Renier DLP fights fire with firetruck in Hialeah

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On the first day of early voting at JFK Library in Hialeah, the city administration called on firefighters to remove signs on the fence that belonged to School Board Member and former State Rep. Renier Diaz de la Portilla, who is running for a state house seat in district 103.

They claimed hanky panky because Hialeah Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez — who supports Baby DLPs opponent, school administrator Manny Diaz, Jr. — only honed in on the DLP signs first. But the city eventually removed all stationary signs, falling on a rule that the campaign signs and billboards had to be held by hand.

So, what do they DLPs do? They bring a red, shiny firetruck of their own. Message to Castro Hernandez: “You got a firetruck? We got a firetruck!”

Really, Ladra is not making that up. Said Baby DLP himself: “We’re mocking Hialeah and their hyper enforcement against my campaign. We’re spoofing them. This is satire. And isn’t that the oldest form of political speech?”

And his truck — which is not paid by Hialeah taxpayers like the one that came out on Saturday — has speakers blaring salsa, Rihanna and merengue music and, once in a while, the Diaz de la Portilla jingle. ‘Cause if you’re in Hialeah you gotta have a jingle. “With Diaz de la Portilla, the people are in his sights.”

Okay, it works better in Spanish ’cause it rhymes.

Ladra hasn’t seen Diaz around at all. Someone told me he was at JFK for half a day Sunday but others said it was 30 minutes. Maybe he’s avoiding the press, who will want to ask him about his role in the whole Hialeah boletera fiasco. Maybe he’s at the State Attotney’s Office now being questioned. They would be remiss if they didn’t speak to him, too. But it is odd that Diaz, who lost his first bid to an elected seat when he ran against School Board Member Perla Tabares Hantman, would be so MIA at JFK. Even State Rep. Eddy Gonzalez, who is an incumbent and has much less of a threat in a non-real opponent than Diaz does in the DLP force, has been around a lot more.

Meanwhile, Baby DLP has been at the Hialeah library every day in full force accompanied by six or seven or 10 workers in white t-shirts with blue letters that say “teachers support Diaz de la Portilla” or “police support” etc. A supporter across the street from the library has lent his campaign the house for the early voting period and it looks like a beachhead with the DLP flag firmly planted in the front yard.

A nephew started driving around the precinct in a truck blaring the jingle on Monday. Tuesday’s firetruck blaring Nikki Minaj was just bonus.

Until a cop stopped the fun, that is.

A sergeant passing by told Baby DLP that his firetruck stuck too far over the sidewalk. Poo! “It’s not personal,” she said, telling Ladra that no, nobody called in a complaint, she was just driving by. She also showed me and DLP a code enforcement violation she had written about an hour earlier for exactly the same thing a few blocks away — a car parked over the sidewalk.

Diaz de la Portilla — who always wanted to be a firefighter but has to settle for their endorsement — had to move the firetruck, which you can rent for birthday parties, too. But he was going to ride off in it anyway to the early voting sites in Miramar and Miami Lakes, which are also in the 103 district before he comes back for a honk and wave around 5 p.m. on West 49th Street.

Ladra can’t wait to see what they pull out of their DLP hat later in the week.