Fight! Ex Hialeah Mayor & Carlos Hernandez’s goon face off

Fight! Ex Hialeah Mayor & Carlos Hernandez’s goon face off

Former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez was having breakfast at Maruch with a reporter Thursday when the current mayor’s “enforcer,” Glenn “The Goon” Rice, burst in on them with a cellphone video camera and began his usual insane berating and assault. Martinez being who he is, not used to being pushed around, got up to confront […]

Big week: arraingments, budgets and Miami Lakes deadline

Big week: arraingments, budgets and Miami Lakes deadline

Look like it’s going to be a busy week in the 305 for political intrigue, what with a caliente county commission meeting, the arraignments of two allegedly corrupt elected leaders, a hearing for a Hialeah boletero and the qualifying deadlines for the suddenly open seats in Miami Lakes due to the mayor’s arrest. Ladra expects […]

In Hialeah, campaign reports are almost secret

In Hialeah, campaign reports are almost secret

If you want to know who’s giving to the campaign coffers for Miami Commissioner Francis Suarez‘s million-dollar mayoral bid, all you have to do is look online: The city posts candidates’ financial campaign reports on its website. Ditto for the races in Homestead and Miami Beach. But if you want to see who is funding […]

Hialeah incumbents lead early in election money race

Hialeah incumbents lead early in election money race

Former Hialeah Mayor Julio Martinez, who jumped into the race for his old job on qualifying day, has a lot of catching up to do. Hialeah Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez has already amassed more than $170,000 for his re-election campaign so far. And that is not counting any possible PAC money. Much of his funding is […]

Hialeah hero Ricky Garcia will be missed, remembered

Hialeah hero Ricky Garcia will be missed, remembered

It’s been driving me crazy all week, but I can’t remember the exact time or place that Ladra met Ricky Garcia, the veteran Hialeah Police officer who played a large role in exposing the wrongdoing by the administration and who decided to run for city council seat after he retired last year. I do remember, […]

Young Hialeah lookalike candidates likely to slate together

Young Hialeah lookalike candidates likely to slate together

No, you did not see the same guy qualify twice for two different seats in the city of Hialeah elections. It just so happens that two of the challengers look quite alike. Activist Julio Rodriguez, who is running against Council Vice President Luis Gonzalez, and Marcos Miralles, who is running against Paul “Pablitiquito” Hernandez are two young men with short, […]

Hialeah election candidates: Something old, something new

Hialeah election candidates: Something old, something new

Qualifying for the city of Hialeah elections — which was moved up two months — is over today. And we have two new candidates in the mayoral and council elections. Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez is going to go up against two other opponents: Activist Juan Santana, who doesn’t stand a chance, and former Mayor Julio […]

Julio “The Other” Martinez to run for Hialeah mayor

Julio “The Other” Martinez to run for Hialeah mayor

A former Hialeah mayor is running for his old seat again, challenging Mayor Carlos Hernandez in this November’s coming election. But it’s the other Martinez. Julio Martinez, who ran for council in 2011 and lost to Councilman Jose Caragol, told Ladra he was driving to City Hall late Monday morning to qualify for the race. […]

Hialeah candidate, former cop Ricky Garcia dies

Hialeah candidate, former cop Ricky Garcia dies

Former Hialeah Police Officer Ricky Garcia was excited about running for council in the city where he had lived and worked for nearly three decades. But but before he could qualify Monday morning, Garcia died of a massive heart attack. Julio Rodriguez, who qualified to run against Council Vice President Luis Gonzalez and had hoped to […]

Rebeca Sosa turns blind eye to Hialeah’s ‘Castro’ Hernandez

Rebeca Sosa turns blind eye to Hialeah’s ‘Castro’ Hernandez

It not only bothers Ladra that Hialeah Mayor Carlos “Castro” Hernandez gets away with his abuse of power and intimidation of critics and that law enforcement does nothing to stop this obvious crook from corrupting his office and the city any further. It bothers me far more that several respected leaders elected to represent us […]