Dan Gelber raises mayoral money fast, and spends it fast

Dan Gelber raises mayoral money fast, and spends it fast

The mayoral race in Miami Beach is going to be expensive as both candidates have already raised almost $800,000 between them. Ladra fully expects this to go over the million dollar mark before the November election. Commissioner Michael Grieco — who loaned himself $25,000 in December — has raised the most with $459,367. To be fair, he […]

Six candidates vie for three seats in Miami Shores election

Six candidates vie for three seats in Miami Shores election

The next mayor of Miami Shores is the lucky one among six council candidates who gets the most votes Tuesday. That’s how they do it there in The Village Beautiful. Six wannabes vie for three “at large” seats. The two candidates with the highest number of votes will serve for four years and the one who […]

Michael Pizzi sued for post-bribery mayoral battle legal fees

Michael Pizzi sued for post-bribery mayoral battle legal fees

Former Miami Lakes Mayor Michael “Muscles” Pizzi is out of the limelight and out of politics, losing the mayoral election last November to Manny Cid. But he’s not out of the legal debt stemming from that elected office. Pizzi has been sued by Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, one of the lawfirms that represented him during […]

Ebbert, Mena head for runoff in Gables commission race

Ebbert, Mena head for runoff in Gables commission race

The four-way Coral Gables commission race becomes a two-way race as longtime activist and everybody’s favorite tia abuela Marlin Ebbert heads into a runoff with land use attorney with hipster facial hair Mike Mena. And Mena heads into it stronger, having garnered 44.5% of the vote Tuesday to Ebbert’s 33%. Retired Gables Police Sgt. Randy Hoff […]

Pat Keon proves ‘Chip’ Withers can’t win on name alone

Pat Keon proves ‘Chip’ Withers can’t win on name alone

Former Coral Gables Commissioner Wayne “Chip” Withers lost his bid to come back to office by unseating an incumbent Tuesday. But did he really try? That’s questionable (read: not so much). Commissioner Pat Keon, who had five times as much more money as he did, won handily, 57 to 43 percent in one of the two […]

Raul Valdes-Fauli wins seat back in close Coral Gables race

Raul Valdes-Fauli wins seat back in close Coral Gables race

Former Coral Gables Mayor Raul Valdes Fauli will have that word “former” removed from his identification after he is sworn in as the new mayor again. Valdes-Fauli beat Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick in the mayoral race Tuesday, 51 to 49, after Mayor Jim Cason said he would not run for a fourth term. As expected, it […]

Coral Gables candidates will spend more than $1 million

Coral Gables candidates will spend more than $1 million

By the time the Coral Gables mayoral race is over on Tuesday evening, the two candidates will have spent at least a half a million dollars, maybe more. Ladra is not sure but is willing to bet that’s a record. The six candidates in the two commission seat races raised almost exactly the same amount […]

In Coral Gables election, only a sweep will change the course

In Coral Gables election, only a sweep will change the course

In the Coral Gables election today, voters are choosing between hitting the gas or putting the brakes on what many have called a recent drive to redevelop much of Coral Gables — going higher and wider and bigger. And not just in the mayoral contest between Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick, the sole dissenting voice in every […]

Your Cortadito Calendar for Coral Gables election week

Your Cortadito Calendar for Coral Gables election week

The Coral Gables election Tuesday is the most important event this week. But it’s not the only thing happening. The Cortadito Calendar for the second week of April has a protest, a council meeting, horses and trees. And, of course, something or two about transportation. Don’t we always have something on transportation? It would have […]

Mucho mailers mean to mislead in Coral Gables election

Mucho mailers mean to mislead in Coral Gables election

With little more than a week to go before the Coral Gables election, voters are getting a mailbboxful of promises and endorsements and attacks. The mailers in Coral Gables are almost always something to talk about — and this year is no exception. From the endorsement of a former governor to the image of a university […]