Absentee ballots are already out for the Feb. 11 South Miami elections, where five candidates hope to replace South Miami Mayor Phillip Stoddard, a Florida International University professor and environmentalist, who is termed out.
One of them is former Mayor Horace Feliu, who keeps trying to come back to office. Maybe the third time is the charm?
Stoddard has served five two-year terms — fighting back attempts by Feliu to come back in 2016 and 2018, but just barely. This go-around, Stoddard’s stand-in is Sally Philips, a psychologist and fellow environmentalist who is chair of the city’s planning and zoning board. That’s who he has endorsed (read: handpicked), but she also has endorsements from Ruth’s List (she is the only Democrat woman in the race), SAVE and the PBA.
The other three running for the seat are Bruce Baldwin, Mark Lago and Lina Sierra. Former Mayor Mary Scott Russell filed paperwork early on indicating she would run, but has since withdrawn.
Feliu served from 2002 to 2004 and again from 2006 to 2010. Many might remember him from his arrest at City Hall in 2004 on the eve of his election after being appointed to the seat when former Mayor Julio “The Good One” Robaina became a state rep. He was busted allegedly accepting a $1,300 check, after deadline, in the parking lot of South Miami City Hall. In South Miami, maximum contributions are $250 and illegal if delivered at a public building.
Read related: Former South Miami Mayor Horace Feliu wants old job back
Feliu, who lost the election the next day, claimed the check was for the Democratic Party and that the whole thing was a political set-up, was found innocent by a jury of his peers and then sued the state attorney’s office.
Ladra hopes he got a good settlement because he’s not raising money like a de facto incumbent, though, collecting just over $5,360, according to the latest campaign reports, recording transactions through Jan. 17. And at least $1,000 of that came in four maximum $250 donations from Coconut Grove businessman Orlando Valdes. Feliu has spent at least $4,450, including $2,850 to his campaign manager, Mark Goodrich, who just lost the election for former Homestead Mayor Jeff Porter.
Philips looks and sounds like a female version of Stoddard. She has more than twice as much as the former mayor with more name recognition, but that’s only because she loaned herself $5,500 for a total of $11,035. Interestingly enough, there’s not a single contribution from Stoddard, which makes Ladra wonder how much he really believes in her. She has spent $5,446 so far, the bulk of it ($4,600) to consultant Randy Hilliard, who also ran Stoddard’s campaigns.
But the other candidates are also very interesting and seemingly, perhaps, more capable. And wouldn’t it be nice to see someone brand new get elected for a change instead of the same ol’, same ol’ names?
Bruce Baldwin is a lawyer in consumer and commercial disputes. 
He currently works at Debt Defense Law, which sounds like he fights for the little guy, right? He has two sons who go to private school and has been civically active, particularly in historic preservation groups, for years.
He has posted photos of vacant stores in the downtown and says he has a plan to revitalize the city’s commercial core. “The decay of Downtown South Miami is not inevitable,” he posted on Facebook.
According to his website, his other issues include lowering utility rates, lowering the number of homeless (homeless in South Miami?) and, of course, lowering property taxes.
He has raised $3,170 to add to the $3K he loaned himself and has spent about $2,600 of that.There is no campaign manager that Ladra can see in the reports and this looks like the most grass roots of the campaigns. Baldwin’s biggest expense has been photos.
Lago is a commercial real estate apraiser and father of two little kids, a girl and a boy. He is not related to Coral Gables Commissioner Vince Lago. “But he is a decent person,” the commissioner texted Ladra when she asked. Mark Lago is a special magistrate for Miami-Dade County’s value adjustment board (so he has friends and enemies) and has served on the South Miami Planning Board.
“He knows that his knowledge, background and problem-solving skills, will bring new ideas and outside the box thinking that will move our city in the best direction possible to serve our resident,” it says on his website.
“He wants to be your next Mayor to be your voice. Lago’s goal is to promote solutions for our continued prosperity and progress.”
Lago is also the best financed of the bunch, having loaned himself more than $10k for a $16,700 haul, which includes at least $1,000 in four $250 maximum checks from real estate developer Jose Jorge Figueroa and his companies. Lago has spent at least $7,113 of that, including about $5,000 or so to his campaign manager, Pedro Diaz.
Lina Sierra moved back to South Miami three years ago and says in a Facebook post that growth needs “careful adaptation” to preserve the city’s character.
“As Mayor, I will ensure that South Miami is safe and that our local government meets the needs of our City’s diverse population.” Her literature talks about lowering taxes, reducing cut-through traffic in residential areas and bringing more accountability and transparency to City Hall.
But Sierra calls herself an “educator” on her literature when what she means is charter school executive. She is chief operating officer of AVE Teaching, which stands for Academica Virtual Education. As in charter schools.
And she has gotten some of her $13,940 from the 
Zulueta family that owns Academica and fellow employees. She also got $1,000 from former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina and his wife Raiza Villacis, who now live in Pembroke Pines, and two companies of theirs in Hialeah, and another 1,000 in four checks from developer Sergio Pino‘s family. So she certainly seems like the special interest candidate.
Sierra has spent a little more than half her nut, $7,967, almost exclusively through Steve Marin, her campaign guy.
Ladra doesn’t know if there are any political action committees involved, but with the likes of Goodrich, Hilliard and Marin involved, it’s a pretty safe bet. Anyone getting questionable mailers can email them to me at edevalle@gmail.com.
Voters can meet the candidates themselves at a forum next week at the South Miami Elks Club, 6304 SW 78th St. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, and candidates in both commission races (though one is unopposed) will also be there.
Horace Feliu and 4 more vie for open South Miami mayor’s post in Feb race added by Ladra on
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