Dean Alex Diaz DLP starts recall of Bovo over AB fraud

• Tweet
• Sumo

• Tweet

That was fast: The recall of Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo is on.

Call it the next battle in the war between the DLPs and practically the entire Miami-Dade delegation, since the effort has been started by a robocall written and put out by none other than former Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who apparently is does not have enough of a challenge in his own bid to return to the state House in district 112 and his baby brother’s bid to return to the House in district 103 — and who just tipped the love/hate scale in his favor a little bit, again.

“Steve Bovo’s office is at the heart of electoral fraud,” says the woman in the automated call, the same crystal voice as in the calls for Dean DLP and his baby brother, Miami-Dade School Board Member and former State Rep. Renier Diaz de la Portilla, who is in a race for the open seat in new district 103 with the delegation’s hand-picked candidate, school administrator Manny Diaz, Jr.

Bovo became the center of the AB absentee fraud investigation this week when it was learned that his secretary, Anamary Pedrosa, was to be questioned and possibly charged with something after she was seen deliver 164 ballots that came through his Hialeah district office. Bovo is unopposed. So who is his office helping? Manny Diaz, Jr., among others. Probably also helping his friend State Rep. Eddy Gonzalez in his non-race against an employee of a known political operative. Gonzalez is also supporting Diaz, much to the chagrin of the DLPs who were shocked anyone would have the gumption. Ladra suspects there could be robocalls against Gonzalez and the other member of the Hialeah political tribe, State Rep. Jose Oliva, who is also supporting Diaz and can basically say goodbye to his Speaker of the House position in 2018 if Baby DLP and Dean Alex win — or, rather, when.

You know what they say about payback.

“Let’s stop Steve Bovo’s clowning around. Enough is enough,” the woman says in the robocall. “Say no to fraud. Say no to this clown. Say no to Steve Bovo.”

Then she provides a phone number to call if you want a petition to recall Bovo. Ladra wants one, of course. This man should not be in office. He makes a mockery of of the democratic process. Guess -who answered the phone? One of the dozens of phone bankers they have in the DLPs Little Havana house-turned-campaign-central. “Diaz de la Portilla,” she said upon picking up after the first ring (he has them well trained). I laughed and identified myself and told her I want a petition. “I want to be the first one to get it.”

And I do.

The robocall — which will go out again this afternoon and again tomorrow, but with an automated “press 1” if you want a petition — is paid for by a PAC he formed in July in which Dean DLP is openly the chairman and the treasurer, unlike some peolpe who hide behind registered secret agents and the like.

“The name of my committee is Citizens Desiring Accountable Government. It speaks for itself,” Diaz de la Portilla told Ladra in a text message. “I’ve always believed that citizens should decide for themselves.”

You know who might also believe that and help with the effort. Former Miami-Dade Commissioner Natacha Seijas, who posted a comment on one of the latest blogs (thanks Commissioner for reading Political Cortadito) and said she does not believe that Bovo didn’t know what Pedrosa was doing. “It’s his office. He is responsible,” Seijas said, adding that Bovo and all his staff go through ethics training and know what they can do and what they can’t do.

Besides, she asked, “how do you not see 164 ballots. That’s a lot of ballots.”

That’s a good point. Ladra is also sure Bovo knew — especially since he paid Pedrosa $2,000 himself for “campaign work” — which is common code for “AB operations” — in his 2011 campaign to fill Seijas seat as quickly as he could.

You know what they say about payback.

More to come. Ladra is at a borrowed computer with no wifi but will give details on the war later today. Because it’s about to get bloody.