In the race to replace the late Miami Commissioner Manolo Reyes in District 4, Ralph Rosado has Joe Carollo on his side and Jose Regalado has Chacha Reyes, the late commissioner’s widow on his.
It’s no contest.
The voice of Chacha Reyes is on the radio practically every hour in Spanish, urging voters to support Regalado — son of former Mayor and now Property Appraiser Tomas Regalado and brother of Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado — in the June 3 special election, like it was what Manolo would have wanted. And she should know. She was married to him for 56 years before the commissioner died last month at the age of 80.
“This is Chacha Reyes speaking to you,” the 30-second spot starts. “My family and I are going through very difficult times because of the loss of Manolo. But, despite that, we are very concerned about who is going to occupy his seat and continue to serve the residents of District 4.
Read related: Miami voters to fill Manolo Reyes’ District 4 seat with June special election
“And we have decided, thinking of you, that the one who can do it is Jose Francisco Regalado, because of his integrity, his 
knowledge of the city of Miami, and the example he had in Manolo and his father, Tomas Regalado. We ask that on June 3, you vote for Jose Francisco Regalado,” she says in the ad.
Chacha Reyes never recorded a radio commercial for her husband, even though spousal support is a pretty common campaign commodity in Miami politics. “I’m not political,” she told Political Cortadito. “I supported Manolo, but invisibly.”
She felt strong enough about this race, however, that she had to voice her concerns. She is the one who called Regalado and urged him to run, after all. So, she’s taken a keen interest in his success.
“Jose worked with Manolo. He knows what Manolo thought, what Manolo wanted,” Chacha Reyes said Wednesday in a short telephone interview. “I am the one who called him. He never thought about running for office. He said he would do it first, in memory of Manolo, and second, ‘because you are asking me,'” she said, quoting Regalado, who she calls one of her adopted sons.
“I know he is going to continue Manolo’s legacy,” Chacha Reyes said, adding that there are park renovations and other projects that have been started but not finished. “He wants to do it in Manolo’s memory. He is not going to take credit for what Manolo did.
“He has a lot of experience and has worked for the city a long time. He knows what is going on in the city,” she said. “He would start the first hour working, not learning.”
She still cries every day over the loss. Especially when she goes out and, invariably, people come up to her to say what a great public servant Manolo was or how funny he was or how he helped them with this or that situation. “I’m proud every day of everything he left behind, the mark he left on the community,” Chacha Reyes said.
Read related: Miami Commission honors the late Manolo Reyes with park, honorary title
“And God hope the next politicians learn from him and stop this discord,” she said.
And Ladra thinks that’s the radio ad she should record next.
Meanwhile, Rosado is getting help from Commissioner Carollo, who everyone knows uses the city’s resources to retaliate against his real or perceived political enemies, having been found guilty by a jury of violating the first amendment rights of two Little Havana businessmen in a case where they awarded $63.5 million to the plaintiffs. Carollo also had his mayoral campaign fundraising kick-off last month the same day as Reyes was buried. Tasteless.
Last month, Rosado was caught getting direction from Carollo while recording a video ad at a park. Rosado lied to Ladra and first told her Carollo was not there. “He was not there. He was not directing,” he said. When told that there was a candid camera video of him walking with his mother-in-law as Carollo walked backwards in front of them, with Marjory Carollo nearby holding a clipboard — is she always holding a clipboard? — Rosado said, “I’ll get back to you.”
He has not. On Wednesday, he left Ladra hanging again when she wanted to follow up on that and the misleading campaign text messages going out in which he says he’s a lifetime resident, when he’s not (more on that later). Regalado is.
There’s really no contest there either.
Manolo Reyes’ widow comes out strong for Jose Regalado in D4 special election added by Ladra on
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