Several other electeds came from near and far to pay their respects and roll out the red carpet as the newly-elected mayor and commissioner were sworn in Monday at Miami Beach City Hall.
They included Miami-Dade Commissioner Xavier Suarez, his son, Miami Commissioner Francis Suarez (who let me kneel down next to him so I can get some photos and ran out the door as soon as the long ceremony was over), State Rep. David Richardson (D-Miami Beach) and Miami-Dade School Board Member Susie Castillo.
Conspicuously absent, though his district office is on the first floor of Miami Beach City Hall: Miami-Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro, who had supported all the losing candidates in the commission races but had stayed out of the mayoral bout.
Barreiro — who represents Miami Beach at the county level and had supported former Mayor Matti Bower, Commissioner Jorge Exposito and activist Elsa Urquiza in their runs for commission — said Tuesday that he had a conflict in his schedule that included giving away some turkeys, a staple of political life this time of year.
“I saw Mayor Levine Friday at a Best Buddies event and I congratulated him there,” Barreiro told Ladra Tuesday. “He invited me to the swearing in, but unfortunately my schedule was made, and it was too late.
“I wish him the best,” Barreiro added, offering some words of advice. “One thing is campaigning and another is governing. You gotta build bridges to get things done.”
There were a couple of ex electeds there, too. Former State Reps. Elaine Bloom — who ran for mayor in 2001 but lost to David Dermer — and Richard “Sext Me” Steinberg, whose wife Micky Steinberg was elected commissioner last week in a runoff.
And also former State Rep. Marcelo Llorente, who represents the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, which has an interest in the Miami Beach Convention Center redevelopment, which the mayor said he was going to bring up in January (more on that later).
Oh, and guess who came in from a city way on the other side of the county: Miami Springs Mayor Xavier Garcia, who just happens to be business partners with campaign consultant David Custin, who ran three of the successful campaigns, including Levine’s, and kept running away from me any time Ladra approached to chew the fat.
I think he’s camera shy. Anyway, he was definitely not happy to see me. But I guess the best way to prove to them that Ladra is not a “paid political assassin,” as Levine slandered me weeks ago, is to stick around after the election and cover the goings on in Miami Beach.
Roll out my red carpet, gents. I’m here to stay.
Swearing in at Miami Beach attracts other local electeds added by Ladra on
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