, has access to lots of contribution money. Milian, a former Broward prosecutor turned criminal defense attorney who lost a bid for Miami-Dade State Attorney in 2000, has $134,000, but $100,000 was loaned to himself. Perkins has proven an ability to raise funds for others. In fact, Ladra met him at his Brickell apartment in 2012 for a fundraiser he threw for a candidate for the Florida House: State Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez.
This plus the Renier Diaz de la Portilla run for the robe is reason enough for Ladra to pay attention to the judicial races this year.
Three unknown Dade Dems look at first runs for public office added by Ladra on
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I’d like to disagree with the Anonymous user, titled “E”, in the comments section regarding Antonio Diaz. I have had the pleasure of speaking to Mr.Diaz various times about his plans as District 4 Commissioner and I cannot say how impressed I am. We’re talking about a 19 year-old kid that started his PR firm when he was a senior in High School and dedicates the majority of his time to work. I had the pleasure of attending Mr.Diaz’s Kickoff BBQ about a week ago and was surprised by his eloquence and attention to his guests. Although young, Mr.Diaz sure is a hell of a role model of his age group and would rather have him looking out for the best interest of the community than Suarez, that quit his mayoral campaign for a much different reason that he made the press believe. My vote is with Antonio Diaz; yes he is the new kid on the block, but everyone has to start somewhere right?
I agree, Perkins has my vote over Milian who has shown a blatant lack of respect for his fellow lawyers. Just google him.
In my dealings with Joe Perkins, he has always acted with integrity and has shown himself to be an intelligent and exceptional lawyer. I think he’d be a great judge
Haters .
Ladra:
What is your fascination with Tony Diaz?
To group him in with two actual contenders, and place him at the top of the list, shows either your bias against the Miami Dems (which I doubt) or your naivety in thinking that the dems actually take this kid seriously.
The dems in dade are starting to have a presence, for once, beyond partisan races. They’ve recruited heavy hitters that can do serious fundraising and actually compete. But Diaz isn’t even remotely in that category… yet the more blog posts you write about him, the more people will think he’s somebody real. And that isn’t honest journalism.
Good to see some fresh new faces getting involved.
I’ll take these one at a time, being that I know each of these people:
Tony Diaz has the same chance of winning a seat on the City of Miami Commission as he does of being elected President of the United State in 2016 – ZERO. Ralph Rosado will take that seat when “Baby X” runs for Mayor and gives it up. Diaz is a nice young kid. He needs to finish his education, stop chasing every nobody running for office, offering cheap (and not very good) consulting services, and try getting himself some real world experience. Plain and simple – the kid is in so far over his head it’s a good thing he’s no under water, or he’d never make it to the surface in time.
Pedro Villa would make a very interesting candidate. If Bill Nelson would help, particularly in a big fundraising effort, Pedro could contend. He would make a great commissioner. I doubt he runs though. He is smart enough to know that he can make a much better living and impact working on the back end of things. He’s got a great head on his shoulders. I’m sure Anette Taddeo would love for Pedro to run. Not that he should get to make the choice, but I think Marc Sarnoff already has a successor in mind.
Joseph Perkins running for Circuit Court Judge is a joke. Seriously, it has to be. He has little experience. And he is running against someone who is perfectly suited for the bench, Al Milian. The people he will rely on, like Jose Javier Rodriguez are too busy with their own competitive races. Richard Lydecker is going to be focused on Charlie Crist, Joe Garcia and other top Dems. Perkins might raise some money, but he will even be on Lydecker’s back burner.
Renier Diaz de la Portilla running for judge is, well… There’s no question he is smart. There’s no question he is a little crazy. Does he win? Probably. Does he have his own TV show a few years down the road? I’d say there is a pretty good chance. And like him or not, we will all watch.
I know Joe Perkins and believe he is a serious contender. He applies himself in every endeavor, especially the practice of law. He has more real experience than many lawyers twice his age – from depositions to oral argument, including before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a hard worker and often the most prepared lawyer in the room. Joe knows how to think creatively, can craft sophisticated legal arguments and is passionate about the law. He will be the type of judge this community needs – hard working, dedicated to public service and serious about applying the law fairly.