Residents in Miami Springs must be pretty happy with what they got. Nobody challenged Mayor Maria Puente Mitchell and Councilman Walter Fajet, who won automatically weeks ago when nobody filed to run against them. And voters returned two council members to the dais on Tuesday.
Both Councilwoman Jacky Bravo and former Councilman Victor Vazquez, who had resigned to run for county commission last year (losing in the first round), were returned to office. Bravo beat Jennifer Graham, president of the Miami Springs Historical Society, 54% to 46%.
But the nail biter of the night was the victory Vazquez squeaked over Tom Hutchings, co-owner of A Little Bit of Philly and son of former Councilwoman and longtime realtor Joan Hutchings, with just over 1% of a lead. They ended 20 votes apart.
“I’m glad this is over,” Vazquez told Ladra late Tuesday, adding that there is no automatic recount in Miami Springs. “He was a tough contender.”
There are a couple of things that Vazquez wants to follow up on. He wants to create more economic development, not only in the downtown circle area but also along 36th Street. “But not one more hotel,” he said. Vazquez talked about having a full-time city employee bringing business to the city.
“It’s not just economic development, it’s job development,” he said.
He also wants to reach some kind of accord with the county on the police calls to the hotels on 36th Street, which take up much of the police department’s time. Miami Springs has 30 hotels, but gets not one penny of the hotel surtax, Vazquez said.
“And 40% of the calls to our little police force comes from hotels,” he said, adding that he wants the county to help with the cost.
Read related: Victor Vazquez wants back on Miami Springs council, and two other city races
In Group 1, Jorge Santin had an easier time against two others — Orlando “Landy” Lamas and MaryJo Mejia Ramos — to win the open seat vacated by Councilman Bob Best. Santin came in with about 54% of the vote, before all the ABs were counted. Lamas and Mejia Ramos got about 33% and 13%, respectively.
Voters also passed four of five charter amendments, but not shortening the qualification period from 60 to 10 days. Maybe whoever wanted to shorten it should have tried something more in the middle.
They did pass a housekeeping question and charter amendments that:
- provide that an individual appointed or elected to fill a vacancy for less than half of a term will not be deemed to have served a full term when it comes to term limits.
- require that when the mayor or a council member resigns to run for another office and the resignation is effective after a countywide election, the vacancy will be filled by special election at a countywide primary or general election occurring before the effective date of the resignation.
- increase, from 120 to 180 days, the time remaining before the next election for vacancies to be filled by appointment and/or special election.
With almost all but some vote-by-mail ballots counted, the turnout in the city of 8,973 registered voters was 21%, according to the Miami-Dade Elections Department.
The new council members will be sworn in on Monday during the next council meeting.
Miami Springs voters elect familiar faces in two of three council races added by Ladra on
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