Ladra had a great time talking at KFHA Thursday and is available for parties

Ladra had a blast talking to the folks who braved the coronavirus outbreak to hear me speak at the Kendall Federation of Homeowners Associations meeting Thursday. I do say that I was honored with the presence of so many longtime friends and fans and people who have read me a long time, and people I had talked to on the phone, but had never met.

You know who you are.

I felt bad taking away the spotlight from the candidates that always go to these things and set up their materials at a table just for them. Okay, not really. And they genuinely seemed happy to see me, too.

Former Pinecrest Mayor and State Rep. Cindy Lerner, one of the first people to hire me after I left the Herald to write content for her, for which I will always be grateful for, was there, as well as her opponent in the county commission race in District 7 former Miami-Dade School Board Member Raquel Regalado. Awkward. Funny enough, I also was hired by Regalado when she ran for county mayor in 2016, and am proud to have helped force a runoff with Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos “Mr. Giveaway” Gimenez.

Also there, I met Cristhian Mancera, a tall and good looking super young newbie who is running against Commissioner Joe Martinez, so he has guts, too. Ladra doesn’t know him too well, yet, or his platform or who is behind him (more to come). But I met his mother afterwards and she was lovely and he seems like a momma’s boy and they’re from Colombia, which is already a plus because they speak the best Spanish and are the most like Cubans.

Ladra likes Martinez also. He asks the right questions and makes a lot of sense. Still he votes the wrong way many times. And he didn’t come see me speak!

But there were people there from Calusa Park, who I’ve spoken to before about the developer that wants to tear up their golf course to build hundreds of homes, and from the police department and from the Pet’s Trust and some people I met for the first time who already had tips for me!

Okay, Ladra has to admit that it was fun to explain what I’ve done for almost 10 years and where I came from and why local politics is so important and answer questions — or fake it really good when I didn’t know the answer — and telling stories about how I got my favorite stories and what a nerd I am reading campaign finance reports and searching sunbiz.org for fun on the weekends. I got laughs. I got tsks of disgust at just the right moments. I got heads nodding.

They liked me! They really liked me!

I have to admit, I was a tad disappointed that none of the haters or the politicians I’ve skewered over the years were there. I personally invited them on twitter, singling out Gimenez, Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez and Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, who Ladra has been barking about lately, who I named as the two nastiest politicians I’ve dealt with (I was asked and couldn’t choose just one). Gimenez may be pay-to-play with a family and friends plan, but he doesn’t get to their level of chusmería y bajesa.

But none of them came. Neither did the other trolls that attack me on twitter and in comments simply because they can’t attack what I write.

But, lucky them, they may get another chance! Be careful, though, I think I have more fans.

KFHA President Michael Rosenberg, who has become sort of a soul brother, invited me to come back again sometime before the primary in August. And I think it’s a great idea. I had such a blast on Thursday. I’ve always wanted to do stand-up comedy and talking about local politics is practically the same thing.

In fact, it got me to thinking. Maybe you want me to come talk to your group about who I am and what I do and how I do it and answer questions. I know social distancing is the in thing right now but that will end eventually (we hope) and our “new normal” will begin and the more people Ladra meets, the more I can cover the things that matter and the better Political Cortadito will be.

So, please, get in touch with me. Write edevalle@gmail.com or call me if you have my number (google me if you don’t) and let me know. I do small groups, large groups, birthdays, weddings.

The truth will get out there one way or another.

Kendall, political media

Ladra had a great time talking at KFHA Thursday and is available for parties added by Ladra on March 14, 2020
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