Candidates aren’t the only winners, losers in 2020 Miami-Dade election

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As has become tradition here, Ladra likes to identify the winners and losers from the election beyond the candidates. There are people, organizations and entities that also gain or suffer from Tuesday’s results. This year’s are painfully obvious.

Let’s just go right ahead and start in with the winners, shall we?

Winners:

Christian Ulvert — Ladra is getting sick of putting this political consultant in this column, but he’s on a streak. Ulvert is the main architect behind the Miami-Dade mayoral win by Alcaldesa Daniella Levine Cava — a huge, historic feat in itself that puts a Democrat in the #2 political position in Florida for the first time since the 90s and a woman in that seat for the first time ever. He was also able to fend off Renier Diaz de la Portilla in the commission District 5 race, though that might not be such a feat. He did lose the District 7 race and probably didn’t spend enough time on Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez‘s campaign. That shouldn’t have been so close. But he got the prize that state and local Dems have been coveting at least a decade: The 29th floor at County Hall. And after losing the Phil Levine bid for guv in 2018 at the primary, this is gold. Ulvert is still Miami-Dade’s premier kingmaker and, now, queenmaker. Also, I suspect he had a good year financially since DLC spent close to $7 million between her campaign and her political action committee.

Al Lorenzo — He’s back, baby. This political consultant became a pariah after he was unceremoniously fired from the 2012 campaigns of former mayor Carlos Gimenez, who is now Congressman Grimenez, and Miami-Dade State Attorney Kathy Fernandez-Rundle. Officially, it was because he did not disclose that one of his lackeys had a criminal record, including a a prison sentence for forgery. That became known when his campaigns got embroiled in a police investigation into absentee ballot fraud. Not only was he hired this year for the Gimenez congressional campaign, he also helped newly elected Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar. He’s really back.

CJ and Julio Gimenez — The G-men have hit the big league. The friends and family plan of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has gone national as the newly elected congressman is headed to Washington, where his sons and lobbyist pals can now stalk new, international clients, pitch federal highway projects and dole out concessions in the Everglades for the right price.

Read related: Two ballot questions for South Miami voters could change the city’s future

Residents of South Miami — Finally, voters in South Miami will get to elect their mayor and commissioners in November along with state, county and national races, instead of February. This not only saves the city money spent on a special election, it also promises to improve voter turnout and get more people engaged in their local politics. It’s about time. Other cities, like Coral Gables — their election is in April — should follow suit. Voters also held the line on development in South Miami when they rejected a charter amendment that would allow land use changes by a 4/5th majority rather than only by unanimous vote. There’s a community that stands up for itself.

Losers:

The Florida Democratic Party — And Miami-Dade Democrats, too, who lose the representation they had at the federal and state level because the party was too busy trying to win non partisan races. Yes, it’s a small victory to have gotten Levine Cava elected the first female mayor of Miami-Dade. But at what cost? Local Dems should have ensured they not only kept the two congressional seats they lost, but they should have protected Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez from this razor thin recount and they could have gained another senate seat in District 39 if they hadn’t abandoned State Rep. Javier Fernandez (more on that later). They should have made sure a Democrat was elected to replace him in the House and that they kept State Rep. Cindy Polo there, but they lost both those seats. They could have gained another seat or two. If their focus had been in the right place.

Bruno Barreiro — Okay, he’s technically a candidate who lost his race. But the former Miami-Dade Commissioner was the only Republican who didn’t win a 305/786 House seat, losing to incumbent Nick Duran, 53 to 47%. Barreiro, who lost the congressional primary two years ago against Salazar, apparently didn’t read the “defund the police,” law and order campaign playbook. Maybe he should have hired Al Lorenzo.

Read related: UTD teachers union endorses 4 Miami-Dade School Board candidates in 3 races

United Teachers of Dade — They sure know how to pick ’em. Every candidate they endorsed for Miami-Dade School Board lost. They can now rest assured they have almost zero friends on the dais. Smart. Sure, okay, technically UTD endorsed both Russ Rywell and Lucia Baez-Geller in the runoff, but that shouldn’t count because they only endorsed Rywell in the primary and were just hedging their bets. They endorsed school teacher and former Miami Springs Councilwoman Mara Zapata, who lost to former Doral Vice Mayor Christi Fraga, and exiting Miami-Dade Commissioner Dennis Moss, who was beaten by newcomer Luisa Santos. They should probably rethink their process.

Dan Gelber — The Miami Beach mayor was not on the ballot, but he put his political muscle behind a half-baked and controversial idea to give the redeveloper of the Miami Beach Marina additional height and density than currently allowed to build a 38-story luxury condo where Monty’s is now. Voters said nana nina. Calling it an example of “smart development,” Gelber texted voters pitching the referendum, but it failed with 51% of the voters filling in the no bubble. Seems Gelber is not as influential as he and Terra CEO David Martin thought.

Certainly there are some winners and losers that have slipped my K9 mind. Please feel free to suggest your own additions to the list in the comments below.

  Al Lorenzo, Carlos Gimenez, Christian Ulvert