Two stars may rise from city of Miami election upset

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In the wake of Tuesday night’s surprising upset in the city of Miami elections — where a relatively unknown park activist beat the tar out of the well-financed wife of a well-known sitting commissioner — everyone wants to know who Ken Russell really is.

The good looking young man, former professional Yo Yo player, father of three and watersports business owner is apparently going to be the city’s newest commissioner, having gained a whopping 41% in the clusterbunch election for the District 2 seat vacated by Marc Sarnoff, who wanted to leave it to his wife, Teresa.

Despite outspending him almost 5 to 1, The Missus Sarnoff only got 23% of the vote, albeit enough to get into the runoff — squeezing activist Grace Solares out by little more than 100 votes. Solares outspent Russell, too.

That’s why Ladra and a few other local political junkies want to know who Fernando Diez is. Because he is the other man — some might say the real man — who beat Teresa Sarnoff, the de facto incumbent candidate, with about a fifth or sixth of the money.

Read related story: For Miami Commission, Teresa Sarnoff leads money race

Oh, and he also beat his old boss. Because Diez cut his political teeth at Marin and Sons, where he was director of campaign operations and managed the phone banks from May of 2008 to February of 2010. Steve Marin worked on Sarnoff’s campaign.

According to the latest finance reports, Sarnoff had raised $748,000 by Oct. 29, spending $646,700. And she also has her husband’s political action committee, Truth is the Daughter of Time, which has spent close to $80,000 since June and one can surmise that the polling by FIU Professor Dario Moreno and the consulting by Steve Marin is for this race. So that’s around $730K spent in total so far.

By the end of the day on Nov. 17, Ladra bets the Sarnoffs spend close to $1 million or more to keep that seat in the family.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ken Russell spent only $150,000 and beat her by almost 20 points. Almost double.

“We ran this campaign truly the old fashioned, grass roots way, con cuchillo en la boca,” said Diez, who also worked the campaigns of former Pinecrest Councilman Joe Corradino, who was termed out last year, and Jim Ariza in Palmetto Bay. “Because we had a good candidate and a good message. It’s a new generation of leadership.”

Read related story: MIami FOP endorses Mrs. Sarnoff without a screening

In a climate where voters are increasingly turning to the outsiders — hence the popularity of Donald Trump and Ben Carson on the national stage — this worked for them. Russell is the anti-establishment candidate: The cute, clean cut guy with the pretty family and the black lab and the wholesome lifestyle who became politically active when his neighborhood park was found to be a toxic wasteland.

He makes furniture, for goodness sake. And that aw shuckness factor apparently plays well.

“We had the best message so we could stay above the fray. We could stay positive,” Diez said.

Meanwhile, as Russell flew under the radar, Solares and Sarnoff attacked each other. That worked for Russell, too.

But now that there are no other distractions, Russell has to know that Sarnoff is going to come after him. And hard.

And we’ll really see if Diez — who wanted to be an ad man before a Miami Beach election bug bit him in 2007 — is the newest 305 kingmaker.

“This campaign isn’t about me,  it’s about Ken and his message. It’s about the residents of district 2 and the leadership they deserve,” Diez told Ladra, because all the best campaign consultants are uncomfortable in the spotlight.

“When I met with Ken I saw a diamond in the rough. I saw he has what it takes to be a leader, but all he needed was some direction,” Diez said.

And that is why this campaign is really about both of them.

  Ken Russell, Teresa Sarnoff