With Hialeah Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo‘s pending departure from public service to become a Washington D.C. lobbyist — because his relationship with Secretary of State Marco Rubio is suddenly very valuable — there is wide speculation about who might run for the post this year now that it’s become an open seat.
Council President Jacqueline Garcia-Roves will serve as interim mayor until November — which Ladra bets nobody thought about when they made her council president. She is the first female mayor in the City of Progress. But not for long. Nobody expects her to run for the permanent job.
Former Councilman Bryan Calvo — who resigned to run for tax collector, losing in the Republican primary to Dariel Fernandez, who went on to win the general — has become the first candidate to jump into the race. City Clerk Marbelys Fatjo confirmed Thursday that Calvo had submitted an “Appointment of Campaign Treasurer and Designation of Campaign Depository for Candidates form designating Mayor as the Office Sought.”
Other potentials that have been mentioned are Miami-Dade Commissioner Rene Garcia and Hialeah Councilman Jesus Tundidor. Either or, but not both, because Tundidor will likely run for county commission in District 13 if Garcia runs for mayor.
Garcia did not return calls from Political Cortadito, but he told the Miami Herald, which first reported Bovo’s move, that he was in a wait and see mode. “Until I hear from Steve Bovo directly on what he is or isn’t doing, there’s no point in me discussing what I may or may not be doing,” Garcia is quoted as saying.
Many observers say he’d be an immediate front runner.
Longtime campaign consultant and former Hialeah Absentee Ballot Queen Sasha Tirador — who now dedicates herself to a podcast called The Sasha View (with 6.8K subscribers!) — thinks it is highly likely that Garcia, a former state senator, gets in.
“No one remembers county commissioners. Nobody remembers state legislators,” Tirador told Political Cortadito. “This is the time to set his legacy.
“He loves the city. He hates injustices and he loves Hialeah,” Tirador added. “This is the city he grew up in.
“Rene Garcia is an old school politician. And old school politicians care about legacy,” she said.
She also called Calvo a “clown.”
Calvo, who is likely to cast himself as the anti-Bovo candidate, told Political Cortadito that although he lost the Republican primary for tax collector last August, he won in all the Hialeah precincts. “And this was with Steve Bovo sending out mailers and radio adds endorsing my opponent.
“Obviously, it still didn’t make up for other places in the county, but it shows that what I’ve done for three years as councilman resonated with the people.
“I have a track record,” Calvo said.
Read related: Hialeah mayor, councilman clash over tax collector election endorsement
That includes voting against water increases and taxes and getting into an infamous fight with Bovo over the city’s 911 response time. In 2023, Calvo sued Bovo to get records from the beleaguered 911 center (it was dismissed in January of last year).
The deadline to qualify for the Hialeah Nov. 4 election is 5 p.m. Monday, July 28.
If Garcia jumps to Hialeah, the District 13 seat becomes open and there will likely be a special election to fill it. As Ladra said earlier, Tundidor might go for that. But he won’t be alone. Las malas lenguas say that State Rep. Alex Rizo and Miami-Dade School Board Member Roberto Alonso are possibilities. Either, or, because both are represented by David Custin, the political consultant who represents Bovo.
There is also a promised upcoming special election to replace Miami-Dade Commmissioner Kevin Cabrera, who should shortly be approved as the U.S. Ambassador to Panama. State Sen. Bryan Avila is said to be eyeing that one, but so is West Miami Mayor Eric Diaz-Padron, West Miami Vice Mayor Natalie Milian Orbis –who happens to be wife of Cabrera’s office Chief of Staff Manuel Orbis — and Francisco Petrirena, who is the director of the city of Miami’s government relations department.
Let the dominos fall where they may.
Bryan Calvo becomes first candidate to file for November Hialeah mayor’s race added by Ladra on
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[…] every one. The polls indicate a runoff between Tundidor and former Councilman Bryan Calvo, who is also running after resigning last year to run for Miami-Dade tax collector (he lost in the Republican primary to Dariel […]
[…] Read related: Bryan Calvo becomes first candidate to file for November Hialeah mayor’s race […]
Please look up Marc Anthony Salvat. He’s young, business mind and isn’t part of the Hialeah government Mafia.
He was born and raised in Hialeah and will do what’s best for Hialeah.
He’s also drives his decisions by putting God first in everything he does.
Let’s end these career politicians who used and abuse are beautiful city
[…] Read related: Bryan Calvo becomes first candidate to file for November Hialeah mayor’s race […]
[…] Read related: Bryan Calvo becomes first candidate to file for November Hialeah mayor’s race […]
Anyone who calls Bryan Calvo a clown must indeed herself be some kind of moron. Calvo went to Harvard, worked in the first Trump administration and really cares about the citizens of Hialeah. He’s a great guy and a very hard worker.
We have here another unfortunate turn of events for the City of Hialeah, as we celebrate 100 years of incorporation (James Bright, founder).
A lot of residents would be happy to see Esteban Bovo exit, but some of us worry that the alternative could be worse. My opinion is that, with only nine (9) months left until the next mayoral run in November, the mayor should have stayed and fulfilled the remainder of his term.
Garcia-Roves as interim mayor is a scary thought . . . but maybe not so much, because this only indicates that the mayor isn’t going anywhere and will still run things behind the scenes with his special interest groups. Garcia-Roves has proven to be a puppet, a “yes” princess who likes to take pictures, and who has shamefully betrayed her own section of the city – that’s her legacy – but she doesn’t grasp that – or maybe she suffers in silence. She can be surrounded with a pile of problems and not see them, not care, or pretend not to care. At least, that is the persona she portrays. But, she is not allowed to think for herself because she owes her soul to those who fueled and managed her campaign (and the mayor who controls her).
Bryan Calvo could be worse than Tundidor or Bovo, but all three can be tossed in similar bags. They are beholden to those with power and money, and not so much to their citizens. Although, maybe naively, I believe that they’ve seen the results of their “yes” votes and all they’ve allowed in this city and feel a thread of remorse. Calvo loves calling attention to himself over critical issues, worried about 911 but has taken monies from Prestige, Leon and other developers and approved all big development projects for more people to live here when we do not have enough police, fire/rescue or public works personnel to handle the existing. Calvo does not care about how neighborhoods are destroyed, how property values and taxes skyrocket, nor does he care about the gentrification of our people.
Some of the other names tossed in this pool of sharks and lions represent a group of recycled politicians who are all buddy-buddy with each other, and they run to post their “together” photos on social media so that people can think they are doing so much good in the community. But, obviously, when you drive around parts of our city, you will see destroyed neighborhoods, 10 story buildings hovering over houses, the litter, homeless people, the selling of our public lands, and other problems, we gotta wonder . . . we really gotta wonder.
I have some beef to pick with my Commissioner Rene Garcia and he knows it well, but he is best choice out of the bunch for mayor … if he still lives in Hialeah. Maybe, just maybe, he would halt some of this over-development and do a few more essential things to help in many different areas (I will reserve these to share with him should he be the chosen one to grab the mayoral seat).
Do want to thank Mayor Bovo for allocating money to fix the streets in my neighborhood, where funding came in and the project approved in 2005 – but disappeared. Yes, we have waited 20 years and the streets and sidewalks here were awful. I am currently advocating (maybe more like fighting) to preserve street parking and install attractive, residential street lights like we see in other cities (not these giant aluminum posts that belong on the avenues and not on our interior streets). Get a life Hialeah, for once, we need a mayor who will pay attention to us!
We shall see what happens . . . God be with us.
I would like to leave the readers with this prayer I wrote last year.
Pray with Faith for Our City!
Read Jeremiah 29:7
In You, Almighty God, we place our trust with faith and hope for our city. You know of our city’s problems and challenges, the fears, concerns and sufferings of its citizens, and the uncertainties that rise from national and world events that could affect our peace, safety of prosperity. We surrender all of this to your loving grace and infinite power to heal and protect us. Forgive those who commit injustices, cast away all forms of evil and free our government of corruption. You, Lord, are that beacon of light that shines down every street, over every home, business, church and school throughout our city. Give us, oh Lord, the mighty sword of St. Michael and send an army of angels to help reclaim our city. Grant us peace protect us all, keep us united and strong, and bless this city! We ask this in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Recite this prayer in faith and share with others.