Voters replace Luigi Boria with first mayor, J.C. Bermudez

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Doral’s founding mayor, who served from 2003 until he was termed out in 2012, was sent back to City Hall Tuesday by voters who connected to his getting Doral “back on track” message — and who tossed out an incumbent that had waged a particularly nasty campaign.

J.C. Bermudez won with a whopping 67 percent, a total of 4,680 votes — almost twice as many as incumbent Mayor Luigi Boria, with 2,347. That amounted to only 33 percent, despite several last minute attempts to sway voters, including a false and frivolous complaint filed with the Florida Elections Commission and a ridiculous request for an investigation by the State Attorney’s Office that will be good for a laugh.

Read related story: Ladra responds to Luigi Boria and his silly press conference

It’s the same percentage he got in the first round when there were three candidates, with former Councilwoman Sandra Ruiz coming in third. That means Boria reached his ceiling Nov. 8.

And this despite the fact that Boria outspent Bermudez by more than 2 to 1, judging by the documented campaign reports. Between them, the two men spent almost $1.2 million to become mayor of Doral — which Ladra is sure will be a record for the young city. Boria spent the bulk of that, with almost $800,000 between his campaign and his Doral United political action committee. But what he raised was little more than half a million — because he loaned $265,000 to himself.

While he waged a nasty campaign, the incumbent was (sorta) gracious in his concession speech.

“I never considered myself a politician… For me, the people were always first, before the politics,” Boria said to a group of supporters before he addressed the links his brother-in-law has to an office where eight voters were registered illegally (the subject of a Political Cortadito post that he claims was paid, el pobre).

“I never deviated from the laws. I never did anything inappropriate. They painted this whole picture, but I consider myself an honest person, a tolerant person, a person with integrity and a person with values,” he said.

Read related story: Possible voter fraud in Doral may have ties to Luigi Boria

“I know my vision is different from that of J.C. Bermudez, but I know he has a vision for the city. I congratulate him and recognize that he worked hard… God knows what he is doing. If I win God, has someting good for me. If I lose, God has something good for us.”

In a television interview, Boria even said that Bermudez had been a hard worker and “great servant to this city.”

What a difference a day makes, huh?

But Bermudez might not be in the same collegial mood. He can’t be. Sandra Ruiz will not let him be. Bermudez was elected by people unhappy with Boria and the scandals marked by his tenure and the instability he brought to the administration and the lack of transparency in Doral government. Bermudez is going to have to go into City Hall and start opening drawers and looking behind the shelves to see shat kind of mess Boria left that we don’t know about.

“The people clearly sent a message that they wanted change,” Bermudez said in a TV interview Tuesday night. Ladra was unable to reach him and he did not return calls.

“They want to bring Doral back to the values it once had,” he was quoted as saying in the Miami Herald. “It’s a great message from the community that it’s about decency not money, honesty and not dirty campaigning.”

Read related story: Nasty Doral mayoral race tops $1 million approaching runoff

His message throughout the campaign was to get Doral “back on track” as far as the master plan for development and the transparency and accountability in government that the city was founded for in the first place.

In the council race that also was forced into a runoff Tuesday, longtime activist Claudia Mariaca, a council meeting regular who celebrated with the Bermudez campaign Tuesday night and spoke at his podium (pictured, right) — and who might be the first Argentine elected in Miami-Dade (or the U.S.?) — beat Adriana Moyano, who had the same consultant as Boria, 56 to 44 percent.

Ladra is not sure when the swearing in is. But the next council meeting, according to the city website, is the next day.

Good thing both Bermudez and Mariaca can hit the ground running.

  Doral politics, J.C. Bermudez, Luigi Boria, Sandra Ruiz