The last time the Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations met with its members and residents was in March of 2020. Ladra remembers it well, because she was the guest speaker. It was so much fun.
COVID-19 was already coming, but nobody knew that would be the last meeting for more than two years as the pandemic shut down society and changed us forever.
Fast forward to Wednesday: Four races will be featured during a candidates forum that ranges from congressional hopefuls to county commission and school board wannabes.
“After two and a half years without live public meetings, the Kendall Federation is thrilled to finally be back with an in person forum featuring candidates running for school board, two commission seats, and our State Representative to Congress, all representing the citizens of Kendall and West Kendall,” KFHA President Mike Rosenberg told Ladra.
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“Our lives are greatly impacted by our elected officials and the Kendall Federation forums have always been a way for you to meet and greet these candidates in person so you can make a wise decision when you vote,” he said. “And….vote you must!
Participants are encouraged to ask questions at the forum, which starts at 6 p.m. as follows:
- 6 – 6:40 p.m. — Incumbent Marta Perez and Monica Colucci for Miami-Dade School Board, District 4 (Kendall area)
- 6:45 – 7:25 p.m. — Incumbent Danielle Cohen Higgins and Karen Baez-Wallis for Miami-Dade County Commissioner, District 8
- 7:30 – 8:10 p.m. — Martha Bueno and Susan Khoury for Miami-Dade County Commissioner, District 10
- 8:15 – 9:00 pm — Sen. Annette Taddeo and Miami Commissioner Ken Russell for U.S. Congress, District 27
Yes, someone is missing. State Rep. Anthony Rodriguez, who is running for county commissioner, hasn’t gone to a single forum yet. Rodriguez did not return a text from Ladra. His mailbox is full (that’s a tactic lots of pols pull so they don’t have to call you back).
But KFHA President Mike Rosenberg, who also ran for commission in 2020, says the organization reached out to Rodriguez a bunch of times.
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“We have tried over and over to involve Mr. Rodriguez but, so far, he is not willing to attend. Of course he wants your vote, but he will not attend our Forum to ask for that vote,” Rosenberg wrote in an email to KFHA subscribers, citing that the Miami Herald refused to endorse him after Rodriguez skipped their editorial board screening, “and who can blame them.”
The Herald editorial noted that Rodriguez’s absence at all the candidate events runs in stark contrast with his stated desire to be a public servant.
“The Kendall Federation agrees with that assessment. If you don’t have time for us, well, you can fill in the blanks,” Rosenberg wrote.
Also missing is Alicia Arellano from the District 8 race and Julio Sanchez from the District 10 race, but that’s probably because neither of them stand a chance.
And Ladra will bet anyone that Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez will be there. Who else is going to speak when it’s Colucci’s turn?
Each contest gets 40 minutes for the candidates to tell the audience of engaged voters why they are the one to choose on the ballot.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a school board race and will be at the Kendall Village Civic Pavilion, 8625 SW 124 Ave., across from the cinema.
KFHA holds first post-COVID forum for candidates in Aug. 23 contests added by Ladra on
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