Miami Beach election ramps up with mostly familiar faces in the running

• Tweet
• Sumo

• Tweet

There are 16 people running for four seats in Miami Beach, but many of them are somewhat known to voters already.

They include incumbent Mayor Dan Gelber and Commissioner Mark Samuelian, former Commissioner Kristin Gonzalez Rosen, who left her office to run for Congress, and repeat candidates Stephen Cohen, Blake Young, Raquel Pacheco, Michael “Mike B” Barrineau and Adrian Gonzalez, the well known owner of David’s Cafe.

In fact, the most interesting thing about this election so far is who is not running.

Commissioner Michael Góngora withdrew his candidacy after all that earlier insistence that his first term should not be counted against him retroactively for term limits, which were passed by voters in 2014. That makes both commission seats wide open. Commissioner Mickey Steinberg is termed out and running for Miami-Dade Commission next year.

In public, Góngora hinted that he might run for mayor, but some malas lenguas say he made a deal with Gelber for his support until 2023. On Sept. 9, one day before the qualifying deadline, Góngora changed his race to the mayoral race two years from now.

Know more: Miami Beach mystery mailer attacks ‘dictator’ Dan Gelber’s COVID response

Góngora said he would instead support Alex Fernandez, a onetime aide to both former Mayor Matti Bower and former Commissioner DeeDee Weithorn — until former Mayor Philip Levine had him fired in political revenge — who now works as an aide for Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa.

“I am ready to tackle the many issues confronting Miami Beach from day one – especially public safety,” Fernandez said in a statement, hinting at what might be a key issue of the campaign: crime and chaos in South Beach.

“Residents want a leader with the courage and experience necessary to advance crime-fighting initiatives. They want action on our problems with flooding and traffic congestion,” Fernandez said in the statement. “They deserve unparalleled accessibility and responsiveness from their elected officials. On the Miami Beach Commission, I’ll work hard every day to ensure our city’s government is worthy of its people.”

With no real viable challenge, the mayor’s race is looking a little boring as Gelber gets a free ride to stay in office. Sure, there are four candidates challenging him. But nobody we know or with any real chance. The only person who has any real money to compete against Gelber’s $280,000 war chest so far is real estate agent Jean Marie Echemedia-Kouri, who loaned herself $50K in August, according to the latest campaign reports with transactions through August. The other three haven’t raised $3,000 between them.

In Group 1 to replace Steinberg, Rosen Gonzalez is the closest thing to an incumbent and the front runner against Gonzalez, Pacheco, Young and Greg Branch, founder and managing partner of Veritas Financial. Even though she already tried a comeback in 2019 and lost to Commissioner Steven Meiner.

Pacheco, a retired soldier, business owner and PTA mom, ran against Commissioner Ricky Arriola and lost in 2019. That same year, Young and Gonzalez lost to Commissioner David Richardson, then a termed-out state rep.

Know more: Mark Samuelian announces bid for second term in Miami Beach election

In Group 2, Samuelian is being challenged by former New York City “it boy” — the “male Paris Hilton” — and rich kid reality TV junkie Fabian Basabe, who loaned himself $100,000 and was kicked out of the Democrat LGBTQ conference at the downtown Miami Hilton last month because he is a Republican. But there’s already a lawsuit claiming he hasn’t lived in the city for a year because he voted in the Bay Harbor Islands November election (more on that later).

In Group 3, Fernandez has Góngora’s blessing against Mike Barrineau, Stephen Cohen and Melissa Beattie, president of the Venetian Islands Homeowners Association, who has loaned herself $120,000 of her $200K kitty, but is overspending on Facebook ads by targeting people in Aventura and all over the state. Rookie mistake for a newbie but her campaign manager is Alex Miranda, formerly of the Phil Levine campaign and administration, who worked in the state house before that (long fall) so what’s his excuse?

Two hears ago Barrineau lost to Arriola and Cohen lost to Meiner.

Fuller stories and coverage of each race to come soon. The election is Nov. 2.

  Dan Gelber, Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, Miami Beach elections, Michael Gongora